Challenging Day For CAS Honda in Faenza Washout

29th March 2009 – Round One of the World MX1 Championship – Faenza, Italy

The opening round of the World MX1 Championship in Faenza, Italy was certainly challenging for CAS Honda's Cedric Melotte and Billy Mackenzie today, who finished in 20th and 21st positions in race one, before the rest of the day's proceedings were cancelled due to atrocious weather conditions.

Yesterday's sessions couldn't have been more of a contrast to today's washout, as Mackenzie and Melotte concluded the closely contested qualifying race in sixth and 13th positions. However, with the unrelenting rain overnight and throughout this morning, the treacherous track conditions were almost un-rideable for the CAS Honda duo in race one.

Melotte got a steady start to the race and after pitting to change his goggles, he concentrated working his way up through the order at the rain-sodden, Italian track. The 30-year-old Belgian rider had pushed his way through to eighth position by the third lap, but the race was certainly a lottery with riders struggling to negotiate their way around the difficult course.

Melotte battled on, but with conditions deteriorating lap-by-lap of the 35-minute plus two-lap moto, the CAS Honda pilot eventually had to abandon the race, finishing in 20th position.

Mackenzie gated well in the opening moto, but the with the heavy mud present around the rain-soaked circuit, the 24-year-old Scottish rider was forced to remove his goggles on reaching the top of the first hill. The horrendous roost from the riders ahead meant that, despite catching them on several occasions, visibility was so poor that he was unable to make any real progress.

Like many riders, Mackenzie battled on, and he fought hard to keep his machine upright in the ultra-tough conditions. The CAS Honda pilot found it difficult to stay aboard his CRF450R, as thick mud plastered his machine, making it incredibly slippery to sit or stand on.

Mackenzie negotiated his way around the many fallen riders and bikes strewn around the track, before his own machine became buried in a rut in the closing stages, which ended his race battle to finish in a disappointing 21st position.

Due to the worsening conditions at the Italian track the remaining day's proceedings were cancelled, and the CAS Honda squad will now head to Bulgaria for the second round of the World MX1 Championship next weekend.

Cedric Melotte #10 – 20th position (race two cancelled)

"It was a very difficult race for everyone today. I got a fairly steady start but after only a handful of laps I had to come back to the pits to change gloves and goggles because I couldn't see, and everything was covered in thick mud. I managed to get up-to eighth position after rejoining the race, but then I got stuck a few times and it was really hard out there just to get round. I had to stop in the end, which was disappointing and frustrating as the team has worked so hard all weekend. I really wanted to reward them with a good start to the season, but it was a lottery today, and the mud made it impossible to get any rhythm. I hope we can make amends next weekend in Bulgaria, which hopefully will have better weather than we've seen here, and we can gain results we are capable of."

Billy Mackenzie #211 – 21st position (race two cancelled)

"Conditions out on the track were definitely a bit crazy. I felt really good yesterday and my CRF450R was working well, but the track was really dry and fast, so everyone's lap times were quite close together. Today that all changed, and it was really a race of luck. I got a good start and I looked up to see I was in about sixth place, but before I'd even reached the top of the first hill I'd been completely filled in by the rider in front. My tear-offs were full of mud and I had to take off my goggles only two corners into the race. Then, every time I got closer to a rider ahead I had to back off because I just couldn't see. I had a few crashes around the track because the seat was so slippery from the mud and I was just trying to hold on. There were riders everywhere on the track and I ended up stuck in a huge rut, which pretty much ended my race. Obviously it's not exactly how we wanted to start the season, but the track was in really bad shape. On a positive note Saturday was good for us when the conditions were more normal, and we didn't pick up any injuries today, so hopefully it will get better for us from here."

Neil Prince: CAS Honda Team Manager

"The weekend started well for us, with Billy top of the time sheets after first practice. Both riders felt good out on track and we found a good set-up with our race machines. However, with the amount of rain that fell overnight, the conditions were treacherous before warm-up this morning. By the time we started the first race, the track had deteriorated even more, and despite the efforts of both riders, it was very much a lottery out there. Cedric was within the top ten, but with riders stuck all over the circuit, it was definitely a difficult race, and he was forced to abandon his bike with a few laps to go. Billy got a good start, but the poor visibility meant he didn’t make so much progress, and towards the end of the race he got his machine stuck, which ended his battle. The rest of the day's programme was cancelled as the rain continued and we just have to hope for better conditions in Bulgaria next week so we can get a much better idea of where we are at, as we certainly are not here to finish in the positions we achieved today."

Results:

1. Tanel Leok 2. Ken de Dycker, 3. Clement Desalle 4. Aigar Leok 5. Antonio Cairoli 6. Josh Coppins 7. Maximillian Nagl 8. Tom Church 9. David Pillippaerts 10. Jonathan Barragan 11. Jason Dougan 12. Steve Ramon 13. Gareth Swanepoel 14. Marc de Reuver 15. Julien Bill 16. Kevin Wouts 17. Kevin Strijbos 18. James Noble 19. David Vuillemin 20. Cedric Melotte 21. Billy Mackenzie 22. Gert Krestinov 23. Rob van Viifeiiken 24. Sebastien Pourcel 25. Carlos Campano