St. Jean D’angely Marks FIM MX Series’ Comeback To Action

FUNCHAL (PORTUGAL), 11 June 2008 – The eagerly awaited French Motocross Grand Prix will take off this weekend on the St. Jean d’Angely’s race track, near Bordeaux.

Three years after he collected his maiden GP win in St. Jean, a rock solid David Philippaerts heads back there as the MX1 series leader with Italian countryman and defending MX2 Champion Antonio Cairoli being on top of the MX2 standings.

The first edition of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will carry on in St. Jean with the third round of the series, having home rider Livia Lancelot on top of the Championship standings.

MX1

It will be an exciting comeback to St. Jean d’Angely for Yamaha Monster Motocross’ David Philippaerts, as the Italian took his maiden GP win in the MX2 class at the French venue in 2005 and he is now the leader of the MX1 class courtesy of a victory and five podiums so far in the season.

Another youngster is looking forward to this seventh round, that is GPKR’s Frenchman Sebastien Pourcel who recently saw his fourth podium hopes disappear in a first heat crash at Mallory Park.

Seb Pourcel his ready to squeeze his Green machine in front of the home crowd

Teka Suzuki WMX1’s Steve Ramon is still second in the points standings but has been off the podium since Spain while his team mate Ken de Dycker saw the rostrum again in Great Britain, finishing second overall after he won moto one.

After his maiden victory from Mallory Park, AXO KTM Silver Action’s Jonathan Barragan will try to keep up the good work in France to improve on his seventh place in the standings.

Jonathan Barragan collected an exciting maiden GP win in Mallory, escaping unhurt from a last lap crash

The same goes for Kawasaki Racing’s Tanel Leok, who took his best season’s result in the latest round by ending fifth overall.

The Estonian was in the top five also at last year’s French GP, right behind former team mate Billy Mackenzie. The Brit now rides the CAS Honda’s factory machinery and desperately seeks an overall podium to chip away at the nine point gap from 2007 French GP winner Joshua Coppins, being fourth in the Championship ahead of Mackenzie.

Being 21st in the Championship after having experienced a tough beginning of the season, Pierre Alexandre Renet is still the second best placed home rider in the standings and will seek for better fortunes in St. Jean.

After undergoing more surgery to his injured thumb, Kevin Strijbos will continue to sit out of the series while the date of his comeback is not yet certain.

MX2

Looking at both the MX1 and the MX2 statistics, only one rider has won more than one Grand Prix this season and the same rider is now back on top of the MX2 points standings; Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s Tony Cairoli snatched the red plate from arch rival Tyla Rattray by winning his third GP of 2008 at Mallory Park two weeks ago.

This is the side that Tony Cairoli prefers to show his rivals

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Rattray is a close runner up as he sits just one point behind Cairoli, while his KTM team mate Tommy Searle is looking like a threat for the leading duo.

Since the Portuguese Grand Prix, Searle is on a four podium row, taking also one victory in Sevlievo. Now the Brit sits third in the Championship with a ten point gap from Cairoli but he looks forward to improving his best overall finish in St. Jean, which is a sixth place from last year.

With British countrymen Shaun Simpson (KTM UK) and Stephen Sword (Molson Kawasaki Racing) being also pumped up for France after a solid home GP, now it is Frenchmen Nicolas Aubin and Steven Frossard’s time to be under the spotlight.

Frenchman Steven Frossard seeks better fortunes in St. Jean

Ricci Racing Yamaha’s Aubin is the highest placed home rider being fourth in the standings while CLS’ Frossard has been impressive in the latest two events (he took his maiden top three finish in heat two at Mallory) even though he dropped down the overall standings due to technical problems in one heat per event.

The sixth place in Great Britain gave a confidence boost to Anthony Boissiere, who was hardly seen battling on top after he won his first career Lovemytime Qualifying Award in Bellpuig.

Other talents supported by the French fans will be Xavier Boog, Jeremy Tarroux, and the 2007 European Championship stars Gautier Paulin (winner of the 2007 EMX2 series), Marvin Musquin and Khounsith Vongsana, with the trio being at their first year in the GP scene.

Being second and third respectively in this year’s European Championship, French Loic Larrieu and Swiss Arnaud Tonus (winner of the Ricky Carmichael Motocross of Nations Award-Youngest Rider at the 2007 Red Bull Motocross of Nations) will have a taste of the GP series this weekend.

FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP COLLECTIVE REMEMBERS JAN DE GROOT

Jan de Groot passed away on the 4th of June 2007 because of a serious illness and the whole Motocross World Championship collective honoured his presence at St. Jean d’Angely (10th of June 2007) by taking one minute of silence ahead of the start to the GP. One year later the paddock people still remember Jan, a man who gave a great contribution to the sport.

CIRCUIT DU PUY DE POURSAY AND SAINT JEAN D’ANGELY

The French hard pack course played host to the Motocross of Nations in 2000 and was back in the GP calendar last year after Ernée hosted to the 2006 French GP. Last year some sand has been added to the race track, where some obstacles were reshaped to offer new riding lines. In 2007 Yamaha completed a clean sweep at a sweltering St. Jean, with Coppins winning the MX1 class and Cairoli topping the MX2 podium.

St. Jean ready for the opening MX2 moto of the 2007 Grand Prix

Saint Jean D’Angely is a French town surrounded by a beautiful natural landscape, characterized by the river Boutonne that flows through the town. St. Jean is 150 kilometres North of Bordeaux and the border to Spain and it has got a population of about 7500 inhabitants (data from 2006). Among the town’s most interesting and historical buildings are the Abbaye Royale (Royal Abbey) and the Fontaine du Pilori (Fountain of Pilori) which can be watched while walking through the traditional St. Jean d’Angely’s market which is on every Wednesday and Saturday.

THE EVENT’S SCHEDULE

Saturday June 14: KTM Trophy Free Practice 1 at 8:10 am; Women’s World Championship Free Practice 1 at 9:00 am; MX2 Free Practice at 10:00 am; MX1 Free Practice 1 at 11:00 am; MX2 Pre-Qualifying Practice at 12:00 am; KTM Trophy Free Practice 2 at 12:55 am; Women’s World Championship Free Practice 2 at 1:20 pm; MX1 Free Practice 2 at 2:00 pm; MX2 Qualifying Race 1 at 3:00 pm; MX2 Qualifying Race 2 at 3:45 pm; KTM Trophy Time Practice at 4:15 pm; MX1 Time Practice at 4:40 pm; MX2 Last Chance Qualifying Practice at 5:25 pm; Women’s World Championship Time Practice at 6:05 pm; KTM Trophy Race 1 at 6:50 pm (local time).

Sunday June 15: KTM Trophy Warm Up at 8:30 am; Women’s World Championship Warm-up at 9:00 am; MX2 Warm-up at 9:30 am; MX1 Warm-up at 10:00 am; KTM Trophy Race 2 at 10:25 am; Women’s World Championship Race 1 at 11:10 am; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 at 12:10 am; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 at 1:10 pm; Women’s World Championship Race 2 at 2:10 pm; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 at 3:03 pm; MX1 Grand Prix Race 2 at 4:03 pm; KTM Trophy Race 3 at 5:00 pm (local time).

LINKS
Youthstream
FIM
FFM-Fédération Française de Motocyclisme
Motoclub Angerien
Saint Jean D’Angely