KTM Offroad Newsletter

KTM's MX1 Riders Overcome Mud at Bellpuig

KTM Red Bull Racing Team MX1 Factory riders scored a 4th and 8th place at the Spanish Grand Prix with factory supported rider Max Nagl riding to an excellent third place.

The event at Bellpuig was a real test of rider endurance on Sunday with MX1 riders having to face heavy, muddy conditions after solid rain that wiped out training on Saturday. KTM Factory-supported rider Germany’s Max Nagl nevertheless had a golden day and ended on the podium in third place overall after a fifth and a second in the two motos.

Nagl gathered a total of 38 points to beat KTM factory rider Jonathan Barragan of Spain into fourth overall. Barragan, riding with a badly bruised shoulder from a training crash earlier in the week collected championship 33 points for his heroic fourth and sixth places in the two races.

Barragan received a pain killing injection before the race but nevertheless he found himself hampered by the injury. He struggled with his rhythm in the first race and managed to improve on that in the second. On advice from the team physiotherapist he will now return home and rest up ahead of the Portuguese Grand Prix next weekend. “I hope to do better there,” he said. “It was where I had my first podium last year.”

Italian David Philippaerts made some improvement on the first event of the season the Benelux Grand Prix at Valkenswaard and ended the day with a 15-8 result for the two motos. The rough and very muddy course was not kind to the Italian who is used to riding in much different conditions. Philippaerts did not get away cleanly in either of the two starts and will join Tyla Rattray of the KTM MX2 team for some intensive training with team boss Stefan Everts in the coming week.

Everts said Philippaerts was nevertheless showing good fighting spirits and was still adjusting to the bigger KTM 450 SX-F machine after moving up from the MX2 category. “Although both riders had quite bad starts today, we did better than expected, so I am satisfied,” Everts said. While Barragan rests his injured shoulder, Everts will work closely with Philippaerts on the starts while the KTM mechanics will work on the bike setup to better suit the Italian rider ahead of the next Grand Prix.

Jonathan Barragan is third in the championship standings with 74 points, Max Nagl is fourth with 63 points and David Philippaerts is fifteenth with 26 points.

Results from Bellpuig

1. Joshua Coppins, New Zealand, Yamaha
2. Kevin Strijbos, Belgium, Suzuki
3. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM
4. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM
5. Sebastian Pourcel, France, Kawasaki
6. David Philippaerts, Italy, KTM

MX 2 Podium for Tyla Rattray in Bellpuig

Tyla Rattray put the KTM Red Bull Racing Team on the podium for the Grand Prix of Spain with 3rd overall in the 2nd round of the MX2 World Championships.

The MX2 KTM factory team’s result was further boosted by an overall 4th place by young teenager Tommy Searle of Britain.

“Spain is always good to me,” said Rattray, who had a 4-3 result in the two motos. “For a bad day, today was good.” The South African, rarely satisfied unless he is on the top of the podium was referring to the conditions at the Spanish circuit which had suffered from continual rain since Thursday. Saturday’s training was cancelled altogether due to the bad weather and although the skies cleared for Sunday the track was muddy and very heavy. Rattray admitted he had not had good starts in either of the two motos, but plans to spend the coming week leading up to the Portuguese Grand Prix with some dedicated training with team boss and 10 x world champion Stefan Everts.

It was also an excellent day for young Tommy Searle who delivered a 6-4 result on Sunday. He said the conditions had been tough after the rain and there were lots of roots on the track demanding that the riders paid close attention to the line. “The second race was good for me and I was happy to be fourth,” he said. Searle will return to Britain this week and train there ahead of the Portuguese GP. “I am looking forward to that. I like the track and there are some good jumps,” he said. “I hope to be on the podium in Portugal.”

Everts conceded that his two factory riders had had trouble with their starts this weekend, which hindered them being able to jockey for good positions in the early stages of the races. “We need to be up there in the front,” Everts said. “I will train the starts with Tyla and David (Philippaerts of the KTM MX1 team) this week. But I am very positive and confident that we are going to be up with the best.”

Tyla Rattray is second in the overall world championship standings with 82 points after two Grands Prix and Tommy Searle is eighth with 44 points.

Results Bellpuig, Round 2

1. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha
2. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki
3. Tyla Rattray, south Africa, KTM
4. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM
5. Pascal Leuret, France, Honda

Sven Breugelmans second overall in Round 2 World Championships.

KTM JM Racing’s Sven Breugelmans put in a solid weekend racing at the International Crossdromo in Cingoli, Italy to finish second overall in MX3 for round two of the World Championship.

Breugelmans, the 2005 MX 3 title holder got away well in the first moto, dropped back to sixth but then fought his way back to the front to finish second in 35’28.683 conceding victory to the Frenchman Coisey. The Belgium rider also started solidly in the second moto and lead the pack until he stalled 20 minutes into the race and again had to settle for second. The two minor podiums game him second overall for the weekend and he now lies second in the overall championship standings with 73 points.

“I am quite satisfied with the weekend’s results but I know I could have done even better had I not stalled the bike in the second moto,” Breugelmans said after the race.

Team boss Jacky Martens was also very satisfied with the outcome of the weekend’s racing.  “We must keep going and keep testing but I am confident” he said.

Unlike the MX1 and MX2 second round, fought out Spain in miserable muddy conditions, the Italian event was held under clear skies with summer-like temperatures of around 28 degrees shining down on the hard and rough track.