Desalle Seals World MX1 Runner-Up

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1's Clement Desalle has secured the number two plate for 2013 after taking third place on his factory RM-Z450 at a hot Faenza for the Grand Prix of Europe and the penultimate round of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

The Belgian rode to third and fourth positions in front of 24,000 spectators and across the twisty and rough Italian hard-pack. Finally in better physical condition after two rounds of the series dealing with a painful hand injury, he was able to attack the Faenza hillside and although overtaking places were tricky to find, the 23 year old dealt with the slippery and rutted mud to remain a protagonist. He has stretched a 52 point lead (with just a maximum of 50 points available to win at the final round of the series in Germany in two weeks time) over Gautier Paulin to confirm runner-up status.

Desalle completed a lonely first race in third spot behind Antonio Cairoli and Christophe Pourcel and then valiantly chased Paulin in the second moto but could not overhaul the Frenchman. It was still his first silverware since the Grand Prix of Czech Republic in the first week of August.

Tanel Leok was eighth overall. The Estonian was part of a riveting five-rider tussle in the first moto that provided the entertainment highpoint of the day. Leok was sixth at the finish line and sadly could not improve on that ranking in the second outing as he started badly and struggled to make up ground quickly. He pushed up to ninth in the closing moments of the 35 minute and 2-lap chase by passing Shaun Simpson.

Desalle has now finished runner-up for the second time in three years on the RM-Z450. He has notched nine podium finishes from the 15 events held so far and the team's haul stands at 10 after Leok also gained a trophy last week in the sand of Lierop. Number '4' is eighth in the MX1 standings and cannot be caught.

The hard-soil of Teutschenthal near the city of Halle will entertain the 16th Grand Prix on the calendar on September 23rd and both Desalle and Leok will represent their countries a week later at Lommel in Belgium for the 66th Motocross of Nations.

Clement Desalle:

"It is good to get back on the podium because it feels like a long time that I've had to deal with pain in my hand. It is still not right and I need some more mobility but this is a start. The track was really good at the end of Saturday but there was so much water that I found it unbelievable in the morning. It is the kind of track that needs to stay hard-pack otherwise it gets a bit sketchy. When the mud dries the bike can react in strange ways; it was very tricky. I'm looking forward to getting back on the training bike now and ready for Germany. You always want to try and win a championship but it is good for me and the team to finish second and we will do what we can to go one better!"

Tanel Leok:

"I feel good about today and I was riding well. Sixth and ninth is not too bad but in the second moto I had a bad start and it was difficult to come back from that far. I made some decent passes and got as high as I could. I was very close to fourth in the first moto and we had a nice battle there. They changed the track in the second and I don't know why. I prefer it when there are more ruts and bumps and you have to think about your riding. It was too flat but not the worst."

High-Resolution Images from Faenza: CLICK HERE FOR GALLERY

MX1 Moto1: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:40.533; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:20.352; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:38.395; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:43.878; 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:46.102; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:48.912; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:50.670; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:56.385; 9. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +1:03.572; 10. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:08.859.

MX1 Moto2: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:58.407; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:00.744; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:22.031; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:29.496; 5. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:34.329; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:47.816; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +1:00.580; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:04.071; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +1:08.447; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:10.500.

MX1 Overall Result: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 44 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 38 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 28 p.; 7. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 27 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 27 p.; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 27 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 22 p.

MX1 World Championship Standings (after 15 of 16 rounds): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 642 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 554 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 502 p.; 4. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 496 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 478 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 389 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 372 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 365 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 315 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 298 p.