RND 9 – PAULIN WINS IN ITALY

—  FIM MX1/MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 09, SUNDAY JUNE 16 MAGGIORA, ITALY
—  Circuit length: 1520m – Type of ground: hard pack – Temperature: 28° C
—  Weather conditions: Sunny – Crowd attendance: 38000
—  Paulin clinches sensational victory in Maggiora

The main races of the Grand Prix of Italy took place today at the emblematic track of Maggiora, which was packed with 38000 spectators. The crowd was outstanding and they supported their home riders until the very last lap. However, Antonio Cairoli finished third overall as Gautier Paulin conquered the podium and his teammate Ken De Dycker finished second. In the MX2 class Jeffrey Herlings was first and José Butrón second, but it was Alessandro Lupino’s third place that made the crowd go crazy.

Before the MX1 and MX2 races started, the MX3 and WMX took part in their final races, and while Klemen Gercar obtained the overall victory after his 2-2 result, Chiara Fontanesi dominated both heats with great authority.

— MX1

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin obtained his third GP victory this weekend after finishing second in the first race behind Clement Desalle and winning the second heat from the likes of Antonio Cairoli. It was not an easy win for the French rider, but he managed to keep the lead until the finish line even having the home rider racing right behind his rear wheel during the last three laps. Paulin was visibly emotional on the podium and he admitted that such victory was the perfect reward for all the effort he puts for improving every Grand Prix.

The second overall position was for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker whose last podium had been in the Italian track of Arco di Trento in April. The Belgian rider felt really well on the track today and he managed to take two good starts and ride two consistent motos. De Dycker obtained a comfortable second position in the first race and in the second one he rode second during the first half of the heat, but he could not stop Cairoli to pass him.

Home rider Antonio Cairoli could not finish on the top of the podium this weekend but he was very proud of the crowd that packed Maggiora and cheered for him until the very last moment. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider started leading the first race but he made a mistake, crashed and twisted the knee he had injured in 2008. Suddenly Cairoli felt some pain, but after some laps he managed to recover the rhythm and moved up to third. However, he made another mistake and dropped two positions to finally finish fourth. Cairoli had to tape his knee to start the second race and he needed around fifteen minutes to warm up his knee and be able to push. The Italian overtook his teammate De Dycker and he quickly gave charge to Paulin, but despite being really close to pass him, he had to settle down with the second position, which gave him the final third overall result. 

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek gave another step forward today in Maggiora obtaining his best result of the season in fourth. The Belgian rider started fifth in both heats and he was able to ride two consistent motos until the finish line.

Honda World Motocross’ Max Nagl did not have a good jump off the gate in the first race but he managed to find a good rhythm and he moved from tenth to sixth. In the second race the German succeeded to start with the front group, but after a couple of laps he had a problem with his front wheel and he started dropping positions. In the end the Honda rider was able to finish sixth again which gave him the fifth overall position in the Grand Prix.

Kevin Strijbos was fourth after the start of the first race and he moved up to third when Cairoli crashed in the second lap. However, the Belgian could not keep the rhythm and he finished seventh. In the second race Strijbos started down in fifteenth but he made a great recovery and crossed the finish line seventh to finish sixth in the Grand Prix.

Tommy Searle was expecting to finish among the top five today but two poor starts made him finish seventh overall, ahead of home rider Davide Guarneri and Xavier Boog.

Clement Desalle started behind Cairoli in the first race and when the Italian crashed, the Suzuki rider took the lead and he kept it until the chequered flag. In the second race Desalle had a mechanical problem on his bike and he could not finish the race, so in the end he obtained a final tenth place.

Russian Evgeny Bobryshev was a bit disappointed with his twelfth overall position, as he had really good feelings yesterday in the qualifying race. Bobryshev crashed a couple of times in the first race and he made a small mistake in the second one when he was riding close to the front group. In the end he crossed the finish line eleventh.

Billy Mackenzie achieved his goal today by finishing fifteenth after obtaining a 16-14 result.

Home rider Philippaerts, who hit heavily his eye yesterday in a crash during the qualifying race, decided to try to race the first moto, but an early crash made him decide to retire. Philippaerts was very disappointed for not having been able to obtain a good result in front of his crowd, especially after having raced second in yesterday’s qualifying race. 

MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 39:15.768; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:07.677; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:12.885; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:18.838; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:24.491; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:27.572; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:54.258; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:55.629; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:03.755; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:05.871;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 40:06.399; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:10.337; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:30.330; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:38.201; 5. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:41.906; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:54.265; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:57.269; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:30.183; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +1:31.308; 10. Milko Potisek (FRA, Yamaha), +1:33.087;

MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 45 points; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 30 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 28 p.; 7. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 27 p.; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 25 p.; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 25 p.;

MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 417 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 366 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 334 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 319 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 271 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 266 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 220 p.; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 205 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 180 p.; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 145 p.;

MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 426 points; 2. Kawasaki, 368 p.; 3. Suzuki, 360 p.; 4. Honda, 282 p.; 5. Yamaha, 151 p.; 6. TM, 130 p.;

— MX2

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings started fourth in the first race and it was not until half way through the heat that the Dutch rider overtook Tonkov and gave charge to José Butrón who was leading the race at that point. After one lap Herlings took the lead and kept it until the end of the race. In the second moto Herlings started behind Tonkov, but this time the red plate holder overtook him quickly and kept a good rhythm until the end.

KTM Silver Action’s José Butrón felt really comfortable today in the Italian track, especially because he is used to high temperatures and hard pack tracks like the one in Maggiora. The Spanish rider missed the holeshot of the first race, but Alexander Tonkov made a mistake when he was leading and the Spanish rider took the lead. However, Herlings was coming really fast from behind and Butrón dropped down to second; Tonkov passed the Spaniard back, but with two laps to go Butrón passed him back and crossed the finish line second. In the second race his start was not that good but he managed to obtain a consistent fifth place which gave him the overall second position. 

Home rider Lupino was one of the protagonists of the Italian Grand Prix making the crowd go crazy in the second race. The Italian had finished sixth in the first race after a poor start, but in the second one he started third. The CLS MX2 Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit rider rode third most of the race, but with two laps to go he gave it all, managed to overtake Tonkov and he finished on the third step of the podium.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier was really close today to be back on the podium, but in the end he had to settle down with the fourth place just one point behind Lupino. In the first race Tixier started seventh and he struggled to find a good rhythm, but by the middle of the race he moved up to fifth and with two laps to go he overtook Charlier. In the second race he had a similar start, but after six laps he was already fourth; the French rider gave it all to overtake Lupino and Tonkov, but in the end he crossed the finish line fourth.

Wilvo Neestan JM Racing KTM’s Jake Nicholls obtained an overall fifth position thanks to his 3-8 result. In the first race he had a good start and he rode a consistent moto in fourth until the chequered flag. In the end the British rider was third because Tonkov was disqualified. In the second race Nicholls was ninth at the start and he was only able to finish eighth, but he was fifth of the Grand Prix.

Christophe Charlier started around the ninth position in both motos and his 5-6 result gave him the overall sixth place. Dean Ferris was seventh and Petar Petrov and Glenn Coldenhoff were eighth and ninth respectively.

Alexander Tonkov, who won yesterday’s qualifying race, obtained the GET Athena Holeshot Award in the first heat and he also took the holeshot in the second race. However, he was a bit disappointed because he was only able to finish tenth overall even if he finished third in the second heat. The Russian was unclassified in the first race because he crashed in the final corner before the finish line.

MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:45.247; 2. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:06.950; 3. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:10.783; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:14.889; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:17.447; 6. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:30.400; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:35.588; 8. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +0:39.139; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:42.273; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:43.331;

MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:21.192; 2. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:04.411; 3. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:05.591; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:05.835; 5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:11.703; 6. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:14.386; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:34.128; 8. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:39.106; 9. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:44.669; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:48.224;

MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 38 p.; 3. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 37 p.; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 31 p.; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 28 p.; 8. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), 23 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), 20 p.;

MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 447 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 323 p.; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 285 p.; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 261 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 260 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 225 p.; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 214 p.; 8. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 201 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 199 p.; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 159 p.;

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 450 points; 2. Yamaha, 310 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 268 p.; 4. Suzuki, 225 p.; 5. Honda, 187 p.; 6. TM, 37 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 1 p.;

— MX3 – Gercar makes magic in Maggiora

After a great day’s racing yesterday the riders of the FIM Motocross MX3 World Championship lined up again this morning for race two. With the sun burning bright and temperatures averaging around 28 degrees Celsius the MX3 world championship heated up in more ways than one with Klemen Gercar scoring a consistent two times second place finish to take the overall victory here in magnificent Maggiora.

Fired up for race two was none other than the current MX3 world champion Matthias Walkner, after his fifth place result in race one Walkner responded with a massive holeshot in race two and then went on to lead the race unchallenged. Following Walkner around turn one was Martin Michek, Petr Smitka and Klemen Gercar.

Whilst in second Michek made a costly mistake on the opening lap which saw him drop outside the top ten handing the top positions over to Smitka and Gercar. Around lap three Klemen Gercar started charging for the second place, after two laps of nail biting action the red plate of Gercar eventually found a way around Smitka to finish second and take the MX3 round of Italy victory.

Meanwhile Frantisek Smola rode a comfortable race in fourth oblivious of the action that went on behind him as Gert Krestinov, Christian Brokel and a recovering Martin Michek engaged in a huge three way battle for fifth. While the racing remained close all the way to the flag, it was Gert Krestinov who held on for fifth followed by race one winner Martin Michek leaving Christian Brockel to finish seventh.

Taking his second consecutive overall victory Klemen Gercar stood top of the podium here at round five in Italy followed by Matthias Walkner in second and Martin Michek in third. Klemen Gercar will hold onto the red plate, eight points ahead of the defending champion Matthias Walkner in second.

MX3 Race 1 top ten: 1. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 34:50.576; 2. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), +0:05.574; 3. Petr Smitka (CZE, Kawasaki), +0:08.783; 4. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), +0:16.816; 5. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), +0:21.903; 6. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), +0:26.163; 7. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), +0:33.915; 8. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), +0:54.465; 9. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), +0:58.812; 10. Alain Schafer (SUI, Kawasaki), +1:00.484

MX3 Race 2 top ten: 1. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 34:13.488; 2. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), +0:12.648; 3. Petr Smitka (CZE, Kawasaki), +0:17.212; 4. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), +0:21.204; 5. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:24.707; 6. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), +0:29.288; 7. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), +0:45.174; 8. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), +0:56.311; 9. Alessandro Albertoni (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:01.195; 10. Alain Schafer (SUI, Kawasaki), +1:06.392

MX3 Overall top ten: 1. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), 44 points; 2. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 41 p.; 3. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 41 p.; 4. Petr Smitka (CZE, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 5. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), 32 p.; 7. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), 29 p.; 8. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), 23 p.; 10. Alain Schafer (SUI, Kawasaki), 22 p

MX3 Championship top ten: 1. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), 199 points; 2. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 191 p.; 3. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 182 p.; 4. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), 172 p.; 5. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), 118 p.; 6. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), 107 p.; 7. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), 100 p.; 8. Timur Muratov (RUS, KTM), 95 p.; 9. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), 94 p.; 10. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), 77 p

— Womens MX

Sunlit clouds filled the blue skies of Maggiora for round three of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship. Despite the line up of strong contenders such as Australian women’s motocross champion Meghan Rutledge, British Ladies class champion Natalie Kane and ex WMX world champion Stephanie Laier there was no stopping Monster Energy Yamaha’s Chiara Fontanesi as she continues to take this season by storm, adding yet another double victory to her so far perfect season.

As the WMX lined up for race two it was safe to say the expectation was for Monster Energy Yamaha’s Chiara Fontanesi to take yet another victory here at her home round of Italy. While Fontanesi did win, it looked as though holeshot receiver Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge was in the prime position to show what she’s made of. Unfortunately for the young Australian Rutledge she couldn’t keep the bike on two wheels, crashing on the opening lap of the race and handing over the lead to the defending champion Chiara Fontanesi.

Meanwhile behind Fontanesi the race was heating up as HM Plant KTM UK’s Natalie Kane and Rabbit Racing Kawasaki’s Stephanie Laier engaged in a fierce battle for second. While the ex world champion Laier kept Kane honest she never ceased the opportunity to pass.

After leading every lap this weekend local hero Monster Energy Yamaha’s Chiara Fontanesi took the victory with a perfect 1-1 score. Standing on the second step of the podium was HM Plant KTM UK’s Natalie Kane with her 2-3 finishes followed by Rabbit Racing Kawasaki’s Stephanie Laier with her 3-4 score for third. After a fall in race two Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge managed to fight her way from outside the top twenty back to an outstanding ninth place allowing her to finish fourth overall with her 2-9 finishes. Francy Racing Team’s Francesca Norcera kept the Italian fans happy being the second Italian to finish inside the top five with her 8-4 results for fifth.

WMX Race 1 top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 25:24.646; 2. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:04.428; 3. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), +1:01.122; 4. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:22.857; 5. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:24.415; 6. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +1:29.019; 7. Gabriela Seisdedos (ESP, Kawasaki), +1:29.714; 8. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +1:31.193; 9. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), +1:40.645; 10. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), +1:42.796

WMX Race 2 top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 25:14.794; 2. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +0:04.580; 3. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), +0:05.043; 4. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +0:50.797; 5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +1:11.072; 6. Nina Klink (NED, KTM), +1:11.905; 7. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), +1:12.249; 8. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), +1:13.836; 9. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +1:19.462; 10. Joanna Miller (POL, KTM), +1:21.843; 11. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:33.754

WMX Overall top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 50 points; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 3. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 5. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), 31 p.; 6. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), 28 p.; 7. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 26 p.; 8. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), 25 p.; 9. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 10. Nina Klink (NED, KTM), 21 p

WMX Championship top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 150 points; 2. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), 118 p.; 3. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 117 p.; 4. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), 116 p.; 5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 82 p.; 6. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), 76 p.; 7. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), 73 p.; 8. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), 63 p.; 9. Nina Klink (NED, KTM), 57 p.; 10. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), 53p

— Yamaha Report

Hot sunshine baked a massive crowd at Maggiora for the Grand Prix of Italy and Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier moved up to fourth position in the MX2-GP points table after a solid sixth position overall for what was a well-received ninth round of seventeen in the FIM Motocross World Championship. The majority of the 38,000 spectators (weekend figure) had reason to shout for FIM Women’s World Champion Kiara Fontanesi as the Italian comprehensively rode to her third double from three rounds in 2013 and a 100% perfect record so far on her YZ250F.

The Italian circuit enjoyed a Grand Prix reawakening as it welcomed the FIM series for the first time this century. The steep hills housed a typically hard-pack terrain but the corner ruts were still long, deep and hard and the bumps ensured a degree of technical challenge under high temperatures.

Charlier set the fastest lap in the second moto as he rode similar races; recovering ground from top ten starts to make some effective overtaking moves and registering 5th and 6th positions. The Corsican needs a little more aggression in the vital formative phases of the motos to vie for his second podium of the season but his consistency has become a strength and he now hold fourth in the championship; 24 points from his goal of reaching a top three slot.

Dean Ferris was less than two seconds from a second consecutive pole position on Saturday but was still able to enjoy the second pick in the gate for the 35 minute and 2 lap motos. The Australian had a problem with his front suspension in the first race that prevented him forcing a top five result; ending the distance in 7th. ‘111’ pushed in customary fashion in the next sprint and again breached the top seven with the same ranking. He is sixth in the MX2 table.

Mel Pocock was limping around the paddock with a sore right heel as a consequence of his accident at the French GP last week. The Briton lodged a decent top ten finish with 8th place at the first time of asking but suffered a big ‘one’ in the second moto descending one of the downhills and managed to arrive to the chequered flag in sixteenth and holds eleventh in the MX2 standings. Maxime Desprey was unlucky to suffer a mechanical glitch in the first race and then struggled to cope with the track after a mediocre start and registered just one point for 20th. The French youngster is fifteenth in his rookie GP term. 

Maggiora also entertained round three of seven for the women and Kiara Fontanesi faced little opposition in her quest for a perfect first half of her FIM title defence. Maggiora went crazy for their local star and ‘Fonta’ responded in kind with a confident and error-free run to a memorable victory. She leads the standings by 32 points.

The Uddevalla circuit north of Gothenburg will once more host the Grand Prix of Sweden and round ten of the series on July 1st.

Christophe Charlier
“I’m pretty happy. Although I didn’t make the podium again my speed was fast here and I picked up good points to move up a place in the championship. I just need to work on the first parts of the motos and I know the really good results will come.”

Kiara Fontanesi
“When you win a GP it is always emotional. The emotion can be different each time but here in Italy it is special. I was doing the sighting lap and to see all the people cheering for me made me really happy. I’ve won again and that’s great because I want to push to win all of the rounds this year. I took two good starts and was riding safely and smoothly. All this motivates me and being here at Maggiora was important. It was so special to win here, in front of friends and all these people is even better.”

Dean Ferris
“In the first moto I had a few issues with the bike and was fighting the whole time. I finished seventh in that one. I had a terrible start in the second and then had my best first fifteen or twenty minutes of the year; I passed loads of guys coming through. I don’t know what happened then. The other boys might have stepped it up and I couldn’t really move with the rhythm I had. Everyone pulled away. Physically I feel fine and there aren’t any problems there. I think it was one of the better tracks we’ve had from the last few rounds and the times were close in qualifying. It was a bit disappointing to drop off the pace like that. I got more points than last week, so that’s a positive but my goal is to get a final podium position in the championship and I can’t keep riding like this in order to do that.”

Mel Pocock
“In the first race I managed to push through a little bit and reached eighth. I dropped off because of the heat at the end though. I was comfortably inside the top ten during the next race but I landed awkwardly on one of the downhills and the rear end skidded out. I came down pretty hard and I then struggled to get back into a rhythm. My heel is still sore and I really hope I can get it sorted out; I’m tired of riding injured.”

Maxime Desprey
“A hard weekend for me. We had an engine problem in the first moto and I didn’t finish. My start was not so bad in the second moto but my riding was not very fast or effective, so I feel a bit disappointed right now. The track wasn’t so easy, with many sharp bumps, but I guess this is part of racing.”

Mackenzie scores points at Maggiora

Monster Energy Yamaha battled through hot and challenging conditions for the MX1 Grand Prix of Italy at Maggiora today and Billy Mackenzie managed 15th position overall on his wild-card appearance at the venue surrounded by 38,000 fans.

With all of its history and character Maggiora was the perfect setting to unveil the 2014 YZ range alongside the 1999 500cc World Championship winning YZ400F ridden by Andrea Bartolini. The Monster Energy Yamaha squad drew the covers off the YZ450F for its first European showing only hours after tackling the bumpy and difficult racetrack alongside.

Billy Mackenzie flew in from Australia –where the Aussie series is currently going through a summer break – to substitute for Steven Frossard in a one race appearance. The Scot has Grand Prix winning experience in both MX1 and MX2 and although he had precious little time to adapt to the YZ450FM and also had to re-familiarise with the Grand Prix format was nevertheless a relevant force on the MX1 stage. He made decent starts in the two motos and was hovering around the top five. The demands of the class he last graced in 2009 caught up with him and he rode to 16th in the first race. Later in the day two falls on the opening lap ruined any chance of a top ten finish and he was 14th.

Joel Roelants weathered a difficult day where he struggled to find his rhythm and confidence around the tricky curves and ruts. The Belgian was 16th in the second moto after withdrawing from the first. The FIM Motocross World Championship now pauses for a week before starting a three weekend trek across northeast Europe with the Grand Prix of Sweden at Uddevalla preceding trips to Latvia and Finland.

Billy Mackenzie
“Basically all I want to say is that I did not treat this race as a comeback or an appearance with something to prove. I was just really happy to be offered the chance to ride the factory Yamaha, which is something I looked up to my whole career watching Stefan [Everts] win titles. It was cool to ride Maggiora and the fans were crazy. The team were really great and did everything I asked of them. I changed way too many parts and got a bit confused trying to find a set-up that I wanted but that was entirely my fault. It is amazing to see how quickly and efficiently the Rinaldi crew work from the inside and it is obvious to see why the Dack and Rinaldi teams work so closely in a tight knit unit. I’m really happy to have experienced today and I’ll carry on racing in Australia as long as I’m competitive. I’m really enjoying it over there. I feel that my speed at that level is faster than what I showed today and I’m a bit embarrassed with the first moto. I tried my hardest in the second and did my best to put it up there but I crashed twice on the first lap and there was no coming back from that.”

Joel Roelants
“Nothing much to say about today. We tried to many things to help me feel better on the track. It is hard to put my finger on what is happening because if I push too much out there I don’t stay on two wheels. We are going to do a whole lot of testing now and I hope we will be better in Sweden.”

— Rockstar Energy Suzuki

Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Max Anstie and Jeremy Seewer both grabbed hard-earned points but endured some bad luck at the Grand Prix of Italy and the Maggiora circuit for the ninth round of 17 in the FIM Motocross World Championship today.

Maggiora was back as a Grand Prix host for the first time since 1999 and after renovations and redevelopment to the site – that has gained mythical status for the crowds and atmosphere at past events – the circuit north of Milan again shook to the sounds of a busy 38,000 crowd.

Anstie showed flashes of promising lap-times and ran inside the top six in both free practice sessions. The Brit was unfortunate to be held-up at the start of the first GP moto and pushed from the bottom half of the pack to reach 13th place. His poor luck with starts continued in Moto2 as a second corner pile-up affected both ‘#14’ and his team-mate. Anstie recovered his factory RM-Z250 but then couldn’t avoid another rider in front of him and suffered a heavy fall that left him battered and the Suzuki worse for wear. At that point Anstie was forced to retire.

Seewer used the Grand Prix for further practice and training on the RM-Z250: The young Swiss will be in action in Germany next weekend and then prepping for the third round of eight in the European EMX250 campaign in Sweden where he is second in the championship with two podium results. The teenager had to withdraw from Moto1 after a tumble and then rear brake failure while the same melee that held-up Anstie in the second moto also caused Seewer to hit the ground. But he saw out the moto to at least claim two points for 19th

The team now heads back to Germany to prepare for the third meeting in the ADAC MX Masters series at Aichwald before embarking on a three-week, three-race trek taking in Grands Prix at Sweden (Uddevalla), Latvia (Kegums) and Finland (Hyvinkaa).

Max Anstie: “Not a very good day. I got out of the gate pretty good but something happened in the first corners and I went up the hill with what felt like most of the pack in front of me again. I was trying so hard but on this kind of track sometimes you just need to calm down a bit. I had a different approach to the second race but I bogged a bit on the start and then on the second corner loads of us crashed. I got back up and thought ‘let’s go and dance’ because my speed was good out there. I followed a guy up the hill and he went completely sideways and I just smashed into him. The bike hit me and I was upside-down on the hill. I smashed my leg and winded myself. The bars were damaged and the bike was bent. I went to the pits but I was two laps down by then. The tide has to turn at some point because we have done so much work. We are flat-out and I just need to bring it together and stop struggling.”

Jeremy Seewer: “Hard day and not my weekend! I didn’t have the speed on Saturday. My start was not perfect for the first moto because the track had been watered and it was really slippery. I crashed and then had to stop after about 15 minutes because my rear brake broke. In the second moto my jump from the gate was much better, but because I was in 21st position I was pushed wide. Then in the second corner Romain Febvre crashed just a metre in front of me and I went down also. A few people rode over me and the front brake was locked when I picked up the bike…no luck.”

— Honda Report

Stifling conditions baked a thirty-eight thousand attendance for the Italian Grand Prix at Maggiora where Frenchman Gautier Paulin celebrated his third MX1 victory of the season, at the ninth round of seventeen. Honda World Motocross team’s Max Nagl was again the top Honda runner on his factory CRF450R and rode to sixth position overall. The event was also notable for the emergence of Honda Gariboldi’s Alex Tonkov with the Russian seizing three holeshots on the CRF250R in the MX2 category and a career-best third position in the second moto.

For the first time this century Grand Prix racing headed back to one of the most iconic circuits in Europe. Maggiora had benefitted from investment and renovation and with an exceptional crowd on Sunday provided a memorable and atmospheric stage for the third race in succession – after stellar meetings in Brazil and France.
The steep hills and bumpy hard-pack was fast and daunting. Riders fought for grip and to gain superior speed through the deepening corner ruts.

Nagl had to use some guile on the opening lap of the first race after a mediocre start saw him mid-pack. The German was eventually able to forge a path through to sixth position and was pleased with the way he was able to attack the course and gain places. Some refinements to his set-up assisted a better getaway later in the afternoon but a suspected buckled front wheel led to a small crash and another hard push to again reach the top six. The former championship runner-up remains consistent but just missing the final edge to be able to contend for the podium.

Team-mate Evgeny Bobryshev rode like a man possessed after a mistake on the second corner of the qualification heat meant that he needed to recover his works CRF450R and restart from last. He managed to reach eighth spot for the gate on Sunday. ‘Bobby’s speed was not in question but the errors remained across both thirty-five minute and two lap motos. At least two falls in the first outing put him far behind the top ten and he limped home in fifteenth. In the second moto a better start was ruined by a slip that required another trawl through the field and he reached eleventh. The Russian is still recovering form and fitness after his right leg break almost two months ago but among the disappointing moments at Maggiora were bright signs that he is on the right path back to being a lead-runner.

Honda Gariboldi’s David Philippaerts made a great start to the Grand Prix by starting second and pushing Tommy Searle for pole position on Saturday. The powerful Italian then suffered a crash that left him needing stitches to a facial injury and a short period of convalescence before deciding to attempt the motos on Sunday. The first ever Italian MX1 World Champion, who lives only 10km from Maggiora, tried to race but struggled through the ruts and after another slow speed spill painfully elected to retire and avoid further risks of injury.

The Italian’s MX2 team-mate Alex Tonkov was a protagonist on the CRF250R thanks to his electric starts. The Russian secured the first ever MX2 pole position for his country on Saturday and then battled with Jose Butron for third place all the way to the final metres of the first moto. Tonkov fell in his last-gasp attack and while his flying Honda broke the timing beam the fact that it did so without its rider meant he was classified down in twenty-second. No such rashness in the second affair where a fine third after chasing world champion Jeffrey Herlings for most of the moto was a eye-catching display of rapid form.

With the Grand Prix calendar now into the second phase, the MX1 points standings hold Nagl in seventh spot and needing a haul of forty-six points to rise further. Philippaerts is tenth despite his double zero today and Bobryshev continues to regain ground with twelfth.

The FIM Motocross World Championship will reconvene at Uddevalla in Sweden on July 1st for the first of three events back-to-back; the following two meetings occurring in Latvia and Finland.

Max Nagl – Race Result: 6th/6th Championship position: 7th
“In the first heat I was almost last off the start but I had a really good line on the outside of the second turn and I think I passed almost ten people in one go. They had all moved towards the inside slower line and I just went full-speed around. Each lap I passed some guys until I found myself in sixth place; I was really happy with my riding and my lap-times were really good. We altered the bike for the second start and we had an improvement. I was fifth and doing well but after the second lap my front wheel started to jam in the air. I thought ‘what could be wrong now?!’ and believed it was a stone stuck in there. I started to jump a big longer hoping that the heavier landings might shake it out but it didn’t work. Around the back the front wheel stopped completely in the air so that when I landed I slipped away and crashed. I picked up the bike to keep riding but it was not a good feeling. If the front wheel keeps grabbing then you have no control of the bike and it wants to keep diving. It was sketchy and hard to concentrate. We are still checking the bike but we’re not sure about the wheel problem. It must have been buckled somehow. So, close but not close enough to the podium. It was really nice racing here. The fans were unbelievable. Really crazy. Sometimes when you went past they were louder than your bike; unbelievable. It was a lot of fun. This was an old-school track and that’s what all the riders like.”

Evgeny Bobryshev: Race Result: 15th/11th Championship position: 12th
“I was happy Saturday night because I had good speed and was feeling comfortable and that was the same Sunday morning where I had a good look at the lines and sections. The races came around and then suddenly I was fighting all day. I had so many crashes in the first moto and felt like I was always going to lose the front. I had to come back from the rear of the pack again. It is tough to push so much from back in these conditions. I had a good start in the second race and we were all together fighting for positions around the top five when I made another mistake. I lost the bike in a rut and it finished me; it was so difficult after that to find the rhythm and lines. It is ridiculous for me to be fighting at the back. At least my foot is improving and I want to thank my team and all the sponsors; this was our home GP and I tried my best but we couldn’t do well. I’m really disappointed because I was looking forward to this track. Anyway, I want to try and train normally now because I have done it only once since the injury and I had a lot of pain after Ernee. I will just look forward now.”

David Philippaerts: Race Result: DNF/DNS Championship position: 10th
“A disaster, nothing more. I was so looking forward to this event, my home GP. The crash yesterday put me in a bad place but I had to try today. I couldn’t ride like I wanted in the first moto and after a small crash I could not give any more. It hurts my heart and emotions as much as my pride not to start the second moto but I decided not to take any risks and to heal well for Sweden.”

— KTM Report

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing came away from the MX GP of Italy with Jeffrey Herlings grabbing the MX2 GP and Ken de Dycker and Tony Cairoli finishing 2-3 in MX 1. Both Cairoli and Herlings leave the historic Maggiora circuit retaining the red plates as their respective championship leaders.

Herlings retained his perfect scorecard for the season while Cairoli’s third place finish blemished his record slightly. So far he has not finished lower than second all season. The six-times World Champion did make a valiant charge in the final two laps of his second moto to close in on the leader Gautier Paulin. But despite being urged on by a hugely vocal Italian crowd, he wasn’t able to make it stick. After a fourth place in the opening moto following two small offs, Cairoli would have finished overall second to Paulin if he had taken the second moto victory. He eventually settled for a 4-2 result for overall third, leaving second overall to his KTM factory teammate and friend de Dycker of Belgium.

Cairoli said he probably “threw away” the GP in the opening moto. “It was my mistake. They watered the track and I lost the front end and slipped over. I twisted my knee and I had some pain so I was riding a little stiff for the rest of the race.” He said he went all out to win the second moto but after some treatment on his knee he didn’t feel so good for the first ten minutes. “ I got a good start but I wasn’t riding with confidence but then I warmed up and could push more.”

For de Dycker the race was a confidence booster and he said it was great to be back on the podium after a period where he had been having problems with back pain. “I needed that to be mentally strong again,” he said and added that he had enjoyed riding on the circuit with the support of the big crowd of Italian fans.

Meanwhile in MX2, Herlings did the business on the slick, steep and very technical Italian track. He won both motos to take his ninth GP win for the 2013 season and the twenty-fifth of his young career. The Dutch teenager continues to heading for a firm place in the sport’s history books and has dropped only three points in the 2013 season. Yet another double moto win came as no particular surprise to his growing number of fans.

But Herlings had to work slightly harder for his wins this weekend, largely due to a pair of dogged rides by Russia’s Alex Tonkov who was first out of the gate in the opening moto and who held the lead for the first 18 minutes. The Russian’s efforts eventually went unrewarded when he crashed just before the finish and while is bike slid across the line, he was deemed not to be on it at the time. Race officials subsequently took away his points. Tonkov challenged the dominance of Herlings again in the second moto but this time Jeffrey took the lead in the first phase of the race. He eventually won the motos by margins of seven seconds and 4.4 seconds respectively on the remodeled northern Italian circuit. Herlings now has a massive points lead of 124 going into the second half of the season.

“Tonkov was tough for me this weekend. He made three good starts but in the end I managed to pass him and made a pretty big gap,” Herlings said after the race. He now returns to race next weekend in the Dutch Championship and to prepare for the next GP in Sweden. “I’ve never won there but I hope to do so this time.”

MX2 Factory teammate Jordi Tixier picked up a couple of fourth places in the two motos over the track that is marked by impressive hills and deep ruts and was totally unforgiving for any rider who made a mistake. In the end he was narrowly deprived of third overall in the last lap when a late move by Italy’s Lupino spoiled his party. 

Tixier, who is still second in the championship points, said he was disappointed.

“I pushed hard and I had the best lap time of the race, but I had problems with the start. Now next week I will train in Belgium and we will try to get the start problems sorted out before the next GP in Sweden. Hopefully I will make a better start and maybe I can win there,” he said

KTM’s Head of Motorsports Pit Beirer said it had been a great GP if a little difficult for his factory team. “I think this is one of the nicest GPs we’ve had in recent years and maybe we need to think about coming back more often to these traditional tracks where we have such a lot of fans,” he said. “For us this was a difficult weekend but we had some good fights and that’s good for the fans. Jeffrey managed to win again today but of course the crowd wanted to see Tony win. But if you can make the best out of difficult days, that’s how you win championships. We’re still in very good shape regarding the overall points”

— Kawasaki Report

Gautier Paulin of the Kawasaki Racing Team raced to his third GP victory of the year in the Italian round of the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship at Maggiora.

The Frenchman already proved his liking for the classic hillside track with an impressive victory in the Qualification race, and he showed his maturity and skill as he converted a sixth-placed start into a third-placed finish in the opening moto on a track made slippery by heavy watering to counteract the threat of dust on a gloriously warm sunny day. Taking full advantage of a clearcut holeshot in race two Gautier sprinted clear and dug into his reserves in the closing stages to withstand a fierce attack from the defending champion. The Kawasaki Racing Team leader has now won four motos in the last five GPs to consolidate yet further his second place in the championship standings as the series enters the second half of the season.

KRT team colleague Jeremy Van Horebeek continues the learning curve in his rookie season of MX1 GP racing. The Belgian set the fastest lap times in the practice sessions and missed the podium by just one place after two strong top five finishes. He is now eighth in the championship standings and, his speed improving even more each week, is proving to be a wise selection as partner to Paulin.

Tommy Searle of Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit had an unfortunate crash during the practice sessions which left him in some discomfort throughout racing, but the Englishman dug deep into his reserves to finish the weekend seventh in the GP despite being knocked off by a rival rider in the early stages of the opening moto. After a strong ride back into the top ten from the back of the field, he once again showed his potential n the second race as he advanced from tenth to fifth. He retains sixth place in the championship standings.

Gautier Paulin: “This was an emotional win for me; I had been dreaming to beat Antonio again and it was the perfect scene to do it with so many fans at the track. In the second race I knew that he was coming back at me as I could hear the crowd but I was able to keep the lead. He came close when I made one small mistake which a couple of two seconds but I was able to pull away again. Winning a race is one thing, winning several is another one. Now I have won four in the last five GPs and for sure it’s a great feeling to win ahead of Antonio in front of his home crowd. We’re all working so hard in the team and it’s a great reward for all of us; I think that the fans will be happy too and the goal is to do more races like this one.”

Jeremy Van Horebeek: “It was a very good weekend for me, even if I don’t really enjoy it when it’s so hot! I’m improving step by step and I posted very fast lap times in the practice sessions but my starts were not so good. But it was better today than yesterday and I found some places to gain positions after the start and then I had some nice racing with Gautier (Paulin) and Antonio (Cairoli). I don’t have enough experience to stay with them for thirty five minutes yet, but I’m happy with my riding today and I know that the podium is close.”

Tommy Searle: “I had a big crash during the pre qualifying session; I hurt a finger but don’t know yet if anything is broken. It wasn’t too bad for the race, just a little sore. Today was OK; in the first race they watered the track and it was slippery; I was in sixth and I don’t know what Guarneri wanted, he made a stupid move and took me down. I was outside the top twenty when I got back in the race and recovered to tenth; it wasn’t my best race of the year but I recovered well. Then in the second race my start was not so great; I was outside the top ten but got through to fifth at the finish. We need to work on the bike to improve my starts if we want to win some races.”

Alessandro Lupino of Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit scored a dramatic podium finish in his home round of the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship at Maggiora in northern Italy.

The Italian showed good speed all weekend and soon became the crowd favourite as he battled relentlessly throughout both motos. Overtaking proved difficult for all riders on a surface made slippery by heavy watering to combat the danger of dust on a warm, sunny day but particularly in the closing stages of each race Alessandro was able to show his strength as he advanced three places in the final five laps of the opening race to finish sixth, and followed this up with a stunning ride to second, just four seconds from the win, in race two. The final pass secured his second podium finish of the season and has taken him significantly closer to the top eight in the series standings.

Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki’s mid-season signing Jason Clermont continues to improve dramatically since being given the opportunity to work in such a professional environment and recorded a double-figure scoreline for the second consecutive weekend. His relative inexperience at GP level cost the youngster several places after he lost his rhythm later in the moto, but he regrouped well during the interval to charge from fifteenth to eleventh in race two to claim twelfth place overall on the day.

Teammate Dylan Ferrandis had an unfortunate weekend after the success of his home GP one week earlier. His bike was damaged in a collision during the early stages of the Qualification race and the resultant poor grid position seriously hampered his chances during both GP motos. Another collision in the opening GP moto left him at the back of the field but the teenager showed great speed to fight back to eleventh place at the finish. Quickly advancing into the top fifteen of race two he suffered et more bad luck when a rock struck him in the face and forced his retirement, but he retains his top ten world ranking despite the misfortune.

American CLS hopeful Jimmy Decotis once again failed to come to terms with the GP track and finished out of the points; he will now resume his career in his homeland after discovering the intensity of the competition at world GP level.

Alessandro Lupino: “This podium is like a dream; the public was amazing and that’s a great feeling to get my second podium of the season in my home country. I lost so much time with my broken ribs earlier in the year; I couldn’t train as I usually would and it took time to recover physically. I also missed some good starts in the previous races; we have worked a lot on that point with the team and here it was better. The public pushed me in the last ten minutes of the second race, and when I passed Tonkov I secured this podium. The organisers made a great job to prepare the return of GP racing here in Maggiora, and this podium will remain as a great memory for me.”

Jason Clermont: “I had a very good start in the first race but I went wide in the first corner and I was eleventh after one lap. I couldn’t find a solution to pass the riders in front of me and eventually I lost my rhythm and dropped back to finish fifteenth. The track was faster for the second race and I found some good lines to finish eleventh. The track was nice but very fast, and I’m not used to these conditions but I learned a lot this weekend.”

Dylan Ferrandis: “It was not a good weekend, totally different from Ernée. In the qualifying race I was involved in a crash, and my gearbox lever was broken; I lost two laps to repair it and so I only qualified twenty-ninth. From the outside it was nearly impossible to have a good start, and in the first race I was in the pack when another rider hit me; that left me last but I got back to eleventh with good lap times. The second start was similar, and I was in fifteenth place when I got a stone in my face and had to go back to the paddock.”

Jimmy Decotis: “My last GP in Europe was not more successful than the previous ones. I definitively struggled with the track and twice I had a very bad start. I didn’t finish the second race; I crashed and had chance of points when I got back on the bike.”

 

—  Qualifying – Paulin and Tonkov take pole in Maggiora

MAGGIORA (Italy), 15 June 2013 – Finally the big day arrived and the best motocross riders in the world raced the renovated track of Maggiora that had been closed for fourteen years. The emblematic Italian track hosted the MX1 and MX2 Qualifying races, as well as race one of the fifth round of the FIM MX3 World Championship and the third round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship.

Gautier Paulin obtained his second overall pole position this year and Alexander Tonkov won his first ever MX2 race today. In MX3 it was Martin Michek who won race one and home rider Chiara Fontanesi dominated the WMX race since the very beginning.

— MX1

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin did not have one of his best starts today in the qualifying race, but after three laps the French rider managed to move up to second behind Tommy Searle, who had been leading the race since the beginning. Paulin admitted that he felt really comfortable and with three laps to go he clinched the fastest lap of the race and succeeded to overtake Searle.

CLS MX2 Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle suffered a big crash during the pre-qualifying session, but it did not stop him to take part in the qualifying race. In fact, the British riders had the best start of the season and he managed to lead almost the whole qualifying race. By the end of the heat Searle could not keep the lead, but he was really satisfied with his performance today and he is very optimistic for tomorrow’s races.

The third position was for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker, who struggled once again with his start, but he managed to move from his initial ninth position to the final third. The Belgian was fifth in the pre-qualifying session, so he is looking forward to racing tomorrow and try to be back on the podium in a special track like the one of Maggiora.

Honda World Motocross’ Max Nagl had a really good qualifying race, starting down in the thirteenth position but managing to finish in a solid fourth place. The German rider felt really comfortable today, but now he just wants to do well tomorrow and try to give his team the first podium of the season.

ICE1Racing’s Xavier Boog had an excellent start in second, but the French rider could not keep the rhythm of the front riders and crossed the finish line fifth. Boog is really happy to have been able to race among the top best MX1 riders today, as he was only back from his injury in France last weekend.

Davide Guarneri, who is wearing a vintage design on his racing gear as well as on his KTM, started with the front group today and he was able to finish sixth. His compatriot Antonio Cairoli crashed in the opening lap of the qualifying race and even if he had a deep cut on his left arm he managed to finish the race in the seventh position ahead of Evgeny Bobryshev, who had also crashed after the start, and Jeremy Van Horebeek. Clement Desalle started down in the 20th position and when he was recuperating some places Jonathan Barragán crashed on him. In the end the Belgian recuperated his rhythm and he was able to finish tenth.

Home rider David Philippaerts had an outstanding start, but unfortunately he crashed while he was riding second. The Italian hit his head in the crash and he was taken to the hospital for some further exams.

Billy Mackenzie was very pleased to be back racing in the Grand Prix and today he was able to finish twelfth in the qualifying race. The British rider was impressed on how much the series had grown and tomorrow he hopes to have good starts and he will try to finish among the top ten or top fifteenth of the class.

American Jeff Alessi had a mechanical problem in his Yamaha machine and he had to enter the pitlane at the first stages of the qualifying race.

MX1 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 24:21.430; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:04.218; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:19.837; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:22.550; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:25.120; 6. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +0:26.229; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:27.093; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:28.779; 9. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:39.359; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:41.490.

— MX2

ESTA Motorsports Honda’s Alexander Tonkov was very pleased today for having achieved his maiden MX2 race victory in the qualifying race. The Russian, who is turning twenty next month, had obtained the best lap time in the pre-qualifying session and after taking the holeshot in the qualifying heat, he managed to keep a good rhythm at the front. Jeffrey Herlings caught the Russian and in the last lap the Dutch rider took the lead, but a few corners afterwards Herlings crashed and Tonkov recuperated the first position.

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Dean Ferris had a good start today and he rode fourth most of the heat, but in the last stages of the race he overtook José Butrón and when Herlings crashed the Australian moved up to second. Ferris, who had won the qualifying race in Ernée in France, is ready to fight once again for a podium finish tomorrow, as he is feeling really comfortable on his Yamaha, as well as on the Italian track.

KTM Silver Action’s José Butrón was back again today racing with the front group and after a really good start he rode comfortably in the third place. However, he was surprised by Ferris and dropped down one position, but he recuperated it when Herlings crashed in the last lap.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings could not take the holeshot but he had a good start in second behind Tonkov. The red plate holder rode behind the Russian during the whole heat and when he managed to overtake him in the last lap, he made a mistake and he crashed. Herlings was not injured but he had to settle down with the fourth place.

His teammate Jordi Tixier was eighth after the start but he was able to find a good rhythm and he crossed the finish line fifth. The Red Bull KTM Factory rider obtained the fastest lap of the race, which proves that he felt really well on the Italian track and tomorrow he might be back on the podium if he is able to have a good start.

Jake Nicholls did not have a good start either, but he did an incredible recovery from his initial eleventh position to his final sixth place. Alessandro Lupino was really satisfied with his seventh place today as he had not been very lucky in the previous Grand Prix and he hopes to do well tomorrow in front of his home crowd. Romain Febvre finished eighth in the qualifying race and Priit Ratsep and Mel Pocock completed the top ten.

MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), 24:37.774; 2. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:00.558; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:03.911; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:05.352; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:05.685; 6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:12.895; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:16.188; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:22.391; 9. Priit Ratsep (EST, KTM), +0:24.100; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +0:26.397;

— Suzuki Report

Hot and humid weather opened the Grand Prix of Italy at Maggiora and Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1’s Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos fought through practice and qualification to get accustomed to the bumpy and hard-pack track; scoring 10th and 13th positions for the start gate tomorrow.

Maggiora welcomed back the FIM Motocross World Championship for round nine of 17 and the first slice of Grand Prix action this century. The circuit used a re-modelled layout but still featured some of the steep uphill sections and banked curves that made the old course once one of the most famous in Europe.

Desalle was sharp out of the blocks on his RM-Z450 and set times in pre-qualification that placed him right at the peak of the timing screens. The 20 minute and two-lap heat race to determine the start line positions was a dramatic affair and two incidents; one a crash when he was hit to the ground by Jonathan Barragan meant a fight back through the pack. He eventually crossed the finish line with 10th for the wide gate tomorrow.

Strijbos failed to find his groove around the inclines. The Belgian adjusted numerous parts of his set-up but wasn’t able to get comfortable or reach a level of speed where he was content with his laps. The former championship runner-up will be able to use warm-up tomorrow morning in order to aim for the best result possible.

Clement Desalle: “Really bad luck, my start was not perfect also, but there was a problem on the second corner and I was pushed out into the fencing. I restarted last and tried to come back. I was around 10th and I took the inside line into a slow corner and Barragan hit my rear wheel. I lost a lot of time. I came back again but it was hard and not good at all. That’s two bad qualification heats now and I just have to hope for a better day tomorrow.”

Kevin Strijbos: “My riding was so bad today. There is not much I can say really and I don’t know why. We changed a lot on the bike but no luck. I am really trying but I cannot pass people and riding so terribly. Another day tomorrow and I need to improve.”

— Honda Report

Honda World Motocross racer Max Nagl recovered from a bad start to fight through the pack to fourth position in today’s qualifying race for round eight of the MX1 World Championship in Maggiora, Italy, while Bobryshev also battled from the back to eighth place.

The old-school, undulating Maggiora track is certainly a spectacle and has produced some excellent racing today, with well-prepared ground that allowed for a lot of passing, thankfully for the Honda World Motocross duo. After finishing 10th in pre-qualifying, Bobryshev got a storming start in the race to the front of the pack with fellow Honda racer David Philippaerts, before hitting a hay bale heading into the second turn and crashing hard.

Bobryshev mounted dead-last, while 25-year-old German star Nagl, who was sixth in pre-qualifying, made a good recovery from his start and was fighting hard through the pack from around 15th place to finish in an impressive fourth position ahead of tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

Bobryshev also made a good recovery and after aggressively racing his way through the field aboard his damaged machine, and was battling with David Guarneri for sixth in the closing stages of the race, while defending his position from Antonio Cairoli in the 20-minute plus two-lap moto. Unfortunately, as he was trying to make the pass around the hardpack Maggiora track, the 25-year-old Russian racer touched Guarneri and ran on in a corner, allowing Cairoli past, which resulted in the Honda racer finishing eighth at the chequered flag.

Gautier Paulin won the race, and Honda also would like to congratulate Aleksandr Tonkov on his qualifying race victory in the MX2 class for ESTA Motorsports Honda.

Max Nagl #12: 4th position
“I was really disappointed with my start again; we changed something on the bike for this weekend, and I was really pumped that it works well for the start, but something is still missing. The riding was good, as I made a lot of passes and came from the back to the top five, so I was really happy about how I was going. I will think a lot, and speak with the team about what we can change for the start tomorrow, because I’m sure if I got away with the first three guys, I can make a really good race. The track is really nice; it’s a natural track, and it was pretty bumpy with a lot of lines, but they fixed some parts so there was the possibility to make passes. It’s tricky in some places, but it’s a lot of fun and the speed isn’t so high, which means you can make the passes. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 8th position
“The day started well, as I had a good feeling from the beginning of the day. My confidence on the bike is coming, and the foot is better, although I am still taking pain relief. In pre-qualifying I found it a little hard going, as I was too aggressive and couldn’t make a lap; I was good in the first two sections, but I was losing all the time in the last section. In the race I had a really good start behind David, but I landed off the track on the hay bale, which kicked me a little bit and I couldn’t stop, so I crashed. I came from last to seventh and was fighting for sixth, but I made a mistake in the last two laps. I was happy, as the riding was good, and I am slowly getting towards the top. Tomorrow I just want a good start and to race my own race. I want to be back and get the confidence to ride at the top; I miss it a lot and I hope the luck stays with me in the races.”

Marcus Freitas: Honda World Motocross Chief Mechanic
“Today Bobby had a good start, but crashed coming out of the first turn. He rode really well, and aggressively, a little more like the Bobryshev we know. I hope tomorrow he can have a clean start, as I think he has the speed to fight the top riders. Max came from outside the top 20, as he seemed to miss the gate, but we need to find a solution to this, as he is losing energy from racing so hard and always coming through to the front, despite riding really well. We have the speed, so with better starts tomorrow we can definitely fight for the results.”

— MX3

MAGGIORA (Italy), 15 June 2013 – Back to the roots, the MX3 world championship joins the premier world championship classes (MX1 and MX2) at the historically famous and magnificent track of Maggiora, Italy for round five of the 2013 FIM Motocross MX3 World Championship. With sunlit clouds crowding the skies, any beam shinning through seemed to be hitting Martin Michek as he swept day one, topping the charts in the timed training and then going on to dominate race one.
When the gates dropped for race one it was the man with first pick of the gate Martin Michek who led the way around turn one. Although Michek had a strong lap time leading into the race it wasn’t enough to hold back an early challenge from the current MX3 world champion Matthias Walkner.

Within less than a quarter of a lap Walkner had snatched away the lead and began to make a charge. While it would seem Walkner would be fired up after a bit of bad luck saw him loose a lot of points last weekend in Slovenia, the Austrian couldn’t get it together here in Italy.

Charging from behind with soaring confidence was Czech Martin Michek who seemed eager to prove he is the best rider to race today. After 5 laps of tossing the lead back and forth with Walkner, Michek finally made a pass that stuck and charged away never to look back.

Meanwhile, the pass from Michek seemed to have thrown Walkner right off his rhythm as he came under pressure from a trio of riders in the form of red plate holder Klemen Gercar, Czech Petr Smitka and German Christian Brockle. The trio Gercar, Smitka and Brockle took advantage of Walkner’s vulnerability with all three going by him in a short period of time.

Coming into the closing stages of the race all eyes were on Petr Smitka and the battle for second as he closed the gap on the current championship point’s leader Klemen Gercar. Fortunately for Gercar, Smitka ended up getting caught up behind some lapped riders allowing Gercar to make it to the finish unchallenged.

After taking on the gnarly conditions here in Maggiora it was Martin Michek who took the chequered flag ahead of the red plate holder Klemen Gercar. Taking third, in his first MX3 round this year was Peter Smitka who finished a comfortable eight seconds ahead of Christian Brockle in fourth. Rounding out the top five was the early leader and current MX3 World Champion Matthias Walkner

MX3 Race one: 1. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 34:50.576; 2. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), +0:05.574; 3. Petr Smitka (CZE, Kawasaki), +0:08.783; 4. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), +0:16.816; 5. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), +0:21.903; 6. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), +0:26.163; 7. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), +0:33.915; 8. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), +0:54.465; 9. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), +0:58.812; 10. Alain Schafer (SUI, Kawasaki).

— Womens MX

Also taking part alongside the FIM Motocross MX1, MX2 and MX3 World Championships is round three of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship where the current world champion and red plate holder Italian Chiara Fontanesi showed her fellow countrymen why she is motocross’s leading lady.

After dominating the qualifying race the Italian superwoman Chiara Fontanesi did it again, taking the holeshot in race one and checking out to hold on to her unbeaten status in 2013.

Meanwhile behind her Rabbit Racing Kawasaki’s Stephanie Laier was doing her best to hold on for second but couldn’t hold off the wrath of Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge. While the Australian Rutledge was quick around Laier, she couldn’t match the pace of Italian Stallion Fontanesi.

After a few mistakes in the opening laps of the race HM Plant KTM UK’s Natalie Kane began to get it together putting in a strong charge to pass Laier and catch the second place Meghan Rutledge. Unfortunately Kane couldn’t seem to hold that pace, giving up the fight and settling for third.

WMX Race one: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 25:24.646; 2. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:04.428; 3. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), +1:01.122; 4. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:22.857; 5. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:24.415; 6. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +1:29.019; 7. Gabriela Seisdedos (ESP, Kawasaki), +1:29.714; 8. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +1:31.193; 9. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), +1:40.645; 10. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda).

—  PREVIOUSLY….. – FIM MX1/MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 08, SUNDAY JUNE 9, ERNEE, FRANCE
—  A vibrant crowd see Cairoli and Herlings win in France
—  Circuit length: 1548m – Type of ground: hard pack
—  Temperature: 16° C – Weather conditions: cloudy – Crowd attendance: 39000

The eighth Grand Prix of France took place today at Ernée where Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings obtained another overall victory and they increased their lead in the championship standings. The French riders made the crowd go crazy at every single race and there actually up to three home riders on the podium, Gautier Paulin was second in MX1, whereas Dylan Ferrandis and Christophe Charlier were second and third in MX2.

The first MX2 race was red flagged after the start, as there was a malfunction of the starting gate, but the rest of the races were run without incident.

Ernée also hosted the second round of the EMX250 European Championship and Valentin Guillod obtained another strong victory, while Jeremy Seewer and Ceriel Klein Kromhof were second and third respectively.

MX1

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli obtained his 59th Grand Prix victory in Ernée after finishing second and first in today’s races. In the first race the Italian obtained the Get Athena holeshot Award, but half way through the race Cairoli made a mistake while trying to change his line and Gautier Paulin overtook him. The KTM rider did not give up and he tried to pass the French back until the very last lap, but in the end Cairoli had to settle down with the second position. In the second race the current red plate holder took another holeshot and this time nothing stopped the Italian to lead the race until the chequered flag.

The second overall position was for Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin who was not able to finish on the top of the podium, but he was very pleased to win the first race in front of his home crowd who cheered for him during the whole weekend. In the second race the home rider had a really good start but in the first corner there was a crash and he was taken out to the outside. Paulin was down in sixth and he could cross the finish line fourth to be on the second step of the podium.

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle was very satisfied for his third overall position today, especially because he struggled a lot yesterday during the qualifying race. The Belgian admitted that they made some small modifications on his bike, which helped him to feel more comfortable during today’s races. In both heats Desalle had a good start, and whereas he rode a consistent first moto in the third position after he had overtaken Van Horebeek, in the second one he passed Boog after the first three laps and he rode second until the chequered flag.

CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle had one of his best performances of the season today after finishing fourth overall. The British rider started down in twelfth in the first race, but he managed to finish seventh in front of Nagl with whom he had a thrilling battle during most of the race. In the second heat Searle had a much better start and he ended third, which gave him the fourth overall position, his best ever result in the MX1 class so far.

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek also obtained his best result of the season today in Ernée; the Belgian rider felt really well already yesterday and today he proved that he is now ready to be among the top five positions at every Grand Prix. In the first race he was second after the start, but Paulin and Desalle were faster, so Van Horebeek decided to ride safe in the fourth place. After three laps De Dycker caught Van Horebeek and he overtook him, but with two laps to go, Van Horebeek passed him back and finished fourth. In the second race Van Horebeek was involved in a crash in the first corner and he was only able to finish sixth. However, the Belgian was really satisfied with his fifth overall position.

Ken De Dycker was back riding among the top five positions today, but he was only able to finish sixth overall. In the first heat he rode fourth most of the race, but he lost one position with Van Horebeek with two laps to go and he ended fifth. In the second moto the KTM rider was able to move up to third in the first stages of the race, but he crossed the finish line fifth again.

Kevin Strijbos finished seventh overall, ahead of Davide Guarneri and Xavier Boog. Evgeny Bobryshev completed the top ten.

MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 39:21.019; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.453; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:23.523; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:43.389; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:49.635; 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:50.808; 7. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:53.198; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:55.094; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:10.101; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +1:12.061;

MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:28.802; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.539; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:11.974; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:21.491; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:26.433; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:32.766; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:44.837; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:53.614; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:03.414; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:21.781;

MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 43 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 42 p.; 4. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 33 p.; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 23 p.; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 23 p.; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 21 p.;

MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 377 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 321 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 309 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 277 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 243 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 239 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 190 p.; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 171 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 168 p.; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 145 p.;

MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 382 points; 2. Kawasaki, 323 p.; 3. Suzuki, 321 p.; 4. Honda, 252 p.; 5. Yamaha, 133 p.; 6. TM, 120 p.;

MX2

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings woke up with a lot of pain this morning due to the crash he suffered yesterday during the qualifying race, so he had to take some painkillers to feel better and be able to race both motos. The Dutch rider had two good starts and he won both heats, but he admitted that he struggled to find the good lines because every time he had to put the foot on the ground he suffered a lot of pain. Herlings will not have much time to recover, but he is already looking forward to racing in Maggiora next weekend.

Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis made one of his dreams come true today by finishing second overall in his home Grand Prix. In the first race Ferrandis started third behind Herlings and Butrón, but he quickly passed the Spanish rider and he gave his best to follow Herlings. At some point of the race Ferrandis was really close to catch the Dutch rider, but in the end he had to settle down with the second position. In the second race Ferrandis started second behind Nicholls and the French rider made the crowd go crazy when he took the lead after four laps. However, he made a mistake and he dropped down to third, but he was able to overtake Nicholls again by the end of the heat and he crossed the finish line second.

The third overall position was also for another French rider, the Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier. Charlier had a difficult first race because he started down in the thirteenth position, but he managed to cross the finish line ninth. In the second race the French rider had a better start and after exchanging the fourth position with Ferrandis and Tonkov, he was able to move up to third in the last stages of the race. Charlier was very satisfied with his result today, as it is his maiden podium of the season.

It was also an excellent weekend for JTECH ESTA Motorsports Racing Honda’s Alexander Tonkov who managed to finish fourth overall in the Grand Prix of France. In the first race the Russian was only able to finish eighth after a poor start, but in the second one he made an incredible race moving from an initial ninth position to a final fourth place.

Wilvo Neestan JM Racing KTM’s Jake Nicholls finished fourth overall, being tight in 31 points with Tonkov thanks to his 6-5 result. The British was riding a consistent first moto in fourth, but by the end of the race Tixier and Butrón passed him and he had to settle down with the fifth place. In the second race Nicholls had an excellent start and he took the lead in the first lap, but he could not keep the rhythm and Herlings overtook him. The British rider stalled the bike when he was riding second and he crossed the finish line fifth.

Jordi Tixier had a disappointing weekend; the French rider had great hopes for his home Grand Prix, but in the first heat he was only able to finish fourth and in the second one he made a mistake at the early stages of the race and he was down to the seventeenth position. Tixier made an excellent recovery and he ended ninth in that race, so he obtained an overall sixth position.

José Butrón, who obtained the Get Athena Holeshot Award in the first heat, struggled to find a good rhythm in the French track and he ended seventh overall. Glenn Coldenhoff ended eighth and Petar Petrov and Max Anstie completed the top ten.

Maxime Desprey and Jason Clermont, who had an excellent qualifying race yesterday, were eleventh and twelfth today, and Dean Ferris, who took pole yesterday, had a DNF in the first race due to a mechanic problem and his sixth place in the second heat made him finish thirteenth overall.

Romain Febvre was back this weekend from a broken fibula, but a stone hit his helmet in the first race and he was forced to retire. The home rider was not able to take part in the second heat as the impact hit his eye and nose.

MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:45.493; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:02.937; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:07.723; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:15.739; 5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:22.737; 6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:26.455; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), +0:38.353; 8. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:43.173; 9. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:48.472; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:50.642;

MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:59.717; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:05.696; 3. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:07.504; 4. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:11.672; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:17.524; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:20.958; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:21.805; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:31.110; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:35.715; 10. Jason Clermont (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:39.720;

MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 44 p.; 3. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 32 p.; 4. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), 31 p.; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 29 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 23 p.; 9. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), 21 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 21 p.;

MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 397 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 287 p.; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 247 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 237 p.; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 230 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 197 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 193 p.; 8. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 181 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 162 p.; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 149 p.;

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 400 points; 2. Yamaha, 279 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 231 p.; 4. Suzuki, 215 p.; 5. Honda, 163 p.; 6. TM, 37 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 1 p.;

— Rockstar Energy Suzuki Report

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1’s Clement Desalle scooped his sixth trophy of the season with third position overall at a 39,000 spectator-lined Ernee for a cloudy and cool Grand Prix of France and the eighth round of 17 in the FIM Motocross World Championship today as team-mate Kevin Strijbos was seventh on his factory RM-Z450.

France is always a special stop on the grand prix schedule, simply for the passion and enthusiasm of the fans, and Ernee was no exception: The steep, narrow and slippery circuit provided a hard test for the riders. Traction was at a premium and some of the rougher sections were sketchy to negotiate. Both Desalle and Strijbos had to adapt to the old-fashioned course in the best way possible but it was clear that the start and first corners of the two motos would hold the clearest indication as to the identity of the podium contenders.

Desalle (23) had two decent getaways and fairly uneventful first laps to be able to establish himself in a position with the leading group. The Belgian was able to gain more confidence with the surface but did not have the speed to disturb the battle for the lead between Antonio Cairoli and Gautier Paulin. A lonely third spot set-up the first part of a champagne spray, and his impressive points-haul for the day was confirmed with another effective performance to gain second place to Cairoli and ahead of the charging Tommy Searle in the second moto. Desalle remained largely error-free and was able to walk the box as a result.

Strijbos suffered a disastrous start in the first moto. At the end of the first lap he was 17h and put in a shift through the 35 minutes and two laps to try and gain positions. He reached 11th but remained unmoved by his efforts. The second outing promised more when ‘#22’ broke into the top 10 in the crucial early corners but the Belgian could not get near a repeat of his podium finish in 2006.

In the MX1 FIM World Championship standings, Desalle maintains his position as one of the three principal contenders for the 2013 crown. He is third and 68 points behind Cairoli and 12 behind Paulin. Strijbos is fifth and 34 points from further promotion.

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 now travels to the Maggiora circuit for the Grand Prix of Italy next weekend. The site enjoys heralded status as a motocross venue in the country and the recent reinvestment and overhaul of the facility promises to create a headline event.

Clement Desalle: “Two consistent motos and when I saw how I was riding yesterday it is good result! I was so slow yesterday. My starts were better today and the riding also, so that is positive. It is really hard to pass here so the starts were essential because you can lose a big gap. I didn’t enjoy the track too much and some important sections needed some work to make it safer and better for us. Overall it was a good weekend. I stayed on two wheels and made the podium and it will be good to get home after some busy weeks.”

Kevin Strijbos: “It was not my day today. I just could not get going with that track and with the bad start in the first moto…I don’t know…I was just riding my laps and fell into a bit of a lull. I had a better start in the second but couldn’t run the pace of the other guys and lost a bit. I felt a bit tired and I think I am not totally over the jet-leg from arriving home earlier this week. I think it will be positive to get back into the normal routine and training in the next couple of days and then look to Italy.”

— Yamaha Report

Christophe Charlier’s first podium result of the season and the second of his career was the highlight from a dramatic weekend of action for the factory Monster Energy Yamaha team at Ernee for the Grand Prix of France. The eighth round of seventeen was run in front of an excited and appreciative 39,000 crowd to welcome the FIM Motocross World Championship back to the region and the traditional and old-school circuit for the first time since 2009.

The difficult and sketchy course was also narrow and slippery and it was in the most challenging of conditions on Saturday that Maxime Desprey and Dean Ferris battled for pole position in the qualification heat, with Ferris eventually earning victory after a thrilling last lap battle. YZ250F technology went 1-2 into the gate for Sunday’s race programme.

The first moto saw a magical start for the Monster Energy Yamaha as Ferris, Pocock and Charlier headed the pack around the opening lap. Sadly a malfunction with the start gate meant that the race had to be red-flagged and re-run. The second start was not so advantageous for the crew and a technical problem would stop Ferris from scoring 7th position halfway through the moto. Pocock would withdraw after a painful right heel (the result of a crash on a jump landing on Saturday) meant that he could not clasp the bike. Charlier worked hard to reach 9th spot – gaining a place on the penultimate lap – but a problem with a pulled groin muscle did not assist his progress. Desprey was buried deep in the pack around the first corner but was diligent with his overtaking to reach 13th.

After the break the second sprint took place and Charlier defied his discomfort to produce an all-action attacking display that must rank as one of his best of the season so far. A mid-top ten start set the base and he passed three riders to move up to third position. The eventual points tally was good enough to put the excited former European Champ on the box. It was Ferris who had earned the holeshot but a couple of mistakes pushed the Australian down to a final slot of sixth. Desprey enacted a similar race to the first and ended the day with 12th while Pocock gritted his teeth to bag a few points in 19th.

The French Grand Prix finished with Charlier 3rd, Desprey 11th, Ferris 13th and Pocock 23rd in the final MX2 listing with all Yamaha machinery nevertheless playing the role of protagonists in the class throughout this vibrant event. Charlier keeps 5th in the MX2 points table head of Ferris with Pocock 11th and Desprey 15th.

On the other side of the continent in Slovenia, FIM Women’s World Champion Kiara Fontanesi comfortably owned both motos on her YRRD-kitted YZ250F to maintain her perfect win record after two rounds and four races of the competitive female series. ‘Fonta’ has another five fixtures in her title defence starting with the Italian Grand Prix next weekend in Maggiora, which will also constitute the ninth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship for Monster Energy Yamaha.

Christophe Charlier – “For sure I am very happy with my first podium of the season. In the first race I couldn’t get a good rhythm. I think it was because of the start. I was quite far back and couldn’t really get smooth and make as many positions as I wanted. In the second I was higher up at the start and that made a bit of a difference. I could push more and I was happy. The track was also a bit easier to handle. Anyway I have to thank my team and everyone who has been behind me and I want another podium at Maggiora!”

Dean Ferris – “I had a ‘mechanical’ in the first moto and there is not much more I can say about that. In the second moto I holeshotted and finished sixth…normally I can start last and get up to that position so I’m not real happy about the way I rode. I made a couple of crucial mistakes that cost me positions and I couldn’t find the speed to catch back up. I got my first win yesterday so I have mixed emotions about this weekend. I found the track very slick. It is not my favourite surface and I had a couple of big moments. We’ll just move on and hope for better in Italy.”

Maxime Desprey – “I had the holeshot yesterday, led the Heat and finished second, so I was really happy with that. Today was more difficult with the bad starts. I was outside the top twenty both times and pushed to win some positions. I was eleventh overall, so that is not too bad. I’m not sure why I didn’t get the good starts today…I think I wasn’t far enough over the front of the bike and lost some ground when it started to rise. It was a nice experience being here and for sure I can take some confidence from Saturday.”

Mel Pocock – “In the qualifying race I had a crash and landed on my heel. I don’t know what I have done to it but it seems to be really badly bruised. It’s black and blue and swollen. I had an x-ray and they said it wasn’t broken but the bottom of my foot is so painful. I managed to salvage a couple of points. I need to get it worked on this week and get that blood shifted. The track was hard and with those square-edged bumps I could not grip the bike. It is OK for the first fifteen minutes but after that it was unbearable. It is what it is…don’t crash; it hurts!”

Roelants takes points in hard French GP

The Grand Prix of France represented the eighth round of seventeen in the FIM Motocross World Championship and Monster Energy Yamaha’s Joel Roelants left a difficult and narrow Ernee circuit with 15th position overall in the MX1 class on his YZ450FM.

The Belgian suffered a setback on Saturday when an off-track excursion saw him clip an ad boarding and knock his elbow. The incident also put him low into the gate for Sunday’s two 35 minute and 2 lap motos that were run in front of a bumper 39,000 crowd and in considerably cooler conditions.

Roelants didn’t get the best of starts at the first time of asking and tried to set a rhythm to guarantee the maximum amount of points. He reeled off the laps to take 16th place. Not content with the direction of his set-up he again was unable to make many inroads into the leading group and ended a tough day with 14th in the second moto. Steven Frossard was present in the paddock in Ernee and will have another scan in the coming week to determine the full extent of his right knee injury and the time scale for a return to racing.

Monster Energy Yamaha will now focus on their home Grand Prix with the Italian round of calendar taking place next weekend at Maggiora.

Joel Roelants – “I was dead-last going into the gate because of the crash yesterday. I didn’t get away that badly but my riding wasn’t good enough. I didn’t get a good feeling out there and couldn’t find my groove. We have to do some work now and try something else for the set-up. We tried our best this weekend but my riding is frustrating at the moment. I feel good physically and trained really well after Brazil. We’ll try some changes to see what we can do for Italy and beyond.”

— Honda Report

Honda World Motocross duo Evgeny Bobryshev and Max Nagl demonstrated good speed in both motos today in Ernée, France, although the result doesn’t really portray their potential, as they battled the field for 10th and 11th overall during round eight of the MX1 World Championship.

In the opening race of the day neither rider got a good start, with Nagl around 23rd and Bobryshev well outside of the top 10. Nagl fought hard around the narrow, technical, hardpack track, picking his way through lap by lap until he reached Tommy Searle mid-moto. In an epic battle that saw the two exchange places a number of times, they elevated their way through the field right until the chequered flag with Nagl taking a well-earned eighth position aboard his Dunlop-shod factory CRF450R.

Bobryshev found it tough going, as he struggled to relax and find his racing rhythm with his sore leg from an injury sustained earlier in the year. In the closing stages of the race the Russian star did begin to make progress, passing two riders on the last lap, to cross the finish line in 12th position.

In the second moto disaster struck for the Honda men after they both powered down the start straight in what looked to be good positions heading into turn one. Nagl was sure he had clinched the holeshot, but nearly collided with Kevin Strijbos as he came out of the turn, which saw a melee of riders run into the back of the Honda racer as he slammed on the brakes, including his teammate Bobryshev.

Bobryshev managed to get back on to get away with the back of the pack and, as he relaxed into the race, made good passes while finding a much better pace to the first moto to finish in ninth position and 10th overall.

After remounting dead last Nagl fought his way back to the top 10, when a stone from the roost was caught in his throttle, forcing the power to stay open as he jumped into a tight turn and causing the German racer to crash hard. After restarting again, an incredibly unlucky Nagl had another slip off after the exhaustion of battling so hard set in, and the Honda racer concluded the race in 13th position for 11th overall.

Gautier Paulin won race one in front of his home crowd, while Cairoli won the second race and the overall.

Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 10th overall
“The track wasn’t great for passing, and it’s been tough from the beginning of the weekend. On top of that, a lot of the passing has to be done by pressuring the guy in front into a mistake to get around him. In the warm-up this morning I tried to push for a good lap, but it wasn’t as good as I wanted. In the first race I didn’t get a good start, and after this I was just battling with my bike and myself, as I had so little confidence, and I was just trying to find the good rhythm. I was like wood on the bike; just so stiff and no flexibility, as I was not finding the balance in the right corners, as well as using the pressure of the left leg too much. In the second race it was much better, because I was riding better, but I was involved in the first turn crash. I had better lines and better speed, but I had to come through. I came back from nearly last to ninth, although it was still tough, as race by race I am coming back to form again. To be honest when I broke the bone I thought it would be possible to be back in a couple of weeks, and I never expected it to be like this, but it is getting better every week, and I have to be patient, although I’m disappointed not to achieve more.”

Max Nagl #12: 11th overall
“At the moment it really isn’t going in the direction I want. I can improve the riding week-by-week and today I was really fast, but in the first race I had a terrible gate jump. I fought through to eighth position, had the second fastest lap time, and I was really happy with my riding. I had a big battle with Tommy, which was tough, as he is riding really aggressively and I had to be quite careful. In the second heat we made some small adjustments, and I had a really good gate jump. I thought I was first into the first turn, but I nearly hit another rider and then the riders behind me collided with my bike, so I basically just fell down. I was so disappointed, as when you crash in the first turn you know it is going to be so hard, and I was dead last. I fought my way through to a top 10, but then my throttle stuck open on a jump from a stone that got stuck after I was roosted down the straight, and I crashed. So then I tried to get myself going again, but my arms were getting tired and I crashed again on a downhill, so it was just a ride to the finish after that. Grip was hard to find here, but I liked it and my speed was good, although there just always seems to be something stopping me achieving what we should be. At the moment I am missing that part of the puzzle, and we need some luck on our side.”

Lorenzo Resta: Honda World Motocross Team Manager
“It was a hard weekend on a difficult track. For the first race I believe Max rode his best moto of the year, as he came from outside the top 20 to eighth position, and he was fighting like a tiger against the other riders. He had the second best lap time of the race, which demonstrates the speed is there. In the second moto we had a lot of bad luck with both riders crashing in the first turn. Bobby rode a lot better in that heat, as he came back to ninth place, and Max came from last to tenth, although a couple of issues in the last few laps meant he crashed again. On a positive note, we can see the speed is there in both riders, and Bobby’s injury is improving, but we need that little bit of luck to get back to where we should be; I hope this will be next weekend at the team’s home race.”

— KTM Report

Red Bull KTM riders had another top day out at the MX GP of France with both Tony Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings winning the MX1 and MX2 GPs respectively.

For the Italian Cairoli it was a 2-1 outing on the very technical track at Ernee for his fifty-ninth career GP victory. He had an epic battle with French favorite Gautier Paulin in the opening moto, conceding by just over one second to the Frenchman only in the final meters of the race. Then in the second moto, Cairoli shot out of the starting gates to grab the holeshot and led during the entire race. He was more than 10 seconds ahead when he crossed the line. Cairoli now has a 56-point lead in the championship standards and has laid the foundation for a solid season where he hopes to take his seventh world title.

Tony Cairoli: “In the first moto I had some trouble with a lapped rider near the end but Paulin found a way past him. I tried to come back but Paulin was riding very well and it wasn’t easy to pass on this track. We pushed hard in the second race. After I got the holeshot in the second moto I was able to push to make a 10-second gap but then I just tried to put in some good laps and not make any mistakes.”

Meanwhile in MX2 and in what was possibly one of the toughest races of his career so far, Herlings achieved what the pre-race pundits said was improbable. He won both motos after a mega crash in Saturday’s qualifying that saw him badly bang up his ankle, shoulder and wrist. He was mobile only on crutches but rallied to take his eighth GP win for 2013 with an epic 1-1 result.

Only classified twenty-seventh after qualifying, Herlings shot out of the gates in the opening moto, took an early lead and even though he was up against hungry French riders, hung on all the way to the flag. He crossed the line just under three seconds ahead of second placed Dylan Ferrandis.

Herlings found himself in fourth place at the first corner of the second moto after a great start by his teammate Jordi Tixier. But while Herlings worked his way up to the lead, Tixier crashed and had to fight his way back from way down the order to eventually finish ninth. Herlings meanwhile took control of the lead with just over 16 minutes to go and never looked back. The Dutch teenager has won every moto except one in 2013 and has a commanding lead of 110 points in the MX2 World Championship. Tixier is second.

Jeffrey Herlings: I had a very big crash on Saturday and some pretty bad injuries but we made a lot of treatment on my ankle and wrist and the team helped me a lot. But I had a lot of pain when I put my foot down and when I went over the jumps. We worked hard this weekend and we took two good starts and I did what I had to do to take the wins.”

Cairoli’s MX1 factory teammate Ken de Dycker of Belgium picked up a pair of fifth places. Like Tixier in MX2, he also finished his MX1 in sixth position. De Dycker said he was quite satisfied to be consistent this weekend although he had wanted to be back on the podium. “But training went well, and so did qualifying so after two not so good starts I’m quite happy. My riding is okay and there was not too much difference in the speed compared to the first guys,” he said.

Tixier admitted he had got a bad start in the opening moto but he won the holeshot in the second. “I thought I was going pretty good after the holeshot but then I crashed in the first lap when I got a bad bump in one of the waves. I managed to come back from last place to ninth. It wasn’t so bad but not what I expected,” he said.

Earlier in the day Ernee hosted Rd. 2 of the EMX 250 European Championship, which saw victory for KTM’s Swiss rider Valentin Guillod.“Now I’m leading the championship with two wins but today was not easy because it was very slippers. We had just one line and it wasn’t easy to pass but I took my time, I tried to find a good line and to ride smoothly,” Guillod commented.

— Kawasaki Report

Gautier Paulin of the Kawasaki Racing Team delighted French fans as he consolidated second place in the FIM World MX1 Motocross World Championship with a race win in his home GP at Ernée.

The Frenchman appeared confident throughout practice but overambitious track watering prior to the qualification race saw him line up only eleventh of 29 starters. However, when the gate dropped for the opening moto on race day Gautier was immediately amongst the leaders, quickly moving up to second place before mounting a successful charge for the lead at half distance, sweeping around the defending champion to record an emphatic victory. The unfortunate qualification result of the previous day sadly prevented a repeat in race two as another rider forced the Kawasaki star to run wide at turn one and he faced a tough ride back through the pack to salvage fourth place; this was however sufficient to ensure his sixth podium finish of the year and consolidate his second place in the championship.

Tommy Searle of Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit narrowly failed to join Paulin on the overall podium but secured the first top three moto finish of his rookie MX1 GP season as he charged up the leader board from sixth to third in race two. Earlier in the day he had made the best of a bad start to advance from twelfth to seventh during the 40-minute race. The Englishman retains sixth place in the championship, but has moved significantly closer to the rider immediately ahead of him and has every prospect of advancing further up the table in the coming rounds.

Jeremy Van Horebeek raced to a stunning second place in the qualification race to confirm that he has finally shrugged off his early season injury woes, and a solid fourth place in the opening moto raised hope that he could join Kawasaki Racing Team colleague Paulin on the podium at the end of the day. Unfortunately the Belgian was hit by another rider at the first corner of the second race in the same incident which disrupted Paulin’s race but he showed great courage and resilience to recover to sixth place in the moto and fifth overall, his points haul lifting Jeremy to eighth in the championship standings.

Gautier Paulin: “It was a good GP. We all know that Cairoli is very strong and I was happy to beat him in the first race. I had a good feeling today; the track was better prepared than yesterday and I had another great start in the second race but Nagl pushed everyone outside in the first corner and I was too far back to recover to better than fourth. Second in the GP is another good result; Antonio beats me today but I will try to win next week in Maggiora.”

Tommy Searle: “This was my best race so far in the MX1 GPs, and the first time this year that I’ve been happy with my riding! I felt confident on this track, and I feel like I have ended my run of bad luck so I hope that will continue next week in Italy. The track was slippery but I found some good lines; I’m happy to get my first top three moto finish but now I want an overall podium. The atmosphere was good here in Ernée; it was like a British GP but for the French riders.”

Jeremy Van Horebeek: “ I’m a little disappointed as I felt I could score my first MX1 podium after my fourth place in the first moto but another rider hit me at the start of the second race. I had to push hard to come back from nearly last to sixth, so I was naturally tired in the last few laps of the race. Fifth in the GP is not bad, especially as I was sick, but that’s not what I am looking for. Now that I have got over my injuries I want to get some podiums; I have proved that I have the speed and a good rhythm on a 450. I am sure that elusive podium will come soon.”

— Results Summary

Result MX1 Race 1
1. Gautier Paulin (FRA), Kawasaki
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA), KTM
3. Clement Desalle (BEL), Suzuki
4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL), Kawasaki
5. Ken de Dycker (BEL), KTM
6. David Philippaerts (ITA), Honda
7. Tommy Searle (GBR), Kawasaki
8. Maximilian Nagl (GER), Honda
9. Davide Guarneri (ITA), KTM
10. Rui Goncalves (POR), KTM
11. Kevin Strijbos (BEL), Suzuki
12. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS), Honda
13. Shaun Simpson (GBR), TM
14. Xavier Boog (FRA), KTM
15. Gregory Aranda (FRA), Kawasaki
16. Joel Roelants (BEL), Yamaha
17. Jonathan Barragan (ESP), KTM
18. Cedric Soubeyras (FRA), Honda
19. Nicolas Aubin (FRA), Honda
20. Milko Potisek (FRA), Yamaha
21. Matiss Karro (LAT), KTM
22. Dennis Ullrich (GER), KTM
23. Fabien Izoird (FRA), Suzuki
24. Charles Lefrancois (FRA), Suzuki
25. Loic Leonce (FRA), Yamaha
26. Santtu Tiainen (FIN), Honda
27. Mikola Paschynskyi (UKR), KTM
28. Alexis Gaudree (FRA), Honda
29. Kasper Lynggaard (DEN), Yamaha

Result MX1 Race 2 
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA), KTM
2. Clement Desalle (BEL), Suzuki
3. Tommy Searle (GBR), Kawasaki
4. Gautier Paulin (FRA), Kawasaki
5. Ken de Dycker (BEL), KTM
6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL), Kawasaki
7. Xavier Boog (FRA), KTM
8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL), Suzuki
9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS), Honda
10. Davide Guarneri (ITA), KTM
11. Nicolas Aubin (FRA), Honda
12. Rui Goncalves (POR), KTM
13. Maximilian Nagl (GER), Honda
14. Joel Roelants (BEL), Yamaha
15. Gregory Aranda (FRA), Kawasaki
16. Fabien Izoird (FRA), Suzuki
17. Loic Leonce (FRA), Yamaha
18. Cedric Soubeyras (FRA), Honda
19. Matiss Karro (LAT), KTM
20. Dennis Ullrich (GER), KTM
21. Santtu Tiainen (FIN), Honda
22. Charles Lefrancois (FRA), Suzuki
23. Kasper Lynggaard (DEN), Yamaha
24. Mikola Paschynskyi (UKR), KTM
25. Alexis Gaudree (FRA), Honda
26. Jonathan Barragan (ESP), KTM
27. Shaun Simpson (GBR), TM
28. David Philippaerts (ITA), Honda
29. Milko Potisek (FRA), Yamaha

GP classification MX1
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA), KTM, 47 p.
2. Gautier Paulin (FRA), Kawasaki, 43 p.
3. Clement Desalle (BEL), Suzuki, 42 p.
4. Tommy Searle (GBR), Kawasaki, 34 p.
5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL), Kawasaki, 33 p.
6. Ken de Dycker (BEL), KTM, 32 p.
7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL), Suzuki, 23 p.
8. Davide Guarneri (ITA), KTM, 23 p.
9. Xavier Boog (FRA), KTM, 21 p.
10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS), Honda, 21 p.
11. Maximilian Nagl (GER), Honda, 21 p.
12. Rui Goncalves (POR), KTM, 20 p.
13. David Philippaerts (ITA), Honda, 15 p.
14. Nicolas Aubin (FRA), Honda, 12 p.
15. Joel Roelants (BEL), Yamaha, 12 p.
16. Gregory Aranda (FRA), Kawasaki, 12 p.
17. Shaun Simpson (GBR), TM, 8 p.
18. Cedric Soubeyras (FRA), Honda, 6 p.
19. Fabien Izoird (FRA), Suzuki, 5 p.
20. Loic Leonce (FRA), Yamaha, 4 p.
21. Jonathan Barragan (ESP), KTM, 4 p.
22. Matiss Karro (LAT), KTM, 2 p.
23. Dennis Ullrich (GER), KTM, 1 p.
24. Milko Potisek (FRA), Yamaha, 1 p.
25. Santtu Tiainen (FIN), Honda, 0 p.
26. Charles Lefrancois (FRA), Suzuki, 0 p.
27. Kasper Lynggaard (DEN), Yamaha, 0 p.
28. Mikola Paschynskyi (UKR), KTM, 0 p.
29. Alexis Gaudree (FRA), Honda, 0 p.

World Championship classification MX1
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA), KTM, 377 p.
2. Gautier Paulin (FRA), Kawasaki, 321 p.
3. Clement Desalle (BEL), Suzuki, 309 p.
4. Ken de Dycker (BEL), KTM, 277 p.
5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL), Suzuki, 243 p.
6. Tommy Searle (GBR), Kawasaki, 239 p.
7. Maximilian Nagl (GER), Honda, 190 p.
8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL), Kawasaki, 171 p.
9. Rui Goncalves (POR), KTM, 168 p.
10. David Philippaerts (ITA), Honda, 145 p.
11. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS), Honda, 127 p.
12. Joel Roelants (BEL), Yamaha, 124 p.
13. Shaun Simpson (GBR), TM, 120 p.
14. Davide Guarneri (ITA), KTM, 120 p.
15. Xavier Boog (FRA), KTM, 111 p.
16. Tanel Leok (EST), Honda, 108 p.
17. Jonathan Barragan (ESP), KTM, 84 p.
18. Steven Frossard (FRA), Yamaha, 47 p.
19. Augusts Justs (LAT), Honda, 43 p.
20. Matiss Karro (LAT), KTM, 41 p.
21. Jason Dougan (GBR), Honda, 19 p.
22. Kasper Lynggaard (DEN), Yamaha, 17 p.
23. Nicolas Aubin (FRA), Honda, 12 p.
24. Adam Chatfield (GBR), Honda, 12 p.
25. Gregory Aranda (FRA), Kawasaki, 12 p.
26. Lauri Lehtla (EST), KTM, 12 p.
27. Nikolaj Larsen (DEN), Honda, 10 p.
28. Santtu Tiainen (FIN), Honda, 10 p.
29. Antonio Balbi (BRA), Kawasaki, 9 p.
30. Kenny Van Dueren (BEL), KTM, 6 p.
31. Nathan Watson (GBR), KTM, 6 p.
32. Cedric Soubeyras (FRA), Honda, 6 p.
33. Jens Getteman (BEL), Honda, 6 p.
34. Fabien Izoird (FRA), Suzuki, 5 p.
35. Mikola Paschynskyi (UKR), KTM, 5 p.
36. Jamie Law (GBR), KTM, 4 p.
37. Loic Leonce (FRA), Yamaha, 4 p.
38. Hugo Santos (POR), KTM, 3 p.
39. Jean Carlo Ramos (BRA), Kawasaki, 3 p.
40. Marc de Reuver (NED), KTM, 2 p.
41. Masanori Ito (JPN), Yamaha, 2 p.
42. Fabio Ferrari (ITA), Honda, 1 p.
43. Dennis Ullrich (GER), KTM, 1 p.
44. Stefano Dami (ITA), Yamaha, 1 p.
45. Ivo Steinbergs (LAT), KTM, 1 p.
46. Milko Potisek (FRA), Yamaha, 1 p.
47. Mateus Basso (BRA), Kawasaki, 1 p.

Result MX2 Race 1 
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), KTM
2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA), Kawasaki
3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED), KTM
4. Jordi Tixier (FRA), KTM
5. Jose Butron (ESP), KTM
6. Jake Nicholls (GBR), KTM
7. Max Anstie (GBR), Suzuki
8. Alexander Tonkov (RUS), Honda
9. Christophe Charlier (FRA), Yamaha
10. Petar Petrov (BUL), Yamaha
11. Harri Kullas (FIN), Honda
12. Kevin Fors (BEL), Yamaha
13. Maxime Desprey (FRA), Yamaha
14. Even Heibye (NOR), KTM
15. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT), KTM
16. Jason Clermont (FRA), Kawasaki
17. Priit Ratsep (EST), KTM
18. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR), KTM
19. Roberts Justs (LAT), Honda
20. James Decotis (USA), Kawasaki
21. Lewis Tombs (GBR), Honda
22. Giacomo Del Segato (ITA), KTM
23. Viacheslav Golovkin (RUS), KTM
24. Mathias Plessers (BEL), Honda
25. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA), Yamaha
26. Dean Ferris (AUS), Yamaha
27. Romain Febvre (FRA), KTM
28. Stefan Kjer Olsen (DEN), Honda
29. Ivo Monticelli (ITA), TM
30. Mel Pocock (GBR), Yamaha
31. Alessandro Lupino (ITA), Kawasaki
32. Steven Lenoir (FRA), KTM

Result MX2 Race 2 
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), KTM
2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA), Kawasaki
3. Christophe Charlier (FRA), Yamaha
4. Alexander Tonkov (RUS), Honda
5. Jake Nicholls (GBR), KTM
6. Dean Ferris (AUS), Yamaha
7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA), Kawasaki
8. Jose Butron (ESP), KTM
9. Jordi Tixier (FRA), KTM
10. Jason Clermont (FRA), Kawasaki
11. Petar Petrov (BUL), Yamaha
12. Maxime Desprey (FRA), Yamaha
13. Steven Lenoir (FRA), KTM
14. Max Anstie (GBR), Suzuki
15. Stefan Kjer Olsen (DEN), Honda
16. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT), KTM
17. Harri Kullas (FIN), Honda
18. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED), KTM
19. Mel Pocock (GBR), Yamaha
20. Kevin Fors (BEL), Yamaha
21. Even Heibye (NOR), KTM
22. Ivo Monticelli (ITA), TM
23. Roberts Justs (LAT), Honda
24. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR), KTM
25. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA), Yamaha
26. Lewis Tombs (GBR), Honda
27. Giacomo Del Segato (ITA), KTM
28. Mathias Plessers (BEL), Honda
29. Priit Ratsep (EST), KTM
30. Viacheslav Golovkin (RUS), KTM
31. James Decotis (USA), Kawasaki

GP classification MX2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), KTM, 50 p.
2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA), Kawasaki, 44 p.
3. Christophe Charlier (FRA), Yamaha, 32 p.
4. Alexander Tonkov (RUS), Honda, 31 p.
5. Jake Nicholls (GBR), KTM, 31 p.
6. Jordi Tixier (FRA), KTM, 30 p.
7. Jose Butron (ESP), KTM, 29 p.
8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED), KTM, 23 p.
9. Petar Petrov (BUL), Yamaha, 21 p.
10. Max Anstie (GBR), Suzuki, 21 p.
11. Maxime Desprey (FRA), Yamaha, 17 p.
12. Jason Clermont (FRA), Kawasaki, 16 p.
13. Dean Ferris (AUS), Yamaha, 15 p.
14. Alessandro Lupino (ITA), Kawasaki, 14 p.
15. Harri Kullas (FIN), Honda, 14 p.
16. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT), KTM, 11 p.
17. Kevin Fors (BEL), Yamaha, 10 p.
18. Steven Lenoir (FRA), KTM, 8 p.
19. Even Heibye (NOR), KTM, 7 p.
20. Stefan Kjer Olsen (DEN), Honda, 6 p.
21. Priit Ratsep (EST), KTM, 4 p.
22. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR), KTM, 3 p.
23. Mel Pocock (GBR), Yamaha, 2 p.
24. Roberts Justs (LAT), Honda, 2 p.
25. James Decotis (USA), Kawasaki, 1 p.
26. Ivo Monticelli (ITA), TM, 0 p.
27. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA), Yamaha, 0 p.
28. Lewis Tombs (GBR), Honda, 0 p.
29. Giacomo Del Segato (ITA), KTM, 0 p.
30. Mathias Plessers (BEL), Honda, 0 p.
31. Viacheslav Golovkin (RUS), KTM, 0 p.
32. Romain Febvre (FRA), KTM, 0 p.

World Championship classification MX2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), KTM, 397 p.
2. Jordi Tixier (FRA), KTM, 287 p.
3. Jose Butron (ESP), KTM, 247 p.
4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED), KTM, 237 p.
5. Christophe Charlier (FRA), Yamaha, 230 p.
6. Dean Ferris (AUS), Yamaha, 197 p.
7. Max Anstie (GBR), Suzuki, 193 p.
8. Jake Nicholls (GBR), KTM, 181 p.
9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA), Kawasaki, 162 p.
10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA), Kawasaki, 149 p.
11. Mel Pocock (GBR), Yamaha, 140 p.
12. Petar Petrov (BUL), Yamaha, 135 p.
13. Alexander Tonkov (RUS), Honda, 112 p.
14. Romain Febvre (FRA), KTM, 98 p.
15. Maxime Desprey (FRA), Yamaha, 96 p.
16. Harri Kullas (FIN), Honda, 86 p.
17. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT), KTM, 75 p.
18. Julien Lieber (BEL), Suzuki, 71 p.
19. Stefan Kjer Olsen (DEN), Honda, 68 p.
20. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR), KTM, 47 p.
21. Valentin Teillet (FRA), Kawasaki, 42 p.
22. Even Heibye (NOR), KTM, 39 p.
23. Ivo Monticelli (ITA), TM, 37 p.
24. Kevin Fors (BEL), Yamaha, 36 p.
25. Priit Ratsep (EST), KTM, 31 p.
26. Jason Clermont (FRA), Kawasaki, 24 p.
27. Jeremy Seewer (SUI), Suzuki, 20 p.
28. Tim Gajser (SLO), KTM, 20 p.
29. James Decotis (USA), Kawasaki, 11 p.
30. Steven Lenoir (FRA), KTM, 8 p.
31. Paulo Alberto (POR), Honda, 8 p.
32. Thales Vilardi (BRA), Honda, 8 p.
33. Brent Van Doninck (BEL), KTM, 7 p.
34. Brian Bogers (NED), KTM, 7 p.
35. Anderson Hauptli Cidade (BRA), Yamaha, 6 p.
36. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (NED), KTM, 5 p.
37. Roberts Justs (LAT), Honda, 5 p.
38. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS), Honda, 5 p.
39. Rodrigo Andrade (BRA), TM, 4 p.
40. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED), KTM, 3 p.
41. James Dunn (GBR), KTM, 1 p.
42. Benoit Paturel (FRA), Husqvarna, 1 p.

— MX3 – Gercar wins at home and claims back the red plate

Round four of the FIM MX3 World Championship continues to heat up as local boy Klemen Gercar triumphs his home round of Slovenia. Frantisek Smola finished second overall and Gert Krestinov completed the top three.

Immediately revving up the fans Klemen Gercar took the holeshot in race one followed by yesterday’s top qualifier Frantisek Smola and red plate holder Matthias Walkner. While Gercar used the encouragement of the crowd to run away with the win, Frantisek Smola was left to battle with the current world champion Matthias Walkner. Although it was not easy Walkner managed to find a way around the determined Smola to claim second forcing Smola to settle for third.

Martin Michek was forced to push hard after a terrible start left him outside the top ten, the fiery Czech made a series of great passes to eventually finish fourth ahead of the third placed qualifier Günter Schmidinger in fifth.

Race two saw the fan favorite Slovenian Klemen Gercar claim yet another holeshot followed by championship toppers Günter Schmidinger, Frantisek Smola, Gert Krestinov and Martin Michek.

Fresh off the victory in race one a confident Gercar looked in great shape to take the victory again in race two, after leading every lap all his hard work came undone when he crashed with less than a quarter of a lap to go handing Gert Krestinov the win.

Following Gert Krestinov through to claim second place was the top qualifier Frantisek Smola, who spent most of the race engaged in battle with the eventual race winner Gert Krestinov. Also benefiting from the mistake of Gercar was Martin Michek who after battling back from yet another bad start was more than happy to cross the finish line in third. In the end Klemen Gercar managed to recover for fourth just ahead of Günter Schmidinger in fifth.

Klemen Gercar used his first and fourth place results to take the overall win as well as the championship point’s lead. Runner up for the round of Slovenia was Frantisek Smola leaving third overall to the second race winner Gert Krestinov.

It was a rough day for the current world champion Matthias Walkner as technical problems and a small crash hindered his results in race two forcing him to finish outside the top five in the round overall, as well as loose the red plate to Klemen Gercar.

MX3 Race 1 top ten: 1. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), 34:58.111; 2. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), +0:06.761; 3. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), +0:18.418; 4. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:30.632; 5. Günter Schmidinger (AUT, Honda), +0:31.749; 6. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), +0:34.047; 7. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:53.336; 8. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), +1:04.735; 9. Lukasz Lonka (POL, Honda), +1:08.107; 10. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), +1:10.027;

MX3 Race 2 top ten: 1. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), 35:48.628; 2. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), +0:01.505; 3. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:03.952; 4. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), +0:07.870; 5. Günter Schmidinger (AUT, Honda), +0:11.445; 6. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:45.521; 7. Lukasz Lonka (POL, Honda), +0:47.404; 8. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), +0:47.832; 9. Martin Zerava (CZE, Suzuki), +0:56.010; 10. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), +1:07.254;

MX3 Overall top ten: 1. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), 43 points; 2. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 4. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Günter Schmidinger (AUT, Honda), 32 p.; 6. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 32 p.; 7. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), 29 p.; 8. Lukasz Lonka (POL, Honda), 26 p.; 9. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), 26 p.; 10. Alain Schafer (SUI, Kawasaki), 18 p.;

MX3 Championship top ten: 1. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), 155 points; 2. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 150 p.; 3. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), 143 p.; 4. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 141 p.; 5. Timur Muratov (RUS, KTM), 95 p.; 6. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), 94 p.; 7. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), 86 p.; 8. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), 77 p.; 9. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), 74 p.; 10. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), 62 p.;

—  Women’s Motocross

Round two of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship took place today at the circuit of Orehova Vas in sunny Slovenia where Monster Energy Yamaha’s Chiara Fontanesi added another two wins to her so far perfect season. Stephanie Laier was on the second step of the podium and Meghan Rutledge completed the top three.
Race one started with a hiss and roar when more than ten riders were caught up in a first corner crash. Avoiding all the carnage was yesterday’s top qualifier Chiara Fontanesi who was not phased by the slipperiness of a recently watered track running away from the field to add yet another victory to her 2013 world championship campaign.

Chasing Fontanesi in the early stages of the race was HM Plant KTM UK’s Natalie Kane. Kane looked eager to catch Fontanesi but despite a good effort on the opening laps, the Irish Kane couldn’t match the speed of the Italian Fontanesi.

Further back, former world champion Stephanie Laier found herself under pressure from Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge. Rutledge managed to find a way around the Rabbit Racing Kawasaki of Laier to take third place leaving Laier to finish fourth almost forty seconds ahead of Francesca Nocera in fifth.

Race two saw Monster Energy Yamaha’s Chiara Fontanesi prove to be just too good this weekend leading every lap unchallenged from start to finish.

Improving on her performance in race one, Rabbit Racing Kawasaki’s Stephanie Laier managed to ride a smooth race comfortably in second place to finish twenty seconds ahead of Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge in third. Meanwhile HM Plant KTM UK’s Natalie Kane made hard work for herself getting off to a terrible start; despite being outside the top ten on lap one, the feisty Irish lady managed to fight her way back to a fourth place finish. Rounding out the top five was another Italian in the form of Francesca Nocera.

In the end Monster Energy Yamaha’s Chiara Fontanesi dominated the round of Slovenia with perfect points while Stephanie Laier, Meghan Rutledge and Natalie Kane tied for second on forty points. Based on the result of the second race Rabbit Racing Kawasaki’s Stephanie Laier stood on the second step of the podium and Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge on the third leaving HM Plant KTM UK’s Natalie Kane to finish fourth ahead of Francy Racing Team’s Francesca Nocera in fifth.

WMX Race 1 top 10: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 25:54.781; 2. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +0:07.144; 3. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:19.255; 4. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), +0:25.898; 5. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +1:03.549; 6. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), +1:04.245; 7. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, KTM), +1:09.127; 8. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:32.116; 9. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), +1:34.612; 10. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:35.952;

WMX Race 2 top 10: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 26:21.551; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), +0:06.576; 3. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:26.815; 4. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +0:42.757; 5. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +0:57.623; 6. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, KTM), +1:04.253; 7. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:18.189; 8. Virginie Germond (SUI, Suzuki), +1:24.629; 9. Gabriela Seisdedos (ESP, Kawasaki), +1:33.866; 10. Nina Klink (NED, KTM), +1:37.972;

WMX Overall top 10: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 50 points; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 3. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 4. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 40 p.; 5. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), 32 p.; 6. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), 27 p.; 8. Virginie Germond (SUI, Suzuki), 22 p.; 9. Gabriela Seisdedos (ESP, Kawasaki), 22 p.; 10. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), 22 p.;

WMX Championship top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 100 points; 2. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), 84 p.; 3. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 80 p.; 4. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), 76 p.; 5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, KTM), 56 p.; 6. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), 48 p.; 7. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), 48 p.; 8. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), 37 p.; 9. Nina Klink (NED, KTM), 36 p.; 10. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), 32 p.;