Exciting
FIM Motocross World Championship restarts on Lommel’s sand
The
final leg of the FIM Motocross World Championship will start off with the
Belgian GP in Lommel this weekend, when the action will restart after a
three week break.
Cairoli
leads the MX1 series with a handful of rivals, including Nagl and
Philippaerts, ready to snatch the Italian’s leadership. Though
Cairoli looks safe for Lommel as he holds a 53 points advantage over runner
up Nagl, who won the latest GP in Sweden.
Musquin sits on top of the MX2
standings with a thin 13 point advantage over Paulin while Swedish GP winner
Goncalves rounds off the top three.
Lommel will also put an end to
the FIM Veterans World Cup where Nilsson holds the red plate with a strong
lead.
The days preceding the Belgian
Grand Prix will host also the MX Rookie, the Motocross competition dedicated
to amateur riders which was successfully started last year in Lommel.
MX1
Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s
Cairoli stands on top of the MX1 points standings and is ready to begin the
final stage of this hard fought Championship beginning this weekend in
Lommel. Cairoli missed last year’s Belgian GP and the remainder of his
last MX2 season due to a knee injury he picked up in South Africa, though he
has a good feeling with the track where he and several other riders normally
practice during the year.
Runner up in the Championship
Nagl will try and close the gap from Cairoli as he will be back to action
after his second season GP win in Uddevalla. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
representative rounded off last year’s Belgian podium after he took a
strong second place in the final moto.
KTM Silver Action’s Barragan,
who won the Belgian GP at Lommel in 2008, will be back this weekend after an
injury kept him away from the Championship since France, stopping all his
Title ambitions. Other riders in the comeback list should be Melotte, Bonini,
Krestinov –who won his first and only MX2 Grand Prix here in 2008-
Strijbos and Ramon.
Philippaerts sits in third in
the Championship and needs a strong season’s finale to get closer to
Italian countryman Cairoli and keep his Title hopes alive. Philippaerts had
a troubled Belgian GP in 2008 but he needs no mistakes now, being 65 points
adrift in the standings.
Racing at home may give LS
Motors Honda’s Desalle a further confidence boost, with the youngster
holding fourth in the Championship right ahead of experienced Coppins.
De Dycker is another home
rider looking for a strong result in Lommel. The Teka Suzuki WMX1 man is
sixth in the Championship and he is willing to start off a podium row after
ending third overall in Sweden.
Last year’s Lovemytime MX1
Pole Position Award winner De Reuver is still injured but plans a comeback
for his home GP at Lierop on the August 30 weekend. The Dutch sand master
also won the opening moto of last year’s Belgian GP.
2008 MX1 PODIUM:
1. Jonathan Barragan
2. Ken de Dycker
3. Max Nagl
2008 MX1 POLEMAN: Marc de
Reuver
Barragan
will be back onboard the works KTM of the Silver Action squad
MX2
By missing the Swedish GP
Musquin, who did not race due to issues related to his recent switch of
manufacturer, saw his two main rivals come closer courtesy of solid outings
in Uddevalla.
Red Bull KTM factory
Racing’s Goncalves won his fourth GP of the season to chip away at the gap
from Musquin as the Portuguese is third in the points standings; Goncalves,
who is based in Belgium, was second on the podium last year, finishing tied
in points with eventual winner Krestinov. Runner up in the Championship
Paulin was also on the Swedish podium; being third overall and just 13
points behind Musquin, the Bud Racing Kawasaki PSM rider has a solid chance
to take back the red plate which he held from round one until round five.
Musquin is due to comeback at
Lommel onboard the factory Red Bull KTM machine to defend his lead and
consolidate his chances to win the first ever World Title, a goal which is
shared by the trio sitting on top of the standings.
Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci
Motocross’ Guarneri is fourth at a safe distance from fifth placed
Frossard of CLS. Roczen, who just won his first ever moto in Sweden –another
great achievement for the 15 year old debutant who already won his first GP
in Teutschenthal- is sixth in the Championship but the Teka Suzuki Europe
World MX2 sensation is expected to break into the top five by the end of the
series.
With the
Belgian GP being the home event for two of the three riders of the KTM
Factory Junior Team MX2, Roelants and Spanish GP winner Van Horebeek, the
duo is expected to perform strong in Lommel as both are the highest placed
home riders in MX2 being respectively 10th and 11th in
the Championship. Last year Van Horebeek took fifth overall in Lommel ahead
of Roelants at his rookie season in the Championship
2008 MX2 PODIUM:
1. Gert Krestinov
2. Rui Goncalves
3. Tommy Searle
Musquin
will defend his Championship lead tooth and nail
VETERANS
Coming back to action after
the penultimate round of the FIM Veterans’ World Cup in Latvia, current
leader Nilsson will try and wrap up his first ever World Cup victory. The
Swedish is pumped after Kegums’ dominant performance –he won both heats
as Iven missed the event due to injury- and has a solid chance of winning
the series this weekend: runner up Iven will miss this round as well while
third placed Lhertiteau is 48 points away.
With Nilsson set to secure the
eventual World Cup victory, Frenchman Lhertiteau aims at moving up to second
but a close Hendrickx will give chase as the Dutchman has also a chance to
take second in the World Cup.
Home rider Blancquaert now
rounds off the top five ahead of Krestinov, though the Belgian was second on
last year’s podium.
Nilsson
has a solid chance to win the World Cup
TIMETABLE
Saturday: Veteran Motocross
World Cup Free Practice 9:00-9:30; MX2 Free Practice 10:00-10:40; MX1 Free
Practice 10:50-11:30; Veteran Motocross World Cup Time Practice 12:00-12:30;
MX2 Pre Qualifying Practice 13:30-14:10; MX1 Pre Qualifying Practice
14:30-15:10; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:00; MX1 Qualifying Race 17:00; Veteran
Motocross World Cup Race 1 18:00.
Sunday: Veteran Motocross
World Cup Warm Up 8:45-9:05; MX2 Warm Up 9:15-9:35; MX1 Warm Up 9:45-10:05;
Veteran Motocross World Cup Race 2 11:15; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 12:10; MX1
Grand Prix Race 1 13:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 15:03; MX1 Grand Prix Race 2
16:03.
\\Mikkel
29/7 2009
Photo/text: Youthstream
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