Philippaerts new series leader
By TMX Archives on 27th Apr 08
A sun-blessed and roasting Grand Prix of Portugal at the stunning Agueda circuit was the perfect remedy for the FIM Motocross World Championship after the sea of rain and mud that washed out the Spanish visit last weekend. The splendid stage for round three of fifteen, south of the city of Porto, witnessed the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team score a double podium result with David Philippaerts finishing second and Josh Coppins third on the works YZ450FMs.
Philippaerts won a moto and was second in the other race, while Coppinsseized his first silverware of the season after a thrilling move past championSteve Ramon for third spot on the final corner of the last lap. On the podiumPhilippaerts picked up the red-plate to signify his new status as MX1-GPchampionship leader for the first time. He is also the first Italian to sit atthe top of the points table since the inception of the MX1-GP class in2004.
The dry circuit provided a technical test for the riders with thecombinations of jumps and alternate line options meaning that the 'perfect' lapwas tough to find and mistakes were heavily punished by the highpace.
Philippaerts suffered a fast crash on Saturday that left theItalian with a sore back and lack of sensation in his arms during thequalification practice. He was still a bit stiff Sunday morning but put asideany discomfort to remain one of the protagonists in the first moto. Afterhunting down Billy Mackenzie and taking the lead on the seventh lap oftwenty-one the 24 year old kept a good rhythm to retain control of the raceuntil the chequered flag. It was his first moto success for the team and hisfirst set of '25' points since the Grand Prix of Belgium last August.
InMoto2 the Italian did not have the best first lap and had to work hard fromfifth position to take advantage of another error by Mackenzie and also a crashby Jonathan Barragan to rise to second place. Although he tied on points withoverall winner Sebastien Pourcel, the second moto ranking determined the finalstanding. It was the second consecutive runner-up position forPhilippaerts.
Josh Coppins tried a new rear suspension set-up on Saturdayas well as some experimentation with different Pirelli tyres. The New Zealanderwas unable to match the pace of his peers at the start of both motos (eventhough he exited the gate in the top five both times) but was easily one of thestrongest riders at the end of the races. In the first he pushed Mackenzie hardto take fifth but it was his determination and dogged pursuit of the laggingRamon in the final two laps of the second sprint that really gave an indicationof the Kiwi's 'steel'.
Closing down some four seconds to the back of the Belgian, Coppins took thefight for third right to the last corner where he cut tighter and snatched theposition - and the last podium spot - by four tenths of a second. The result wasa message but the manner in which he delivered it was equally devastating, thatCoppins - who missed five weeks of riding through two broken twos on his rightfoot prior to the start of the campaign - is hungry for the title.
Thechampionship standings now make good reading for the team. Philippaerts holds a6 point gap over Ramon while Coppins is third and just 19 behind. Yamaha aresecond in the manufacturer's standings by 6 points.
The Yamaha MonsterMotocross Team now travel back to their Italian base near Parma for several daysand a free weekend before packing up and heading east across to Europe to theimpressive Sevlievo circuit and the Grand Prix of Bulgaria. The meeting willprecede the squad's home round at Mantova seven days later.
DavidPhilippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 2nd
"I am really happy tohave the red plate because this is the first time for me. The first moto wasunbelievable. My start was pretty average but I passed Mackenzie and Barraganand found some effective lines. When Sebastien came near in the last moments Ilooked to pull another second on him and controlled it until the end. I startedwell in the second moto but on the second corner my line meant that I had to becareful and lost some time, which let Sebastien and Mackenzie escape. It was along race so I did not want to go crazy at the beginning and also the track wasnot easy. I knew the others would slow their pace by the end so I wanted to bestrong the whole distance. My aim now is to try and stay in the top five each GPand this will be good for the championship."
Josh Coppins, YamahaMonster Motocross Team: 3rd
"It was an exciting end to the Grand Prix andone that even I did not expect. I could see that Steve was fading and, ofcourse, after last year I always like to pass Steve, so I put in that extraeffort. He went wide in the last corner and I could not believe that. My eyeslit-up and I made the pass.
We tried a new rear shock during Saturday which was a bit softer and suitedme better. We also tested some tyres with a different compound moose and alsosliced some of the nobs on the rubber. I think we had a pretty good set-up so Iwas happy with the bike. The extra options the team provided made things evenbetter, which I was surprised about.
It was finally nice to have a real race; a race where the best rider winsinstead of the terrain being good for some or just being a lottery. Today it wasPourcel but it was a GP where the degree of racing fitness and skill comes intoit and that was really positive.
It has been a tough season for me so far with a few 'downs'. I don't quitehave the speed at the moment, especially at the start of the race; all I have isthe consistency in the laps I make. I have to be patient, which is hard becauseI am not a patient person! With sixth, fourth and third things have gone wellbut you always want better. Everyone around me has been really supportive and Iam sure I will get up to a higher level very soon. I was one of the strongestout there at the end, and this makes me proud."
Mino Raspanti, RacingManager, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team:
"I really great Grand Prix forus; to have both riders on the podium is really good. They continue to work hardand perform well. David's win was deserved I am very happy for Josh also. Theseare some difficult moments for him but he is trying so hard. David and Josh areboth happy with the bikes and Josh more so after we made a small change with theshock. We will work now and look ahead to Bulgaria, and Mantova the weekafter."
2008 GP of Portugal, Agueda 27/04/2008
Race 1 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 38'56.063
2 Sbastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'4.287
3 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'12.368
4 Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 0'16.139
5 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'17.169
6 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'34.548
7 Marc De Reuver Honda NED 0'40.307
8 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 0'41.921
9 Mike Brown Honda USA 0'44.229
10 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'46.637
11 Julien Bill Honda CHE 1'3.842
12 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 1'6.481
13 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 1'9.133
14 Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 1'11.582
15 James Noble KTM GBR 1'12.339
16 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 1'13.578
17 Manuel Priem Kawasaki BEL 1'16.105
18 Kornel Nemeth KTM HUN 1'18.885
19 Alessio Chiodi TM ITA 1'26.162
20 Pierre A. Renet Suzuki FRA 1'28.134
Race 2 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Sbastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 39'42.975
2 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'8.473
3 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'11.360
4 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'11.774
5 Mike Brown Honda USA 0'16.237
6 Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 0'22.697
7 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'29.193
8 Marc De Reuver Honda NED 0'35.176
9 Kornel Nemeth KTM HUN 0'39.940
10 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 0'48.334
11 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'50.370
12 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'52.219
13 Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 1'2.410
14 James Noble KTM GBR 1'14.846
15 Pierre A. Renet Suzuki FRA 1'22.129
16 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 1'31.529
17 Paulo Goncalves Honda POR 1'38.142
18 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 1'44.695
19 Marvin Van Daele Suzuki BEL 1'48.894
20 Manuel Priem Kawasaki BEL 1'51.571
Rider Standings 27/04/2008
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 102
2. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 96
3. Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 83
4. Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 79
5. Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 77
6. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 58
7. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 54
8. Sbastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 52
9. Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 50
10. Kornel Nemeth KTM HUN 48
11. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 43
12. Mike Brown Honda USA 42
13. Marc De Reuver Honda NED 40
14. Manuel Priem Kawasaki BEL 40
15. Kevin Strijbos Kawasaki BEL 36
16. Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 27
17. James Noble KTM GBR 20
18. Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 20
19. Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 20
20. Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 19
28. Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 8
Manufacturer Standings 27/04/2008
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Suzuki 108
2. Yamaha 102
3. Kawasaki 92
4. KTM 85
5. Honda 82
6. TM 13