MXoN pre-selection for Team Belgium

Smets
announces
‘Nations’ pre-selection

Joël
Smets has just released the names of the seven pre-selected riders of
whom three will represent Belgium at the 2010 Red Bull Motocross of
Nations in the US. The pre-selection includes: Clément
Desalle, Steve Ramon, Ken De Dycker, Kevin Strijbos, Jeremy Van
Horebeek, Dennis Verbruggen and Joël Roelants.
Earlier this week the riders met for the first time during a
teambuilding event. As usual the Belgian top riders enjoyed a
relaxing day out with waterski, cycling and a barbecue to finish off.

Although
the teambuilding day underlined the enthusiasm and positive vibe
surrounding the Belgians it was not all fun and games. Clearly team
manager Smets is facing some tough choices before the final team is
made public. That final selection for the 64th Motocross of Nations
will be announced on Sunday, August 15 during the fourth round of the
MX Pro Series at Keiheuvel-Balen. Last year the Belgian squad with
Desalle, Ramon and Roelants took an honourable third behind the U.S.
and France.

Last
year there was a
lot of commotion following the non-selection of Ken De Dycker. De
Dycker himself even stated that he never wanted to ride for Team
Belgium again?

Joël
Smets:
"Obviously that statement was made ‘in the heat of battle’.
Since then we have discussed about our argument and Ken made it clear
that he understood the reasons behind my choice. At the German GP a
couple weeks ago I enjoyed a short but good conversation with him. I
absolutely don’t hold that outburst from last year against him.
Actually it shows that Ken cares about the MX of Nations and wants to
be a part of the Belgian Team. In other words, it’s a good thing.”

Can
you shed
some light on the final selection?

Joël
Smets:
"For now, the only certitude is Clément Desalle. Since his
shoulder injury he’s reaching his best level again. Ramon has been
blowing hot and cold and he has dealt with minor injuries. As a
result he has had trouble to train consistently for two weeks in a
row. Ken is in a similar situation: too many ups and downs. But in
spite of his bike set-up issues and small injury problems he showed
in Teutschenthal that his speed is still there.”

What
about the selection for
the MX2 rider?

Joël
Smets:
"First of all we’re facing an important rulechange this year.
The MX2 rider must be younger than 23. This means we can no longer
consider the option to pick for example Steve Ramon for the MX2
class. As for Jeremy (Van Horebeek) and Joël (Roelants), they are a
close match. Similar to the Dycker and Ramon. Potentially Van
Horebeek has showed the best speed of the two, but in recent weeks
Roelants felt victim to injuries and he couldn’t ride at his best
level. Anyhow, all riders now have two very important GP’s with
Lommel and Loket to convince me. It’s up to them to earn their spot
on the team.”

The
Belgian way
of doing things with a pre-selection has been picked up by England
and France?

Joël
Smets:
"That's right, but I don’t think that is a reason for us to
stop doing it! Especially since both the pre-selection as the
teambuilding day form an integral part of our preparation. It allows
to get my ideas across and to explain them my position. I always aim
to create a relaxed atmosphere at a time when the GP riders have some
down time and they all seem to appreciate it."

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