Teutsch and Go
By Alex Hodgkinson on 4th Oct 13
British hopes of success were slashed by a severed brake line and a first turn pile-up, but the Peter Chamberlain Trophy stays in Europe as the Belgian teamsters made every score count to regain the Motocross des Nations titlefor the first time since 2004 with a three-point victory over the USA in a thrilling climax.
The British trio of Tommy Searle, Jake Nicholls and Shaun Simpson rounded out the top six.
There were groans around the press room on Saturday morning as Austrian FIM MX chairman Wolfgang Srb announced that gate 40 for the Brits in qualifying around the Talkessel expressway on the edge of the small German town of Teutschenthal,
but team manager Neil Prince grinned: "It's wound the boys up if anything.”
Rides through the pack with Searle beating Toni Cairoli for third, Nicholls and Simpson each making sure in fifth meant that the trio had gates five and twenty-five for race day and the action could begin with all eight medal hopefuls stacked together.
The MX1 and MX2 riders went to the gate first and Britain was the only leading country to give the inside gate to their 450 rider. Prince: "Jake said he prefered to start mid-gate anyway.” But, as it turned out, the flowing track, ripped and watered to perfection, actually suited the factory 250s
as Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac launched through the twists and turns faster than anybody bar Cairoli.
Tomac made a hash of his first start and was buried in the pack with US team-mate Ryan Dungey as Dean Ferris set the pace for shock qualification winners, Australia, ahead of Euro champ Valentin Guillod, Roczen and Searle.
Guillod took over on lap two and set a frantic pace for a few laps before eventually being pushed back to ninth, but Cairoli was on a mission as he sliced through the top ten to set off after the fleeing Roczen mid-moto.
For several laps the German, high on the frenetic support of a massive crowd, kept the gap but at 20-minutes Cairoli moved in for the kill.
Roczen: "I was struggling with arm pump all weekend.”
Cairoli: "Kenny made a mistake and I went around him.”
But it was also time for the Italian to make good his escape as Tomac, fastest man on track, homed in at a second per lap. With Dungey also advancing at a more leisurely pace, USA had pulled back Australia's early lead in the team stakes, and Tomac wanted more as he set his sights on season-long rival Roczen.
With four laps to go the American was on the German's rear wheel, but then there was drama as he lost control approaching the leap out of the main arena: "I guess I was going a little too fast and when the rear wheel hit a hole and stepped out – it was time to get off.”
Luckily his Honda crashed through the Monster boards as he skydived straight on and, after dusting himself down, the US 250cc champion was able to limp home 16th. But the US points lead was gone.
Max Nagl had cut through from an atrocious start to finish 11th and the host German team led on 13, one ahead of Italy and Australia, two ahead of Belgium, four ahead of France and eight ahead
of Britain – Searle had swept home third, Nicholls 18th – with the US seventh and looking to drop Tomac's score later in the day.
Of the favourites only Russia were already out of the running as Bobryshev lost the front brake and quit.
Three-quarters of an hour later the 250s were out once more – with the Open class – and again most teams gave their 250cc ride the inside gate. Ferris holeshot again, but Roczen and Tomac were right there and within a lap-and-a-half were locked in battle for the win.
For 34 thrilling minutes they locked
horns, often side-by-side but the US boy was never ahead.
Roczen: "My goal before we came here was to win a moto – not just my class.”
Tomac: "We were so close on speed, and I did my best but Kenny had his entire country behind him. I wish US fans would get into it like the Europeans do.”
The duo were a class apart, finishing 49 seconds ahead of Open class winner Clement Desalle, who had elegantly run down Justin Barcia.
The only other 450 men to run at the front were Shaun Simpson and Tanel Leok, but the Scot suffered wretched luck as one of the multitude of rocks which scatter the track severed his front brake line.
However, Scots are made of sterner stuff than Russians and Shaun persevered to finish 18th, seven behind Nicholls, who had again fought valiantly through the pack.
With a three score total of 32, Britain was out of the hunt for the win, but a podium was still on if Searle and Simpson could deliver in race three.
The US led on 13 points – one ahead of Germany – but the hosts knew their hopes were zero. Third man Dennis Ullrich, so impressive in qualification, had been dragged down at turn one and then smashed ribs as he performed a 180 degree ‘salto' trying to avoid a fallen rival.
He went to the gate for race three, but knew already before turn one that the agony was unbearable.
That left Belgium, three down on the Yanks, Australia minus six and Italy minus nine as the French trio were consistent but simply not fast enough.
Just a single 250 and Cairoli's 350 lined up with 38 450s for the deciding moto, and the sketchy first turn was an accident waiting to happen.
"I got out of the gate well and was right behind Tommy, who was on the ideal line,” explained Simpson as he analysed what happened. "But Nagl had the inside, kept going straight on and took us with him.
Desalle came across from the outside, took my front wheel and I flew over the top of him. I had four bikes on top of me and then Charlier ran over my shoulder.”
‘Braveheart' rejoined the race undaunted, battered and bruised with the entire pack to chase, but as the dust settled in the gathering dusk, the dimensions of that first turn melee became evident.
Desalle toured back to the pits, his shoulder hanging down. Barcia was also near the back, and all of a sudden Italy, the only men with two men in the top ten, were back in the hunt!
With USA counting Tomac's opening score, they trailed Italy by two and the Belgian commando stand was empty.
"I was concerned for Clement and rushed back to join him at the Medical Centre”, explained Belgian manager, Joel Smets. "It never occured to me that we were still in the hunt, but when I returned to the pit lane 15-minutes later, I discovered that we were leading!”
While everybody else had an earlier score they needed to drop, Belgium had four top eight finishes in the bag and Ken De Dycker had forced past Bobryshev for third behind the fleeing Nagl and Cairoli.
Cairoli moved in for the kill on the German mid-moto, but Philippaerts had lost the tag on the men ahead in eighth, so Italy could not impove their total of 31 – three shy of the Belgians. If De Dycker kept his cool, the honour of top Euro nation was clearcut.
But nerves were on tenterhooks as Bobryshev maintained contact and the Kawasakis of Searle and Paulin inched closer.
The situation became even more tense as the Americans made their final assault. Barcia was up to 16th after 15-minutes, so every move from then would gain a point, while Dungey – out of touch all weekend – was urged on to chase the top six.
With four laps to go Barcia was 11th and the US trailed by two points, but ‘BamBam's' next pack to hunt down was six seconds ahead. It looked as if it was down to Dungey, but he was sketchy as he closed Paulin down, eventually running off the track to put the ball back in Barcia's court.
Another lap and he could have had De Reuver and Philippaerts, perhaps even Metcalfe, but that all proved academic as a gust of wind blew Nagl off track over the highest jump, De Dycker went through for second and the Belgian pit box, not a fingernail still intact, exploded.
For the first time post-Everts they had done the Yanks!
Searle finished fifth, a brave Simpson remorselessly chased down Barcia as they hared through the pack, and Britain ranked a brave sixth, but the day belonged to Belgium.
US manager Roger DeCoster was ‘The Man' as ever: "We like to win, but it was good to see so many strong teams... and I can't think of anybody else I would rather lose to!”
