Press Release

Suzuki Mx1 Team Ready For Sevlievo GP

ocscottie
4/18/2012 11:41am

The Grand Prix of Bulgaria at the Sevlievo
circuit and the second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship is
the next challenge in store for the Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1
team this weekend.

The series kicks up a gear with the trip east
as the Italian stop on the 16-race schedule follows hard upon it and
gives the Belgian factory crew with the Suzuki RM-Z450s two hard-pack
terrains to contend with in the next fortnight.

Clement Desalle
(22) goes to the award-winning hilly layout having finished second at a
wet Holland last week and with decent 'previous' at the venue, scoring
2nd and 1st positions in the motos in 2011. The Belgian also breached
the top three in 2010 on the RM-Z450 and is chasing a 100% record in
Bulgaria. "The podium at Valkenswaard was a good way to start the season
even if I would have preferred a win!" Desalle said. "I've been doing
some hard-pack riding this week and I feel happy going to Bulgaria.

"We
had a good Grand Prix there last year but the track will be difficult
to judge because it can either be dry and hard or wet and bumpy. A lot
will depend on the weather and the terrain that we find," he added.

The
facilities and course at Sevlievo are of such a standard that the site
opened the FIM Motocross World Championship in 2010 and '11. Normally
fast and flowing with overtaking possibilities at the top and bottom of
the long hillside straights, Sevlievo also has some spectacular jumps
and has produced some exciting and close racing over the past few years
and since it was inaugurated in 2002.

Tanel Leok endured a hard
weekend in Valkenswaard due to problems with his arm and leg. The
Estonian has been recovering over the past week and is anticipating his
second outing on the works RM-Z450. "Every day it has been getting
better," said Leok, who is currently ninth in the standings. "My arm
already feels stronger and I'm encouraged by the state of the leg and
ankle. It feels a bit stronger and that gives me hope for the weekend. I
think the track will be good for me. It really depends on how it
changes through Saturday and Sunday and how tight and rough and the
amount of bumps that come through."

The early weather forecast for the weekend predicts cloudy, cool and rainy conditions.

MX1 World Championship standings: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 44 p.;
3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), 40 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA,
Kawasaki), 32 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Ken de Dycker
(BEL, KTM), 31 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 29 p.; 8. Shaun
Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 23 p.; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 22 p.; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 20 p.

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