FIM Motocross World Championship Discovers Mallory Park at Round Six

FUNCHAL (PORTUGAL), 28 May 2008 – Great Britain will play host to the sixth round of the FIM Motocross World series this weekend on the brand new course at Mallory Park, which was built inside the famous road racing facility.

David Philippaerts leads the MX1 standings since the Portuguese Grand Prix while Tyla Rattray and Tony Cairoli are still battling tooth and nail for the MX2 lead, currently owned by the South African.

In occasion of the British Grand Prix, the FIM Veterans’ Motocross World Cup will restart with the second of three rounds. Dutchman Toine van Dijk leads the points standings after Spain with home rider and last year’s Cup winner Dave Thorpe ready to fight back.

MX1

With everyone expecting home rider David Philippaerts to take victory at Mantova, the Yamaha Monster Motocross’ rider lost from an impressive Marc de Reuver and ended an eventual third. The Honda Martin Dutchman took his first overall win in the MX1 class courtesy of two solid third places in the heats.

De Reuver is finally getting to grips with his new factory Honda bike and team, as he showed by improving his results constantly until he topped Mantova’s podium, and he is now seventh in the standings.

Marc de Reuver put Honda back on the top of the podium at Mantova

GPKR’s Sebastien Pourcel will be out for revenge in Mallory, as he lost the overall in Mantova due to a disappointing final moto result. Though the Frenchman is keeping up the good work by being on the podium at every Grand Prix since Agueda.

After losing the red plate, Teka Suzuki WMX1’s Ken de Dycker was back in the top five at Mantova while team mate and defending Champion Steve Ramon still holds the runner up position in the Championship.

Third placed in the Championship Joshua Coppins continues to collect vital Championship points at every event but the Yamaha Motocross’ Kiwi is still preparing his assault to the top after an off season injury compromised his fitness in the opening rounds.

Home rider Billy Mackenzie of CAS Honda sits fifth in the Championship but was spotted several times at the lead during this beginning of the 2008 season. Though Mac211 has not yet appeared on the podium as several crashes have hampered his overall results.

Billy Mackenzie concentrating before the start to a GP

On the other hand Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Nagl took a surprising win in Mantova to refresh his podium memories from Valkenswaard, while KTM fellow rider Jonathan Barragan was psyched up after last weekend’s victory in the MX3 Spanish round at Alhama de Murcia.

Max Nagl who one moto in wet Italy

MX2

Winning the Grand Prix of Italy to become the only two time GP winner in 2008 was not enough for Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s Tony Cairoli to come back at the top of the MX2 points standings.

The Italian is still runner up to a strong Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tyla Rattray, as the South African collected his third consecutive podium at Mantova, missing the overall win by just one point.

In his last appearance in Great Britain, Tony Cairoli won the MX1 GP at Donington

The leading duo is closely followed by other Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Tommy Searle; the three are breaking away from the rest of the field, with the opposition being headed by Ricci Racing Yamaha’s Nicolas Aubin.

Searle looks forward to his home event as his maiden MX2 GP win dates back to the 2007 British Grand Prix at Donington. In the meantime the 18 year old has collected another victory in Sevlievo this year.

Aubin rode strong at the latest Grand Prix at Mantova, taking victory from Searle in the opening heat and finishing fourth overall. The Frenchman was right in front of KTM UK’s Shaun Simpson, who is another one looking forward to his home race at Mallory.

Since his move to KTM Simpson is growing stronger and stronger. He collected his first career’s podium at Sevlievo four years after his GP debut in 2004 at the Isle of Wight. This was actually the last home Grand Prix appearance for Molson Kawasaki’s Stephen Sword, who now follows Simpson in seventh place after several years of injuries.

Since he moved to KTM, this is a new quicker Shaun Simpson

Sword will seek revenge after the latest two Grand Prix’s; a technical problem in Sevlievo and a tangle with another rider in Mantova saw the likeable Brit fail to score points in one heat per Grand Prix.

Stephen Sword looks forward to the home fans in Mallory

FIM VETERANS’ WORLD CUP

The popular series dedicated to the Motocross legendary riders will touch Great Britain for the second consecutive year, as the home fans saw multiple World Champion Dave Thorpe collect the Cup’s victory last year at Donington. Thorpe actually had a hard time at round one in Bellpuig and finished ninth overall while Toine van Dijk took victory in the extremely wet conditions. The Dutchman currently leads the points standings from Scott Eastwood and 2006 Cup winner Thierry Godfroid. The trio expects Thorpe’s comeback for Mallory, where also CCM mounted Greg Hanson will chase the victory of his home round. Belgian Peter Iven is fourth in the Championship standings.

Dave Thorpe struggled in the Spanish mud

MALLORY PARK CIRCUIT AND KIRKBY MALLORY

The motocross course of Mallory Park is built inside the popular road racing facility but the race track itself is right out of the road course – next to the start straight. The man made circuit has a medium-soft ground with the corners’ soil being enriched with sand. The circuit runs anticlockwise and its spectacular layout has many elevation changes, making it quite technical and demanding. The FIM Motocross World Championship collective at Mallory will benefit of the road racing course facilities, including the paddock in tarmac. As the Motocross World Championship riders will see Mallory for their first time, the races on the road course have hosted several World Champions such as John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini. The weather forecast predicts rain for the weekend.

Kirkby Mallory is a small town located in the rural area of Leicestershire and it is 50 kilometres away from Birmingham. The town is very well known for the road racing course of Mallory Park, hosting many international events such as the FIM Motocross series which open the local area to the rest of the world. The name of the town comes from an eminent family of landowners of the Medieval times, the Malory ( or Mallorre) family.

THE EVENT’S SCHEDULE

Saturday May 31: Veterans 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; Veterans Free Practice 2 at 1:15 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; MX1 Time Practice at 4:30 pm; MX2 Last Chance Qualifying Practice at 5:15 pm; Veterans Time Practice at 6:00 pm (local time).

Sunday June 1: Veterans Warm-up at 9:00 am; MX2 Warm-up at 9:30 am; MX1 Warm-up at 10:00 am; Veterans Race 1 at 11:10 am; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 at 12:10 am; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 at 1:10 pm; Veterans Race 2 at 2:10 pm; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 at 3:03 pm; MX1 Grand Prix Race 2 at 4:03 pm (local time).

LINKS
Youthstream
FIM
ACU-Auto-Cycle Union
RHL Activities / British MXGP
Mallory Park
Leicestershire