 FUNCHAL (PORTUGAL),
23 June 2010 – Following the German round in Teutschenthal, the Latvian
Grand Prix will take place this weekend to mark the ninth stop of 15 in
the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar. Having won Latvia in
2009, MX1 series leader Tony Cairoli looks forward to racing on one of
his favourite tracks while team mate Marvin Musquin will try to win in
this venue where he has not yet celebrated an overall
success.
With five different GP winners in the last five GP’s,
Cairoli will try to establish his position of MX1 series leader by
winning at Kegums, where last year he fought tooth and nail with current
runner up Clement Desalle. David Philippaerts completes the top three
in the Championship ahead of German GP winner Ken De Dycker. For this
Grand Prix, Japanese Tomoya Suzuki will make his maiden appearance in
the series.
In the MX2 class Musquin dominates but runner up Ken
Roczen has found renewed confidence through his second moto win in
Germany. The German will try to make up ground in Latvia and at the same
time keep third placed Steven Frossard at a safe distance.
The
FIM Veterans’ World Cup will be back to action in Kegums with series
leader Mats Nilsson to face runner up Erwin Hendrickx and third placed
Pascal Bal on the soft Latvian soil.
MX1
Red Bull KTM
Factory Racing MX1’s Cairoli leads the MX1 standings with an advantage
of 65 points from runner up Desalle. The Italian is seeking success in
Latvia like he did in 2009, when the series made its maiden appearance
in the country. Despite missing the podium in Germany, Cairoli has been
consistent and limited the damage with a fourth place overall.
Being
currently second in the Championship, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s
Desalle was Cairoli’s main opponent in Latvia last year, when the
Belgian took a break from Suzuki to steer a private Honda machine.
Desalle is mounting on the podium since the American GP and is
determined to chase Cairoli until the Title chase remains alive.
Another
one being consistent is Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross’ Philippaerts,
the 2008 MX1 World Champion. Philippaerts managed to get a podium
despite riding ill in Germany and is now nine points
behind Desalle with the duo battling for second in the Championship.
Yamaha
fellow rider De Dycker stormed to fourth in the Championship courtesy
of two moto wins in Teutschenthal last weekend. The Belgian is 16 points
behind Philippaerts and seems to have finally found the right feeling
with the bike, which was dramatically changed in terms of engine and
general set up before the German Grand Prix and gave De Dycker renewed
confidence.
A broken left collarbone did not prevent Nagl from
racing at home in Germany, so that he could defend his Championship
classification where he sits in fifth place.
Ramon and Boog are
respectively sixth and seventh ahead of Estonian Leok, who is expecting
many home fans to cross the border and offer their support in Latvia.
With Pourcel out after a massive crash in Germany and Barragan
recovering from an early season injury, Boog will be the sole Kawasaki
Racing rider in Kegums.
Having taken a
podium in Latvia Last year, Coppins still seeks his first podium on the
Aprilia while last year’s MX2 overall winner Gonçalves sits in 16th
place as he is still adapting to the MX1 class.
Making the trip
from Japan to debut in the Grand Prix series this weekend is Tomoya
Suzuki, appointed by the Asian Motorcycle Union to represent the
continent this weekend as he is currently the best rider in their
continental Motocross and Supercross series.
Latvia Honda Elksni racer Steinbergs looks
forward to his home Grand Prix and aims at a strong outing in front of
his home fans.
2009 MX1 PODIUM:
1. Antonio Cairoli
2. Clement
Desalle
3. Joshua
Coppins
2009 MX1 POLEMAN: Ken De Dycker
Photos available at www.motocrossmx1.com/gallery
MX2
Having
been struck by bad luck at the start to his second FIM Motocross World
Championship season, Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2’s Roczen seemed to be
finally back to business when he wrapped up his second heat win of the
season in Teutschenthal’s second moto. The 16 year old from Apolda,
Germany, was second on the podium and remained second in the
Championship but he is now out with victory ambitions for the final half
of the series.
While Roczen was struggling, Red Bull KTM
Factory Racing MX2’s Musquin went on to take an enormous amount of
victories –seven out of eight- and Championship points. The French won
his maiden Title last year and is now on top of the Championship with a
77 point advantage over Roczen. Musquin, who missed victory only in
Valkenswaard, aims at taking his first career win in Latvia where last
year he arrived a close second to Gonçalves.
Kawasaki CLS’s
Frossard is third in the Championship but missed the podium in Germany.
Frossard was tenth in Latvia last year but a successful sand riding
preparation over the winter has improved his riding skills dramatically
and the he will be hunting a podium finish this weekend. Frossard
actually took his maiden podium on the sand this year at Valkenswaard.
Other
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2 representative Herlings struggled in
the last GP’s and has dropped down to fourth in the Championship with a
strong Osborne chasing him from fifth.
The Bike-it Cosworth Yamaha UK racer is on the podium since his home GP
in America while Herlings’ last podium was in Portugal. For both rivals
the track will be all news as both missed the Grand Prix last year –
even though Osborne raced a Junior World Championship event there in
2003.
Simpson is a close sixth to Osborne while Tonus, Van
Horebeek, Roelants and Nicholls complete the top ten.
Paulin,
who completed the Latvian podium in 2009, has a lot of ground to make up
due to a leg injury which prevented him from racing until the Catalan
GP.
With 16th in the Championship, Karro is the best placed home
rider followed by Latvia Honda Elksni’s Justs in 43rd position.
2009
MX2 PODIUM:
1. Rui Gonçalves
2. Marvin Musquin
3. Gautier
Paulin
2009 MX2 POLEMAN: Rui Gonçalves
Photos available at www.motocrossmx1.com/gallery
VETERANS
After
the series made its maiden appearance in the USA at Glen Helen, where
home rider Doug Dubach took his maiden win, Swedish Nilsson is still
leading the Cup which makes its return to action this weekend on the
Latvian track.
Nilsson, who started his winning streak in Latvia
last year after previous leader Iven picked up an injury, looks forward
to the venue but knows his closest rivals in the series – runner up
Hendrickx and third placed Bal – will be highly motivated to reopen the
chase to the Cup in these last three rounds.
TIMETABLE
Saturday:
Veterans Free
Practice 9:25; MX2 Free Practice 10:00; MX1 Free Practice 10:45;
Veterans Time Practice 13:00; MX2 Pre Qualifying Practice 13:35; MX1 Pre
Qualifying Practice 14:20; Veterans Race 1 15:15; MX2 Qualifying Race
16:05; MX1 Qualifying Race 16:55;
Sunday: Veterans Warm up 8:30;
MX2 Warm up 9:00; MX1 Warm up 9:30; Veterans Race 2 11:15; MX2 Grand
Prix Race 1 12:10; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 13:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2
15:03; MX1 Grand Prix Race 2 16:03.
LINKS
Youthstream
FIM
Grand Prix of Latvia
|
Youthstream is the
company that manages the exclusive television, marketing and promotional
world wide rights of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the FIM
Motocross of Nations, the FIM Women's Motocross World Championship, the
FIM Veteran's Motocross World Cup, the FIM Junior Motocross World
Championship, the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, the FIM SuperMoto of
Nations, the FIM Snowcross World Championship, the UEM Motocross
European Championship, the UEM Motocross of European Nations and the UEM
SuperMoto European Championship.
www.MotocrossMX1.com |
