Febvre and Guillod victors at Loket
The slippery chewed up clay of Loket made for tight lap times and edge of your seat racing for everyone except Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s Romain Febvre who was in a league of his own this weekend as he blitzed his way to a double race victory for his fifth MXGP overall of the season. Meanwhile in MX2, Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube’s Valentin Guillod used his unique and creative line choice to land on the top step of the box for the third time this year.
All aboard the Romain Febvre express! Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s exceptional young rookie strengthened his MXGP title campaign this weekend in impressive style and now leads Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin by a whopping 88 points.
Although the young Frenchman has taken the world by storm, he still remains very humble, “I am excited for the title, but I was already happy with third place in MX2 last year, now I am battling for the title in MXGP on my first year. So it is exciting but I know there are still five rounds to go and anything can happen if it’s in training or at the GP, so it’s not finished.”
Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev finally got around the first turn scotch free and was clearly the second fastest this weekend with his two second place finishes for second overall. “Romain was on fire today so it was difficult to follow him,” he said, “but I am happy that I had two consistent races because the track was quite tricky in both motos, so I am really happy to go home in one piece and to be on the podium.” With the field slightly decimated by injuries, there is a good possibility the Russian will take over third in the championship at the next round as he only trails the injured Cairoli by 27 points.
Evgeny Bobryshev – “To be honest I was a little scared of this track so I’m so happy it ended up like this on the podium. I’m happy I had two consistent races and kept it on two wheels because the track was tricky in both motos. We’re moving up in the championship but there are still five races to go so I still want to take it just race by race and get as many points as I can each time, and then for sure it’s possible to finish in the top three. I was a bit sad with my start from yesterday as it was really bad and it made it so difficult to come through. Today I changed a little bit my style and position and I was feeling much better. I’m really happy to get the holeshot in race one and race two I was in the top three, so it was really good. I’m really happy with this weekend.”
It was a solid return for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP’s Clement Desalle who rounded off the podium with his third place in both races. “I am really happy to still be up front but on the other hand I am sad that my championship has gone like this, but I am happy to be back and I am really happy to take a FOX Holeshot.” He smiled. Meanwhile his teammate and fellow countryman Kevin Strijbos had a bit of a mediocre day, by his standards, for fourth while Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s Jeremy Van Horebeek made for three Belgians inside the top five.
Kevin Strijbos – “Not too bad today. Many people were at the same speed and just a couple were a bit better! I got two decent starts and could pretty much ‘go’. My riding was OK. I don’t think there were many places where I was bad. Fourth overall: I wish I was on the podium but it didn’t happen. The bike worked well so I’m happy with that because we made some changes again. Hopefully we can make it at Lommel.”
Glenn Coldenhoff – “Yesterday I had a good feeling, got the holeshot but then rode a little bit too tight in the qualifying heat. My start was horrible in the first moto and I was third-last into the first corner – you know then that it is going to be a hard moto! I managed to pass a lot of guys on the first lap and came over the line in 14th. My riding was OK and I felt pretty good out there to finish eighth. I had a better start in the second moto but the feeling wasn’t there. The track was really rough and sketchy. I was eighth again and following Paulin. He was faster than me in some places so I tried his lines but got cross-rutted and went down pretty hard. I hurt my neck and have a headache. The results were OK but we are looking for more, for sure. In the end I don’t have a big injury and we’ll train somewhere in the sand this week and hope to be strong at Lommel.”
In only his third GP back in action Husqvarna Motorcycles’ Nathan Watson has ended the MXGP of the Czech Republic with two 10th place finishes for a career best 10th overall.
Nathan Watson: “I feel like I made a good step forward this weekend. Getting my first top 10 result is great, I have to thank the IceOne team so much. The track was tough, but I really enjoyed it. You had to get your lines right, which I felt like I did. I got a mid-pack start in the first moto after getting banged in the first turn. The race went well and getting 10th was awesome. I spun up crossing the gate in the second moto, which made things a little tougher. The track was really rough but I came through for 10th. I feel good now – my fitness is where it needs to be – so I’m looking forward to Lommel next weekend.”
Round 13 of the MXGP series marked Todd Waters’ first outing on Husqvarna’s 2016 FC 450. Despite a great feeling with his new machine the Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing rider endured a tough GP.
Well placed in the early stages of the first moto, Waters was running eighth and steadily fighting his way forward until a crash, following a collision with another rider over a jump, put the Australian out of the race. Not fully recovered from his moto one crash, Waters finished moto two in 13th place.
Todd Waters: “The team’s been working really hard in preparation for this GP – my first on the 2016 Husqvarna. I felt great on the bike and had a good Saturday qualifying race. I didn’t get a great start in the first moto, but was coming through ok. The track was really slippery, so it was easy to get caught out. I was taking my time to get passed riders, and then a rider jumped in front of me. I crashed really hard, that was it for the first moto. I didn’t feel great in the second race after that crash. I fell a few times and ended 13th. It’s disappointing but I’m looking forward to racing in Belgium next weekend.”
Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Dean Ferris was unable to repeat his recent strong performances. A first lap crash after contact with another rider gave Ferris a mountain to climb in moto one. The Aussie quickly regrouped and immediately started passing riders, working his way up to 16th at the finish. Ferris had a better start in moto two but wasn’t able to finish the race.
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 35:06.583; 2. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:09.363; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:12.260; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:13.651; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:14.952; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:32.926; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:35.421; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:37.532; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), +0:42.624; 10. Nathan Watson (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:47.118
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 35:24.379; 2. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:05.230; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:07.968; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.308; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:15.326; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:21.997; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:31.230; 8. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Kawasaki), +0:34.031; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), +0:36.966; 10. Nathan Watson (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:44.246
MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 50 points; 2. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 44 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 40 p.; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 34 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 34 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 28 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 23 p.; 9. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KAW), 22 p.; 10. Nathan Watson (GBR, HUS), 22 p.
MXGP Championship Rider Standings
1 FEBVRE Romain 461 FRA 507 Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha
2 PAULIN Gautier 21 FRA 419 Team HRC Honda
3 CAIROLI Antonio 222 ITA 416 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM
4 BOBRYSHEV Evgeny 777 RUS 389 Team HRC Honda
5 NAGL Max 12 GER 360 Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing Husqvarna
6 DESALLE Clement 25 BEL 331 Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP Suzuki
7 SIMPSON Shaun 24 GBR 307 Hitachi Construction Machinery Revo KTM KTM
8 VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy 89 BEL 294 Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha
9 COLDENHOFF Glenn 259 NDL 259 Team Suzuki Europe Motocross Suzuki
10 STRIJBOS Kevin 22 BEL 257 Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP Suzuki
11 WATERS Todd 47 AUS 250 Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing Husqvarna
12 FERRIS Dean 111 AUS 190 Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing Husqvarna
13 PHILIPPAERTS David 19 ITA 186 DP19 Racing Yamaha
14 RATTRAY Tyla 28 RSA 183 Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Kawasaki
15 DE DYCKER Ken 9 BEL 155 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM
16 CHARLIER Christophe 23 FRA 147 24MX Honda Racing Honda
17 BUTRON Jose 17 SPA 145 Marchetti Racing Team KTM KTM
18 FROSSARD Steven 183 FRA 128 Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Kawasaki
19 VILLOPOTO Ryan 2 USA 124 Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Kawasaki
20 LUPINO Alessandro 77 ITA 97 Team Assomotor Honda Honda
MXGP Manufacturer: 1. Yamaha, 515 points; 2. Suzuki, 514 p.; 3. KTM, 497 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 489 p.; 5. Honda, 485 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 311 p.; 7. TM, 89 p.
MX2
Chaos is almost defining the 2015 FIM MX2 World Championship with all of the fastest riders facing some sort of adversity and one point or another. The championship leader Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings will not line up again this year, which has left the championship wide open.
Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube’s Valentin Guillod looked super fast all weekend with his super smooth and flamboyant style ironing out a lot of the gnarly bumps here in Loket. Despite crashing a number of times, the Swiss rider bounced back on every occasion to go 1 – 2 for his third overall victory of the season.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass brightened the atmosphere under the orange awning with his impressive third and fourth place finishes for second overall. “I didn’t expect to be on the podium this weekend because it is hard pack and a lot of guys are fast on the hard tracks, but I put in a lot of work in the winter with Stefan Everts and it’s paying off,” Jonass said in the post race interview.
Last year’s MX2 grand prix of the Czech Republic winner was Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jordi Tixier. Tixier was fast yesterday; he set the fastest time in timed practice but required stitches after a crash in the qualifying race. Despite the hurt, Tixier handled it like a pro and landed on the third step of the podium.
Jordi Tixier: “The weekend started well with the pole position in the timed practice session, but then in the qualifying race I crashed and opened a wound on my arm. Later I hit Jeffrey (Herlings) as he was on the ground with no yellow flags. I could finish only nineteenth, and after the race I went to the hospital to have stitches in my arm. In the first GP race I moved to second behind Max (Anstie) and we had a good speed; I was pretty happy to finish third place even though I lost a place on the final lap. In the second race I could never find a place to pass Jonass so I was a little unhappy with my riding, even if I’m finally back on the podium.”
Meanwhile Kemea Yamaha Yamalube’s Benoit Paturel and Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Petar Petrov each put in season best performance to round out the top five in that order.
In other news, Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Max Anstie and Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser added to the MX2 mayhem this weekend with their bittersweet performances. Anstie put in a phenomenal ride in race one for a convincing victory but crashed out of the lead in race two when his hand came off of the handlebars on the approach to the waves which saw him hit the deck hard, whereas Gajser DNF’d the first race after coming together with Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Jeremy Seewer but bounced back for second place in race two.
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 35:30.895; 2. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:02.493; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:04.887; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:14.885; 5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:19.002; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:25.674; 7. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:27.789; 8. Roberts Justs (LAT, KTM), +0:39.944; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:41.393; 10. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +0:45.660.
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), 33:51.527; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:06.630; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:17.841; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:19.020; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:21.207; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:22.043; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:22.646; 8. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:25.050; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:28.311; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:45.160.
MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 47 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 38 p.; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 36 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 30 p.; 6. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 27 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 25 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 24 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 24 p.; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 22 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 423 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 399 p.; 3. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 399 p.; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 389 p.; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 370 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 369 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 337 p.; 8. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 305 p.; 9. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 256 p.; 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 236 p.
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 569 points; 2. Kawasaki, 533 p.; 3. Yamaha, 460 p.; 4. Honda, 440 p.; 5. Suzuki, 369 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 314 p.; 7. TM, 61 p.
Fontanesi wraps up 2015 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship
It was a day of peaks and pits at the sixth and final round of the 2015 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship.
Making up the ‘peaks’ were the performances of Yamaha riders Nancy Van de Ven and Kiara Fontanesi who both came away winners, while it was the pits for the championship leader Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot who had the title slide through her fingers after a mechanical failure on the sighting lap meant she couldn’t even start the final race.
It was set to be the greatest race of the season. Two of the best female motocrossers in the world, both champions in their own rights, were supposed to go head to head for the 2015 WMX title. Only four points separated the two, Lancelot led, and it was expected to be intense but instead of being the nail-biting finale we had awaited, it ended before it even began when Livia Lancelot’s bike ceased on the siting lap.
The FIM rules state “5.17 – Each rider can bring one motorcycle only in the Skybox waiting zone; the one that will be used for the race”. Lancelot changed bikes, which meant she was not permitted to start and had to watch Fontanesi cruise to what should have been a hard fought victory, easily.
Livia Lancelot: “I was happy to get some more points on Saturday, but I didn’t sleep so well on Saturday night as I imagined so many scenarios for the second moto ! But I could never imagine that I would not be able start the race… We worked a lot on the bike all year long and never had any problem, but here during the sighting lap there was a strange noise and I couldn’t finish the lap. I ran and took my second bike, but that’s not possible within the rules and I was not allowed to start the race. Once more I finished second in the series; for sure I’m disappointed but I will recover and be back next season. Most of my partners already told me that they want to continue working with me; now I just need to take a break to come back stronger. The plan for the rest of the season is to race some Supercross. I know already that I will be at the Lille Supercross and Geneva; for sure I will not race for the win, but I want to show, as Vicky Golden did in the US, that a woman can also race at a good level in Supercross.”
Putting the championship drama aside, the stand out performer this weekend was Holland’s young WMX prodigy Nancy Van de Ven who took her first race victory yesterday and then put in another epic performance today for the win and her first ever WMX overall.
Fontanesi had a hard time clearing her head after Lancelot had been refused to race, but managed to do enough for second. Meanwhile Motocross Marketing Silver Action KTM’s Amandine Verstappen was hauling on the opening lap after she took the holeshot but was pushed back to third by Van de Ven and the world champion, Fontanesi.
France’s Justine Charroux ended up flying the flag for the French with a solid fourth place while Denmarks Julie Dalgaard rounded out the top five.
At the end of the weekend, the top five overall replicated the results of race two. Nancy Van de Ven topped the box in convincing fashion with a double race victory while Kiara Fontanesi stood on the second step and Amandine Verstappen rounded out the top three.
After what was an emotional and dramatic end to a thrilling championship, Yamaha MXFontaracing’s Kiara Fontanesi wrote her name in the history books as the first female to claim four FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship titles on the bounce.
Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot had to settle for a heartbreaking second while Nancy Van de Ven rounded out the season in third.
WMX Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 24:37.678; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:02.838; 3. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:22.746; 4. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), +0:54.174; 5. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:15.897; 6. Britt Van Der Werff (NED, Suzuki), +1:18.672; 7. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), +1:33.061; 8. Joana Goncalves (POR, Yamaha), +1:35.921; 9. Julie Dalgaard (DEN, Honda), +1:36.285; 10. Kimberley Braam (NED, Kawasaki), +1:38.679.
WMX Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 25:13.129; 2. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:14.787; 3. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), +0:18.139; 4. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:32.198; 5. Julie Dalgaard (DEN, Honda), +0:34.395; 6. Emelie Dahl (SWE, Yamaha), +0:37.942; 7. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +0:39.133; 8. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), +0:57.943; 9. Shana van der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), +0:59.600; 10. Joana Goncalves (POR, Yamaha), +1:15.094.
WMX Overall Top Ten: 1. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 50 points; 2. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 42 p.; 3. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Justine Charroux (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 5. Julie Dalgaard (DEN, HON), 28 p.; 6. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Joana Goncalves (POR, YAM), 24 p.; 8. Emelie Dahl (SWE, YAM), 22 p.; 9. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 22 p.; 10. Shana van der Vlist (NED, YAM), 20 p.
WMX Championship Top Ten: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 260 points; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 242 p.; 3. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 229 p.; 4. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), 176 p.; 5. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), 150 p.; 6. Justine Charroux (FRA, YAM), 147 p.; 7. Francesca Nocera (ITA, SUZ), 127 p.; 8. Virginie Germond (SUI, SUZ), 104 p.; 9. Madison Brown (AUS, YAM), 99 p.; 10. Marianne Veenstra (NED, HUS), 92 p.
WMX Manufacturers: 1. Yamaha, 283 points; 2. Kawasaki, 250 p.; 3. KTM, 207 p.; 4. Suzuki, 180 p.; 5. Honda, 144 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 92 p.
