FIM MX1 / MX2 World Motocross Championship Round 2 of 15
Sunday April 11th 2010 Grand Prix of Lombardia, Mantova Crowd: 19,000 (weekend figure)
Weather: Saturday – Sunny, blue skies temperature 24C Sunday – Changeable, windy, cool 16C
MX1 Race 1 | MX1 Race 2 | MX1 Championship |
1 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 40’13.247 2 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 0’04.718 3 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0’14.321 4 Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 0’13.063 5 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0’29.853 6 Jimmy Albertson Honda USA 0’33.123 7 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 0’35.055 8 Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 0’37.764 9 Tanel Leok Honda EST 0’43.058 10 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0’54.348 11 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 1’11.842 12 Marc De Reuver Suzuki NED 1’19.344 13 Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 1’23.471 14 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 1’24.100 15 Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 1’47.012 | 1 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 39’50.854 2 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0’08.843 3 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0’17.627 4 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0’32.466 5 Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 0’39.633 6 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 0’41.226 7 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0’48.453 8 Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 0’55.507 9 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 0’58.109 10 Anthony Boissière TM FRA 1’00.706 11 Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 1’01.396 12 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1’02.494 13 Jimmy Albertson Honda USA 1’03.223 14 Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 1’10.054 15 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 1’13.328 | 1. Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 88 2. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 87 3. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 79 4. Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 65 5. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 60 6. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 59 7. Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 56 8. Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 54 9. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 37 10. Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 37 11. Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 32 12. Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 31 13. Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 31 14. Tanel Leok Honda EST 30 15. Jimmy Albertson Honda USA 29 |
MX2 Race 1 | MX2 Race 2 | MX2 Championship |
1 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 39’58.049 2 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0’00.370 3 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0’50.697 4 Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 0’54.481 5 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 0’56.927 6 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 0’57.314 7 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 1’19.818 8 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1’21.141 9 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1’24.840 10 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 1’27.785 11 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 1’28.759 12 Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 1’29.087 13 Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 1’46.732 14 Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL 1’51.133 15 Valentin Teillet KTM FRA -1Laps | 1 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 39’35.506 2 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 0’04.177 3 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0’23.515 4 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 0’45.327 5 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 0’58.516 6 Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 1’03.613 7 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 1’14.406 8 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 1’30.422 9 Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL 1’31.289 10 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 1’37.646 11 Jose Antonio Butron Suzuki ESP 1’44.641 12 Matiss Karro Suzuki LVA 1’47.668 13 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1’51.392 14 Petr Smitka KTM CZE 2’12.138 15 Gianluca Martini Honda ITA -1Laps | 1. Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 100 2. Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 86 3. Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 72 4. Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 69 5. Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 62 6. Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 59 7. Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 53 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 52 9. Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 47 10. Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 39 11. Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 32 12. Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL 30 13. Joel Roelants KTM BEL 25 14. Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 24 15. Nick Triest KTM BEL 18 |
— KTM Report
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tony Cairoli celebrated his first MX1 GP victory on the new KTM 350 SX-F racing machine on Sunday in front of his home crowd in Mantova Italy with a huge whip on the last hill as he charged through the checkered flag.
It was the reigning world champion’s first GP win of the 2010 series after finishing second to teammate Max Nagl in Bulgaria last weekend in the opening event. Nagl who was twice third in the brutal soft sand of the Italian circuit finished third behind Cairoli and Clement Desalle of Belgium. Cairoli also picked up the championship leader’s red plate just one point ahead of Nagl in the reckoning.
Historic victory to Cairoli and the KTM 350 SX-F
Clearly loving the win at Mantova in front of his home crowd, Tony said “I’m very happy to win the first ever GP on the 350. Like Stefan (team boss Stefan Everts) said it is a historical victory for us. It’s a great feeling to be the first one who has ever won a GP on this bike. I have won on different bikes but to be the first, well that’s a different emotion. For sure with this victory I’m convinced that I have a very strong bike. “I’m happy to be back with the red plate but it would have been okay also if it was with my team-mate. The most important thing is to have it at the end of the championship. Now I look forward to Valkenswaard. I like the track there and it’s going to be a great race.”
Constant improvement for Nagl
While Nagl, who won the season opener in Bulgaria, had to hand the red plate to Tony he was still satisfied with his race weekend. “For me it’s like every weekend I’m getting better. I like this track. It was really rough but it was fun to ride. For sure it’s good if the red plate stays with the team but if it’s possible I want to have it back,” the German rider said. Cairoli and Nagl may be factory teammates but they will also be challenging each other on the track in every GP.
First and second moto action
The first moto saw Nagl at fourth and Cairoli in sixth on the first corner but they then set about trying to hunt down the leaders. While Desalle was still in front at the chequered flag, Cairoli, who said he felt “a little pressure” at his home GP, was a comfortable second ahead of teammate Nagl. But in the second moto when the track was a brutal and deeply rutted, Tony attacked on his KTM 350, took the holeshot and dominated the entire race. He was over the line almost nine seconds ahead of second placed David Philippaerts. Tony also won a pre-season international here in Mantova on KTM’s latest racing bike.
While as yet unable to ride, Rui Goncalves, the third member of the KTM factory trio was in Mantova to support his team. The Portuguese rider, vice world champion in MT2 last season is still recovering from shoulder surgery and will rejoin the competition soon. Rui will also ride the KTM 350 this season while Max Nagl, also second in the 2009 MX1 World Championship, is competing on the latest edition of the KTM 450 SX-F.
KTM’s World Champion Marvin Musquin snatches second MX2 GP in Mantova
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin slipped past teammate Jeffrey Herlings in the last seconds of race two in Mantova, Italy on Sunday to steal his second GP of the season and maintain his perfect scorecard with four consecutive moto victories.
Herlings, sixth in the first moto, led the second moto until the last gasp when Musquin sailed over the triple in the rhythm section of the course and slipped past him. But Jeffrey was still was on the podium in third overall in only his second ever GP. The 15-year-old, in his first season as a full factory rider, looked very impressive on the track and will be one to watch when the competition goes to Valkenswaard in Netherlands in two weeks time.
Tough competition between two talented KTM riders
Musquin started his bid for victory in style in the first moto taking the holeshot from teammate Herlings, on pole in only his second GP. The current MX2 world champion led from gate drop to flag, riding hard but elegantly as the course became increasingly rutted. Jeffrey stuck with the leader until 18 minutes into the race but then his front wheel bit hard into a bump and threw him off. The 15-year-old was back on his KTM 250 SX-F in a blink of an eye and still managed to finish sixth, closely followed by the third member of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team Shaun Simpson in seventh place. Despite a tough challenge by Germany’s Ken Roczen in the final stages, Marvin hung onto the lead and went to the start gates for the second moto with a good shot of adrenalin.
Herlings showcases skills in second moto
The second race almost completely belonged to the factory team’s fearless junior rider who is already raising eyebrows in the paddock. He surged ahead of the pack and looked dangerously close to taking his first ever moto victory until he was outfoxed in the final seconds by his teammate. Musquin waited for the moment then with a masterly move, slipped by Herlings just before the finish to again illustrate why he is world champion.
“It was exciting and I had to push hard to pass him,” Marvin said of his move on Jeffrey. “I felt good and I thought I could pass him with two laps before the end but he was fast … I was very focused on him and not on my riding but I managed to get past and win. It was perfect,” Musquin said after the race.
Jeffrey said the weekend had been “A dream come true”. “Just two weeks ago I was talking to Stefan (team boss Stefan Everts) and we said it would be amazing to be in the top eight. Now last week I was fourth and now we are top three,” he said.
The stage is now set for a fantastic next GP in Valkenswaard, the home GP for Jeffrey Herlings. The fans can now look forward to a mouth watering face-off between the two Red Bull KTM factory riders.
Solid points gathering from Shaun Simpson
KTM factory teammate, Shaun Simpson, who has been robbed of valuable training time through injury, was a creditable seventh, one place up from last week in Bulgaria. The 22-year-old Scottish rider has still picked up 53 championship points and is seventh in the standings. Anxious to get in as much track time as possible, Simpson now plans to ride in the Dutch Championship round next weekend in preparation for the next GP in Valkenswaard.
“I think it was a step in the right direction,” Shaun said after Mantova. “It was always going to be tough with the rhythm on the bike. In training it’s easy to do 40 minutes but it’s at a much slower pace. But I picked up some good points and it’s a long season. Next weekend will be a no pressure race. The fitness will build and come Valkenswaard, I’m positive I’ll be good.”
KTM opens its account with E3 victories in first two championship rounds
KTM factory and supported riders made a blistering start in the first two rounds of the Maxxis FIM Enduro World Championship this weekend when the tour returned to Andalusia in Southern Spain after an eight year pause with David Knight scoring double victories on his KTM.
Knight, no stranger to the top of the podium is a KTM-supported rider for the KTM Fairoli Team and celebrated his return to the World Championship riding Orange to first place on both Saturday and Sunday in Valverde del Camino, some 90 kilometres from Seville.
Meanwhile Simone Albergoni of the KTM Enduro Factory Team and this season new to the E3 class also had a solid start to the 2010 racing season with two third place podiums.
Riders had to cover three 55 km laps on Saturday and Sunday with five tests per lap that proved to be a solid test of the riders’ fitness. One long rocky uphill with 10 m of off camber cliff in the extreme test proved a challenge for many of the riders.
Manxman Knight admitted to being a little nervous in the first round but said he started to relax after the first lap. “Then in the extreme test, that hill, either you were going – you didn’t get up it. I just tried to be sensible. I’m happy because I wasn’t really pushing hard until the last lap and I still made a good time.”
At the conclusion of the second day he said he enjoying being back on the KTM. “The bike went well this weekend and today I just had to be careful and use my head. I went to have a closer look at the big hill before the race. Yesterday one guy crashed in front of me and I stopped the engine but today I got up with no problems. It was a long weekend but I felt good at the end and I’m looking forward to Portugal next weekend. I always like to race there.”
Speaking after the opening round, Albergoni said: “Yes, it’s not so bad. First time on the podium on the 300 two-stroke. I made a lot of mistakes and I crashed twice but it looks good for tomorrow – and for Portugal.” It was a confidence booster that he was able to follow his success with another minor place on Sunday.
KTM’s Cervantes scores 2-1 result in opening rounds of E2 World Championship
Ivan Cervantes, 2009 World E3 Champion, launched his bid for the E2 title in Southern Spain this weekend going out hard on Sunday to win his race and improve on his second place from Saturday’s Round One.
Returning to Valverde del Camino, 90 kilometres from Seville, where he has raced in the Spanish National Championship on three other occasions, Cervantes had both his fans and family out to support him in what was two tough days of racing through a range of terrain that included eucalyptus and pine forest, steep rocky up- and down hill challenges and plenty of rocks and gravel.
Cervantes went into the second day confident after finishing second in round one. “I started with a good fight with Mika Ahola and Rodrig Thain and Juha Salminen, then I had a little problem in the middle of the race with the clutch but it was an easy solution because it was just the lever. Then I made a big mistake in the extreme test and I lost more than 20 seconds. But tomorrow is a new race and a new mentality,” he said after Round One.
It was a good omen for the accomplished KTM Enduro Factory Team rider who, clearly elated after the day’s challenges, described his second day as “incredible”. “I was very slow after the second special test and I lost about 20 seconds but then I pushed really hard and I managed to take the victory. Today was great for me. I had all my family here to support me and now I am very motivated for the next races in Portugal next weekend,” he said.
Thomas Oldrati was a little disappointed after the opening round but still attracted some compliments from factory team boss Fabio Fairoli. “He lost a lot of time in the big Enduro test and he crashed in the last extreme… but it was not so bad. At the beginning of the day he was pushing quite hard and he was in also in front,” Fairoli said. The young Italian put in a solid second day on the 55 km laps to repeat his fifth place result on both days.
The standings after the first two rounds indicate that this class of the championship will be hard fought.
Aubert triumphs over rough terrain to take E1 victory in Andalusia
KTM Enduro Factory Team E1 rider Johnny Aubert brushed off the disappointment of only a second place finish on Saturday to be on top of his game in Round Two of the World Championship on Sunday.
The two openers in this season’s competition provided ample challenges for the skills and fitness of the riders who competed three 55 km laps each day including five gruelling tests per lap on the course at Valverde del Camino in the hart of Spanish Andalusia.
Aubert, who last year was the runaway E2 World Champion, winning every race he entered until he missed the final three rounds through injury as a little dejected after only coming home in second place on Saturday, which the Frenchman described as “very difficult”. “I made a big mistake on the extreme and I lost a lot of time……. so tomorrow I need to win.” This remark proved prophetical and Aubert was as good as his word.
Like many of the riders on the opening day KTM’s Eero Remes also had trouble with the big uphill section where he crashed after trying a different line and lost a lot of time. But he said he felt confident and motivated going into day two of this the opening event. However Round Two also proved tough going for 24-year-old Finn who was forced to retire after the seventh test. Remes, who finished fourth in the standings in 2009, was disappointed with the outcome of the weekend. But he will be doing his best to put in a great two days of racing next weekend in Rounds 3 and 4 in Portugal.
Round One Saturday
1. Antoine Meo, France Husqvarna
2. Johnny Aubert, France KTM
3. Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha
4. Nicolas Deparrois, France, Kawasaki
5. Matti Seistola, Finland, Husqvarna
6. Eero Remes, Finland, KTM
Round two Sunday
1. Johnny Aubert, France, KTM
2. Antoine Meo, France, Husqvarna
3. Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha
4. Nicholas Deparrois, France, Kawasaki
5. Julien Gauthier, France, Honda
Standings after Rounds 1 &2
Johnny Aubert, France, KTM 22-25—47
2. Antoine Meo, France, KTM 25-22—47
3. Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, 20-20—40
4. Nicholas Deparrois, France 18-18—36
— Yamaha Report
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts can consider himself unfortunate to end his home Grand Prix with only 8th position after an eventful afternoon at Mantova for the second round of fifteen in the 2010 FIM MX-GP World Championship. The Italian was leading the first moto at the Grand Prix of Lombardia until a crash, which was then followed by an excellent recovery and finally thwarted by a damaged exhaust. He took 2nd place in the following outing. Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci Motocross Team’s Ken De Dycker had a consistent day for 4th overall and his best finish yet on the YZ450FM.
The weekend began positively with Philippaerts among the fastest riders as the track rapidly began to change, chop and cut-up due to the intense period of activity thanks to the presence of two support classes; the opening rounds of the 125cc European Championship and Veteran’s World Cup (won by champion and Yamaha rider Mats Nilsson). The 25 year old enjoyed an entertaining battle with Tony Cairoli and Max Nagl in the Heat race to earn the first Pole Position for the rear-slanting innovative 2010 YZ450FM and put the distinctive black and green motorcycle into the Grand Prix gate first.
Philippaerts comfortably fronted the pack in Moto1 for two laps across the rippled and treacherous terrain until catching a bump awkwardly at speed that pitched him onto the floor. Dazed, he remounted in 12th and began an emphatic charge to fly to 5th. With several laps to go the silencer on his exhaust broke free and robbed his machine of power. The 2008 world champion coasted across the finish but was penalised by a minute for failing noise control and classified 19th. Philippaerts again started well in Moto2 and rode a lonely 35 minutes and 2 laps behind winner Tony Cairoli and ahead of Max Nagl.
In contrast to the fine race had by Philippaerts on Saturday De Dycker suffered two falls in the Qualification Heat that left him ruing 19th place in the gate for the motos. The Belgian shook off the limitation from the line to slot into top ten contention and rise steadily to 4th and 5th positions for his best showing yet in Monster Energy colours.
De Dycker is 4th in the world championship standings and Philippaerts is five points behind in 5th. The MX-GP FIM World Championship will now pause for a break after two events in succession. The Grand Prix of the Netherlands will run on April 25th at Valkenswaard.
In other news Spaniard Carlos Campano leads the MX3 World Championship on his YZ450F after winning the opening round in Portugal last week and finishing fourth in France today.
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 8th: “The first moto was terrible. I had a big crash when I caught a bump at speed and the bike pushed me off. I hit my head on the ground and was dazed for a few moments. The bike was damaged and got worse as I went on. I made some good positions but five laps from the end the silencer broke; I did not feel safe even making the jumps. The second moto was good. I was in second and Nagl was quick at the beginning. I watched my lap-times on the board. Cairoli was too far to catch but I was pleased overall because I know I am fit and the bike is working very well. The track had a lot of ruts and bumps and was dangerous so I am pleased to come away feeling healthy. I will go to Belgium now for some training. Valkenswaard is next and I am fast there. Last year I should have done well but physically I was not 100%. This time I want better than a top five.”
Ken De Dycker, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 4th: “I am pretty happy because yesterday was a nightmare. I felt better in the morning but I still had to work so hard on the bike and I really pushed to get those results. I feel that we can work from what we have achieved here and get better for Valkenswaard. The track got much drier and was a real mix of hard and soft bumps; it had everything.”
MX2
The MX2-GP category at the Grand Prix of Lombardia, the second round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship, saw Bike it Cosworth Yamaha’s Zach Osborne defy a ruthless set of ruts, waves and loose bumps at the Mantova circuit in Italy to finish 4th overall. 19,000 spectators (weekend total) travelled to the second race meeting in the space of a week after the season-opener at Sevlievo, Bulgaria seven days ago. Sadly the sunshine and warm temperatures from Saturday could not extend to race day as wind, clouds and cooler climes altered, but did not lessen, the demands on the MX2-GP athletes.
Osborne, on the new 2010 agile and manoeuvrable YZ250F, fought in the higher echelons of top ten during both motos and profited from a mistake by Jeffrey Herlings to register a decent 5th place. He fought with Shaun Simpson and British Championship rival Jake Nicholls to again mark 16 points in the second race. It was only the American’s second GP of points in both sprints since he broke his wrist almost one year ago.
Yamaha Gariboldi Monster Energy’s Harri Kullas and Christophe Charlier were the next highest-ranked Yamaha representatives in the first ever home GP for the team. The teenagers were 10th and 12th overall. Kullas was consistent and competitive to 9th in Moto1 but suffered some stomach cramps in Moto2 to 13th. Charlier was impressive in Qualification but his overall score was blighted barely seconds into the first race when he was hit from behind out of timing section and damaged his front brake as a result. Needing to visit the pits he was out of contention for points by the time the problem could be repaired. The European Champion’s speed was evident in Moto2 as he arrived to 7th place by the chequered flag. Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team’s Alessandro Lupino was 12th and 17th for 14th.
Osborne is 6th in the world championship standings and only 3 points from the top five. Kullas is 10th and Charlier 11th.
Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team’s Gautier Paulin has seen some excellent progress on his recovery from a broken left fibula two weeks ago. After continual treatment the 20 year old was able to walk without crutches and was contemplating a return in Italy until wisely deciding to allow another two weeks for the bone to heal before looking at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands as a possible date for his Yamaha world championship debut.
The sand of Valkenswaard is next up for Yamaha’s MX2-GP world championship collective in two weeks time.
Zach Osborne, Bike it Cosworth Yamaha, 4th: “I got two really good starts today but spun slightly coming out of the first turn in both motos. I worked as hard as I could in the first moto and got up to fifth after Herlings made a mistake on the last two laps. I felt really good after that race and with plenty of energy. We had a rougher track in the second moto and maybe I was not as strong as I should have been but to secure two fifth positions and go fourth overall is positive this early in the season. We are not far from the top five in the championship and have to keep building up. Mantova was a more physical track than Sevlievo. In Bulgaria you have to set the layout in your mind, mentally it is technical because you have to be flowing the whole time. Mantova is good; I hated it in practice but once it got rougher I enjoyed it more and more.”
Harri Kullas, Yamaha Gariboldi Monster Energy, 10th: “The first race was good; I had a decent start and was in 7th. I just tried to keep the same speed and was pretty happy to take 9th. I had contact with another rider in the next start and tensed up at the beginning. I managed to recover but I can be better than that. I felt a bit of a stomach ache and this meant I could not push so much. So, one good moto and one not so good, but I will train now and hope for better in Valkenswaard.”
Christophe Charlier, Yamaha Gariboldi Monster Energy, 12th: “A rider hit me from behind through the waves and I had to finish the first lap with a broken brake that was stuck. I came into the pits to get it fixed but in the end I was so far behind when I went back out that it was not worth continuing. My start was better in the second moto but I lost too much time stuck behind Simpson. The track was mainly one line and difficult. Once I had overtaken, my lap-times were near those of the leaders. I think I can get near the top five. I just need a bit of luck at the start.”
Gautier Paulin, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team: “It was hard to watch the race in Bulgaria because I had worked all winter for this championship but now I am only looking forward to getting back on the bike. I knew that if I wanted to fight for the title then I would have needed to race here but that was crazy because I am still struggling to walk normally. Looking at all the ruts and bumps I am glad I did not take the risk! I want to be near 100% before I can come back to the track so I can do something good. I hope that will be at Valkenswaard in two weeks.”
— Team Suzuki
The Grand Prix of Lombardia, the second round of the FIM MX1 World Championship, delivered the second consecutive podium result for Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Clement Desalle as he earned second position overall and also celebrated his first GP victory on the works RM-Z450WS, taking the chequered flag in the opening Moto at a windy and punishing Italian Mantova circuit, crowded by 19,000 spectators.
After a hot and sunny Saturday programme in which the track became rougher and more difficult to judge throughout the day, rainfall in the evening and cloudier, cooler conditions were found on Sunday. The perennially lumpy terrain was still a harsh test and its state of continual ruts and bumps, particularly on the jump take-offs, meant a degree of caution had to be exercised.
Desalle started well and was holding a steady second position when leader David Philippaerts had a heavy crash on the third lap. With a clear track ahead, the Belgian Champion kept a reliable pace and controlled a margin over Antonio Cairoli to give the 2010 RM-Z450WS its maiden spurs this season. Sadly for Desalle he could not repeat his positive launch in Moto2 and pushed hard to reach the top-five and make sure of his second trophy in a week.
Steve Ramon endured the day and finished seventh overall. The 30 year old was handicapped by two poor starts and a layout that did not lend itself to ample overtaking opportunities. The Belgian was held up by three incidents on the first lap of Moto1 that meant a trawl back from 17th to 10th. In Moto2 he faced a similar set-back but was precise in his actions to rise from 14th to seventh.
In the young World Championship Standings Desalle is third and nine points from the red plate as series leader. Ramon is sixth and 20 points behind his team-mate.
The Grand Prix of the Netherlands in two weeks time will represent round three of the series and virtually a local event for the team with their base in Lommel less than one hour away from the sandy venue.
Clement Desalle: “It felt great to get my first win in the first moto. I knew Cairoli was coming closer at the end but I could control the distance. My start in the second race was not as good as in the first moto and I was around eighth position on the first lap. The track was harder for passing in the afternoon so I concentrated on reaching the top five. The gap to the others was too hard to make smaller. This is my second podium but I am still new to the factory team and have to learn a lot; we can do better.”
Steve Ramon: “Tough day! Tough first moto! Out of the start someone elbowed me and that set me back. I made a lot of positions by turning tight but then in the third corner two guys crashed in front of me and I had to pull up and had nowhere to go. A bit further on, Coppins did a front flip over the double into the triple and I was following in the same rut so I jumped on his bike; it was a crazy first lap. I tried to get back to the front but it is really difficult here to make time and ground. If you want to go fast here then you need a good rhythm; if you push too hard, then you are making mistakes. In the second moto the start was not good again and the first laps were a battle. But I did the best that I could to come back and score as many points as possible.”
— HRC Report
The Grand Prix of Lombardia at Mantova represented the second round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship and the second event within a week for the riders and teams of the MX1 and MX2 classes. A bumpy and technical sandy track at the Italian venue meant a physical test for the fastest off-road motorcycle racers in the world and Antonio Cairoli triumphed in the premier MX1 category while Marvin Musquin was victorious in MX2. Honda was led by factory rider Jimmy Albertson, who took the Martin Honda CRF 450R to ninth overall in just his second MX1GP appearance.
Windy and changeable conditions on Sunday were a contrast to the bright sunshine of Saturday but with support classes in the form of the 125cc European championship and the Veteran’s World Cup the loose terrain at Mantova was worn and rutted for the stars of the main show.
Albertson used a Dunlop sand profile on his rear wheel to make an excellent start in the first moto and was running in the top five for half of the 35 minute and 2 lap distance. He upped his speed in the final phase to secure sixth and his best finish so far. In the second race the same rubber did not produce a similar launch from the gate and the American had to battle from mid-pack to take 13th.
CAS Honda’s Evgeny Bobryshev was 10th overall. The Russian recovered from a crash in Moto1 to place 14th and then started brightly in Moto2 to persist in the battle for a mid top ten slot. Finally he crossed the line ninth (in spite of an off-track excursion in the last four laps that saw his gear lever bent under the crankcase and become unusable) for his highest MX1 ranking to-date in just his second Grand Prix for the British squad. Team-mate Gareth Swanepoel could not get to grips with the track and an unfortunate Qualification Heat left him 24th for Sunday. The South African was 15th and 14th for 15th overall at the end of the day.
LS Motors Honda’s Davide Guarneri was 16th, just behind Swanepoel and although he began the weekend on the right foot with a pace that saw him within the top ten, he lacked the physical edge to push hard towards the end of the motos. Team-mate Tanel Leok felt that he had not totally recovered from the concussion he had sustained last week in Bulgaria and several mistakes in the races meant the unhappy Estonian was no better than 12th at this Grand Prix.
Martin Honda’s MX2 representative Alessandro Battig was 26th overall and notched his first ever world championship point with 20th place in Moto1. The teenager negotiated only his second Grand Prix but was weakened after suffering tonsillitis during the week.
Round three of the FIM World Championship will take place on April 25th at Valkenswaard for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands.
Jimmy Albertson, Martin Honda: “It was a really rough track today. I did not think it could get much worse than it did yesterday but when that second moto came around, man, it was beat, really gnarly. I ran a scoop tyre on the back in the first moto and it worked well for the start; I rocked it out of the gate and almost had the holeshot. I think I got a bit nervous out there and when I dropped back to seventh my lap-times were terrible but with four laps to go I could raise my speed and was four seconds better each lap. I got into fifth and almost had Pourcel and De Dycker at the end. It was a really good race and I was happy. I kept the tyre profile for the second start and that perhaps was a mistake because it was much drier and I just wheel-span. I got away in about 20th and worked my way up to 13th. I had a whole group of guys in front of me but I couldn’t get there. Overall it was a good weekend and a big step up from last week; that’s what I was looking for. I want to keep on improving from here.”
Evgeny Bobryshev, CAS Honda: “I feel great. I did not get tired out there and overall both motos went pretty well. I crashed together with Pourcel in the first race so I had to work my way to the front. I felt that things were going OK and afterwards I was ready for the next moto. My next start was much better and while it was the first time I have been with the guys at the front I was able to watch and see how they were riding the track. Bulgaria was a bit easier than this place but in Sevlievo I felt dead after twenty minutes. Here I was looking at the lines and being smarter with my riding.”
Gareth Swanepoel, CAS Honda: “It was a tough weekend and a tough track. It was demanding out there this weekend! Starting from 24th place was very hard and I struggled to find my rhythm the whole race. I ended up a dismal 16th or something like that. In the second moto I got away better but was block-passed really hard by Clement Desalle and almost went down. I lost a few positions although I managed to get going after that and found a decent pace. It was only 14th but I was happier with my riding. We are not where we want to be but we will keep working.”
Tanel Leok, LS Motors Honda: “It was a hard track but I liked it. My starts were actually not that bad but I went too wide on the first corner and lost positions. I got back to ninth but that was nothing special. I crashed at the beginning of the next moto and then went down on the last lap. To be honest I don’t think I am fully recovered from the accident in Bulgaria. We have two weeks now before Valkenswaard so we will see how it goes there.”
Davide Guarneri, LS Motors Honda: “I have never liked this track but in the end it was not too bad. My speed was good. I was seventh in pre-qualifying and 10th in the Heat. I started badly but went from 19th to 13th in the first moto. In the second I was fighting with Barragan and Ramon but physically I was struggling. I am a bit surprised as to why I am losing power towards the end of the race and we will have to work on this; I should not be ten seconds slower.”
Roger Harvey, Off-road Manager, Honda Motor Europe: “Much better from Jimmy and he can take some confidence from this. That start in the first moto really helped and it was a shame he got boxed-in at the beginning of the next one. I was impressed with Bobryshev in the last race, especially as he rode the last four laps in one gear; full credit to Honda’s components there! Swanie struggled all day and the LS guys had their own woes.”