Rattray dominates at Lierop

World MX – Round 14 of 15 – Benelux (Lierop)

HOME WIN FOR MARC DE REUVER – RATTRAY DOMINATES MX2 HEATS

Excitement continued in the FIM Motocross World Championships as the series just saw its penultimate round get underway in Lierop under mixed weather conditions and in front of 35.000 spectators.

Home rider Marc de Reuver won in front of the massive crowd as Ken de Dycker and Max Nagl rounded off the podium. David Philippaerts remained the series leader courtesy of two gutsy races as runner up Steve Ramon lost points on the Italian as he finished a bitter eighth.

Tyla Rattray took another GP win to increase his points lead over team mate and runner up Tommy Searle, second on today’s podium. Nicolas Aubin rounded off the top three and moved up to third in the Championship.

The Women’s World Championship ended today with Livia Lancelot taking a clean sweep as the French rider won both the overall and the Title to become the first ever Women’s Motocross World Champion. Steffi Laier took second in the GP and in the Championship.

MX1
Martin Honda’s sand specialist Marc de Reuver took the first ever GP victory on his favourite ground and no other place was better than his home round in Lierop. Winning heat one, De Reuver had a tough time in the final heat as Teka Suzuki WMX1’s Ken de Dycker won to seal the second overall position. On the other hand De Reuver crashed twice but won courtesy of a strong recovery. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Nagl rounded off the podium ahead of Yamaha Monster Motocross’ David Philippaerts and team mate Joshua Coppins. Steve Ramon had a tough time and could only manage to finish eighth overall.

Top five: 1. Marc de Reuver (NED, Honda), 45 points; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 38 p.; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 38 p.; 4. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 36 p.; 5. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 33 p.

MX1 RACE 1
De Reuver took victory in heat one after displaying great sand riding skills; the Dutchman felt the pressure of a hungry De Dycker who crashed in the final laps while chasing De Reuver for first. Once De Dycker crashed Philippaerts found himself in second but Barragan, who crashed in the opening laps while chasing early leader Nagl from second, eventually moved past for the runner up spot ahead of Philippaerts. Coppins rode solid to take fourth ahead of Nagl, who crashed with 13 minutes to go. Ramon dropped to seventh after a good start while De Dycker ended eighth.

Top five: 1. Marc de Reuver (NED, Honda), 40:03.592; ; 2. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), +0:08.025; 3. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:11.507; 4. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:20.570; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:22.773

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MX1 RACE 2
An eventful final moto ended with De Dycker on top of the classification from Nagl and De Reuver. The latter put together two impressive recoveries; the first one after he crashed into Barragan, who had previously crashed, and the second one after he crashed when he was at the lead. For the first time in his career Priem led a moto but a mistake saw the Belgian drop down to ninth. Nagl confirmed his solid self by taking second and the same goes for Desalle, finishing fourth ahead of Philippaerts and Coppins. The latter gave victory a go when he stormed to De Dycker’s tail in the final laps but a mistake and a crash hampered his final result. Ramon ended eighth ahead of Priem.

Top five: 1. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 40:14.189; ; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:04.653; 3. Marc de Reuver (NED, Honda), +0:13.630; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:14.733; 5. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:16.478

MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tyla Rattray took a step closer to the Title by winning the GP of Benelux with a double moto victory. Team mate and runner up in the Championship Tommy Searle took second while Ricci Racing Yamaha’s Nicolas Aubin completed the podium at the end of two hard fought motos. Other Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Rui Goncalves and KTM UK’s Shaun Simpson rounded off the top five ahead of Gert Krestinov and Matiss Karro, both authors of superb performances.
Steven Frossard crashed and injured in the second moto. After he was taken to the hospital to remove a brake peg that penetrated the lower part of his body Frossard is now ok. The fracture to his fibula will prevent him to race Faenza and the Red Bull MXoN as the new French Team’s line up will be announced soon.

Top five overall: 1. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), 38 p.; 4. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 30 p.

Tyla Rattray took his second consecutive win today

MX2 RACE 1
Rattray won a hard fought first moto which started with Goncalves on the lead; the Portuguese tried to pull away and set quite a good pace until Rattray and Searle caught up with him to move past eventually. In the final laps Searle chased down Rattray but crossed the chequered flag in second. Goncalves was third ahead of Aubin as Roelants rounded off the top five. Karro took ninth after spending the first laps in the top five while sand specialist Gert Krestinov was twelfth after a couple of crashes.

Top five: 1. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KTM), 41:04.886; ; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), +0:00.614; 3. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:15.176; 4. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), +1:06.469; 5. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +1:07.909

MX2 RACE 2
Krestinov took an early lead then Rattray moved past to take a dominant win from Searle, who tried once again to come closer to the Championship leader. Again Aubin worked his way up to third after a troubled start while Goncalves and Krestinov rounded off the top five. Latvian Karro ended eighth after having ridden with the front runners in the early stages.
Frossard and Roelants crashed at the end of the opening lap and the Frenchman ended to the hospital with a broken fibula and part of a brake peg inside the lower part of his body. The peg was successfully removed and the rider is now ready to recover.

Top five: 1. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KTM), 41:13.223; ; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), +0:13.301; 3. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:53.892; 4. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +1:02.155; 5. Gert Krestinov (EST, KTM), +1:08.807

IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
Philippaerts lifted his Championship lead to 477 points, 14 more than runner up Ramon. De Dycker is third ahead of Barragan and Coppins.

Top ten: 1. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 477 points; 2. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 463 p.; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 452 p.; 4. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 419 p.; 5. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 415 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 394 p.; 7. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 392 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Kawasaki), 337 p.; 9. Billy Mackenzie (GBR, Honda), 293 p.; 10. Marc de Reuver (NED, Honda), 277 p.

Rattray leads the MX2 standings with a relatively safe 33 point cushion in between himself and Searle. Big news is that Aubin, Simpson and Goncalves are now rounding off the top five as the trio moved past injured Cairoli. Though the three riders are spread in just 16 points which could lead to a change in the forthcoming GP in Faenza.

Top ten: 1. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KTM), 596 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), 563 p.; 3. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), 381 p.; 4. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 367 p.; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 365 p.; 6. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 357 p.; 7. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 289 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Suzuki), 283 p.; 9. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 277 p.; 10. Manuel Monni (ITA, Yamaha), 259 p.

The maiden edition of FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship came to an end today at Lierop under mixed weather conditions and with 35000 spectators watching the show over the weekend.

Entering this fifth round on top of the standings GPKR’s Livia Lancelot wrapped up the Title with the overall victory as runner up Steffi Laier of KTM Germany took second after her rear shock absorber broke in heat two. Ashley Fiolek rounded off today’s podium as Maria Franke completed the top three in the Championship standings.

Top five overall: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 47 points; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Ashley Fiolek (USA, Honda), 38 p.; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), 36 p.; 5. Marielle De Mol (NED, Yamaha), 34 p.

Top five Championship: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 212 points; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, KTM), 185 p.; 3. Maria Franke (GER, Kawasaki), 166 p.; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), 160 p.; 5. Elin Mann (SWE, KTM), 144 p.

MOTO 1
Elin Mann led the early stages after a solid jump out of the gate; KTM fellow rider Laier worked her way up to Mann’s tail to move past her and win from Lancelot, who also moved past Mann. The latter settled for an eventual third ahead of Fiolek, running in fourth for the entire moto. De Mol worked her way up from the bottom of the top ten to fifth. Franke struggled and finished twelfth.

Top five: 1. Stephanie Laier (GER, KTM), 27:16.891; ; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:23.729; 3. Elin Mann (SWE, KTM), +0:31.809; 4. Ashley Fiolek (USA, Honda), +0:54.545; 5. Marielle De Mol (NED, Yamaha), +1:05.134

MOTO 2
Fiolek took the holeshot but could find her ideal pace only late in the moto as she dropped down to the bottom of the top five after the opening laps. As Fiolek worked her way up to third a battle for victory was going on in between leader Laier and Lancelot. Laier broke the back shock absorber and faded to sixth while Lancelot won. Papenmeier took a strong second place as De Mol finished a consistent fourth. This was not Franke’s best day as she finished ninth in the final heat.

Top five: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 27:05.013; ; 2. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:17.770; 3. Ashley Fiolek (USA, Honda), +0:24.030; 4. Marielle De Mol (NED, Yamaha), +0:30.985; 5. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, KTM), +0:37.546

– Yamaha Report –

Fantas

– KTM Report –

One hand on the MX2 title for KTM’s Tyla Rattray

Red Bull factory rider Tyla Rattray came out fighting in the two MX2 races of the GP of Benelux on Sunday to conquer the sandy and torn-up track for a double victory and another 50 points in the race for the title.

With Tommy Searle in second and Rui Goncalves just off the podium in fourth place it an excellent day for team manager Stefan Everts and the entire factory team. And with KTM supported riders Joel Roelants (GP Juniors Team Champ), Shaun Simpson (Team KTM UK) and Jeremy van Horebeek, (GP Juniors Team Champ) coming in fifth, sixth and eighth, they left very little room in the top ten for the other manufacturer’s riders.

Rattray may have the sweet smell of victory in his nose but he still very much has his feet on the ground. Although he has built a cushion of 33 points between himself and his only rival for the 2008 title, his teammate Tommy Searle, he is very aware that it will be the last GP next weekend in Faenza, Italy that will decide who comes away with the title. The South African has made a superb return to racing after knee reconstruction surgery took him out of contention last season with just a couple of races to go. In the first race he shadowed the leader Goncalves until the final stage before passing him to take the victory. Rattray was totally focused in race two finishing 13 seconds in front of Searle.

Good weekend for Rattray
“It was a good weekend,” Rattray said in his usual understated way. “Rui was in the lead in race one and I got behind him and tried to keep a good pace and not take risks because the track was very rough. Then I passed him in the final stages and put in a fast lap time to take the win. I knew the second race would be about physical condition but I’m very fit so that was no problem. Also I knew it was going to be a race between Tommy and me because we are the fastest.”

Searle second on the day in both races
The British teenager, despite valiant efforts to chase down Tyla in the second half of both races, had to settle for second overall and knows now it will be an all or nothing dash for the title next weekend. “I tried my best but the last two GPs have been very tough. I had some problems in qualifying so I didn’t have very good starts and I am not a specialist on this type of track. I also knew Tyla is strong on sand and it was very hard to race on this surface. I’m still satisfied and the championship is still open even though I know the only way I can win now is if Tyla has some misfortune.”

Positive weekend for Rui Goncalves
It was also a positive weekend for Goncalves, who finished with equal points to Frenchman Nicolas Aubin who claimed the third podium slot because of a better result in race two. “I got the holeshot in the first race and I led the race right up to the last part. Then Tyla and Tommy passed me. They are stronger than I am but I’m still happy with my performance and I was able to fight right till the end. Then in the second race I had some problems in the first corner. I was still able to close the gap on the front riders and finish fourth.”

Next season Rattray moves up to the Red Bull KTM MX1 factory team. Tommy will be racing for KTM on the USA circuit and Rui Goncalves will be riding with Shaun Simpson of Britain in the Red Bull KTM MX2 team.

Start specialist Max Nagl third on the podium in Lierop

Red Bull KTM MX1 factory rider Max Nagl of Germany was fast out of the gates and tough on the weathered and torn up track in Lierop, the Netherlands, on Sunday to finish third in the GP of Benelux.

Nagl was fifth in race one and second across the line in a viciously fought, wet second race at the end of a heavy race program that left the track torn up and ready to snatch any errant rider with the slightest slip of concentration out of the reckoning.

Confident on sand
“I was very confident today,” Nagl said. “I’ve been living in Belgium for three years so I like riding in the sand. It’s no problem for me. I took the holeshot in the first race and I was really pushing but I got tired in the end and finished in fifth.” Nagl showed superb control in the wet second race even after he had trouble with his goggles. “I broke the roll off mechanism so I couldn’t see in the rain and mud so I had to throw away my giggles.” That Nagl was to be able to cross the line in race two in second place was a tribute to his riding skill and determination.

Bad luck for Barragan
Regrettably one of the victims of the difficult conditions was KTM factory rider Jonathan Barragan of Team Silver Action. Second in the first race and looking a real challenge in race two, Jonathan, who has just signed as a KTM factory rider for the team for 2009, found himself splayed on the edge of the muddy circuit. Eventual GP winner Marc De Reuver was unable to avoid crashing into the luckless Barragan in a tangle of man and machinery. De Reuver got away first and Barragan was able to finish the race but back at thirteenth place.

Nagl, who has had a strong second half of the season and who continues to shine on the sandy surfaces was making his fourth visit to the podium. The young German rider said he was hopeful of being able to win some more points in the final two races next weekend at Faenza, Italy, to move up one more place in the season’s standings. At sixth place, Nagl trails fifth placed Josh Coppins of New Zealand by 21 points.

– HRC Report –

Honda’s last man standing Marc de Reuver took a stunning overall win at Lierop in the Grand Prix of Benelux – the penultimate round of the FIM MX1 World Motocross Championship – with 1-3 finishes in today’s points-paying races on his factory CRF450. CAS Honda’s Billy MacKenzie meanwhile was unfortunately sidelined after injuring his ribs in a horrific timed-training accident while Martin Honda’s Julien Bill was a non-starter for this GP due to the arm injury he sustained last weekend in Ireland.

The venue for the Benelux GP is considered to be one of the most demanding on the world championship calendar despite the layout of the 1.8km Lierop circuit looking quite simple with few jumps and only 15 turns. However, the sandy surface of the circuit is what makes the track technical as an abundance of bumps, ruts and berms form throughout the race weekend making it a real test of man and machine – especially during Sunday’s tortuous 35 minutes plus two lap motos.

The circuit was already super rough for Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session which seemed to suit Honda Martin’s Dutch sand-master Marc de Reuver as he powered his factory CRF450 around the circuit to a time of 1:57.145 to set the fastest lap of the session – almost one and a half seconds faster than anyone – to ensure his third pole position of the year was taken.

The qualification period was much less kind to CAS Honda’s Billy MacKenzie who collided with another and took a heavy fall. Only able to manage one fast lap due to having painful ribs Billy went to hospital for a full check up where it was found that he’d suffered some intercostal (rib muscle) damage. After struggling to ride in Sunday’s Warm-Up session, Billy visited the track doctor who made the decision not to let the Scotsman ride meaning only De Reuver would start the races for Honda’s factory teams.

Marc started fifth in moto one and sat back as the leading four set an unrealistically fast pace around the whooped out circuit. After biding his time for the first 15 minutes Marc increased his pace and easily passed Max Nagl and David Philippaerts before stalking Ken de Dycker for a while. On lap 11 Marc made a move for the lead then immediately broke De Dycker with some lightening fast laps to take the win by eight seconds.

De Reuver got off the line much better in moto two as he powered his factory bike from the start gate to take second place in the early running. After allowing Barragan to pass, De Reuver settled into a safe third until the Spaniard took a trip over the handlebars right in front of the Martin Honda rider and collected Marc in the crash.

After picking up and then restarting his bike Marc was in ninth place but by making four incredibly fast laps in succession (Marc’s fastest laps were a full four seconds faster than anything anyone else posted during the second race) De Reuver was able to take the lead.

However the Dutchman would only hold first place for one lap as he spun out before the pit lane on lap seven of 16. After picking up the Honda for the second time that race Marc was left feeling physically drained so he concentrated on ensuring the overall win was his rather than make any risky moves. Safely sitting in third place until the finish ensured the Martin Honda rider took his second overall victory of the season and re-entered the top 10 of the championship standings.

MacKenzie’s non-start didn’t affect his ranking in the championship although it did allow De Reuver to closer considerably and the pair now sit in ninth and 10th with just one round remaining. Julien Bill slipped back to 14th in the standings but will hopefully improve it again at Faenza in Italy next weekend in his favourite hardpack conditions.

American teenager Ashley Fiolek travelled across the Atlantic to compete in the final round of the Women’s Motocross World Championship. After initially struggling to find a good rhythm during Saturday’s qualification session Ashley stayed positive and motivated and came out considerably improved on race day. Ashley’s eventual finishes of 4-3 ensured she finished third overall on the day and cemented her sixth place ranking in the championship despite missing one round due to a date clash with the American championship which she won.

The final round of the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship – round 15 – will be held next weekend in Faenza, Italy.

Roger Harvey – Honda Off-Road coordinator “Billy MacKenzie was very unfortunate with what happened to him. Somebody got it wrong in front of him and rode across the front of Billy on a jump and unfortunately Billy hit him and they both went down hard. He damaged the bike quite badly but more importantly he also damaged his ribs. All credit to him he went out on his spare bike even though he was in a lot of pain and put in a lap that was fast enough to qualify him for the GP. Then it was straight off to hospital for checks and they were there until late last night. He tried to do a few laps in Warm-Up this morning but as soon as he stopped it was obvious he was in sever pain. The doctor took a look at him and pulled him out of the race making the decision for him. It’s a shame for the CAS team because Billy rides sand well and would have done really well here if he’d raced in a fully fit state.

“With Martin Honda obviously Julien Bill was absent as he injured his arm last week. Although he was able to tough it out in the second moto last week the injury to his muscle was actually quite severe and he wasn’t able to ride.

“We all know Marc de Reuver is very capable of getting around Lierop and we were all hoping for good results for him. He was fastest in timed training and it was nice to see him gain some credibility by being on pole. He was unbelievable in moto one – I thought he’d let them get a little bit too far away but then he was able to cut back the time and pull through the pack. The way he rides the sand is very special and it’s a real pleasure to watch him around a circuit like this.

“In the second race Barragan – who always looks wild – went down right in front of Marc and he couldn’t avoid the bike, he hit it and went over the handlebars. He then went after the leaders and incredibly took seven seconds off the leader two laps in a row and came through to take the lead before he spun out in front of the pit box just to make it even harder work for himself. He worked his way back up to third again which is where he finished and that was enough for him to take the overall win. I’m really happy for him and the Martin team and full credit must go to Marc for the way he rode today.

“I’d also like to mention Ashley Fiolek who finished third overall today. After recently riding Southwick which is one of the roughest tracks in America she said it’s like riding on a golf course compared to what she’s ridden here. I think it’s been a big eye opener to her and I’d like to say congratulations to her for how she’s performed today and also to the LS Honda team who deserve full credit for what they’ve done for her.”

Marc De Reuver – Martin Honda
“Qualifying was good. I put in a fast lap then De Dycker passed me and I felt like I could give a little bit more so I went out again and I did the perfect lap. I knew from how good the time was that it would be good enough for pole and I was right.

“In the first heat I built up my pace through the race like I did in Lommel. I waited for the front guys to tire a little bit because they went wide open in the first few laps. I didn’t have such a good rhythm in the beginning but it got better as the race progressed and I was able to work my way through all those guys and win quite easily.

“In the second heat I wanted to get a good start so I didn’t get stuck in all the traffic. I actually did get a really good start and I was running second until Barragan passed me quite aggressively. I just let him go because I was confident that I could control the race anyway but then he crashed quite hard in front of me and I ran into him and I crashed also.

“I thought to myself ‘this is not possible and I must win’ so I did three or four very fast laps and then I rested for a little bit and then I pushed again to take the lead. Then I made a stupid mistake and I slid out right in front of the pit lane. When I got going again I was tired and all I could do was follow home the front guys to finish third. I’m very happy to win here in front of my home crowd – it’s been an unbelievable day for me.”

Billy MacKenzie – CAS Honda
“Before qualifying I went for a good look around the track with Neil Prince and he showed me some really good lines and I was confident I could do well before the session began. I tried to put a fast lap in at the start of the session when the track was at its smoothest – it was a really good lap and I’d got everything almost perfect. Around three quarters of the way around the lap I caught up to the guy in front of me just before one of the step-ups and I think he must have got cross rutted because he didn’t clear the jump and then he came right across the front of me. I was already in the air by then and I was going really fast and there was nothing I could do. I landed on the back of him and we had a big crash.

“As I was crashing I really felt my ribs compress and I was badly winded for quite a while. My bike was a complete mess too so I rode it back to the pits and took my spare bike out to put a lap in before the adrenalin wore off too much and it all got too painful. I did one lap and it was good enough for 20th place but after it I was done in and I couldn’t breathe properly.

“I went to hospital and although they told me nothing is broken I’ve had this sort of injury before and I know that last time it took me two or three weeks to get over it. I could have raced but there was little point because already I’m struggling with my breathing I just couldn’t have been as good as I should be so it wasn’t worth it. I’ve got three more races coming up and they’re all important to me and the team so I figured it was best to try and rest today so I can be stronger for those.”

Ashley Fiolek – LS Motors Honda
“Yesterday practice was not too good because I felt that my bike wasn’t set up too well. I didn’t have such a good time in qualification but we made some changes and today I just tried to come out and to do my best. I got great starts in both motos and that’s very important at any race. I ran second early on and rode hard for the whole moto and came out with fourth which was a big improvement over yesterday. In the second moto I took the holeshot and struggled a little bit in the early laps and lost some ground but then I worked back to third and that was better.

“I’d really like to thank Honda because my motorcycle both here and in America is awesome. Also I can’t say enough about the team’s who have supported me on both sides of the Atlantic – American Honda and also LS Motors in Belgium – they both do a great job for me. I have the best bike and help from the best teams and that makes my job much easier.”

– Suzuki Report –

It was a to