KTM-mounted Todd Waters has reflected on an exciting weekend in which Team Australia equalled its second-best result ever in the annual Motocross of Nations, finishing fourth in the event at the famous Teutschenthal venue in Germany.
While the Belgian Team of Ken DeDycker, Clement Desalle, Jeremy Van Horbeek won the event from Team USA, with Italy third, the Aussie team of Waters, Brett Metcalfe and Dean Ferris pulled clear of eventual fifth placed France in the closing stages.
The Aussies had kicked off the weekend in incredible fashion on Saturday, qualifying fastest to claim the best starting slots.
In the MX1/MX2 race, lightning-starter Dean Ferris launch from the inside slot to finish fourth with Brett Metcalfe coming from the centre start to finish tenth in a race won by KTM’s seven-time world champion Tony Cairoli.
The second moto for MX2 and MX Open bikes saw Ferris holeshot on his way to fifth, while Waters was unable to escape a 7-rider crash at Turn One and went down, remounting outside the top 30.
Despite damaging his front disc in the incident and having no front brake, the young North Queenslander retook a dozen places to finish 20th, while the race went to the KTM of Ken Roczen, who celebrated his fourth consecutive MX2 victory at the MXoN.
In the third MX1/MX Open moto Waters was again unable to avoid the Turn One shenanigans, as a 12-rider house of cards dropped in front of him.
Once free he set off with a vengeance and scythed through the traffic while Metcalfe consolidated a top-ten start into an eighth place finish.
Waters’ rapid progress gained crucial points to pull Australia clear of France in overall classification in the dying minutes of the event.
On the occasion of his last on a KTM for the near future, he finished 13th in the moto while KTM350SX-F mounted Cairoli gave KTM a clean sweep of race wins for the day, taking the final race win and the overall.
Todd Waters: “It was a hard day but I had a ball. Coming down in the first Moto and bending my front disc I had no front brake the whole race. Teutschenthal is not the kind of track I would like that to ever happen on again, but I did what I could. Second race I came down again with a heap of other top guys but I put that behind me and did my best. Yes I didn’t get the result and starts I was after but from here I know what I can work on for my racing over here next year. The Aussie team did a great job and I’m proud of all you guys. I’d also like to say a massive thanks to MA and the people who made this happen this year. Rob T and Jeff Leisk have been a massive part of my racing this year as have my Mum, Dad, sister Nikki and my girlfriend Gillian. You guys rock. Thanks.”
— Belgium conquer 67th Motocross of Nations at packed Teutschenthal
— Nations Classification
1, Belgium: Ken de Dycker MX1 (8-1), Jeremy van Horebeek, MX2 (7-7), Clement Desalle – Open (3)
2, USA: Ryan Dungey, MX1 (6-7), Eli Tomac MX2 (2), Justin Barcia Open (4-11)
3, Italy: Tony Cairoli, MX1 (1-1); Alessandro Lupino MX2 (8-13); David Philippaerts, Open (8)
4, Australia: Brett Metcalfe, MX1 (8-10); Dean Ferris, MX2 (4-5); Todd Waters, Open (13)
5, France: Gautier Paulin, MX1 (5-6); Jordi Tixier, MX2 (12-12); Christophe Charlier, Open (9)
6, United Kingdom (with KTM’s Jake Nicholls)
7, Germany (with KTM’s Ken Roczen (2-1) and Dennis Ullrich)
8, Russia
9, Switzerland
10, Estonia
11, Netherlands
12, Austria
13, Spain
14. Denmark
15, Czech Republic
Race 1 (MX1 & MX2)
1, Tony Cairoli, Italy, KTM, 33:57.542
2, Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM 34:05.377
3, Tommy Searle, UK, Kawasaki 34:07.660
4, Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha, 34:12.956
5, Gautier Paulin, France, Kawasaki, 34:13.798
6, Ryan Dungey, KTM USA, 34.14.567
7, Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, 34.15.704
8, Ken de Dycker, Belgium, KTM, 34:38.816
9, Valentin Guillod, Switzerland, KTM, 34:42.353
10, Brett Metcalf, Australia, Kawasaki, 34:42.824
Race 2 (MX2 + Open)
1, Ken Roczen, Germany KTM, 33:32.919
2, Eli Tomac, USA Honda, 33:33.472
3, Clement Desalle, Belgium, Suzuki, 34:21.946
4, Justin Barcia, USA, 34:29.888
5, Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha, 34:37.707
6, Tanel Leok, Estonia, TM, 34:44.045
7, Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium Kawasaki, 34:47.415
8, Alessandro Lupino, Italy, Kawasaki
9, Christophe Charlier, France, Yamaha 34:55.702
10, Aleksandr Tonkov, Russia, Hinda, 35:00.828
Race 3 (MX1 + Open)
1, Tony Cairoli, Italy, KTM, 34:41.993
2, Ken de Dycker, Belgium, KTM, 34:44.8423
3, Evgeny Bobryshev, Russia, Honda, 34:45.138
4, Max Nagl, Germany, 34:46.602
5, Tommy Searle, UK, Kaasaki, 34:52.476
7, Ryan Dungey, USA, KTM, 35:05.683
9, Marc de Reuver, Netherlands, 35:24.048
13. Todd Waters, Australia, KTM 35:35.114
The Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations was an incredible event and this 67th edition will be always remembered for the comeback of Team Belgium on the top of the podium and for the huge crowd that packed Teutschenthal during all the weekend. Team USA were only able to finish second and Team Italy was extremely happy for being on the third step of the podium.
Team Belgium started the day with Jeremy Van Horebeek and Ken De Dycker in the seventh and eighth position respectively and Belgium was facing the second race in the fourth overall place in the standings. Then everything changed for the Belgians when Clement Desalle finished second after having started around the tenth place and his teammate Van Horebeek crossed the finish line seventh. Team Belgium was leading the standings when race three started, but Desalle was involved in a tangle in the first corner and he dislocated his shoulder. The Belgians saw their dream starting to vanish but De Dycker made an amazing performance and he crossed the finish line second and made team Belgium win the Chamberlain Trophy. The last time Team Belgium was on the top of the podium was back in 2004 in Lierop, The Netherlands, with Stefan Everts, Kevin Strijbos and Steve Ramon.
Team USA did not have a good start either with Ryan Dungey and Eli Tomac finishing sixth and sixteenth respectively, but in the second heat the Americans did two consistent races and Tomac obtained a strong second place behind Roczen, and Justin Barcia was fourth. The Americans moved from seventh to second in the Nations standings and they were just three points behind the Belgians, so the dream was still alive for them. However, Barcia was involved in the crash at the start of the final race and was only able to finish eleventh. Meanwhile, Dungey had an OK start in sixth but he made several mistakes that made him drop to the seventh place. The whole team admitted that they found the track really tough and demanding, so they struggled to give their 100%.
Team Italy was really satisfied with their third overall position because they knew they had some chances to finish among the top five, but they also were aware of how difficult it would be. Antonio Cairoli did once again an amazing performance and he won both heats, whereas Alessandro Lupino and David Philippaerts rode two consistent races among the top ten.
The fourth overall position was for Team Australia being Dean Ferris the best rider finishing fourth and fifth in the heats. Metcalfe was eighth and tenth, but Todd Waters could not finish among the top ten in any of the races, so the Australians ended seven points behind the Italians.
Team France was one of the favourites to finish on the podium, but they obtained the fifth overall position, four points behind the Australians. Gautier Paulin was the best French rider with a 5-6 result, and Christophe Charlier did a strong first race in ninth. Jordi Tixier did not feel comfortable in any of the heats and he finished twelfth in both races. Team France might have finished higher up in the standings if Charlier had not crashed in the first corner because he was forced to enter in the pitlane to have his front wheel changed, and when he was back on the race he obtained the fastest lap. In the end he ended in the 30th position.
Tommy Searle did a really good first heat in third, and his fifth position in the final heat helped team Great Britain to finish sixth overall, ahead of Germany and Russia. Switzerland ended ninth and Estonia completed the top ten.
RACE 1 (MX1 & MX2)
Race one saw Valentin Guillod taking the FOX holeshot but Dean Ferris was really close to the Swiss rider and he overtook him in the first lap. However, the Australian made a mistake and Guillod took back the lead. Meanwhile, Ken Roczen was coming really fast from behind and after five laps the German moved up to the first position. Both Guillod and Ferris dropped several positions to finish ninth and fourth respectively.
Antonio Cairoli did not have a really good start and he made several mistakes in the beginning of the race, but he managed to find a good rhythm and with six minutes to go he caught Roczen and led the race until the chequered flag. Meanwhile, Eli Tomac was making an incredible recovery from his initial seventeenth position and with two minutes to go he gave chase to Roczen for the second place. The American was really close to overtake Roczen, but he made a mistake in one of the jumps and he suffered a spectacular crash. Fortunately, Tomac was not injured and managed to finish the race in the sixteenth position. Tommy Searle was riding a consistent race behind the American, so he crossed the finish line third.
The fourth place was for Dean Ferris and Gautier Paulin completed the top five. Ryan Dungey succeeded to overtake Jeremy Van Horebeek in the last lap and finished sixth and Ken De Dycker was eighth, ahead of Valentin Guillod and Brett Metcalfe.
Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 33:57.542; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:07.835; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:10.138; 4. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:15.414; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:16.256; 6. Ryan Dungey (USA, KTM), +0:17.025; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:18.162; 8. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:41.274; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +0:44.811; 10. Brett Metcalfe (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:45.282.
Nations top ten: Germany, Italy, Australia, Belgium, France, Great Britain, USA, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Austria.
RACE 2 (MX2& OPEN)
In the third race Dean Ferris managed to take the FOX Holeshot award but he quickly dropped down to second and then to third because both Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac overtook him in the early stages of the race. The crowd present at Teutschenthal became crazy cheering for their local hero, who was leading the race keeping the American Eli Tomac behind him since the beginning of the heat. Roczen celebrated the victory as if he had won a Title because he had not only beaten the American, but he had also won the MX2 overall individual class for fourth year in a row.
Clement Desalle made a small mistake at the start of the race but he had a strong come back and finished third ahead of Justin Barcia and Dean Ferris. Tanel Leok obtained a strong sixth position for Estonia and Jeremy Van Horebeek and Alessandro Lupino were seventh and eighth respectively. Christophe Charlier did an incredible race moving from almost the thirtieth position to tenth.
Race 2 top ten: 1. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 33:32.919; 2. Eli Tomac (USA, Honda), +0:00.553; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:49.027; 4. Justin Barcia (USA, Honda), +0:56.969; 5. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +1:04.788; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +1:11.126; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:14.496; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:16.624; 9. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +1:22.783; 10. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +1:27.909.
Nations top ten: Belgium, USA, Italy, France, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Estonia.
RACE 3 (MX1 & OPEN)
The third and final race started with a big crash in the first corner where some of the top riders were involved. Justin Barcia went down but he managed to recover himself very quickly and ended eleventh, but Clement Desalle dislocated his shoulder and he was forced to retire. Home rider Dennis Ullrich was also involved in the tangle and he decided to pull out from the race because he was riding with a broken rib from a crash in the first heat.
His teammate Max Nagl obtained the FOX Holeshot Award and led the first half of the race, but he then slowed down his rhythm and dropped down to third. Antonio Cairoli had a good start in third and he knew that he needed to win the race to help Italy to finish on the podium. By the middle of the race Cairoli took the lead and dominated it until the end becoming the best MX1 rider of the event.
Ken De Dycker had an OK start in seventh and he knew that his teammate was out, so the overall victory depended on his result. The Belgian gave it all and after the first half of the race he was already third, and with one lap to go he overtook Bobryshev and moved up to second. Max Nagl ended fourth and Tommy Searle obtained a consistent fifth position. Gautier Paulin had a really good start and crossed the finish line sixth, ahead of Ryan Dungey who made several mistakes during the whole race. Brett Metcalfe ended eighth and Marc De Reuver and David Philippaerts completed the top ten of the final heat.
Race 3 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 34:41.993; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:02.849; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:03.145; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:04.609; 5. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:10.483; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:12.498; 7. Ryan Dungey (USA, KTM), +0:23.690; 8. Brett Metcalfe (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:39.261; 9. Marc de Reuver (NED, KTM), +0:42.055; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:43.430.
Nations top ten: Belgium, USA, Italy, Australia, France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Estonia.
— Yamaha Report
Monster Energy Yamaha signed off their international motocross campaign with Dean Ferris and Christophe Charlier showing decent speed around the difficult bumps and technical rutty surface of Talkessel, Teutschenthal for the 67th Motocross of Nations. The annual spectacle saw 41 countries and 85,000 spectators gather over the weekend at Germany for the biggest, brightest and most unpredictable off-road racing event of the year. Belgium were able to triumph for the first time since 2004 ahead of the USA and Italy rounding off the podium. Ferris’ superb second position overall in the MX2 class helped Australia to place fourth.
Ferris was a prominent figure across the immaculately prepared German soil thanks to three superb starts on the YZ250F; one in qualification on Saturday and then the two motos where he battled larger capacity 450cc machines on Sunday. The Grand Prix of Belgium winner was in first rising the steep hill on both occasions as the mammoth crowd looked on in sunny but breezy conditions. He rode consistently – relishing the demands of the lumps and leaps – to place 4th and 5th and record the two best results for his country. The final points pushed the Aussies to equal their second best finish at the Nations and they just missed out on the podium.
Charlier made his Nations debut for France. The Corsican had a busy day. In the first sprint as part of the MX Open category and on the YZ450FM he was unlucky to hit a fallen Jeremy Van Horebeek and lost a lot of time in the tumble. He was also cut on the arm by a stone in the closing stages, passing the flag in 9th. In the second moto he was again unfortunate to be involved in a first turn pile-up that required a visit to the pits to change a wheel but rallied back through the pack – setting the fastest lap in the process – and although he could only make it to 30th the speed and promise on the YZ450FM was pleasing to witness.
MX1 Grand Prix of Benelux victor Shaun Simpson was riding his YZ450F for Great Britain and was another who had upset lady luck. An errant rock broke the Scot’s front brake in the first race and he lost a potential top five result, ending 18th. In the second outing Simpson was hit to the ground in the same first turn melee that claimed Charlier. He flew from last position to reach a creditable 12th and the Brits was sixth in the final Nations ranking.
The 2014 edition of the Motocross of Nations is slated for Kegums in Latvia.
Dean Ferris: “It would have been awesome to get on the podium but the boys put in everything they could today and we’re pumped…I’m super-pumped about the way I rode! Three decent starts and solid top five all day…and P1 in practice. I liked it out there. The more ruts the merrier and the more technical it is the better I go especially when the bike is working good. Today was probably the fastest I have ridden – after a bit of testing during the week – and there is no reason why I cannot get faster and faster with that set-up.”
Shaun Simpson: “I expected a lot more from today and Team GB went into this event with hopes of a podium. As it turned out Cairoli pulled Italy through with two wins and we knew Australia would be strong. I was feeling great in my first moto and like I had time to really make something happen, so to lose the front brake was devastating. I couldn’t really make it better in the last race of the day because I was taken-out and then somebody did a wheelspin on my shoulder that knocked me down again. I feel disappointed because people will look at the results and think I was the weak link but the truth is that I had little luck today.”
— KTM Report
Belgium won the 2013 Motocross of Nations in Germany’s Teutschenthal in a typical last lap thriller that decided their win in front of USA in second place and Italy in third. KTM factory riders Ken de Dycker, Ryan Dungey and Tony Cairoli all answered the challenge of this important nations competition in a result that went down to the wire.
KTM’s Tony Cairoli (Team Italy) and Ken Roczen (Team Germany) were the stand out riders in their respective Mx1 and MX2 classes. Cairoli secured victory in both of his races with his usual tactical precision on the KTM 350 SX-F. Roczen, who rode with the additional pressure of being in the title-holding team finished with 2-1. He took an amazing victory after a cliff-hanger race two where he was challenged right to the flag by American Eli Tomac.
Tony Cairoli paid tribute to his team and said it had been “just an amazing weekend.” “It was our goal to finish on the podium but there are so many good teams. My dream was to finish on the podium and this is the first time in the eight years I have been riding for Italy that we made it. It was like a victory for us. My own goal was to win both my races and the MX1 class and I managed that.”
Ken Roczen said it had been a great experience and paid tribute to the fans at the Teutschenthal Talkessel circuit. “I didn’t feel so good in the first moto but I had a good start in the second and Eli (Tomac) and I were hammering down the whole moto. It was very important for me to win a moto and overall I’m very happy with my performance. I reached my personal goal and the fans were great.”
Team Belgium (Ken de Dycker, MX1 – KTM), Jeremy van Horebeek, MX2 and Clement Desalle – Open) leave the competition with the coveted Chamberlain Cup, which they last won in 2004. Their win was a rollercoaster of emotions when at the beginning of the final race, Clement Desalle was involved in a crash and has to withdraw with a dislocated shoulder. The team first thought their chances of winning were over but de Dycker went on the charge in the final laps to finish and impressive second behind KTM teammate Cairoli.
Ken de Dycker said racing the MXoN was special and admitted he had made “a few mistakes’. “For sure its nice to win the MXoN but it it was a tough track. it was very hard and I made a few mistakes and had to be careful with choosing the lines.”
Roczen, returning from the US where he now races in the AMA championships had a great day even though he had been suffering from arm pump over the weekend. He rose to the occasion in front of his home crowd, first finishing second behind Cairoli in the opening MX1 & MX2 race before coming back to take the win in the second race against his rival Tomac.
For the USA, KTM’s Ryan Dungey picked up a 6-7 result in his two races. He had a 24-hour flight delay in arriving from the US and had little track and setup time to prepare for this event. Team USA, managed by Red Bull KTM Factory Manager Roger DeCoster and long-time owners of the Chamberlain Cup fought with their typical tenacity right to the last seconds. They finally had to settle for second, finishing with a three point deficit to Belgium. It was their second defeat in two years.
Ryan Dungey: “Second place is pretty respectable but for us it was important to win. Eli and Justin rode awesome today and I gave it all I had even though I wasn’t riding to the level I’m capable of. It was a very tough track for us. The European tracks are a little different to what we are used to.”
The MotoCross of Nations, which concludes the outdoor racing season in 2013 will next be hosted by Kegums in Latvia.
— Suzuki Report
The Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal, Germany was jammed packed for the 67th Motocross of Nations today and the sunshine and rough hard-pack near the city of Halle was the setting for a memorable victory for Team Belgium.
The trio of racers selected to represent the country included Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1’s Clement Desalle; who unfortunately wasn’t able to join in with the party scenes on Sunday night. The 2013 MX1 World Championship runner-up helped towards the winning tally with third position in the opening moto on his works RM-Z450, but his second race lasted only seconds when he fell on the first corner and dislocated his left shoulder.
Desalle was able to gingerly walk the podium to celebrate the Belgian team’s triumph – the first since 2004 at the annual international spectacle for the sport – but then left promptly for further medical examinations on the joint. The ‘#25’ had started the weekend in promising form with a dominant performance to take pole position in the MX1 class on Saturday. The crowd figure for the event would eventually rise to 85,000 as the roads and access routes into Talkessel locked solid on race day. A problem at the start of the initial moto on Sunday meant Desalle was effectively last into the banked first turn but some ruthless and efficient work through the long ruts and bumps and in chilly but sunny conditions drew him up to the top three.
While Belgium started the party minus their Suzuki ace on Sunday evening, there were other causes for champagne corks to be popped: Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe were represented by 2013 EMX250 European Championship runner-up Jeremy Seewer. The 19 year old guided the factory-backed RM-Z250 for Switzerland to an impressive double of 17th and 24th and defeated many more experienced riders. His scorecard landed him the prestigious Ricky Carmichael Award for the best-performing and youngest rider on the day.
Team Japan’s Yohei Kojima was able to steer the other factory RM-Z450 but the Japanese were unable to make the qualification cut through the B-Final on Sunday morning.
Testing duties for 2014 now lie ahead for both Rockstar Energy Suzuki teams with some restructuring also taking place in terms of the MX2 set-up. Desalle’s injury will be assessed before the teams and riders break for a short holiday period.
The 2014 Motocross of Nations will see around 40 countries again gather to compete but this time at the Kegums circuit in Latvia next September.
Clement Desalle: “I’m sorry to miss out a little bit because I have some pain and I’m worried about my shoulder but it is so nice to finally win. We have been speaking about how it would feel for several weeks. I made a mistake in the first moto and started so far behind. I felt good and strong on my bike and it was a good race. I’m sad to have had a last moto of the season like that but I will try to enjoy the moment before we go to the doctor. I want to thank all of Team Belgium and my team-mates. We did a good job.”
Jeremy Seewer: “My day was really good. I started from 34th position and didn’t get away that well but I passed a lot of riders to get up to 15th or 16th. I was ahead of Butron and Nicholls and behind Lupino. Tomac passed me on the last corner but 16th was still OK for me and for Switzerland. In the second race I was taken out at the start and had to fight back to get near the top 20. I was dead-last and so far behind but my times were really good and among the top MX2 guys. Team Switzerland finished ninth so it wasn’t such a bad day and my speed overall was pretty good. I’m also very happy to have won the Ricky Carmichael Award; a nice way to finish the season.”
— Kawasaki Report
Jeremy Van Horebeek of the Kawasaki Racing Team played a decisive role in Belgium’s victory at the FIM Motocross of Nations, watched by a massive 85,000 crowd at Teutschenthal in Germany.
The 23 year old MX1 GP regular answered his country’s call to take a one-off ride on a Kawasaki KX250F for this race, the world championship between national teams from all over the world, and put in two superb rides to finish seventh each time against larger machinery and lay the foundations for his country’s success, their first since 2004.
He was joined on the podium by Alessandro Lupino of Team CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit who also put in two scoring rides for his country on a Kawasaki KX250F as Italy took third place on the podium.
Each of the next three teams in the overall classification also featured Kawasaki riders with Brett Metcalfe, a sensational winner of the MX1 qualifying race, leading Australia to fourth, Gautier Paulin of the Kawasaki Racing Team top scorer for fifth-placed France and Tommy Searle a magnificent second overall in the MX1 class as he steered Great Britain to sixth. Apico ANSA Kawasaki’s Gert Krestinov had two scoring rides for Estonia as the Baltic state retained its top ten world raking and Filip Neugebauer of Pfeil Kawasaki had two significant rides for the Czech Republic.
Jeremy Van Horebeek: “It was a big challenge to return to the MX2 class, and I’m proud with the result I achieved today. My first race was good with a seventh position, but I went down in the second moto and I thought that it was over ! I came back from twenty-sixth to seventh, and thanks to the results of my teammates that was enough to win the race. As a kid I dreamt about winning the Nations one day; I was looking for a podium all season long and I finally got it here. What a way to end the year!”
Alessandro Lupino: “This weekend I made good improvements with my starts, and that’s important for next season. The lap times were good and I was fighting in the top ten of each race; it was so great to be on the podium with Team Italy. I want to thank all the guys who worked with me this season in the team, our results were not always what we were expecting but we know what we have to do for next year.”
Gautier Paulin: “We were expecting a podium and for sure we are disappointed even if everyone did his best in the French team. In the first race my start was average but I recovered to fifth; I was close to the fourth place when a lapped rider got in my way just before a jump and I was lucky to stay on both wheels. My second start was good, but after half a lap I got a stone in my rear brake and had problems for several laps; I knew that we couldn’t reach the podium whatever was my result, but I kept Dungey behind me to finish sixth.”
Tommy Searle: “To finish third and fifth at the Motocross of Nations is a great way to end the season; we’ll go into the off-season with confidence as we know that we made good improvements on the bike. We had only one day testing with the suspension before this race; WP never really tested on Kawasaki in the past and we scored the second position in the MX1 class at the biggest event in the world. The track was one of the roughest I have ever seen, it was really tough! But it was a great weekend; I enjoyed the atmosphere with the British fans who travelled here to support us.”
— Previously……. – Australia qualifies first for tomorrow’s Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations main event
Thousands of fans crowded the German track of Teutschenthal where it took place day one of the 67th edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Team Australia was the big surprise after qualifying first thanks to the strong performance of Brett Metcalfe, Dean Ferris and Todd Waters. Team USA finished second and Team Belgium completed the top three followed by Team Germany.
— MX1
The first race saw a strong Brett Metcalfe taking the holeshot and leading the race until the chequered flag. The Australian felt really comfortable today and he managed to keep the pressure of Ryan Dungey who rode second during the whole heat. Metcalfe explained that the whole team was very happy for having qualified first, especially because it is the first time that Australia takes pole at the MXoN, and now he is expecting to do well tomorrow and finish on the podium.
Ryan Dungey had a good start in second and he tried to catch Metcalfe during the whole heat but in the end he had to settle down with the second position. Third was Tommy Searle racing for Team Great Britain who did an incredible performance taking into account that he had the last gate pick. The British was sixth already after the first lap and by the middle of the race he was already third. From then on he rode a consistent moto and he finished ahead of Antonio Cairoli and Ken De Dycker.
Cairoli could not have a good start because he had a very bad gate pick, but he was able to move from his initial eleventh position to the final fourth. The Italian is confident for tomorrow and he hopes to win both races and help Team Italy to finish among the top five Nations.
Ken De Dycker crossed the finish line fifth and home rider Max Nagl ended sixth after having started fourth. Gautier Paulin had a small crashed in the opening lap and he dropped to the twenty-seventh position. However, the French rider made an outstanding recovery and finished seventh ahead of Rui Gonçalves and Valentin Guillod. Marc De Reuver completed the top ten of the MX1 class.
MX1 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Brett Metcalfe (AUS, Kawasaki), 23:35.783; 2. Ryan Dungey (USA, KTM), +0:01.633; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:13.873; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:16.251; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:19.500; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:26.949; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:43.854; 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:45.244; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +0:50.222; 10. Marc de Reuver (NED, KTM), +0:55.953.
— MX2
It was another Australian who took the holeshot of the MX2 race, but this time Dean Ferris could not keep the lead but he rode a very consistent moto behind Ken Roczen. The German did a really good race and crossed the finish line five seconds ahead of Ferris, but he admitted that he did not feel 100% comfortable with the settings of his bike, so he explained that they will need to make some changes for tomorrow’s races.
Jeremy Van Horebeek was not 100% confident before the race, as he is still adapting himself to the 250cc, but he explained that today they made a big step forward and he felt much better on his Kawasaki. The Belgian went from seventh to third and he finished ahead of Eli Tomac who had started behind him in fourth.
Jake Nicholls had a good start in fifth, but by the middle of the race he lost one position with Tomac. However, the British kept on riding with no mistakes and he moved up to fifth again and finished ahead of Jordi Tixier from France and Jose Butrón from Spain.
Alessandro Lupino started eleventh but he managed to move up to the ninth place after the first few laps. With two laps to go the Italian overtook Alexandr Tonkov and he finished eighth ahead of the Russian. Glenn Coldenhoff from the Netherlands completed the top ten in MX2.
MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 25:02.351; 2. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:05.219; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:15.710; 4. Eli Tomac (USA, Honda), +0:19.534; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:23.440; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:27.269; 7. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:28.421; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:35.772; 9. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:41.120; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:51.532.
— OPEN
In the Open class Clement Desalle took the holeshot and he opened a big gap already after a couple of laps. In the end the Belgian crossed the finish line first thirteen seconds ahead of Justin Barcia, who rode a consistent race in second from beginning to end. The big surprise in the Open class was Estonian Tanel Leok, who started down in the eighth position and in the last lap he overtook Australian Todd Waters and ended third.
Shaun Simpson did not have a good start as he had the last gate pick, but he imposed an impressive rhythm and he moved from twelfth to fifth and helped Team Great Britain to finish fifth. Home rider Dennis Ullrich also did a really good race; the German started third and he gave his best to hold his position, but in the end he crossed the finish line sixth ahead of Christophe Charlier from France and Evgeny Mikhaylov from Russia. Former MX3 World Champion Matthias Walkner racing for Austria finished ninth and Cody Cooper from New Zealand completed the top ten.
OPEN Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 25:08.470; 2. Justin Barcia (USA, Honda), +0:13.324; 3. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +0:16.771; 4. Todd Waters (AUS, KTM), +0:18.732; 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:20.691; 6. Dennis Ullrich (GER, KTM), +0:21.173; 7. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:34.471; 8. Evgeny Mikhaylov (RUS, KTM), +0:50.642; 9. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), +0:52.375; 10. Cody Cooper (NZL, Suzuki), +0:54.813.
Nations Qualifying Top Ten: Australia, USA, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, France, Russia, Estonia, Spain.
