The big Max!
By Alex Hodgkinson on 16th Feb 07
THE European MX season opened sensationally at Mantova in northern Italy last weekend as Max Nagl ran the wheels off the entire MX1 world elite. The 19-year-old German's runaway victory in Satur-day's qualifier was taken with a pinch of salt, but the fact that the factory boys were going at it hammer and tongs in his wake and still getting wasted should have been a pointer.
The Bavarian boy was brought down to earth when he was well beaten in his one-on-one race on Sunday morning by Billy MacKenzie, but in the afternoon he was again on the case.
The one race that the diminutive Bavarian boy didn't hole-shot was the opener and David Philippaerts, winner of the one lap KO competition, looked to have it made during the first few laps as he gradually extended his advantage over Josh Coppins and Kevin Strijbos.
But, Nagl was on the move, sweeping past the MX1 title favourites to home in on the factory KTM. Twice he put his front wheel inside the Italian entering turns, and had it been anybody else, Nagl would have been through, but Philippaerts doesn't take prisoners and snapped the door closed. With half a lap to go, it was still anybody's race.
''I lost the front- wheel on the side of the hill. My fault,'' admitted the Sarholz teamster, but he was down to fifth before he could remount on the awkward slope.
Coppins, his arms stiff, had no difficulty keeping Strijbos at bay, but Toni Cairoli was another matter as the '05 champ placed the only MX2 bike in the top ten despite riding with a swollen ankle, a relic of the ruts on Saturday.
INTERNATIONAL STARCROSS MX
Mantova, ITALY
MX1 overall: 1 Nagl 65 points, 2 Coppins 58, 3 Barragan 54, 4 Philippaerts 53, 5 Strijbos 49, 6 Pichon 42, 7 De Reuver 39, 8 Bill 38, 9 Ramon 35, 10 Nemeth 31.
MX2 overall: 1 Rattray 69, 2 Searle 60, 3 Cairoli 54.
For full report, results and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, February 16, 2007