Philippaerts hungry to be back on the podium
By Infront Moto Racing on 4th Aug 10
FUNCHAL (PORTUGAL), 4 August 2010 The Bonver GP of the Czech Republic to be held in Loket this weekend is the venue chosen to celebrate the 12th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. After the deep sandy ruts of last weekend's Gran Prix of Limburg, riders will have to adapt themselves quickly to the hard pack of Loket.
Italian Tony Cairoli continues leading the MX1 Championship after winning in thesand in Lommel and has increased his advantage from second classified BelgianClement Desalle up to 79 points. In MX2 Marvin Musquin is at the top of thepoints standings followed by the winner of the GP of Limburg KenRoczen.
Italian David Philippaerts, who was third last year in Loket,has missed the podium in the last four Gran Prix‘s and arrives in the CzechRepublic willing to improve his third place in the standings of the MX1Championship. However, last year's winner in Loket Clement Desalle and GermanMax Nagl, who was second in 2009 as well as in Lommel last weekend, will notleave things easy for the Italian.
Current MX2 leader Marvin Musquinwill fight to obtain his first ever victory in Loket, track which has alwaysbrought misfortune to the French. For Gautier Paulin, who is 11th in the MX2classification, coming back to Loket might help him to move up in the standingsof the championship as he went out with the overall victory in the Czech tracklast year.
The UEM EMX 125 Motocross European Championship will join theMX1 and MX2 series and it can be a crucial weekend for the current French leaderJordi Tixier as he can be proclaimed the new European Champion one round beforethe ending of the Championship.
MX1
Afterobtaining his fifth Gran Prix victory in his "second home track” in Lommel, RedBull KTM Factory Racing MX1's Cairoli wants to conquer for the first time in hisprofessional career in MX1 the Czech Republic soil and increase the distancewith Desalle, who is now 79 points behind the Italian. At his first season inthe class last year, Cairoli missed the podium for just threepoints.
Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1's Desalle was not 100% satisfiedwith his third placed obtained in his home track in Lommel last weekend.However, Loket is a special track for the Belgian rider as it was there where heobtained his maiden MX1 overall victory in 2009 and he hopes to repeat suchperformance this weekend.
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross' Philippaertscontinues third in the standings of the MX1 class 41 points behind secondclassified Desalle. His last podium was the third overall position obtained inTeutschenthal, but his third place obtained last year in Loket will give extramotivation to the Italian to place him back onto the rostrum and cut the pointsdifference with second and first classified in the Championship.
Fourthin the MX1 standings is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX1's Nagl, whose secondoverall result in Lommel made him move up one place in the classification of theChampionship. The German rider is still not at his top physical condition fromhis collarbone injury during the French GP, but he is determined to equal oreven improve his second overall result in Loket from lastyear.
Completing the top five is Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1's Ramon,who had a disappointing weekend in his home track in Lommel obtaining an overalleighth position. The Belgian has not good memories of last year's race in Loketas he could only finish 13th after a DNF in the first race and a sixth place inthe second moto.
His Belgian compatriot De Dycker is now sixth in theChampionship after his sixth overall result in his home GP in Lommel. Seventh isBoog, who could not take part in last weekend's races due to an injury sufferedon his left knee during Saturday's qualifying race and he is still doubtful forthis weekend.
Tanel Leok is still eighth in the Championship but he isnow followed by the Russian Bobryshev, who is five points behind theEstonian.
Japanese Yu Hirata will take part in the Bonver GP of theCzech Republic in Loket after his first appearance in the Championship lastweekend in Lommel where he finished 31st.
Julien Bill comes back on stageafter missing the four last Grand Prix of the Championship on a new machine. KTMSarholz Racing squad will be the new team for the Swiss rider and he will try toimprove his performance and his current 37th position in thestandings.
Bad luck struck the TM Factory Racing Team with none of theirMX1 riders making it to Loket. Boissiere still suffers from his crash in Swedenwhile Aigar Leok recovers from an off season injury damaging his spleen. Thoughthe duo will be in Loket to support their team mate and home rider Michek in theMX2 class.
2009 MX1 PODIUM:
1. Clement Desalle
2. MaxNagl
3. David Philippaerts
2009 MX1 POLEMAN: Clement Desalle
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2's Musquin is stillleading the MX2 series, but in the last three Grand Prix's the French youngrider has not been able to conquer the top of the rostrum, being third in thelast GP of Limburg and being off the podium in Latvia and Sweden. Besides, theCzech Republic track has never brought him good results, as he has always had topull out from one of the two races of the Czech GP: in 2008 he broke his footwhile in 2009 a technical failure dropped him off the podium. This weekendMusquin is willing to break with such an unfortunate chain of results and widenthe difference with his pursuers.
Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2's Roczenarrives in Loket after winning his maiden Grand Prix of 2010 in Lommel andhaving reduced up to 78 points the difference from the current MX2 leaderMusquin. The German does not want to think of the Title, even being four racesfrom the end of the Championship. Instead, he wants to keep the focus on hisriding trying to improve in every race adding as many points as possible. Inlast year's GP in Loket, Roczen managed to be fourth overall with only one pointdifference from third classified Boog, so it is a good opportunity for theGerman to grasp some valuable points to be closer to Musquin in the pointstandings.
Kawasaki CLS' Frossard could not repeat his maiden GP victoryof Sweden in Belgium and he could only be eight in what it has always been anightmare track for the French young man. Frossard is still third in the MX2Championship 23 points behind Roczen but only 8 points ahead Herlings, who ispushing really hard from the back of the classification.
Red Bull KTMFactory Racing MX2's Herlings had a bittersweet ending in Lommel after finishingsecond overall in a track where he felt really confident. The young Dutch riderwas third in the first moto and won the second one being only two points awayfrom the GP winner Roczen. Herlings is going to ride in Loket for the first timein his career but he is positive and feels able to come out with a good resultand enter the top three of the MX2 Classification.
Completing the topfive is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2's Simpson who was seventh in Lommel andclimbed up one position in the points standings. The Brit is closely followed byBike-It Cosworth Yamaha UK's Osborne, who is only eight points behind Simpsonand hopes to be back to the podium and enter the top five again.
Belgianrider Roelants was fourth overall in his home GP and is now seventh in theChampionship followed by his compatriot Van Horebeek, who could only be ninth inLommel. Tonus and Kullas complete the top ten and they are followed by GautierPaulin, who won the Bonver GP of the Czech Republic last year and wishes todefend his victory in Loket this weekend.
Home rider Michek of TM RacingFactory will hope in a strong result in front of his home fans, waiting fortheir favourite to break into the top ten while racing along Loket'sserpentine.
2009 MX2 PODIUM:
1. Gautier Paulin
2. RuiGonçalves
3. Xavier Boog
2009 MX2 POLEMAN: Marvin Musquin
EMX 125
The series' dominator Jordi Tixier arrives inLoket having only lost one heat out of the ten disputed so far in the UEM EMX125 European Championship. It is very likely that the French young man iscrowned as the new EMX 125 Champion unless his rivals Lafont or Bernardini,second and third classified in the point standings, stop Tixier to go out withthe Title in the penultimate round of theseries.
TIMETABLE
Saturday: EMX 125 FreePractice Group 1 8:05; EMX 125 Free Practice Group 2 8:40; WMX Free Practice9:25; MX2 Free Practice 10:00; MX1 Free Practice 10:45; EMX 125 Pre QualifyingPractice Group 1 11:35; EMX 125 Pre Qualifying Practice Group 2 12:10; WMX TimePractice 13:00; MX2 Pre Qualifying Practice 13:35; MX1 Pre Qualifying Practice14:20; WMX Race 1 15:15; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:05; MX1 Qualifying Race 16:55;EMX 125 Qualifying Race 1 17:45; EMX 125 Qualifying Race 218:35;
Sunday: EMX 125 Warm up 8:00; WMX Warm up 8:30; MX2 Warm up 9:00;MX1 Warm up 9:30; EMX 125 Race 1 10:20; WMX Race 2 11:15; MX2 Grand Prix Race 112:10; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 13:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 15:03; MX1 Grand Prixrace 2 16:03; EMX 125 Race 2 17:20.