— FIM MX1/MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 16 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23 GERMANY, TEUTSCHENTHAL
— Weather: Bright, mild – Temperature: 18 degrees C – Attendance: 40,000
— Massive German GP crowd see action-packed season send-off
The last MXGP of the year was celebrated today in Teutschenthal and it could not have a better ending with up to 40000 spectators witnessing how Antonio Cairoli and Tommy Searle won the German Grand Prix, and how their home rider Ken Roczen finished on the second step of the podium in the MX1 class.
The last round of the FIM MX3 World Championship also took place today in Teutschenthal, where Matthias Walker obtained the Title after finishing second overall. It was Filip Neugebauer who won the German round and Martin Michek completed the MX3 podium and finished second in the Championship. Günter Schmidinger was fourth today, but he was very happy at the end of the day because he managed to obtain the third position in the MX3 point standings.
Chiara Fontanesi did not take part in the last round of the FIM WMX World Championship because she was still recovering from a crash she suffered in a race in Italy, but she was present on the podium to receive the gold medal. Livia Lancelot was the one who won the German race, ahead of Larissa Papenmeier and Meghan Rutledge. Natalie Kane finished fourth in the German round, but she was on the podium to receive the silver medal, and Britt Van Der Wekken achieved the third final place in the WMX point standings.
MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli achieved his seventh overall victory in a row, his eleventh in the season and his 58th in his career. The Italian was really happy for having been able to win the last MXGP of the season by winning the two heats with superb authority. Cairoli admitted that in the beginning of the first heat he had some pain on the right little finger he injured yesterday and he had to adapt his riding position, but once he got used to it, he managed to overtake Roczen and then Nagl. In the second heat Cairoli was the first one to reach the first corner and he succeeded in leading the heat until the chequered flag.
His teammate Ken Roczen was able to finish second overall on his debut in the MX1 class after finishing third and second in today’s races. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider had a really good start in the first heat and he even managed to overtake Cairoli, but he then stalled the bike and lost two positions. Later in the race, a stone hit his goggles and he had a lot of dirt coming into his eye, but he managed to finish third. The second heat went much better and he was able to ride consistently in the second position and he assured the second overall place of the German round.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle was very happy with his performance today after finishing second and fourth in the races and being on the third step of the podium at the end of the day. The Belgian rider is not 100% recovered from his hand injury, but step by step he is getting his speed back and he is now looking forward to do well next weekend in Lommel at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations and help Team Belgium to be on the podium.
Home rider Max Nagl was a little disappointed today, as he would have loved to finish on the podium in front of his home crowd. The Red Bull KTM Factory rider managed to take the holeshot in the first race and he led almost all the first half of the heat, but his teammate Cairoli was coming faster from behind and Nagl dropped down to second. In the following lap, Nagl made a mistake and crashed, which made him go down to the seventh place behind Bobryshev. The German could not recuperate any position, so the third place in the second heat only helped him to finish fourth overall of the German MXGP.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin had a good start in the first heat and he managed to overtake De Dycker by the middle of the race and he finished fourth. In the second moto his start was not that good, but he managed to pass Bobryshev and he then found the good lines to keep the Russian behind during the whole heat and finished fifth in the race and fifth of the Grand Prix, tight in 34 points with Nagl. The French rider explained that he is very satisfied with his third position in the MX1 championship even if his goal at the beginning of the season was to fight for the Title. Paulin is now focused to do well at the MXoN and get ready for the 2013 season.
Evgeny Bobryshev damaged his right thumb ligament yesterday, but he decided to take part in the races today, and in fact he rode both motos with a great rhythm. In the first one he did not have a good start, but he managed to finish sixth, whereas in the second one he rode consistently in the sixth place, which gave him the sixth overall position in the GP.
Ken De Dycker had been struggling with a cold before coming to Germany and he was still felling a bit sick during the whole weekend. The Belgian did his best and he finished seventh overall thanks to his fifth and tenth result. Xavier Boog was eighth, and Christophe Pourcel and Sebastien Pourcel completed the top ten.
MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:20.857; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:04.984; 3. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:23.134; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:29.686; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:33.895; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:35.278; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:36.056; 8. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:53.085; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:53.887; 10. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:57.687;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:24.135; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:04.862; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:07.977; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.607; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:25.935; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:30.107; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:46.263; 8. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:50.282; 9. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:09.831; 10. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +1:10.953;
MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 40 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 30 p.; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 26 p.; 9. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 10. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 24 p.;
MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 692 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 594 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 536 p.; 4. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 521 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 505 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 405 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 398 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 381 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 325 p.; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 315 p.;
MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 742 points; 2. Kawasaki, 649 p.; 3. Suzuki, 617 p.; 4. Honda, 471 p.; 5. Yamaha, 439 p.; 6. TM, 58 p.;
MX2
Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle finished the season with an overall win after winning both motos in Teutschenthal. The British rider succeeded in finishing first in the moto, but he admitted that he had riding very tight and he was about to crash in several occasions. In the second moto everything went much better, he started at the front and dominated the heat until the chequered flag. The German Grand Prix has been the last race of Searle on the 250cc before he takes the bigger bike to take part in the MXoN and focuses on the upcoming season in the MX1 class.
Second overall was Monster Energy Yamaha’s Zach Osborne, who did an excellent first moto finishing second, but he had to make an impressive recovery in the second race to finish on the podium after he started down in the seventeenth position. The American was determined to do well at his last MXGP before he goes back to the USA, so that extra motivation helped him to find the perfect lines to move up until the fourth place.
His teammate Arnaud Tonus had a very difficult qualifying race yesterday, but today he was visibly moved when he crossed the finish line of the second race and he realized that he had finished third overall of the Grand Prix. The Monster Energy Yamaha rider had a very bad start in the first moto, but he managed to move from his initial nineteenth position up to the sixth final place. In the second race his start was much better and he was able to finish third, which helped him obtain his first podium of the year.
Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Jake Nicholls was very close today to obtain his maiden podium of the season, but he finally finished fourth just one point behind Tonus. In the first race Nicholls started sixth, but he moved up to fifth when Herlings’ bike stopped, and by the end of the heat the British rider was able to overtake Teillet. In the second heat Nicholls took the holeshot, but he could not keep the rhythm and he had to settle down with the fourth place.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier had a great opportunity to finish on the podium today, especially because he did a superb first race finishing third ahead of Nicholls and Teillet. However, a bad start and a crash in the second race made him lose all the chances to obtain his second podium of the season, as he could only finish eighth, which gave him the final fifth position of the Grand Prix.
Valentin Teillet was back riding with the front riders this weekend and he managed to finish sixth overall thanks to his 5-6 result. His compatriot Romain Febvre had also a good weekend, especially in the first heat where he finished seventh. In the second race he ended tenth, but he was able to finish seventh overall of the Grand Prix.
Jeffrey Herlings did not start really well in the first heat, and when he was recovering some positions his KTM stopped and he had to pull out from the race. In the second one the 2012 FIM MX2 World Champion did an excellent start, but he admitted that Searle was much faster and he decided to ride safe in the second place, which gave him the overall eighth position.
Glenn Coldenhoff finished ninth and Alexander Tonkov completed the top ten, while his teammate Max Anstie was only able to finish seventeenth.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 41:00.578; 2. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:03.344; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:20.997; 4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:25.850; 5. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:30.966; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:34.382; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:35.401; 8. Julien Lieber (BEL, Suzuki), +0:36.349; 9. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:45.887; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:57.672;
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 39:26.109; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:03.491; 3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:25.175; 4. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:32.372; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:37.332; 6. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:44.191; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:49.395; 8. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:56.916; 9. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR, KTM), +0:58.846; 10. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:59.409;
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 50 points; 2. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 40 p.; 3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), 35 p.; 4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), 31 p.; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), 22 p.;
MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 694 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 651 p.; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 559 p.; 4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 443 p.; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 434 p.; 6. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 367 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 333 p.; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 291 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 273 p.; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 272 p.;
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 757 points; 2. Kawasaki, 721 p.; 3. Yamaha, 489 p.; 4. Honda, 382 p.; 5. Suzuki, 309 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 271 p.; 7. TM, 29 p.;
— KTM Report
Red Bull KTM rider and MX1 World champion Tony Cairoli disregarded an injured finger to go out and give another impressive display of riding on the hard pack Teutschenthal circuit on Sunday to wrap up his season with his seventh consecutive victory in the MX1 GP of Germany.
Walkner seals MX3 world title
The race day started on another high note for KTM with yet another title going to the Austrian brand after the opening MX3 moto. Matthias Walkner of Austria sealed the MX3 World Title to complete a trio of titles in MX1 (Cairoli) and MX2 (with Jeffrey Herlings). It was the first time that a world title has gone to an Austrian rider since the legendary Heinz Kinigadner won the 250 cc World Championship titles in 1984 and 1985 riding for the KTM factory team. This, added to the AMA 450 title won by Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey makes it a record year for rider’s titles for KTM.
The 25-year old Walkner said he had not known what to expect after changing classes in 2012. “But it was clear to me that a good result at the end of the season was possible when everything went well, even though I didn’t think about the world championship title when the season began. It was a dream, unbelievable!”
Cairoli shines in MX1
Cairoli was in a class of his own in Germany with a 1-1 result ahead of young German teammate Ken Roczen finishing second overall. Roczen was home from riding for Red Bull KTM in the US and his impressive guest ride on the KTM 450 SX-F was greeted with wild cheering from his loyal fan base. Germany’s Max Nagl, who completed a 1-2-3 for KTM in the second moto finished just off the podium in overall fourth.
In the opening moto it was Nagl who took the holeshot in the opening race ahead of Cairoli. The two faced off for the opening laps but Cairoli quickly exerted his dominance on the KTM 350 SX-F and once he took the lead the race was never in doubt. Roczen held on for third despite a couple of small incidents during the moto but Nagl’s chances were spoilt when he ran off into the fence. With his twentieth race win of the season already under his wheels, Cairoli came out hard and fast in the second moto and immediately grabbed the holeshot. Roczen was right behind in second and stuck to that position throughout the race to the collective joy of the German crowd. Nagl drifted from third to fourth and back to third to finally give KTM a 1-2-3 in race two.
“After what happened in Sweden (double DNF) it was my goal to win every GP and I am really satisfied with what happened,” Cairoli said. “It was great to fight with my teammates Roczen and Nagl especially as they were racing on their home ground.”
Max Nagl said he was happy with his riding and his speed this weekend but said his mistake in the first moto had cost him a podium. “It was my fault in the first heat. I jumped a little too far in the triple and I got the (fence) netting around the back wheel and it took me a wheel to get the bike free again,” he said.
MX1 teammate Ken de Dycker, still down with the flu admitted he had struggled in Sunday’s race. The Belgian rider registered fifth in the opening moto but was tired and unwell in the second coming home tenth for overall seventh place.
Mixed weekend for Jeffrey Herlings
It was mixed fortunes for the Red Bull KTM MX2 World Champion who had already secured his title in Faenza Italy in the last round. The 18-year old Dutch teenager has been the subject of massive media attention at home in the Netherlands, later admitted he lacked a little motivation for the final round. He went out in the opening moto with a technical issue and with teammate Jeremy van Horebeek sitting out the GP after tweaking his knee in Faenza it was up to Jordi Tixier to deliver a good result for the team. Tixier rode his KTM 250 SX-F into third in the opening race and followed it up with an eighth in the second, while Herlings collected more championship points with a second place in race two. In the final shakeout it was Tixier at fifth overall and Herlings winning enough in the second moto to finish overall eighth. Tixier wrapped up his season well ahead of his stated goal of a top seven finish and was fifth in the final standings.
The French rider said later he was disappointed not to be on the podium but a bad start in the second moto had spoilt his chances. He said he had learned a lot in his rookie year with the factory team and from team boss Stefan Everts. “Jeffrey and Jeremy were also there so it was really good for my speed because I tried to follow them. It is amazing to be in a team like Red Bull KTM. You have so much support for everything.”
Big lineup of Red Bull KTM factory riders for next weekend’s MXoN
With the 2012 season now wrapped up, a slew of Red Bull KTM riders are down to race for their countries in the MX of Nations in Lommel next weekend. Ryan Dungey will race MX1 for the US team, Tony Cairoli MX1 for Italy, Max Nagl MX1 for Germany, Ken Roczen MX2 for Germany, Marvin Musquin MX2 for France, Jeremy van Horebeek MX2 for Belgium, Jeffrey Herlings Open Class for The Netherlands and Ken de Dycker Open Class for Belgium. Walkner will also contest the MX1 for the Australian national team
— Kawasaki Report
With his thoughts on the final position in the standings the Frenchman rode two tactical races at Teutschenthal to increase his narrow advantage over fellow Kawasaki rider Christophe Pourcel and avoided taking risks, which might negate his fine efforts throughout the season as a whole. Starting fifth in each moto Gautier rode with authority to take fourth and fifth placings, well ahead of his series rival to secure third in the series, a sterling performance for a rookie and one which augurs well for the future as he faces at least the next two seasons with the Kawasaki Racing Team.
Team colleague Xavier Boog suffered a most unfortunate crash during practice as one of the numerous stones, which litter the German switchback circuit, block the chain immediately before a jump. Battered and bruised Xavier overcame a first lap collision to charge back to ninth in the opening moto and was rewarded for his persistence with seventh in race two. The French routinier thus completed his third consecutive season with the Kawasaki Racing Team in MX1 GP competition with a seventh placed world ranking.
Christophe Pourcel continued to how the after-effects of his serious crash last month in England and found it difficult to show his full potential and that of the CP377 Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit throughout the weekend. He has finished the series in fourth place after scoring two GP victories, three moto victories and eight GP podiums during the season.
Elder brother Sébastien has a frustrating final GP after he had wheelies out of the gate in both motos. He fought back defiantly to join his brother in the top ten of the GP with tenth and eighth place in the two motos.
Gautier Paulin: “I’m very happy to bring a medal to the team and to Kawasaki. At the beginning of the season I was hoping for more than bronze; but MX1 is definitely a strong class! I didn’t have so much pressure this weekend, and I rode two good races; the goal here was to keep the third place in the standings and I did it, thanks to the team, which was always behind me throughout the season.”
Xavier Boog: “I had a big crash during the practice session, when I got a stone in the chain just before a jump, and my body was painful today! In the first race I was involved in a collision on the first lap, but I was able to recover to ninth place. My second start was better, and even though I had cramps in my leg I finished seventh, which is a regular number for me as it is the third year in a row that I have taken this position in the championship!”
Christophe Pourcel: “We have not been able to make our usual good starts in the last two GPs and that was a handicap here in Teutschenthal. I only qualified fifteenth as a result and that made it very difficult for the GP motos as this track is not really selective and everyone can go pretty much the same speed. I did my best today but that was not enough to earn another podium after my injury set-back in Great Britain last month. But we proved with several moto and GP wins that the 450 Kawasaki is a great bike, as we raced with nearly a standard KX450F.”
Sébastien Pourcel: “My qualifying race was ruined when a rider stopped in front of me at the second corner; I had to stop too and lost so much time that I finished only sixteenth. Both starts were average, as I did wheelies out of the gate. I was expecting better results than tenth and eighth for this last race of the season.”
The Englishman dominated the weekend as he surged to clearcut victories in both motos after securing pole position the previous day. He adopted a careful approach in the dangerous first corner but was soon in command of both motos. The Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit teamster needed less than a lap to move ahead in the first moto and controlled the race from the front despite suffering with arm pump for most of the race on the ultra-fast raceway which dives backwards and forwards through the valley. In the second moto he was content to sit patiently in third for three laps before making a couple of electrifying passes to take the lead and sweep to an impressive double victory. The result confirmed his second place in the World Series.
Valentin Teillet of Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki showed great character to end the season on a high note with sixth overall despite a troubled week as he ran a fever. After still feeling the after-effects during training the dynamic Frenchman put in two good leaderboard rides during the GP motos and can look forward confidently to 2013 after scoring heavily throughout the final six GPs.
Jordan Lacan joined Teillet for his GP debut after strong performances in the last two rounds of the European championship for the Floride Kawasaki NGS support team and showed good speed to twice score points. Inexperience at GP level saw the French youngster charge a little too much in the early laps of race one after a ninth placed start and the physical effort took its toll in the closing minutes. Pacing himself better in race two he raced to thirteenth in race two, a remarkable show on his debut.
Benoit Paturel took his second GP ride of the season for Bud Racing Kawasaki but was unfortunate to collide with another rider at the start of the qualifying race and faced an awkward start position for the GP motos. His hard-charging style took him into a points-scoring position in the opening moto before the effort caused a bout of arm pump and he had to drop back out of the points. A less hectic ride in race two was rewarded with fourteenth.
Loic Larrieu suffered a catalogue of misfortune aboard the third Floride team bike as he was hit by rivals in each race and ended the weekend pointless.
Tommy Searle: “It was a nice way to end the season. The first race was quite difficult for me as I tightened up after I had taken the lead. Osborne was riding well in second and kept the pressure on, but I was able to keep him off my rear wheel and win. I rode really well in the second moto; the track flowed better and I was more relaxed.”
Valentin Teillet: “I was sick last week and I was not at my best on Saturday, but today I felt better and the team found good settings for the bike. I got two good starts, and I’m delighted to finish sixth overall in this final GP of the year with a fifth and a sixth place. The season was tough as I was injured for the first few races, but I have come back well and next year we’ll be stronger. I will stay with the Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki team for 2013; we now know each other very well and for sure that will be a benefit.”
Jordan Lacan: “On Tuesday the team informed me that I had an entry for the GP, so we only had a short time to prepare everything. My first start was good and I gave everything for the first fifteen minutes to stay in the top ten but after that it was tough and I finished sixteenth. In the second race I looked for better lines, and also took it easier so I was able to keep the same rhythm for the entire forty minutes. It was nice to have the opportunity to race this final GP, and I want to thanks the team for their support.”
Benoit Paturel: “I got good results in the timed practice, but at the start of the qualifying race I crashed and my foot was caught in the rear wheel of another rider’s machine. That meant I was only 32nd on the grid and couldn’t get a decent start. In the first race I came back to eighteenth but then I got arm pump and lost some places again. The second moto was better as I finished fourteenth. The whole weekend was a great experience for me.”
Loic Larrieu: “It was a frustrating weekend for me, particularly after my great GP two weeks ago in Italy. I was seventh in the qualifying race until Butron took me down, then in the first race I had a problem and had to stop. I started the second moto in the top ten, but my bike was damaged in a collision with Coldenhoff and I had to stop.”
MX2 results
— Yamaha Report
Zach Osborne signed off the European chapter of his career by scoring a season-best second place at Teutschenthal and the Grand Prix of Germany; the sixteenth and final round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. The Monster Energy Yamaha rider guided his YZ250F to second and fourth positions and classified ahead of team-mate Arnaud Tonus who went sixth and third in the two races to complete a double podium finish for the team and the rapid and agile YZ250F. It was a perfect culmination to a turbulent season for the team as both Osborne and Tonus missed the opening half of the campaign through injury but ended 2012 where they should have started, on the box and spraying champagne.
The MX2 motos took place under bright skies and watched by a 40,000 crowd. The Talkessel layout was typically tight, turning and jumpy and thanks to some work by organisers on the surface the German hard-pack became rougher throughout raceday.
Osborne was already quick from the opening sessions and found a groove on his 338 racebike to take a decent second spot in Saturdays qualification heat. The 23 year old (who has to leave the MX2 class through the age ruling and will end a five year stint in Europe where he was crowned 2010 British Champion, won the 2009 Grand Prix of Turkey and finished fourth in the world in 2010) slotted into second position early in the opening race on Sunday and built an advantage over Jordi Tixier. The American closed to within three seconds of eventual GP winner Tommy Searle but was not able to get in the Britons wheel tracks.
Arnaud Tonus has weathered some poor luck with injury niggles and a pre-season arm-break in 2012 but put all the adversity behind him with some effective skill and deft handling of the German bumps at Teutschenthal. The Swiss picked up his first trophy in Monster Energy Yamaha colours and his second race-run to third position was a confident display of proactive riding.
The Grand Prix of Germany signed off a season in which the YZ250F claimed European Championship honours (thanks to Mel Pocock, who is also on the verge of British Championship success) and also ruled the FIM Womens World Championship. Sadly the new number one, Kiara Fontanesi, could not contest the final round of the female competition at Teutschenthal as a crash in Italy had left the teenager from Parma nursing a concussion.
The Motocross of Nations will now bring the international MX season to a close and the 66th edition of the historic event will see both Osborne and Tonus in action for Puerto Rico and Switzerland respectively at Lommel in Belgium next weekend.
Zach Osborne: This is a good way to send-off and Im really happy. I got a really bad start in the second moto and was working my way through and got up to eighth when I crashed. That put me back to twelfth and I had to start all over again. I knew it was my last GP moto of this stage of my career so I put my heart and soul into it and was able to finish on the podium. At the beginning of the season I was in great shape after the supercross and unfortunately picked up that injury. I feel now that I am coming back to a good level and was able to charge the whole time in both motos. It was a good feeling. I didnt have anything for Arnaud in the second moto. It was great for the team and also Steve [Dixon, Team Manager absent and undergoing a back operation in hospital] for us to finish the year this way.
Arnaud Tonus: It has been a really tough season for me and Ive had a lot of problems physically so to get on the podium at the last race is amazing. Especially after yesterday because I had a terrible quali race and had to work hard to come back through from a bad gate position. I really hope I can push for the championship next year after getting a solid winter of work behind me. Thats twice now Ive taken podium results in the last GPs of the year so the goal will be to reverse that for the start of 2013!
Coppins and Simpson end 2012 MXGP year in Germany
The Grand Prix of Germany at Teutschenthal brought the 2012 FIM Motocross World Championship to a close and 40,000 spectators at a busy and bustling event saw Monster Energy Yamahas Shaun Simpson take 15th position overall and confirm 11th place in the premier MX1-GP class. The sixteenth round of the year was also the stage for Josh Coppins to make his second Grand Prix appearance in Monster Energy Yamaha colours and sign off a long and decorated career with 11th.
The age-old Talkessel circuit had undergone some work and changes with a view to the 2013 Motocross of Nations but the same narrow and twisty layout, with many tight corners and jumps to negotiate, was firmly in place. The expanded spectator areas quickly filled on a bright, sunny but chilly raceday as the motocross season hurried to a conclusion to be followed by the 66th Motocross of Nations next weekend (where Coppins will again represent New Zealand at Lommel in Belgium).
Simpson almost grabbed the holeshot in the qualification heat on Saturday and rode to a strong fourth position for the same pick in the start gate for Sunday. His hopes of a bright end to the season and to possibly capturing ninth in the MX1-GP series were scuppered in the initial moments of the opening moto when 24 caught the rear wheel of Clement Desalle in the first turn and crashed. The Scot was lucky to escape injury and fought through to fifteenth. In the second race a slower gate meant that Simpson was slightly held up at the crucial moment of the moto launch. Another attempt to come back through the pack was upset by an indifferent rhythm and he finished fifteenth.
Coppins fared much better in terms of his race pace and fitness and dealing with the two moto format compared to the three he has handled all season in Australia. The New Zealander rode consistently to twelfth and eleventh in his Grand Prix swansong and will now contest the Motocross of Nations on the works YZ450FM in what will be his last professional race before retirement.
Shaun Simpson: A tough day. In the end I lost a place in the championship when I could have actually been two better. It was not at all what I planned to come and do and especially after yesterdays performance I was really looking forward to the motos. Starts played a big part today and for whatever reason I didnt make either one count. A crash in the first and then maybe something with my technique or a problem with the gate spring in the second but I nudged it slightly and it held me up. I battled round for the first couple of laps but from then it was a struggle. I didnt have a great feeling the whole moto. I felt like I was pushing hard but the speed wasnt there. It was not a great way to finish the season because Id been building up the last few GPs in a good way.
Josh Coppins: I feel pretty good. I wasnt suffering as much physically and enjoyed it more because of that. I struggled with my starts today and rode pretty decently but I reckon I should have been up a bit higher in the races. Both motos were OK, I just had to come back through and it wasnt easy to pass. If I would have started higher then I would have been finished further up. I reckon the pace from fifth to outside the top ten was pretty similar to be honest. I think I could have done another step up but weve run out of GPs and I hope to do well at the Nations. I dont have any regrets at all about retiring. It is time, and its time to move on.
— HRC Report
Honda World Motocross team’s Evgeny Bobryshev defied a fresh thumb injury to score sixth position overall at a sunny Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany. The sixteenth and final round of the 2012 FIM Motocross World Championship took place in front of forty thousand spectators who witnessed Antonio Cairoli win the last MX1 event of 2012 and just a week before the traditional season curtain-closer that is the FIM Motocross of Nations.
Bobryshev had to negotiate the many undulations and tight, weaving layout of the hard-pack track with a disadvantage on raceday. The Russian had damaged a ligament in his thumb during practice and lacked strength to efficiently muscle the factory CRF450R around the Talkessel leaps – scene of his first Grand Prix victory last summer. While the pubic packed into the renovated circuit (new banking and infrastructure changes to accommodate the massive event that is the FIM Motocross of Nations in 2013) ‘Bobby’ was hopeful of making the chequered flag in both 35 minute and 2 lap motos never mind having designs on the podium.
Evgeny showed typical guts – a characteristic he has demonstrated on more than a few occasions in 2012 – to chase Ken De Dycker and then Gautier Paulin hard in both races and collect a brace of sixth positions for the same classification in the overall MX1 points table. The resilience of the factory Honda rider – who will be joined by Max Nagl in the Italian crew for 2013 after a press conference by Honda Motor Europe on Saturday in Germany – and his subsequent haul of points helped him move up to ninth place in the World championship standings after an unfortunate and injury-interrupted campaign.
Bobryshev was operating alone in the factory awning after the broken shoulder blade sustained by Rui Goncalves proved too painful and weak to allow the Portuguese to compete. The former GP winner had crashed two weeks previously at the Grand Prix of Europe in Italy and had still not sufficiently recovered to be able to consider a last World championship outing in Honda colours. Rui attempted the first practice sessions, but soon withdrew and ends 2012 with tenth in MX1.
LS Honda’s Jonathan Barragan signed off his season with the team with a visit to the medical centre. The Spaniard crashed in the opening moments of the first moto and struggled to find a good rhythm thereafter. Seventeenth position could not be bettered in the second outing as a scrape with the banking on one side of a corner led to a painful right finger which was later diagnosed to be fractured. Barragan was forced to withdraw from the race and dropped to fourteen in the championship as a result of the DNF.
In the MX2 category the CRF250R was steered to tenth place by Gariboldi Esta’s Alexander Tonkov while Max Anstie was seventeenth overall after two bad starts in Germany, but claims seventh spot in the final MX2 listing. Both Bobryshev and Anstie will represent their countries next weekend at Lommel in Belgium for the 66th FIM Motocross of Nations while the participation of Barragan for Spain is now in doubt.
Evgeny Bobryshev: Race Result: 6th / 6th Championship position: 9th “In a way I am happy this season is over. Since Valkenswaard I’ve been dealing with pain and trying to race with a lack of training, coming back, then pain again. It has been tough and didn’t get easier today. I lost grip of the bars in the braking bumps on Saturday and yanked my thumb. I couldn’t believe it and needed painkillers. It was hard to accelerate and I didn’t have much strength in the hand. On this track it was difficult to pass and that was the story for me in both motos. I had a bad start in the second moto, but I saw a bit of space and went flat out in the first three corners to make positions. I wanted to keep Paulin behind me, but he made a move and then I was always trailing him and all the rocks and roost was making me angry! To finish sixth with the pain was not too bad and to make some positions in the championship was good. I’m looking forward to the Nations now; it is a sand race so it should be fun.”
Jonathan Barragan: Race Result: 17th / DNF Championship position: 14th “A bad way to end a bad year. I crashed at the start of the first moto and tried to push hard to recover positions, but couldn’t get a good feeling on the track. In the second race I tipped into a corner and caught my hand against the wall of mud there. I felt a lot of pain and had to pull into the pits. We went to see the doctor right away and he explained I had a fracture, which does not look good for the Nations. All I can do is look towards the future now and be happy to get 2012 out of the way.”
— Suzuki Report
On the weekend where Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe were able to outline some of their plans for the 2013 racing season by announcing the promising signature of British rider Max Anstie, Julien Lieber completed his brief positive spell with the factory-backed squad by taking the works RM-Z250 to eighth position in the first moto at Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany.
The home event for the team was a busy one with 40,000 spectators surrounding the Talkessel circuit under some sunny skies. The demanding hard-pack – littered with closed corners and hefty jumps – offered its usual quick and swirling test.
Lieber finished his fourth appearance on the RM-Z250 with a contrasting set of motos: In the first race he started reasonably well and was soon setting a decent rhythm and tussling with Arnaud Tonus for sixth place. The Belgian was pushed down to eighth by the chequered flag but his result still represented another personal-best in his second season of GP racing. Any hopes of another top 10 were dashed early in the second moto when he tangled with Jose Butron. Another crash left ‘#33’ far behind the pack and despite a good effort to catch up he just missed the points by ending the 35 minutes and 2 lap race distance with 21st; meaning 15th overall.
Larissa Papenmeier made a guest return slot for the team in the final round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship at Teutschenthal and went 3-2 in the motos on her RM-Z250 to scale the podium as runner-up at the venue where the German had memorably tasted success in the past.
In an unlucky and injury-cursed campaign, Harri Kullas and Petar Petrov classified in the top 29 of the series despite missing the last seven rounds. Jeremy Seewer and Lieber were both able to post significant results with Jorge Zaragoza taking a 125cc European podium finish and Brian Hsu winning the FIM 85cc World Championship.
Julien Lieber: “The first race was really good. I had a bad start but passed Butron and Tonkov to start a big battle with Arnaud Tonus. It was pretty good but I was frustrated that Febvre passed me right at the end; I wasn’t happy with that even if the position was my best this year. My start was similar in the second moto and Butron made a block-pass on me in a corner and made me crash. I tried to come back but had another fall. I lost a lot of time and finished outside the points. The last few GPs have been great for me. The bike is unbelievable and the team also and I’ve made some of my best races yet since I joined this place. I want to give big thanks to them for doing such a good job.”
— MX3
Matthias Walker was second overall, but it was enough to obtain the Title. It was Filip Neugebauer who won the German round and Martin Michek completed the MX3 podium and finished second in the Championship. Günter Schmidinger was fourth today, but he was very happy at the end of the day because he managed to obtain the third position in the MX3 point standings. It was day full of surprises and a joy because the season 2012 is over now and we can pay tribute to World Champions.
Two amazing wins produced the rider who just appeared on the MX3 scene during this round, Czech Filip Neugebauer on Kawasaki. Armed of knowledge of the Teutschenthal´s track from the German championship where he is a leader, he overcame everyone on the way. He was very satisfied with such a result.
HILLINGER KTM MX-RACING TEAM´s Matthias Walkner enjoyed his followers by the holeshots he made in both heats and after the first one he was crowned MX3 World Champion so he could rode more relaxed in the second. With 3-2 result he reached the podium of German round as the second. His dream about title came truth and now he can prepare himself for the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations in Lommel.
RSC – Racing Service Correggio´s Martin Michek had a day full of competition as he couldn´t resisted Neugebauer´s effort to overcome him in the first heat and in second he were fifth and seven laps to go he rode just behind Bauderxl´s rear wheel so he finished 2-4 and the third overall. As far as taking whole season into an account, he was very satisfied of being the second. He did a great progress since start of the season and he said that next year he is ready to fight for a title.
Team Mibag Schmidinger World MX´s Günter Schmidinger whose result was 4-5 missed the podium with the fourth place overall. He build upon the point advantage from previous round and completed the top three runners up of 2012 season. The third place was not what he was fighting for since the beginning of the year, but on the other hand he admitted, that he made mistakes whole season long so he is not surprised.
Surprisingly the German Dennis Baudrexl managed to race about the top of the pack with the best ones. In first heat he made a good start but afterwards he came down to eight. Next heat was much better as he was able to keep Michek behind and finished third. To sum it up he obtained 5 place overall.
Petr Bartoš from Czech Republic ride very consistent without any serious mistakes and thanks to the 6th place he obtained in the second heat he was sixth overall. That´s one of his best results of the 2012 season.
Michael Staufer took the seventh and Matevz Irt the eight position overall. Lukasz Lonka ahead of Petr Bartoš and Ludvig Söderberg fulfilled the top ten ranking of the round.
Klemen Gercar was expected to take part in the fight for title, but he was not able to do it as he finished the round on 16th place. This result put him down from the second to the fourth position of Championship standings. That was pity, because he was one of the contenders for the World Champion title.
Since MX GP Festival in Great Britain is known, that Antti Pyrhonen is retired now so he quitted season untimely and attended this round just as spectator. Instead of this fact he has enough point for the fifth place in Championship.
MX3 Race 1 top ten: 1.Filip Neugebauer (CZE, Kawasaki), 35:26.802; 2. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:07.390; 3. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), +0:28.358; 4. Günter Schmidinger (AUT, Honda), +0:34.383; 5. Petr Smitka (CZE, Kawasaki), +0:38.683; 6. Levy Batista (FRA, KTM), +0:41.854; 7. Lukasz Lonka (POL, Honda), +0:50.702; 8. Dennis Baudrexl (GER, KTM), +0:53.202; 9. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), +0:56.214; 10. Jilani Cambre (BEL, Yamaha), +0:59.285;
MX3 Race 2 top ten: 1. Filip Neugebauer (CZE, Kawasaki), 36:01.342; 2. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), +0:01.659; 3. Dennis Baudrexl (GER, KTM), +0:17.048; 4. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:17.882; 5. Günter Schmidinger (AUT, Honda), +0:38.483; 6. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), +0:52.917; 7. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), +0:53.929; 8. Jilani Cambre (BEL, Yamaha), +0:56.033; 9. Lukasz Lonka (POL, Honda), +0:58.574; 10. Levy Batista (FRA, KTM), +1:09.753;
MX3 Overall top ten: 1. Filip Neugebauer (CZE, Kawasaki), 50 points; 2. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Günter Schmidinger (AUT, Honda), 34 p.; 5. Dennis Baudrexl (GER, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Lukasz Lonka (POL, Honda), 26 p.; 8. Levy Batista (FRA, KTM), 26 p.; 9. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), 24 p.; 10. Jilani Cambre (BEL, Yamaha), 24 p.;
MX3 Championship top ten: 1. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 337 points; 2. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 306 p.; 3. Günter Schmidinger (AUT, Honda), 299 p.; 4. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), 277 p.; 5. Antti Pyrhönen (FIN, Honda), 230 p.; 6. Matevz Irt (SLO, Suzuki), 194 p.; 7. Michael Staufer (AUT, KTM), 185 p.; 8. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), 185 p.; 9. Lukasz Lonka (POL, Honda), 175 p.; 10. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), 147 p.;
— WMX – Rutledge scores podium
Chiara Fontanesi joined the last round of the FIM WMX World Championship just as spectator because she was still recovering from concussion she picked up during Italian championship. She stood on the podium when receiving the gold medal for the World Champion. Livia Lancelot was the one who won the German race, ahead of Larissa Papenmeier and Meghan Rutledge. Natalie Kane finished fourth and missed the podium of the round, apart from it she was second, and Britt Van Der Wekken achieved the third final place in the WMX point standings.
Instead of the fact that Chiara Fontanesi was not riding there was the newcomer with who Livia Lancelot could compete. In race two Lancelot made a holeshot but immediately Kat Meghan Rutledge was on his back. They were very close until Rutledge felt down and was replaced by Larissa Picoto Papenmeier. While this was happening Lancelot has enlarged the gap and afterwards rode alone till the end. French Livia Lancelot was on the top of the rostrum again as well as she won the round of France and MX GP Festival of Great Britain too.
German fans were just amazing how they follow their riders and one of them was Larissa Papenmeier – Picoto. She did well as she was third and second so it means the second place overall. In the second race she started just after Lancelot and Rutledge and then she caught the chance of Routlege´s crash and moved to the second. She was several times almost caught up by Natalie Kane riding just behind her rear wheel, but she kept second place till the end.
For a very first time young Australian Kat Meghan Rutledge rode with the WMX top riders. She found out that she belongs to the best ones and she proved it by results 2 – 4 and overall she finished as the third. In was successful weekend for her as during her first performance in WMX she immediately got the podium finish. She could be even better if she would avoid crash in race two in the third lap so that was the reason why she settled down directly from the second to the fourth place.
Irish Natalie Kane rider of HM Plant KTM UK obtained the fourth place overall as she finished fourth and third. In the second race she stared from fourth position with Papenmeier ahead. She followed her all heat long but couldn’t manage to overtake her so she tightly missed the podium of German round but as compensation she received the silver medal for the second place in Championship standings.
German Anne Borchers had very consistent performance this weekend as she was fifth in first and second race and in the Championship standings as well. In the race two she needed to be careful and asserting in order to defend her fifth place, because Britt Van Der Wekken was pushing hard from behind. Both of them were riding in this order during whole second heat.
Britt Van der Wekken has a great moment as she was standing on the podium having copper medal around her neck as award for the third place in 2012 FIM WMX Motocross World Championship. Dutch Wekken had 6-6 result what made her sixth overall.
With the same amount of points there are Anne Borchers and Marianne Veenstra sharing the fourth place in Championship standings. Dutch Veenstra took the points for the 9-7 places in heats and she finished seventh overall.
Justine Charroux, Marie Pettersen and Nina Klink fulfilled the top ten ranking of the round in Teutschenthal.
WMX Race 1 top ten: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 25:25.181; 2. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:04.102; 3. Larissa Papenmeier-Picoto (GER, Suzuki), +0:17.213; 4. Natalie Kane (GBR, KTM), +0:48.193; 5. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +0:56.410; 6. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), +1:48.328; 7. Marie S. Pettersen (NOR, Yamaha), +1:52.909; 8. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:54.414; 9. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), +2:07.903; 10. Sophia Paull (GBR, Honda), -1 lap(s);
WMX Race 2 top ten: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 26:27.237; 2. Larissa Papenmeier-Picoto (GER, Suzuki), +0:03.500; 3. Natalie Kane (GBR, KTM), +0:07.238; 4. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:44.238; 5. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +0:47.402; 6. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), +1:36.088; 7. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), +1:40.730; 8. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:42.065; 9. Marie S. Pettersen (NOR, Yamaha), +1:45.566; 10. Virginie Germond (SUI, Suzuki), +1:56.662;
WMX Overall top ten: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 50 points; 2. Larissa Papenmeier-Picoto (GER, Suzuki), 42 p.; 3. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 4. Natalie Kane (GBR, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), 32 p.; 6. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), 30 p.; 7. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), 26 p.; 8. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), 26 p.; 9. Marie S. Pettersen (NOR, Yamaha), 26 p.; 10. Nina Klink (NED, KTM), 19 p.;
WMX Championship top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 336 points; 2. Natalie Kane (GBR, KTM), 302 p.; 3. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), 262 p.; 4. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), 228 p.; 5. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), 228 p.; 6. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), 195 p.; 7. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 189 p.; 8. Francesca Nocera (ITA, KTM), 186 p.; 9. Virginie Germond (SUI, Suzuki), 164 p.; 10. Nina Klink (NED, KTM), 122 p.;
