— Cairoli and Herlings shine at Arco di Trento
Arco di Trento (Trento), 14 April 2013 – The fourth Grand Prix of the FIM Motocross World Championship took place today at Arco di Trento in front of 23000 people. The crowd was very pleased to see their home rider Antonio Cairoli on top of the podium, as well as the impressive talent of Jeffrey Herlings win both heats starting from the back of the pack.
aces started the EMX125 European riders took part in the second race of the Italian round. Pauls Jonass dominated the heat and obtained the overall victory, while Anton Lundgren and Calvin Vlaanderen completed the top three.
MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli did not have a good day yesterday, but today he was fully focused on his starts, as he knew they were going to be the key to win his home Grand Prix. The Italian took the holeshot in both heats, winning the Get Athena holeshot award after the first race, and he succeeded in making good laps and controlling the heats until the chequered flag. Cairoli congratulated the organizers for the great job done especially on the track and he was also very pleased with the big crowd that travelled to Arco di Trento to support him and see him winning his 57th Grand Prix victory. Cairoli has now the same number of GP victories as Smets and in front of him there is only Stefan Everts with 101 GP wins.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker did not have a good start in the first race and it was really difficult for him to go up the front, but in the end he managed to finish fourth. In the second race he had a good start and he rode comfortably in second from the beginning until the end to finish second overall of the Grand Prix. At the moment De Dycker is second of the championship six points ahead of Clement Desalle.
The third overall position was for Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin after finishing second and fourth in today’s races. In the first race Paulin was fifth in the first corner, but he quickly moved up to third and after five laps he could overtake Tommy Searle who was riding second. The French rider tried to close the gap with race leader Cairoli, but he made several mistakes and he finally had to settle down for second. Paulin admitted that his start was not that good in the second race and that he almost crashed, but he gave all his best lap after lap to move from his initial eighteenth position up to fourth, which gave him the third overall position being tight in 40 points with De Dycker.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle had a very good first race, where he finished third behind Paulin after having started down in the sixth position. The Belgian rider tried to overtake Paulin during the whole race, but in the
end he had to settle down with the third position. In the second moto Desalle crashed in the second corner with Tommy Searle and David Philippaerts and he had to restart his race from the last position to finish eighth. In the end, Desalle finished fourth overall of the Grand Prix.
His teammate Kevin Strijbos finished fifth overall just two points behind Desalle. In both heats Strijbos did not have a good start and whereas in the first race he started ninth in the second one he was fourteenth. However, the Rockstar Energy Suzuki World rider managed to get a good speed and he finished sixth and fifth respectively.
Tommy Searle had really good starts today, but in neither of the heats the British rider could keep his initial position. In the first race he rode second behind Cairoli during the first laps, but he could not keep the rhythm and he dropped down to fifth. In the second race Searle started at the front again, but in the second corner he was involved in a crash with Desalle and Philippaerts and had to fight from the back of the pack. Searle did an incredible recovery finishing sixth in the race and also sixth of the Grand Prix.
Max Nagl was seventh overall this weekend and he is getting his confidence back race after race. In the first heat he was only able to finish eleventh, but he did an incredible second moto finishing third ahead of Paulin and Strijbos. Xavier Boog finished eighth overall and Jeremy Van Horebeek and Jonathan Barragan completed the top ten.
Home riders David Philippaerts and Davide Guarneri finished fourteenth and fifteenth respectively. Both riders were touched by bad luck this weekend; while Philippaerts crashed at the start of the second race, Guarneri had to pull out from the second race due to a mechanical problem.
MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:31.783; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:03.045; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:04.537; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:41.728; 5. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:46.724; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:50.663; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:56.209; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:57.255; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, TM), +1:00.618; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:22.412;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 41:03.682; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:06.931; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:11.561; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.281; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:18.686; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:31.259; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:32.388; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 
+0:33.570; 9. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), +0:41.915; 10. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:45.159;
MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 33 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 31 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 31 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 30 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 27 p.; 9. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 10. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 20 p.;
MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 192 points; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 155 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 149 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 148 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 120 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 118 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 89 p.; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 87 p.; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 83 p.; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 75 p.;
MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 197 points; 2. Suzuki, 157 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 148 p.; 4. Honda, 129 p.; 5. Yamaha, 67 p.; 6. TM, 54 p.;
— MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s KTM admitted today that it seems that he is becoming his own rival, as he had to fight once again from the back of the pack to win both races and win the fourth Grand Prix of the year. In the first race he did not have a good jump off the gate but he was confident with himself as he knew he had the speed to ride for the lead. In fact, by the middle of the race he caught his teammate Tixier who was riding at the front, and when there were five laps to go Herlings managed to take the lead. In the second race Herlings hit the gate at the start, so he had to give all his best once again to move all the way up to the lead from the very last position.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier obtained the Get Athena Holeshot Award after getting the holeshot of the first race. The French rider was dominating the race comfortably until he was overtaken by his teammate Herlings by the end of the heat. In the second race Tixier could not start at the front and it was very difficult for the French rider to recover some positions. In the end Tixier finished fourth of the race and second of the Grand Prix.
KTM Silver Action’s José Butrón obtained his second podium of the season after finishing sixth and second in today’s races. In the first heat the Spanish rider had a great start and after riding second in in the first lap, he rode third most of the heat. However, he had a mechanical problem, which made him dropped down to the sixth position. In the second race Butrón succeeded in taking the holeshot and led the first sixth laps until Herlings overtook him. At that point Dean Ferris was behind the Spanish rider and he was making a lot on pressure on him, but Butrón gave all his best to finish second and achieve the third overall position of the Gran Prix.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier missed the podium today for just one point but all in all the French rider was very satisfied with his performance this weekend. In the first heat he had a really good start and after riding most of the race second, he dropped down to his final third position when he was overtaken by Tixier. In the second race he did not have such a good start and he was only able to cross the finish line in fifth.
Standing Construct KTM’s Glenn Coldenhoff finished fifth overall after finishing fifth and sixth in today’s races. In the first race Lupino and Ferris crashed after the start right in front of Goldenhoff, so the Dutch rider was back in the 17th position in the first lap. In the second heat Coldenhoff started eighth and he managed to move up to the fifth position, but in the last half of the race Charlier overtook him.
Dylan Ferrandis had a good weekend at Arco di Trento finishing eighth in both motos and obtaining an overall sixth position. Seventh was Max Anstie and eighth was Dean Ferris who rode second in the first laps of the second race to finish third behind Butrón. However, in the first heat Ferris crashed at the start with Lupino and he was forced to pull out from the race.
Jeremy Seewer obtained a solid ninth position while home rider Alessandro Lupino rounded the top ten. The Italian rider crashed at the start of the first race with Dean Ferris and he fractured his fourth rib. Lupino managed to finish sixteenth and he did a massive effort in the second race to cross the finish line seventh.
American Decotis needed his mechanic’s assistance to start the bike in the first race, so he could not choose a good gate for the start. The American was almost last in the first lap and he was only able to move up to the 21st position. In the second race Decotis had to pull out from the race, as he was not feeling well.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 41:00.398; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:04.125; 3. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:06.682; 4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:21.103; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:40.822; 6. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:47.318; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), +0:55.638; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:58.686; 9. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +1:02.578; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +1:04.552;
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 40:36.884; 2. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:31.262; 3. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:37.339; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:43.477; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:47.672; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:51.542; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:52.025; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:22.992; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), +1:29.288; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:36.186;
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 36 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 26 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 26 p.; 8. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 20 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), 20 p.; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 19 p.;
MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 200 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 141 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 128 p.; 4. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 111 p.; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 107 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), 98 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 98 p.; 8. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 89 p.; 9. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 82 p.; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 77 p.;
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 200 points; 2. Yamaha, 143 p.; 3. Suzuki, 120 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 90 p.; 5. Honda, 67 p.; 6. TM, 8 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 1 p.;
— Yamaha Report
Monster Energy Yamaha roared back to the front of the FIM Motocross World Championship as Dean Ferris and Christophe Charlier both played roles as protagonists in Italy today for the Grand Prix of Trentino and the fourth round of seventeen in the 2013 series.
Arco di Trento entered the GP spotlight for the first time in many years and for the first time this century. The tight and undulating course was mainly hard-pack but with a shallow layer of loose top soil meaning varying levels of grip and sizes of ruts and braking bumps through the sections. 23,000 spectators came to the second European-based event of the season and enjoyed sunshine and high temperatures.
Christophe Charlier missed out on his first podium appearance of 2013 by just one point. The Corsican was third just behind Jordi Tixier in the first MX2 moto and a better start in the second dash of 35 minutes and 2 laps might have led ‘23’ to pass the Frenchman at the second time of asking which would have put him on the rostrum. Ultimately he passed the chequered flag with fifth. The pace and confidence of the former European Champion on the prototype YZ250FM was excellent to see and his fourth position overall still represented a good points haul for the championship in which he holds fifth place in the standings.
Dean Ferris was back on form after recovering further from collarbone surgery. The Australian grabbed a decent third in the qualification heat on Saturday and headed all four Monster Energy Yamaha riders in the top eight. He was unlucky to crash on the first corner of the opening moto on Sunday. The incident put him far behind the pack and after persevering to gain positions in the first phases of the race instead chose to retire and conserve energy for a full tilt in the second outing. Ferris complied in style with his goal and yet more lightning speed from his YZ250F along the start straight helped him slot into the top three of the running order. The Qatar GP podiumee chased Jose Butron for long periods but couldn’t demote the Spaniard and settled for a pleasing third place.
Mel Pocock struggled to get to grips with the terrain despite the bright launches from the gate that saw him alongside Ferris at the commencement of both races. An error with tyre choice in the second moto meant that he couldn’t better his previous result of tenth and crossed the line in thirteenth. Maxime Desprey was also lively off the line and ran as high as sixth in the second moto before edging back to eleventh; still his best GP result to-date in a rookie term. The French teenager crossed the threshold in fifteenth in the first race and ended the day with a final absolute ranking of thirteenth.
Round five of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place next weekend at the award-winning Sevlievo circuit for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria.
Dean Ferris
“It was a shame about the first race because there might have been a chance of sticking the bike on the box but I’m happy about how strong I am after the injury and it’s good to be back and scoring points like that. It is less than four weeks since I had surgery, so I’m pumped. We changed the bike a bit for the second moto and that’s the most comfortable I’ve felt all year and I could flow on what wasn’t an easy track. We made a couple of clicks on the suspension and used a different tyre; it worked. There were a couple of spots where I could have possibly passed Butron for second but then also a few places that let me down and he was a bit quicker. I paced myself at the start because I didn’t know how fit I’d be. I haven’t practiced on the bike during the week since I left Australia because of the flyaways and then the injury. I thought I’d try to pounce on him [Butron] at the end and that he might tire but he stayed strong. I did everything I could. Hopefully from now on I can start the ball rolling again and start to get some podiums for the team.”
Christophe Charlier
“I’m happy with today. I felt great on the bike and the team and Yamaha have worked a lot to make it very good. I made two excellent starts and pushed to grab as many points as I could. The podium was close….next time! The track was easy to handle but it was very hard to pass people. There were not many lines or space in the corners. I’m happy with the weekend.”
Mel Pocock
“I was happy with my qualification race yesterday and that gave me some confidence for the motos. The first start was OK but I couldn’t run the pace of the leaders and found a flow that I could manage because it was really easy to get out of shape on this track. I went to a hard-pack tyre compound in the second moto and that was a mistake. I should have stayed with the softer one because it made the bike feel very nervous in the corners and I was fighting for grip. I feel like I should have done better today but I struggle on these hard, fast square-edge bumpy tracks. Just need to keep going…it’s a tough sport!”
Maxim Desprey
“In the first moto my start was really bad. I was twenty-fifth on the first lap! So to come back to fifteenth was OK. In the second I was right up there until a small crash but I rode well and I’m happy. I’m getting better and I feel like I am making progress. These races offer many challenges and that’s the best way to learn.”
Italian GP blow for MX1 Monster Energy Yamaha duo
The fourth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship at the Arco di Trento circuit in Italy could not count on the presence of Steven Frossard and Joel Roelants. The intense pace and demands of the Italian soil was too much for Frossard’s recently operated left foot. The pin in the metatarsal was causing unexpected nerve pain to the former Italian Champion’s extremity despite medication and the use of a protective plate in his boot. Frossard attempted several laps in practice but realized he needs some more recovery time after surgery last week to get into race trim. He expects to be back in the paddock for the Grand Prix of Portugal in three weeks. Roelants suffered a crash during qualifying that left the former GP winner feeling dazed and nursing a sore shoulder, which ruled him out of Sunday’s motos.
All efforts now for Monster Energy Yamaha in the MX1-GP class will be to help the riders recuperate to the best possible state for further Grand Prix events in Bulgaria and Portugal in the coming three weeks.
