FUNCHAL (PORTUGAL), 11 June 2008 – It is time to come back to the track for the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship collective, entering the third of six rounds this weekend at St. Jean d’Angely, France.
Good news for the local fans is that home rider Livia Lancelot leads the points standings in what is shaping up as her best season in the series.
 Livia Lancelot crossing the finish line at Mantova |
GPKR’s Livia Lancelot is 100% ready for her home round of the Women’s World Championship; the series leader from Paris has been ill for the past week but she had the time to recover and will be ready to defend the red plate this weekend.
Livia has some hard work ahead if she wants to remain at the top of the hard fought Championship; 2006 and 2007 World Cup winner Katherine Prumm, now riding for Yamaha Van Beers, is only two points behind Livia while American star Ashley Fiolek is third with a gap of ten points. Despite a broken right ACL, Prumm is not surrendering and is giving an incredible demonstration of strength and determination.
 An injured Katherine Prumm mounted on her first season’s podium at Mantova |
Rounding off the top five, German compatriots Maria Franke of Kawasaki Elf Pfeil and Larissa Papenmeier of Suzuki Inotec are two other riders with Title ambitions. Papenmeier took victory of the first heat in Sevlievo but injured her right foot in the following heat, compromising the overall result of the opening round but making up for it with a podium finish in Mantova.
The Italian round marked the comeback of 2005 World Cup winner Steffi Laier, who took a clean sweep and won the event despite a damaged ligament in her right shoulder. KTM Germany’s Laier is now ninth in the Championship.
 Steffi Laier stormed right to victory at her first appearance in the Championship |
The French round might also mix the three riders who are now fighting for the sixth place in the series as Elin Mann, Elien de Winter and Marianne Veenstra are now spread in just four points.
FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP COLLECTIVE REMEMBERS JAN DE GROOT
Jan de Groot passed away on the 4th of June 2007 because of a serious illness and the whole Motocross World Championship collective honoured his presence at St. Jean d’Angely (10th of June 2007) by taking one minute of silence ahead of the start to the GP. One year later the paddock people still remember Jan, a man who gave a great contribution to the sport.
CIRCUIT DU PUY DE POURSAY AND SAINT JEAN D’ANGELY
The French hard pack course played host to the Motocross of Nations in 2000 and was back in the GP calendar last year after Ernée hosted to the 2006 French GP. Since last year some sand has been added to the race track, where some obstacles were reshaped to offer new riding lines. In 2007 Yamaha completed a clean sweep at a sweltering St. Jean, with Coppins winning the MX1 class and Cairoli topping the MX2 podium.
 St. Jean hosts the Women riders for its first time to become the first French round in the history of this dedicated series |
Saint Jean D’Angely is a French town surrounded by a beautiful natural landscape, characterized by the river Boutonne that flows through the town. St. Jean is 150 kilometres North of Bordeaux and the border to Spain and it has got a population of about 7500 inhabitants (data from 2006). Among the town’s most interesting and historical buildings are the Abbaye Royale (Royal Abbey) and the Fontaine du Pilori (Fountain of Pilori) which can be watched while walking through the traditional St. Jean d’Angely’s market which is on every Wednesday and Saturday.
THE EVENT’S SCHEDULE
Saturday June 14: KTM Trophy Free Practice 1 at 8:10 am; Women’s World Championship 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; KTM Trophy Free Practice 2 at 12:55 am; Women’s World Championship Free Practice 2 at 1:20 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; KTM Trophy Time Practice at 4:15 pm; MX1 Time Practice at 4:40 pm; MX2 Last Chance Qualifying Practice at 5:25 pm; Women’s World Championship Time Practice at 6:05 pm; KTM Trophy Race 1 at 6:50 pm (local time).
Sunday June 15: KTM Trophy Warm Up at 8:30 am; Women’s World Championship Warm-up at 9:00 am; MX2 Warm-up at 9:30 am; MX1 Warm-up at 10:00 am; KTM Trophy Race 2 at 10:25 am; Women’s World Championship Race 1 at 11:10 am; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 at 12:10 am; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 at 1:10 pm; Women’s World Championship Race 2 at 2:10 pm; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 at 3:03 pm; MX1 Grand Prix Race 2 at 4:03 pm; KTM Trophy Race 3 at 5:00 pm (local time).
LINKS
Youthstream
FIM
FFM-Fédération Française de Motocyclisme
Motoclub Angerien
Saint Jean D’Angely
Information, photos and results are online at www.motocrossMX1.com, the official website of the FIM Motocross World Championships.
MediaZone Moto is the leading global online broadcaster of Motocross and SuperMoto events. Fans worldwide can watch the thrills from this and every race of the 2008 FIM Motocross & SuperMoto World Championships LIVE and On Demand exclusively at www.MediaZoneMoto.com.
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 SuperMoto World Championship, the FIM SuperMoto of Nations, the FIM Snowcross World Championship, the UEM Motocross European Championship and the UEM SuperMoto European Championship.
6/11/2008 3:59pm
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