NO CHALLENGE FOR THE CHAMPIONS CAIROLI AND HERLINGS IN HYVINKÄÄ
Round thirteen of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Hyvinkää was unforgiving to say the least with the track embodying a full variety of dirt compound and obstacles, putting not only the riders to the test, but the teams as well as they strived to find the perfect suspension set up and tire choice to suit the circuit which proved to be more or less indecipherable. At the end of the day, MXGP is a world championship and a world championship in any sport is not supposed to be easy, although Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s duo of Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings could have fooled you, as they both dominated both races to extend their championship points lead even further.
Australian Dean Ferris took a fantastic sixth place overall for the Finnish MXGP round.
Dean Ferris: “It’s been a great GP for me and the team. Sweden was disappointing – I was battling with the flu there. I wasn’t able to spend any time on a bike testing coming into the race in Finland, and it took me a while to find a good set-up on Saturday. But both of the races went really well. I was second off the start in the first moto and stayed with the leaders for a while. I stalled my bike once when a small rock got stuck in the front sprocket, but a seventh place result was pretty good. The second moto was great, but tough for me. I’m still coming back form my injuries and fighting off the tail end of the flu – I gave everything I had. My start wasn’t as good but I pushed hard and got into a good rhythm. The battle for third to sixth was really close, so to know that I was fighting for a podium despite feeling really tired was great. I know I’ll be in better shape for the next GP, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Countryman Luke Styke had a weekend to forget, failing to complete a lap in either of the MX2 bouts. Styke crashed in turn one and took a knock on the head which ruled him out of the rest of the meeting. Styke also will undergo scans to check on a shoulder injury.
MXGP
It’s a commonly known fact ‘the tougher the better’ for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli who is undoubtedly one of the most technically gifted riders in the world. The Italian pulled two Fox Holeshots and dominated both races for his seventh overall victory this year. “I think this track was one of the toughest we have had so far, it was very bumpy and difficult but it was nice for me to get the holeshot, it always makes everything easier and I have been working hard on my starts this year and it seems to be working well,” he said.
It has been a while since we have seen Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Steven Frossard on the box, but finally he made it after charging mega hard all day for two top three finishes. Despite crashing in race two, the Frenchman bounced back hungrier than ever to take second for second overall.
The third step of the podium was hard fought today for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos who stood on that same step for the sixth time this year. Strijbos admitted the day was difficult and very physically demanding saying: “after the first race I was out of power, I felt like I had already raced three heats and then I had a really bad start in the second heat, so I was like dead last, I just thought to myself I need to save energy and then push at the end and that’s what I did so it worked out ok.”
Proving just how testing the circuit here in Hyvinkää is, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek uncharacteristically crashed in race two and destroyed the front end of his bike. A pit stop with some quick repairs, the Belgian gritted his teeth and soldiered on despite his handlebars being insanely bent. Remarkably the twenty-four year old managed to salvage tenth place, which in combination with his second place in race one, rewarded him with fourth overall.
Out of the eight rounds Team HRC’s Max Nagl has contested, he has banked seven top five finishes with today’s fifth overall being the seventh.
Meanwhile performance of the day has to go to Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Dean Ferris who, after nine months off of racing motocross and only just recovering from injury, proved he is a real force in the MXGP class after mixing it with the top five in both motos to take home sixth and fifth for sixth overall.
MXGP Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:02.155; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:07.878; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:11.988; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:19.692; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:24.144; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:38.039; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:40.980; 8. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), +1:00.359; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +1:09.083; 10. Matiss Karro (LAT, KTM), +1:10.032.
MXGP Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:36.408; 2. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:22.277; 3. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:28.140; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:28.733; 5. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:31.066; 6. Rui Goncalves (POR, Yamaha), +0:31.718; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:34.772; 8. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:50.435; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:52.472; 10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:54.411.
MXGP Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Steven Frossard (FRA, KAW), 42 p.; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 34 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 32 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, HUS), 30 p.; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 29 p.; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, YAM), 23 p.; 10. Matiss Karro (LAT, KTM), 21 p.
MXGP World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 577 points; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 515 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 470 p.; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 424 p.; 5. Steven Frossard (FRA, KAW), 307 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 296 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 269 p.; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, YAM), 234 p.; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), 218 p.; 10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 205 p.
MXGP Manufacturer: 1. KTM, 577 points; 2. Suzuki, 542 p.; 3. Yamaha, 519 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 479 p.; 5. Honda, 404 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 260 p.; 7. TM, 248 p.
MX2
What more can we say about Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings? The kid’s riding speaks for itself as he dominated both races by over a minute to take home his forty-third MX2 Grand Prix overall at the tender age of nineteen. With his double victory here today, it’s more than likely the Dutch sensation will claim FIM MX2 World Title number three at the next round of MXGP in Loket, Czech Republic.
Another solid result for Honda Gariboldi rider Tim Gajser who claimed his fourth podium finish of the year with second overall. Looking at the championship standings, the Slovenian is in fifth; only thirteen points shy of Dylan Ferrandis in fourth and a further three from Romain Febvre in third. The seventeen year old said, “I know I have closed the gap to third and fourth, so I will work hard to try and get there.
Despite being a little black and blue with bruises from yesterday’s huge crash in qualifying, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier toughed it out today to take second and fourth for third overall.
Meanwhile it was a very frustrating day in the office for CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis, who charged hard in race one to cross the line in second only to be penalized for passing on a waving yellow flag which dropped him back to twelfth after a deduction of ten positions. In race two the Frenchman redeemed himself with a second place he could keep, landing him in fourth overall.
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Christophe Charlier battled the gnarly conditions all day long with a hard fought fourth in race one and a tenth in race two for fifth overall and his best result of the season.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:23.599; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:03.805; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:07.586; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +1:16.455; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:23.575; 6. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +1:25.424; 7. Julien Lieber (BEL, Suzuki), +1:27.328; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:28.451; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +1:30.580; 10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Honda), +1:35.460
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 33:57.672; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:17.102; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:17.431; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:28.590; 5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:34.931; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +1:41.869; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +1:46.747; 8. Julien Lieber (BEL, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 9. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 10. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), -1 lap(s).
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 40 p.; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 31 p.; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, YAM), 29 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 28 p.; 7. Julien Lieber (BEL, SUZ), 27 p.; 8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 26 p.; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 24 p.
MX2 World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 594 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 449 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 416 p.; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 403 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 390 p.; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 389 p.; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 314 p.; 8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 308 p.; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 289 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 257 p.
MX2 Manufacturer: 1. KTM, 624 points; 2. Kawasaki, 508 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 432 p.; 4. Honda, 400 p.; 5. Suzuki, 381 p.; 6. Yamaha, 350 p.; 7. TM, 6 p.
Husqvarna Report
Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing team riders Dean Ferris and Nathan Watson enjoyed solid performances at the GP of Finland – the team’s home race – with the duo placing sixth and 13th respectively in the overall MXGP class at Hyvinkää. The rough and demanding sand circuit ensured plenty of drama throughout the two days of competition, but for both Ferris and Watson it was a positive GP, one in which each rider delivered impressive results.
For Ferris a second race fifth position was the highlight of the GP, a race in which the determined Aussie could well have ended up on the podium. Still far from fully race fit Dean took significant and obvious steps forward following the GP of Sweden, showing the kind of form that took him to MX2 GP race wins in 2013. Starting well in both races he held the third place spot for the opening two laps in the first moto, ending the race battling with Britain’s Tommy Searle and placing seventh. In the second moto Dean ended the opening lap in sixth before reaching fourth on lap nine. Fourth with one lap to go he eventually came home in a well-deserved and hard fought fifth position.
Impressing many with his speed and consistency during timed qualifying Nathan Watson showed he was clearly at home in the Finnish sand. Placing ninth in his qualifying race Nathan ended the first moto in the exact same position he ended the first lap in – 11th. But in the second and final moto the young British rider improved from 14th to end the race 12th.
In the MX2 class Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team riders Romain Febvre and Aleksandr Tonkov placed sixth and 10th overall, with both riders securing their best results in the first moto. With Febvre fifth and Tonkov sixth the 250f mounted duo then went on to place ninth and 12th in the second race.
Dean Ferris: “It’s been a great GP for me and the team. Sweden was disappointing – I was battling with the flu there. I wasn’t able to spend any time on a bike testing coming into the race in Finland, and it took me a while to find a good set-up on Saturday. But both of the races went really well. I was second off the start in the first moto and stayed with the leaders for a while. I stalled my bike once when a small rock got stuck in the front sprocket, but a seventh place result was pretty good. The second moto was great, but tough for me. I’m still coming back form my injuries and fighting off the tail end of the flu – I gave everything I had. My start wasn’t as good but I pushed hard and got into a good rhythm. The battle for third to sixth was really close, so to know that I was fighting for a podium despite feeling really tired was great. I know I’ll be in better shape for the next GP, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Nathan Watson: “Qualifying went great for me, I was pretty shocked that I’d got the fourth fastest time. That gave me a good gate pick for my qualifying race, which went ok. I made a mistake in the whoops, and finished ninth. I was hoping to get at least one top-10 result this weekend, but it didn’t quite happen. I still learned a lot and really enjoyed the experience of working with the team again. The track was really rough, especially as it dried out. I got an average start to the first moto, and finished 11th. I was with the guys in 10th and ninth, but I just couldn’t get ahead of them. I was feeling it in the second race, the track was so rough then. I ended up 12th, which was pretty, but just to have completed another GP and finished both motos is a real positive for me.”
HRC Report
After a tough day yesterday, Max Nagl came out fighting on race day in Finland aboard his CRF450RW and a second position overall was within reach until the closing laps of the second race.
In race one, Max made a good start and was in second position into the first corner, and continued in third for much of the race. It the closing stages he was embroiled in a battle with Steven Frossard who just edged ahead across the line, leaving Max fourth.
As the day progressed, the soft sand of the Hyvinkaa track became ever more rutted and rough, and with it increasingly physical and technically demanding.
In race two, Max made another great start and was again lying second into turn one. As the race progressed, the German star found himself in third, fighting with Shaun Simpson for second – second or third would have ensured another visit to the podium since his return from injury only three Grands Prix ago.
Unfortunately, as the track became rougher it became more punishing on the riders and demanded more of them physically, and indeed several fell foul of the conditions and crashed. Locked in battles to the finish, Max was edged down to seventh in the final two laps as he found himself feeling the effects of missing almost two months of training, riding and racing. His combined results meant he finished the MXGP of Finland fifth overall; denied a podium that for most of today was firmly within grasp.
Max Nagl No.12 – “In the end I am disappointed to throw away the podium. I’m not happy about today. I had a good start in the first race, got into third and then could keep it for almost all race but right at the end I got passed by Frossard because I had no energy left. I didn’t want to be completely finished and I wanted to have something left for the second heat. In the second race I had again a good start but then I was stuck behind Shaun Simpson and I couldn’t find the way to pass him. The speed was not high enough and then I lost the rhythm and got passed by the other guys at the end because I was too tired. I made a mistake because I did not have anything left to fight back. Overall I’m not happy with myself today.”
Keisuke Inomoto Team HRC Team Principal – “I can say there are some good points and some bad points from this weekend. Good: in both races Max had good starts, for most of the races his pace was good and he was near the front, close to another podium, and our bike is good. Bad points: towards the end of both races Max had no energy and especially in the second race lost positions and ultimately the podium, so this race management is a point we need to improve on.”
Roger Harvey HRC General Manager – MXGP – “In general, it’s a really disappointing result for Max and the team because it could have and should have been second today. The starts were a big positive from the weekend as they were good in both races from Max, but we suffered the lasting effects of his injury from earlier in the season. Here on a hard track like this that got very rough and technical, you recognise that he hasn’t been riding and can’t push as hard as he’d like to. What it all boils down to is that he missed that time on the bike when he was recovering. It’s the same as we were talking about earlier in the year with Bobby. He’s done three races now since returning and in that time he’s taken a race win in Germany, a third in one race in Sweden and a fourth today. Normally sand conditions like these suit him, and to be honest for the majority of the races today he was looking strong and continuing his podium form, but he just wasn’t able to make the moves he needed to.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe Report
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Julien Lieber raced to seventh overall in today’s World MX2 round in Finland aboard his RM-Z250.
Around 17,000 spectators enjoyed some sunshine and warm temperatures at Hyvinkää today and the pebbly and hard-packed sand of the circuit, 50km north of Helsinki, brought the FIM Motocross World Championship up to round 13 of 17 as team-mate Jeremy Seewer was also effective and made his way to 11th after minimal preparation in this typical of terrain.
Hyvinkää presented a short, narrow (and often fast) layout but the sand carved into a litter of bumps and holes increasing the technical demands of the terrain. A hard base meant that the course was slippery at times and it was easy for riders to be caught-out by the slight ‘hybrid’ status of the circuit.
The Suzuki team-mates had a late tussle towards the end of the first moto for mid-top-10 positions with Seewer continually trying to close the distance to the exhaust heat haze of the ‘#33’ machine. The time difference at the finish-line was just over a second as Lieber secured seventh place and Seewer was just behind.
The second race again saw Lieber fulfil the role of protagonist: He circulated just inside the top-10 but at mid-race distance leapt up two slots to eighth; which is where he stood passing the chequered flag. Seewer was not far away but slowed his pace towards the end of the moto as his legs and arms felt the force of trying to conquer the surface. The Swiss was 11th.
The Finnish Grand Prix brought junior talent Gianluca Facchetti into the fold. Steering the RM85 Suzuki, the promising Italian took up residence in the team awning and delivered a seventh position in the first European Championship race and followed that with a fifth on Sunday morning. The youngster ended the day with fifth place overall.
The FIM World Championship is coming closer to the end of its European phase of the calendar. With four rounds remaining Seewer is 10th in the standings in his first full MX2 season while Lieber is 12th.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe will have the fourth round of the ADAC MX Masters German Championship at Tensfeld to consider next weekend before then making the relatively-short trip to Loket for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic on July 27th.
Julien Lieber: “I don’t feel so good about today. Normally on these kinds of tracks I do well but today…I don’t know. My starts were not there and on the first laps I had to push a lot. It meant that in the last laps I felt very tired and couldn’t hold the bike any more. I’m not so happy about this. I had to push much harder than the other riders and it led to mistakes. Seventh and eighth is not so bad but I feel it could have been better.”
Jeremy Seewer: “Not so bad. Yesterday I struggled on the track. My speed was OK but I was making a lot of mistakes and I wasn’t so happy with the suspension set-up. It was a rough day and I was lacking practice time in the sand as we had no time to get to Belgium to ride and then travel to Finland. My start in the first race was pretty good. I was fifth but it was a strange and risky first corner because the riders on the outside were hitting the wall and coming back right into your path. I lost a couple of positions but stayed smooth with a really good rhythm and finished 10th. Two guys were then penalised and I gained two positions to eighth; pretty easy to move another two places while you are sitting in the truck!
“My start was better in the second moto and I was riding well but towards the end I could feel my muscles starting to ache because you always had to pick the bike up over the bumps. I slowed down because I did not want to crash here. I kept quiet and took 11th I think overall it is not a top-10 result but this track was tough for a Swiss guy and I know what I need to work on to be better.”
Rocktar Energy Suzuki
Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Kevin Strijbos put in a hard-fought-for podium position and comeback in today’s second race of the World MXGP Championship in Finland from the back of the field after a poor start.
The Grand Prix of Finland, in the shallow and stony sand of Hyvinkää, was the setting of the 2014 FIM Motocross World Championship’s 13th round of 17 and saw the Belgian defy fatigue and mediocre starts to surge to his sixth podium result of the year across one of the most difficult tracks seen so far on the calendar.
The Belgian used his works RM-Z450 Suzuki to place fifth and fourth in two motos – run in cloudy and warm conditions – and in front of 17,000 spectators. Strijbos was alone in the Suzuki awning this weekend after team-mate Clement Desalle was unable to travel to Finland in the wake of pain and the repercussions of his start-straight crash in the second moto in Sweden the previous weekend.
The ‘#22’ altered the setting of his race bike on Sunday after an unsuccessful experimentation with suspension on Saturday and seventh spot in the qualification heat. On Sunday afternoon Strijbos didn’t make the best of starts in the first moto and then couldn’t forge much of a difference to the rear wheel of Max Nagl; eventually crossing the finish line over five seconds behind the German. In the second moto – and after having altered his set-up again, reverting back to the set-up used when last in the sand in Valkenswaard – he unveiled an astonishing performance: He completely fluffed his getaway from the line and was down in 22nd position on the first lap. From there he conserved his energy and ploughed a course all the way back to fourth position, almost nicking third from Shaun Simpson on the final corner.
With 13 rounds now chalked-off the calendar Desalle is third in the MXGP standings with Strijbos 46 points behind in fourth. After back-to-back trips to northern Europe the FIM series now takes a break. Round 14 will take place on July 27th across the hard-pack of Loket for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic.
Kevin Strijbos: “It was very hard work out there. I didn’t feel good all weekend. I lacked power and strength. After the first race I was completely dead; I felt like I had raced three motos. I missed the gate-drop and was totally last. I knew I needed to play it safe at the beginning and try to save some energy for the end. That’s what I did and by pushing hard in the last few laps I was still able to take a podium and I’m happy for that. The team told me going into the final lap that I had to pass Ferris for the podium so that’s what I did.”
Kawasaki Report
Steven Frossard took second place for the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team in the Finnish round of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship at the rugged Hyvinkää track.
Earlier in his career the burly Frenchman was not at his best on such rough, sandy tracks but the combination of hard work by the rider himself and the technical expertise of the KRT staff have transformed him into a formidable rival on all types of track. Steven was let down by his start in the qualification race, but significant alterations to the personal set-up overnight ensured that he was able to battle with the leaders from the fall of the gate in each moto. Setting the fastest lap of the first race, he converted an initial fifth position into a third placed finish, and was even stronger in race two as he charged up the leaderboard to an early second place, only to stall the motor and be forced to recover once more from sixth place to take the chequered flag second in moto and consequently second overall in the Grand Prix. The 42 points earn on the day have also lifted the Frenchman to fifth place in the championship standings with four rounds remaining.
Steven Frossard: “Saturday was not so good as I qualified only in eleventh position, but this morning I practised a lot of starts and finally we found a solution. My starts were much better today, and I gave everything to get this podium with two strong races. The second one was tough as I stalled the engine when I was in second; I thought that the engine was damaged but I could start it again when I tried; I lost time so I fell back to sixth place, but I came back strongly to finish second. I even surprised myself today, as in each race after twenty minutes I felt very strong physically while most of my rivals had some troubles; I could pass some guys in the last ten minutes of both motos even though for me the toughest track we had this season. It’s so nice to do two strong races, this year my main problem has been inconsistency but today I showed what I can do in the MXGP class. I have been waiting for this podium for more than two years so I’m so happy to finally get it.”
A misunderstanding cost second place for Dylan Ferrandis of CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy in the Finnish round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Hyvinkää.
The 20 year old French youngster finished second in both motos of the Finnish GP, but a penalty imposed by officials at the end of the opening race cost him both an overall podium finish on the day and third place in the championship standings. The misunderstanding arose on the second lap of racing as Dylan arrived unsighted on the scene of an accident at the start of the race. One rider was still being treated by medical staff on the track but, although the race leader had a clear view of the scene and immediately slowed to respect the yellow warning flags, Ferrandis and one other rider were each initially unsighted and had swept past the race leader before they realised the situation. Ferrandis immediately slowed and even allowed the previous leader to repass him, but officials declined to accept his explanation and he was penalised ten places in the classification. Despite sweeping from an initial tenth place to again finish second the combined results gave him fourth overall on the day and he remains fourth in the championship standings, thirteen points behind third.
Thomas Covington was restricted to twenty-second gate pick after hitting the startgate during qualification, and the consequent handicap proved costly for his chances of scoring points even though the young American had quickly adapted to the demanding sandy track. He eventually failed to finish either race, but remains positive that he will benefit from his experiences this season when he again contests the World Championship next year.
Tommy Searle once again had little luck in the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship- The English rider again struggled with his starts and, despite setting the fastest laps in the field at some stage of each race, had to be satisfied with just nineteen points as reward for a fine day’s riding. He advanced from twelfth to sixth place in the opening moto and was optimistic of advancing even higher in the second race but an incident in which he landed on the stricken bike of another rider who had crashed on the blind side of a jump caused him also to fall. Recovering to thirteenth at the chequered flag, he was subsequently penalised one minute, costing four places, as the silencer of his machine had been damaged in the collision.
Dylan Ferrandis: “ We worked on the settings of the bike with Bruno Losito when we came here, and Saturday was good with a strong qualifying race as I finished second. Today I got a good start in the first race and after one lap I was in third behind Herlings and Butron when we came on the final jump; Herlings saw a yellow flag as there was a crash, but behind him we didn’t see this flag. Herlings lifted a hand, we thought that he had some mechanical problem and passed him, but when I saw that he came back behind him I let him pass, as it seemed strange for me. Then I spend a lot of time and energy to pass Butron to eventually finish second but after the end of the race I was informed that the Race Director had penalised me ten places. We went to explain the situation but they didn’t want to change anything, so I lost this second place. In the second moto I was tenth at the start, but once again I recovered to second and showed that I was the fastest rider behind Herlings this weekend.”
Thomas Covington: “ I had some bad luck this weekend; it seemed as though everything was going well but in the end everything went wrong. I felt really good on the bike, the suspension was working really well and I hope that I can have the same feeling on the other tracks. I was on the outside as I hit the gate on Saturday and qualified only in twenty-second position; from there it was impossible to get a good start and that was important this weekend. In the second race I braked and tried to cut inside, but later I had a crash and damaged the throttle. The track was fun and I enjoyed riding here; I will continue to work hard and the experience of all these races will help me to be stronger next year.”
Tommy Searle:” In both races today I had very bad starts, but the first race ended OK as I recovered from eighteenth to sixth; I had really fast lap times, but when I got through to sixth the leading group was far away. Then in the second race I had another bad start. My lap times again were good but I couldn’t avoid the bike of a rider who had crashed after a jump; I crashed too and again my riding was good but I was so far behind when I rejoined the race. Like every weekend I had the speed to get good results, but with bad starts it’s hard to come back to the front.”
