FUNCHAL (PORTUGAL), 22 April 2009 – Valkenswaard follows a one week break of the FIM Motocross World Championship and re-opens the chase for the Titles. Cairoli leads the MX1 class after his stunning victory in Turkey while a confident Paulin tops the MX2.
The FIM Veterans’ World Cup collective will be also back on track after round one in Faenza ended with Iven’s victory.
MX1
With three different GP winners and three different Championship leaders in the first three Grand Prix’s the MX1 class is unveiling to be extremely challenging and Valkenswaard will make no difference.
The sandy course might be an advantage for sand masters such as Philippaerts and Ramon, who fought until the last GP before the Italian grabbed the 2008 Title and have not yet won this year.
Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Ramon was on the podium last year at Valkenswaard, the opening round of 2008 where team mate De Dycker won. The latter is just four points behind actual series leader Cairoli and a win would put him back on top where he was after Sevlievo.
Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s Cairoli took both moto’s at the FIM Motocross World Championship’s maiden visit to Turkey a couple of weeks ago. A great battle in heat two saw him beat countryman Philippaerts of Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross with both and second overall Ramon mounting on their maiden podium of 2009.
Bulgarian GP winner Coppins has to make up for a tough Turkish round and has a solid chance at Valkenswaard, where he won in 2007 in front of Barragan.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Nagl also saw the podium at Valkenswaard when he took third overall at the end of last year’s Grand Prix of Benelux. A hand injury has hampered the German’s results so far but he is expected to come back stronger after the week break following Istanbul.
Honda is also working its way up through the MX1 standings with a powerful duo of riders including Martin Honda’s Strijbos and LS Motors’ Desalle.
Desalle is now ninth in the Championship after he took his maiden podium at Faenza but Strijbos is on a high following his top performance at Istanbul where he made it to fifth overall.
On the other hand CAS Honda’s Mackenzie has had a tough season beginning but the Brit looks forward to Valkenswaard where he was fourth in 2008 – his best GP finish since he joined the factory Honda squad in 2008.
2008 MX1 PODIUM:
1. Ken de Dycker
2. Steve Ramon
3. Max Nagl
2008 MX1 POLEMAN: Ken de Dycker
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| Mackenzie has struggled so far in the season |
More photos available at www.motocrossmx1.com/galleryinfo.aspx.
MX2
Rock solid Gautier Paulin of Kawasaki Bud Racing PSM has been leading the Championship since his maiden GP win at Faenza and enters round four hoping in the fourth consecutive podium.
Another rider chasing such a consistent record is NGS’ Musquin who is just five points behind Paulin. The French duo is trying to pull away from the rest of the field as third placed Guarneri currently has a 30 point gap from Paulin.
The Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci Motocross’ rider has not yet finished on the podium this year but Valkenswaard does not seem to be his favourite venue as the eleventh place from last year can confirm. Though he has been keeping the third spot since round two in Bulgaria courtesy of his consistency.
On the other hand Yamaha fellow rider Osborne of Utag-Yamaha.com enters Benelux with a handful of confidence coming from his maiden GP win from Istanbul. The young American is chasing down the leaders from the fifth place in the Championship standings, just five points behind Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2’s Xavier Boog.
Consistency has been missing in Frossard’s beginning of the season with the Frenchman pulling out twice in the last four moto’s. Though he is sitting in sixth ahead of Simpson and Aubin.
With the top four riders in last year’s overall classification having left the MX2 class, Rui Goncalves remains the highest placed rider in the 2008 Benelux GP still racing in the category due to his fifth place.
2008 MX2 PODIUM:
1. Tyla Rattray
2. Antonio Cairoli
3. Erik Eggens
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| Guarneri is currently third in the MX2 standings |
More photos available at www.motocrossmx1.com/galleryinfo.aspx.
VETERANS
The second round of the FIM Veterans’ World Cup is due to happen this weekend at Valkenswaard with the series established in 2006 making its maiden visit to the Eurocircuit. Peter Iven leads after dominating a wet first round in Faenza.
Swedish Nilsson stands in second behind the defending World Cup Winner from Belgium as Blancquaert is third.
Former two time World Champion Puzar has to make up for a tough home weekend where he dropped down to fifth in the overall despite a brilliant second place in the opening heat.
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| The Veterans at Faenza’s uphill section |
More photos available at www.motocrossmx1.com/galleryinfo.aspx.
TIMETABLE
Saturday: Veteran Motocross World Cup Free Practice 9:00-9:30; MX2 Free Practice 10:00-10:40; MX1 Free Practice 10:50-11:30; Veteran Motocross World Cup Time Practice 12:00-12:30; MX2 Pre Qualifying Practice 13:30-14:10; MX1 Pre Qualifying Practice 14:30-15:10; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:00; MX1 Qualifying Race 17:00; Veteran Motocross World Cup Race 1 18:00.
Sunday: Veteran Motocross World Cup Warm Up 8:45-9:05; MX2 Warm Up 9:15-9:35; MX1 Warm Up 9:45-10:05; Veteran Motocross World Cup Race 2 11:15; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 12:10; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 13:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 15:03; MX1 Grand Prix Race 2 16:03.
LINKS
Youthstream
FIM
Grand Prix of Benelux
Freecaster.tv is the prime source of LIVE and On-Demand coverage for action sports on the Internet. Watch the 2009 FIM MX1/MX2/MX3 and Women’s World Championships, the 2009 SuperMoto World Championship and the 2009 FIM Snowcross World Championship races exclusively, LIVE and free on www.freecaster.tv.
Youthstream is the company that manages the exclusive television, marketing and promotional world wide rights of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the FIM Motocross of Nations, the FIM Women's Motocross World Championship, the FIM Veteran's Motocross World Cup, the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship, the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, the FIM SuperMoto of Nations, the FIM Snowcross World Championship, the UEM Motocross European Championship, the UEM Motocross of European Nations and the UEM SuperMoto European Championship.
4/23/2009 10:12am
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