MXoN 2010: Team Belgium Announced 1

Five-time
world champion and Team Belgium manager Joël Smets made his MX of
Nations selection public yesterday at the traditional Keiheuvel
International in Balen. Clément Desalle (MX1), Steve Ramon (Open)
and Jeremy Van Horebeek (MX2) willrepresent Belgium on the 25th
and 26th
of September in the US (Lakewood-Denver). The Belgian squad has
always made the podium since Smets took over the reins from Joël
Robert in 2007.

Smets
himself
calls the trio ‘a logical choice’. However the conditions played
an important role. Ramon was in balance with Ken De Dycker before the
German GP winner suffered a shoulder injury in Sweden. Smets: "I
have been in touch with Ken a couple of times during the last couple
of weeks. He indicated himself that he can only race full-on for
fifteen minutes. After that the strength in his shoulder is
completely gone. This is a great pity because I would be happy to
have De Dycker on the team and I know that he would have been highly
motivated. Of course there is a possibility that the shoulder has
almost recovered by the end of September. But meanwhile his training
is also behind schedule and how strong is he mentally after such an
injury? For the Nations you have to be at your best both physically
and mentally."

With
Steve Ramon
the Belgian team manager picked a proven quantity. The Bomb knows the
ropes and is almost a guarantee for a top-3 in his class. The
selection of Clément Desalle was the only certainty from the start.
Desalle has been the only rider this season able to challenge Tony
Cairoli on a regular basis. On top of that the Rockstar-Teka-Suzuki
rider has claimed an overall second in his AMA guest appearance in
Undadilla this weekend. More difficult was the choice for the MX2
spot between Joël Roelants and Jeremy van Horebeek. "It was a
tough call,” Smets smiles. “Both have had their little problems
but in terms of speed Jeremy has an edge. In the MX2 World
Championship, there is a clear hierarchy with Musquin, Roczen and
Herling as leaders. Then you have guys like Frossard, Paulin and
Simpson but Jeremy certainly fits in that list."

Just
as in 2007 (Budds Creek) the MXoN takes place
in the U.S. again. Although a U.S. edition provides additional
prestige, it also means extra workload in terms of logistics and
organization. “Still the location was not a determining factor for
the selection, only a bonus. For both the Suzuki riders and Van
Horebeek we can rely on awesome local support, respectively with the
Rockstar-Makita-Suzuki team from Roger Decoster and the Pro
Circuit-Kawasaki team of Mitch Payton. Admittedly, motocross is a
mechanical sport, but the rider’s performance will always have the
upper hand. But, don’t get me wrong we feel fortunate to be working
with two great American teams for Thunder Valley especially because
it will be quite a challenge to set up our bikes for an altitude of
1.859 metres, "says Smets.

Clément
Desalle (Rockstar-Teka-Suzuki):
The 21-year-old Desalle from Gouy-lez-Piéton is currently the best
Belgian rider in the MX1 class. He is second in the MX1 World
Championship standings, won two GP’s and rode to ten podium
finishes and. Thunder Valley will be the second MXoN participation
for the reigning Belgian champion. Clément claimed a podium spot on
his first participation with Team Belgium last year in Franciacorta,
Italy.

Steve
Ramon (Rockstar Teka-Suzuki):
Double world champion Ramon, 30, is gearing up for what will be his
ninth MX of Nations. This makes Steve one of the most experienced
guys behind the gate in Thunder Valley. Ramon took three GP podium
finishes this season. He leads the Belgian MX Pro Series and is
fourth in the MX1 World Championship. The Bomb has four individual
victories to his name in the MXoN and won twice as a member of the
Belgian team.

Jeremy
Van Horebeek (CLS Kawasaki Pro Circuit):
Van Horebeek was on the team on two previous occasions: Budds Creek
(US) in 2007 and Donnington Park (Great-Britain) in 2008.The double
Belgian MX2 champion always made the podium on these occasions. The
20-year-old rider from Lot is currently seventh in the World
Championship despite an injury in the MX2 GP of Latvia. Last year he
won one GP.

NOTE:
The Red Bull Motocross of Nations, or the World championship for
national teams, has been the most important motocross event for
decades now. More than 30 countries from all continents send their
best motocross riders. That’s why the MX Of Nations is often called
“the olympics of motocross”. The Belgian team has won the MX of
Nations 14 times and with 53 rostrum finishes Belgium has the highest
number of podium finishes. This year’s Red Bull Motocross of
Nations takes place in the US, Lakewood-Denver (Colorado) on
september 25/26.