World MX 2014 – Round Three – Beto Carrero, Brazil – Cairoli and Tonus take Brazilian honours
Flip-flops were left in the hotel today as round three of the FIM Motocross World Championship got under way at MXGP’s most tropical track Beto Carrero, Brazil.
It wouldn’t be a Grand Prix of Brazil without a few drops of rain, which is why when the rain set in during the final laps of MXGP race one, it was somewhat expected.
While the dark clouds continued to loom over the impressive circuit of Beto Carrero, the rain did in fact hold off for the most part of both MXGP and MX2 race two.
Nevertheless thanks to the brief down pour, and the constant drizzle, conditions were left very tricky making versatility a key factor in todays result.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli proved why he is the seven-time FIM Motocross World Champion, taking the challenging conditions with a grain of salt to convincingly win both MXGP races and extend his championship lead. Meanwhile CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Arnaud Tonus finally lived up to the expectation, taking home his first ever FIM MX2 Grand Prix win as well as claiming the MX2 red plate to lead two points ahead of today’s MX2 runner-up Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff.
MXGP
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli was on another level today in Beto Carrero. The extremely talented seven-time FIM Motocross World Champion had the crowd on their feet today as he put in two very inspiring rides, passing many of MXGP’s biggest title threats to win both motos with ease.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle took home second overall in typical super smooth Desalle style with two third place finishes. The current vice world champion has now moved from fifth in the championship standings to fourth, trailing the early red plate holder Gautier Paulin and Jeremy Van Horebeek by only one point.
Another podium result for Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek thanks to his phenomenal performance in race one where he finished a very comfortable second place behind the champ himself Tony Cairoli. In race two, the Belgian, only on his second year in the MXGP class, recovered from a few errors which saw him wheeling over tough blocks in attempt to get back on the track, managed to make up for his mistakes and finish fourth for third overall.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin made a remarkable recovery in race one after taking the Foxhead Holeshot only to drop the lead due to a crash on the tricky off camber section out the back of the track. After bouncing back to an amazing seventh place in race one, the flying Frenchman kept it on two wheels in race two to finish second for fourth overall.
Rounding out MXGP’s top five this weekend, Team HRC’s Max Nagl spent most of his races ducking roost with bad starts making life difficult. While his speed was there, the determined German struggled to make passes stick meaning he would only finish in fourth and fifth for fifth overall.
After round three of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Beto Carrero, Brazil, the MXGP points chase from fifth to second is tight. While Cairoli leads by a healthy thirty points, Paulin sits second tied in points with Jeremy Van Horebeek, and both of them are only one point clear of Desalle. Nagl is fifth just one point back from them.
MX2
It has been a long time coming for CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Arnaud Tonus, but the day is finally here. Using his smooth, elegant style, the Swiss talent won MX2 race one and finished a comfortable second in race two to claim his first ever MX2 Grand Prix win, making history as the first ever Swiss rider to do so. As well as winning the MX2 Grand Prix of Brazil, Tonus has claimed the FIM MX2 World Championship red plate, and he is the first rider to do so in more than twenty-five months.
Yesterday’s MX2 top qualifier Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff struggled to find his rhythm in race one admitting “my plan of attack was to hang back until I found my lines, but when it was time to go, I couldn’t find my rhythm”, meaning the latest MX2 favorite would only come home in fifth. Fortunately the Dutch sensation redeemed himself in race two when he hammered the throttle early in lap one to take the lead and win seven seconds ahead of race one winner Arnaud Tonus.
Standing on the third step of the podium for the second time in succession BikeIT Yamaha Cosworth’s Max Anstie struggled to get off the line today, starting both races outside of the top ten. Despite having to slice his way through the pack, the British star managed to come back for a respectable fourth in both motos for third overall.
CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis put in an outstanding performance in race one moving from outside the top five forward to take a remarkable second behind his CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy teammate Arnaud Tonus. Unfortunately in race two, the flamboyant French rider struggled in the deceivingly slick yet spongy clay, after a crash forced him into the pits for some brief repairs to his KXF250. Although it wasn’t easy, the young up and comer did manage to salvage tenth to take fourth overall here in Beto Carrero.
It was a fantastic day in the office for Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser with his outstanding eleventh and third place results for fifth overall. The 2012 EMX125 European Champion put in the ride of his life in moto two tearing up the gnarly circuit of Beto Carrero to take third place, making him the best finishing Slovenian in the history of MX2 racing.
Another European Champion really starting to move forward in MX2, Standing Construct KTM’s Valentin Guillod was footing it with the top guys in race one to come home in sixth. Despite a small crash in race two, the rising Swiss star managed to recoup for an impressive seventh place, tying with Gajser for fifth overall.
With the two-time FIM MX2 World Champion, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, sitting this round out, the MX2 championship was turned upside down. Tonus took his first ever MX2 race victory as well as MX2 Grand Prix victory to write his name in the history books as the first ever Swiss rider to do so. Tonus now leads the MX2 World Championship two points clear of Coldenhoff in second while Ferrandis drops back to third trailing Tonus by five. Meanwhile Jeffrey Herlings drops back to fourth, fifteen points off the lead. Adding insult to injury, it was also the first time in two years that a KTM rider didn’t make it onto the MX2 podium.
MXGP RACE 1 (16 laps = 24.992 Km)
1 / CAIROLI, Antonio / ITA / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 35:20.774
2 / VAN HOREBEEK, Jeremy / BEL / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 35:36.643
3 / DESALLE, Clement / BEL / Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP / SUZUKI / 35:40.979
4 / NAGL, Maximilian / GER / Team HRC / HONDA / 35:44.159
5 / BOBRYSHEV, Evgeny / RUS / Team HRC / HONDA / 35:59.256
6 / PAULIN, Gautier / FRA / Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing / KAWASAKI / 36:00.942
7 / WATERS, Todd / AUS / Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory racing / HUSQVARNA / 36:01.263
8 / ROELANTS, Joel / BEL / J-Race Racing Team / HONDA / 36:03.120
9 / PHILIPPAERTS, David / ITA / DP19 Racing Yamaha / YAMAHA / 36:09.564
10 / GONCALVES, Rui / POR / Bike It Yamaha Cosworth / YAMAHA / 36:11.015
11 / NICHOLLS, Jake / GBR / Wilvo Forkrent KTM / KTM / 36:15.771
12 / BOOG, Xavier / FRA / 24MX Honda Racing / HONDA / 36:22.404
13 / STRIJBOS, Kevin / BEL / Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP / SUZUKI / 36:26.083
14 / FROSSARD, Steven / FRA / Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing / KAWASAKI / 36:27.824
15 / SIMPSON, Shaun / GBR / HMPlant KTM UK / KTM / 36:35.711
16 / GUARNERI, Davide / ITA / TM Ricci Racing / TM / 37:02.211
17 / RAUCHENECKER, Pascal / AUT / Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory racing / HUSQVARNA / 37:06.559
18 / BALBI, Antonio / BRA / / Kawasaki / 37:09.775
19 / LEOK, Tanel / EST / TM Ricci Racing / TM / 35:22.309
20 / KARRO, Matiss / LAT / Wilvo Forkrent KTM KTM / KTM / 35:26.153
Fastest Lap: CAIROLI, Antonio; 2:00.551 in lap 6 with 46.646 Km/h
MXGP RACE 2 (16 laps = 24.992 Km)
1 / CAIROLI, Antonio / ITA / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 35:51.801
2 / PAULIN, Gautier / FRA / Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing / Kawasaki / 35:57.051
3 / DESALLE, Clement / BEL / Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP / Suzuki / 36:00.700
4 / VAN HOREBEEK, Jeremy / BEL / Yamaha Factory Racing / Yamaha / 36:03.887
5 / NAGL, Maximilian / GER / Team HRC / Honda / 36:08.810
6 / STRIJBOS, Kevin / BEL / Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP / Suzuki / 36:12.599
7 / GONCALVES, Rui / POR / Bike It Yamaha Cosworth / Yamaha / 36:39.181
8 / KARRO, Matiss / LAT / Wilvo Forkrent KTM / KTM / 36:42.118
9 / FROSSARD, Steven / FRA / Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing / Kawasaki / 36:44.593
10 / WATERS, Todd / AUS / Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna / Husqvarna / 36:46.914
11 / ROELANTS, Joel / BEL / J-Race Racing Team / Honda / 36:53.472
12 / BOOG, Xavier / FRA / 24MX Honda Racing / Honda / 37:04.905
13 / SIMPSON, Shaun / GBR / HMPlant KTM UK / KTM / 37:05.569
14 / PHILIPPAERTS, David / ITA / DP19 Racing Yamaha / Yamaha / 37:26.521
15 / NICHOLLS, Jake / GBR / Wilvo Forkrent KTM / KTM / 37:28.118
16 / GUARNERI, Davide / ITA / TM Ricci Racing / TM / 37:37.772
17 / LEOK, Tanel / EST / TM Ricci Racing / TM / 37:39.595
18 / BRAKKE, Herjan / NED / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Kawasaki / Kawasaki / 38:00.099
19 / JUSTS, Augusts / LAT / Latvia – Husqvarna Racing / Husqvarna / 38:13.006
20 / BALBI, Antonio / BRA / / Kawasaki / 35:55.651
Fastest Lap: CAIROLI, Antonio; 2:03.377 in lap 7 with 45.577 Km/h
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS MX1: 1 CAIROLI, Antonio 142, 2 PAULIN, Gautier 112, 3 VAN HOREBEEK, Jeremy 112, 4 DESALLE, Clement 111, 5 NAGL, Maximilian 110, 6 STRIJBOS, Kevin 73, 7 FROSSARD, Steven 68, 8 WATERS, Todd 68, 9 BOBRYSHEV, Evgeny 67, 10 ROELANTS, Joel 61, 11 GONCALVES, Rui 53, 12 BOOG, Xavier 49, 13 SIMPSON, Shaun 48, 14 GUARNERI, Davide 45, 15 PHILIPPAERTS, David 36, 16 NICHOLLS, Jake 32, 17 LEOK, Tanel 30, 18 SEARLE, Tommy 29, 19 KARRO, Matiss 28, 20 RAUCHENECKER, Pascal 14.
MX2 RACE 1 (16 laps = 24.992 Km)
1 / TONUS, Arnaud / SUI / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MX2 / Kawasaki / 35:30.500
2 / FERRANDIS, Dylan / FRA / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MX2 / Kawasaki / 35:44.121
3 / FEBVRE, Romain / FRA / Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing / Husqvarna / 35:46.184
4 / ANSTIE, Max / GBR / Bike It Yamaha Cosworth / Yamaha / 35:47.172
5 / COLDENHOFF, Glenn / NED / Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe / Suzuki / 35:57.401
6 / TONKOV, Aleksandr / RUS / Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing / Husqvarna / 35:59.697
7 / GUILLOD, Valentin / SUI / Standing Construct KTM / KTM / 36:01.225
8 / PETROV, Petar / BUL / Kemea Yamaha Racing Team / Yamaha / 36:03.619
9 / BUTRON, Jose / ESP / KTM Silver Action / KTM / 36:06.451
10 / SEEWER, Jeremy / SUI / Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe / Suzuki / 36:08.158
11 / GAJSER, Tim / SLO / Honda Gariboldi / Honda / 36:12.245
12 / TIXIER, Jordi / FRA / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM / KTM / 36:21.888
13 / LIEBER, Julien / BEL / Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe / Suzuki / 36:26.046
14 / STYKE, Luke / AUS / Kemea Yamaha Racing Team / Yamaha / 37:10.643
15 / POCOCK, Mel / GBR / HMPlant KTM UK / KTM / 37:22.260
16 / JUSTS, Roberts / LAT / Latvia – Husqvarna Racing / Husqvarna / 37:59.784
17 / COVINGTON, Thomas / USA / Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki / 35:32.486
18 / YAMAMOTO, Kei / JPN / Honda Gariboldi / Honda / 35:50.161
19 / DOS SANTOS, Rodrigo Andrade / BRA / / TM / 36:11.334
20 / KLINGSHEIM, Magne / NOR / Bike It Yamaha Cosworth / Yamaha / 36:24.925
Fastest Lap: TONUS, Arnaud; 2:02.931 in lap 3 with 45.743 Km/h
MX2 RACE 2 (16 laps = 24.992 Km)
1 / COLDENHOFF, Glenn / NED / Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe / Suzuki / 36:33.018
2 / TONUS, Arnaud / SUI / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MX2 / Kawasaki / 36:40.965
3 / GAJSER, Tim / SLO / Honda Gariboldi / Honda / 36:47.972
4 / ANSTIE, Max / GBR / Bike It Yamaha Cosworth / Yamaha / 36:52.801
5 / GUILLOD, Valentin / SUI / Standing Construct KTM / KTM / 36:54.887
6 / SEEWER, Jeremy / SUI / Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe / Suzuki / 37:08.133
7 / TONKOV, Aleksandr / RUS / Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing / Husqvarna / 37:13.233
8 / LUPINO, Alessandro / ITA / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MX2/ Kawasaki / 37:14.694
9 / BUTRON, Jose / ESP / KTM Silver Action / KTM / 37:15.340
10 / FERRANDIS, Dylan / FRA / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MX2/ Kawasaki / 37:17.825
11 / FEBVRE, Romain / FRA / Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing / Husqvarna / 37:30.591
12 / TIXIER, Jordi / FRA / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 37:56.487
13 / POCOCK, Mel / GBR / HMPlant KTM UK / KTM / 38:16.994
14 / STYKE, Luke / AUS / Kemea Yamaha Racing Team / Yamaha / 38:25.280
15 / LIEBER, Julien / BEL / Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe / Suzuki / 38:33.709
16 / JUSTS, Roberts / LAT / Latvia – Husqvarna Racing / Husqvarna / 38:35.740
17 / ASSUNCAO , Hector / BRA / / Honda / 38:38.846
18 / KLINGSHEIM, Magne / NOR / Bike It Yamaha Cosworth / Yamaha / 36:59.777
19 / YAMAMOTO, Kei / JPN / Honda Gariboldi / Honda / 37:01.353
20 / DOS SANTOS, Rodrigo Andrade / BRA / / TM / 37:01.860
Fastest Lap: COLDENHOFF, Glenn; 2:05.520 in lap 3 with 44.799 Km/h
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS MX2: 1 TONUS, Arnaud 112, 2 COLDENHOFF, Glenn 110, 3 FERRANDIS, Dylan 107, 94 HERLINGS, Jeffrey 97, 5 FEBVRE, Romain 96, 6 TONKOV, Aleksandr 87, 7 ANSTIE, Max 77, 8 TIXIER, Jordi 77, 9 BUTRON, Jose 74, 10 GAJSER, Tim 63, 11 GUILLOD, Valentin 59, 12 LUPINO, Alessandro 55, 13 SEEWER, Jeremy 47, 14 COVINGTON, Thomas 37, 15 POCOCK, Mel 37, 16 CHARLIER, Christophe 32, 17 LIEBER, Julien 32, 18 PETROV, Petar 31, 19 DESPREY, Maxime 22, 20 JUSTS, Roberts 20.
NEXT EVENT: ROUND04 APRIL 13, MXGP OF TRENTINO, ITALIA.
HRC Report
Honda World Motocross’ Max Nagl pushed hard to finish fifth overall in the MXGP class on the factory CRF450R as the MXGP and MX2 classes travelled to South America and the Beto Carrero facility almost 100km north of the city of Florianopolis in Brazil. There was also bright news in the MX2 division as Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser claimed his best career result with fifth place and a maiden top three race result in the second moto.
Antonio Cairoli (KTM) triumphed in the premier MXGP category with Clement Desalle (Suzuki) and Jeremy Horebeek (Yamaha) in second and third place respectively.
High temperatures, a stiff breeze and cloudy skies meant that the climate for raceday for the third GP at Beto Carrero in three years was changeable but mainly dry. The track itself was largely unaltered, and the hard, red dirt was very bumpy and rutty in places and featured many jumps and fast sections. The Brazilian public again provided a noisy and appreciative atmosphere.
Nagl responded from a careless crash in the qualification heat on Saturday to enter the gate with eighth place. The German had lost traction of the CRF450R on the second lap and spent the race fighting back to gain time and positions. The slot was not a hindrance for the two thirty minute and two lap motos on Sunday but the German was unable to capitalise, and two mediocre starts would largely inhibit his chances for the podium. The former Grand Prix winner had to work his way from seventh place on the first lap of the opening race to reach fourth spot by the chequered flag. In the second outing he tried to chase down Jeremy Van Horebeek for another fourth position but ultimately had to settle for fifth, which gave him the same classification in the overall standings.
Fellow Team HRC Honda rider Evgeny Bobryshev was competing gingerly after recent surgery on his right leg. The Russian is lacking full fitness and was clearly not 100% for the Brazilian event. ‘Bobby’ pushed to ninth place in qualification on Saturday and then on Sunday had a very encouraging launch from the line in the first dash. The Russian lasted as long as he could with the leaders and his result of fifth, behind team-mate Nagl, was decent work in the circumstances. Bobryshev’s luck deserted him, however, in the second moto. He had a small crash and then was hit by another rider. The impact drove waves of pain into ‘777’s leg and although he was able to arrive to the end of the moto – losing positions again through a bike stall and struggle to kickstart – he sadly was outside of the points in twenty-second.
In MX2 Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser was on the pace with the works CRF250R. The Slovenian could only manage eleventh in the first moto after a crash gave him too much time and ground to make up. In the second MX2 dash however the former European Champion roared out of the gate and nestled into a comfortable speed in the top three. It represented the highest finish by a rider from his country and therefore a personal best for ‘243’. Team-mate Kei Yamamoto was eighteenth overall and by clocking five points (his best result most so far) in only his third Grand Prix event is slowly progressing at the highest level.
The MX2 class was won overall by Arnaud Tonus (Kawasaki) with Glenn Coldenhoff (Suzuki) in second and Max Anstie (Yamaha) rounding off the podium in third.
Round four of the FIM Motocross World Championship takes place in the amazing landscape of the Dolomite mountain region in northern Italy in a fortnight. The series will gather for the Grand Prix of Trentino at Arco di Trento for the second year in succession and the first of two back-to-back events with the trip to Sevlievo in Bulgaria the following weekend.
Max Nagl: Race Result: 4th/5th Championship position: 5th – “Difficult day. We had two bad starts again today. We are working hard on it but we haven’t found the solution. Yesterday was terrible but the team found a fix overnight and we practiced some starts on the test track; they were good but just not fast enough. Before we go to Arco we will have some tests with some upgrades. I was happy with my riding. I was smooth and had a good tactic when trying to pass other riders. Physically I found it tougher than Thailand. There was a strange heat out there and it was hard to survive. Anyway, two top fives and we are pushing for the podium; if you don’t get the starts then you cannot be with the group.”
Evgeny Bobryshev: Race Result: 5th/22nd Championship position: 9th – “The first race was fine and I had a good start. I rode my own pace but it was difficult. I was struggling with my ankle on the jump landings and in the corners. The second race was worse. I made a mistake and ran off the track but when I re-entered I lost the front end in the berm and fell down. Another rider behind me smashed into my ankle. I had so much pain. I tried to carry on and kept banging it. After some laps the pain was lowering but I stalled the bike at the end and lost time. It felt like everybody passed me and I was outside the top twenty. I’m really disappointed not to take any points. My strategy was to at least score something here. I haven’t ridden or trained much after Thailand, just been focussed on recovery. It was a poor second race but I have to look ahead. After talking with the doctor I will decide what to do: to be able to train or continue resting.”
Tim Gajser: Race Result: 11th/3rd Championship position: 10th – “It was a great weekend even if it did not start so well. I crashed in the qualification race and finished twelfth. In the first moto I didn’t have much luck as I crashed again and was eleventh. It was not what I was hoping for. In the second race I had a really good start and was riding well. I’m sure I will take some confidence from this. The bike worked so good this weekend. It was a lot stronger and I was much happier.”
Yamaha Report
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek sprayed champagne over his YZ450FM for the second Grand Prix in succession at Beto Carrero for the Brazilian stop on the calendar and the third round of eighteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship. The Belgian walked the MXGP podium with third position after taking his maiden trophy in Thailand three weeks ago. MXGP visited Brazil and the theme park location north of Florianopolis for the third year in a row and Beto Carrero provided its usual compact, jumpy and hard-pack layout but some watering from both the skies and the irrigation system creating a wealth of bumps and some very rutty corners. The technical level was thus elevated for lap-times that carried over two minutes a circulation. The combination of the demands of the track and the stuffy temperatures (almost 30 degrees) and humidity meant another physically tough Grand Prix for the stars of the FIM show.
Van Horebeek was in confident form on Saturday. The third fastest lap in free practice led to the top spot in Timed practice but the Belgian was left shaking his head after the qualification heat in which a mediocre start meant that he had to push through to fourth place. His standing was still good enough for a prime slot in the start gate and JVH was again lively off the line when it counted. On the damp, tacky and rutty stage Van Horebeek shone. He led the opening half of the first moto until surrendering to the pace of world champion Tony Cairoli. Second position represented his third top three finish in a row and set him up for his second grab of silverware which he confirmed in the second moto with fourth position for a 2-4 scorecard. Jeremy has yet to drop out of the top five in all six motos so far this year. Bike it Yamaha Cosworth’s Rui Gonçalves ended the Grand Prix with sixth overall. The Portuguese showed his typical skill out of the gate to put himself into contention for top ten positions in just his third FIM appearance in ‘blue’. The better moto was the second and final one of the day. Rui reached the chequered flag with seventh place; an improvement on three positions from the tenth he managed earlier in the afternoon.
Also on the YZ450F was DP19 Racing Yamaha’s David Philippaerts. The Italian was at a slight disadvantage after a first corner crash on Saturday left the Italian trying to get back into the qualification heat but the former world champion retired shortly after with a broken rear brake. In the GP motos he blasted away from his lowly start slot. Ninth in the first moto was his highest classification of the year to-date and enough to help forget some of the problems he experienced at round two in Thailand. A fourteenth in the second moto meant eleventh overall and with the promise of more to come from the veteran and still Yamaha’s last world champ. After the first three events and overseas travel on two continents, the FIM Motocross World Championship heads back for the European leg of the schedule. The Grand Prix of Trentino in Italy will bring the paddock together again in two weeks time.
Jeremy Van Horebeek – “My weekend went really well and I felt very good on this track. We worked hard with the team again and the bike was great. I managed to pull a good start in the first moto and it made things pretty easy. I was leading a few laps and then Tony was behind me. I let him past because I still get a bit nervous out front; I’m still not used to leading but I will be! When that happens I’m sure I can keep it. In the second moto I had to cut through from a bad start. I think I was eleventh or something and worked my way back to fourth. I reached Clement’s rear wheel but then he ‘pulled the trigger’ and he is a tough guy. Anyway, we are on the podium again. I wanted to be in the top five as much as possible this year but it seems I need to think a little bit further now. I want to keep my feet on the ground and keep working hard. I hope to win a GP this year.”
Rui Gonçalves – “I’m happy. Today I had pretty good starts and solid laps and was riding a bit more in the top ten. In the first moto I needed to throw my goggles away with two laps to go so I lost the contact with ninth and eighth positions. I just had to settle for tenth. In the second moto the start was OK and I got up to seventh in the final laps. I’m definitely happy. Things have been improving since Qatar and that is what we are looking for. We started late for 2014 but we are catching up quickly, which is promising. I cannot thank the team enough. They have been doing a great job supporting me 100%.”
David Philippaerts – “I feel tired! I’m happy with the first moto and was riding well. I lost time at the beginning because it took me a while to settle into the race. I haven’t raced much actually because we had the fuel problems in Thailand so hardly did anything there. I also had the crash yesterday in the heat race and had to stop! So we’ve had less motos than the other riders. In the second moto I was losing a bit of time in the corners and was running a speed around the top ten. I was feeling a bit tired and my hands where also cutting up with blisters. It was hard to stay on the bike and be fast. I finished the race and this was important. The bike was working so good and I’m really happy about this. We had done a lot of work and riding in the past two weeks, around seven hours, and I think I might have a bit of fatigue from this. Now we have to focus on our goals and I know it is for-sure possible to be in the top ten every race.”
Bike it Yamaha Cosworth’s Max Anstie continued his bright opening to the FIM Motocross World Championship in the MX2 class and on the YZ250F by classifying third and ‘on the box’ at a stifling Beto Carrero for the Grand Prix of Brazil; the third consecutive flyaway in the 2014 contest. The distinctive red hard-pack of the compact and jumpy Beto Carrero layout was a reasonably happy hunting ground for the young Briton and his acute technical skills as he collected his second garland in just three events.
Yamaha travelled to Brazil after initial fixtures in Qatar and Thailand and without the presence of former European Champion Christophe Charlier who was recovering from minor surgery on his right leg. Anstie was flying the ‘blue flag’ three weeks after sealing his maiden podium finish of the season in Thailand and was again a force to be reckoned with.
The Brit staked his claim for the rostrum with second position in Saturday’s Qualification Heat. Several short but strong showers on Sunday meant the Beto Carrero curves carried many ruts and difficult bumps and berms but Anstie was fearless in his pursuit of more glory. ‘99’ didn’t have the best of starts and was part of a six rider battle for second place in the first moto. By the chequered flag he had captured fourth position and in the second race a rather uncomplicated but progressive run to another top four result assisted in his final ranking of third. Anstie now holds 7th position in the MX2 standings and is just 20 points away from 4th.
Elsewhere Kemea Yamaha Racing’s Petar Petrov was sixteenth overall (the Bulgarian powered to 8th from a bad start in the first moto and retired with a bike problem in the second) while Australian Champion Luke Styke was 13th for his highest GP result yet in his rookie MX2 season.
Round three of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place on European shores and the Grand Prix of Trentino in Italy on April 13th and will be followed one week later by the Grand Prix of Bulgaria.
Max Anstie – “I had a lot of wheelspin at the start and had to come back from last in the second one. It made things difficult. I thought it would be a mud race at one point. It could have swung either way. We will keep banging away and finding the feeling to do well. We will build from here. We have got some testing to do when we get back but I feel we have made a big improvement from Thailand to here in terms of set-up. Any track whether it is supercross, sand, hard-pack, Lommel or Italy I will go fast; it is what I like to do and what we will do.”
Petar Petrov – “Just another disappointing weekend. As in the last races I believe I had the speed to make a great result. In the first race I had a good start but I messed-up going way too wide in a corner. I lost a couple of places and I was riding really badly for ten minutes. After that I managed to pick up the speed and I had a great feeling. I could make easy passes, found the right lines and was enjoying my riding. In the second race my start wasn’t too bad but some crashes in the first corner cost me. The feeling from the first race came back and I could move up fast. I was in around 8th position after the first lap when the bike started losing power and my race was finished. I’m really bummed but I will look forward to Arco di Trento. I know I have the speed.”
Luke Styke – “I feel like there is improvement on the way. There is still a long way to go but I’m getting closer to the rest. My condition is getting better and better and I managed to score my first points. It’s just a matter of all pieces falling together in the right place.”
