Teutschenthal, 23rd of September 2012 - LS Honda Racing’s Jonathan Barragan had scored a fine second position last weekend in the seventh round of the Spanish MX Elite championship. Unfortunately the sixteenth and final round of the 2012 FIM Motocross World Championship didn’t bring Jonathan or the team the results they are aiming for. Barragan collected 18th overall in Teutschenthal, dropping him two positions down in the final World standings to finish 14th. While 14th overall in the world is no mean feat it’s a disappointing outcome for both LS Honda Racing and Jonathan Barragan.
The renovated Talkessel circuit (new banking and infrastructure changes to accommodate the massive event that is the FIM Motocross of Nations in 2013) was a busy and vibrant place for the final Grand Prix of the season. Things were looking up for Barragan during qualifying. After a solid start inside the top ten the LS Honda Racing rider circulated ninth for most of the affair. A couple of laps before the end he lost one position to vice world champion Clément Desalle to finish tenth.
Sunday’s racing took place in front of forty thousand passionate spectators. The multiple Spanish champion crashed in the opening moments of the first moto and struggled to find a good rhythm thereafter. Jonathan brought his bike home in seventeenth position. Powering his CRF450R to a decent start in the top 10 Barragan was keen to get a good result under his belt before defending his national colours in the MX of Nations next weekend in Lommel, Belgium. However the second outing ended bitterly as a scrape with the banking on one side of a corner led to a painful right finger. The injured pinkie was later diagnosed to be fractured. Barragan was forced to withdraw from the race and dropped to fourteen in the championship as a result of the DNF. Jonathan Barragan: “A bad way to end a bad year. I crashed at the start of the first moto and tried to push hard to recover positions, but couldn’t get a good feeling on the track. In the second race I tipped into a corner and caught my hand against the wall of mud there. I felt a lot of pain and had to pull into the pits. We went to see the doctor right away and he explained I had a fracture, which does not look good for the Nations. All I can do is look towards the future now and be happy to get 2012 out of the way.”
Steven Lettani, LS Honda Racing team manager and owner: “Teutschenthal was the end of a hectic and strange season for us. Again Jonathan missed some luck in Germany, but we hope he can wrap up the Spanish Championship in La Baneza in three weeks time. Things didn’t go our way but I’m proud about the work ethic that the LS Honda Racing team members have displayed in the face of adversity. We have a great group of people working at the races and loyal sponsors supporting our efforts. That’s the core of our organisation. All of us are hungry to fight back so you can be sure to see much more from us next year. In a way we are sad to see Barragan leave because the guy still has potential. On the other hand we have some very exciting developments to look forward to. I hope to share them with you soon!”
MX1 Race 1 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:20.857; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:04.984; 3. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:23.134; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:29.686; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:33.895; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:35.278; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:36.056; 8. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:53.085; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:53.887; 10. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:57.687; 11. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +0:58.655; 12. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +1:02.379; 13. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +1:12.511; 14. Milko Potisek (FRA, Honda), +1:28.087; 15. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:33.101; 16. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:33.576; 17. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, LS Honda Racing), -1 lap(s); 18. Bryan Mackenzie (GBR, KTM), -1 lap(s); 19. Austin Howell (USA, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s); 20. Jamie Law (GBR, KTM), -1 lap(s);
MX1 Race 2 1. Tony Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:24.135; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:04.862; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:07.977; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.607; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:25.935; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:30.107; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:46.263; 8. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:50.282; 9. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:09.831; 10. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +1:10.953; 11. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +1:11.974; 12. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:20.928; 13. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +1:28.762; 14. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:49.114; 15. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +1:49.867; 16. Bryan Mackenzie (GBR, KTM), +2:03.077; 17. Jeremy Delince (BEL, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 18. Jamie Law (GBR, KTM), -1 lap(s); 19. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Honda), -2 lap(s); 20. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, LS Honda Racing), -7 lap(s);
GP of Germany classification 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 40 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 30 p.; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 26 p.; 9. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 10. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 24 p.; 11. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 19 p.; 12. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 16 p.; 13. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 16 p.; 14. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 14 p.; 15. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 13 p.; 16. Bryan Mackenzie (GBR, KTM), 8 p.; 17. Milko Potisek (FRA, Honda), 7 p.; 18. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, LS Honda Racing), 5 p.; 19. Jeremy Delince (BEL, Yamaha), 4 p.; 20. Jamie Law (GBR, KTM), 4 p.; 21. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Honda), 2 p.; 22. Austin Howell (USA, Kawasaki), 2 p.;