Press Release

French GP proves tough going for Proppa.com KTM


St
Jean d'Angély is one of the most popular tracks on the world
championship circuit and with both MX1 riders entered into the round, Proppa.com
KTM made the long trek into the south of France to take part in what
was to be a tough event. Riders and spectators alike woke to scorching
sunshine on Saturday morning, temperatures remaining high throughout the
day until late afternoon when heavy rain cooled things down.





The Saturday sessions proved to be tough on both Martin Barr and
Nathan Parker. During the qualifying race, Barr got off to a good start
in eighteenth and looked to impress, but a crash in the third lap
dropped him to the back of the field. A hard charge returned him to
twenty-fourth by mid-race, where he fought off Herjan Brakke to the end.
Parker found himself in thirtieth after the first lap, keeping sight of
and pace with GP veteran Loic Leonce throughout the race, ending in
twenty-eighth.





An epic thunderstorm soaked the track through properly on Saturday
evening, and on Sunday morning, the track was still wet when the first
MX1 race went to the gate. Barr didn’t have the best of starts but was
making good progress holding a tight line up the inside of the first
hill when Clément Desalle went down in front of him, causing him to take
evasive action and dropping back down the field. A hard-fought, valiant
effort brought him back into the points to nineteenth, only to be
pipped to the post in the closing laps and ending twenty-second. In the
second race, Barr found himself within a hair's breadth of twentieth
again, but without a rear brake for a portion of the race, he dropped
back several places before recovering to twenty-sixth for a
disappointing twenty-eighth overall and nil points.





Parker on the other hand found himself making good progress
throughout both his races. In race one he looked tentative and was at
the back of the field as he completed the first lap, however he soon
settled down, learning quickly to make hard passes where necessary and
make the most of arising opportunities to win more positions. His
efforts gained him a twenty-eighth place by the end of the race. In race
two he looked much more like himself and although he again made a poor
start he rode aggressively throughout the whole race progressing to
twenty-seventh by the finish, crossing the line just 1.7 seconds behind
his team mate, ending the weekend in twenty-ninth overall.





Team principal Steve Turner commented, "It's been a tough weekend on
a tough track, and it's the kind of track we're not used to riding.
Martin struggled to find his rhythm all weekend, and today he looked
like he would score points in the first one, only to get passed by a few
people in the last few laps and missing out on a point-scoring ride.





"This weekend was a good test for Nathan, and he got his first GP
under his belt. He really struggled in his first race; it's the first
time he's raced at this level and he was too cautious and too polite
when he was getting passed by the front runners. But he learned and in
the second race he rode a lot better and was much more aggressive.”





“Both riders suffered from poor starts and at this level if you
don’t get way with the fast guys it’s very tough to come back through
the pack. The MX1 field is stacked with good riders and they’re all
fast. I suppose that’s the biggest difference when you step up to this
level. I mean, look at David Philippaerts who finished 3rd in the first
race, but after falling off on the first lap in the second race even he
could only get back to 18th."





Martin Barr: "I'm pretty disappointed this weekend. All day Saturday
I struggled with the track, I was just not riding the way I normally
can and just couldn't get a good rhythm. In the first race I didn't get
the best of starts, tried to cut round the inside but Desalle went down
in the second corner and I got caught up in that. When you don't get the
start, with these guys it's hard to come through again because they are
just so fast, and I ended up in 22nd. In the second race, I had another
reasonable start, then got tangled up with a few people. I got going
again, put my head down and then without a back brake stalled the bike a
couple of times coming down the big downhill sections. I ended up 26th
in that, and that's not where I want to be. It's a weekend to forget,
and I'm just looking forward to Whitby at the Red Bull Pro Nationals
this weekend."





Nathan Parker: "Yesterday wasn't as enjoyable as today, even though I
had longer races today. Yesterday I struggled with my confidence more
than anything, just nerves and riding tense. I qualified 28th in the
heat race, which is better than what I'd been doing previously in the
day. Today I felt a lot less pressure. I got a bad start in the first
race and didn't realise I was dead last in the first lap, so pulling
back to 28th was a good ride. I didn't get too tired, which was a good
sign. In the second race I had an alright start, dropped quite a few
places in the first lap and started pulling through and got to Martin. I
think I pushed that much that I knackered myself out and looked and
there was still 17 minutes and two laps to go! So I slowed down a little
bit, got my breath back and then charged again towards the end and
ended 27th. So two strong rides and the first GP ever out of the way
with no drama and no injuries, I'm happy with the way it went."

0 comments

The Latest