Press Release

Yamaha MX1 GP: Philippaerts and Cairoli Grace French Podium

Yamaha filled two places on the podium in front of 38,000 spectators at a vibrant Ernee circuit for the Grand Prix of France. The eighth stop of fifteen on the FIM MX1-GP World Championship calendar. Reigning champion David Philippaerts picked up his fourth rostrum, and third appearance in succession, with the runner-up spot on the YZ450FM while Yamaha Red Bull De Carli's Tony Cairoli was third for his fifth trophy of the campaign.


The Ernee course had last seen Grand Prix action in 2006 when Stefan Everts rounded off an incredible career and tally of records and achievements with victory on the steep French slopes. The course had benefitted from attempts to make the dirt softer but the quantity of stones and the loose top soil meant that it was slippery and forced riders to take risks in the pursuit of difficult overtaking chances.


The opening sprint of 35 minutes and 2 laps took place under a shower in what was a case of 'four seasons in one day' as rain, sunshine, a thunder storm and even hail appeared throughout the afternoon. The rainfall caused the first moto to be the wettest and muddiest for the MX1-GP riders since the opening round at Faenza, Italy.


Philippaerts, winner of his first GP of the season last week at Mallory Park, held off Clement Desalle for 2nd place in Moto1. He then recovered from a crash and another slip in a busy Moto2 (that was the most entertaining race of the day) to plot his way through the field to secure 4th.


Cairoli had an average start and could not rise higher than 7th in the processional fare that was Moto1. He was more proactive in Moto2 after surviving a tangle with Josh Coppins and team-mate Tanel Leok and his speed around the rougher bumps lifted him to 2nd place by the end of the distance.


Estonian Leok had a better Grand Prix than in Britain last week and was 4th overall. The Italian Champion defied two crashes in Moto1 to score 8th and then chased Cairoli to 3rd spot later in the afternoon. Leok passed Josh Coppins to move into the top three (the first time since round four in Valkenswaard). The New Zealander managed 6th in the final classification, giving Yamaha four riders high up the leader-board, despite more fitness problems. After taking 6th in the first race he spent a sizeable part of Moto2 clinging onto a rostrum slot with 3rd but was powerless to resist the assaults of Cairoli, Philippaerts and Leok in the throes of the meeting.


Yamaha representatives have been present on the podium at all eight rounds so far. With the injury and absence of Jonathan Barragan the world championship standings are beginning to narrow in its focus as to who will claim the '09 MX1-GP title. Cairoli leads by 30 points over Philippaerts in second; in total all four Yamaha riders fill the top seven positions with Coppins in fourth and Leok seventh. Thanks to YZ technology Yamaha also enjoy a 44 point lead in the manufacturer's standings.


Now into the second half of the campaign the teams face a three week journey across northern Europe in two weeks time. Round nine will occur at Talkessel in Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany before travelling to Latvia and Sweden.


David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 2nd:


"I am happy with today because I had two crashes in the first moto but had some good lines and made a decent race to save a podium position. We had two different races. In the first the line wasn't very big and in the second there was more choice but it was rougher and more difficult. Max was very fast today but I want to push to be faster than him; for the last two GPs it has been us two at the front. We still have a lot of races to go in this championship and riders like Josh and Desalle will play a part yet. It was nice to race here in France with all the fans packed in the amphitheatre, when you jump past them you can see many faces."


Tony Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 3rd:


"I did not train this week and had some pain in my back after Mallory. I was quite scared last week that I had done some damage and was relieved when nothing showed up in the examination. I was looking forward to this GP even though I wasn't feeling 100%. It was a shame about the rain in the first moto because passing other riders was actually pretty dangerous and I needed to learn a bit more about riding an MX1 bike in these conditions; it was only Faenza at the start of the year when we raced in something similar. My confidence with the bike is good but I still need to get experience in weather like this."


Tanel Leok, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 4th:


"That was a bit better. The first race was difficult because it was muddy and slippery; I crashed twice. Coppins went down in front of me but because I could not see that well I hit him then Tony struck me and a few of us were having problems there! My goggles misted up after that and it was tricky to focus, but I did not want to throw them away. I was feeling good but was making mistakes and after another crash I chucked the goggles. The second race was good but did not start well because I touched Pichon on the start straight and lost a lot of ground. I attacked the first lap and passed a lot of guys, and I was happy with that because it is part of my riding that I have been working on. It was hard to overtake Josh for a while there but at the end I could push harder."


Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 6th:


"I got tired and didn't have any power at the end; there was nothing left in the tank. I still have the same problem as the last few GPs and I am not sure why because my strength is normally my strong point. So I am struggling a little bit at the moment and need to get it fixed."


Crowd: 38,000

Weather: Changeable

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