MX1

MX2

THE RACES

YAMAHA RACING
Philippaerts victorious after Brazilian battle

The fourth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship belonged to Monster Energy Yamaha and David Philippaerts as the Italian emerged victorious from two hugely entertaining motos at a sweltering and packed Indaiatuba. The Grand Prix of Brazil saw DP19 take his works YZ450FM to second and first positions to spray overall winners champagne for the first time since the 2010 French Grand Prix.

26,000 spectators filled the grandstands around the excellent racing facility an hour north of Sao Paolo and steamy weather graced the entire weekend as the Grand Prix community faced their second fly-away event in succession. The course was unrelenting in a layout of jumps and corners and was short and compact.

On Saturday the factory Yamahas formation-flew as Frossard led the Qualification Heat from Philippaerts before the Italian took control at the midway point of the sprint and glided to his first pole position since the season-closing Italian Grand Prix last year.

Filling the first slot on the line for the tricky uphill start from a soft gate, Philippaerts and Frossard both launched well and embarked on a spat with Antonio Cairoli for the lead that lasted practically all of the 35 minutes and 2 laps. Clement Desalle also jointed the dispute prior to his error three laps from the flag. Frossard eventually dropped back in third and Philippaerts followed Cairoli to the line.

Another good battle later in the afternoon involved the same cast but Steve Ramon also joined the fray. Desalle again made a mistake and fell and Philippaerts was able to control the moto from the front. Cairoli applied pressure on the penultimate lap but Philippaerts responded by setting the fastest time of the race on the very last lap. The former world champion now has two podium results in 2011. Frossard felt the effects of the thumb strain he sustained in the USA and was fifth at the finish, tying on points with Desalle for third place but losing the podium due to the second race classification.

Anthony Boissiere was searching for points inside the top ten of the leaderboard and finished twelfth in the first moto but a hefty crash in the second left the Frenchman short of breath and holding his right shoulder. Full credit must go to 2010 MX3-GP World Champion Carlos Campano who was riding a stock YZ450F after problems with U.S. customs. The Spaniard aced the holeshot against a gate full of works bikes in the first moto. Campano was sadly unable to last the distance or even start the second due to pain his hand after a fall at Glen Helen last week.

In the world championship standings Philippaerts and Frossard are fourth and fifth respectively with Boissiere in twelfth. The Grand Prix of France (home events for Frossard and Boissiere and in fact the site of the latter’s first moto victory in 2005) will occur in two weeks at St Jean d’Angely and will start a run of three consecutive events with visits to Spain and Portugal following immediately after.

David Philippaerts, 1st:
I am so happy with this win and Brazil is becoming a special place for me after some good motos last year also. The track was nice and every corner was different with the lines, so the riders were going at different speeds. Like last year I have the same points as Antonio but we have the win this time and I pleased about this. I changed my lines during the middle of the second moto and made a big push. Antonio was fast and I knew he would come but I just focussed on the track ahead and set the fastest time on the last lap. We go to France next and I won my first GP there in 2005 and also last season so I am motivated for this race. I’m glad to be heading home now.

Steven Frossard, 4th:
I was happy with the first race because I had a good battle with Cairoli and Philippaerts and it was a lot of fun. In the second moto I took a great start but Philippaerts was faster. At mid-race distance I had a lot of pain in my thumb and I couldn’t brake properly. I had to let Ramon and Desalle go through and I ended the race disappointed with fifth because I was close to the podium. It was difficult today. The first part of the track was good but all the bumps and the uphill of the second half of the lap was very difficult for me.

Anthony Boissiere, 18th:
In the beginning things were OK but the track was hard and difficult. I was twelfth in the first moto and then inside the top ten in the second when I hit Barragan’s bike in a corner. I crashed and it was not possible to breathe for a little while. My shoulder was hurt and I knew I would not be able to continue. I am disappointed with this because I had worked hard during the week and I hope things will be better at St Jean.

KTM RACING

Herlings and Roczen deliver the ‘wow’ factor at the MX2 GP of Brazil
The Red Bull Teka KTM teenage duo Jeffrey Herlings and Ken Roczen were in a class of their own at the MX2 GP of Brazil on Sunday when they split victory in two thrilling motos but it was the Dutch teenager who got the better of his KTM team-mate and rival to snatch the second race and the GP title.

Roczen had already thrown down the gauntlet in the first moto when he put in a stunning performance from gate drop to chequered flag. The young German, fresh from his win in the USGP last weekend steamed into the first turn to grab the holeshot and never looked back from then on. Herlings kept him in his sights for the first half of the race but the young German super kid just progressively pulled away from the rest of the field to cross the line an impressive 11.45 seconds in front.

Roczen shot out of the gates in the second race, grabbed the holeshot and looked like he was about to repeat his first moto performance. But Herlings was tenacious and kept him in his sights, applying the pressure until mid race Roczen made several uncharacteristic mistakes was twice briefly of the bike and in doing so left the door open for Herlings. The Dutch teenager needed no encouragement to charge through and once he had grabbed the advantage, the race was as good as over. The two riders have now split the victory in all of the four GPs so far. Roczen won in Bulgaria and the USA, victory went to Herlings in Valkenswaard and now in Indaiatuba, Brazil. Roczen still holds the red plate as championship leader and said he was happy to leave Brazil without losing any points in the championship. The game is on between the two talented teenagers and the stage set for more exciting duels as the season progresses. The next episode will be in France in two weeks time.

Jeffrey said he was sorry that Ken had crashed because “I want to beat him fair and square.”

“It felt good on the bike, the riding was good today and the crowd was great. This is the second GP win this season and the fourth of my career so now I am really looking forward to the next GP in France,” he said.

Roczen said he had possibly braked a bit too much going down hill.

“Both wheels slipped away but I was back on the bike real quick,” he said. “I was closing the gap but then I made another mistake, the bike went into neutral and I went over the handlebars. I hurt my finger a bit and bent the handlebars so I lost my rhythm.”

Factory team boss Stefan Everts was satisfied with his two young riders.

“I am happy for Jeffrey. He’s still young and he’s learning fast. It’s good for his future to do this kind of race and this kind of victory. Ken is still in the lead, he’s still confident and he’s still the one to beat. Today he had the best speed!”

The two KTM riders mastered conditions in the deeply rutted and very twisty track and were spurred on by a sell-out crowd at the Indaiatuba track about an hour away from Sao Paolo. They also had to tough it out in hot and humid temperatures even though it is officially autumn in southern hemisphere.

Cairoli second in MX1 GP of Brazil after two stunning rides
Red Bull Teka KTM factory rider and reigning world champion Toni Cairoli put in two stunning rides at the MX1 GP of Brazil for a 1-2 result and second place on the GP podium in what were races that had the 20,000-plus Brazilian crowd on their feet and cheering wildly.

Cairoli was clearly back to his usual winning ways as he put in two hugely entertaining and hard fought battles on the tight, deeply rutted track at Indaiatuba about one hour away from Sao Paolo. He tenaciously fought his way back into contention in the first moto, all the time fending off constant attacks from two Yamahas and a Suzuki with David Philippaerts, Steven Frossard and Clement Desalle at the handlebars. Two laps before the close of the race everything was still in the balance but Tony turned up the heat and prevailed against the others by just over two seconds at the finish.

He then went out and fought equally hard in the second moto second moto but this time he had to settle for second behind fellow Italian David Philippaerts in the closing stages.

“It’s always nice to win but I also have to look out for the championship,” Tony said. “I needed to take some points from Desalle and that was my goal. I knew I could have won today but after 20 minutes into the second race I didn’t feel so good but I am happy for the championship and I’m looking forward to the next race.”

It was not a happy weekend for team-mate Max Nagl who was suffering from back pain.

“It was very difficult for me this weekend. I already had a lot of pain yesterday and today also my speed was not so good even if I was not too far off the leaders. I messed up the start in the second moto and I got stuck behind Xavier Boog and couldn’t pass him so I wasn’t riding well this weekend,” the German conceded.

Team Boss Stefan Everts: “Tony made two holeshots today. He won the first moto and he tried right up till the end of the second moto to get past Philippaerts but he just didn’t make it. He was a bit disappointed but its good to see Toni back where he should be again – to fight for the title and that’s good for us. Max had a tough weekend he tried his best but his starts were not so good and he struggled a bit.”

TEAM SUZUKI
DESALLE PODIUMS AT BRAZILIAN MX1

Clement Desalle picked up his third podium finish of the season at a sunny and busy Indaiatuba for the Grand Prix of Brazil by claiming third overall and taking part in a pair of entertaining MX1 motos on his works RM-Z450. The Belgian was a leading protagonist in front of a full set of grandstands, housing 26,000 spectators, and maintained his advantage at the top of the standings at the fourth round of 15 in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

A tight, gnarly and jump-laden Indaiatuba layout was shorter and more condensed than Glen Helen last weekend where Desalle captured his second success of 2011. The constant jumping and turning, coupled with the high temperatures, gave the lively Brazilian event a special character of its own.

A turbulent day on Saturday saw Desalle marking some of the fastest lap times in both practice sessions but then several mistakes in the Qualification Heat left the Belgian with 12th pick of the gate. Team-mate Steve Ramon came through the race with sixth place.

On Sunday Desalle spent a long time adrift of the intense tussle for first position between three riders in the first moto until an immense push drew him up to and into contention entering the final stages. He flighted from fourth to second place in one lap but then made a mistake on the fast descent by the pits and had to run wide and re-enter the track via the start-gate. Desalle started well in the second moto but a misjudgement after he had passed Antonio Cairoli for the lead across the finish line jump saw him enter the following corner too fast and he tipped over in the berm. The recently-turned 22-year-old beat Frossard to fourth again and picked up his trophy thanks to his second moto ranking.

Ahead of Desalle in Moto2 was Ramon, who was strong and proactive and broke into the top three of a race for the first time this season. The former World Champion was seventh at the first time of asking and the combined total led to a final position of fifth in Brazil.

Desalle keeps the red plate by 11 points over Max Nagl with Ramon now 10th in the MX1 championship standings. Rockstar Energy Suzuki WMX1 is next in action in two weeks time at 2011 Motocross of Nations venue St Jean D'Angely for the Grand Prix of France.

Clement Desalle:
"This circuit was pretty difficult for me. I crashed three times in qualification and finished 12th to try and get the best position possible in the gate because the start is important here with the uphill. It was my mistake on Saturday and I have to learn not to do it again. My start was not great in the first moto but I came back really well. I made a big mistake by the pit-lane and I was really disappointed by that. In the second moto I was fighting with Tony, took the lead; and then decided to change my line a little bit over the finish tabletop. I couldn't complete the corner and crashed. I restarted and rode to fourth and made the podium, rescuing some points. This was not my best weekend but it could have been worse."

Steve Ramon:
"I'm pleased with today. The first moto was a little bit difficult. I was feeling good but the speed was too slow, so I was not there from the beginning. I struggled a little bit to seventh and I knew I could do better. In the second moto I was at the front and could follow the speed of the top guys and was riding well. Three laps before the end I was getting a bit tired because I'm still not in peak fitness. Anyway I was happy with the second moto and to be part of that battle for the first positions."

KAWASAKI RACING

MX2 - Unwanted assistance proves costly for Tommy Searle
Tommy Searle of Kawasaki Team CLS fought back to finish 4th at the Brazilian round of the FIM World MX2 Championship after spectator interference had forced him to start the GP from the final gate.

The English rider had shown tremendous pace throughout both practice sessions and looked comfortable holding second place in the Saturday afternoon qualification race until a single error left him temporarily winded. Before he could pick up his bike two spectators jumped the fence and touched his bike; whilst their actions in no way helped Tommy, the ruling of the world governing body is quite clear and officials had no alternative than to make him go to the start gate last in both GP races even though he had completed the qualifier in 9th place. The handicap of starting from the very outside gate meant that Searle faced a long battle through the pack in both races; in the closing stages of both GP motos he was setting faster lap times than the winners, but the early deficit meant that he was restricted to 4th place on each occasion. Although Tommy lost a few points to each of his major rivals for the title around the thrilling hillside track at Indaiatuba, 60 miles to the north of Sao Paolo, he maintains a clear third place in the championship.

Team-mate Max Anstie also faced a difficult weekend after feeling sick all week, but the teenager showed great resilience, making no mistakes to ride two sensible races for 6th and 7th placed finishes to maintain his top six world ranking.

Tommy Searle: “I only just missed another podium, but it is frustrating because I think everyone could see that I should have been racing for the win this weekend. A single mistake on Saturday, and the actions of others which were beyond my control, wrecked my weekend. I was fast in every practice and felt comfortable in second place behind Roczen in the qualification race until I made that one mistake in a corner, winded myself and bent back my finger. I got back in the race to finish 9th, which would have give me a decent start gate for the GP, but spectators had jumped over the fence and touched my bike so I had start from the very last gate. I got pushed out at the first corner of race one when another rider went straight on, and I just couldn't ride my own race back where I started. I kept getting caught up in everyone else's race. In the second race I again found it hard to get my rhythm, taking the pace of the riders I was following. I was on Paulin for third with two laps to go but then I made a mistake and lost him again."

Max Anstie: “I struggled a little bit all week. I’ve been hanging around with Tommy and I think I caught the flu he had last week. I felt tired all weekend long; at least I didn’t crash and took some good points so that was good. I didn’t finish where I wanted to be, but I felt so tired and was riding tight. Now I’ve got two weeks to rest and prepare for the French GP. The track here in Brazil was fun to ride, but it was also difficult to make passes; I enjoyed the track, but didn’t want to risk making too many mistakes and did the best I could in the circumstances. I know the track in France; it's a fast track, and I will be ready for it.”

MX1 - Two top ten finishes for Xavier Boog
Xavier Boog of the Kawasaki Racing Team bounced back to form in 4th round of the FIM World MX1 Motocross Championship series to twice finish top ten at Indaiatuba in Brazil.

The Frenchman made a spectacular start to the weekend with a stunning fourth place in the Saturday qualifying race to raise expectations of a return to the forefront of the action. Xavier's Kawasaki again got him out of the gate in the top six of both points-scoring races on Sunday, but rider errors, one early in race one and another towards the end of race two, cost Boog a couple of places.

KRT team colleague Jonathan Barragan, still not fully recovered from a bout of sickness, had also performed well in the qualifying race to finish 8th, but bad luck dogged the Spaniard on race day. A first lap off-track excursion in race one left him with him with an inoperative brake as green fencing became entangled in his wheel and prevented an effective recovery, whilst the combination of a hot day and a tough track on his weakened body meant that he could only advance four places to finish 9th during race two.

Only recently back in action after a month-long layoff Gregory Aranda of Kawasaki Bud Racing showed good speed to post fourth-best time in the Sunday morning warm-up, but he inevitably suffered from arm pump so soon after his long layoff and was restricted to 14th and 16th place finishes.

Team-mate Davide Guarneri suffered even worse luck, a heavy crash during the qualifying race leaving him with a painful neck and the Italian sensibly sat out the remainder of the weekend's racing.

Xavier Boog: “This weekend was much better than the previous GPs, and I hope it’s a first step forward in my season results. I had good starts all weekend, had consistent lap times and battled for a top five result for the first time this season. Unfortunately I made a couple of mistakes which cost me several positions; on the first lap of the opening race I came up too short on a jump and lost three places, then at the end of the second moto I made a mistake in a corner which let Nagl and Strijbos pass me. It's a pity I lost those points, but it was important for me to battle in the top five again. Next weekend I will defend my lead in the final race of the French Elite series; it will be a good training before the French GP.”

Jonathan Barragan: “It was a tough weekend, especially in the first race. I crashed on the first lap and got some green fencing in my rear wheel, so I had no more brakes and crashed two times more. I could only get a few points, and then in the second race I was riding too stiff and finished ninth. I’ve been sick for two weeks and still didn’t feel well; now we have two weeks before the next GP so I will hopefully have time to recover.”

Gregory Aranda: “It's been a frustrating weekend for me, as I suffered from arm pump again. I already had this problem during the first race in the US, but I was coming back after one month without a race so I thought that was the reason. But it was worse here and I will go to the doctor for a check-up as soon as I get back home. I didn't get a good start in either race, and that, together with this problem in my arms, meant it was tough to ride.”

Davide Guarneri: “I crashed hard in Glen Helen last week, but I came here determined to have a good GP. It was going well during practice, but then in the qualifying race I crashed hard in front of the pit lane and fell on my head. For a few seconds I had no feeling in my body and I was scared. I had pain in my neck and visited the hospital for a check-up; they didn’t find anything wrong but I will go for another check-up when I get home to Italy. It was not possible to race here, and next weekend I will not race in Belgium as intended; the goal is to recover and be ready for the French GP.”

HONDA WORLD MOTOCROSS
Compromised starting positions crucial factor on race day

Saturday’s incident packed Qualifying Race had serious knock-on implications for both Honda World Motocross Team riders in Sunday’s main event motos. Both Bobryshev and Gonçalves started from unfavoured gate positions after a disrupted qualifying heat, Gonçalves lined up in 10th, Bobryshev 17th.. As a result there was a heavy price to pay.

Coming from outside in the start gate was always going to be tough and in the first moto Bobryshev and Gonçalves could only elevate themselves to the fringes of the top 10 as they rounded the first turn. On a track that was extremely difficult to pass, with really only one fast line, improving this position was tough going. Bobryshev hunted down Boog to move into 8th but could not quite position himself for a pass on Ramon by the end of the moto. Gonçalves also struggled to make progress through the field and was forced to settle for a 10th place finish. Antonio Cairoli took the win with David Philippaerts close behind.

Unfortunately worse was to come in the second moto.  Bobryshev got out of the gate well and powered to the first turn at the front of the pack but a collision with Balbi as he got squeezed outside, would put him down. Forced to come from the back of the field, Bobryshev would put in a heroic ride to 11th but that was as far as it was possible to climb.

Gonçalves once again got swallowed up off the start but pushed through to 7th by the end of lap 1. However he would struggle to get into the groove and was shuffled back through the field in the middle part of the moto. A crash on the uphill wave section of the Indaiatuba track, added to the woes in what was a troubled race for the Portuguese, eventually finishing 13th. David Philippaerts took the win and the overall.

Evgeny Bobryshev, Honda World Motocross:
“I am disappointed man, I had good speed in the qualifier but the result was not what I needed to set me up. The track was tough to pass and in the first moto it was hard to make any progress. In the second moto I got away well but had a big crash in the first turn. I got run over and kind of lost my bike for a minute. When I got going again, I was right at the back. 11th was the best that I could do. I need to put this weekend behind me.”

Rui Gonçalves, Honda World Motocross:
“This was a bad weekend really. I got arm-pump in the qualifying race and got a pretty bad gate position. The first moto was difficult and I crashed in the second in the uphill waves. The light was going in that part of the track and I just got my wheel in the wrong rut. I will move past this weekend and focus on the next round in France.”

YAMAHA VAN BEERS RACING TEAM
Marc de Reuver scores ten World Championship points at Brazil

Marc de Reuver of the Yamaha van Beers Racing Team scored ten World Championship points at round four of the World Championship Series at Brazil. De Reuver crashed hard at the US Grand Prix in Glen Helen and injured his knee. Marc had to recover during the week but was ready to go in practice on Saturday. His speed was OK in the first free practice session and he set the 15th fastest time. In the pre-qualifying session he posted the 19th fastest time and in the qualifying heat he finished 18th after a great battle for 17th position.

In the first moto he didn’t took a good start and came out of the first corner around 23rd position. He found his rhythm straight away and after several laps he worked himself up into the points. Some laps later he moved into 17th position but in the closing stages of the race he got passed and crossed the finish line in 18th position.

In the second moto he took a much better start and started the race in 15th position. In the beginning of the race he had several battles around 15th position but before the middle of the race he already moved into 12th position. De Reuver was riding a consistent race but in the second part of the race he got passed by two riders and finally finished the race in 14th position. Overall he finished in 17th position and after four rounds he sits in 18th position in the World Championship Series.

After his strong ride at the Grand Prix in Glen Helen Petar Petrov had a lot of self confidence for the race in Brazil. It didn’t took him long to get used to the track and in the free practice session he set the 12th fastest time and in the pre qualifying session he posted the 14th fastest time. He had a lot of bad luck in the qualifying heat because right after the start he collided with another rider because he had to avoid a huge crash. At this collision his bike got damaged and because of this he had to retire from the race during the first lap.

Despite a bad starting position he took a good start in the first moto and came out of the first corner in 18th position. During the first lap he lost some positions but after that he started a charge and managed to pass several riders in the opening laps of the race. Just before the middle of the race he moved into 16th position but at that moment the 15th place rider was already to far gone to pass so he had to be satisfied with 16th position in the first moto. In the second moto he took a good start as well and this time he was riding in 15th position till disaster struck the young Bulgarian rider. With still five laps to go he crashed out of the race and didn’t score points. Overall he finished in 18th position and in the World Championship Standings he sits in 16th position after the race in Brazil.

Next weekend the Yamaha van Beers Team will participate in round three of the Belgian Championship Series at Kester.

HONDA RACING

Weather: Sunshine
Temperature: Ambient 25 degrees C
Attendance: 26,000

DE DYCKER TOP HONDA RUNNER AT STEAMING BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX

At a full-capacity and impressive Indaiatuba circuit for the Grand Prix of Brazil David Philippaerts won his first MX1 race of the season, round four of fifteen in the 2011 FIM Motocross World Championship. Honda were best represented by LS Honda Racing’s Ken De Dycker who ended a hot and hard day in seventh overall.

The compact course (normally a Honda Traffic School) offered a contrast to the fast and open expanses of Glen Helen last weekend. The red dirt was mainly hardpack and forged into many jumps with tight corners creating an energy-sapping but spectacular lap.

The MX1 class again provided great entertainment with three and four-way battles for victory. Ken De Dycker was just adrift of the leading group but his sixth and tenth positions on the CRF450R were enough for his highest points haul of the season so far.

In tenth overall was Honda World Motocross team’s Evgeny Bobryshev. The Russian was not able to repeat his podium result from California last weekend mainly due to a crash on Saturday that left him seventeenth in the start gate.  A slip and engine stall in the first moto placed him eighth while a tangle and fall on the first corner of the second race meant that he had to push hard for 35 minutes and 2 laps to reach eleventh. Just behind ‘Bobby’ in eleventh in the final ranking was team-mate Rui Gonçalves who couldn’t find a rhythm across the rough bumps and suffered a crash in the second affair. The Portuguese was tenth in Moto1 and thirteenth overall.

It was a hard day for LS Honda Racing’s Shaun Simpson who was mystified as to his lack of race pace throughout the afternoon. Like Bobryshev Simpson was handicapped by a lack of fortune in the qualification heat and had to find a slot in the gate for a tricky uphill start from twenty-second. The Scot was sixteenth at the end of the day, just one slot behind Team Salucci Racing’s Manuel Monni. Top domestic runner on the CRF450R was Roberto Castro Miranda who grabbed the final berth on the leaderboard in twentieth.

Swian Zanoni had to count the cost of racing in the United States last week. His injured hand was too painful to consider competing at his home event in the MX2 class. The Brazilian youngster hopes to be back on his CRF250R in two weeks when the series resumes in Europe. Hector Assuncao De Freitas was thirteenth overall for Honda Brazil and received the acclaim of the crowd.

As the FIM World Championship approaches the end of the first third of the calendar Bobryshev sits in sixth place in the points table and stares at a deficit of twenty-two to break into the top five. Gonçalves is just two in arrears. De Dycker and Simpson are also together, holding fifteenth and sixteenth respectively.

Round five will take place in two weeks at St Jean D’Angely for the Grand Prix of France.

Ken De Dycker (LS Honda Racing)
Race Result: 6th/10th Championship position: 15th
“It was quite a hard and difficult day. It was not easy to pass. I had a good start in the first moto and although I lost two positions it was OK to keep the speed. You had to be very careful not to make mistakes, especially around the slower riders. In the second moto from the beginning I did not feel strong enough. The track was sticky in places but not in others and it was hard to find traction. We were always turning-jumping, turning-jumping so it was tough. We are getting better though and I hope we can improve the bike a bit more and aim for better results in the next Grands Prix.”

Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda World Motocross)
Race Result: 8th/11th Championship position: 6th
“Everything depended on the start and I had bad luck on Saturday because I crashed twice and stalled the bike. I was seventeenth and that was bad for this gate. I struggled coming from a lower position and couldn’t find good places for overtaking. In the second race I had a big crash on the first corner and it felt like someone ran over my neck. When I stood up I was dizzy and couldn’t find my bike! I came back to eleventh and for twenty minutes it was great but then I lost the speed and couldn’t catch anyone else. I don’t know why. A bad weekend to be honest.”

Rui Gonçalves (Honda World Motocross)
Race Result: 10th/13th Championship position: 7th
“It has been a tough weekend. In the first moto I didn’t get a good start and I pushed hard in the first two laps to make positions. I got up to tenth place but the speed wasn’t there to get further. I did not have arm-pump like I did on Saturday but couldn’t go forward. In the second race my start was better but on the waves up the hill I got cross-rutted and crashed, going over the bars. I dropped back to twenty-something and for a couple of laps I was not so sharp because of the crash. I got the speed back but we were all going the same pace. It has been hard but we have two weeks now to work on things before the next race.”

Shaun Simpson (LS Honda Racing)
Race Result: 13th/18th Championship position: 16th
“I felt like I lacked a bit of speed all weekend and yesterday was a bad start to the GP. In the heat race I was near the back around the first corner and went back to twenty-first and it gave me a bad gate pick, someone even stole my position in the second moto. Despite being down there I got away OK both times and was near in the top ten; if I had been any higher I don’t think I would have been able to stay there anyway. I don’t know why I struggled to get in the rhythm. Thirteenth was the level of where I was at in the first moto but I was looking for better in the second moto until I made a mistake going up the rolling hill and had quite a big crash. Luckily I am OK and can work on trying to meet the pace of these other boys and get up the front a bit more.”

Swian Zanoni (Honda World Motocross)
Race Result: DNS
“It is great to be in Brazil and as a world championship rider. I had an injury at the start of the season with my hand and it meant I wasn’t able to train properly. I then had another problem just before the U.S.GP and I rode at Glen Helen but with a lot of pain and unfortunately it was not possible to ride here at my home Grand Prix. I will now have two weeks of therapy and some laser treatment and I hope I will be able to ride at the Grand Prix in France.”

Roger Harvey, Off-road Manager, Honda Motor Europe:
“We expected a lot better to be honest. We were lucky with Evgeny’s crash in the second moto because someone hit his head and he came out of it without an injury and also pushed pretty hard. I was disappointed with Rui; I thought he could have done a lot better and the same also for Ken who although got his best result of the season so far faded in the second moto. Shaun was strong in the second moto in the USA last week but had nothing here. It has been a hard two weeks for the teams logistically and with two demanding events so we will be glad of a short break before we go into three Grands Prix back-to-back.”

LS HONDA RACING
De Dycker first Honda at Honda-backed GP
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The sunny and hot Grand Prix of Brazil at the spectacular Indaiatuba venue lived up to and even exceeded expectations. Italian David Philippaerts won the exciting MX1 race, round four of fifteen in the 2011 MX World Championship while Ken De Dycker placed seventh overall.

After Canelinha in 2009 and Campo Grande last year the Brazilian GP moved to its third location in as many years. Once again the South-American leg of the series mounted a sweaty and technical challenge for the riders. De Dycker was able to produce a strong comeback to sixth in Saturday’s qualifying race after a weak start around 17th position. Unfortunately Shaun Simpson who circulated just outside the top ten in the first part of the race could only muster a disappointing 21st position.

The enthusiastic capacity crowd saw De Dycker taking a great start in the first sprint. The tall Belgian was in fourth after the leading trio of Cairoli, Philippaerts and Frossard. After thirty-five minutes and two laps Keeno rode his CRF450R to sixth position, thus earning his best moto result of the season. Team-mate Simpson suffered an un-samba-like experience. Placing just outside the top ten at the early stage of the race Shaun started to push, however he wore himself out and lost speed due to arm pump. When he managed to overcome the pain in his arms the flying Scotsman had lost too much time and he had to settle for a lonely 13th.

The second sprint of the day saw similar close racing action. LS Honda Racing’s Ken De Dycker climbed up from 11th to 7th in the space of only three laps. However he succumbed to the heat and the tricky track conditions to seal tenth. Simpson’s race started promising gating tenth, but he gradually lost ground and went down in the downhill whoops section when trailing Marc De Reuver. Eventually Shaun would obtain 18th.

Ken De Dycker: “It was quite a hard and difficult day. It was not easy to pass. I had a good start in the first moto and although I lost two positions it was OK to keep the speed. You had to be very careful not to make mistakes, especially around the slower riders. In the second moto from the beginning I did not feel strong enough. The track was sticky in places but not in others and it was hard to find traction. We were always turning-jumping, turning-jumping so it was tough. We are getting better though and I hope we can improve the bike a bit more and aim for better results in the next Grands Prix.”

Shaun Simpson: “I felt like I lacked a bit of speed all weekend and yesterday was a bad start to the GP. In the heat race I was near the back around the first corner and went back to twenty-first and it gave me a bad gate pick, someone even stole my position in the second moto. Despite being down there I got away OK both times and was near in the top ten; if I had been any higher I don’t think I would have been able to stay there anyway. I don’t know why I struggled to get in the rhythm. Thirteenth was the level of where I was at in the first moto but I was looking for better in the second moto until I made a mistake going up the rolling hill and had quite a big crash. Luckily I am OK and can work on trying to meet the pace of these other boys and get up the front a bit more.”

STEVE RAMON
Ramon strong in Brazil

Steve Ramon has enjoyed a strong result in the Brazilian GP as he posted a 7th and a 3rd in the two motos, taking a solid 5th overall.

In the opening race of the day Ramon grabbed a decent start, heading around lap one in 6th position and looking good. As the race settled in Ramon struggled slightly to get into a fast rhythm, but after a solid race with De Dycker and Nagl he crossed the finish line in 7th position.

A little disappointed with his raw speed in the fist moto, Ramon blasted his Suzuki out the gates in race two and was hot on the tail of Frossard, as the leading group blasted around the tight and jumpy circuit. For the opening laps Ramon was right in the heat of the battle as Philippaerts was also on a charge trying to get his way through. Mid race Ramon managed top get himself past Frossard, then a mistake by Desalle awarded Ramon yet another position as the ‘Bomb’ now sat in 3rd position behind Cairoli. Keeping his cool Ramon raced mistake free to the finish, scoring 3rd position.

Steve Ramon: "I'm pleased with today. The first moto was a little bit difficult. I was feeling good but the speed was too slow, so I was not there from the beginning. I struggled a little bit to seventh and I knew I could do better. In the second moto I was at the front and could follow the speed of the top guys and was riding well. Three laps before the end I was getting a bit tired because I'm still not in peak fitness. Anyway I was happy with the second moto and to be part of that battle for the first positions."
 

GAUTIER PAULIN
Paulin on the podium in Brazil

Gautier Paulin has enjoyed a good weekend in Brazil as the young Frenchman rode two strong races to take third overall.

With a quick jump out of the gates in race one Paulin chased the KTM duo of Roczen and Herlings through the first turn, whilst Zach Osborne challenged hard close behind. Osborne and Paulin battled bar to bar for the opening laps, with Osborne getting past Paulin, but as the race progressed Paulin got himself back into third position as he tried in vain to catch Herlings. Maintaining position GP21 crossed the line in third position.

Another good start in race two saw Paulin once again tucked in behind the two KTM Factory riders, but this time the race was on. Roczen again in front, but Herlings and Paulin were chasing hard, and at the midway point Herlings took the lead. Paulin was now hot on the tail of Roczen, with Tommy Searle chasing down the leading trio. With a nail biting finish Herlings took the win with Roczen just holding onto second place, a second ahead of Paulin in third, who in turn was just 1 second ahead of Searle who took fourth.

Gautier Paulin: “I’m pretty happy to be back on the podium. Third place is not the best position but this is a pretty good start. Ken and Jeffrey are very fast but I know what I have to do. I can improve from this. The whole of Monster Energy Yamaha team are behind me and I can feel their support and I must get in the habit of pushing hard at the beginning so I can think about victory. I will be working on this before my home Grand Prix.”

QUALIFYING

TEAM SUZUKI
RAMON 6TH ON BRAZILIAN MX1 GATE

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1's Steve Ramon completed the Qualification Heat at Indaiatuba in sixth position to seal the same slot in the start gate for the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday. Team-mate and FIM Motocross World Championship leader Clement Desalle set the quickest time in free practice but several mistakes in the Heat race left the Belgian fighting from the rear of the pack and he crossed the finish line in 12th.

The compact, twisty and jumpy circuit north-west of Sao Paolo was a tricky test for the riders but Desalle and Ramon adapted quickly. Ramon altered his rear suspension to deal with the slippery hardpack and Desalle, winner only last Sunday, was first and then second in the two practice sessions.

The two Suzuki riders touched at the start of the 20 minute and 2 lap sprint and when Desalle erred and crashed on the first circulation he was lucky not to be hit by Ramon. Number '25' rallied back through the field but another two slips caused setbacks and he did well to end the race in 12th, nursing a sore left leg. Ramon enjoyed several tussles and held off Ken De Dycker on the last lap for his ranking.

More fine weather is predicted for race-day although the early sunset could pose a problem for the MX1 racers as their second moto begins at 16.00.

Steve Ramon:
"Today was good. Straightaway from the beginning of the day my riding was fast. We changed the rear suspension a little bit for the timed practice. Things went well and I had a good spot for the gate but I struggled a little bit at the beginning because Clement made a mistake and I touched his rear wheel. He then crashed on the third corner and I hit his bike. I was a bit lucky but I had to recover from that. It is not an easy track and I didn't take any risks for tomorrow."

Clement Desalle:
"My start wasn't so good and I was close to the top five. Barragan was ahead of me and put his leg out to do the corner and I touched it with my front wheel and crashed. I restarted and came back well but crashed two more times. I made some laps to see where I could come back to and managed 12th, which is not too bad in the situation; tomorrow is another day! I have a bit of pain in my leg but it should be OK. I am close to the top 10 for the gate and that will be OK. I think even without a good start I can push for the win."

HONDA WORLD MOTOCROSS
Bobryshev exceeds limit in Qualifying Race

In a thrilling Qualifying Race in Indaiatuba, Brazil, Evgeny Bobryshev pushed a little too hard and sacrificed a choice gate pick for tomorrow’s motos.

After a promising start and full-gas first few laps, Bobryshev was sitting pretty in 3rd place, having just seen off Xavier Boog with a fine pass. However, not content with 3rd, he continued to push, catching the two riders in front. Moments later a mistake under heavy braking would cause a stall of his CRF450R. As he attempted to kick it in to life, several places were lost and he eventually rejoined the moto in 8th.

On the charge again, he would move back up to 6th position before a small crash put pay of his chances of a top 10 finish. Another crash late on would seal it as a race to forget. 17th position by no means a reflection of the pace shown but the hard charging Russian.

Rui Gonçalves would also have a race to forget, struggling with arm-pump from the outset. The hard and compact clay soil of the Indaiatuba track may have been a factor but nonetheless he would battle on to a finish of 10th position. Once again thoughts will turn early to tomorrow and to when it really matters.

Evgeny Bobryshev, Honda World Motocross:
“I was trying so hard, pushing, pushing, pushing and I make silly mistake under braking and stalled the bike. I was catching the guys in front and closing on them every lap. After mistake I couldn’t get back in rhythm and made another mistake, crashing and then again. I will put this behind me and focus on tomorrow’s motos.”

Rui Gonçalves, Honda World Motocross:
“I got arm-pump really early on, from lap 1! I don’t know where it came from and I couldn’t get rid of it. I just couldn’t hold on, I couldn’t feel the bars properly at all. My plan is to try and force it on in tomorrow’s practice so I can get it out of the way. Usually you only have arm-pump once a day and if I can force it on then I can push past it for the motos.”