With thousands of passionate motocross fans swarming the spectator zones here in Arco di Trento, the electricity of round four of the FIM Motocross World Championship was almost as exceptional as the intensity of the racing. Boisterous Italians waved their flags and made as much noise as possible as a sign of admiration for the athletes of MXGP’s series with Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings both claiming victories in their respective categories.
MXGP
It was a fantastic day for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World with both Belgian riders Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos finally banking scores that have been a long time coming. One of the biggest MXGP title challengers Clement Desalle got the race win he’s been aiming for since the start of the season, which combined with his second place finish in moto one, landed him on top of the box. Meanwhile his teammate Kevin Strijbos rounded off the podium in third with a fifth in race one and a third in race two to make the podium a complete Belgian affair.
Fellow Belgian Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek has quickly become a podium regular and genuine challenger for the title this year. Despite having a few hairy moments, dodging a bullet when Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev went down on a jump right in front of him, the Belgian didn’t slow down pushing right to the checkers to finish second overall.
Team HRC’s Max Nagl is proving to be that fourth place guy. While a podium would look much better on paper, Nagl is an MXGP veteran and knows first hand, consistency pays off in the long run.
Although the weekend didn’t go to plan for the seven-time FIM Motocross World Champion Antonio Cairoli as he ended the day in fifth overall, the Italian was definitely a winner in the eyes of the public as they lead him around every lap of the track with a massive roaring Mexican Wave. When asked how he felt about the weekend the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider responded “I made too many mistakes myself, I was last on the start in race one and then in race two I crashed, then I got going again and found my lines and my rhythm and then I fell down again. For sure I wanted to win, but it’s not always possible. Anyway, it’s OK, I know the championship is long and fifth is still OK for the championship”.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin was fired up in race one. After only qualifying eighth yesterday, the Frenchman’s choice of gate was taken by riders that qualified in front of him twice before the start of the race. Clearly it added to his determination as he hauled out of the gate to take his third consecutive Fox Holeshot and then went on to lead the race from start to finish for his second race win of the season. Meanwhile in race two, it appeared to be a repeat performance as he took yet another holeshot. After stretching out a gap of three seconds only three laps in, bad luck struck and a technical problem with his bike forced him out of the race. Nonetheless, he still finished sixth overall for the day.
Unfortunately in MXGP race one, yesterday’s top qualifier Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Steven Frossard came together with team mate Gautier Paulin in a battle for the lead on lap one, which resulted in Frossard going down hard. The Frenchman had a concussion and was attended to by the excellent medical crew and then taken to hospital for further examination. Youthstream wishes Steven a fast and full recovery and looks forward to seeing back on the track soon.
While many of the Italian fans missed seeing CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Alessandro Lupino in the MX2 as he made the jump to MXGP this weekend, they were still proud of efforts with his MXGP debut resulting in twelfth overall. Meanwhile fellow Italian TM Ricci Racing’s Davide Guarneri also kept the fans happy with a steady ninth in total.
MXGP RACE 1 (20 laps = 33.200 Km)
- PAULIN, Gautier / FRA / Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki / 35:15.959
- DESALLE, Clement / BEL / Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP / Suzuki / 35:18.269
- VAN HOREBEEK, Jeremy / BEL / Yamaha Factory Racing / Yamaha / 35:20.575
- NAGL, Maximilian / GER / Team HRC / Honda / 35:24.098
- STRIJBOS, Kevin / BEL / Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP / Suzuki / 35:25.785
- CAIROLI, Antonio / ITA / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 35:29.379
- BOBRYSHEV, Evgeny / RUS / Team HRC / Honda / 35:42.830
- ROELANTS, Joel / BEL / J-Race Racing Team / Honda / 36:07.720
- GUARNERI, Davide / ITA / TM Ricci Racing / TM / 36:09.364
- BOOG, Xavier / FRA / 24MX Honda Racing / Honda / 36:12.900
- PHILIPPAERTS, David / ITA / DP19 Racing Yamaha / Yamaha / 36:19.206
- SIMPSON, Shaun / GBR / HM Plant KTM UK / KTM / 36:25.593
- KARRO, Matiss / LAT / Wilvo Forkrent KTM / KTM / 36:25.948
- WATERS, Todd / AUS / Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory racing / Husqvarna / 36:29.468
- NICHOLLS, Jake / GBR / Wilvo Forkrent KTM / KTM / 36:39.363
- RATTRAY, Tyla / RSA / Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory racing / Husqvarna / 36:42.529
- LUPINO, Alessandro / ITA / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MXGP / Kawasaki / 36:43.212
- GONCALVES, Rui / POR / Bike It Yamaha Cosworth / Yamaha / 36:54.706
- ULLRICH, Dennis / GER / KTM Sarholz / KTM / 36:57.216
- THURESSON, Filip / SWE / 24MX Honda Racing / Honda / 37:06.331
Fastest Lap: CAIROLI, Antonio; 1:43.393 in lap 10 with 57.799 Km/h
MXGP RACE 2 (19 laps = 31.540 Km)
- DESALLE, Clement / BEL / Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP / Suzuki / 33:49.752
- VAN HOREBEEK, Jeremy / BEL / Yamaha Factory Racing / Yamaha / 33:50.553
- STRIJBOS, Kevin / BEL / Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP / Suzuki / 33:51.355
- CAIROLI, Antonio / ITA / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 34:00.865
- NAGL, Maximilian / GER / Team HRC / Honda / 34:24.147
- SIMPSON, Shaun / GBR / HM Plant KTM UK / KTM / 34:38.189
- WATERS, Todd / AUS / Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory racing / Husqvarna / 34:38.925
- LUPINO, Alessandro / ITA / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MXGP / Kawasaki / 34:40.049
- NICHOLLS, Jake / GBR / Wilvo Forkrent KTM / KTM / 34:42.952
- BOOG, Xavier / FRA / 24MX Honda Racing / Honda / 34:48.807
- GUARNERI, Davide / ITA / TM Ricci Racing / TM / 34:56.514
- POTISEK, Milko / FRA / Team 2B Yamaha / Yamaha / 35:00.515
- GONCALVES, Rui / POR / Bike It Yamaha Cosworth / Yamaha / 35:04.162
- KARRO, Matiss / LAT / Wilvo Forkrent KTM / KTM / 35:06.659
- LEOK, Tanel / EST / TM Ricci Racing / TM / 35:07.249
- BRAKKE, Herjan / NED / HB Gebben Kawasaki Team / Kawasaki / 35:30.684
- THURESSON, Filip / SWE / 24MX Honda Racing / Honda / 35:46.950
- PHILIPPAERTS, David / ITA / DP19 Racing Yamaha / Yamaha / 33:50.500
- ROELANTS, Joel / BEL / J-Race Racing Team / Honda / 33:51.584
- GERCAR, Klemen / SLO / Honda Jtech / Honda / 33:54.523
Fastest Lap: CAIROLI, Antonio; 1:44.508 in lap 5 with 57.182 Km/h
MXGP Overall top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 47 points; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 42 p.; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 36 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 34 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 25 p.; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 24 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, HON), 22 p.; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), 22 p.; 10. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 21 p
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS: 1 CAIROLI, Antonio 175, 2 DESALLE, Clement 158, 3 VAN HOREBEEK, Jeremy 154, 4 NAGL, Maximilian 144, 5 PAULIN, Gautier 137, 6 STRIJBOS, Kevin 109, 7 WATERS, Todd 89, 8 BOBRYSHEV, Evgeny 81, 9 ROELANTS, Joel 76, 10 SIMPSON, Shaun 72, 11 BOOG, Xavier 71, 12 FROSSARD, Steven 68, 13 GUARNERI, Davide 67, 14 GONCALVES, Rui 64, 15 NICHOLLS, Jake 50, 16 PHILIPPAERTS, David 49, 17 KARRO, Matiss 43, 18 LEOK, Tanel 36, 19 SEARLE, Tommy 29, 20 LUPINO, Alessandro 17.
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings had to use every piece of real estate on the circuit of Arco di Trento today as he battled his way forward from two very average starts to take a win in race one and a second in race two for the MX2 Grand Prix of Trentino overall. In the press conference Jeffrey said, “my speed is not good but my fitness is good, I’m just missing hours on the bike, I’m not feeling good at all which gives the other guys a bit of a chance, but I will still come back strong.”
Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Arnaud Tonus put in a strong effort today in Arco with a second in race one and a third in race two after banging bars with arch rival Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings. The combination of a 2 – 3 result left Tonus second overall for the day which was enough to hold on to the red plate with a lead of six points over Glenn Coldenhoff.
Meanwhile Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff proved he is a solid contender for this title when he got off to a great start and put the pass on a super confident Valentin Guillod to take over the lead. Although he only got eighth in race one thanks to a bad start in which he agreed “I got a bad start and I just couldn’t find good lines to make passes”, the Dutchman bounced back in the second race for his second victory of the year. His combined 8 – 1 result left him in third overall for the day.
There must be something in the water in Switzerland with Standing Construct KTM’s Valentin Guillod being the second Swiss rider inside the top five. After taking pole position in qualifying yesterday, Guillod lined up today and ripped two Fox holeshots. The young Swiss who was last year’s European EMX250 champion then went on to lead laps in both races, with a fall in race one hindering what could have been his first podium finish of the year. Nevertheless, Guillod bounced back in race one to take fourth and backed that up with another fourth in race two for fourth overall.
Rounding out the top five Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre is still continuing to move forward. With a seventh in race one and a fifth in race two Febvre rounded finished fifth and moved up to fourth in the MX2 championship overall.
Australia’s Luke Styke carded 13th and 16th places in the motos and is 20th in the MX2 Championship.
MX2 RACE 1 (19 laps = 31.540 Km)
- HERLINGS, Jeffrey / NED / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 33:54.254
- TONUS, Arnaud / SUI / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MX2 / Kawasaki / 33:57.072
- GAJSER, Tim / SLO / Honda Gariboldi / Honda / 34:05.531
- GUILLOD, Valentin / SUI / Standing Construct KTM / KTM / 34:07.442
- SEEWER, Jeremy / SUI / Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe / Suzuki / 34:14.306
- TIXIER, Jordi / FRA / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 34:16.269
- FEBVRE, Romain / FRA / Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing / Husqvarna / 34:19.042
- COLDENHOFF, Glenn / NED / Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe / Suzuki / 34:19.393
- BUTRON, Jose / ESP / KTM Silver Action / KTM / 34:30.559
- FERRANDIS, Dylan / FRA / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MX2 / Kawasaki / 34:34.777
- DESPREY, Maxime / FRA / Honda Jtech / Honda / 34:45.850
- JONASS, Pauls / LAT / Marchetti Racing Team KTM / KTM / 34:49.810
- STYKE, Luke / AUS / Kemea Yamaha Racing Team / Yamaha / 35:01.501
- TONKOV, Aleksandr / RUS / Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing / Husqvarna / 35:04.783
- KULLAS, Harri / FIN / Sahkar KTM Racing / KTM / 35:05.476
- JUSTS, Roberts / LAT / Latvia – Husqvarna Racing / Husqvarna / 35:06.381
- MALLET, Simon / FRA / / Honda / 35:16.218
- GRAULUS, Damon / BEL / Standing Construct KTM / KTM / 35:17.662
- BOGERS, Brian / NED / / KTM / 35:26.302
- HJORTMARKER, Eddie / SWE / CEC I.S. Racing / KTM / 35:29.909
Fastest Lap: TONUS, Arnaud; 1:44.467 in lap 14 with 57.205 Km/h
MX2 RACE 2 (19 laps = 31.540 Km)
- COLDENHOFF, Glenn / NED / Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe / Suzuki / 34:08.866
- HERLINGS, Jeffrey / NED / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 34:11.653
- TONUS, Arnaud / SUI / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MX2 / Kawasaki / 34:13.221
- GUILLOD, Valentin / SUI / Standing Construct KTM / KTM / 34:28.163
- FEBVRE, Romain / FRA / Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing / Husqvarna / 34:36.771
- TIXIER, Jordi / FRA / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 34:40.091
- BUTRON, Jose / ESP / KTM Silver Action / KTM / 34:42.409
- TONKOV, Aleksandr / RUS / Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing / Husqvarna / 34:52.687
- SEEWER, Jeremy / SUI / Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe / Suzuki / 34:53.763
- PETROV, Petar / BUL / Kemea Yamaha Racing Team / Yamaha / 35:00.170
- GAJSER, Tim / SLO / Honda Gariboldi / Honda / 35:02.059
- POCOCK, Mel / GBR / HM Plant KTM UK / KTM / 35:17.527
- DESPREY, Maxime / FRA / Honda Jtech / Honda / 35:27.358
- ANSTIE, Max / GBR / Bike It Yamaha Cosworth / Yamaha / 35:29.048
- KULLAS, Harri / FIN / Sahkar KTM Racing / KTM / 35:29.113
- STYKE, Luke / AUS / Kemea Yamaha Racing Team / Yamaha / 35:37.223
- GRAULUS, Damon / BEL / Standing Construct KTM / KTM / 35:38.053
- BOGERS, Brian / NED / / KTM / 35:47.904
- MALLET, Simon / FRA / / Honda / 35:48.587
- COVINGTON, Thomas / USA / Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MX2 / Kawasaki / 35:50.257
Fastest Lap: COLDENHOFF, Glenn; 1:45.516 in lap 9 with 56.636 Km/h
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 42 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 38 p.; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 30 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 30 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 28 p.; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 26 p.; 10. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 20 p
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS: 1 TONUS, Arnaud 154, 2 COLDENHOFF, Glenn 148, 3 HERLINGS, Jeffrey 144, 4 FEBVRE, Romain 126, 5 FERRANDIS, Dylan 118, 6 TIXIER, Jordi 107, 7 TONKOV, Aleksandr 107, 8 BUTRON, Jose 100, 9 GUILLOD, Valentin 95, 10 GAJSER, Tim 93, 11 ANSTIE, Max 84, 12 SEEWER, Jeremy 75, 13 LUPINO, Alessandro 55, 14 POCOCK, Mel 46, 15 PETROV, Petar 42, 16 DESPREY, Maxime 40, 17 COVINGTON, Thomas 38, 18 CHARLIER, Christophe 32, 19 LIEBER, Julien 32, 20 STYKE, Luke 27.
Womens Motocross Championship
It was an up and down weekend of racing for Kawasaki Australia’s Meghan Rutledge at the 2nd round of the 2014 FIM Women’s World MX Championship at Trentino, Italy on the weekend with a moto win and a race disqualification.
19 year old Meghan Rutledge from Picton, NSW was literally on top of the world heading to Trentino, Italy for the 2nd round of the FIM WMX Championship. After winning both both motos at the series opener in Qatar, her KX250F took to the track in Italy wearing coveted red plates.
Meghan managed to qualify in 2nd place setting herself up for a good gate pick. In the first moto on Saturday, Meghan grabbed the hole-shot and never looked back, leading the entire race to take the win.
Meghan grabbed the hole-shot again in Sunday’s race 2 and looked set for back to back moto wins once again however she crashed mid-race behind a lapped rider. Unfortunately a flag marshal assisted her remount which is against rules and stripped her of any points she would have earned for the moto.
Meghan Rutledge ended up finishing the round in 9th place and slipped to 3rd place overall in the championship standings, just 5 points shy of the new leader.
A disappointed Meghan Rutledge say’s, “I’m so happy with how I’m riding but so disappointed with the disqualification. I felt good all weekend but went down in a big way in the second moto. I was trying to tell the flag marshal not to assist me, I just wanted to roll down the hill to get started again but there was definitely a language barrier in the way. He meant well but I was disqualified so I’m very disappointed. You don’t know how hungry I am to make up for this at Valkenswaard ”.
The 3rd of 6 rounds within the 2014 FIM Women’s MX World Championship takes place in The Netherlands on May 4th.
WMX Race 1 top ten: 1. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), 25:00.375; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:04.899; 3. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:09.134; 4. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +0:17.193; 5. Stephanie Laier (GER, Suzuki), +0:42.051; 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:55.748; 7. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +0:59.361; 8. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +1:11.352; 9. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:30.820; 10. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki)
WMX Race 2 top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 24:57.236; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, Suzuki), +0:04.342; 3. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +0:04.743; 4. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +0:30.768; 5. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:40.196; 6. Marianne Veenstra (NED, Husqvarna), +0:48.048; 7. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:50.427; 8. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:51.477; 9. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:07.304; 10. Julie Dalgaard (DEN, Yamaha), +1:12.536
WMX Overall top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 45 points; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, SUZ), 38 p.; 3. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 38 p.; 5. Francesca Nocera (ITA, SUZ), 32 p.; 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 29 p.; 7. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 26 p.; 8. Marianne Veenstra (NED, HUS), 25 p.; 9. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25 p.; 10. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 23 p.
WMX World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 80 points; 2. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 78 p.; 3. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 75 p.; 4. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 74 p.; 5. Stephanie Laier (GER, SUZ), 72 p.; 6. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 60 p.; 7. Francesca Nocera (ITA, SUZ), 60 p.; 8. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 58 p.; 9. Marianne Veenstra (NED, HUS), 47 p.; 10. Justine Charroux (FRA, YAM), 42 p.
WMX Manufacturer: 1. Kawasaki, 91 points; 2. Yamaha, 83 p.; 3. KTM, 80 p.; 4. Suzuki, 72 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 47 p.; 6. Honda, 3 p.;
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Report
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe encountered a big and buoyant crowd at Arco di Trento for the Grand Prix of Trentino and the first European round of the 2014 FIM Motocross World Championship as Glenn Coldenhoff again put his works RM-Z250 in the mix by taking third position overall and his third podium result in a row – after racing to victory in the second moto.
In cool but bright conditions, 25,000 fans packed into the small spectator zones around the slick but immensely-bumpy Italian hard-pack as MXGP thundered into life in the shadow of the epic mountains alongside.
Team-mate Jeremy Seewer also maintained his superb progress in MX2 with his best result to-date and actually fought for the lead in the first moto of 30 minutes and two-laps duration.
Arco was a head-scratcher for the riders. The presence of four racing classes around the short and busy layout created a choppy and unsettling terrain and the curving nature of the track meant that overtaking was not an easy task for the multitude of MX2 racers setting similar lap-times. The team came to Italy fresh after back-to-back podium finishes and with Coldenhoff just two points away from the championship top-spot.
The Dutchman took to the start gate with the 13th-pick after becoming tangled in a first-corner pile-up during the MX2 Qualification Heat that saw him having to come through the pack from last position. It was a scenario he did not repeat for the first moto sprint of 30 minutes and two-laps on Sunday although the former GP winner did have his work cut-out. He pushed through from the lower regions of the top-10 and although he relegated Romain Febvre to take seventh on the last lap, an off-track excursion was costly and he rolled-over the finish-line back in eighth spot. A few technical changes to the bike were beneficial for ‘#259’ in the second moto as he tussled with Valentin Guillod for the lead and then set a pace to pull clear of the Swiss and register his second career chequered flag in as many meetings.
Coldenhoff is now just six points off the lead in the MX2 FIM World Championship.
A small slip in the qualification heat meant that Jeremy Seewer missed-out on a potential top-five slot but nonetheless entered the gate with an encouraging seventh place. The Swiss was electric in the first moto and was part of a multi-rider group jostling for podium places. The ‘#91’ was even disputing the lead at one point and looked comfortable marking lap-times to set the pace. In the second half of the moto he eased his rhythm to ensure a decent finish and collected fifth at the line. Later in the afternoon Seewer was at it again in the top 10 and only some hesitation in his battle with Mel Pocock prevented the youngster from rising higher than ninth. Seewer was eighth overall and is 12th in the MX2 points table after just four events as a full-time member of the field.
Julien Lieber suffered a crash on Saturday and his subsequent DNF meant he was last into gate on Sunday; a significant disadvantage for the GP motos. From this setback the young Belgian again hit the deck in the first affair and had to pull-out with a significant amount of damage to his RM-Z250. He also required six stitches to a wound around his knee and ‘#33’ was forced to abstain from the second race.
The distinctive yellow and black team awning was full of a different sound this weekend as Brian Hsu fired-up his RM125 for the first round of eight in the European EMX125 competition. The teenager – in his second season in the class – was fourth overall with finishes of 10th and second.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe will head directly to Bulgaria now for the fifth Grand Prix of 18 on the 2014 slate. The following week they will have a respite from international duty but will begin its domestic campaign with the first round of eight in the German ADAC MX Masters series at Drehna.
Glenn Coldenhoff: “Good to be back on the podium again. Especially with that first moto result. I had a bad start and the track was very one-line then. I was a bit too slow in the first 10 minutes and by the time I picked-it-up, I missed some momentum to make the passes. I finished eighth. The team suggested some set-up changes and I didn’t really agree but they paid off; so I’m really happy those guys are behind me. I followed Guillod until I could see that he would slow down a little bit. I took the lead and held it to the finish line.”
Jeremy Seewer: “For sure this was another step forward. Yesterday I was already good with the starts and the speed. The first moto was one of the best of my career! I almost got the holeshot and led half the lap; right at the front of the MX2 world championship. In the end I took fifth which was pretty good and my best result yet. The second moto was a bit of a disaster with people swapping gates on the line. I had to switch mine three times, which was not normal. My speed was good again but I lost ground in the beginning of the race as I battled with Pocock. Next time I should pass quicker. I’m already looking forward to the next GP.”
Thomas Ramsbacher – Team Manager: “Julien didn’t have much luck today and needed to get a cut cleaned on his leg which meant he didn’t race the second moto. He is doing all that he can to come back strong and show some of that speed he demonstrated at Qatar in the beginning of the season. It was the first race for Brian this weekend in the EMX125 series and his pace was there in what is a competitive class this year. He’ll build on this for better in Bulgaria.”
Rockstar Energy Suzuki
Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Clement Desalle won today’s Italian MXGP at Trentino in Italy for round four of 18 in the FIM Motocross World Championship.
It was the Belgian’s first victory of the season in front of 25,000 European spectators hungry for their first taste of high-level motocross action in 2014.
Desalle was faultless on the toughest racing surface of the year so far and his results of second and first in the two motos on the RM-Z450 led to a convincing success; his first since the 2013 British Grand Prix.
Joining him on the MXGP box was team-mate Kevin Strijbos; the Belgian earning his first silverware of 2014 for an emphatic weekend overall for the Lommel-based factory crew.
After trips to Qatar, Thailand and Brazil, the Arco Di Trento circuit in northern Italy was the first location to see MXGP land in Europe and – for the second year in a row – the riders found a tight, windy, slippery and difficult layout. The Italian hard-pack was unforgiving in the bumps and concrete ruts that formed through the weekend (and with European and WMX series on the support card) and the compact nature of the track, meant hectic and bustling first-laps where the starting prowess of the riders largely dictated the order of the top-five.
Using 2015 RM-Z450 engine power as well as a new chassis, Desalle was able to find traction and confidence in these trying race conditions. He followed Gautier Paulin in the first moto and set-up the first result of the day with a largely unchallenged run. The second race was tremendously exciting as mistakes by the likes of Jeremy Van Horebeek and Tony Cairoli, not to mention a mechanical problem by Paulin, saw four riders disputing first place. It was Desalle who held firm and his first chequered flag of 2014 led to a maiden triumph of the campaign.
Strijbos was optimistic for Sunday despite a difficult qualification race on Saturday where the veteran was searching for optimum set-up. He was able to reach the top-five in the first moto, just without the extra-speed to make the difference and threaten the top four. Strijbos withheld an attack from Tony Cairoli in the final stages and repeated the feat ahead of the World Champion in the second moto to log third position. It was a vindication of the former championship runner-up’s belief after some testing Grands Prix so far in 2014.
The results in Italy today mean that Desalle now retains 158 points in the MXGP World Championship standings; a gap of 17 to Cairoli and a gap of four over Van Horebeek. Strijbos is sixth.
There is little pause this week for the Belgian Factory team as the Grand Prix of Bulgaria will see the paddock reunite in Sevlievo on Friday. Round five will take place at the steep and fast circuit (more hard-pack soil) for the final GP event in April and before trips to Holland, Spain and the UK in May.
Clement Desalle: “I came here relaxed and had a good feeling on the track. The races were good and I had some decent starts. I was second throughout the first moto and it was hard to make the difference here. I came back on Gautier Paulin sometimes, but would make some small mistakes to lose some time; it went like that all the way through. It was easy to make a mistake on this track but I’m really happy with how it worked out today. The season did not start how I expected but I was feeling better in Thailand. I don’t have pain in my shoulder and feel good on the Suzuki. I don’t know if I am 100% yet but I am close.”
Kevin Strijbos: “I had two good races today despite the fact that it was far from easy; I struggled to find my rhythm and speed on this track. I made two good starts and put my head down in both motos. I’m happy I am on the podium. After the last GP we changed some stuff and I was riding a bit more; all that work has paid off.”
Yamaha Report
Three out of four for Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek as the Belgian again coated his works YZ450FM with podium champagne in the FIM Motocross World Championship. The 2013 Motocross of Nations team winner ran to second position overall at a busy Arco di Trento circuit in northern Italy today for the Grand Prix of Trentino and the fourth round of eighteen in the MXGP fixture list.
As with Grands Prix in Qatar, Thailand and Brazil, Van Horebeek was one of the leading protagonists in the premier class and with third and second positions today in front of a 25,000 crowd at the first European stop on the ’14 calendar, JVH is third and now just 21 points from the top of the MXGP standings.
Arco presented the most arduous racing challenge of the season so far. The short and winding hard-pack layout was littered with bumps, ripples and unsettling lumps. Riders were constantly searching for traction and any small mistake cost valuable ground across a terrain that was tricky for passing and shrinking time differences to rivals.
Van Horebeek was fast and regular with his lap-times and might have been in contention for his first MXGP victory were it not for several errors. He briefly crashed out of third place in the first moto and had to regain two positions to again enter the top three. In sunny conditions later in the afternoon he was part of an exciting four rider scrap for the lead. There were heart-stopping moments as he stalled the bike at one point and also survived a scare with a fallen Evgeny Bobryshev (he actually struck the Russian on the back cresting a jump). Van Horebeek defied the adversity to keep strong and was less than a second away from moto winner Clement Desalle at the finish line.
Elsewhere in MXGP, David Philippaerts was sixteenth overall. The owner/racer from the DP19 Yamaha Racing squad suffered from a mistake with his tyre choice in the second moto and a crash meant he had to work hard to recover points at his home event. The former world champion went 11-18 on the day. Just behind the Italian in the general MXGP standings was Bike it Yamaha Cosworth’s Rui Gonçalves. The Portuguese was one of the many who suffered from finding an effective rhythm on the slippery dirt and his pace was not sufficient to be able to break into the top twelve. Rui is still recovering from a short pre-season of preparation but has shown encouraging signs of being able to increase his pace and presence over the past two events.
The Grand Prix of Bulgaria at the staple venue of Sevlievo will follow hard upon the Italian fare. Round five takes place on Easter weekend as the Yamaha teams travel east during the coming week.
Jeremy van Horebeek – “I am happy to be second but I made too many mistakes today. I crashed in the first moto and lost time. In the second moto I had a bad start and had to come back through the pack. At the end of the race I was almost on Clement’s rear wheel and if it had not been for those mistakes then maybe I could have gone for it [the win]. Anyway, I’m pleased to be back on the podium and the consistency shows that Thailand was not a lucky shot. It feels good to be making the same results in MXGP like I did in MX2. I know I am really fit and I gave my all today. I hope to continue like this and soon win a GP because we are getting close now.”
David Philippaerts – “It was a hard day because the track was so difficult and with so little grip. In the first moto I was riding OK but it was hard to pass. In the second moto I changed the tyre for hard-pack but it did not really work for the start. I lost traction in one corner and crashed. Now we have to focus for Bulgaria and the coming races. I’m disappointed I couldn’t do better at my home grand prix. I liked the track but not the ground. We launched the team here and I’m really happy with the set-up and the structure. I have to reach the same standard myself now!”
Rui Goncalves – “I thought I might struggle at this track and disappointingly it turned out this way. We tried changing a few settings to find grip and more speed but I couldn’t get the feeling I needed to get comfortable. We’ll keep working for better next weekend.”
The Grand Prix of Trentino bore little fruit for Yamaha in the MX2 division but FIM Women’s World Champion Kiara Fontanesi roared back to form in what was the second round of six in the 2014 WMX series by the top spot victory at her home event. The scenic setting of Arco di Trento was at odds with the punishing demands of the racing circuit as the Italian hard-pack offered a vicious combination of gnarly bumps and precious little traction. It was on this stage that double world champion ‘Fonta’ took her YRRD customer-kitted YZ250F to her first win of the season by capturing third and first positions in the two motos.
Trento was the location for the fourth round of eighteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship and was attended by 25,000 fans for the series’ first outing on European soil. In MX2 Bike it Yamaha Cosworth’s Max Anstie was unable to vie for his third podium in the class in what was a difficult meeting. The young Briton suffered two crashes in the first moto and was forced back to the pits three laps before the chequered flag. Desperate to make amends he misjudged the start in the second race and hit the gate. He had to fight through from last to fourteenth position. Max was also dealing with some tough personal circumstances that contributed to a forgettable weekend.
Kemea Yamaha Racing’s Luke Styke was twelfth overall in just his fourth Grand Prix and his first moto finish of 13th was a personal best yet for the reigning Australian Champion. Team-mate Petar Petrov did not finish the opening moto but his 10th in the second was some positive light for the Bulgarian ahead of his home GP next week at Sevlievo.
It was left to Fontanesi to shine on the 2014 YZ250F and after taking a cautious ride to third place on Saturday she started brilliantly to apply pressure to leader Meghan Rutledge in the second moto. When the Australian crashed Kiara was free to escape to a convincing triumph in front of her fans. After a difficult season-opener in Qatar, ‘8’ is now back in the championship hunt and is just two points from Natalie Kane.
Round five takes place on Easter weekend in the depths of Bulgaria and at the award-winning Sevlievo circuit. The fast, hillside course will be home to European EMX125, 250 and 300 series as part of the support programme. The third round of WMX will take place two weeks later at Valkenswaard for the Grand Prix of Netherlands.
Kiara Fontanesi – “I really tried to push this weekend. In the first moto I didn’t want to take any risks, so I did what I could to get up from sixth to third and was determined for the second moto today. I gave my all at the start and reached second place on the first corner. From there I could ride smoothly and with my own rhythm. I saw I was faster and was waiting for the right moment to pass Meghan when she crashed. It was good for me because I recovered a lot of points in the championship. I’m happy to win the GP, especially here in Italy. I did a lot of things wrong in Qatar so this is like a new start to the championship. We go to Valkenswaard next and I like the sand. I think we can do well there.”
Luke Styke: “I’m happy the results are getting better. I managed to improve my result from Brazil and that was the goal. I’m still not where I should be at but at least we see an upward trend in the results. I will keep on working hard and I’m looking forward to go to Bulgaria next week discovering another new track.”
Max Anstie – “Not the weekend we were looking for. We were switching between set-ups and finally went with what we knew. Today I went down quite heavily on the first lap of the first race. I was lucky not to be landed on. It ruined the moto. In the second one I really wanted to get a good start but I hit the gate; which I never do! I can’t believe I did it. I had to come from the back again and I found the track like a skating rink because it had been watered. It was one-liney. I tried passing but struggled. The others were better than me today. Back to the drawing board and we’ve got a lot of testing and work ahead of us.”
Petar Petrov – “There’s not so much to say to be honest. The story of the last weeks continued here in Italy. In the first race I came together with Tonus in the start and I was in the last position. I charged hard and after a couple of laps I was already riding in the points. I felt pretty good and my speed was alright, but then we had a mechanical problem. This is part of racing. In the second race I had an average start and when I got to 10th position I had a small crash in a corner and lost five or six positions. By the time I got back to tenth the gap to the next rider was too big. 10th is not bad but it’s not where I should be. Now we’re going to my home round in Bulgaria next week.“
HRC Report
The FIM Motocross World Championship landed in Europe after trips to Asia and South America in the first three rounds of eighteen in the 2014 schedule. The Grand Prix of Trentino in Italy was attended by 25,000 spectators and Honda World Motocross’ Max Nagl was a prominent figure in the leading pack with the factory CRF450R and took fourth place overall, just missing out in his second podium of the season by two points. At the compact, tricky and frustrating hard-pack circuit of Arco Di Trento in the Lake Garda region of the country, Clement Desalle (Suzuki) flew to victory in the premier MXGP class with Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) in second place overall and Kevin Strijbos (Suzuki) completing the podium.
The second ever visit by the MX series to the small and scenic course in the Dolomite mountain range again drew the Grand Prix stars to the jump-laden Italian track. The presence of the European EMX125 series and also the second outing for the FIM Women’s world championship meant the slick terrain was battered by a large flux of riders throughout the weekend. The result was a ripple of braking bumps and solid ruts with square-edges that were not kind or forgiving to the more throttle-happy of the GP elite.
On this surface, and in reasonable Spring temperatures, it was Nagl who was the pick of the Honda select as he managed two top five results. The German rider consistently found a positive launch out of the start gate – to improve on the weak aspects of his performance in Brazil two weeks ago – but did not have the feeling or cutting-edge of confidence to be in contention for victory. Nagl circulated on the periphery of the podium positions and tried to increase his pace in the second moto but after a few scares wisely decided to bring the red machine home to notch a scorecard of fourth and fifth.
Evgeny Bobryshev continues to recover from surgery to his lower right leg and although he might be lacking peak fitness the Russian was still able to use the potency of the CRF to get off the start line and run near the front of the field. His persistence was rewarded with seventh position in the first moto but he had to withdraw from the second race. ‘Bobby’ lost control on the approach to a jump negotiating the back section of the circuit and crashed directly in front of the pursuing Jeremy Van Horebeek who clipped ‘777’s back in a sickening collision. In truth both riders were lucky. Bobryshev rolled off the course but was soon on his feet and Van Horebeek stayed upright and in the race. Evgeny was able to steer his bike to the pitlane and left the circuit promptly for a precautionary x-ray on his back and ribcage.
After four rounds the MXGP points standings are beginning to take a clearer picture. World Champion Tony Cairoli (KTM) leads the way on 175 while Nagl holds fourth position and trails by thirty-one. Bobryshev is a little further back and needs eight points to demote Todd Waters (Husqvarna) from seventh place.
Over in the MX2 category and former European Champion Tim Gajser again grabbed some of the limelight with the Honda Gariboldi CRF250R. The teenager was part of a large gaggle of racers to contest first position in the opening sprint. At one stage the Slovenian was chasing World Champion and leader Jeffrey Herlings (KTM). He eventually had to concede second place to Brazilian Grand Prix winner Arnaud Tonus (Kawasaki) but third spot represented his second top three finish in consecutive motos. The teenager was luckless in the next race after he was taken down in the second corner and had to retrieve his 243 machine from the floor. Gajser was fast again and defied the limitations of Arco di Trento to reach a credible eleventh place by the chequered flag. Team-mate Kei Yamamoto struggled with the demands of the Italian dirt and failed to classify in the top twenty on both occasions.
Jeffrey Herling took the overall win in MX2 with Tonus in second and Glenn Coldenhoff (Suzuki) in third place.
Round five of the FIM Motocross World Championship sees the teams and riders making a journey north and east towards the award-winning Sevlievo circuit for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria next weekend. The European stint of the GP calendar has now kicked into force with trips to Holland, Spain and the UK as well during the month of May.
Max Nagl: Race Result: 4th/5th Championship position: 4th – “The biggest positive is that we improved the bike for the starts. I was in the top five both times and that was much better. I was struggling with the track all day, right from the warm-up. It was unbelievable. It was not possible for me to turn the bike. I could not put it flat in the turns and I had a feeling that I would crash. To keep upright in the corners means you are going very slowly. I tried hard and in the second race when I was fighting for third position I was really aggressive and pushing hard but I was so over the limit and close to a big crash a couple of times. The turns were very short and not flowing…I was struggling and couldn’t find that extra one second that you need to follow the top guys. Sevlievo is next and it is a place where everybody is going the same speed and there can be one second between fifteen of us. The start is important and I know this is better now. The team have done a really good job with the bike so thanks to them for that.”
Evgeny Bobryshev: Race Result: 7th/dnf Championship position: 8th
Tim Gajser: Race Result: 3rd/11th Championship position: 10th – “The first moto was great. My start was good and my riding also. I was following Herlings for almost half the race …so the tempo was good! It was awesome to finish third. I didn’t start well in the second moto and that led to a crash on the second turn. I had to restart down in twentieth somewhere. I crashed again and then had to focus to make my way to eleventh; it was not so bad considering the two crashes. It could have been an overall podium today but we still have time to do that. I was riding smart behind Herlings without much pressure. I was catching a little bit and prepared to pass him but he gave a bit more gas and he was gone! It was a really quick race because a lot was going on. Overall, not a bad weekend.”
Husqvarna Report
Romain Febvre has delivered Husqvarna’s best performance in the highly competitive MX2 class at round four of the Motocross World Championship. Securing an impressive runner-up result in Saturday’s MX2 qualification, the Frenchman hoped to translate that into a podium result. Hampered by a few mistakes in race one he finished seventh. Febvre then ran as high as third during the first six laps of race two before slipping back to an eventual fifth.
For Aleksandr Tonkov, the GP of Trentino was one of mixed fortunes. Qualifying 35th, the Russian got a perfect start from an outside gate position to round the first corner in the opening moto inside the top five. Tangling with another rider only moments later dropped him back to 21st. Pushing hard, Tonkov recovered to finish 14th. Determined to fair better in race two, he again started strongly to end lap one fighting for a top ten result. Working his way into eighth on lap three, Tonkov remained there for the duration of the race.
In the MXGP category it was Todd Waters that recorded the best result for Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing. Despite the hard packed, stony conditions not favouring the young Australian, Waters delivered a 14th place result in race one. Fairing better off the start in race two he soon found himself inside the top ten. Involved in a four-rider battle, Waters narrowly missed out on a top six result to finish seventh. He ended the GP of Trentino 10th overall.
Returning to competitive action following his recent injury, Tyla Rattray’s primary focus was to get some race miles under his belt. Tenth at the end of lap one in moto one, his chances of a strong result slipped away when he crashed during the early stages of the race. Dropping outside the top 20, Rattray fought his way back to 16th scoring his first championship points of the season. In the second moto Tyla placed 21st.
The FIM Motocross World Championship continues with round five in Sevlievo, Bulgaria on April 20.
Romain Febvre: “Finishing second in qualification was a big confidence boost for me. I knew my speed was good for a top three result but early in race one I got arm pump and that slowed my progress. Race two was much better and I held third position for about six laps. Unfortunately Herlings and Tonus got passed me but I hung on to take fifth.”
Aleksandr Tonkov: “It’s been an up and down weekend for me. I felt great in practice but I had some problems in qualification and only finished 35th. That gave me a bad gate pick but in the first race I got a perfect start and was eighth until I tangled with another rider and broke my foot peg. In the end I finished 14th. In race two my start was really good and although I crashed once during the race I finished eighth. Overall I’m not too happy with my results but I’m pleased with my speed. Hopefully next weekend in Bulgaria will be better.”
Todd Waters: “That was one of the toughest tracks I’ve ridden in a very long time. It took a while to feel comfortable on it. Race one didn’t go great. I fell off on the first lap and then had a bit of work to do to finish 14th. I was more determined for race two and just got on with the conditions. That made the difference – I rode a lot better and I almost finished sixth.”
Tyla Rattray: “I only rode my bike three times before this race so I didn’t know where I’d fit in. I was lacking bike time and my right hand quickly blistered up. It was hard to hold on but I dug deep to get my two finishes. My speed isn’t where I know it should be yet but that will come with time – it was just nice to be behind a starting gate again. With this race now behind me I’ve got something to build on for next weekend in Bulgaria.”
