With the weather making up for yesterday’s rain with a bright sun, the Bonver Grand Prix of Czech Republic turned up to be another hard fought round of the FIM Motocross World Championship handing victories to Tony Cairoli in the MX1 class and Marvin Musquin in the MX2 class, both leading their respective Championship and holding a chance to wrap up the Title in the next round in Brazil.
Cairoli topped the podium from Clement Desalle and Tanel Leok, the latter having snatched moto one victory from Cairoli who made up by winning the final heat. Steve Ramon and Max Nagl completed the top five ahead of David Philippaerts.
Musquin and Ken Roczen battled hard for the Czech GP victory but it was Musquin ending on top courtesy of his victory in the final heat. Roczen, who won moto one, could do no better than second in heat two and dropped down to second on the podium while Gautier Paulin was third overall. Poleman Steven Frossard crashed in race one and was seventh overall.
In the EMX 125 Jordi Tixier won this Czech round and wrapped up the first ever EMX 125 Title already at the end of heat one. Completing the podium were Sulivan Jaulin and Jason Clermont.
MX1
Taking the Bonver Grand Prix of Czech Republic today, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cairoli extended his winning streak to three consecutive wins – six in total this year. The Italian was snatched the first moto win by a fast Tanel Leok but made up for that in the second heat, leading the whole moto and extending his record of laps at the lead to 222 – exactly like the Championship leader’s start number. Cairoli is now heading towards his second MX1 World Title as he leads the MX1 series with an 84 point advantage with three rounds to go.
Taking second overall in the scenario of his maiden GP win last year, Desalle of Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 could not make up points on Cairoli this weekend. Desalle struggled at the start of moto one and was then forced to recover to an eventual third place. The Belgian took a much better start in the final moto but could not close the gap with a fast Cairoli and ended runner up to the Italian.
LS Motors Honda’s Tanel Leok was on route to win his second Grand Prix of 2010 after he beat Cairoli in moto one to win in front of the KTM racer. A crash in the final moto hampered Leok’s classification but the Estonian found his way through the pack and recovered to an eventual fifth, making it to the overall podium by six points.
Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Ramon was fourth overall, securing the position with a strong outing in the final moto. After ending a bitter sixth in race one, Ramon made up in the final moto by working his way up to an eventual third.
Completing the top five was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX1’s Nagl who clinched a fifth and a fourth place in the heats.
Philippaerts instead struggled and missed the top five. The Italian finished sixth overall after crashing in the final moto – which followed his fourth place of heat one.
Bobryshev was seventh ahead of Gonçalves, Strijbos and Coppins completing the top ten. Guarneri instead scored no points and ended at the bottom of the standings, with a crash in the first moto hurting his back.
Church made it to the 11th place to mark CCM’s return to action. The Brit was just ahead of French Kawasaki duo Pourcel and Aubin.
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Musquin finally broke his streak of bad luck in Loket –where he broke his foot in 2008 and his engine in 2009- by winning the Bonver Grand Prix of Czech Republic after a tight battle with rival Roczen. By the time he recovered to second in race one Roczen was too fast to be caught but in the second moto the duo battled harder for the win. Musquin was first, then Roczen moved past but the German crashed and handed the position back to Musquin, crossing the finish line and going straight on top of the podium. The 78 point advantage on Roczen remained unchanged as the duo finished level in points this weekend but the forthcoming Brazilian GP can be Musquin’s first occasion to clinch the Title – the French actually won his maiden Championship last year in Brazil.
Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2’Roczen was all set on winning another Grand Prix after breaking the ice in Lommel with his first season’s win. The German dominated the opening moto but a crash in the second moto while trying to open up a gap on Musquin made him change his mind and reset his goals to a safer second place. Ending second overall, Roczen collected as many points as Musquin and is now looking forward to winning the Brazilian round.
Celebrating his second podium of a difficult 2010 season, Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross’ Paulin was the third man on the Czech podium. Recovering from a bad start in moto one, Paulin took an eventual sixth but earned the podium with a solid third place in the final moto. The French is now close to the top ten of the Championship despite having missed the first four rounds.
Kawasaki CLS’ Van Horebeek missed the rostrum by just one point and finished fourth overall. The Belgian was fourth in the first moto after trying to earn the third spot by putting pressure on youngster Herlings. In moto two Van Horebeek was fifth.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Simpson took fifth overall but aimed at more, especially after a solid start to the first heat. Towards the end of the moto instead Simpson dropped down from second to fifth and again in the second moto he ended sixth after a start in the top three.
Tonus was sixth ahead of poleman Frossard, the latter being hampered by an early crash in the first moto. Roelants, Osborne and Kullas completed the top ten while Herlings was 11th. The Dutch teenager was involved in a crash in the final moto which dislocated his right shoulder. Home rider Michek was right behind in twelfth.
EMX 125
Tixier added another win to his impressive tally and could be crowned UEM EMX 125 Champion already after his first heat win in Loket. The young French did not lose the motivation when he lined up at the gate of race two and even won that to top the podium for the fifth time in six rounds. Jaulin and Clermont completed the podium while poleman Ferrandis was only 13th. Despite ending 15th in Loket, Lafont remained second in the Championship followed by Jaulin.
| MX1 Race 1 | MX1 Race 2 | MX1 Championship |
| 1 Tanel Leok Honda EST 39’08.429 2 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 0’03.457 3 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0’07.250 4 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0’27.771 5 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0’29.930 6 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0’53.331 7 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 1’11.257 8 Nicolas Aubin Kawasaki FRA 1’12.146 9 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 1’15.536 10 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 1’21.500 11 Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 1’27.372 12 Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 1’29.401 13 Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 1’34.280 14 Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 1’38.218 15 Cedric Soubeyras KTM FRA 1’40.680 | 1 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 40’34.824 2 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0’03.037 3 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 1’06.778 4 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 1’09.320 5 Tanel Leok Honda EST 1’10.907 6 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1’11.841 7 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 1’17.435 8 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 1’21.038 9 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 1’41.461 10 Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 1’48.010 11 Tom Church CCM GBR -1Laps 12 Julien Bill KTM CHE -1Laps 13 Jimmy Albertson Honda USA -1Laps 14 Matthias Walkner KTM AUT -1Laps 15 Matteo Bonini Yamaha ITA -1Laps | 1. Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 531 2. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 447 3. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 394 4. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 382 5. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 376 6. Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 309 7. Tanel Leok Honda EST 290 8. Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 276 9. Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 270 10. Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 213 1. KTM 560 |
| MX2 Race 1 | MX2 Race 2 | MX2 Championship |
| 1 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 39’33.781 2 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 0’30.926 3 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 0’35.408 4 Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 0’37.549 5 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 0’52.968 6 Gautier Paulin Yamaha FRA 0’56.169 7 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 0’57.223 8 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 1’00.372 9 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1’01.813 10 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1’11.753 11 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 1’28.754 12 Matiss Karro Suzuki LVA 1’36.901 13 Martin Michek TM CZE 1’45.822 14 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 1’56.300 15 Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL -1Laps | 1 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 38’58.574 2 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0’00.516 3 Gautier Paulin Yamaha FRA 0’43.397 4 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0’58.354 5 Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 1’14.565 6 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 1’24.314 7 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 1’28.202 8 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 1’29.270 9 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1’29.793 10 Valentin Teillet KTM FRA 3’41.077 11 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN -1Laps 12 Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA -1Laps 13 Martin Michek TM CZE -1Laps 14 Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL -1Laps 15 Matiss Karro Suzuki LVA -1Laps | 1. Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 527 2. Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 449 3. Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 404 4. Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 391 5. Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 329 6. Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 313 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 302 8. Joel Roelants KTM BEL 298 9. Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 293 10. Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 254 1. KTM 576 |
— KTM Report
KTM’s Cairoli the king of MX1 in Loket as he moves closer to the world title
Red Bull KTM’s Tony Cairoli scored his 35th career GP victory powering his KTM 350 SX-F into at 2-1 result in the two motos on the hard pack circuit in Loket on Sunday. It was the first time that KTM had won a MX1 GP on the Czech circuit since it became part of the GP calendar in 2004.
Cairoli took a comfortable holeshot in the first moto and held onto the lead until lap 11 when Tanel Leok slipped by. In typical fashion, Cairoli played the waiting game until the last two laps then went on the attack but was unable to gain the advantage on the Estonian racer. His second place still extended his championship lead to 81 points as he went into the second moto.
Tony immediately seized the advantage and the holeshot in the second moto and while he stuck to the lead for the duration of the race it was not without challenges from the likes of Clement Desalle, second to Tony in both the second moto and the championship standings. Places third to fifth in the second moto, also toughly contested by Red Bull KTM teammate Max Nagl of Germany, were all very hard fought, especially in the last laps with riders reluctant to yield any advantage on the deeply rutted track.
Tony said later that he had had some visibility problems in the last stages of the first moto. “I had some problems with my goggles and I didn’t see so well. I was having a problem with the tear-offs and Tanel (Leok) passed me. Then I got the problem fixed and I tried to attack in the last part of the race but this is a track that it’s very difficult to overtake. The second heat was nice because I had a great start and I got the holeshot. I knew that Clement (Desalle) was behind me so I tried to pull away and make a gap and I managed to do this in the last 10 minutes.” When asked if he would like to close up the championship title in the next race in Brazil, Tony said he was just trying to concentrate on winning each race. “It would also be okay to do it in Lierop,” he added.
Max Nagl who finished fifth in the first moto was in the thick of the action and was able to finish fourth in the second moto for a total of 34 championship points. The German member of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team is fourth in the championship standings and with 150 points still up for grabs in the remaining three GP’s is still in with a realistic chance of finishing in the top three.
Max Nagl: for sure I wanted to finish on the podium but the important thing was that my riding was good and my physical condition is back where it should be. I managed to finish fifth in the firs moto then I had a big battle with Rui (Goncalves) in the second and it took me a long time to get past him. This is a difficult track and there is only one line in most of the corners and straights. Normally I like these conditions but anyway today the speed was there and that’s important. I can still finish third in the championship and I closed the gap to Philippaerts so it going well.” There is now only 12 points separating Max and third placed David Philippaerts of Italy.
Goncalves on the upwards curve
Teammate Rui Goncalves of Portugal is steadily improving in form and results and also had a solid race day at Loket. The Portuguese rider finished with a 10-8 result for overall eighth in the GP and can now look forward to lots of support when he goes to Brazil for the next round.
Rui Goncalves: I didn’t have such a good start in the first race but I tried to work my way through the pack. O was feeling good all weekend and I came with a good result from Lommel, which was good for me. In the second moto we made some adjustments on the bike for it was better for me at the start. I was in the top 10 but then half way through the race I stalled the bile and some guys passed me. I finished eighth but it could have been sixth. For the next races I will just try to keep improving and to do my best.”
KTM’s Musquin on top in Loket in MX2; 78 point lead in championship standings
Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin of rode a triumphant second moto on the hard pack circuit at Loket in Czech Republic on Sunday, all the time locked in a two-way dogfight with Germany’s Ken Roczen. With everything at stake for the two riders and the GP victory going to the first across the line, neither gave any ground in their fight for glory.
Musquin’s second place in the first moto gave Red Bull KTM’s French factory rider the GP victory and broke his string of bad luck in earlier visits to the Loket circuit. He now leads the championship standings by 78 points as he consolidates his position in defending his 2009 MX2 world championship title.
But while Musquin’s victory was reason for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing squad, there was also concern for its youngest rider Jeffrey Herlings who went down hard while in third place and suffered a dislocated shoulder. The 15-year-old Dutch rider, who was third in the opening moto was still ranked 11th overall in the GP results but after moving into third place in the standings after race one, then again slipped back to fourth at the end of the day.
Musquin’s toughest rival on the Loket circuit on Sunday was Ken Roczen of Germany who was out in front from the drop of the gate of the first moto, hotly pursued by a blaze of Orange as Red Bull KTM’s Shaun Simpson, Jeffrey Herlings and Marvin Musquin, sandwiched by KTM rider Joel Roelants in fourth place fell in behind. Musquin had lost a bunch of seconds when Steven Frossard crashed in front of him in the early stages but settled down to get back in the action. He had a spectacular battle with teammate Herlings in the middle of the first race till the team’s 15-year-old rookie stood aside and let the championship leader through. Marvin then successfully took on Simpson but by then Roczen had widened the gap and he had to settle for second.
Marvin Musquin: I am very happy to be in first place on the podium. Today it was very close with Ken Roczen. He was very fast and this track is very difficult. I pushed very hard in the second moto to win the GP and it’s very good for me and my team and the championship.
Steady improvement for Simpson
Simpson is showing steady improvement and seems to have put his health problems behind him. Again on the ascendency, the Scotsman registered a 5-6 result for overall fifth in both Sunday’s GP and in the current championship standings. Confused with the change of schedule on Sunday, Simpson missed some of the morning warm up and said he struggled to find his rhythm and was a bit tighter going into the first race than he would have liked to be. He was hampered when other riders when down in front of him. “There was a lot of water on the track but my riding was solid. It might have been possible to finish top three except for the crashes but I made some good points for the championship,” he said.
Jeffrey Herlings: “It was a rough weekend, also with the rain on Saturday. I got a good jump out of the gate in the first moto and I stayed in third place for a long time before I got passed by Marvin. In the second moto I was fifth or sixth at the start and then one of the riders crashed in front of me and I went down and dislocated my shoulder. Now I will have my arm checked by doctors in the Netherlands. I hope the injury heals quickly and I will ride again when I am 100% fit.”
EMX125 title to Jordi Tixier
KTM rider Jordi Tixier of France wrapped up a near perfect Orange race day on the Loket circuit in the Czech Republic on Sunday winning the EMX125 championship title and the GP to complete a clean sweep by KTM riders of all events. Tixier won both his races to be in an unbeatable position in this new class for up and coming talent. The young Frenchman has so far won 11 of 12 races this season and takes the tile with one round still in hand.
Lancelot tops a three way KTM podium in WMX in Loket
KTM-supported rider Livia Lancelot of France was the dominant woman on the tricky serpentine track at Loket in the Czech Republic on Sunday. She scored a 3-1 result to take victory in the GP in the penultimate round of the Women’s Motocross Championship. KTM riders Maria Franke and championship leader Steffi Laier joined her on the podium.
Lancelot, who had to sit out the second half of the 2009 season after a shoulder injury and is riding a KTM for the first time this year, was naturally delighted with her performance.
Livia Lancelot: “For sure I am very happy. Even though it is not much for the championship it was still a great weekend for me because for the first time I felt great on the bike and even if I had problems in practice I could still win the race and the GP. Now I will try to win again in Fermo (Italy). I don’t really have any hopes for the championship but vice champion is still not so bad!”
The women, who raced their first moto on Saturday, had a battle with the circuit after heavy rain deluged the track, turning the stony, hard pack course into a mud bath. It was Germany’s Maria Franke who prevailed in Saturday’s difficult conditions, taking victory in front of Red Bull KTM factory rider Laier Steffi with Lancelot in third place.
Sunday morning saw the track dried out and it was Laier who took the holeshot in the second moto but she was hampered by pain in her arm and had to concede to Lancelot and settle for two second places, making her one point shy of overall Livia and Maria, each with 45 points. Steffi now has a 39 point cushion going into the last round, which will be at Fermo Italy and while anything is still possible with 50 points still available, the Red Bull factory rider is the favorite to retain the title.
Laier looking forward to a possible three way sweep of titles for KTM
When asked if she had considered the possibility that she might be able to settle matters here in the Czech Republic, Steffi said: “I did think maybe I might be able to wrap up the championship here I thought it would be better to do it in Italy. I hope that Tony (Cairoli) and Marvin (Musquin) are going to win the MX1 and the MX1 titles and then we can all celebrate together.”
Commenting on her arm problem, the German rider added: “I woke up this morning with a small problem but I thought it was just muscle pain but it really started to bother me during the second heat. The doctor said it is swollen and the nerve is blocked and it feels heavy and a little stiff.”
— Yamaha Report
David Philippaerts endured a hard day of work at a rutty and one-line Loket circuit for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic and the twelfth stop of fifteen on the 2010 FIM MX1-GP World Championship calendar. The Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team star showed typical aggression and determination to finish in 6th position overall against the odds.
Loket was a difficult layout to deal with after two days of rainfall created a swampy surface on Saturday and the qualification heats were cancelled in favour of a Timed Practice. The rain finally stopped in the afternoon and welcome sunshine and warmer temperatures began to dry the terrain on Sunday. Philippaerts did his best on the works YZ450FM – already a winner of two Grands Prix in its maiden season – across the bumpy course and sealed 4th in the first moto. Two mistakes in the second race saw the 2008 world champion and former double winner of the Czech round having to fight back from a position outside the top twenty-five to reach a respectable 9th.
Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team’s Ken De Dycker was 14th overall. The Belgian is still not fully race-fit after his Swedish arm injury and lacks bike-time on his YZ450FM. De Dycker did his best to record 11th in the first moto but then ran wide on a tight corner in the second race and became stuck in the slimy pool of mud that was a reminder of the atrocious weather that blighted the circuit for the previous two days. The 25 year old could not recover his machine.
Philippaerts still holds 3rd in the world championship standings but will need 53 points from a possible remaining total of 150 to supersede Clement Desalle. He lays 12 ahead of Max Nagl. De Dycker is 6th although some distance from the top five.
The Grand Prix of Brazil at the new circuit in Campo Grande will take place in two weeks time and rounds fourteen and fifteen will be hosted by Lierop (Netherlands) and Fermo (Italy).
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team: “In the first moto I struggled to get a good rhythm and I was disappointed because I started in second place but finished in fourth. In the second race I had two crashes – one when I lost control under braking and another when I got on the gas out of a turn and the rear just slipped away – I had some good speed after that and came back from very far to get inside the top ten, so that felt better. We will try our best in Brazil and look ahead to defending third place in the championship; that has to be our main goal now in the final three rounds.”
Ken De Dycker, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci Motocross Team: “The first race was not good for me. I was able to get around the problems I’ve had with my arm in Lommel because I know the track very well, but here it was much harder and I had to hold on up the hills with my fingers sometimes. I’m still not 100% so I have to work on that. The clutch started to slip a little in the second moto and I had to keep the bike wide-open on the downhill but this meant I ran a bit wide and hit the mud. I tried to give the bike some gas to get out but it was stuck.”
The Grand Prix of Czech Republic at the Loket circuit gave Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s Gautier Paulin his second podium result of 2010 with 3rd overall and his second on the agile and formidable YZ250FM. The twelfth round of fifteen in a rapidly passing FIM MX2-GP World Championship took place in front of 21,000 spectators and across a soft, rutted and bumpy track that had been hit by unrelenting rainfall on Thursday, Friday and part of Saturday.
The Czech hard-pack became a wavy and difficult beast to master with a single racing line cutting through many other still-soaked and boggy sections of track. Paulin was the best Yamaha rider on this testing terrain and although the talented Frenchman could only grab 6th in the first moto due to a mediocre start (he won an impressive last lap duel with good friend Christophe Charlier) he was alert from the gate in the second race and rode a consistent set of lap-times in the forty minute duration to cross the line in 3rd; and then toast the same overall ranking with the Italian factory crew.
In 9th overall was Bike it Cosworth Yamaha’s Zach Osborne. The American claimed that he is still feeling the physical effects of his crash and concussion only two weeks ago in the British Championship. The 20 year old was among the quickest riders throughout the rain of Saturday and had high expectations on a track he clearly enjoys. He felt fatigued in the first moto however and 11th place was the best he could manage. Later in the day a brighter outing led to 8th.
10th belonged to Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi’s Harri Kullas. The young Finn had the speed to again place himself in the top ten and should have taken two positions more than 10th in the first moto after some mistakes – particularly with three laps to go – saw him lose at least three places. He crossed the line with 11th in the second sprint. Team-mate Christophe Charlier had a decent opening to the day by running in-and-around the top six for most of the race and was finally nudged to 7th by Paulin on the last circulation. The second affair ended prematurely when the 2009 European Champion pulled out with a sore back after a first lap fall in front of the pack while holding 3rd place. Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team’s Alessandro Lupino was 14th overall and took points in both motos.
Osborne is 16 points behind Shaun Simpson who holds 5th place in the MX2 standings. Kullas is 10th and 19 points in front of Paulin in 11th. Charlier is 13th and two positions ahead of Lupino.
A long trip to Brazil for the inauguration of the Campo Grande circuit will take place in two weeks time with the world championship set to finish by mid-September after visits to Holland and Italy.
Gautier Paulin, Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team: “I have been working hard to get back to my level and my main problem at the moment seems to be getting over this habit of one bad start and one good start. I was far behind the leaders at the beginning of the first moto but I feel quite content with this result overall because the bike and the team are great and I am gaining more confidence all the time with my riding. My aim will be two good starts in Brazil now and then the final two races!”
Zach Osborne, Bike it Cosworth Yamaha: “I struggled today. I seemed to have about fifteen good minutes in me and then I felt like I was going through the motions. I think the concussion still has a bit of an effect and I should have had myself evaluated after the crash but I guess I didn’t want to know because I’m fighting for a top five slot in the world. I think the track got the better of me a little bit today. It was very ‘single-line’ out there and that’s make it tough. I’m having a hard time at the moment and we will work through it.”
Harri Kullas, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi: “It was a hard track and I’m not so strong on this type of terrain yet but I know I can be in the top ten every moto. The first race went well until the last lap when I made a mistake not jumping the double and lost a position, which was frustrating. I made too many errors. I hit some soft mud out of the gate in the second race and this dragged me back a bit. I was fourteenth on the first lap and rode back to eleventh. I was lapped at the end so I know my speed was not the best! I will train more now and see what happens in Brazil.”
Christophe Charlier, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi: “I’m happy with the first moto, I started well and had a good rhythm. Gautier just passed me at the end but I thought it was a good ride. I was third at the beginning of the second moto but slid out on the jump and was lucky that no-one hit me. I hurt my hip a little bit and could not finish but I hope for more good starts in Brazil.”
— Team Suzuki
Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Clement Desalle finished runner-up for the fourth time this season at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic and the 12th round of 15 in the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship.
The podium appearance in front of 21,000 spectators represented the Belgian’s 10th trophy in his first year with the factory team and onboard the factory RM-Z450WS, his seventh rostrum celebration in a row and the second in two years at the Loket circuit.
The 21 year old took his fourth pole position of the season yesterday in difficult and very wet conditions but thankfully the track drained and dried under brighter skies on Sunday. Despite the absence of heavy mud around the mostly single-line layout, the dirt was bumpier and rutty; presenting a different set of demands from the usual slippery hard-pack found on the picturesque Loket hill.
Desalle initially struggled at the start of the first moto and made excellent progress to rise from ninth to third throughout the 35 minutes and 2 laps. In the second outing he leapt away from the pack with world champion Tony Cairoli and although he shadowed the Sicilian for the first half of the race, was unable to overtake his rival. The duo was over a minute ahead of team-mate Steve Ramon. Desalle’s total of 42 points gave him the second step and he lost only five points in the World Championship standings to Cairoli; nevertheless the gap stands at 84 with just 150 left to grasp in 2010.
Ramon was unable to get on the pace of the leaders at a track that he does not favour. The veteran and former double World Champion’s better moto was his second with a distant third (his eighth top-three finish of the year) while fourth overall was secured thanks to sixth earlier in the day. The 30 year old is fifth in the points table and needs just six to enter the top four. Suzuki remains second in the Manufacturer’s competition.
Desalle and Ramon will keep busy next weekend: Desalle will travel to the United States to participate in the ninth round of the Lucas Oils AMA MX series, the Rockstar Unadilla MX National, and will remain in the Americas before travelling down to Campo Grande for the Grand Prix of Brazil the following week. Ramon will enter the fourth round of the Belgian Championship in the sand of Balen.
Clement Desalle: “Second position again and of course I want to be first but this sport is very hard and I can only do my best all the time. I am working to step-up and be faster and feel that it is coming. I had a bad start in the first moto and had to push all the way to reach third. It was too late in the race to expect better. I was more satisfied with the second moto because we were really fast to break away. The conditions were a bit different to normal and we had to adjust.”
Steve Ramon: “The track was tough with many ruts and not many lines. I didn’t feel comfortable in the first moto and was really fighting the track; I didn’t feel happy. In the second moto I had a really good start but I drifted too far to the outside, hit some soft mud and Cairoli passed me. I was then awful in the first two corners and made mistakes that also cost me two positions. I searched for my rhythm in the opening laps but I felt faster on the bike. I could see Bobryshev was getting tired and passed him but Max was riding well and kept pushing. I’m happy with third place because I don’t like the track at all. Overall I’m satisfied with the result.”
Ken Roczen flicked his Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 fuel-injected RM-Z250 to a fifth moto victory of the season and gained second position overall at a 21,000-packed Loket circuit for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic.
The fourth podium result from the last five rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship meant that the German was again one of the main protagonists across another difficult terrain; just one week after his maiden success of 2010 in the near-impossible sand of Lommel in Belgium.
A generous portion of the crowd cheered the 16 year old after he seized the holeshot and escaped from his peers in the first moto at the 12th round of 15 in the FIM competition. A less-than-ideal start in the second affair of 35 minutes and 2 laps meant that the stylish racer had to forge a flight to second from fifth and then attack World Champion Marvin Musquin for the lead. Once ahead, a 1-1 double looked on the cards but a mistake while trying to move past a backmarker meant he fell and then again had to pursue Musquin. A grandstand finale took place in the final two laps but despite his close proximity to the Frenchman, Roczen could not find space away from the main fast racing line.
Enjoying his own tussle with the track, Arnaud Tonus had two steady races to score eighth and seventh for sixth overall and his best points haul from the last four rounds. The Swiss was impeded by a goggle malfunction in the second moto and had difficulty to pick his way through the ruts but was reliably ‘on-song’.
The penultimate round of the Women’s World Championship saw Larissa Papenmeier defy discomfort through a recent stomach injury to place fourth overall. The talented young German raced her RM-Z250 to fourth in very muddy conditions on Saturday afternoon and was fifth on a drier course Sunday morning. ‘Lare’ now stands fourth in the table and needs 17 points to reach a repeat of her runner-up championship position from 2009.
Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 will now contest the sixth round of eight in the ADAC German MX Master series in Moggers, Austria, before the crew begin to travel across the Atlantic and to the new venue at Campo Grande for the Grand Prix of Brazil in two weeks time.
Ken Roczen: “The first moto was awesome. I got the holeshot and didn’t look back. In the second race my start was good but in the first corner I lost my way a little bit. Anyway, I came back to second quickly, passed Marvin and then crashed when I tried a different line to overtake a backmarker. I had to work again. There were a lot of square-bumps on the track and passing was not easy. I took a lot of risks trying to catch Marvin again; I guess sometimes you just need to pin-it! I am excited to go to Brazil now after making a race for the German Championship in Austria next week.”
Arnaud Tonus: “An eighth and seventh is so not bad today. I rode well, consistently and with a good rhythm. I had a good start in the second moto but on the first lap I had a problem with my goggles because I went for a tear-off and somehow damaged the lens. The whole race was difficult because I could not see that well. Anyway I’m quite pleased with how the Grand Prix went overall.”
— HRC Report
A damp Grand Prix of Czech Republic saw Antonio Cairoli win the twelfth round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship while Honda’s highest-placed representative on the CRF450R was LS Motors Honda’s Tanel Leok who defied tricky and technical conditions to capture third overall in the premier MX1 class. The Estonian was a force through the bumpy Czech ruts at Loket and defeated Cairoli in a straight-duel for the chequered flag in the first moto. It was the third race win for Honda in 2010.
The fast and slick circuit in the western region of the country had been hit by heavy rainfall leading up to the event but enjoyed sunshine on race day. The end result of the metrological change meant a softer and bumpier course than the hard-pack normally found on the steep hill-side.
In this setting 21,000 spectators crowded the banks and two CRF450Rs would break into the final top ten.
Catalan Grand Prix winner Leok, who qualified in second position through a Timed Practice period after the Heat races were cancelled due to the adverse weather effects on the track, battered the fallen gate in the first moto and immediately slid into second position. Once the 25 year old and Cairoli started to hit backmarkers late in the 35 minute and 2 lap distance Leok attacked and then defended the lead from Cairoli’s response on the last two circulations. In the second moto a stone worked its way into the rear brake system of number ‘40’ on the first lap and he had to stop and kick it loose meaning relegation to mid-pack from another top five berth. Leok charged back to fifth to earn his second spray of champagne this season.
In seventh overall was a brave Evgeny Bobryshev. The Russian rode to ninth and seventh on his CAS Honda despite discomfort from a sore lower back sustained last week in Lommel. The rookie held third place for virtually all of the second moto until he irritated the injury and was powerless to prevent closing riders from overtaking. Team-mate Gareth Swanepoel was seventeenth and should have been higher but twelfth position in the first moto was cancelled-out by a DNF due to a mechanical problem while holding sixth in the second sprint.
Martin Honda’s Jimmy Albertson was able to score points for the first time since the Grand Prix of Latvia in June after recovering sufficiently from his chest injury sustained in practice for the Limburg round of the series last weekend. The American was eighteenth and took encouragement from a result of thirteenth in the second race. Team-mate Yu Hirata made his second and last appearance for the Italian factory squad and was able to travel back to his native Japan after collecting thirtieth.
LS Motors Honda’s Davide Guarneri did not complete Moto1 or start Moto2 after a crash early in the day led to a painful and twisted back. The MX2 class saw Alessandro Battig handle his CRF250R to thirtieth as the Italian teenager still tries to negotiate a comeback from a knee injury.
In the world championship standings of a season winding to a close, Tanel Leok remains the top CRF450R runner in MX1 with 290 points and seventh position. He needs 19 more than Ken De Dycker to move upwards. Bobryshev is ninth and 6 behind Xavier Boog and 20 in arrears of Leok. Guarneri is tenth, Swanepoel thirteenth and Albertson seventeenth.
Round thirteen, the Grand Prix of Brazil, at the new Campo Grande circuit will take place in two weeks time.
Tanel Leok, LS Motors Honda: “This is a good result for me. Tony had some trouble with a lapped rider and I could use this to my advantage. The last two laps were really difficult and I made some mistakes also, but could hold on. Just before the table-top near the bottom of the hill in the second moto a stone wedged in the rear-brake and made it stick-on. I had to stop and kick the stone out and lost many positions from another great start. I’ve had some bad luck this year but also some good moments.”
Evgeny Bobryshev, CAS Honda: “The first race was very hard for me and I was misjudging corners and having some arm-pump. I was not able to ride during the week because of my sore back from Lommel; I was on pain-killers and lying in a bed. So I felt it today, and took time to get on the pace. The second race was better until the halfway stage when I jarred the back and then could not run at the same speed. I had to take it easy in some places and was really fighting the pain.”
Gareth Swanepoel, CAS Honda: “In the first race I got quite a good start but I was a bit tentative in the first two laps and lost a lot of positions but then I managed to come through to a good, strong twelfth. In the second moto I started even better. For twenty minutes I was in the top five until Nagl passed me and then with four minutes to go the bike stopped; it’s unfortunate.”
Jimmy Albertson, Martin Honda: “It feels like it has been a long weekend but it was good to come out here and race. I had a twenty-fourth in the first moto and a thirteenth in the second. I improved and made some points and I know it sounds pretty terrible – and it is not where I want to be – but I have to go out there and do the best that I can right now and thirteenth was the best I could manage today.
Hopefully once Brazil goes by I will be a little healthier and stronger and can do better.”
Yu Hirata, Martin Honda: “Another tough day for me! I enjoyed very much being out in the MX1 motos and I want to thank the team and Honda Motor Europe for giving me this opportunity.”
Davide Guarneri, LS Motors Honda: “Yesterday I was feeling good in the mud and set the ninth best time after finding a clear lap. I was twelfth in the first moto and I thought the top ten would not be possible when I had a silly crash out of a corner and twisted my back. It was very painful and it was hard to move. The doctor does not think it is anything serious but I will have a check this week. It is a shame because normally I like this track.”
Roger Harvey, Honda Motor Europe Off-Road Manager: “A classy ride from Tanel in the first moto, and also the second despite a bit of bad luck, and he managed something that not many have done this season by beating Tony Cairoli to the flag in a straight fight. It was great to see and Tanel really ate-up a track that changed a lot and wasn’t easy. Misfortune for Davide and Gareth but Jimmy Albertson put some points on the board and Bobby also did a fine job in difficult circumstances. We would like to thank Hirata-san for coming over and running the Martin Honda for us. We hope he can use the experience he gained back home in Japan and the national series.”
