— FIM MX1/MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP / ROUND 12 SUNDAY AUGUST 05 LOKET, CZECH REPUBLIC
— Weather: Sunny, clouds / Temperature: 23 degrees C / Attendance: 23,000
— KTM rule Czech Republic as Cairoli celebrates 50th career win
The Casino Bonver GP of the Czech Republic took place today in Loket and the 23000 spectators were able to see Antonio Cairoli winning his 50th Grand Prix and Jeffrey Herlings obtaining his seventh overall victory of the season.
MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli was able to win both races in Loket and achieved his 50th Grand Prix victory and equalled Joël Robert’s record. The Italian had a perfect first race dominating it since the beginning, but in the second one he started down in the fourth place and had to work all the way up to the lead. The Italian admitted that he was very satisfied with his performance this weekend, as he is not a hard pack specialist. 
CP377 Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Christophe Pourcel was back on the podium this weekend after going 2-3 in today’s races. The French rider obtained a consistent second place in the first race, but he had to fight harder in the second one to finish on the second step of the podium. By the end of the race, Pourcel made a mistake while he was riding third and lost a position with Nagl, but he fought back and he finished in front of the German.
It was a tough weekend for Clement Desalle, especially yesterday during the qualifying race. However, the Rockstar Energy Suzuki World rider succeeded in being on the third step of the rostrum with a 4-2 result. Desalle had a bad start in the first moto and had to fight from an initial ninth position, but in the second one everything started well for the Belgian and he even managed to lead four laps. In the end, Desalle was overtaken by Cairoli and he had to settle down with the second positon as he could not follow the Italian’s rhythm.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Nagl missed the podium only for just two points, but the German was extremely satisfied with his fourth overall result today. In the first heat he was able to move from fifth to third and kept a constant rhythm until the chequered flag, but the big surprise came in the second heat when he took the holeshot and led the first eight laps. By the end of the race, Nagl dropped down to fourth, but he took advantage of Pourcel’s mistake and was virtually on the podium. However, the German could not keep the third position and with two laps to go Nagl was overtaken again by the French rider and had to settle down with fourth.
It was a consistent weekend for Xavier Boog who completed the top five of the Czech Grand Prix after finishing sixth and seventh in today’s heats. In the first race, the French rider started with the top three riders, but he could not keep the rhythm and by the sixth lap he was already down in sixth. In the second race, he did not have such a good start, but he succeeded in moving from eighth to seventh and obtained the necessary points to be on the top five.
Today Ken De Dycker struggled once again with his starts and in both races he had to push really hard from the tenth position to finish seventh and eighth respectively. In the end the Belgian finished sixth overall followed by Rui Gonçalves.
The Portuguese had a difficult first race as he missed the start and was down to twentieth in the first corner. However, Gonçalves worked really hard to finish eleventh and in the second moto he was able to ride a consistent race in fifth position from beginning to end.
Gautier Paulin was eighth overall this weekend, but he was satisfied with his riding as he recuperated the good feeling on his Kawasaki and on himself. In the first race he started fourth, but he made some mistakes and dropped down to fifth. In the second moto he went down the floor in the second corner after the start and had to fight from almost the last position to finish eleventh.
Estonian Tanel Leok had a bad start in the first race and he was only able to finish twelfth, but in the second moto he started fifth and crossed the finish line sixth, which gave him the overall ninth position. Gregory Aranda completed the top ten thanks to his 10-9 result and Evgeny Bobryshev could only finished eleventh ahead of Shaun Simpson.
Home rider Martin Michek managed to finish sixteenth overall after finishing 19-17 in today’s races.
MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:21.567; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:08.471; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:10.299; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:18.171; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:25.624; 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:34.700; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:40.059; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:41.563; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:43.649; 10. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Yamaha), +0:45.759;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:46.055; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:04.170; 3. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:05.967; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:07.078; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:10.275; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +0:11.501; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:22.578; 8. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:27.650; 9. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Yamaha), +0:29.445; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:38.935;
MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 42 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 40 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 29 p.; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 26 p.; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 26 p.; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 24 p.; 10. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Yamaha), 23 p.;
MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 492 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 462 p.; 3. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 435 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 402 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 368 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 319 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 306 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 277 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 273 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 223 p.;
MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 542 points; 2. Kawasaki, 505 p.; 3. Suzuki, 473 p.; 4. Honda, 350 p.; 5. Yamaha, 345 p.; 6. TM, 58 p.;
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings succeeded in wining both races today with superb authority. In the first race the Dutch rider started third, but after five laps he got the lead and crossed the finish line twenty-eight seconds ahead of Searle. In the second heat he started in third position behind Van Horebeek and Teillet, but when he was about to overtake his teammate for the lead, Herlings touched the Belgian’s rear wheel and crashed. Herlings did not lose any position but he crashed again when Searle overtook him. However, Herlings recuperated himself very quickly and he managed to take the lead and win the race.
Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle got caught in the first start and was down to the twentieth position in the second corner. The British rider did an excellent race and moved up to second, but by the end of the heat he decided to slow down and save some energies for the second race. Searle had a better start and rode second for five laps, but he could not keep the rhythm and crossed the finish line third behind Herlings and Van Horebeek.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Zach Osborne obtained his maiden podium finish this weekend in Loket thanks to his two fourth positions. The last time the American rider was on the podium was last year in the Grand Prix of Portugal, so he was really satisfied with his third overall place, especially because he had been working really hard to obtain a top three result.
Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Jake Nicholls missed the podium this weekend being tight in thirty-six points with Osborne. The British rider had two good starts today and in the first race he managed to cross the finish third. In the second heat he rode most of the time fifth, but at some point he starred in a dogfight with Osborne for the fourth position exchanging places several times. In the end the American moved up to fourth and Nicholls could not follow Osborne and had to settle down with the fourth position.
It was a really good weekend for the 2011 UEM EMX250 Champion Romain Febvre, who managed to finished fifth overall thanks to his 8-6 result. The French rider has been riding among the top ten riders during the last Grand Prix and he has been actually working really hard to be among the top MX2 riders in his first year in the World Championship.
Valentin Teillet started third in the second moto, but he could not keep the rhythm of the top riders and crossed the finish line seventh. The French rider had finished ninth in the first race, so he obtained an overall sixth position, ahead of Max Anstie.
Joel Roelants struggled a lot in the Czech track and he was only able to finish eighth overall, ahead of José Butrón. The Spanish rider took the holeshot of the first race and he led the race for a couple of laps, but he then lost some positions and crossed the finish line sixth. In the second moto his start was not that good and he had also some problems with the engine of his bike, which made him finish thirteenth.
Jeremy Van Horebeek managed to lead the first race during five laps, but he dropped to second when his teammate Herlings overtook him. However, Van Horebeek could not finish the race because his KTM stopped. The Belgian dominated most of the second race, but he finally crossed the finish line second behind Herlings and finished tenth overall.
Jordi Tixier had a big crash during the warm up, but he decided to take part in the first race. The French rider was only able to finish eleventh and he decided not to take part in the second heat, as he was not feeling 100% ready.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:33.459; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:28.297; 3. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:31.149; 4. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:39.948; 5. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), +0:42.330; 6. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:43.810; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:44.440; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:45.999; 9. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:46.572; 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:47.547;
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:47.099; 2. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +0:01.994; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:18.482; 4. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:43.023; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:47.109; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:53.373; 7. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:56.091; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:02.366; 9. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:22.094; 10. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +1:23.211;
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 42 p.; 3. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 36 p.; 4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), 28 p.; 6. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), 26 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 25 p.; 8. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 23 p.; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 22 p.;
MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 528 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 471 p.; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 439 p.; 4. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 367 p.; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 325 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 319 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 263 p.; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 241 p.; 9. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 233 p.; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), 214 p.;
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 571 points; 2. Kawasaki, 541 p.; 3. Yamaha, 346 p.; 4. Honda, 286 p.; 5. Suzuki, 233 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 219 p.; 7. TM, 16 p.;
NEXT GP
The next round of the MX1 and MX2 World Championships will take place in two weeks time in Matterley Basin, Great Britain, during the MXGP Festival. It will be a unique opportunity to see ten different classes racing together in the same weekend, so if you don’t want to miss it, click here to buy your ticket and join the best motocross riders in the world at Matterley Basin from the 16th until the 19th August weekend.
— KTM Report
Red Bull KTM’s MX1 factory rider and five times world champion Tony Cairoli wrote himself into the sport’s history books on Sunday when he sealed his fiftieth Grand Prix victory at the MX1 GP of Czech Republic at Loket.
Cairoli’s ride on the light and nimble KTM 350 SX-F was a model of cool, calculating riding skill and allows him to join the ranks of the greats. Only three riders have ever achieved the 50-win milestone, Joel Robers in the 1970s more recently Joel Smets and Stefan Everts, the Red Bull KTM Factory Team director, who took his 50 wins eleven years ago and went on to double that number. It was a great day’s racing for the KTM factory team with Cairoli’s historic victory preceded by a great win in MX1 by Jeffrey Herlings.
Max Nagl also made a heroic return to MX1 racing on the new KTM 450 SX-F after a very long injury pause and multiple back surgeries and powered his KTM 450 SX-F into overall fourth place. The team’s third MX1 rider, Ken de Dycker of Belgium finished sixth overall on the technical, stony and very hilly circuit at Loket directly west of the capital Prague and near the German border.
Tony Cairoli: “I am very happy with this victory because it is my fiftieth so it is special. Now Matterley Basin will be nice because it will be rough and I like it like that. Even if there is a lot of people riding on it they will prepare it very well and I think it should be a good race.”
Max Nagl: Even I was not expecting to do this well today. My plan was to get some good starts and just try to follow the others but in the first heat I was fifth at the start and finished third. That was amazing for me. I had a huge holeshot and was far in front in the second race and I even led for a couple of laps. Then I started to get tires because I am still only 80 per cent fit but the speed is there.”
Ken de Dycker: “This was a difficult track for me for sure because I didn’t get the good jump I needed. Here you can’t make up ground and you can’t make mistakes. I am still happy with the result because it was very hard. I gained some points on Paulin so I think for the next GPs it’s going to be much better.
Herlings definitely made his contribution to the euphoria of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team winning both MX2 motos in what was not only a display of great riding but also of bravery after getting injured in a traffic accident immediately after winning the Russian MX2 GP. That he was able to push through the pain barrier of riding with cracked ribs is a testament to the young Dutch teenager’s skill and his will to win.
Herlings looked confident in the first moto and then pulled out all the stops in the second moto after getting dumped off in a close encounter with British rival Tommy Searle. He scrambled back on his KTM 250 SX-F and after losing 13 seconds, put his head down and went on the attack. Just four laps after his spill, Herlings was on the tailpipe of Searle and slipped past into second behind his KTM teammate Jeremy van Horebeek. Jeremy made up for a disappointing DNF with technical difficulties in the first race to grab the holeshot and lead in race two for almost the entire race. Herlings slipped past him two laps before the flag and went on to secure yet another 1-1 result.
The team’s third MX2 member Jordi Tixier of France had a bad crash in the warm up on Sunday morning and although he managed to finish the first race he was feeling dizzy from the fall and doctor’s did not allow him to race in the second moto. Tixier will have a full medical check-up on Monday and hopefully will be fit to ride in Matterley Basin in two weeks time.
Herlings said no one, not even he had expected that he would be able to ride in Loket after the car accident in Russia and he paid tribute to his doctor who had helped him to manage the pain for this weekend’s ride. The young Dutch rider now has a 57-point lead over Searle in the MX2 championship heading to the British rider’s home race in Matterley Basin in two week’s time. Van Horebeek wrapped up the second race in style for more valuable points and is still in third place in the championship standings. Tixier of France is still sixth overall, a positive results for the rider who set his pre season goal as a top 10 place at the end of the season.
Jeffrey Herlings: “My riding was good this weekend. I had an okay start in the first moto and I managed to get up to first after a few laps and go on the win. I was back at about tenth at the start of the second moto but I got up to second and then Tommy Searle made a move on me and I crashed. I got us pretty quickly and I just wanted to pass him again as quickly as possible. After that I just had to get past Jerre (van Horebeek) and take the overall win. For sure at Matterley Basin the crowd will all be supporting Tommy but I just want to go there, put down the hammer and hope to take the win.”
Jeremy van Horebeek: “It was a good day for me even though there was the technical issues in the first moto but I put that behind me and was super motivated for the second moto. I took the holeshot and I led right up till the last two minutes. Now I am going to keep working hard and try to take second at the end of the season. Now we will go to Matterley Basin as a strong team and we will try to win with fair racing on the track.”
— Kawasaki Report
Christophe Pourcel of Team CP377 Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit maintained his challenge for the FIM World MX1 Motocross title with yet another podium finish at Loket in the Czech Republic.
The Frenchman was in superb form all weekend and was racing a comfortable second in the opening GP moto, but, as he prepared to challenge for the lead, was badly hindered by backmarkers who were being lapped, lost contact to the leader and had to be content with second place. He battled with the same rider again in race two and their speed took them to the front as the race entered the closing stages but a single slip as the front wheel slipped away on the treacherous surface cost Christophe his shot at the win but could not prevent him taking second overall in the GP. He now sits 57 points shy of the pace in third position on the championship.
Xavier Boog of the Kawasaki Racing Team benefitted from the confidence boost which a podium placing in a minor event had given him since the last GP in Russia to again run top six all day in the Czech Republic, his two strong finishes giving the Frenchman fifth overall to take him significantly closer to sixth in the series.
After a couple of disappointing GPs by his own high standards Boog’s KRT teammate Gautier Paulin again showed the speed to battle for a top five finish in the opening race, but an unfortunate series of clashes with other riders during the opening lap of the second moto left him downfield in 18th position and he had to battle hard on the narrow track to recover seven places by the chequered flag. His perseverance does however mean that he has consolidated fourth place in the series as the series enters its final quarter.
Sebastien Pourcel, elder brother of Christophe, had ridden a scintillating qualification race to earn third choice of gate but he had no luck whatsoever on race day and two small crashes saw him restricted to a single sixteenth place finish.
Christophe Pourcel: “I enjoyed the track; for sure it was slippery but it was also technical. I was able to take two good starts today, but in the first race I couldn’t pass Cairoli for the win. I got very close a couple of times but lappers got in the way and cost me time, though I have to admit that it would have been difficult to pass Tony anyway as he was riding well. We had a good battle again in the second race, and he was able to make a pass at the right moment to win. I made a small mistake in a corner when I was second so I had to pass back Nagl to get third position in the race and second overall. But it’s good to be back on the podium!”
Xavier Boog: “I rode two good races today so I can be satisfied with fifth position; that is my best GP result for several weeks. I started the first race in second position but unfortunately I lost several positions during the first lap before I had settled into my rhythm. I had no difficulty to defend my sixth position for the remainder of the race and again in the second race I had a consistent ride to finish seventh. I rode an international race last week and finished on the podium so that helped my confidence and we’ll continue to practice in Holland over the next few days to prepare the rest of the series.”
Gautier Paulin: “I had a good feeling with the bike this weekend, and after a good start in the first race I was able to battle for a top five result; I made a few mistakes, but I had good lap times in the last part of the race. I got caught up with other riders in the first few corners of race two and I was only eighteenth at the end of the first lap. I found some places to pass and recovered to eleventh; it’s difficult to make passes here! But I’m pretty happy as I have a good feeling on the bike again, and we’ll continue to train in Holland to be stronger in the last GPs.”
Sébastien Pourcel: “I felt really comfortable on this track after finishing third in the qualification, but race day was completely different. The track was more slippery and in the first race I had a small crash when I was racing in eleventh position. I crashed again when I was holding twelfth in the second moto and retired as the bike was damaged.”
Tommy Searle strengthened his grasp on second place in the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship with his tenth podium finish of the season in the 12th round at Loket in the Czech Republic.
The English rider once again suffered bad luck as he was hit by other riders at the first corner of the opening moto before once again surging through from last place to finish second. Another GP victory looked on the cards as he closed down the leaders in race two and the Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit rider actually took over the virtual leadership of the GP after an incident in which he made contact with the first race winner. His rival, unhappy at the incident, later crashed into Searle who, struggling to find his lines by this stage of the race, had to settle for third in the moto and second in the GP. The next GP is in England in a fortnight and he will be looking for better fortune on home soil.
Searle’s teammate Joel Roelants had a disappointing day as incidents restricted him to ninth and eighth placing in the two moto, but the Belgian has consolidated his fourth place in the series rankings.
Valentin Teillet of Team Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki showed great speed all weekend. After setting second fastest time in Pre-Qualifying the Frenchman earns fifth choice of gate in the Qualifying race and looked set to improve on this position as he chased fourth in race one until a freak incident as the gearshift was bent in a deep rut and prevented him from changing gear as he approached the next jump, the resultant crash losing him several places. In race two the dynamic rider held a strong fourth place for most of the distance, but his recent lay-off through injury told physically in the closing minutes and he was forced to surrender three places.
Teenage teammate Dylan Ferrandis continues the learning curve of a rookie season in which he is confronted by many new types of track. Even established veterans of the series admit that they find it difficult to adapt to the unusual Czech track so it was no disgrace for first-timer Dylan to find it difficult to adapt to track conditions. Despite an unfortunate incident on the opening lap of race one, when he was brought down by another rider, he never gave up all day and was rewarded with an eleventh place in the GP which consolidated his ninth place in the series.
Maxime Desprey from the NGS Junior Team collected the first Kawasaki win of the season in the European MX2 series; winner of his qualifying race, the young Frenchman dominates the first heat. Leader of the second race, he crashed and with a sixth position in this race he collected a podium with a third position overall.
Tommy Searle: “The first race just about summed up my luck this season. I got a good start but another rider inside me on the gate never braked at the first corner and I was nearly last. I was second by half distance, but I had used so much energy that I had no chance to catch the leader too. In the second race I went for a pass on Herlings, we touched and he went down. I knew he would think I did it on purpose so I wasn’t surprised when he hit me later in the race but I was missing my lines in the heat and just had to settle for third.”
Joel Roelants: “It wasn’t a great weekend for me. I got a decent start in the first race but after a few corners Tonkov crashed and brought down Ferrandis and me. I was last but I found a good rhythm and got back to tenth. I didn’t ride so well in the second race; the track got really rough with deep holes and I crashed mid race to finish ninth.”
Valentin Teillet: “I’m a bit frustrated with sixth place in this GP even though it is a mental boost after my injuries this summer. I went training with Jacky and Dylan in Belgium after we got back from Russia and came here confident about my speed. In fact I did have good speed this weekend, but no luck. I was fifth, close to fourth, halfway through the first race but then I damaged my gearshift in a deep rut and selected a neutral just before a jump. That cost me three positions. My second start was nearly perfect and I was fourth for most of the race, but I felt tired during the last ten minutes and lost several places. I feel stronger each week but I missed three GPs with my injury and am still not back to 100% fitness.”
Dylan Ferrandis: “My first start was not very good and then in a corner I crashed onto another rider’s bike; the engine stalled and the bike suffered some damage but I was able to come back to fourteenth by the finish. I was tenth after the second start, but I didn’t felt comfortable on this track and I could only manage to move forward to eighth; it’s a learning year for me, and when we race tracks which are strange to me I have concentrate on scoring as many points as possible.”
— Suzuki Report
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 again sampled podium champagne in the 2012 FIM Motocross World Championship as Clement Desalle took his factory RM-Z450 to third position and picked up his eighth trophy of the season at a hot Loket for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic today.
The 12th round of 16 in the series was played out over a rough, difficult and slippery track surrounded by 23,000 spectators. The Czech soil was again ungenerous with the amount of traction it offered. The fast and flowing layout rewarded bravery in overtaking and ensured that exits from the gate determined the ranking of the upper section of the leaderboard. Desalle came into the meeting having won two of the previous three editions of the GP at Loket (taking second position on the other occasion). A repeat of his 2011 success with the works RM-Z450 initially appeared difficult after two falls in the qualification heat on Saturday cast him down to 15th place in the gate. The Belgian was not too deterred however with the long start straight not proving too much of a handicap.
Desalle made good ground from an average launch in the first moto and was swift to move up to fourth position but then faced an unbridgeable gap to Max Nagl in third. At the second time of asking in the afternoon he was part of a four-rider tussle for the lead. He fronted the pack after demoting the rapid Nagl but could do nothing about Antonio Cairoli’s superior synergy with the track on this occasion. Fourth and second positions were good enough to continue Desalle’s podium streak at Loket and keep him within touching distance of Cairoli in the MX1 title chase.
Tanel Leok had good speed and attacked the Loket leaps on Saturday. The Estonian was searching for positive starts to maintain a position in contention for the top five, especially after sealing the fastest lap-time in morning warm-up. His first attempt was not effective and from a first lap position of 14th in the opening moto he could only rise to 12th by the flag. The injury-free former GP winner was able to improve his capabilities away from the line in the second race and immediately slotted into a mid-top-10 slot from where he was able to lap adrift of the battle for the lead and confirmed sixth at the finish. Leok was ninth in the final classification for the Grand Prix.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 still holds prominent positions in the MX1 standings. Desalle remains second and is 30 points behind Cairoli. Leok is eighth and just in front of Rui Goncalves by four points.
The British Grand Prix will represent round 13 in the FIM Motocross World Championship on August 5th. The Matterley Basin circuit will also host the MXGP Festival across the same weekend, which will see the MX1 and MX2 classes joined by eight other international and European categories.
Clement Desalle: “Today was better than yesterday for me in terms of my riding and feeling on the track. My first moto start wasn’t great and I had to fight a lot to come back. I had to use a lot of energy just to reach fourth. In the second moto my start was much better and that was really positive. There were some good guys behind me and it wasn’t easy. I wanted to concentrate on my riding but it was tough on this track. You needed to find the good traction and the good lines to make a pass but it was not easy here. Tony and Christophe were riding really well. Loket was hard today but I like to come to different tracks and have different challenges.”
Tanel Leok: “My ankle doesn’t hurt any more but a week without any exercise or riding cost me a little bit today because I ran out of energy in that second moto. I need to get a bit more bike fit. Anyway, I felt good at Loket today and showed good speed all weekend. I just missed out on being able to pass Rui for fifth in that second moto but there are positive signs from this race. I’m happy that my ankle feels good and I can focus purely on making good results for the rest of the season.”
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe relied on the skills and promise of young Swiss star Jeremy Seewer at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic and the teenager took his RM-Z250 to fourth position in the fourth round of seven in the European EMX2 championship.
The competitive feeder series to the FIM Motocross World Championship took place on the Loket GP circuit and a slippery, fast and naturally-set course saw similar lap-times and close battles throughout the field as overtaking proved a tricky prospect.
Seewer worked up from a mediocre start in a hot and sunny first moto on Saturday afternoon to capture fifth position. It was a positive race for ‘#91’ as he rounded the first lap in 11th place and then gained time and ground to reach the top five. In the second outing on Sunday – in similar decent weather conditions – a better start saw an excellent run by Seewer who set the pace along with Mel Pocock and Tim Gasjer. The Suzuki man tried to make a challenge for second spot but just couldn’t slide a wheel past his rival and cement an overtaking move before the finish.
Seewer missed the podium by just four points but his current form bodes well for the remaining races in England, Holland and Italy. With the European calendar now in the second phase, he holds fourth in the standings and is just one point from the top three.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe will now have another break from international commitments but the bonanza MXGP Festival at the British Grand Prix over four days from August 16-19th will see the team’s full line-up of stars together in action for the first time with Brian Hsu (85cc) and Jorge Zaragoza (European 125cc) joining Seewer as 10 classes descend on the spectacular English race-track near Winchester.
Jeremy Seewer: “Yesterday my start was good but I tangled with Desprey in the first corner and I fell back to 14th. My riding was fast and my lap-times were good enough so I could come back to fifth. Today my start was better for the first corner, and with Gasjer and Pocock we broke away. Gasjer had the same pace and it was hard to get close enough to pass. I did it once but he got me back. We were together for most of the race so I’m happy with my speed and the overall result.”
— Yamaha Report
Monster Energy Yamahas Mel Pocock posted four wins from four in the European MX2 Championship at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic. The twelfth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship took place at the flowing and fast Loket circuit and saw Zach Osborne climb the MX2-GP podium for the first time this season with third position overall on his YZ250F.
23,000 spectators crowded the natural, fast, rippled and slippery layout less than ten kilometres outside the tourist town of Karlovy Vary. The technically difficult surface presented a challenge to the MX1 and MX2 categories as much as to the cream of European talent as the EMX2 series entered the fourth meeting in seven.
On his potent YZ250F Pocock took a decent second position in hot conditions on Saturday. The first moto in the EMX2 competition saw 119 almost crash while keeping Maxime Desprey close company. Pocock hung-on for a runner-up slot and then in a cooler and climate on Sunday morning resumed familiar duties at the head of the pack. With Desprey falling in the opening stages the twenty year old Brit had to deal with the attentions of Tim Gasjer but kept his concentration and speed to cross the finish line first for his seventh moto victory from a possible eight. Pocock leads the standings by 39 points from Stefan Olsen with races in Britain, Holland and Italy remaining.
A second bottle of champagne was sprayed over a YZ250F but this time it was the 338 of Zach Osborne in the MX2-GP class as the American scored two fourth positions to raise the teams second trophy of the season in the competitive class. The 22 year old pushed hard in the second moto to overtake Jake Nicholls and ensure his rostrum celebration by virtue of the race ranking.
Arnaud Tonus missed out on the Czech Grand Prix due to the close proximity of the date to his wrist surgery. The Swiss was initially hopeful of making the gate at Loket but the delay of several days after the Russian GP waiting for an appointment with the best possible surgeon meant that the tissue and state of the arm post-op was too delicate for the rigours and demands of MX2-GP racing. 7 is expected to be fully ready to go for the teams home event on August 18-19.
The British Grand Prix at Matterley Basin will occur in two weeks and Monster Energy Yamaha now have a small respite from international and domestic racing commitments.
Zach Osborne: It is great to be on the podium on what is such a special track. Today was a good result. I didnt set the world on fire but two fourth positions was a solid day. I didnt have the speed to run with Jeffrey and Tommy but I was the next best guy. Im looking forward to Matterley now. Its a circuit I like with a lot of ruts. I am going to train hard for it and today has given me a lot of motivation to work as hard as I can going into that race. It is tricky to come back mid-season from an injury because a lot of guys have good race pace and have done a lot more motos. It doesnt matter how much training you do, you cant really beat riding GPs week-in week-out. To be on the podium with two decent results and to get the ball rolling is really positive.
Mel Pocock: Its great to win four from four and keep that overall streak alive. Im a bit disappointed I missed out on the win on Saturday but Maxime was going really quick. It is not my ideal surface as a rider; I prefer mud or deep sand or berms to hit! Maxime got away from me in that first race and I made a mistake that cost me the race. I backed down the speed a bit to make sure of the points for second. Today he made a small mistake and dropped the bike, so I had the lead and rode error-free ahead of Gasjer. It was a hard weekend but I made it work for me. I had to learn out there. A lot of people have sent me messages that they have their tickets for the British Grand Prix next week. It will be a big race and Im really excited.
The Grand Prix of Czech Republic took place across the hard, slick and fast hillside of Loket for the latest episode of the FIM Motocross World Championship and Monster Energy Yamahas Shaun Simpson was able to post 12th position overall at what was round twelve of sixteen in the series.
Simpson guided his works YZ450FM to sixth place after a decent start from the gate in Saturdays qualification heat. The slot was more than sufficient for one of the longest start straights in the series. After sunshine and hot temperatures on the first day of action Sunday was cooler but still bright.
The Scot made a great getaway into the top five around the slippery and difficult track. He battled in the mid top ten and started to hunt the rear wheel of Evgeny Bobryshev in the closing laps of the first 35 minute and 2 lap sprint, eventually relegating the Russian and securing 8th. In the second race 24 misjudged the gate drop and exited the first turn buried in the pack. He also crashed briefly on the first circluation but then applied himself across the bumpy dirt and reached a creditable 14th.
Simpson is tenth in the MX1-GP standings with just four meetings left on the schedule. The British Grand Prix is next on the agenda and a big home event for the Scot who led the field last year at the flowing Matterley Basin course in the south of England.
Shaun Simpson: It is a tough track here. It was hard to pass, hard to make up time and really easy to lose it. My speed has been OK all weekend and I felt I could push a bit more yesterday here and there. There were a couple of sections of the track where I wasnt too great, particularly the second sector. Today was all about getting a good start and a good jump. I made a great start in the first moto and managed to battle the whole race and overtook Bobryshev with a few laps to go to finish eighth. I was reasonably happy with that. I totally misjudged the second start. There were quite a few guys getting jumpy and almost hitting the gate and I was caught out and rolled forward and had to wait until I could get going. I was behind everyone, slipped off and then fought as hard as I could. I got up to fourteenth and spent a lot of energy trying to pass Soubeyras and Guarneri and when I got a second wind at the end it was too late to do anything else. Overall, a tough one, and not really the results I was looking for but a few positives to take again and to think about. I hope to come out swinging at my home GP next week.
— Honda Report
The 2012 .FIM Motocross World Championship found some overdue hot sunshine and good weather conditions as the twelfth round of sixteen was played out over the rough and slippery track of Loket for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic. Honda World Motocross team’s Rui Goncalves steered the works CRF450R to seventh position overall as the premier MX1 class was won by reigning number one Antonio Cairoli in front of twenty-three thousand spectators (weekend figure).
Stuffy air, reasonably high temperatures and mostly sunny skies blessed proceedings in Loket for what is one of the more distinctive circuits on the Grand Prix calendar. The hilly course boasted many off-cambered turns, a slick and stony terrain and a fast pace that saw many riders circulating with similar lap-times. Overtaking was therefore a considered act; the layout punished any mistakes and made the starts of the thirty-five minute and two lap motos critical for designs on the podium.
Goncalves was distracted at the crucial moment of the first race. The Portuguese almost nudged the start gate and rounded the opening corner deep in the pack. The 27 year old moved through the field effectively to reach eleventh and his application and skill on the Czech surface that rewarded throttle control bore him in good stead for the second moto. A better launch in Moto2 saw ‘999’ running inside the first five and he continued to push all the way to the flag, almost catching Max Nagl by the finish but sealing his fifth top five classification of the season regardless.
Team-mate Evgeny Bobryshev scored ninth and tenth for eleventh overall. The Russian struggled to find an effective pace around the Loket undulations and coupled with two mediocre starts was unable to trouble the top of the leaderboard. LS Honda Racing’s Jonathan Barragan was also left with a bitter test of the Czech Grand Prix. The Spaniard – low on confidence – suffered a mechanical problem in the closing stages of the first race and failed to last the distance. In the second he could only ride to sixteenth position.
In the MX2 class Gariboldi Esta’s Max Anstie was able to mark an effective speed at Loket but was hamstrung by being submerged in the mire around the first corners of each moto. The talented Brit took his CRF250R to fifth and twelfth for seventh overall. Anstie is the top Honda racer in the competitive category with seventh position in the MX2 standings.
The points table of the FIM MX1 World Championship shows that Goncalves still holds ninth place, but is just four points behind Tanel Leok. Bobryshev is eleventh and five points from further promotion. Barragan is thirteenth. Round thirteen of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place in two weeks time at the Matterley Basin circuit for the British Grand Prix.
Rui Goncalves: Race Result: 11th / 5th Championship position: 9th “It was a positive weekend. I was riding well and feeling good. In the first moto I messed up my start. Guarneri was next to me and he moved early and I moved and almost hit the gate. I was way behind and outside the top twenty, but made my way through up to eleventh. It was difficult to pass and closer to the top ten the more tricky it was because of the faster pace. I was pretty happy with my lap-times and that was important for the second moto. I had a better start in the next one and made a faster rhythm right away. The guys were pushing behind me but I didn’t give up and kept trying all the way. I almost got Nagl by the end and Pourcel made a mistake. I was pleased with fifth, just a shame about the first moto because overall it could have been a different story. We will keep focused until the last round and keep working during the week. I will give my best every race and I want to thank the team and everyone that is behind me and believes in me.”
Evgeny Bobryshev:
Race Result: 9th / 10th Championship position: 11th “I didn’t enjoy the track. It was full of stones, very slippery and everyone was going the same speed. I found it impossible to pass. I think what you managed out of the gate then you could probably add a few positions, but that was it. I did OK in the first race, . but in the middle of the moto I lost my lines and rhythm and Simpson passed me. The second race was bad because my start was horrible. I made only two places. Eleventh overall is not good. I need to train on ground like this to get better here but there are not many GP tracks like this.”
Jonathan Barragan: Race Result: DNF/ 16th Championship position: 13th “Things didn’t go well and I didn’t feel good on the track. I’m not feeling confident or motivated – to be honest – to be fighting for positions between fifteenth and twentieth. The bike broke in the last few laps of the first moto and I couldn’t finish. For one reason or another, whether for crashes, bad starts or a bad feeling I’m not getting the results and I feel the pressure. I’m riding tense and need to get through this and find some confidence.”
— UEM EMX 250
The fourth round of the UEM EMX250 championship took place today in Loket, one of the most beautiful natural tracks in Europe, where Mel Pocock obtained another overall victory. Tim Gajser and Maxime Desprey were second and third of the Czech round.
It was not an easy weekend for Monster Energy Yamaha’s Mel Pocock, who admitted that he found the track very demanding and it took him a while to adapt himself to the Czech ground. Yesterday the British rider was only able to finish second, but today he succeeded in leading the second race from the beginning. Pocock is very excited to ride in Matterley Basin for the fifth round round of the season because it will be the first time he will ride in front of his home crowd with the red plate on his Yamaha.
Second overall was KTM Silver Action’s Tim Gajser, who was third yesterday and second today. The current EMX125 leader was very excited about his performance today, especially because he could give chase to Pocock in the second race and at some point he was really close to overtake him. In two weeks time, Tim Gajser will travel to Matterley Basin to take part in the penultimate round of the UEM EMX125 championship, where he can be proclaimed European Champion.
NGS Junior’s Maxime Desprey took the holeshot of yesterday’s first race and dominated it completely crossing the finish line with almost ten seconds advantage over Pocock. However, today the French rider crashed in the beginning of race two when he was riding first and dropped down to tenth. In the end, Desprey crossed the finish line sixth and obtained the third overall position.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Jeremy Seewer had one of the most consistent weekends of the season and he finished fourth overall, four points behind Desprey. The Swiss rider did not have a good start yesterday, but he was able to cross the finish line in the fifth position. Today Seewer had a really good start and obtained a solid third place; he is still fourth in the point standings, but he is just one point behind Kras.
Jtech Racing’s Stefan Olsen missed the podium this weekend in Loket after finishing fourth and fifth and completed the top five of the Czech round. His teammate Alessandro Battig had another good weekend and he finished sixth overall and improved one position in the point standings of the EMX250 championship where he is now eighth, just four points behind Brian Bogers, who was only tenth this weekend.
Mike Kras did not have a good start yesterday and he was only sixteenth, but his fourth position today gave him the final seventh place. James Dunn was eighth overall and Jordan Lacan and Brian Bogers completed the top ten.
EMX250 Race 1 top ten: 1. Maxime Desprey (FRA, Kawasaki), 29:03.439; 2. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +0:09.229; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, KTM), +0:26.586; 4. Stefan Kjer Olsen (DEN, Yamaha), +0:32.203; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:33.660; 6. Robin Kappel (FRA, KTM), +0:49.625; 7. Brent Van Doninck (BEL, KTM), +0:53.900; 8. Alessandro Battig (ITA, Yamaha), +0:56.582; 9. Jordan Lacan (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:58.380; 10. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, KTM), +1:01.880;
EMX250 Race 2 top ten: 1. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 29:03.259; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, KTM), +0:01.446; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:03.587; 4. Mike Kras (NED, Suzuki), +0:08.156; 5. Stefan Kjer Olsen (DEN, Yamaha), +0:10.899; 6. Maxime Desprey (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:25.244; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:33.993; 8. James Dunn (GBR, KTM), +0:34.935; 9. Alessandro Battig (ITA, Yamaha), +0:40.413; 10. Jordan Lacan (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:42.755;
EMX250 Overall top ten: 1. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 47 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Maxime Desprey (FRA, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), 36 p.; 5. Stefan Kjer Olsen (DEN, Yamaha), 34 p.; 6. Alessandro Battig (ITA, Yamaha), 25 p.; 7. Mike Kras (NED, Suzuki), 23 p.; 8. James Dunn (GBR, KTM), 23 p.; 9. Jordan Lacan (FRA, Kawasaki), 23 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 22 p.;
EMX250 Championship top ten: 1. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 197 points; 2. Stefan Kjer Olsen (DEN, Yamaha), 158 p.; 3. Mike Kras (NED, Suzuki), 126 p.; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), 125 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, KTM), 110 p.; 6. Maxime Desprey (FRA, Kawasaki), 105 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 84 p.; 8. Alessandro Battig (ITA, Yamaha), 80 p.; 9. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KTM), 73 p.; 10. Robin Kappel (FRA, KTM), 58 p.;
EMX250 Manufacturers: 1. Yamaha, 197 points; 2. Suzuki, 156 p.; 3. KTM, 148 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 122 p.; 5. Honda, 54 p.; 6. TM, 4 p.;
