Desalle looking for first home GP victory
Published: 28th July 2010
Author: Youthstream
FUNCHAL (PORTUGAL), 28 July 2010 – The action of the 2010 FIM Motocross World Championship will resume in Lommel, Belgium, this weekend in occasion of the Grand Prix of Limburg, round 11 of 15 putting an end to the recent summer break. Tony Cairoli of Italy leads the MX1 points standings followed by Belgian Clement Desalle, while Marvin Musquin is on top of the MX2 points.
Desalle follows Cairoli in the MX1 Championship standings, with the Belgian hungry for a home success. David Philippaerts sits in third ahead of Steve Ramon and Max Nagl while last year’s Limburg GP winner Ken De Dycker has dropped down to seventh by missing the last round in Sweden due to a right elbow injury.With Musquin holding an 83 points advantage over his rivals, the French experienced a troubled Swedish GP which he is wanting to make up for in Lommel. Runner up Ken Roczen is still second in the Championship but third placed Steven Frossard is now level in points with the German courtesy of his maiden win in Uddevalla. Jeffrey Herlings and Zach Osborne complete the top five.
The GP of Limburg will also host the penultimate round of the FIM Veterans’ World Cup led by Mats Nilsson, who is followed by the sand specialist Erwin Hendrickx and the home rider Pascal Bal.
MX1
Having come back to victory at Uddevalla right before the summer break started, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX1’s Cairoli has reinforced his series lead as he topped the Swedish podium from runner up Desalle. The Italian, who is debuting the revolutionary KTM 350 this year, has already won on a sandy course in 2010 when he topped the podium in Valkenswaard by taking both heats. A third place overall at Lommel last year is another confidence booster for Cairoli, trying to wrap up his second consecutive MX1 World Title in the 2010 GP campaign.
Second placed in the Championship Desalle of Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 is currently Cairoli’s main threat to his Title ambitions. The Belgian is extremely motivated to both clinch his first ever home win and cut the 67 point gap from the red plate holder. From the Grand Prix of USA, Desalle has taken five consecutive podiums with his second season’s victory coming in Latvia.
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross’ Philippaerts completes the top three in the Championship, with the former MX1 World Champion being 36 points away from Desalle. Finishing ninth overall in Lommel last year, Philippaerts will surely have something to say this weekend as he hopes to at least equal his third place finish in Valkenswaard this year.
Other Belgian Ramon of the Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 Team is right behind Philippaerts as he holds fourth in the Championship. Ramon was fourth also at the 2009 Grand Prix of Limburg, the race marking his comeback after a neck injury from the early stages of the season.
Cairoli’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX1 team mate Nagl rounds off the top five but the early Championship leader has been troubled by a broken left collarbone at the French GP – where he missed the opportunity to score points. Since his comeback in Germany, Nagl has tried to regain his fitness and hopes in matching his podium finish of 2009 at Lommel this weekend.
Kawasaki Racing’s Boog is a solid sixth in the Championship but the French MX1 debutant is still chasing his maiden podium. De Dycker, who won last year’s GP in Lommel, injured his right elbow in Sweden where he could not race. Now the Belgian is in seventh position in the points table ahead of Russian Bobryshev.
Tanel Leok and Davide Guarneri round off the top ten.
Kawasaki Racing squad will be again 100% present in the sandy circuit of Lommel. Sebastien Pourcel, who is now 16th in the Championship, is completely recovered from the misfortunate crash suffered during the GP of Latvia and Spanish Jonathan Barragán is coming back from a hip injury suffered while he was training in Holland before the GP of the Netherlands.
After missing eight GP’s Barragán is not at the top of his fitness level but the fourth and sixth positions obtained in the last round of the Belgian Championship gave him confidence to be back on his Kawasaki machine and improve his 19th position in the standings of the FIM Motocross World Championship. Barragan’s goal is to have a good ending of the Championship and he is already focusing all his efforts on the 2011 season.
Japanese Yu Hirata, following the steps of his compatriot Tomoya Suzuki, will be part of the Honda Racing MX Martin squad during the GP of Limburg and will also be present in the Bonver GP of the Czech Republic to be held on the 8th August weekend. The Japanese rider is fifth in the All Japan MX1 class and is willing to show his potential racing with the best motocross riders in the world. Hirata-san faces this opportunity as a learning experience that will make him develop as a professional rider.
2009 MX1 PODIUM:
1. Ken De Dycker
2. Max Nagl
3. Antonio Cairoli
2009 MX1 POLEMAN: Clement
Desalle
MX2
Finishing off the podium in the latest two rounds of the Championship in Latvia and Sweden, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Musquin wants to make up for his absence this weekend at Lommel, where he won with a dominant performance in 2009. The French remains on top of the FIM MX2 Championship with more than 80 points from runner up Roczen and third placed Frossard but with five rounds remaining before the end of the Championship Musquin remains focused on his title defence.
Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2’s Roczen had a bitter outing in Sweden where he lost the podium after having finished second overall in the two previous GP’s. Roczen managed to win moto number two but in the opening moto a mechanical failure interrupted his chase to eventual winner Frossard. Uddevalla ended up to be a big blow for Roczen, who saw Frossard joining him in the points table, but the 16 year old German looks at Lommel like his chance of revenge.
Having won his maiden Grand Prix in Uddevalla, Kawasaki CLS’ Frossard took a step forward in the Championship to become level in points with Roczen. Now third in the Championship, Frossard cannot afford any mistakes in Lommel, where last year he scored no points and retired from both races.
Red Bull KTM Factory racing MX2’s Herlings is fourth behind Frossard and will be ready to jump on the third place at any time should his opponents make any mistake. The 15 year old Dutch has enjoyed a victory in Latvia and a second place in Sweden before taking a well deserved break but with the action resuming in sandy Lommel Herlings is very confident of a victory. His maiden win in the Grand Prix series actually dates back at Herling’s home GP this year in Valkenswaard, another sandy venue.
Fifth places Osborne of Bike-It Cosworth Yamaha UK will be back to action after the summer break to try and continue his mid season podium streak which he interrupted in Latvia, otherwise sixth placed Simpson –recovering from blood deficiency- could snatch his spot within the top five.
Seventh placed in the Championship Van Horebeek is the best placed Belgian in the Championship at the moment while Tonus, Roelants and Kullas complete the top ten. Roelants was on the podium in Lommel last year together with countryman Verbruggen, the latter now being 15th in the Championship.
Yamaha fellow riders Charlier and Paulin are respectively 12th and 13th in the Championship with Paulin having taken his first season’s podium in Sweden.
2009 MX2 PODIUM:
1. Marvin Musquin
2. Joel Roelants
3. Dennis Verbruggen
2009 MX2 POLEMAN:
Marvin Musquin
VETERANS
FIM
Veteran’s World Cup leader Nilsson arrives into the penultimate round of the
season with a 35 point advantage over runner up Hendrickx and he is determined
to show his potential on the sandy track of Lommel and increase his advantage
over his closest rivals.
However, sand specialists Hendrickx and home
rider Bal will not leave things easy for the Swedish leader as they know it is
probably their last opportunity to grasp some valuable points and keep on
fighting for the Cup.
TIMETABLE
Saturday:
Veterans Free Practice 9:25; MX2 Free Practice 10:00; MX1 Free Practice 10:45;
Veterans Time Practice 13:00; MX2 Pre Qualifying Practice 13:35; MX1 Pre
Qualifying Practice 14:20; Veterans Race 1 15:15; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:05; MX1
Qualifying Race 16:55;
Sunday: Veterans Warm up 8:30; MX2 Warm up 9:00;
MX1 Warm up 9:30; Veterans Race 2 11:15; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 12:10; MX1 Grand
Prix Race 1 13:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 15:03; MX1 Grand Prix Race 2 16:03.
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