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Barragan takes MX1 Swedish GP; Nagl bounces back to win
second moto
KTM riders continued their charge for glory and podium places in the MX1 GP in Uddevala, Sweden on Sunday with KTM rider Jonathan Barragan scoring a 1-2 result in the two motos in rugged and muddy conditions. "It was a very good weekend for me," said Barragan of the KTM-supported Team Silver Action. It's my second overall GP win of the season and I had a really good feeling in the track. I pushed very hard in the second heat and I was riding for a podium. Max rode very well today and I did not want to take any risks. From now on I want to be on the podium all the time." Great second moto for Max Nagl Red Bill KTM's factory rider Max Nagl also had a good day putting in a stunning renaissance performance to snatch victory in race two. "I didn't ride so well in the first heat, I was too slow and the track was very slippery. I had hard mousse in the rear tyre but we changed it to softer mousse for the second race and this was much better for me. " Nagl on the road to recovery Nagl, who was last week successfully diagnosed as having a virus has been gaining strength each day with treatment and looked untouchable in the second heat finishing 16 seconds ahead of Barragan. Riding at the front of the field for the entire race meant he escaped much of the mud and debris thrown up by the other riders on the circuit that was badly cut up after overnight rain that continued through Sunday. It was Nagl's maiden moto victory of the season on a course where he didn't ride last year because of injury. Nagl will train in the sand at Lommel in Belgium next week and plans to compete in the ADAC Masters in Austria next weekend. Everts satisfied and looking forward to second half of the season "Max had a good opening to the season and was on the podium in Valkenswaard in the first round but he has had some health problems and so has not been able to deliver what I hoped for. But he was good today and also good last weekend in Germany, even if he did have some bad luck with a DNF in one of the races. Now I would like him to put together two good results in the weekend and pick up some more podiums. Jonathan is also riding well and has two GP wins so far. I am quite optimistic that he will finish in the top five at the end of the season," KTM team boss and multi world champion Stefan Everts summarised. Race One 1. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM 2. Marc de Reuver, Netherlands, Honda 3. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki 4. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha 5. Clement Desalle, Belgium, Suzuki, 12 Max Nagl, Germany, KTM Race Two 1. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM 2. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM 3. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki 4. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha 5. Josh Coppins, New Zealand, Overall Results 1. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM 2. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki 3. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha 4. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM 5. Billy Mackenzie, Britain, Honda Championship Standings 1. David Philippaerts, Italy, 302 points 2. Steve Ramon, Belgium, 290 3. Josh Coppins, News Zealand, 286 4. Ken de Dyker, Belgium 266 5. Sebastien Pourcel, France, 241 6. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM, 239 7. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM, 213 Rattray second in Uddevala; retains MX2 Red Plate as championship leader Red Bull KTM factory rider Tyla Rattray scored a 1-3 finish in the two motos for overall second in a mud and rain-soaked MX2 GP in Uddevala, southern Sweden. The South African's days work gave him 45 points to retain his lead in the championship and the coveted red plate, despite a tenacious effort by his nemesis Antonio Cairoli of Italy whose 1-2 result gave him the top podium step on the day. Visibility problems With mud flying and the track badly cut up after overnight riders, including Rattray, struggled with visibility. "I didn't have a good start in the first heat but I was able to catch up and win easily. I had a good start in the second and I was second behind Shaun, but I had to hang back after I had to get rid of my goggles," Rattray said. "I lost two points to Antonio but we have some good tracks coming up so I am positive." Rattray now goes to the next race in his home country as the championship leaders and is guaranteed to have a huge public following in the next round. Next eek he plans to train on the sand at Lommel in Belgium before going to South Africa. He also plans to compete in the ADAC Masters in Austria next weekend. Good day for Shaun Simpson Shaun Simpson of KTM UK had a good day in difficult conditions for a 3-2- result for third place on the GP podium. "It was really tough and very slick today and it was a good weekend for me. I could see on Saturday that I was fast. Then I took the holeshot in the first race and I knew I would be good in the second," Simpson said. "It's good to be on the podium again but next time I need to get one step higher!" Simpson was also on the podium in third place in Bulgaria. Searle wants to work on aspects of his riding Red Bull KTM rider Tommy Searle had a brush with title holder Antonio Cairoli in race one and finished in sixth place. He was with the front runners in race two and was third for overall fourth on the day. "Today was not good for me," he said. "I had problems with my goggles and I couldn't see. Also I didn't like the track so much and it wasn't like it was last year. My riding was ok but I still have some things to work on. Tommy is third in the overall season's standings Goncalves rides with injured wrist The third of the Red Bull KTM trio, Rui Goncalves injured his wrist during training on Saturday and it was still very swollen on Sunday. He had it strapped and had anti inflammatory injections and pain killers ending the day with a 7-6 result for overall sixth. "Considering the problems I had with my arm it wasn't so bad to finish sixth and I am quite satisfied. I have to rest if for two days and then I will know if I can train on the sand this week," Rui said. Stefan Everts pleased with season so far "So far we have been good in MX2. We are in the lead and we have had the red number plate both with Tyla and Tommy . I want us to maintain this strong position in the second half of the season. We have seen some times that Cairoli is faster so if we are able to win, it will be great," Everts said. KTM was the supreme manufacturer at Uddevala in MX2, snatching five of the top six places in the overall MX2 results. Race one 1. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 2. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha 3. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM 4. Steven Frossard, France, Kawasaki 5. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha 6. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM 7. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM Race two 1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha 2. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM 3. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 4. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM 5. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM 6. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM Overall 1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha 2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 3. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM 4. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM 5. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM 6. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM Other KTM 7. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM 8. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM 15. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM Championship standings 1. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 371 points 2. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, 357 3. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM 348 4. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM 251 5. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, 227 Other KTM 9. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM, 170 12. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM, 146 14. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM 127 16. Joel Roelants, Belgium, 99 Tyla Rattray the Red Bull KTM hero of MX2 at Teutschenthal, Germany Red Bull KTM's South African rider Tyla Rattray came, saw and conquered the rough track at Teutschenthal, Germany on Sunday with a 2-1 result for overall victory. Rattray's second race left no-one in doubt that he is hot property and determined to go to his home GP in South Africa as the holder of the red number placte as the championship leader. Top racing Rattray came in second in the first race behind title holder and arch rival Antonio Carioli but was supreme in the second, amassing a lead of some 30 seconds in the closing stages, enough to coast home and enjoy the adoration of the crowd on the way back to the chequered flag. "I went out hard and I feel so good on the bike that I just feel I can hit the level I want at any time," he said. I had two good starts and I had some good lines. I put in some good laps and it would be great to take the red plate back to South Africa. I love to race and I love to win." Rattray must first compete in Sweden, a circuit he says he enjoys and then he heads south for the races in his own country. Two holeshots for Goncalves Team-mate Rui Goncalves also showed renewed confidence for two homeshots and a 6-4 result and overall fourth place. Goncalves shot out of the start gates in race two and led for the opening laps and only after riders had settled into the race was he overcome by Rattray and eventually had to settle for fourth place, still a confidence building result for the rider in his first year in the factory team. "I had two good starts and two holeshots. I was fast in the first laps of race two but then things got tight and Tyla passed me. Still it was a great weekend for me and I am very happy," Rui said after the race. Hard weekend for Searle It was not the day for the other Red Bull KTM factory rider, Tommy Searle of Britain. But he did managed to scrape the points together to finish overall fifth, despite a nasty crash with just five minutes to go in race two that threw him over the handlebars and knocked him from third to ninth position. Searle brushed it off as a "silly mistake" but said it had been a hard weekend. "I had a bad start in the first race but I was riding well. Then it was better in the second race until I had that crash. It was hard because the track was very rough and I was having some trouble with my shock absorber. Still I'm looking forward to the next race in Sweden. It's where I had my first win and I like the track there." For his day's work, Tommy did pick up 32 additional championship points and is still second in the standings behind Rattray. Goncalves is consolidating and is now fifth. Overall results 1. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 2. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha 3. Steven Frossard, France, Kawasaki 4. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM 5. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM Other KTM 6. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM 7. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM 11. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM 12. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM 19. Anthony Boisserie France, KTM Standings 1. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM, 326 points 2. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM, 315 3. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, 310 4. Shaun Simpson, Britain, 209 5. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM 198 10. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM 148 11. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM, 134 14. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM Max Nagl unlucky in Germany at home MX1 GP Red Bull KTM rider Max Nagl got off to a great start in the MX1 GP of Germany in Teutschenthal on Sunday but technical difficulties denied him the chance of a probable podium. The German factory rider took a confident holeshot in the first moto and was having no problems sticking with the front riders when technical difficulties foiled his chances of raking in points. He was back and in good form in the second moto and was again up with the front runners. "I was in front of Josh (Coppins) and it looked like I might make the podium but then I started to get tired and in the end finished fourth," Nagl said, The track, which had been softened with sand took a beating during the weekend due to the heavy program of races and by the time the second MX1 moto was run, at the end of the day, it was clear that riders were struggling on the badly cut up surface. Nagl is now concentrating on the next race in Sweden where he hopes to do well. "I have been there once before and although there have been some changes since then, I like the track," he said. Jonathan Barragan of the KTM-supported Team Silver Action had a luckless day and got caught up in one of a number of spills in the second moto and failed to finish, salvaging only seven points for his efforts in the first race. Overall classification 1. Joshua Coppins, New Zealand, Yamaha 2. Ken de Dyker, Belgium, Suzuki 3. Tanel Leok, Estonia, Kawasaki, 4. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha 5. Sebastien Pourcel, France, Kawasaki 11. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM 15 Kornel Nemeth, Hungary, KTM 18. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM 19. Marcus Schiffer, Germany, KTM Standings 1. David Philippaerts, 266 2. Josh Coppins, 262 3. Steve Ramon, 250 4. Ken de Dyker, Belgium, 240 5. Sebastien Pourcel, 231 6. Jonathan Barragan, KTM, 192 8. Max Nagl, KTM, 179 Laier wins again in Women's MX2 World Championship Round Four KTM-supported rider Steffi Laier was a real crowd pleaser in her home race in Teutschenthal, Germany, rocketing to a 3-1 result in the two races of Round Four of the women's MX2 World Championship. The first race was closely fought with just two second between first and third place, but she was outstanding in race two, finishing 18 seconds ahead of second placed Maria Franke, also of Germany. Third from four round victories It was Laier's third outright victory from four rounds and some compensation for having missed the opening round in Bulgaria. She is now second in the championship with one round to go and has closed the gap to leader Livia Lancelot to just 20 points. Bid for title Laier still has to stay ahead of countrywoman Franke, who is on equal points but with another fifty points up for grabs in the final round and having showed she is in peak form, she can definitely make a bid for the title. Overall 1. Steffi Laier, Germany, KTM, 3-1 2. Livia Lancelot, France, Kawasaki, 3. Maria Franke, Germany, Kawasaki, 4. Elin Mann, Sweden, KTM 5. Larissa Papenmeier, Germany, Suzuki Standings 1. Livia Lancelot, France, Kawasaki, 165 2. Steffi Laier, Germany, KTM, 145 3. Maria Franke, Germany, Kawasaki, 145 4. Larissa Papenmeier, Germany, Suzuki, 124 5. Kathryn Prumm, New Zealand, Yamaha, 122
Red Bull KTM factory rider Tommy Searle on Sunday wrapped up his first career 1-1 result for a clean sweep of the Grand Prix of France at St. Jean D'Angely and took possession of the coveted red number plate as championship leader. Searle rode two superb races for the top podium slot. After a glorious ride in the first race, he took an early lead in race two. Title holder Antonio Cairoli challenged Searle for the front position about ten minutes into the race but the Italian slid off the bike and Tommy took charge again. Elated Searle "I came to the track hoping for some points but I never thought I would end up with a 20-point lead. It's a great birthday present for me," the 19-year-old said. Tommy celebrated his birthday on Friday. "This is the first time I have had a double win. It gives me confidence and makes me mentally strong for Germany. It's a track I like," he added. Rattray makes two great recoveries Red Bull KTM's Tyla Rattray made two magnificent recoveries from the back of the pack in both races. He got tangled with arch rival Cairoli in race one and while the Italian was unable to complete the race, Rattray made a charge from the back of the field, eventually rescuing points to finish in sixth place. In race two he was equally competent recovering from an incident at the start to charge through the field to close the gap on Searle in the final stages, locking down second in both the race and the GP. "I am not that happy because I had set myself a goal of getting back the red number plate but I can be satisfied," he said. "I crashed with Toni (Cairoli) in the first race and although I managed to start again I was right at the back. Then I hit the gate a bit in the start of the second race and was only about fourth or fifth. But I managed to get close to Tommy. There's still a lot of races to go and I like the track in Germany. I can have a good ride there." Third place in the GP also went to KTM thanks to French rider Anthony Boissiere of the KTM-supported Team HDI France who was riding on his favourite circuit and enjoyed a lot of support from the French fans. Goncalves finishes thirteenth The third Red Bull KTM factory rider, Rui Goncalves of Portugal finished the day with sixteenth and eleventh position in the two races for overall thirteenth and expressed disappointment that until now he has not been able to convert his good training results into equally good ones on the track. "I have to get rid of the pressure I am putting on myself," he said. He is sixth in the championship standings. Everts satisfied Team boss Stefan Everts was also very pleased with his MX2 riders. "It was a good weekend for us. Both Tommy and Tyla got a lot of points. Our boys are concentrated and consistent. They are very strong and got great results by fighting hard. That's what we expect from our riders," he said. "Tyla was lucky that the bike was not damaged and he was not injured in the crash with Toni Cairoli. He's a very strong fighter and it was a great result for him. Now Tommy and Tyla can put pressure on Toni and they know they can beat him. This result is very important for our confidence for the coming races." The weekend shakes up the championship standings between the top three contenders with Searle and Rattray getting both the points and psychological edge on arch rival Cairoli and underlining that after seven rounds, the championship is still wide open. Results Race One 1. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM, 39:12.650 2. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM, 39:18.009 3. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM, 39:20.147 4. Xavier Boog, France, Suzuki, 39:22,272 5. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha, 39:25.602 Other KTM 6. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 39:37.637 10. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM, 39:58.250 16. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM, 40:11.477 17. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 40:14.727 19. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 40:36.311 Results Race Two 1. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM, 40:03.228 2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 40:03.863 3. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha, 40:17.462 4. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 40:54.544 5. Steven Frossard, France, Kawasaki 40.59.015 Other KTM 6. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM, 41:29.972 11. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM, 41:42.048 13. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM, 40:18.967 18. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 40:36.311 Overall GP Results 1. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM 2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 3. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM 4. Xavier Boog, France, Suzuki 5. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM Other KTM 9. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM 13. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM 16. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM 22. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM Championship Standings 1. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM, 283 points 2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM, 279 3. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha, 263 4. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha, 185 5. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 178 Other KTM 6. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM, 163 10. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM, 126 11. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM, 120 16. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM, 89 18. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 73 MX1 Podium place for Jonathan Barragan in France Jonathan Barragan of KTM-supported Team Silver Action scored a 3-6 result in the two MX1 motos to finish on the podium in third place at the Grand Prix of France at St. Jean D'Angely to be the best KTM rider. "The first heat was good even if I did have a crash at fourth place and dropped back to seventh. I managed to close the gap and finish third and that was the maximum I could do as I was quite tired from the crash. This is a difficult track and it's not my favourite, the Spanish rider said. "I had a bad start in the second race because there was a crash in front of me but I came from behind and I overtook 25 riders. The results were not the best but it was enough to get me on the podium and to pick up some more points." Nagl solid despite health problems Given the fact that he has some unresolved health problems, Red Bull KTM factory rider Max Nagl of Germany also had a good day picking up a total of 29 championship points for his seventh and eighth position in the two races for overall GP fifth. He will have medical tests in Germany this week but said he was "really exhausted" after 20 minutes on the track in each of the races. "I was still able to pick up some points and to move up two places in the championship standings," Nagl added. Everts confident "Considering his physical condition, Max rode well in the first heat and he also rode very well for the first 20 minutes of the second heat," team boss Stefan Everts said. "He has not been able to train as much so I am quite happy. He has a good feeling and he's going in the right direction. He will make a good comeback and will get the results." Barragan, who won the last GP in Britain, and Nagl in his first year as a factory rider with the Austrian manufacturer, are currently in sixth and seventh place in the championship standings. Results MX1 Race One 1. Sebastien Pourcel, France, Kawasaki, 40.09.573 2. Josh Coppins, New Zealand, Yamaha, 40:11.425 3. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM, 40:22.131 4. Tanel Leok, Estonia, Kawasaki, 40:34.260 5. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM, 40:39.740 Other KTM 8. Kornel Nemeth, Hungary, KTM, 40:51.0742 14. Julien Vanni, France, KTM, 41:33.349 16. James Noble, Britain, KTM, 41:35.696 Results MX1 Race Two 1. Sebastien Pourcel, France, Kawasaki, 40:04.650 2. Josh Coppins, New Zealand, Yamaha, 40:06.458 3. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki, 40:07.763 4. Marc de Reuver, Netherlands, Honda, 40:09.723 5. Steve Boniface, France, Yamaha, 40:30.334 Other KTM 6. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM, 40:36.724 8. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM, 40:43.703 9. James Noble, Britain, KTM, 40:46.458 Results GP Classification 1. Sebastien Pourcel, France, Kawasaki 2. Josh Coppins, New Zealand, Yamaha 3. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM 4. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki 5. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM Other KTM 14. James Noble, Britain, KTM 15. Kornel Nemeth, Hungary, KTM
Victory was safe in the hands of KTM rider Jonathan Barragan in the MX1 Grand Prix of Britain on Sunday after he was third and first in the two individual motos. The Spanish rider from the KTM supported Team Silver Action was in brilliant form on the man made track at Mallory Park, the first time the MX World Championships had competed on the varied and technically challenging circuit. Confident and comfortable Barragan, who kept his skills sharpened by winning an MX3 GP as a guest rider for the JM Racing team last weekend, looked confident and comfortable on the British circuit where sand had been mixed with the natural soil on the corners. "I had some problems with the shock in the first heat but we changed the settings for the second and it went much better for me. I am very happy to my have my first GP win for 2008 but I am a bit sorry that it has not come sooner than this," Barragan said. The Spanish rider said liked the jumps on the British circuit but there were a lot of bumps. "Riders here have to be really fit," he said. Action packed finish The track became deeply rutted and increasingly difficult to master as the day wore on and Barragan had an anxious moment in the final run in to the checkered flag in race two. He got caught up in the ruts and slipped off the bike but displayed a cool head and lightning reactions, was back on the bike in a flash without relinquishing any of his lead. Valiant fourth in race on for Nagl Red Bull KTM factory rider Max Nagl of Germany was not so lucky. After a valiant fourth place in the opening MX1 moto, Nagl came unstuck in the heat of the battle in the opening minutes of race two and a stone hit him on the nose. Dizzy and with the wound bleeding badly, he wasn't able to continue. Doctors suspected that he may have broken his nose and he will check on Monday with his own doctor in Belgium. Nagl was however quite positive about his riding in the first heat. "I liked the circuit here. It's a real English track with deep lines and I was up with the front runners all the way in the first race." James Noble of Team KTM UK was tenth in front of his home crowd. Results 1. Jonathan Barragan, KTM 2. Ken de Dyker, Belgium, Suzuki 3. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha 4. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki 5. Tanel Leok, Estonia, Kawasaki Other KTM 10. James Noble, Britain, (Team KTM UK) 17. Markus Schiffer, Germany (Sarholz) 19. Kornel Nemeth, Hungary (Sarholz) Championship Standings 1. David Philippaerts, Italy, 223 points 2. Steve Ramon, Belgium, 195 3. Ken de Dyker, Belgium, 175 4. Josh Coppins, New Zealand, 168 5. Bill Mackenzie, Britain, 159 Other KTM 7. Jonathan Barragan, Spain. 150 9. Max Nagl, Germany, 132 14. Kornel Nemeth, Hungary, 80 15. Markus Schiffer, Germany, 71 18. James Noble, Britain, 48 Rattray and Searle second and third at MX2 GP of Britain Red Bull KTM's Tyla Rattray snatched the first moto but got caught up in crashes in the second on a roughed up circuit at Mallory Park finishing overall second behind Italy's Antonio Cairoli in the GP of Britain. Factory teammate Tommy Searle was third and second in the two motos for overall third place in front of his home crowd while fellow Briton and KTM rider Shaun Simpson finished fourth. With Anthony Boissiere of the KTM supported HDI France team in sixth place, riders of the Austrian manufacturer took four of the first sixth places. The third Red Bull KTM rider, Rui Goncalves of Portugal had a luckless day and finished eleventh. Tyla charges through pack in second race Rattray made a huge effort to hunt down the leaders after dropping right back in the order in the early part of the second moto. He made an impressive charge from the back of the field, continually gaining ground on the front group. Although the gap between fourth and third was too great for him to breach, he did well to salvage his fourth place for 18 valuable championship points. The KTM factory rider from South Africa, while promising to come back strong in the next event, was clearly disappointed to have to relinquish the coveted red number plate as championship leader to rival Cairoli by a single point. Committed to regaining red plate "I plan to get the red plate back in the next GP," said a determined Rattray. "Today I got the holeshot in the first race and I managed to stay out in front all the way. It's hard to pass on this circuit and you have to be very concentrated to get good lines." Rattray did just that after being involved in two crashes in the first part of race two. Searle hoped for more at Mallory Park Tommy Searle was less than satisfied with his day in front of his home crowd, particularly when his chances of getting the lead in race one were spoilt by a close encounter with arch rival Cairoli. "My riding was ok but not brilliant today," he said. "I didn't have very good starts and I made a few mistakes. At the end of the second race there was just too much of a gap for me to be able to close it." Tommy now trails Cairoli by 10 points in what has developed into a three rider competition (Cairoli, Rattray and Searle) for the title. Bad day for Rui Goncalves Red Bull KTM's Rui Goncalves admitted his day had not been a good one. "I had problems with the lines in the first race and my riding as not good. I tried to relax more in the second but it just seemed to get worse. Then I had a crash and hit my knee and my head and blacked out for a moment." Goncalves will also get a medical check on Monday. First time at Mallory Park Circuit The man-made circuit at Mallory Park, some 50 km from the city of Birmingham, is constructed on the interior of an existing and well known road racing facility. It was the first time riders in the MX world championship have raced here on this technical and demanding circuit. The surface is medium soft and sand has been added to the corners. MX2 GP Results 1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha 2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM (Red Bull KTM) 3. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM (Red Bull KTM) 4. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM (KTM UK) 5. Stephen Sword, Britain, Kawasaki Other KTM 6. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM (Team HDI France) 11. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM (Red Bull KTM) 12. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM (GP Juniors Team Champ) 13. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM (Team Silver Action) 19. Julien Vanni, France, KTM (Team HDI France) Championship Standings 1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, 243 points 2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, 242 3. Tommy Searle, Britain, 233 4. Nicolas Aubin, France, 158 5. Shaun Simpson, Britain, 156 6. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, 148 Other KTM 10. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, 109 13. Anthony Boissiere, France, 91 12. Joel Roelants, Belgium, 68 17. Jeremy Tarroux, France, 59 30. Julien Vanni, France, 12
Jonathan Barragan, Spain's MX1 rider for the KTM-supported Team Silver Action stood in for the injured Alvaro Lozano of the JM Racing Team at the MX3 Grand Prix in Alhama de Murcia on Sunday and came away with victories in both motos. Barragan, riding Lozano's KTM machine, said after qualifying that he had a "good feeling" and hoped to finish in the top three. That was no problem for the experienced Spanish rider. Clearly at home in front of his own crowd, he romped home with impressive winning margins in both the first and the second heat of Round Six of the MX3 world championship. Battle with Campano Paying tribute to the efforts of JM racing Team and how they prepared Lozano's KTM machine for him to compete, Barragan said "We had a big battle with Campano and it was very exciting. I was fast in yesterday's qualifying but it took me a while to feel comfortable during the race." Carlos Campano was second to Barragan in both motos. Breugelmans rescues points in second moto On a day when the weather was changeable and some rain fell during the races, KTM factory rider Sven Breugelmans crashed during the first race and did not finish. The Belgian had crashed during Saturday's qualifying and bruised his wrist badly, managing only to qualify in 14th place. He put in a solid second moto to rescue third place behind Barragan and Campano and add another 20 points to his championship standings but it was not an easy weekend. Breugelmans starts with injured wrist "My wrist was hurting a lot and I needed to have it taped to start in Sunday's races. I made a good start in the first race and was right on Campano's tail who was in second position behind Barragan when I crashed in lap 11 and wasn't able to finish the race," said Breugelmans. He had a pain killing injection between the two heats and was up with Barragan and Campano at the front of the pack in race two. "Then the pain killer started to wear off and I had to let go of Campano and settle for 3rd." Leader Cristian Beggi was also not on the podium on Sunday but has extended his lead to 235 points. Breugelmans from Belgium is second with 219 points at the conclusion of the sixth round. Beggi and Breugelmans have already taken a substantial lead on the MX3 other riders. Teilet's winning streak on hold In the EUMX2 GP series, JM Racing's Valentin Teilet onboard his KTM had to put his winning streak on hold on a compact, one line circuit that did not suit his riding style. He crashed in both motos and registered only thirteenth overall at the Spanish circuit. Despite the luckless weekend he still leads the overall championship standings by 20 points over Loic Larrieu. MX3 Round Six Results 1. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM 2. Carlos Campano, Spain, Yamaha 3. Christophe Martin, France, Husqvarna 4. Cristian Beggi, Italy, Honda 5. Adrian Garrido Gago, Spain, Yamaha 10. Sven Breugelmans, Belgium, KTM Championship Standings 1. Cristian Beggi, Italy, Honda, 235 points 2. Sven Breugelmans, Belgium, KTM, 219 3. Christophe Martin, France, Husqvarna, 160 4. Patrick Caps, Belgium, 157 5. Thomas Allier, France, 148 Result GP EUMX2 1 Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, KTM 2 Loic Rombaut, France, Kawasaki 3 Nikolaj Larsen,Denmark, Suzuki 4 Loic Larrieu, France, Kawasaki 5 Kenny van Dueren, Belgium, KTM 13 Valentin Teillet, France KTM
Red Bull KTM factory rider Tyla Rattray of South Africa overcame flu to race to second podium place in the Grand Prix of Italy on the sandy Mantova circuit on Sunday while teammate Tommy Searle was third. Despite a formidable finish by title holder Antonio Cairoli of Italy in the second MX2 race of the day, Tyla was able to amass 42 championship points to keep ownership of the coveted red number plate as the championship leader. After five rounds, Rattray now has 199 points, a mere three point lead on his arch rival, while Tommy Searle, his Red Bull KTM factory teammate is close behind with 191 points. Searle finished third in Mantova. Tyla keeps leader's Red Number Plate "I'm very happy to still have the red number plate," Tyla said after the race. "Today I started to feel better after having had the flu this week and my results were quite ok. The track was very bumpy from the rain and we had to work on the bike's settings." Tyla was third in heat one and said that was because he was behind Cairoli when the Italian crashed and he lost time because of the incident. "I got a good start in the second heat but I took the first corner a bit too wide and I got overtaken." With rain falling and the track getting cut up, Rattray said he didn't want to push too hard in the second heat and take any unnecessary risks. He finished behind Cairoli but in front of teammate Searle in heat two, a result he said was "fine for me". Searle hampered with arm pain in heat one Tommy Searle was hampered with arm pain in the first heat and was quite satisfied with his fourth place. "I made some mistakes and just tried to stay on the bike," he said. "I did try to catch Tyla and Cairoli in the second heat but I wasn't able to manage it. Also the track was ruined after all the rain at the weekend." Tommy will now return to the UK for some concentrated training ahead of his home GP in two week's time. Shaun Simpson of KTM UK finished fifth, KTM rider Jeremy van Horebeek of Belgium and GP Juniors Team Champ, finished seventh, one place ahead of the third Red Bull KTM factory rider, Rui Goncalves of Portugal. Rui Goncalves satisfied with rhythm Rui Goncalves, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday at the track-side Red Bull Energy Station, said that even though he finished in overall eighth position he was happy with his riding and rhythm on the Mantova circuit. "I crashed twice in the second heat and I had to go into the pit lane and try to straighten my handlebars so I lost quite a lot of time," he said. "Overall I am quite satisfied. I am still working well with Stefan Everts (Red Bull KTM Team manager) and my mechanics." GP Results 1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha 2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 3. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM 4. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha 5. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM Other KTM 7. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM 8. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM 14. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM 17. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM Standings 1. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM, 199 points 2. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha, 196 3. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM, 191 4. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha, 146 5. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM 132 Other KTM 6. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 124 8. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM, 109 13. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM, 63 15. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 54 19. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM, 46
Red Bull KTM factory rider Max Nagl of Germany was on top form in the second race of the MX1 Grand Prix of Italy in Mantova on Sunday to be first past the checkered flag ahead of David Philippaerts and Marc de Reuver. On a day where rain attacked the track in the second half of the MX1 competition, Nagl put in one of his most impressive performances for the current season for overall fifth place on the day. It was a significant improvement on his twelfth ranking in the first race and the first time since joining the MX1 class that he had lead the rest of the field home. Double holeshot for Nagl in Mantova "I got the holeshot in the first heat but I was a bit late in the break so I got passed in the first corner. Then I was tucked in behind Ramon and I couldn't see the line and I crashed. Then I had to work my way back from the back of the pack and I couldn't manage better than twelfth," Nagl said. He again took the holeshot in the second heat and although he was passed by Josh Coppins in the early stage be managed to retake the lead, got out in front and stayed there. Clearly satisfied with his ride in the second heat, Nagl said that the track had got very rough and cut up due to the rain that fell, particularly at the start of the second MX2 race. KTM team boss Stefan Everts has declared 2008 a learning and experience season for Nagl, who is riding for the Red Bull KTM factory team for the first time in 2008. Overall GP Results 1. Marc de Reuver, Netherlands, Honda 2. Sebastien Pourcel, France, Kawasaki 3. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha 4. Ken de Dyker, Belgium, Suzuki 5. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM Other KTM 10. Marcus Schiffer, Germany, KTM 13. Kornel Nemeth, Hungary, KTM 16. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM Standings 1. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha, 187 points 2. Steve Ramon, Belgium, 159 3. Josh Coppins, New Zealand, Yamaha, 149 4. Ken de Dyker, Belgium, Suzuki, 135 5. Billy Mackenzie, Britain, Honda, 130 Other KTM 8. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM, 114 9. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM, 105 11. Kornel Nemeth, Hungary, KTM, 74 15. Marcus Schiffer, Germany, KTM, 59
KTM factory rider Sven Breugelmans of Belgium came home strongly in the two motos of the fourth round of the MX3 World Championship in Plomion in France to finish third and first and take the top podium spot for the day. Riding for the JM Racing Team, Sven was third in the first moto but lacked a little feeling and rhythm. But after consultations with team boss Jacky Martens in between the two heats he went out hard and fast in the second. He was second at the start behind teammate Alvaro Lozano and made one small mistake. But then Lozano lost the front wheel on a tight corner and crashed. He had to stop and free up his hand from the mud from the crash and Breugelmans was able to slip past for the victory in the heat and the GP of the day. The 45 championship points bumped up his total to 156 and he trails Beggi, the leader, by just five points. Teillet ahead in European Championship In what was a good day for KTM and the JM Racing Team, French rider Valentin Teillet was also successful in securing the top podium spot in the European championship. On the hard and stony circuit, he was second at the start of the first heat behind Frenchman Larrieu and the two riders fought a good battle that was won in the last three laps by Teillet. He then missed the start in race two but charged back up through the pack making up 12 seconds to secure second at the finish line. Teillet now leads the championship with 172 points, a clear 24 point lead in front of second placed Larrieu. Results MX3 Round Four 1. Sven Breugelmans, Belgium, KTM 2. Cyrille Coulon, France, Yamaha 3. Thomas Allier, France, Husqvarna 4. Cristian Beggi, Italy, Honda 5. Christophe Martin, France, Husqvarna 10. Alvaro Lozano, Spain, KTM Standings 1. Cristian Beggi, Italy, 161 2. Sven Breugelmans, KTM, Belgium 156 3. Jan Zaremba, Czech Republic, 140 4. Patrick Caps, Belgium, 117 5. Alvaro Lozano, KTM, Spain, 101 Agueda - GP of Portugal: What the MX2 riders say after Qualifying Reds Bull KTM riders Tyla Rattray, Tommy Searle and Rui Goncalves all put in good results in the qualifying races for Sunday's MX2 Grand Prix with Rattray winning race one and Searle second, Goncalves sixth in race two. Rider Quotes Tyla Rattray:"I am very pumped ahead of tomorrow's race. Today I had a big holeshot, I was out in front and put in some good lap times. This is a good track and it's one that I like. It was very hard at the beginning but after we had ridden on it for a while it was fine. Tomorrow it will be very hot and this will be one of the most difficult aspects. But I am used to such weather from South Africa and it wont worry me so much." Tommy Searle: "It was good for me today. I was always right behind Cairoli. I did make a couple of small mistakes and I wasn't able to overtake him but I have a good feeling for tomorrow. I like this track very much. Its hard and bumpy but that's no problem and for sure I will have a good day." Rui Goncalves: "I had a very bad start today and I did a wheelie right at the start. That was my mistake. Tomorrow it will be very hot but I am used to it. Tomorrow I hope to get a much better start and to have a good race in front of my home crowd." MX2 Qualifying Race One 1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha 2. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM 3. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha 4. Stephen Sword. Britain, Kawasaki 5. Manuel Monni. Italy, Yamaha 6. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM MX2 Qualifying Race Two 1. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 2. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM 3. Davide Guarneri, Italy, Yamaha 4. Xavier Boog, France, Suzuki 5. Paulin Gautier, France, Kawasaki 6. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM Max Nagl struggles with sun in Portugal Red Bull KTM MX1 factory rider Max Nagl put in a difficult day on the track in Aguela, Spain ahead of the Portuguese MX1 Grand Prix on Sunday, suffering from slight sunstroke from the hot Portuguese sun. What Nagl said ahead of the Portuguese MX1 GP "I didn't feel so well today, particularly between free practice and the time practice when I had to take a rest. I think I have been too much in the sun. I made some mistakes today. I don't really like this track so much. It"s hard to get a good grip and the surface is always changing." MX1 Time Practice 1. Sebastien Pourcel, France, Kawasaki 2. Billy MacKenzie, Britain, Honda 3. Tanel Leok, Estonia, Kawasaki 4. Steve Ramon Belgium, Suzuki 5. Marc de Reuver, Netherlands, Honda 6. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM 11. Marcus Schiffer, Germany, KTM 12. Kornel Nemeth, Hungary, KTM 14. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM
Red Bull KTM factory rider Tyla Rattray saved his day with a win in the first moto at Bellpuig Spain on Sunday to hold onto the red number plate as the championship leader on a day where the weather was the overall winner. Rain fell continually from 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning and the track was badly cut up to the extent that Rattray described it as more of a battle than a race. With the track still acceptable in the first race, Tyla won the holeshot and stayed out in front to finish with more than a minute lead over second place Antonio Cairoli the current title holder. By the second moto the track was badly cut up with most riders, including Rattray getting stuck in the ruts and the mud. KTM team boss Stefan Everts also said conditions, especially in the second race were unacceptable. "Tyla won the first heat with a big lead and he was in a good position in the second race but then he got stuck in the mud," he said. Tyla finished fifth in to final GP classification adding 29 points to his championship tally. Searle no fan of wet conditions Tommy Searle is no fan of the wet conditions. He did manage to take the holeshot in the second race but then had a crash and had to go into the pit lane to change goggles and gloves. "Saturday was ok but Sunday was difficult," he said. I just tried to finish the race and to pick up some points. It was no great race today but it's a long championship." Goncalves saves day with fourth place in race two Rui Goncalves, the third Red bull KTM rider was also without luck on a day where few riders escaped incidents. "The race was a mess," he said. "The first heat was quite good in the beginning but then I got stuck in a rut and stalled the bike. I didn't have a very good start in the second race but I just wanted to survive and manage to finish. My fourth place in race two saved my day. Rui rides before his home crowd in Portugal in the next GP next weekend and all three Red Bull KTM riders plan to now go to straight to Portugal and get some practice for the event. Grand Prix Classification 1. Davide Guarneri, Italy, Yamaha 2. Manuel Monni Italy, Yamaha 3. Stephen Sword, Britain, Kawasaki 4. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha 5. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 6. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM 13. Rui Goncalves, Portugal KTM World Championship standings 1. Tyla Rattray, KTM, 79 points 2. Antonio Cairoli, 76 3. Davide Guarneri, 61 4. Tommy Searle, 60 5. Rui Goncalves, 51 Nagl survives mud and rough conditions in Bellpuig MX1 GP Max Nagl of the Red Bull KTM MX1 factory team tackled mud, ruts and pouring rain at the Grand Prix in Spain to salvage two championship points on a day where the conditions were so bad the second race was scrapped. "Today was not really rideable," the German rider said. Max, who was up with the front runners in Saturday's time practice on the hard packed and still dry Spanish circuit was in the top three at the start of the first race. Then he got into a tangle with David Philippaerts in the first corner and was not able to make up the gap. Like most of the riders he had difficulty with the bad ruts on the track and lost more time going back to pit lane to change goggles and gloves. Terrible conditions "The conditions were terrible for everyone," said KTM team boss Stefan Everts. Max lost time in the crash on the first corner. He struggled from then on and he lost some more time because he had to change his goggles. If the conditions had been better he could have been in the top five." Grand Prix Results 1. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki 2. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha 3. Ken de Dyker, Belgium, Suzuki 4. Joshua Coppins, New Zealand, Yamaha 5. Tanel Leok, Estonia, Kawasaki 19. Max Nagl Germany, KTM Standings 1. Ken de Dyker, 70 2. Steve Ramon, 63 3. David Philippaerts, 55 6. Max Nagl, KTM 40 Rattray and Goncalves on podium at Emmen In another signal about the strength of the KTM MX2 Factory Team, Tyla Rattray and Rui Goncalves occupied first and second place on the podium at the pre-season International Motocross event at Emmen, The Netherlands on Sunday. Rattray was in a form that drew praise from team boss Stefan Everts who said he was "in a class on his own" while Goncalves underlined that his training on good starts was beginning to pay off. He took the holeshot in both races. But in the heat of the battle Rattray did have a minor crash in the first race. In pursuit of teammate Rui in the early stages of the race he took a different line then slipped off the foot peg and came unstuck on one of the tabletops. The South African made up for the error by winning the second race to finish overall second for the day. He now plans to prepare for the start of the world championship season proper with some light training, some testing and physical training. Goncalves, who is in his first year as a factory rider with the Red Bull KTM team started well in the first race but got tangled in the pack of lapped riders and had to settle for second place. He again took the holeshot in the second race but was overtaken by Rattray. He then crashed after choosing the wrong line and finished in third place. "Rui is doing well and he has his confidence back," Everts said later. "We still have a few things to work on but we are going in the right direction." Results International Motocross Emmen 1. Erik Eggins, 47 points 2. Tyla Rattray, KTM 43 3. Rui Goncalves, KTM 42 4. Xavier Boog, 34 5. Rinus v.d. Ven, 27 Max Nagl second at International Motocross Emmen Max Nagl, new this season to the Red Bull KTM MX1 Factory Team put in a sold performance at the International Motocross Event in Emmen, The Netherlands on Sunday to finish in second place. Nagl won the first moto and was second in the second race. "He took the holeshot and had a lead of some seven seconds, but ran up against the lapped riders and lost his rhythm," said KTM team boss Stefan Everts. Multi-world champion Everts said the German rider was learning a lot in his first year and like team newcomer in the Red Bull KTM MX2 team, Rui Goncalves, he now needed to keep up the pressure and gather mental strength. MX1 Results 1. Marc de Reuver, Honda 2. Max Nagl, KTM 3. Aigar Leok, Estonia, Yamaha 4. Bas Verhoeven, Kawasaki
As part of the new look British MMX Championship a new class will be created for 2008. In place of the long standing and very popular fourstroke series will be a new Open class. The British Open Motocross Championship will cater for all machines from 125cc up to 650cc either two or fourstroke. This decision has led to a number of other changes taking place, mainly the fact that the sidecar fraternity have made the move to run the majority of the British Sidecarcross Championship outside of the MMX series, with the exception of one round at Frome on Easter Monday. Under the new system the Sidecar Motocross Association is positive about the classes' future and expects to be able to increase the number of championship rounds considerably. With the sidecar class now not part of the MMX Series registrations for the Open and Under 21 classes will be increased to a maximum of 60. 40 riders will qualify for the main race from timed qualification with the remainder going into a support race. This bold move will hopefully allow the championship to cater for the large number of competitors that are always looking for a registration at the start of the year as well as making the event more financially attractive to organisers. Each organiser will also have the option to fill up the support race with local riders, space permitting. The British Quadcross Championship will remain as part of the MMX series and will run at most of the events unless there is a date clash with the new European Championships which have increased to nine rounds for 2008. To make up the number of rounds, the quads will have a number of stand alone events including one that will run with the inaugural British Youth Quad Championship. On the dates when the Quad class is not available it is the intention to include rounds of the British Ladies Motocross Championship that got off to a flying start at Pontrilas his year, it expected that the series will be contested over a minimum of two rounds and will continue as an MX2 class. The provisional dates for the ACU British MMX Championships are as follows:- These dates and classes may be subject to change . The solo classes will run over 7 rounds with a final decision yet to be made on the March and August dates 2008 MMX Dates
Whilst the 2007 season will be remembered for a long time to come as one of the best fought championships of the modern era, planning for next year's campaign has already begun. The sound of championship winning champagne corks may still be ringing in our ears, however ACU Events Ltd, the new promoters of the Maxxis ACU British Championship are already working on delivering an even better series in 2008. With this in mind, they are delighted to announce provisional dates for the eight rounds that will once again take the championship the length and breadth of the British Isles. Widely recognised as the premier domestic off road series in Europe, the 2008 champions will once again be worthy winners having had to fight a six month long battle. As in previous years, the championship avoids clashes with all Grand Prix, to ensure the availability of the World's best riders and teams. A number of clubs / promoters have been short listed to run the eight events, reinforcing the continued and increased prestige associated with the championship. Once final agreements have been reached with the successful applicants, details of venues will be updated on the official series website www.mxgb.co.uk - These will be added on a round by round basis, so please visit www.mxgb.co.uk regularly to be informed of all the latest championship news, as and when it is released. 2008 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship - Provisional Dates Round 1 - Sunday 9th March Round 2 - Sunday 23rd March Round 3 - Sunday 13th April Round 4 - Sunday 4th May Round 5 - Sunday 22nd June Round 6 - Sunday 27th July Round 7 - Sunday 17th August Round 8 - Sunday 21st September Much more KTM Orange in MX Paddock for World Championship 2008 KTM, the company that is always "Ready to Race" plans a massive increase in their characteristic orange racing activity for the 2008 MX World Championship season. As well as a full fledged factory team, the Austrian manufacturer will fully support five other teams in the MX1 and MX 2 class and one active in MX3 and at MX2 European Championship level. First and foremost, the Red Bull KTM Factory Team for 2008 will be made up of Germany's Max Nagl in the MX1 class, while MX2 stalwarts, Vice World Champion Tommy Searle and South Africa's Tyla Rattray will be joined by Portuguese talent Rui Goncalves. Rattray, who was denied a shot at the title due to a knee injury in the latter part of the season, will be back in full force for 2008 and the team will be further strengthened by Goncalves who put in a string of impressive finishes in the final races of 2007. The KTM Red Bull Factory Team continues in 2008 to be under the expert guidance of 10-times world champion and Motocross legend Stefan Everts. With the new strategy of supporting five other teams in addition to their own talented factory team, KTM signals a huge commitment to world championship standard MX racing. The move also reinforces the company policy of increasing opportunities for talented young riders to be able to compete at the highest level of competition, according to Pit Beirer, KTM Offroad Racing Director. "This is an entirely new structure for our MX activities and signals a massive increase in our commitment to the sports of Motocross and our intention to open as many opportunities as possible to promote young talent," Beirer said. The move features a "bottom up" development program that is both forward looking and in keeping with the philosophy of the company, he added. "Effective immediately KTM will not only be putting all of its energy and resources into its own factory team, but will also be fully supporting five teams in the MX1 and MX2 paddocks, as well as the same level of support for a team engaged in MX3 and MX2 at European championship level," he said. "This is a win-win situation. Young riders will have the benefit of support as they strive to achieve their ambitions at the top of the world championship and KTM will benefit from having much more presence in the paddock and of course from energetic new and very values partnerships with the supported teams." For the selection of the teams, Beirer has worked in close cooperation with KTM's motor sports representatives in individual European countries. Jonathan Barragan, the outstanding Spanish MX1 rider from the 2007 KTM Red Bull MX1 Factory Team retains his full status and all th e benefit and support of being a full factory rider but now joins the Italian-based Team Silver Action. Barragan will not only add valuable experience to the team; but he will also be able to play a mentor role for the other two riders: Angelo Pellegrini and Jeremy Tarroux, both competing in MX2. Germany's Team Sarholz Racing also benefits from the talent of Marcus Schiffer who finished ninth overall in the 2007 MX2 season. Schiffer, who also has factory rider status, moves up to MX1 and is joined in that category by the second rider for Team Sarholz, Kornel Nemeth. Team KTM UK is a brand new entry into the world championship and an example of KTM's desire to create new opportunities for talented young riders. James Noble will ride in MX1 and Shaun Simpson and Martin Barr will contest the MX2 class. Team HDI France will field two riders for the 2008 season both in MX2. They are Anthony Boissiere and Julien Vanni. Meanwhile the GP Juniors Tea m Champ is a real signal of KTM's intention to keep close tabs in the next generation with juniors Jeremy van Horebeek and Joel Roelants both testing themselves against the world's best in the MX2 category. Meanwhile the established Belgian team of JM Racing is fully KTM supported for the 2008 season with two talented and experienced MX3 riders. Sven Breugelmans goes into the season as Vice World champion in MX3 while Spanish rider Alvaro Lozano was fifth in the season's standings. Valentin Teillet will ride for Team JM Racing in the European Championship MX2 with a second rider, yet to be named. This massive commitment by KTM to the sport of Motocross is a signal of the company's ongoing commitment to top-level motor sports, its dedication to producing "Ready to Race" sports machines of the highest calibre and in the development of riding talent far beyond its own national borders.
MacKenzie and Brown are crowned 2007 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Champions Europe's premier off road series saw a dramatic close to its 2007 campaign with an action packed final round at Howton Court, Pontrilas. After yet another top level day of racing Scotland's Billy MacKenzie - De Groot Kawasaki and American rider Mike Brown - CAS Honda emerged as worthy champions of the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively. Both riders arrived at the hillside circuit on the English / Welsh border with a slim advantage over their nearest rivals, and two potentially championship wrecking motos ahead of them. Whilst Brown slightly increased his lead over Tommy Searle - KTM UK with a better first race result than his younger challenger, the experienced American had to wait to the final to clinch a well deserved British domestic title. MacKenzie on the other hand saw De Dycker close within six points of him after he followed the 2006 champion home in the first moto, before the Scot responded brilliantly with a solid showing in the second and decisive race to claim the crown in this his first season in the MX1 category. With the eventual champions pre occupied with their main task, guest rider Tanel Leok - De Groot Kawasaki and Jason Dougan - Forkrent Suzuki seized the opportunity to take the overall honours on the day. Leok played his part in the MX1 show down, as he battled hard with De Dycker in the first race and prevented the Belgian from taking a maximum points haul that would have put further pressure on MacKenzie. With the championship safe, Leok passed his Scottish team-mate in the second MX1 encounter to produce an impressive 1-1 performance. It was a similar story in the M2 class, with Dougan taking full advantage of his rivals nerves with a great opening race win, and a mature runners up spot in the second moto to claim the top step of the podium on the day. Although Brown failed to show in the MX1 battle, despite his entry in the class in what looked liked a veiled attempt to help De Dycker, there was still plenty of action behind the leading trio. Just one point separated Brad Anderson - Pioneer Yamaha and James Noble - Multitek Honda prior to Pontrilas and when Noble edged out Anderson in the first moto, it meant third place in the series would go down to the wire. The final fight between Brad and James was not pretty, but gave the large crowd plenty to cheer about, with Noble taking the number three plate come the finish. Graeme Irwin - KTM became the first winner of the MXY2 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship, which was introduced to the series for the first time this year. Irwin produced a better last round showing to steal the title away from Lewis King - Team Green Kawasaki who led by two points going into the final day. With the 2007 championship being declared a massive success from all quarters, preparations to deliver an even better series in 2008 are already underway. Full championship information can be found at www.mxgb.co.uk MX1 Moto One: 1: Leok 2: De Dycker 3: MacKenzie 4: Noble 5: Anderson MX1 Moto Two: 1: Leok 2: MacKenzie 3: Noble 4: De Dycker 5: Anderson MX1 Overall: 1: Leok 60 2: MacKenzie 52 3: De Dycker 50 Championship - Final standings: 1: Mackenzie 394 2: De Dycker 384 3: Noble 339 MX2 Moto One: 1: Dougan 2: Brown 3: Searle 4: Hamblin 5: Simpson MX2 Moto Two: 1: Searle 2: Dougan 3: Swanepoel 4: Hamblin 5: Brown MX2 Overall: 1: Dougan 57 2: Searle 55 3: Brown 48 Championship - Final standings: 1: Brown 376 2: Searle 371 3: Swanepoel 343
If a team could have a final round dream ending this would have been it – not only did Jason Dougan take his 250F Suzuki to his first overall victory of the season but Natalie Kane also walked away with the British Women’s crown as well – all in all a superb weekend for Fork-Rent Suzuki. Jason has been knocking on the door for a victory for most of the season but it took the final round at Pontrilas to cement his place as one the UK’s finest talents. After taking pole in timed qualifying Jason knew he had to take his chance today and he did just that with a barn storming first moto win. Moto one was actually red flagged due to one of the gates failing to drop, so all the riders had to re-gather their thoughts and start again. Jason didn’t have the best of starts but was ripping it up in know time at all and found himself chasing down and passing British champion Mike Brown to cross the line in first place. In race two it was slightly different but just as compelling, after battling with Tommy Searle for a good percentage of the race, Jason just couldn’t find a way past one of the hottest prospects on the planet, but second place was good enough to seal the overall victory. Jason Dougan “After taking the overall I feel pretty good, it’s brilliant to end the season on such a high, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I’m now taking break to the USA to cheer on the British team at the MXDN and then when I’m back I’m straight into hard winter training.” Natalie Kane also walked away with the British Women’s championship on Sunday with three emphatic wins. Young Natalie showed why she is a future star in the making with this dominant display of riding. After her two second place finishes at the recent Lierop Women’s World championship this truly shows that Fork-Rent Suzuki has yet another star on their hands. Team Manager - Mark Chamberlain “The whole year has been good with positive steps forward at crucial times, Jake’s injury was a set back and real bad luck at that time of the season as he was just beginning to show good form. It has been a solid year for the team, Jason is finding the form now that show’s he’s world class and hopefully this follows on right the way through 2008. I would like to thank all the team sponsors who have supported the team through 2007, the fans and supporters who have wished us well at every event, Jason and Jake for all their hard work and effort and all the team associated with Fork-Rent Suzuki – MANY THANKS Podium for Searle; second overall in MX 2 Championships Talented British teenager tackled the unfamiliar sandy course in Lierop, Netherlands to come home third in the season's final Grand Prix to finish second overall in the 2007 MX2 World Championship. The performance of the teenager lifted the spirits of the KTM Red Bull Racing Team and rounded off the MX2 season satisfactorily. Although unaccustomed to riding on sand, Searle took the holeshot in the first race but was unable to sustain his rhythm and finished fourth. He was up with the top three for most of the second race but lost time in a light crash and was eventually seventh across the line. His combined score was still enough for him to take another podium at the close of the season. Tommy said he planned to train hard on sand in preparation for next season because he wanted to be consistently good on all surfaces. Certainly an emerging talent in the 2007 season, he should be able to challenge the dominance of the top MX2 riders in the coming season, according to team boss Stefan Everts. "Tommy has matured this season. He won a Grand Prix and that was good for his confidence. Next year we expect him to be able to challenge (Antonio) Cairoli and to win a lot more GPs." The 18-year old was left to carry the flag for the Austrian manufacturer after teammate Tyla Rattray had to forego the final races f the season in lieu of reconstructive knee surgery. Tyla is well on the road to recovery and will return to be a major player for the KTM Red Bull Racing Team in the quest for the MX2 title next season. Despite missing the final four GPs, the South African rider still accrued enough points to finish fourth overall for 2007. Between them, Rattray and Searle stood on the podium 26 times in the season, a result that was also praised by KTM Offroad Director Pit Beirer. "Today is the end of a new era for the team and we have created a very solid basis to go on to bigger success in 2008. Having such an experienced person like Stefan Everts in charge of the team was very special. He was highly professional and a very good leader," Beirer said. "The success we have enjoyed is the result of the consolidated work of the entire team and I want to thank them for that." Results 1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha 2. Gareth Swanepoel, South Africa, Kawasaki 3. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM 4. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM 5. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha 2008 Season's Standings 1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha, 660 points 2. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM, 510 3. Christophe Pourcel, France, 436 4. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM, 371 5. Gareth Swanepoel, South Africa, Kawasaki, 364 Philippaerts and Barragan go out on a low note at MX1 season's close The MX World Championships season drew to a close on Sunday at the traditional sandy track of Lierop in the Netherlands with both KTM Red Bull MX1 riders being absent from the podium after coming unstuck on the track. For Spain's Jonathan Barragan and Italian David Philippaerts it was a disappointing end to the season where together they had added another 13 podiums to the team's tally of successes. Philippaerts, after a crash, only managed to finish eighth in the first heat and then failed to get away well in the second. Another crash in the first lap of race two forced his retirement with a twisted knee, thus ending his 2007. Adding just 13 points on Sunday to his championship title, David rounded off the season with 419 championship points in sixth place on the standings table. Barragan was also unlucky on the final day of racing. He was not well following a crash in training on Saturday and withdrew from Sunday's first race to check in at the medical facility. He was taken to hospital for x-rays and diagnosed with a strong concussion. He now returns home to Madrid where he will have another medical checkup and a scan on Monday. KTM's factory rider Max Nagl of Germany made a return to racing in Lierop and finished a creditable ninth overall on Sunday. Nagl has missed the last seven GPs because of a shoulder injury but is expected to play a dominant role in the team's MX1 success in the 2008 season. "We had hoped to fight for top three places in both MX1 and MX2 this season," said KTM's Offroad Director Pit Beirer. "But we have had some bad luck in recent weeks." Beirer also praised the efforts of the MX2 duo Tommy Searle and Tyla Rattray for their second and fourth places in their season's standings and said overall the two teams, now under the guidance of Stefan Everts, had created a solid basis for success in 2008. Results 1. Kevin Strijbos, Belgium, Suzuki 2. Marc de Reuver, Netherlands, Yamaha 3. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki 4. Ken de Dyker, Belgium, Honda 5. Billy Mackenzie, Britain, Kawasaki 7. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM 14. David Philippaerts, Italy, KTM 31. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM Magic MX2 winning weekend for Tommy Searle in Donington Tommy Searle, the 18-year-old Briton for the KTM Red Bull MX2 Racing Team made his dream come true on Sunday just a few kilometers from his home town when he clinched his maiden GP victory at Donington Park. On a day when clear blue skies heralded a fine day for competition at the famous British racing circuit, Searle, who was second in the first moto, made sure of victory in the second for overall top podium place. He went through the checkered flag almost eight seconds ahead of second placed Jeremy Tarroux and clocked his fastest lap in lap 15 of the 18-lap race. The victory vaults Tommy into second place in the season's standings behind Antonio Cairoli who already took the title last weekend in Moneyglass, Northern Ireland. With just one Grand Prix to go in the Netherlands and several of Searle's toughest rivals, including his teammate Tyla Rattray, out with injuries, he now looks certain to finish in second place at the close of the season. "It was a perfect day for me. I was not so worried after coming second in the first moto because I put all my efforts into the second heat. "I was struggling today with the lines but I tried to do my best," Searle said. "It was great to win here in Donington in front of my family and friends and it gave me an opportunity to give something back to my fans and all the people who have supported me." Team boss Stefan Everts was also delighted with the win of his youngest charge. "I am very happy for Tommy," he said. "I know the feeling of winning before your home crowd. This has been a very important win today and it will give Tommy a lot of confidence, but it is also good for the whole team who all worked hard to make it possible." KTM supported rider Jeremy Tarroux was second on the day, adding some more pleasure to the team of the Austrian manufacturer. It was the first career podium for the French rider who was third in the first moto and second in the second heat. "I tried to stick with Tommy in the second heat and at one point I even thought I might be able to pass him, but them he pulled away from me," Tarroux said, also thanking his team and KTM for their support. In what was the best day of his career so far, Searle was also named as the MX2 rider for the British team to compete in the Motocross of Nations. It was the first time MX Grand Prix races had been held at Donington Park, at the very heartland of British motor sports. When asked what he planned for Donington next year, Tommy replied: "I want to win both motos - and the championship!" Results 1. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM 2. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM 3. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha 4. Matteo Bonini, Italy, Yamaha 5. Dennis Verbriggen, Belgium, Yamaha FIM MOTOCROSS MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE MXV 4.5 ON THE TRACK AT DONINGTON PARK Donington Park, the temple of the FIM MotoGp World Championships, hosted the penultimate race of the season on a provisionary circuit carved out along the inside of the track. It was a fast and very technical course with double and triple jumps where Chicco Chiodi earned points in Race 2 thanks to his 18th place finish (after finishing 22nd in Race 1). Cedric Melotte closed out in 25th and 26th in the respective heats. The growth and development of the official MXV 4.5s continues after they again confirmed themselves to be extremely trustworthy. The penultimate showcase of the FIM Motocross MX1 World Championships, the Great Britain Gp, was held in Donington Park on this the last weekend of August. The temple of the FIM MotoGp Championships hosted another international engagement (this time for the inlayed wheels) on the provisionary circuit that was carved out along the ups and downs of the British speedway. A fast and spectacular track with many double and triple jumps where Chicco Chiodi (Aprilia MXV 4.5) and teammate Cedric Melotte (Aprilia MXV 4.5) qualified respectively with 25th and 30th-place finishes. In Race 1, Chiodi jumped into 22nd place while Melotte crossed the finish line in 25th. Race 2 went better for the 3-time world champion from Brescia who took off brilliantly in 11th place. He fought hard with the best of the group and once again brought his Aprilia twin into the point zone with an 18th-place finish. The Belgian didn't give up and closed out the race in 26th place, gathering important data for the development of the motorcycle that once again demonstrated itself to be extremely trustworthy. The last round of the FIM Motocross MX1 World Championships will take place on September 2nd on the sands of Lierop, at the Holland Grand Prix. Donington Park, Great Britain Gp - 14th trial of the Motocross MX1 World Championships Race 1: 1. Kevin Strijbos (Bel/Suz); 2. Antonio Cairoli (Ita/Yamaha); 3. Ken de Dycker (Bel/Honda); 22. Chicco Chiodi (Ita/Aprilia MXV 4.5); 25. Cedric Melotte (Bel/Aprilia MXV 4.5). Race 2: 1. Antonio Cairoli (Ita/Yamaha); 2. Kevin Strijbos (Bel/Suz); 3. Ken de Dycker (Bel/Honda); 18. Chicco Chiodi (Ita/Aprilia MXV 4.5); 26. Cedric Melotte (Bel/Aprilia MXV 4.5). MX1 Championships: 1. Ramon (Bel/Suzuki) 466 points; 2. Coppins (Nzl/Yamaha) 452 punti; 3. Strijbos (Bel/Suz) 428; 27. Chicco Chiodi (Ita/Aprilia MXV 4.5) 35; 35. Cedric Melotte (Bel/Aprilia MXV 4.5) 14. Unlucky day for Philippaerts and Barragan at Donington Park While the KTM Red Bull Racing Team was able to celebrate in MX2 at Donington, good fortune was not riding with the team's two factory riders David Philippaerts and Jonathan Barragan on Sunday. Barragan finished eighth in the final standings after struggling to find his rhythm in the day's two races. He also had problems with an injury from last weekend's racing, where he lacerated his hand. The healing process was given a jolt when he crashed on it at Donington Park on Sunday. "My hand was quite bad today and for some reason I just didn't have a good day. I felt tired and I was just not able to play with my bike the way I would have liked to," the Spanish rider said. In the first heat Barragan did not get away well. He did have a good start in the second, but crashed in the third lap and was not able to close the gap. He finished the day with 23 championship points for his eighth place finish. Luck was also not with his Italian teammate Philippaerts who finished down the order in the first heat due to some technical difficulties. He put in a valiant attempt in the second heat to keep up with the top riders, again without success. He had not been able to find the right setup for the bike and had to be content with seventh for an overall thirteenth on the day. Looking forward to the final race of the season next weekend in Lierop, (Netherlands) both Barragan and Philippaerts said it was a difficult circuit, but one they both liked to ride. Barragan said he likes the sandy track and Philippaerts said he wanted to round off the season with KTM with a good result, adding "I am good on sand!" Results 1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha 2. Kevin Strijbos, Belgium, Suzuki 3. Kevin de Dyker, Belgium, Honda 4. Steve Ramon, Belgium, Suzuki 5. Mike Brown, USA, Honda 8. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM 13. David Philippaerts, Italy, KTM
The action was fast and furious like it has been all year and Blaxhall Pits didn’t disappoint. The circuit was once again superbly prepped by the Woodbridge club and with a few light showers throughout the day the track was perfect for the eighth round of championship. It was good to see a few new faces register for the event including local rider Aston Bird and schoolboy ace Lewis Tombs both looking to test their speed against the established series racers. Three groups of 125 class riders were first away in the qualifying sessions. It was TM rider Jonathan Pettitt who showed all the young guns the way home in qualifying with a blistering lap of 1.51.05, Steve Bixby was another who really wanted to impress in front of his home crowd and set the second fastest time in 1.51.77 with series leader Dave Willet in third ripping home just outside the 1.52 second barrier. After chaos in the first turn of moto one a number of riders found themselves way back in the pack and playing catch-up. This left the door wide open for Steve Bixby to record a run away win ahead of hard charging Matt Ridegway and youngster Jack Brunel. All the action was happening behind with Dave Willet and Stuart Edmonds both charging through the pack to finally finish within the top six – breathtaking stuff. Race one set the precedent for the day but Bixby again was leading at the front in moto two but made a crucial error and slid out in the corner which left the door open for Willet to jump into the lead. Brunel tried to catch him but had to settle for second followed very closely by Pettitt. With everything still to play for the overall result Pettitt dug deep into his reserves and swept to brilliant last race win which secured him the overall lead. Willet managed to keep hold of his championship position with second and teenage 125 ace Jack Brunel was third. Steve Bixby was unlucky not to finish higher than fourth on the day as he was like lightening on various sections of the Blaxhall circuit, Stuart Edmonds didn’t quite seem himself but still grabbed fifth and Matt Ridgway who had his best race of the season in moto one finished in sixth. In the junior 125 class newbie Lewis Tombs showed fine form with two wins from three to take the overall from Adam Reynolds in second and Paul Shires in third. The top 125 juniors who all qualified for the main expert races were Sean “chunk” Stevens, John Butler, Steve Birkenshaw, Justin Penty, Warren Field, Sam Holloway, Aaron Wakefield, Josh Scott, Sam Abron, Daniel Ward, Anthony Mcgladdery and George Winn, so a special shout out to those guys who pushed the experts all the way. In the Junior B 125 class Glen Bixby produced a brilliant ride to score a much deserved maximum. The remaining riders in the class who battled it out amongst themselves were Jared Pickford who raced to two second places, Bradley Howlett, Antony Healy, Luke Dowsing and Ady Peedle who all had top three finishes throughout the day. The racing was tight in class C of the 125’s, Chris Glover took two wins from Ashley Crossley who raced to a moto two victory. Tom Preston and Steve Gesner both shared third place finishes. With the 125 class setting the standard the 250 boys set out on their timed qualification sessions. Ryan Voase set a superb time with a 1.50.54 lap and gained the first start gate position, Stuart Flockhart wasn’t to far behind with a 1.51.15 and Dave Willet was even closer, just 100th of second behind Disco with 1.51.16 for third. With the 2007 MXDN only weeks away, team manager Mark Eastwood showed what racing is all about by sweeping to a fine maximum victory. But Mark didn’t have it all his own way as LPE Kawasaki rider Ryan Voase pushed hard in the first half of each moto to keep Easty chasing and gnawing and his rear fender. Like the majority of races this year by halfway in each race Mark just swept passed and went onto win. Ryan Voase did take a deserved second overall on the day but in moto one seemed to lose concentration which let the chasing Flockhart by and cross the line in second. But the following two races Ryan kept his composure and recorded two fine runners up positions. After setting a great qualifying time Stuart Flockhart looked comfortable on the sandy circuit and kept ahead of Dave Willet for third. Lewis Rose was another rider who looked at home at Blaxhall and this showed by finishing fifth on the day. Andre David one of the most consistent riders in the championship so far this season found himself in sixth overall. Just like in the 125 class we had a number of juniors who qualified for the expert races. Ricky Lethaby produced the goods this time around and went onto secure a fine victory over high flying Eddy Carr from Bristol, in fact we had three different race winners – Ashley Harland took moto one, Aran Agius moto two and Lethaby moto three which secured his overall for the day. With the final rounds finishing off the championship in September the final 250 junior standings are still to be settled and anyone from Lethaby, Carr and Alex Smith could become champion – this will be one mouth watering weekend of two-stroke racing. It was great to see some real close racing in the junior B class, Martin Whymark set hearts a pounding with a fine moto one win from Pieres Woddington and Oliver Tibbeham. In moto two you saw Warren Clifton take all the applauses with a top of the podium win, this time followed by Tibbenham in second and Paul Huggins third. The final race of the day saw yet anther new face on top of the podium in Pieres Woddington, Sam Whymark was second and crowd favourite Tibbenham third which capped a great days racing. All roads lead to Culham on the weekend of September 1st and 2nd for the final two rounds of the series. Expect some major fun to be had on the weekend as a few guest riders will be making a special appearance and a huge end of year presentation and party is planned. More information and full championship results can be found at www.2strokebritishchampionship.co.uk Philippaerts third in MX 1 Moneyglass Ireland KTM Red Bull factory rider David Philippaerts put in a solid day's MX1 racing at a brand new track in Northern Ireland for fourth and third in the two motos for overall third at the Grand Prix of Northern Ireland. But while the Italian rider was on the podium, it was a mixed day for his Spanish teammate Jonathan Barragan who was third in the first moto then had to retire with some technical problems in the second. Barragan's 20 points from the first heat was sufficient to allow him to finish in eleventh overall. "I did have some small throttle problems in the second heat, Philippaerts said. "But I still managed to do the best I could and I am quite satisfied with the weekend. In fact the bike went very well all weekend and I like this kind of track, even if some of the landings were a little too soft. I am now getting closer to Pourcel and I hope to be able to close the gap," he said. Just 11 points separate Pourcel, still in third place on the standings, and Philippaerts in fourth and with two rounds to go, the Italian is still hopeful of capturing his season podium. Rain that deluged the area on Friday and reduced practice to a minimum time on Saturday cleared for the race day but many of the riders agreed with Philippaerts that some of the landing areas were too soft. Barragan said he was disappointed that after a solid finish in the first moto that he was prevented from following it up with a podium on a day when everything seemed to be going his way. "I had a good speed and a good rhythm and after the first heat I was confident that I had a good chance to make a podium today," Barragan added. Team Boss Stefan Evert agreed and said he still hoped that one of his riders would be on the podium at season's end. In the week leading up to the next round, to be held on a brand new course at Donington Park, David will stay on in England to train with Tommy Searle and other members of the team. Jonathan plans to go to Belgium to train and return to the UK next weekend. MOTOCROSS MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: CHIODI AGAIN WINS POINTS AT THE NORTHERN IRELAND GP It was a difficult race at the Moneyglass track thanks to horrible meteorological conditions. Saturday's qualifications took place on a track that was so muddy it was barely functional. Nevertheless, both Aprilia riders qualified for the race as Cedric Melotte finished 24th and Chicco Chiodi 28th. The race day was also plagued by difficult conditions as riders struggled with the dug-up track. Chiodi closed out in 23rd and 17th while Melotte logged a double withdrawal. A cold wind and a lot of rain. That was the climate that welcomed Team Aprilia Off Road to the Northern Ireland Gp, the 13th engagement of the FIM Motocross MX1 World Championships at the new Moneyglass track on August 18-19th. Horrible weather forced the event organizers to modify Saturday's program, reducing it to a single trial session of 45 minutes with the first 15 minutes making up the free period and the remaining 30 being the riders' choice (due to the precarious conditions). It was a truly hellish track, battered by the rain and covered with a surface that seemed more like a swamp than a motocross trail. However, both Aprilia riders qualified as Cedric Melotte finished 24th and Chicco Chiodi 28th. Despite the end of the rain and the hard work of landscapers to free the track of some of the mud, the terrain remained full of holes and crevices on Sunday, making life difficult for the riders and any attempts to adjust the motorcycles. Both Aprilia riders again decided to compete with the latest evolution of the official MXV 4.5, or better yet, the version equipped with the big-bang engine with irregular bursts and the double exhaust. In Race 1, Chicco Chiodi carried out a comeback to finish in 23rd place while Cedric Melotte withdrew halfway through the race while in 22nd after a fall. The conclusive fraction again saw Chiodi earn points thanks to his 17th place, fruit of a resolute comeback in the initial phases of the race as Melotte dealt with the aftermath of his fall in Race 1 and withdrew. Team Aprilia will remain in Northern Ireland for a few days before traveling onto Donington Park where the Great Britain Grand Prix will take place next Sunday. Moneyglass, Northern Ireland Gp - 13th Trial MX1 Motocross World Championships Race 1: 1. Ken de Dycker (Bel/Honda); 2. Kevin Strijbos (Bel/Suz); 3. Jonathan Barragan (Esp/Ktm); 23. Chicco Chiodi (Ita/Aprilia MXV 4.5); Withdrawn: Cedric Melotte (Bel/Aprilia MXV 4.5). Race 2: 1. Kevin Strijbos (Bel/Suz); 2. Sebastien Pourcel (Fra/Kawasaki); 3. David Philippaerts (Ita/Ktm); 17. Chicco Chiodi (Ita/Aprilia MXV 4.5); Withdrawn: Cedric Melotte (Bel/Aprilia MXV 4.5). MX1 Championship: 1. Coppins (Nzl/Yamaha) 445 points; 2. Ramon (Bel/Suzuki) 433; 3. Pourcel (Fra/Kawasaki) 400; 26. Chicco Chiodi (Ita/Aprilia MXV 4.5) 32; 34. Cedric Melotte (Bel/Aprilia MXV 4.5) 14. Aprilia Off Road Press Office Ezio Romano Cell +39 340 0029798
This left Jason Dougan to carry the weight of the team into battle in the ever exciting MX2 class races. With the normal qualifying races on the Saturday cancelled due to the wet weather, Jason had only one session to timed practise which he successfully came through unscathed and was all set for Sunday’s main event. In the first race Jason gated badly and struggled with his rhythm. The track was tacky and quite difficult to ride - racing in around 20th position Jason crashed and lost a number of places and remounted in 27th. After showing real determination Jason fought his way up to 17th place and closed in on the pack that were just in front at the flag. Jason gated similar in race two as race one but put on a charge in the first few corners to place in 17th position and then to 14th just behind Hamblin and Church. Unfortunately Jason was involved in a collision while trying to pass and ended up with a broken front brake lever and twisted the front end of the bike. After coming into the pit area he went back out but had to retire on lap seven. Team Manager - Mark Chamberlain “It looked like it was going to be a good weekend at one point, the first race after the crash Jason rode very well to get back to 17th. In race two it was shaping up to be a good top ten finish before Boog hit him – we all have these weekends and we are looking to show what we can do at our own GP this weekend at Donnington,.
Optoma Loans is to sponsor a Race meeting at Optoma Racing’s Dakar Rally riders, local club in Derby. The AMCA Motocross event on Sunday 19th August will take place at Alport Heights nr Shottle in Derbyshire. Mick’s teenage son, Adam Extance who also has the Optoma Racing brand on his racing gear and bike will be taking part in some of the 21 races throughout the day. Optoma Loans will be sponsoring the event through provision of the prizes for winner plus some trackside activity and one of the Optoma Racing Motocross bikes will be on display. It is an AMCA motorcross event and Practice starts at 9am, racing follows on after practice and there will be at least 21 races during the day. CEO and Chairman Andrew Seymour: “Optoma Loans is really pleased to be backing the Derby Sporting Motorcycle Club meeting, these club races are so important in uncovering new racing talent and developing young riders. Optoma Loans believes in supporting the motorcycle community in whichever way we can and we look forward to supporting this event.” For more details on racing please visit www.derbymx.co.uk
Some 250 plus riders descended on the small but motocross dominated village in what some are saying was best round so far this year. The seventh round of the championship attracted a lot of interest locally from riders throughout Gloucestershire including new comers to the series John May and Lewis Gregory - add to that a sprinkling of GP talent in the form of Brad Anderson, Mark Hucklebridge and Neville Bradshaw, which made the atmosphere electric. You also had pretty much all the local media in attendance to cover the event and the fact Jodie Marsh and her MTV crew showed up hoping to find a husband, also added to the large crowd in attendance on a glorious sunny Sunday afternoon. Scott Probert, Jonathan Pettitt and Matt Ridgway set the stage in the qualifying practise session, each achieving the best times in their respective groups. Race one in the 125cc A class saw a huge battle between Pettitt, Lewis Gregory, John May and Dave Willet – all four riders were giving it 100% for the entire twenty minute race but it was veteran Pettitt who showed the young guns the way home with a fine win. This type of action was repeated in all three moto’s with Pettitt taking two out of three wins and Gregory taking the final race in superb style from May. These two put on a great show for the local crowd but it wasn’t until the final few laps that Gregory finally broke the tough defence of the Meredith Suzuki rider and stormed on to take the victory. Jonathan Pettitt and Lewis Gregory tied on points but Pettitt took the champagne due to more wins – May took third overall from iron man Willett, LPE Kawasaki’s Scott Probert who is improving after each race, took fifth and TM’s Stuart Edmonds in sixth. The top ten included Matt Ridgway, James Dodd, Sean Frayne and Jim Davies. Well done to Juniors Adam Reynolds, John Butler and Sam Holloway all qualifying for the A 125 races and in doing so took the top three in the junior overalls for the day. In the 125 junior classes the riders coped well with a tough but superbly prepped circuit in all their three races. Paul Shires was in dominate form and that showed with him taking two of the three races, Glen Bixby slotted himself between Shires and a maximum by taking the first race of the day by only two seconds. Close racing was going on throughout the class with Richard Brown, Ady Peedle, Daniel Ward and Michael Deeley finishing I that order in race one. Matt Nash and Josh Scott put in a good performance to find themselves in the top five in moto two. In Race three you had Shires taking the win by fifteen seconds but Bixby and Deeley had their own personal dual with Bixby just taking it by under a second. Justin Penny, Josh Wyatt and Ashley Crossley rounded off the top six in moto three. In Group C juniors it was dominated by Terry Howlett with a brilliant maximum. The racing in this group was going on behind him with Neal Moore, Keith Pattison, Stephen Sapsford and Bob D’erlanger swapping places throughout the day. Mitch Pearce took three fine wins in 250cc group B class, Mitch looked comfortable on his local track and this showed with nobody getting within six seconds of him in any race. Lots of local riders were mixing it up with the DEP regulars in each of the three races. But Patrick Collins and Darren Marklove finished in the top three in moto one, moto two saw Marklove improve a place to second but Ian Fagg managed to fight off Alex Smith for third. Marklove and Smith swapped places in the final race. Once again we had some really good junior riders making it into the 250 A class races which meant Ashley Harland, Eddy Carr and Ricky Lethaby finished as the top three juniors. If it was exciting racing you were after then the 250 A class races were quite possibly the best you’re going to get this year. Mark Eastwood showed that age is no barrier in moto one by taking a fine win from Dave Willet and Ryan Voase. This made the crowd take notice as GP riders Brad Anderson and Neville Bradshaw and possible pre-race favourite Mark Hucklebridge were left eating a huge amount of two-stroke roost as the first three were gone. In race two Anderson put his two-stroke head on and took a brilliant race win from Eastwood, these two were literally bar to bar for most of the race, neither giving an inch, but Anderson crossed the line first on this occasion, Hucklebridge rolled home in third from Bradshaw and Willet. The final race of the day was geared up to be a classic, the overall result still wasn’t decided and the fans streamed back to trackside areas for their best vantage point to view a nail biting end to a great day. Eastwood was up for it and as he sat on the line you could see his head twitching in anticipation, much could be said for Anderson as the young warrior was poised and ready for action. Then came the spanner in the works in the shape of Iron Man (quite literally) Willet who took the lead and sat there until the chequered flag. Bearing in mind this was Willets sixth race of the day, he still looked cool as a cucumber as he crossed the line – amazing! The new British MXDN team manager Mark Eastwood stayed ahead of his young prodigy Brad Anderson for the overall with Willet taking second and Brad third on the podium. Neville Bradshaw, Ryan Voase, Mark Hucklebridge, Stuart Flockhart, Joe Dark, Ben Taylor and Chad Yarranton all finished within the top ten overall. The next round will take place at Blaxhall Pits on Sunday 19th August and expect more exciting racing from one of the most enjoyable and professionally run events around. More information and full championship results can be found at www.2strokebritishchampionship.co.uk WORLD MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP: 15 INTERNATIONAL POINTS FOR APRILIA AT THE CZECH REPUBLIC GP At Loket, Chicco Chiodi and Cedric Melotte ended up earning points in both fractions notwithstanding the rain and mud. Chiodi finished 17th and 16th while Melotte, back from sick leave, closed out in 19th and 17th. In a single day of racing, the twin MXV 4.5's brought home a solid 15 international points! The Czech Republic Motocross Grand Prix, the 10th of the international calendar, was the best performance yet for Team Aprilia Off Road. The positive results of 15 days ago at Faenza were not only repeated but improved in the two fractions raced at Loket, representing another important step forward in the development of the MXV 4.5. Proof of the accomplishment are the 15 international points the Noale twins brought home thanks to the great performances offered up by the two officials riders. Following his 17th place finish in Race 1, Chicco Chiodi stepped it up and finished 16th in Race 2. The same went for Cedric Melotte who finished the day in 17th after opening in 19th. Thus the Belgian rider triumphantly left his food poisoning (and the 15 days it cost him following the Faenza Grand Prix) in the dust. A hearty performance that pumped up the team after the hard work and difficult start to worlds due to injuries that sidelined both riders just before they began. The impact was anything but negligible and certainly slowed down the developmental plans of the MXV 4.5. Now, with four races remaining in the championship, we are beginning to see the potential of the Aprilia twins that shone through Sunday's race despite a particularly slimy track due to the mud. They were difficult conditions for everyone, especially the MXV 4.5 that isn't meant for this type of terrain. Next Sunday, the Namur Grand Prix will take place in Belgium, a suggestive race on an enchanting circuit carved out along the inside of the Namur Citadel. A special trial for Cedric Melotte who calls this area home, certainly an added stimulus for him! Loket, Czech Republic Gp - 10th Trial of the World MX1 Motocross Championships Race 1: 1. Kevin Strijbos (Bel/Suz); 2. David Philippaerts (Ita/Ktm); 3. Ken de Dycker (Bel/Honda); 17. Chicco Chiodi (Ita/Aprilia MXV 4.5); 19. Cedric Melotte (Bel/Aprilia MXV 4.5). Race 2: 1. Kevin Strijbos (Bel/Suz); 2. Sebastien Pourcel (Fra/Kawasaki); 3. Jonathan Barragan (Esp/Ktm); 16. Chicco Chiodi (Ita/Aprilia MXV 4.5); 17. Cedric Melotte (Bel/Aprilia MXV 4.5). MX1 Championship: 1. Coppins (Nzl/Yamaha) 445 points; 2. Ramon (Bel/Suzuki) 368; 3. Pourcel (Fra/Kawasaki) 322; 30. Chicco Chiodi (Ita/Aprilia MXV 4.5) 15; 35. Cedric Melotte (Bel/Aprilia MXV 4.5) 9.
With nearly the entire UK coming to a grinding halt due to the awful weather we're having at the moment the second round of the Elite Youth Cup went ahead in perfect conditions. Landrake Moto Parc once again did itself proud by producing a circuit worthy of the best youth racers in the UK to show what they can do. With various events being cancelled throughout the country, glorious sunshine streamed across the Cornish countryside and this prompted a huge amount of calls from riders wishing to participate in the Elite Championship over the weekend. But with the motorways struggling with the floods and sheer weight of traffic, a number of riders didn't make it to Landrake - some riders were actually stuck in traffic for over sixteen hours - not pleasant. For the ones who did manage to find a route through the chaos it was trip worth while for sure. Day one went like a dream with no hold ups whatsoever, marshals were ready by 9am, the track was perfect and the entire Elite team were as professional as ever. Ben Watson topped the Elite 65 time qualifying session just 1.34 seconds ahead of Jack Heath and Corie Southwood. Watson and Heath produced brilliant racing over the two days with both riders taking two moto wins a piece. Jack on the second day seemed more relaxed and rode consistently well to take the overall. We did have one other moto winner in the shape of Chubbie Hammond who took race three but he unfortunately suffered a huge off in race four which had the little lad seeing stars. Right the way through the top ten, positions were swapping and changing in every race with the likes of Corie Southwood Michael Eccles, Matthew Callaghan, Thomas Neal, Scooter Webster, Robert Davidson and Taylor Vernon all managing to finish in that order overall. In the Elite small-wheeled group Dan Thornhill produced the top time in qualifying just ahead of Jamie McCanney and Tom Rogers. The racing in this class had everyone cheering on from the Landrake hillside, Thornhilll, Rogers, McCanney, Scott Aldridge and Rob Muscat chopped and changed positions all through the weekend but it was the KTM of Thornhill that managed to take a well deserved overall. Dan ripped to three race wins and two seconds places in a dazzling display of racing. Tom Rogers produced his best display of the year with a magnificent second overall from the hard charging Jamie McCanney in third. Fourth place rider Scott Aldridge didn't quite have the pace today but still took a race win in moto three in a great tussle with Thornhill. The rest of the top ten were outstanding and anyone of these riders could have crossed the line first in any race and they were James Rutter, James Dunn, Jordan Godwin, Sonny Oliver and Ryan Butler. Time qualifying in the Elite big-wheeled group went to Sam Davis from Luke Hawkins and Richie Worrall. After a tumble in the first race Sam Davis made up for lost time winning three out of the four remaining moto's in true Sam Davis style - smooth and controlled. Richie Worrall didn't let Sam get to far ahead and raced to a solid victory just ahead of Luke Hawkins in moto three, with five consistent rides Richie landed second spot on the overall podium. Just like their small wheeled counterparts this group is packed full of talent. In most of the races throughout the weekend you could have thrown a blanket over the top seven riders, they were that close - it made for a compelling spectacle. Daniel McCanney the older brother of Jamie rode like a demon and topped off the podium with an outstanding third overall. Behind these guys you had James Hutchinson squeezing every last ounce of speed out of his two-stroke Yamaha to finish fourth and race one winner Luke Hawkins finishing fifth. Right on the tail of the top five were Christian Taylor, Alfie Smith, Ty Kellett, Gavin Corsi and Jansen Day - it was a pleasure to watch these guys rip around Landrake. Lewis Tombs set a blistering place in timed qualifying which was two seconds ahead of his closest rivals Scot James and David Games. When he's on form Kawasaki's Scot James is one of the most exciting riders to watch anywhere and I mean anywhere! Taking the first four races in grand style it looked like Scot would walk away with a maximum but Lewis Tombs had other ideas and kept his KTM at full tilt to win the final race just ahead of PAR Honda rider David Games. Scot deserved his overall victory as he looked so relaxed and comfortable on the Landrake terrain - good stuff. It was anyone's race for second position with the likes of Tombs, Games, Will Worden and Scott Elderfield all battling for the podium in five exciting races. Steven Smyth, Lewis Abbott, Jamie Jackson, Kelvin Townsend and Jake Preston all followed the leader's home to finish within the top ten. Ben Field topped qualifying in the Elite open class just a whisker in front of Mel Pocock and Josh Wateman. If you wanted to see motocross racing at its best then you would probably look know further than the Elite Open class - it was mind blowing! Matthew Moffat and Mel Pocock put on a show of racing that even the full-time pro's would have been proud of - passing each other in corners and jumping over the top of one another at every occasion. But it was Moffat who took the honours even after punctures in two separate races you couldn't keep the KTM rider down - a much deserved victory. Josh Waterman didn't let either rider get out of his sight and finished just behind for third overall. Ben Field was very unlucky not to take race three - after leading for most of the moto, Ben dropped it on one of the tricky corners and just missed out on his moment of glory. Rounding off the top ten were Ashley Harland, Joe Gregory, Nathan Rooks, Max Trannah, Scott Meredith and Daniel Brough all these riders put on an excellent display of open class racing - more of the same please lads. The third round of the Elite Youth Cup will be at Mildenhall on 4th/5th of August. Expect more exciting racing as the season starts to heat up for honours.
Race two both riders found themselves mid pack on the first lap, Jake made a mistake and crashed due to a lot of water on the surface of the track, Jake was plastered in mud but fought back to twenty second on the chequered flag. Jason had the same fate in store as in the first race, with one lap to go in moto two Jason was in sixteenth but was again passed on the final lap to finish seventeenth. Team Manager – Mark Chamberlain "Its been a pretty good weekend, conditions reached 46 degrees which was tough on the bikes and riders, both Jason, Jake and the bikes performed well. Jason has now moved into eighteenth in the World championship after a slow start to the year. Hopefully Jason can continue to move forward and improve on his position in the world standings. Jake has learnt a lot this weekend and to qualify at an Italian GP is never easy" Team schedule – Grand Prix of Czech Republic at Loket – July 29th 2007
Swanepoel and Mackenzie shine as heavy rain halts the show After heavy rain in the days prior to meeting, the sun shone high above the spectacular and scenic circuit at Skelder Bank near Whitby as i |
Double
victory for Tommy Searle at MX2 Grand Prix of France
Barragan
tops podium at MX1 GP in Mallory Park
MX3
GP victory for guest KTM rider Jonathan Barragan
Rattray
and Searle take minor podium places in Mantova
Nagl
wins second MX1 heat at Italian GP 
Sven
Breugelmans wins Round Four MX3 World Championship
MX2
Grand Prix of Spain a battle with mud and conditions
2008
ACU British MMX Championship
Preparations
for 2008 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship begin already
Fork-Rent
Suzuki’s 2007 motocross season finally came to an end at the final round
of the Maxxis British Motocross championship in Pontrilas, Hereford.
Round
Eight of the DEP British Two Stroke championship took place at Blaxhall
Pits this weekend.
Elite
Youth Cup - Rd2 Landrake