— FIM MX1/MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP / ROUND 07 SUNDAY JUNE 10 AGUEDA, PORTUGAL
— Weather: Cloudy, showers, mud / Temperature: 20 degrees C
— Attendance: 18,000
— Hat-trick for Desalle in Portugal
The Portuguese Grand Prix started today with some rain, but the sun came up for the second races and the crowd present in Agueda could enjoy watching Clement Desalle and Jeffrey Herlings win the Portuguese Grand Prix. Earlier in the morning the UEM EMX125 riders disputed the second race and Tim Gajser was again on the top of the podium.
In the MX1 class, Clement Desalle went 1-3 and obtained his third overall victory in a row in
Portugal, while Gautier Paulin and Antonio Cairoli were second and third respectively. Jeffrey Herlings was the overall winner in MX2, but Tommy Searle managed to win the second heat and was on the second step of the podium. Jeremy Van Horebeek is still struggling with his foot injury, but he succeeded in being third.
MX1
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1’s Clement Desalle obtained the first Grand Prix victory of the season in Agueda, Portugal, a track where he has always won in the last three years. The Belgian rider won the first moto with more than six seconds advantage over second classified Christophe Pourcel, but he could only be third in the second race. The Belgian rider admitted that he was a bit disappointed with his performance in the second heat, because he had lost too much energy in the beginning of the heat, as he had a bad start and had to push really hard to catch the leading group. The Belgian rider will travel to his home Grand Prix second in the point standings.
Second overall was Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin after finishing fourth in the first heat and winning the second moto from the likes of Cairoli. At the start of the first race Paulin hit his pipe with another bike and the pipe went on the radiator and made his Kawasaki machine get really hot by the middle of the race. The French rider was satisfied with the fourth position in the first moto and for being again on the podium thanks to the victory of the second heat.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli was third in the first moto and he was about to win the second heat, which would have given him the overall victory. The current leader of the series rode really close to Paulin during the last three laps of the second heat and in the very last lap the Italian managed to overtake Paulin. However, Cairoli could not keep the lead and had to settle down with the second position, which made him finish third overall place of the Grand Prix.
The fourth overall position was for CP377 Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Christophe Pourcel, who took the holeshot in both motos but he could not win any of them. In the first heat the French rider finished second behind Desalle, and in the second race he was able to lead the first half of the race but he then made a mistake and he went down to the third position. In the end Pourcel crossed the finish line fourth and finished fourth overall in the Grand Prix. The French rider is now fourth in the Championship, one point behind Gautier and four points behind Desalle.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker completed the top five thanks to double fifth positions in today’s heats. The Belgian rider did really well today taking into account that he started from the very outside, as he had the last gate pick today due to his DNF in the qualifying race yesterday.
Xavier Boog did not have an easy first moto because he got stuck behind a crash at the start and had to break hard in order not to crash. The French rider put a lot of effort to move from sixteenth to seventh and such extra effort left him with without energies to battle in the second moto. Boog was eleventh in the second race and he finished sixth overall of the Grand Prix.
Home rider Rui Gonçalves leaves his home Grand Prix a little bit disappointed after not having been able to finish on the podium. In the first moto the Portuguese got stuck behind Philippaerts and Leok’s crash at the start and he was only able to finish 14th, whereas in the second race he got a better start and he crossed the finish line sixth, which gave him the overall seventh position.
Jonathan Barragán had a really good start in the first moto and he ended sixth, but he crashed in the second heat and ended fourteenth, eighth overall of the Grand Prix. Leok and Philippaerts completed the top ten.
Evgeny Bobryshev got a DNF in the first moto because his bike stop while he was riding eleventh. In the second heat he finished seventh and he ended sixteenth in the Grand Prix.
MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 40:04.024; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:06.155; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:16.903; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:23.550; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:41.323; 6. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Honda), +0:43.183; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:45.298; 8. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:13.177; 9. Matiss Karro (LAT, KTM), +1:16.143; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:16.869;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 39:04.520; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:00.484; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:25.785; 4. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:29.957; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:31.550; 6. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:33.435; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:38.248; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +0:43.679; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:48.689; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:50.250;
MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 45 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 43 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 42 p.; 4. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 24 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 22 p.; 8. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Honda), 22 p.; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 21 p.; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 21 p.;
MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 295 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 258 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 255 p.; 4. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 254 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 211 p.; 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 190 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 185 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 171 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 156 p.; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 142 p.;
MX1 Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki, 306 points; 2. KTM, 306 p.; 3. Suzuki, 268 p.; 4. Yamaha, 219 p.; 5. Honda, 204 p.; 6. TM, 37 p.;
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings obtained his fifth Grand Prix victory of the season after going 1-2 in today’s races. The Dutch rider had a really good start in the first moto and he crossed the finish line with a comfortable 24 seconds advantage over his teammate Van Horebeek. In the second race he had another good start and led most of the heat, but with just three laps to go he got stuck with a lapped rider and was down to second. Herlings was finally second, but he got the overall win of the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle admitted that the first moto was a nightmare for him; firstly it took him a while to find a good rhythm and by the time he was catching Van Horebeek he had a problem with the clutch adjuster. He admitted that he was trying to adjust his clutch in the wrong way, so at some point he thought about getting off his bike and walk back, but he tried hard again and managed to finish third. In the second heat everything went better for the British rider, and although he rode second most of the heat, he overtook Herlings with just two laps to go and won the second race.
Third overall was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek thanks to his 2-6 result. Van Horebeek had a really good start in the first moto and he managed to keep his initial second position until the end. In the second race he did not have such a good start, but he rode fourth during the first laps. However, he twisted his ankle again and had to slow down his rhythm and settle down with the sixth place.
Honda Gariboldi Esta’s Max Anstie finished tenth in the first moto, but he did an excellent second race finishing third behind Searle and Herlings. The British rider was able to start at the front in the second moto and he basically just kept his rhythm in the front and rode a consistent race until the chequered flag.
Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Jake Nicholls completed the top five after finishing sixth and fifth in today’s races being tight in points with Anstie. In the first heat he had a good start and rode a solid moto from beginning until the end, but in the second race he had to give all his best to go from eleventh to fifth.
Jordi Tixier had a really good start in the first race and he crossed the finish line fourth. However, in the second moto, not only he had a bad start, but also he made a mistake while he was riding sixth. The French rider finished the second race in the eleventh position and obtained an overall sixth result.
Mel Pocock lined up again for Monster Energy Yamaha and he finished seventh overall after finishing eleventh and seventh in today’s races. Romain Febvre, 2011 UEM EMX2 Champion, obtained his best result in the FIM MX2 World Championship this weekend being eighth overall, ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff.
Dylan Ferrandis had a tough first race; firstly, he had to enter the pitlane to change his goggles and later on he got a stone stuck in his rear break and made him pull out from the race. However, in the second race he took the holeshot and crossed the finish line fourth, which made him finish tenth of the Portuguese Grand Prix. His teammate Valentin Teillet finished fifth in the first race, but he got involved in a tangle at the start of the second moto and had to pull out with a broken his collarbone.
Arnaud Tonus finished seventh in the first race, but he was also involved in the crash at the start of the second heat and he could only finish eighteenth after starting from the very last position.
It was also a difficult weekend for Belgian Joel Roelants; in the first moto he had to enter the pitlane to change his goggles, but he managed to finish ninth. However, in the second race he was also involved in the crash at the start, so he had to make his way back to the front. In fact, Roelants succeeded in moving up until the eighth position, but he then made a mistake and could only cross the finish line 17th. In the end, Roelants obtained an overall 15th place.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:10.276; ; 2. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +0:24.395; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:34.653; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:38.290; 5. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:44.211; 6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:50.077; 7. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:58.699; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:02.894; 9. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:07.030; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), +1:28.511;
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 40:43.230; ; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:20.811; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), +1:14.010; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:22.077; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:24.427; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +1:55.160; 7. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), -1 lap(s); 9. Harri Kullas (FIN, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s);
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 45 p.; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 31 p.; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 24 p.; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), 20 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 19 p.; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 18 p.;
MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 317 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 293 p.; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 268 p.; 4. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 204 p.; 5. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 191 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 187 p.; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 175 p.; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), 129 p.; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 126 p.; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 125 p.;
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 330 points; 2. Kawasaki, 316 p.; 3. Yamaha, 197 p.; 4. Honda, 195 p.; 5. Suzuki, 156 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 134 p.; 7. TM, 9 p.;
NEXT GP
Next weekend the FIM Motocross World Championship goes back to the Wallonie region to celebrate the eighth Grand Prix of the season. The MX1 and MX2 classes will share the venue with the UEM EMX125 riders, who will dispute the fourth round of their series.
— Suzuki Report
Clement Desalle continued his impressive run at Agueda by acing the MX1 Grand Prix of Portugal for the third year in a row on the RM-Z450 and celebrated Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1’s first triumph in the 2012 FIM Motocross World Championship.
In an intensely competitive premier class this season, Desalle captured first and third positions today to become the fourth different winner in seven events.
Once more, the FIM series was hit by inclement weather and rainfall throughout Saturday afternoon and evening that created a muddy and slick surface for the first motos of race day. Changeable skies swapped sunny spells for showers throughout the Sunday but the red soil was rough, technical and physical.
Desalle fronted the Qualification Heat yesterday but his bid for a first Pole Position of the season was thwarted in the final moments by Antonio Cairoli. His second pick in the gate was still a decent slot and he excelled with a faultless run to his first victory of the year in the first 35 minute and 2 lap moto. The Belgian faced pressure from Christophe Pourcel for virtually the entire distance but didn’t put a wheel out of place to claim his first ’25’ points since the Grand Prix of Czech Republic last August.
In the second race Desalle circulated as part of an entertaining and very fast four-way fight for the lead with Cairoli, Pourcel and Gautier Paulin. The quartet swapped positions and ran close for over half the moto until several small slips saw the Suzuki man lose the tow of the front two and consolidate a safe third place; which was enough to toast success.
Tanel Leok posted a top-10 finish with ninth overall. The Estonian is still on the path to full race form and fitness and missed a little of the ‘killer instinct’ today with his overtaking. With the nature of the track limiting options at the start, Leok spent the day searching for the best route through the field and his efforts were not helped in the first moto when a pile-up on the third corner forced ‘#4’ to a halt. He recorded 13-8 for the day.
Desalle now sits second in the MX1 standings, 37 points away from leader Cairoli and three points ahead of Gautier Paulin. Leok is eight positions further back.
After travelling from France to Portugal, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 now drives to Bastogne for the first time and its home Grand Prix next weekend. The spotlight will be firmly on Desalle as one of the local riders from the region and ‘#25’ has been a focal point of the event’s publicity drive.
Clement Desalle: “Finally I win a GP! And also the first moto. It is always positive to win and it’s good but I’m a little bit disappointed by the second part of the second moto because I can do better. I lost a lot of energy at the beginning of the race because I had a bad start and had to push a lot to come back to the front. When Paulin and Antonio came back at me later on I made a big mistake and it reminded me that I had to be careful; and to stay on two wheels was the most important thing.
“The track was drier in the second moto and we had more possibilities to pass. It’s my third win here now and I like Portugal and Agueda. It will be good to ride at home now and great to come back to Wallonie after Namur was the last time. I will do my best and I hope we have good weather. It was a bad moment for my family last week because we lost my Grandfather and I was very close to him. Even now I cannot believe it. It was difficult. Sometimes during the weekend I was thinking of him because he was a positive person and always liked to watch me on the TV.”
Tanel Leok: “Not so bad. I’m happy with the riding and speed. In the first race there was a crash on the third corner and I was stuck there. I couldn’t get out; my bike was jammed there. I got back to 13th and I wasn’t happy because I could not pass like I really wanted to. In the second race I had a good start but touched together with Kevin Strijbos on the straight and also messed up the hill after the first turn. I recovered some ground on the next turn and was around 12th or 13th. I was part of the second group and was close with Bobryshev. I need to get sharper with my overtaking and then everything will be OK.”
— Yamaha
Monster Energy Yamaha were able to see another fine stand-in performance from one of their athletes as Mel Pocock finished 7th overall at a rough and rutted Agueda for the Grand Prix of Portugal and the seventh round of sixteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Pocock was drafted into the team from his British and European Championship duties for a fourth Grand Prix appearance after Michael Leib was diagnosed with the initial stages of the Epstein Barr virus and will miss several weeks of action. The nineteen year old not only posted his highest points tally yet at this level but also a career-best moto ranking of 7th in the second sprint. The pace set by the leaders was fierce in the second race and the Brit was only just lapped on the final circulation, even though he was in seventh place and fully aware of the blue flags instructing him to hold his line. Pocock took his YZ250F to 11th in a wet first race, watched by 18,000 spectators, and was on better and faster form in the second across drier terrain.
Portugal was only the second Grand Prix appearance of the season for Arnaud Tonus and after a reasonably decent run to 7th place in Moto1 good luck went missing again for the Swiss in the second as he was caught up in a first corner crash with five other riders. Nursing a sore left wrist he remounted at the back of the pack and rode to some points with 18th position and 13th overall.
Orehova Vas in Slovenia was the rain-hit setting for the fifth round of eight in the FIM Womens World Championship and Yamahas Chiara Fontanesi scored her fourth victory of 2012. The YZ250F racer continued her dominant streak of posting results in the top two of all ten motos despite the wet and atrocious conditions in eastern Europe. She went 2-1 and tied on points with Natalie Kane but earned the top step thanks to her second race ranking. Now 63 points ahead in the standings Fonta has events in Slovakia, Britain and Germany left on her championship trail.
Monster Energy Yamaha will immediately face round eight of the FIM Motocross World Championship next weekend at Bastogne for the Grand Prix of Belgium. Hopefully Christophe Charlier will have recovered sufficiently from his dislocated right shoulder to be able to rejoin the team. The next appointment on the European MX2 schedule will be in Latvia on July 15th while the Womens series next reconvenes on July 1st in Slovakia.
Mel Pocock: Best set of results Ive had at a GP and it felt so good to be running up there with the top boys. With regards to the Herlings incident I was just riding my own race and he is a good enough rider to be able to take a different line and pass me. I held my line and slowed down and it was just a racing incident. I really got on with the track and this place is one of my favourites. I like the elevation changes and the dirt. The season is going very well so far and I really hope it will get me a full-time GP ride next year! I am working hard and I train hard so it is nice to get the reward. A big thanks to Steve, Ben and everyone for their help.
Arnaud Tonus: It has not been a good day. I almost crashed and then lost time in the first corner of the first moto. I was mid-pack and it was hard to come back through. I still need race time and I was a bit lost between all those guys in the first few laps. I was a bit tight and to get seventh in the end was not too bad but there is a lot of work ahead. I went down at the start in the second moto and was stuck under the bike and lost a minute. I rode back to fifteenth but made some mistakes and couldnt hold on anymore. It was hard physically out there but hopefully it will get easier with more laps and different track conditions.
Monster Energy Yamaha came through a physically tough Grand Prix of Portugal at Agueda for the seventh round of sixteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship and David Philippaerts was able to take his factory YZ450FM to tenth position in front of 18,000 spectators.
The step-ups and downs of the curling layout became rutty and more technical through Sunday thanks to a deluge of rain on Saturday afternoon and evening that battered the red dirt. A regular part of the Grand Prix calendar since the start of the century, Agueda was able to drain a lot of the water but the first moto was a soggy and slippery affair while a drier second race offered more speed and variation for the riders.
Philippaerts suffered with a mediocre start today and a collision with a gaggle of riders on the third corner of the first moto meant a long 35 minutes and 2 laps of having to regain positions. The Italian reached 12th place by the flag. In the second race he was part of the second group battle for spots in the mid top ten and crossed the line in 9th.
Shaun Simpson showed some excellent speed around Agueda. The Scot opted for a variation on his starting procedure and gambled on the outside gate in the first moto. The experiment didnt quite work but he rode smartly and confidently to regain ground from 17th to pass Davide Guarneri for 10th on the final lap. His exertions had a price in the second race as the former British and Belgian Champion spent a large amount of time in seventh spot but couldnt maintain the pace until the finish and slipped to 12th for the same ranking in the MX1 classification. Philippaerts holds 6th position in the MX1 standings with Simpson in 12th.
The team was down to a two rider roster in Portugal with Steven Frossard required to undergo surgery on his troublesome and weakened right knee. Reconstruction to replace the anterior cruciate ligament and clear up the meniscus means the Frenchmans season is over. The Grand Prix of Belgium will end a three-week-three-race phase of the championship next weekend and the historic town of Bastogne will inaugurate and new circuit for the eighth round of the series.
David Philippaerts: We didnt get it going today and we didnt have much luck. I was right at the front, in fourth, at the first start but crashed in the third corner and had to push a lot to come back. The track was difficult and one-line with ruts on the jumps. Twelfth is not my position but when you have to come from the back then you need to take what you can. In the second moto I was outside the top ten at the start and I think something happened to the clutch because it felt like I wasnt going to finish the race at one point. Ninth again is not where I should be. Now we have Bastogne and it will be a new track that I am looking forward to. It will be a level playing field and we will see what happen.
Shaun Simpson: We are at GP seven and were still trying to get out of the gate. I feel that if I had got away near the front in the first one then I would have had the pace to be between fifth and seventh. It didnt really happen and I take some of the blame for trying the outside gate but all year Ive been packed in and squashed around the first turn so I thought Id at least try something different. I managed to charge up to tenth in the first moto and I was happy with my riding and went all the way to the end but you could see in the second one that it cost me. From about half way I lost the tow to Rui in sixth. We need to make a few changes to get better starts because you cannot give these guys a head-start every week. I feel a bit disappointed to imagine what could have been here and hopefully well try some things before Bastogne.
— KTM
Red Bull KTM factory riders put in a good weekend of racing at the Agueda circuit in Portugal with Jeffrey Herlings taking the MX2 GP victory and Tony Cairoli securing a podium third in MX1. Both riders retained their red plates as championship leaders.
Despite rain during the first of the MX2 motos, Herlings was clearly in good form and enjoying his racing. He and factory teammate Jeremy van Horebeek took a seemingly effortless 1-2 in the opening race with the Dutch teenage crossing the line with an impressive 24 seconds lead on his teammate. It was also a very solid ride from van Horebeek who is currently carrying an injured foot from the last round.
Jeffrey was also on track in the second moto to take a 1-1 sweep but got caught up in traffic in the last lap of the race and conceded the win to his biggest rival for the title, Britain’s Tommy Searle. Herlings 1-2 was in any case sufficient to give him the overall title when compared to Searle’s 3-1 and these two were again joined on the podium with van Horebeek in overall third. Herlings remains the man to beat in the MX2 class and has a 14-pint lead over Searle with van Horebeek in third place. Jordi Tixier of France, the third member of the MX2 factory team on the KTM 250 SX-F finished a solid overall sixth after having scored a fourth in the opening moto, his best result for the season. Tixier then had a series of crashes in the second moto, broke his goggles and finished eleventh.
Jeremy van Horebeek: “I felt really good in the first race. I was second at the start and Jeffrey and I pulled away from the rest but after five laps I had to throw away my goggles and I had to let him go. Still it was good to be second and it was a good race, I wanted to stay close to Jeffrey because he has the speed. I also had a good start in the second race but I was a bit off the pace then I twisted my bad ankle again and I was in a lot of pain.”
Jordi Tixier: “The track was not easy this weekend. It was very slippery, bumpy and heavy but I got a good start in the first race and had a good feeling with the bike. My fourth place was my best result this season.”
Tony Cairoli also had a good day at the office in the MX1 class on the KTM 350 SX-F even if a small crash in the opening moto knocked him down to third place. The closing stages of the second moto had the Portuguese crowd on their feet as Cairoli and Gautier Paulin of France fought a battle right to the line. Cairoli, well known for his last lap attacks had even managed to slip past the Frenchman only a couple of corners from the flag. The competition in this class is particularly hard fought between Belgian Clement Desalle, the two Frenchmen Paulin and Christophe Pourcel and five-times world champion Cairoli. He now has a cushion of 37 points going into the next event, the GP of Belgium next weekend.
Cairoli’s factory teammate Ken de Dycker of Belgium rounded off his day with an impressive ride in the second MX1 moto. He was back in the field at 18 at the start of the race and managed to fight his way to fifth place for overall sixth. While Cairoli prefers the light and agile KTM 350 SX-F, de Dycker, since the last two rounds of the competition, is riding the latest factory model of the KTM 450 SX-F.
Tony Cairoli: “I made some mistakes in the first race when I crashed and I lost contact with the first guys and went back to fifth, anyway third was okay. I wanted to go for the win in the second race and I did get past Paulin briefly in the last lap but it was hard to block him because `I didn’t want to make contact and crash l anyway third was not what I expected because I wanted to win but it was still good for the championship.”
Ken de Dycker: “I can’t complain. I had two good races. I was a bit tired after the first race but I had a much better feeling in the second moto. I was also coming off a crash yesterday and had to start from the last place. This is good for the championship and I had the same speed and was almost closing on the first guys so I was happy with the races.”
The venue also hosted the third round of the EMX 125 championship which on Sunday saw KTM riders clean sweep the podium led by Slovenian racer Tim Gajser with Dutch rier Calvin Vlaanderen and James Dunn of Britain taking the minor podium places.
— MX3
Today was big celebration of motocross in Slovenia. The club AMD Orehova Vas has their 55th anniversary. Moreover on their track they have World championship events of motocross from 70ties. What can be better then celebrate it by MX3 and WMX FIM Motocross World Championship? They are trying to improve every year. This year in no exception. On very natural track they have prepared some small changes in design to make it more attractive. For the WMX FIM Motocross World Championship it is just second time here. Even if the weather is not ideal nothing can spoil good atmosphere. Yesterday was full of rain so everybody crossed the fingers for dry weather. It came truth and plenty of the spectators enjoyed breathtaking race. Due to night storms and soft Sundays´ showers the track has to be shortened for WMX. Slovenian fans was happy, because Klemen Gercar was standing there on highest place. It was his first victory of MX3 round. Red plate have still the same owner : Matthias Walkner.
Race 1
Muddy Warm-up for MX3 have changed into the more dry terrain during race one. Finally the sun was shining. These changeable conditions of the track check up riders ´skills. Really nice performance showed Klemen Gercar from Slovenia. He has race of his own from the beginning, almost half lap in front of the second his compatriot Matevz Irt.
Klemen Gercar: “Fantastic race! I really like it like this. It was like my own race. There was Michael Staufer in front of me for a while but ten he felt down and leave me alone. Lot of my fans are everywhere and screaming and cheering. I´m very happy about the result! ”
Matvz Irt, winner of yesterdays ‘Qualifying race didn´t use advantage of pole position and start as fourth. Michael Staufer was in front of him, then he felt down and Irt can attack Walkner. He did it and ended as second. Slovenian fans cheered their “heroes” a lot. From everywhere the whistles and screams have been heart.
Matthias Walkner from Austria completed top three riders. He had lot to do with Klemen Gercar and finally he ended behind him on a third place.
Nothing can surprise skilled and experienced Antti Pyrhőnen. Mud is not problem for him but motivated trio was in front of him. His ride was very stable. He started at fifth and when Michael Staufer felt down he ended as fourth.
There were lot of Austrian riders in this race, because they were close to Slovenian track. That´s why Schmidingers´ brothers had a lot of motocross mates there. Günter was the best of them not even in Qualifying practise but also in Race one on fifth place.
Saso Kragelj from Slovenia score on muddy terrain as sixth. He had not very good start. Moreover he had problems in the second lap and this together makes him sixth.
Ukrainian riders Mykola Pasychynskiy proceed every lap. From twelfth position he became seventh. The same situation Lukas Lonka needed to solve. He made his way from 21st to nice 8th position.
Dry track would fit better to Martin Michek, but the weather is thing that no one can influence. Bad start and sticky mud makes him ninth. Ludvig Sőderberg who had second best lap time in warming- up completed top ten of Race one.
Race 2
Finally the sun was shining and the track was getting into better condition. Fortunately there was no more rain and riders could show really high speed and nice jumps.
Klemen Gercar: “I have changed some settings on my bike and now it´s working perfectly. I made two good starts and I can be fast also on mud. This is my first round of MX3 that I won. It was in front of my family, friends and fans. Good feeling. I would like to thank to my team, mechanics, fans, friends and family.”
Slovenian audience love their riders. Lot of them were cheering them and when Klemen Gercar was in front of everybody, they were waving and shouting. Also UFO Racing team manager was happy about his result.
Team Mibag Schmidinger World MX had second place thanks to Günter Schmidinger. Fist two position weren´t changed. All time long was Schmidinger behind Gercar on the second position and he came through finish line 21 seconds after him.
After first race it was obvious, if Matthias Walkner would make no mistake, he can defend the red plate. It came truth when he watched his third position till the end. KTM Hilinger MX Racing Team was proud of him.
At the end of the heat Antti Pyrhőnen from Finland needed to look behind, because motivated Matevz Irt was attacking him. Pyrhőnen didn´t let him do this and left the fourth place for himself.
Winner of Saturdays´ Qualifying race, Matevz Irt was trying to reach the third place on the podium. He was motivated by the spectators and by himself, but Pyrhőnen cross his plans and makes him fifth and fourth overall.
Petr Bartoš from Czech Republic appeared on seventh place. For a while he was 4th but later on he was overtaken by Pyrhőnen and Irt. Polish rider Lukasz Lonka managed it to 8th and Czech Martin Michek on 9th position.
Ludvig Sőderberg from Finland had a difficult task. After first lap of second heat he was 15th and in last three laps he turned it to 10th place.
MX3 Race 1 results: 1. Gercar, Klemen (SLO,Honda)36:14.322; 2. Irt, Matevz (SLO,Suzuki) +0:48.867; 3. Walkner, Matthias (AUT,KTM) +0:04.539; 4. Pyrhönen, Antti (FIN,Honda) +0:43.470; 5. Schmidinger, Günter (AUT, Honda) +0:12.486; 6. Kragelj, Saso (SLO, Yamaha) +0:10.173; 7. Pashchynskyi, Mykola (UKR,KTM)1 lap; 8. Lonka, Lukasz (POL, Honda) +0:15.868; 9. Michek, Martin (CZE, KTM) +0:21.112; 10. Söderberg, Ludvig (FIN,Honda)
MX3 Race 2 results: 1. Gercar, Klemen (SLO, Honda) 35:37.192; 2. Schmidinger, Günter (AUT, Honda) +0:21.324; 3. Walkner, Matthias (AUT, KTM) +0:30.369; 4. Pyrhönen, Antti (FIN,Honda) +0:45.601; 5. Irt, Matevz (SLO, Suzuki) +0:49.126; 6. Bartos, Petr (CZE, KTM) +0:51.138; 7. Staufer, Michael (AUT, KTM) +0:53.472; 8. Lonka, Lukasz (POL, Honda) +1:14.411; 9. Michek, Martin (CZE, KTM) +1:22.763; 10. Söderberg, Ludvig (FIN, Honda) +1:23.662;
MX3 overall classification: 1. Gercar, Klemen (SLO, Honda) 50p.; 2. Walkner, Matthias (AUT, KTM) 40p.; 3. Schmidinger, Günter (AUT, Honda) 38p.; 4. Irt, Matevz (SLO, Suzuki) 38p.; 5. Pyrhönen, Antti (FIN, Honda) 36p.; 6. Lonka, Lukasz (POL, Honda) 26p.; 7.Michek, Martin (CZE, KTM) 24p.; 8. Kragelj, Saso (SLO, Yamaha) 24p.; 9. Söderberg, Ludvig (FIN, Honda) 22p.; 10. Pashchynskyi, Mykola (UKR, KTM) 20p.;
MX3 championship classification: 1. Walkner, M. (AUT) 226p.; 2. Schmidinger, G. (AUT) 198p.; 3. Gercar, Klemen (SLO) 192p.; 4. Pyrhönen, A. (FIN) 179p.; 5. Michek, Martin (CZE) 169p.; 6. Irt, Matevz (SLO) 155p.; 7. Staufer, M. (AUT) 135p.; 8. Lonka, Lukasz (POL) 116p.; 9. Bartos, Petr (CZE) 105p.; 10. Söderberg, L. (FIN) 90p.;
