Rattray and Searle second and third at MX2 GP

Published: 01st June 2008

Author: KTM Press release. Photos: Ray Archer

Red Bull KTM's Tyla Rattray snatched the first moto but got caught up in crashes in the second on a roughed up circuit at Mallory Park finishing overall second behind Italy's Antonio Cairoli in the GP of Britain.

Factory team mate Tommy Searle was third and second in the two motos for overall third place in front of his home crowd while fellow Briton and KTM rider Shaun Simpson finished fourth. With Anthony Boissiere of the KTM supported HDI France team in sixth place, riders of the Austrian manufacturer took four of the first sixth places. The third Red Bull KTM rider, Rui Goncalves of Portugal had a luckless day and finished eleventh.
 
Tyla charges through pack in second race
Rattray made a huge effort to hunt down the leaders after dropping right back in the order in the early part of the second moto. He made an impressive charge from the back of the field, continually gaining ground on the front group. Although the gap between fourth and third was too great for him to breach, he did well to salvage his fourth place for 18 valuable championship points. The KTM factory rider from South Africa, while promising to come back strong in the next event, was clearly disappointed to have to relinquish the coveted red number plate as championship leader to rival Cairoli by a single point.
 
Committed to regaining red plate
"I plan to get the red plate back in the next GP," said a determined Rattray. "Today I got the holeshot in the first race and I managed to stay out in front all the way. It's hard to pass on this circuit and you have to be very concentrated to get good lines." Rattray did just that after being involved in two crashes in the first part of race two.
 
Searle hoped for more at Mallory Park
Tommy Searle was less than satisfied with his day in front of his home crowd, particularly when his chances of getting the lead in race one were spoilt by a close encounter with arch rival Cairoli. "My riding was ok but not brilliant today," he said. "I didn't have very good starts and I made a few mistakes. At the end of the second race there was just too much of a gap for me to be able to close it." Tommy now trails Cairoli by 10 points in what has developed into a three rider competition (Cairoli, Rattray and Searle) for the title.
 
Bad day for Rui Goncalves
Red Bull KTM's Rui Goncalves admitted his day had not been a good one. "I had problems with the lines in the first race and my riding as not good. I tried to relax more in the second but it just seemed to get worse. Then I had a crash and hit my knee and my head and blacked out for a moment." Goncalves will also get a medical check on Monday.

 
First time at Mallory Park Circuit
The man-made circuit at Mallory Park, some 50 km from the city of Birmingham, is constructed on the interior of an existing and well known road racing facility. It was the first time riders in the MX world championship have raced here on this technical and demanding circuit. The surface is medium soft and sand has been added to the corners.
 
MX2 GP Results
1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha
2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM (Red Bull KTM)
3. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM (Red Bull KTM)
4. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM (KTM UK)
5. Stephen Sword, Britain, Kawasaki
Other KTM
6. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM (Team HDI France)
11. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM (Red Bull KTM)
12. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM (GP Juniors Team Champ)
13. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM (Team Silver Action)
19. Julien Vanni, France, KTM (Team HDI France)
 
Championship Standings
1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, 243 points
2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, 242
3. Tommy Searle, Britain, 233
4. Nicolas Aubin, France, 158
5. Shaun Simpson, Britain, 156
6. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, 148
Other KTM
10. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, 109
13. Anthony Boissiere, France, 91
12. Joel Roelants, Belgium, 68
17. Jeremy Tarroux, France, 59
30. Julien Vanni, France, 12