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KTM Racing
Double victory for Tommy Searle at MX2 Grand Prix of France
Red Bull KTM factory rider Tommy Searle on Sunday wrapped up his first career 1-1 result for a clean sweep of the Grand Prix of France at St. Jean D'Angely and took possession of the coveted red number plate as championship leader.
 Searle rode two superb races for the top podium slot. After a glorious ride in the first race, he took an early lead in race two. Title holder Antonio Cairoli challenged Searle for the front position about ten minutes into the race but the Italian slid off the bike and Tommy took charge again.
Elated Searle
"I came to the track hoping for some points but I never thought I would end up with a 20-point lead. It's a great birthday present for me," the 19-year-old said. Tommy celebrated his birthday on Friday. "This is the first time I have had a double win. It gives me confidence and makes me mentally strong for Germany. It's a track I like," he added.
Rattray makes two great recoveries
Red Bull KTM's Tyla Rattray made two magnificent recoveries from the back of the pack in both races. He got tangled with arch rival Cairoli in race one and while the Italian was unable to complete the race, Rattray made a charge from the back of the field, eventually rescuing points to finish in sixth place. In race two he was equally competent recovering from an incident at the start to charge through the field to close the gap on Searle in the final stages, locking down second in both the race and the GP. "I am not that happy because I had set myself a goal of getting back the red number plate but I can be satisfied," he said. "I crashed with Toni (Cairoli) in the first race and although I managed to start again I was right at the back. Then I hit the gate a bit in the start of the second race and was only about fourth or fifth. But I managed to get close to Tommy. There's still a lot of races to go and I like the track in Germany. I can have a good ride there."
Third place in the GP also went to KTM thanks to French rider Anthony Boissiere of the KTM-supported Team HDI France who was riding on his favourite circuit and enjoyed a lot of support from the French fans.
Goncalves finishes thirteenth
The third Red Bull KTM factory rider, Rui Goncalves of Portugal finished the day with sixteenth and eleventh position in the two races for overall thirteenth and expressed disappointment that until now he has not been able to convert his good training results into equally good ones on the track. "I have to get rid of the pressure I am putting on myself," he said. He is sixth in the championship standings.
Everts satisfied
Team boss Stefan Everts was also very pleased with his MX2 riders. "It was a good weekend for us. Both Tommy and Tyla got a lot of points. Our boys are concentrated and consistent. They are very strong and got great results by fighting hard. That's what we expect from our riders," he said. "Tyla was lucky that the bike was not damaged and he was not injured in the crash with Toni Cairoli. He's a very strong fighter and it was a great result for him. Now Tommy and Tyla can put pressure on Toni and they know they can beat him. This result is very important for our confidence for the coming races."
The weekend shakes up the championship standings between the top three contenders with Searle and Rattray getting both the points and psychological edge on arch rival Cairoli and underlining that after seven rounds, the championship is still wide open.
MX1 Podium place for Jonathan Barragan in France
Jonathan Barragan of KTM-supported Team Silver Action scored a 3-6 result in the two MX1 motos to finish on the podium in third place at the Grand Prix of France at St. Jean D'Angely to be the best KTM rider.
"The first heat was good even if I did have a crash at fourth place and dropped back to seventh. I managed to close the gap and finish third and that was the maximum I could do as I was quite tired from the crash. This is a difficult track and it's not my favourite, the Spanish rider said. "I had a bad start in the second race because there was a crash in front of me but I came from behind and I overtook 25 riders. The results were not the best but it was enough to get me on the podium and to pick up some more points."
Nagl solid despite health problems
Given the fact that he has some unresolved health problems, Red Bull KTM factory rider Max Nagl of Germany also had a good day picking up a total of 29 championship points for his seventh and eighth position in the two races for overall GP fifth. He will have medical tests in Germany this week but said he was "really exhausted" after 20 minutes on the track in each of the races. "I was still able to pick up some points and to move up two places in the championship standings," Nagl added.
Everts confident
"Considering his physical condition, Max rode well in the first heat and he also rode very well for the first 20 minutes of the second heat," team boss Stefan Everts said. "He has not been able to train as much so I am quite happy. He has a good feeling and he's going in the right direction. He will make a good comeback and will get the results."
Barragan, who won the last GP in Britain, and Nagl in his first year as a factory rider with the Austrian manufacturer, are currently in sixth and seventh place in the championship standings.
Grand Prix Kawasaki Racing
Sébastien Pourcel dominates the MX1 pack in France
Once more Saint Jean d’Angely near La Rochelle hosted the French Grand Prix - the seventh
round of the World Championship.
In the past Sébastien Pourcel has never been successful on the track where he made his GP debut six years ago but this time he was unbeatable and claimed his fourth GP win of his career.
The fast French track was pretty slippery on Saturday as the organisers had no time to work on the track between the sessions with a busy schedule including the Women’s World Championship. First and then second during the free practice sessions Sébastien posted the ninth fastest lap time during the timed practice period but in the same second as the pole man.
The track was well prepared for the race and the weather was much better than expected with clouds but no rain. Starting both heats from the ninth position on the grid, Seb finished twice in the top five and produced an impressive opening lap to come third in the first race behind Ramon and Coppins. The World Champion crashed in the fourth circulation and offered the second place to Sébastien who put some pressure on Coppins and passed him five laps before the finish flag.
 After this fourth heat win of the season Seb was confident for the next race, where he posted a better start and then took the lead during the first lap. Once more Ramon and Coppins were his main rivals and both pushed hard in second and third position for 35 minutes but Seb had the race under control and never offered any opportunity to his rivals.
For the second time of his career he won both heats of a Grand Prix and collected another overall win aboard his GPKR Kawasaki. As some of his rivals had a bad weekend in France he is now fourth in the standings, only 30 points from the leader. His team-mate Alexandre Rouis qualified for the third time in a row and missed his first World Championship point when he finished 21st during the first race and later 23rd.
Saint Jean d’Angely also hosted the third round of the Women’s World Championship and Livia got the second time behind Pfiel Kawasaki rider Maria Franke in the timed practice session. She grabbed the holeshot twice and led the opening race for three laps before Steffi Laier passed her. Second in this moto, Livia was leading the second heat and then battled with Prumm for second position when she stalled the engine in the sand section and lost three places. Fifth for this race and third overall in her home GP Livia is now second in the standings two points behind Prumm before the next and penultimate event in Germany.
Sébastien Pourcel: “Except Saturday it was a great weekend for me. The track was hard for the qualifying session and I’m not used to practising or racing on this ground - I couldn’t find the grip. Today was much better in the first race some of my rivals helped me as Philippaerts and Ramon both crashed alone. Then I was battling with Josh Coppins during the entire race, a few laps before the end I found a place to pass him.
“I was pushing harder in the second heat and got the lead early, then I stayed focussed on my lines, found some good ones and made a gap over Ramon. I rode steadily, for a few months I know how to manage a race when I’m leading and even when Steve reduced the gap at mid-race I stayed confident. I didn’t make any mistakes and I’m happy because in the past maybe it would have been more difficult. I had huge support from the crowd, it’s the first time that I won a Grand Prix in France and that was great to see those fans so happy.”
Livia Lancelot: “I’m disappointed, I came here to win and keep the pink plate and I missed both goals. Last year I was slower than Steffi Laier and Katherine Prumm, now I have the same speed but I made too many mistakes. In the first heat I lost the lead when I made a mistake in the waves section, luckily I was able to keep the second place. But during the second heat I made several errors and finished fifth, I lost too much time when I stalled the engine in the sand section but even before this incident I was not riding well. I have to work hard before Germany if I want to win another GP.”
Roger Pourcel: “It was the best GP that Sébastien ever did, I was even surprised by the way he managed his races. On Saturday he was unhappy with his result in qualification, the track was slippery and he didn’t find good grip. We worked in the evening on the settings of the bike and on the tyres and today he felt more confident. He rode great in both races and when he’s like this he seems unbeatable. It’s a great result for GPKR and I would like to thank all the members of the team for the job they did since last winter, our sponsors and of course Kawasaki including M. Yasui who was here this weekend.
“In the women’s class Livia Lancelot made some mistakes, especially during the second heat as she was probably not focussed enough. She rides much better when she is practising during the week but we’ll continue to work hard and she’s only two points from the lead of the series.
“Alexandre Rouis qualified for the third time, he finished 21st in the first race and we can see his progress each week. Maxime Emery was our wild card rider this weekend, unfortunately he crashed on Saturday but qualified as reserve rider.”
Josh Coppins
Coppins back in the hunt at French MX GP.
 As the FIM MX GP series nears the halfway mark, Josh Coppins, of the Yamaha Monster team has clawed his way back into the MX1 championship hunt after an impressive performance in St Jean d’Angely, France.
The New Zealander looked to have a shot at the first moto victory when he was leading in front of crowd favourite, Sebastien Pourcel. Coppins ran a little wide before the whoop section, only ten minutes into the moto, and collected track side bunting which effected his rear brake. Pourcel took advantage and gained the lead with five laps to go while Coppins chased him to the flag to save second spot.
The second and deciding moto, saw Pourcel take control of the moto from the first lap. With Ramon and Coppins in tow, the French spectators were in for a great race. The trio matched each other lap after lap but with two laps to go Coppins made his move on Ramon as the Belgian started to tire. Pourcel held on for a clean sweep with Coppins finishing closely behind in second.
“I think I rode better this weekend than I have at all the other GP’s. I need to keep working with the team and the bike and focus on being even better at the next races. My time will come. I know that every single point counts so I have to fight and as you see today the championship is now wide open. To be sitting in this position after a bad start to the season is quite good and it can only get better from here. I think I picked a good time of the year to start to improve. I don’t need to think of the points but just want to focus race per race and try to be on the podium all the time.” Explained an elated Coppins.
With Coppins now down to 19 points from team-mate Philippaerts, who still leads, the Kiwi is confident that with the sand circuits that are still to come the championship is still up for grabs.
Team Suzuki
RAMON PODIUMS IN FRANCE
Team Teka Suzuki WMX1 riders Steve Ramon and Ken De Dycker had a day of mixed fortunes at round seven of the MX1 World Motocross Championship held at Saint Jean d'Angely in France.
The ultra-fast hillside circuit was in prime condition as the forecast rain never appeared meaning the on-track action was fast and furious in both points paying races.
Reigning MX1 World Champion Ramon looked to be in fine form as he rocketed out of turn one in the lead of race one. Easily leaving his competition behind he looked like he had victory in the bag until the champ hit a huge rock that had become displaced from the circuit's soil surface. The ensuing crash left him on the wrong side of the green netting and with some damage to his race machine.
After stopping to remove his dislodged front number plate that was playing havoc with his factory Suzuki's steering, Ramon discovered that the track markings that were tangled in his rear brake were stopping that from working properly too. But, making the best of it, Ramon was able to hang tough to finish 11th - still two places ahead of his biggest championship rival David Philippaerts.
Ramon once more took the holeshot in moto two but this time only held the lead briefly as moto one winner Sebastien Pourcel made a move to the front. Following the French rider, Ramon looked to be biding his time to make a move back to the front but a small mistake from the Teka Suzuki WMX1 team rider allowed Pourcel to pull away and Coppins to squeeze into second.
Unable to find a way back past Coppins before the chequered flag was unfurled, Ramon finished a fine third and took further points from Philippaerts who was a non-scorer after retiring with a damaged machine. Now sitting just six points behind the Italian championship leader, everything's to play for at the next round in Teutschental.
"Today I was riding well and my Suzuki was going good - really good," said Ramon. "In the first race I took the holeshot and I was pulling away, things were going really well until I hit a big stone and bounced off the track. It was a big crash and I was lucky not to hurt myself. I got caught in the green fencing a little bit and some of it got wrapped around my rear wheel, which caused my rear brake not to work - it was very difficult to finish the moto. I was disappointed because I knew I could have won that moto and Philippaerts wasn't so good in that race either and I could have taken a lot of points out of him.
"I was looking forward to the second race and I was able to take the holeshot once more. Pourcel passed me but I was able to follow him without pushing myself too hard until I made a mistake in the sand section and I almost went down. I put my foot down to steady myself and then after that I had a big cramp. I had a lot of pain so I had to slow down and Josh was able to pass me so I finished third."
Ramon's team-mate Ken De Dycker was hoping to turn the French GP into a lucrative exercise in points scoring but the tall Belgian rider suffered a big crash as he held down third in moto one. Hitting neutral on the face of a tabletop jump, De Dycker was forced to hit the eject button and badly cut his arm in the carnage that followed.
Remounting and finishing in sixth, De Dycker was able to finish the race without further problems although the damage received would cause problems in moto two.
After getting a mid-pack start, De Dycker battled as hard as the pain would allow him and the 10 points he scored from finishing 11th keep him in touch with the series leaders.
"In moto one I got a top-10 start but was able to move through the pack quite easily - I was riding well and I was just waiting for the right opportunity to move into the lead after Steve crashed," he said. "Then on a small tabletop jump I hit neutral and the bike nosedived. I had to jump off so I didn't get hurt but I still damaged my arm. I got going again and was able to finish sixth.
"Between races my arm swelled up and that made it very difficult to hold on and caused me a lot of pain. I got a mid-pack start and found it difficult to push hard as it hurt so much. I finally finished 11th which wasn't too bad considering."
HONDA RACING
Crowd: 30,000 (weekend figure)
Saturday – Sunny with patchy cloud 20 deg C
Sunday – Overcast with sunny spells 19 deg C
Julien Bill fastest Honda at French MX1 GP
Julien Bill was Honda’s strongest performer at the seventh round of the FIM MX1 World Motocross Championship held at Saint Jean D’Angely, France today. Bill rode his factory CRF450 to 10th and seventh place finishes to score a season best sixth place overall while his Honda Martin team-mate Marc De Reuver had an excellent fourth place finish in moto two.
The St Jean D’Angely track offered a very fast and hard-pack surface with precious few bumps or technical sections to help separate the riders. Although the organisers ripped up the rock littered soil surface to help create lines and get some moisture into the dry hillside circuit conditions were soon slick which meant for some very fast and furious action.
In Saturday’s qualifying sessions it was Bill who made his intentions clear by being was Honda’s best qualifier in fifth place as he set a scorching fast time just 0.578 of a second behind pole setter Steve Ramon. Bill’s Honda Martin team-mate Dutchman Marc De Reuver ended the session seventh just over one hundredth of a second behind the Swiss rider.
CAS Honda’s Billy MacKenzie didn’t qualify for Sunday’s races after suffering a huge crash early in the qualifying session. The Scotsman landed heavily injuring his right shoulder and collecting a mild concussion. Meanwhile Billy’s American team-mate Mike Brown safely qualified in 24th position and would be CAS’ sole competitor this weekend.
Bill got a great start in moto one and the Swiss star was obviously in fine form as he moved up through the pack to fourth place before losing a place to Spaniard Jonathan Barragan. While solidly circulating in fifth Julien made the smallest of errors, stalled the bike and slipped back to eighth. Unable to find his pre-stall race rhythm Julien lost a further two places before the chequered flag dropped but still finished inside the top-10.
Julien then started ninth in the second race and moved forward to seventh after passing Max Nagl, which is where he stayed for the remainder of the race. By finishing inside the top 10 twice Julien was able to score a season-best sixth place overall after beating former world championship leader Ken De Dycker on the better second race tie-breaker rule. Today’s bumper points haul also means Julien rises to 15th place in the series standings.
After retiring in race one with a rock-damaged rear brake rotor Marc De Reuver made amends by running a strong fourth throughout the second moto after passing Steve Boniface on lap two. On a track that really didn’t suit his style of riding De Reuver was able to dog Josh Coppins and reigning World Champion Steve Ramon right to the finish and was unlucky not to find a way past.
With MacKenzie being a non-starter, all eyes in the CAS camp were on Mike Brown. After starting in the top five of moto one a recurring dose of arm pump saw the #3 Honda rider slip back through the pack to 12th place at the end. Tenacious as ever, the Tennessean hung tough in moto two to score a solid 10th place for 11th overall. Mike’s efforts place the likeable American in 12th place in the series standings.
As a non-starter due to injury Billy MacKenzie slips to eighth – from fifth – in the series points standings but is still Honda’s highest placed rider. Just one place and three points behind the Scotsman is Dutchman Marc De Reuver.
American female racer Ashley Fiolek acquitted herself well once more in the third round of the FIM Women’s World Championship. After qualifying third on the LS Motorsports Honda less than one second behind the fastest rider in the session – Maria Franke – Ashley battled hard in both motos on Sunday to finish sixth overall on the day and retain her third placed ranking in the series. With a clash of dates between the Women’s World Championship and the American WMA National Series which she currently holds a 15 point lead in Ashley must make the tough decision of whether she’ll be at Teutschental or not.
Round eight of the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship and round four of the Women’s World Championship will be the Grand Prix of Germany to be held at Teutschental on June 29.
Roger Harvey – Honda Off-Road coordinator
“Starting with the Honda Martin team I personally don’t think Marc should have stopped in the first race but the second race was much better from him. Julien Bill rode much better today and had a really good result – top 10 in both races is what we expect from Julien and it’s good to see him back up there.
“Obviously I’m devastated for Billy MacKenzie who paid a big price for making a small mistake. Hopefully he’s not broken the shoulder and it’s just bruised which is still obviously not good for him and will still take some time to heal. The sooner he’s back on the track the better really. Mike Brown did what he could today and just kept plugging away.
“Generally speaking the second race today was much better for our Honda MX1 riders with Marc De Reuver, Julien Bill and Mike Brown all riding much better which gives us hope for the remaining races of the championship. Obviously after today we’ve got Teutschental and with the form they’re showing we should be looking at getting back on the podium, which is what we want.
“In the MX2 class Marvin Musquin rode a brilliant qualifying heat to finish in second place in front of his home crowd. Then in the warm-up this morning he had a huge crash – in the same place as Billy – and bruised all his side. Considering he was under a lot of pressure to do well from his home crowd and he was in a lot of pain he rode very well.
“Ashley Fiolek had a tough day today but still sits in third place in the championship. She’s quite a long way back now but as she gains confidence and experience through the season I expect she’ll claw back the leading pair of riders and win a moto or two.
Julien Bill – Martin Honda
“I’m very happy this weekend especially with my lap times as the track was very fast and maybe even a little dangerous with all the rocks and stuff. I was fastest in one of the free practice sessions on Saturday, fifth in the qualifying session and also fastest in warm-up this morning.
“I got a great start in moto one and for 15 minutes I was riding well and pushing hard then I made a small mistake in the corner before the whoops section and stalled the bike so I ended up losing a lot of time and a lot of places. When I restarted I found I’d lost my rhythm a little bit and so I could only finish 10th but still that was not so bad.
“In the second race the start was not so good but I was riding well and pushing hard. I caught and passed Nagl and Noble and some guys crashed and I finished seventh which was good for sixth overall. I hope next time I will have a little bit more luck and then I can get a podium.”
Marc De Reuver – Martin Honda
“I got a really bad start in moto one but came through well to sixth place and I was pushing for fifth until I jumped really far down the big hill. When I landed I hit a big rock and that damaged my rear brake rotor. From there my brake wasn’t working properly and it was too dangerous to continue. I was very disappointed because I missed out on some good points there but that’s life I suppose.
“In the second heat I had a good start and stayed in fourth place behind Coppins, Ramon and Pourcel. I was riding well and they weren’t any faster than me and for half the race we were all close together. Then Pourcel upped the pace a little bit and it was just Ramon, Coppins and I. I was trying hard but we were all on the same pace and I couldn’t see a way to pass before the race finished.
“Overall today has been good for my confidence because the way this track is could not be any worse for me and I was able to run the same pace as the leaders in the championship. The next round is at Teutschental in Germany and I have won there before and I almost won there last year and so I know I can do well there again this year.”
Billy MacKenzie – CAS Honda
“The first two free practices went really well for me and my times always placed me near the front and so I was pretty confident going into the qualifying session. On my first fast lap I got a little bit cross-rutted on a step-down and I landed a little bit short and a little bit sideways. From there I can’t really remember much except feeling myself high side down the hill and then I must have banged my head really hard. I crawled off the track and then checked myself to see if I was all right, my shoulder was very sore and I was a bit out of sorts but I felt okay. I returned to the pits what felt like me to be straight away but the team later told me it was about 12 minutes so I don’t know what I’d been doing there. I must have banged my head harder than I thought because for the rest of the session I felt like I was going flat out but the team could see I was just cruising like I was on a sighting lap. I kept trying and trying and I felt like I was going quick enough but I couldn’t do any better than 35th at the end.
“Everything since the crash has felt like it’s been in fast forward and I’m not able to remember much detail since the accident. I went to the hospital and had my shoulder checked out. Nothing is broken although it feels very sore and they assume I have ligament and muscle damage. I’ll fly home to Scotland and see my doctor there for a full diagnosis.”
Mike Brown – CAS Honda
“I got a pretty good start in the first race and I was up to fifth at one point then I got behind Bill and I got a little bit of arm pump and I struggled from there on out, riding a little bit tight and I got passed by a couple of guys.
“In the second race I got another good start, a few guys got past me and then I just hung in there and rode my own race. Overall it wasn’t a bad day for me and certainly it was much better than I’ve been doing in the past few weeks so it’s good that I’m improving. I also felt a lot better on the bike and my confidence is really coming back.”
Ashley Fiolek – LS Honda
“The first moto was pretty good, I got a decent start and I was top three but on the second lap I crashed and then struggled to start the bike. I went a lap down and from there I just made the best of it to come back to 11th which isn’t the result I wanted but it’s what I got. The second moto I got a good start again and I was enjoying battling in the top five – we were all going for it. In the sand section Livia and I got together and we went down. Prumm got by us both and we got going again and started battling some more. Then I got stuck behind some lappers and the best I could do was finish third which I’m happy with considering the level of competition is so high over here.”
Yamaha Monster Motocross Team
Coppins secures second podium of the season
Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’s Josh Coppins returned to the podium with second position overall at an overcast St Jean d’Angely for the Grand Prix of France and the seventh event of fifteen in the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship. Team-mate and series leader on the works YZ450FM, David Philippaerts, had a tough and unlucky day in front of 30,000 spectators and did not finish the second race to place 18th overall.
The established and impressive circuit, located near La Rochelle on the west coast, offered its usual degree of difficulty thanks to the tough bumps of the hardpack soil. The stony dirt also made the course slippery and many riders were trying different suspension and tyre combinations during practice on Saturday to find the best traction. Despite the presence of a special sandy-section to add an extra technical edge, the lap-times were all extremely close with Coppins taking 6th position in the gate and Philippaerts 10th but the top ten riders in Timed Practice were separated by just over a second.
The team completed suspension and engine tests last week in Italy and the new settings were used by Coppins while Philippaerts made some further alterations to smoothen the power delivery of the YZ450FM during a sunny Saturday schedule.
Both riders started excellently in the first race and circulated second and third behind leader Ramon. Philippaerts then suffered an unexpected and heavy crash on the landing of a jump and hurt his left hand and knocked his head. The Italian was able to continue, in some pain, to 13th place by the chequered flag. Coppins was flying behind Ramon and when the world champion made a mistake and crashed into the fence on one of the steep downhill sections, the New Zealander grabbed the lead for the first time this season. More drama was to continue for the team however as the 31 year old ran slightly wide in a turn shortly afterwards and caught a stretch of green plastic fencing in his rear wheel. He then had to ignore the close attentions of eventual Grand Prix winner Sebastien Pourcel for most of the race without a rear brake. Pourcel eventually found a way past with just three laps remaining. Second place still represented the highest finish yet for Coppins in 2008.
The second moto saw the Kiwi again slot into a top three position on the second lap and from there he used 17 of the 21 circulations to close to the rear wheel of Ramon and push past his rival for another runner-up classification; guaranteeing his silverware and best result of the season (after taking third in Portugal).
Philippaerts took a painkiller for his hand and attempted Moto2, slightly encouraged by the crashes suffered by Ramon (who finished only two places ahead in 11th) and also other title rival Ken de Dycker (who would be a reduced force in race two). The 24 year old was not in the top half of the pack around the first turn and needed several laps to get feeling and rhythm. He then again demonstrated his fine ability to cut through the pack to rise from 14th to 7th until he was inexplicably hit by Clement Desalle in the process of relegating the Belgian and moving up to 6th. The impact ripped the right footpeg off the bike and although he bravely tried to continue he was forced to retire with three laps remaining. It was the first time Philippaerts had missed the rostrum since the first round in April.
As a consequence of the events at St Jean, the championship standings have become closer. Philippaerts’ lead has shrunk to 6 points from Ramon, with Coppins now just 19 behind.
The team will now travel back to the workshop in Italy and soon start preparations for round eight and the Grand Prix of Germany at the Teutschenthal circuit near the city of Halle. Coppins has plans to contest the Belgian championship at Kester next weekend. Philippaerts will have a scan tomorrow (Monday) to learn the extent of the damage to his hand.
Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 2nd:
“I went to Italy to make some tests and training this week and it definitely helped me this weekend. I like to work closely with my mechanic and the team so I will be heading back there in the next few days. I think I can take quite a lot from this result. I should have won the first moto if it wasn’t for the problem with the fencing and in the second Sebastien was a little bit faster. To come from a 'low' like Mallory Park to be right at the front and on the podium was the response that I wanted. I can take a lot of motivation from the fact that I am back in the title chase.”
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 18th:
“From fifteen races it is impossible to have a good result or good luck in all of them. I am disappointed but I also have to be realistic. In the first moto I don’t know what happened. I did exactly the same line and approach as always but the bike slipped away. I think we made a mistake and picked a tyre that was too soft. I really banged my hand and had a lot of pain. For the first ten minutes after that I was seeing spots because I had also hit my head. Thirteenth was not ideal but I did not feel fit and I was determined to finish. I was fortunate that both Ramon and De Dycker also crashed. I wanted to see what points I could get in the second moto and took a painkiller. I did not have the best start but then I started to ride very well, very smooth and with good lines. Anyway I reached sixth and then passed Desalle on the inside of one corner but he did something crazy because I was ahead and he just rammed into the back of me. It was a big collision. The right footrest had gone so I tried to keep riding but once or twice I touched the ground with my foot and it was getting risky. My goal is still to look ahead and keep working each race. I am happy that the bike is really good and now I need to check I can have the best physical condition possible for Germany. I like Teutschenthal and I think it is possible that I can be very fast there.”
Massimo Raspanti, Racing Manager, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team:
“Another strange GP for us but I am really happy for Josh. I could see from his work and riding last week in Italy than he was back on the pace and we hoped he would be back on the podium today. For sure if he had not picked up the green fencing then he should have won that first moto. It was a bad day for David. The first moto crash was unfortunate and he had a lot of pain in his hand but we were lucky that Ramon also went down. Due to the pain he was a bit slow at the start of the second moto but when he started riding really well it was good to watch until the collision with Desalle. The footpeg was completely gone so it was not safe or really possible for him to continue. The YZ450FMs worked well this weekend, so now we look ahead to Germany.”
Yamaha Rcing - MX2
Cairoli 10th after eventful day in France
MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli could only finish tenth overall at a cloudy but warm St Jean d’Angely for the Grand Prix of France and the seventh round of fifteen in the 2008 FIM series. 30,000 spectators saw Tommy Searle take victory and the stylish Italian only able to score third place in the second moto on his YZ250F.
After sealing his fifth consecutive pole position on Saturday, Cairoli seemed to have a firm hold on the track he dislikes, even if many stones were coming through the hard dirt made the terrain slippery and perilous. The 21 year old did not get the chance to show his speed in the first Grand Prix moto as a collision with Tyla Rattray on the opening corner left the Sicilian with a punctured fuel tank and he had to pull into the pitlane a lap later. Although Cairoli rejoined the fray, he was almost two laps behind and could not score any points.
In the second race – keen to regain some ground to Searle, who had moved to the top of the standings – he survived a small spill in the opening stages while in second place to close to the back of his championship rival and take the lead on lap 8 of 21. Moments later he lost traction with his Red Bull Yamaha and hit the deck. Remounting in a solitary third position Cairoli would spend the rest of the race marking similar lap-times to the leader but unable to reduce the distance to the front.
Yamaha Ricci Racing’s Nicolas Aubin came into his home Grand Prix with a lot of expectation and a large proportion of the French crowd’s noisy support. He was on the pace Saturday but would only register 5th and 10th in the two motos after a pair of bad starts cast him outside of the leading group. Aubin took part in tight scrap with three of his countrymen for second place in first race but crossed the finish line at the back of the French gaggle. A second corner crash in Moto2 meant that he had to ride hard to come through the field from 27th.
Cairoli’s team-mate in the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli team, Matteo Bonini, was lucky to escape serious injury in the first moto when he was landed upon by another rider on the first lap of Moto1. The Italian was initially feared to have broken his wrist but his ailments were nothing more than severe bruising to his hand, fingers and also his neck.
Yamaha Van Beers Racing’s Evgeny Bobryshev was making his first appearance in three Grand Prix after visa problems. The Russian took his second best result of the season with 18th overall.
Ricci Racing’s Davide Guarneri was expected to start riding the same weekend as the French Grand Prix. The Italian will attempt to win the MX2 title at Gazzane di Preseglie for the final round of the Italian championship next week and depending on his progress could make a GP return in two weeks.
The standings show Cairoli now in third position and 20 points behind Searle. Aubin is fourth and 78 points adrift.
Round nine of the world championship will take place at Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany.
Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 10th:
“This is not my favourite track! Last year it was much better, much softer but this time there were so many stones that I was actually quite afraid sometimes. On Saturday it was OK because the pace in the qualification heat was slower and I could be more cautious. The first heat was just bad luck and this type of incident can happen any time but I made two stupid mistakes in the second moto and this lost me any chance of a victory. I caught Tommy after crashing the first time and then had the lead when I went down again. I tried so hard to close the gap when I was third but the distance was too big and this track is not technical enough to be able to make big differences with the lap-times. I am 20 points behind now but the championship is long and we have many races ahead.”
Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 7th:
“I am disappointed because I know the result could have been much better. I took a bad start in the first heat and was far back. I rode well but it was ruined by the first moments because I was too distant from the leaders. The second moto was the same. I went down on the second corner and came from last to tenth. It was a good race but not what I wanted. I cannot understand what happened and I am tired of these bad GPs. There is not much more I can say; the bike is good, my physical condition is OK I just need a decent start.”
Matteo Bonini, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, DNF:
“I got out of the gate badly and was around fifteenth. We came up to the jump and many riders in front of me did not do it, so neither did I but then someone landed on my back and sent me to the floor. It was a big crash but I think I am lucky because my injuries could have been worse. I hope I can ride in Germany.”
Kawasaki Racing Team MX1
Top 10 for KRT in France
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Tanel Leok and Manuel Priem battle their way into the top-10 at round seven of the MX1 World Championship at Saint Jean D’Angely Fast and furious racing was the order of the day at Saint Jean D’Angely in France for round seven of the MX1 World Championship. It was a good day for the hard working Kawasaki Racing Team riders who battled to top-10 overall finishes overcoming obstacles thrown at them by the track and other riders throughout the day.
After qualifying in second place during Saturday’s timed session, Tanel Leok was hoping to hit the podium in France and he came pretty close in moto one after battling from a 15th place start to finally finish fourth.
Moto two was much tougher for Tanel as a problem with his brakes stopped the Estonian from repeating his results of moto one. Riding steadily to 17th at the finish Tanel was reasonably happy with his day despite the problem.
“I didn’t get such a good start in moto one – I was like 15th – but I was riding good, I had a good few first laps and I was happy with my speed,” said Tanel. “I came through from 15th to fourth even though it was difficult to pass. Some riders helped me by crashing but mostly I was able to find a way past - the roost was really bad and the rocks also.
“In moto two my start was better and I was in the top-10. After one lap the brakes started fading and after three laps I had no brakes at all. It was very frustrating and very difficult to ride around this circuit with all the hills and jumps. I was able to continue to 17th place but that’s not really what I wanted.
“Overall I’m quite happy with the way things are going, the bike is working well and I’m getting stronger and stronger all the time after my pre-season injury.”
 Manuel Priem also seems to be improving at each race and looked much more aggressive this weekend. Battling hard in both races Manuel used his superior fitness to keep on pushing hard right to the chequered flag to finish ninth in moto one and 12th in moto two.
“In the first moto I was riding okay but on the fourth lap I made a mistake when De Reuver made an even bigger mistake in front of me. I was able to pick up the pace again and really race hard until the end – I got up to ninth and passed some good riders like Mike Brown and Julien Bill to get there.
“I started 12th in moto two but on the third lap a rock broke my roll-offs and I had trouble with my vision. I was battling a little bit with Ken De Dycker. I was forced to take my goggles off which made getting onto the back of Ken quite difficult with all the flying rocks fling up from his back wheel. I finally finished 12th which wasn’t too bad.
“Overall it was quite a good day for me and I caught up some points on Desalle and Brown who are just ahead of me in the championship.”
TANEL LEOK
BRAKE PROBLEMS KEEP LEOK FROM GOOD OVERALL RESULT IN FRANCE
Some things are seemingly made for each other. Bacon and eggs is maybe a good example. Sun and surf another. St Jean D'Angely and world championship motocross. The French track has been the scene of many superb motocross events in recent years, and it again provided a perfect backdrop for the 7th round of the motocross world championships in 2008. Tanel Leok flew in from his native Estonia to do battle against the world's best in his quest to improve on his 10th position in the world standings.
 The Estonian Express has slowly shaken all the injury bugs and has surged to his form of old. He underlined this fact in no uncertain terms during the qualifying practice. He led the boards for most of the session, only to be pipped right at the end by world champion Steve Ramon. The margin was infinitesimally small, a mere 16/1000ths of a second separating Tanel from pole position.
Proceedings got underway with a good launch in race 1. A mistake in the first corner dropped Tanel to just outside the top 10 on his factory Kawasaki, however. As the melee of the first laps died down, he started a relentless upmarch. Halfway through the race, the Estonian Express was chugging on all cylinders, and before long, he was reeling in Julien Bill, who was holding fifth position. After a few laps' worth of superior speed work, he managed to edge by the Swiss rider, claiming fifth spot. Belgian Ken De Dycker meanwhile had a personal experience with one of Newton's laws as gravity got the better of him. This left Tanel in fourth position, just one spot away from his stated aim of a podium finish, but just too far adrift to make a meaningful impact on third-placed Jonathan Barragan, so fourth it was to be.
A similar start left Tanel poised well in the second heat, but after a few laps, he started throwing quizzical looks at his bike. He slowed down completely, and this is completely out of character, barring real problems. After a few minutes, Tanel started circulating again, but nowhere near at the speed that he is capable of. He kept plugging away, and finally finished in 17th position, wholly under his expectations. After returning to the pits, it transpired that the rear brake on the bike had given up the ghost, and on a hill-strewn track such as this, optimal stopping power is a rather desirable attribute.
The disappointing second heat kept Tanel down to ninth position overall for the day, and he maintains his tenth position in the world standing. He travels home to Estonia to participate in an Estonian Championship event next weekend, and after that it is the next world championship appearance at Teutschenthal, Germany, on 29 June.
Molson Kawasaki Racing
Tough time for Molson in France
MX1 satellite rider Tom Church is Molson Kawasaki’s last man standing in Saint Jean D’Angely as both Stephen Sword and Gautier Paulin are sidelined with shoulder injuries Fast, rocky and a little bit dangerous is how some people would describe the Saint Jean D’Angely motocross circuit and after the seventh round of the FIM Motocross World Championship that was held at the hillside venue in the west of France it would be difficult to argue with that description.
With Stephen Sword and Gautier Paulin both being blistering fast in Saturday’s practice sessions hopes were high of success in the French GP but things didn’t quite go to plan.
Gautier Paulin was the first Molson rider to hit trouble as the enigmatic Frenchman was grounded with a broken clavicle after crashing on the opening lap of his qualifying heat while in second place. After losing traction on the face of a jump, Gautier slid out and collided with a fellow competitor when he landed. Uninjured by the original crash the damage was done when another rider ploughed into him.
“In qualifying I got a good start and I was inside the top three,” said Gautier. “On the second corner it was a little bit slippery before the jump and I slipped and jumped wide. I landed a little bit sideways and the rider next to me hit my front wheel and I crashed with him. Somebody else jumped and landed on top of me and the impact from that has broken my collarbone.
“It is a nice clean break and I will miss only three weeks. It’s frustrating because I have been riding well, I set the third fastest time in pre-qualifying here and everything was good. I’m not too disheartened by my injury – I realise it is just a part of the sport we all must deal with.”
Sword qualified second in his heat race after pushing fellow Brit Tommy Searle all the way to the finish in a thrilling encounter on the horsepower hungry hillside circuit that proved that the combination of Swordy and factory Kawasaki machinery is as fast as anything else out there.
Proving that fact, Sword rocketed out of the start gate in moto one and narrowly missed taking the holeshot. A clear second as the pack entered the section of track that claimed his team-mate one day earlier Sword clipped the leader’s rear wheel and crashed. Lucky not to be hit in a similar style to Paulin, Sword was able to remount before charging back through the pack to 14th place.
Keen to make up for the points lost in moto one Stephen went to the line determined to make amends. After stalling his machine on the way to the start line Sword’s inside gate position was taken by one of his competition forcing him to start from a much less favourable outside position. Using the awesome power of his factory KX250F-SR Sword was able to out drag the pack to turn one but was forced wide by the riders to his inside. Ending lap one in ninth place, Sword soon slipped into fifth where he was closing down the fourth placed rider until he crashed in a right hand corner, injuring his right shoulder. Needing medical attention Stephen was rushed to hospital for treatment. With the initial diagnosis unclear, Sword will see Dr Claes in Belgium this week to find out the full extent of the damage.
In contrast to his team-mates, Tom Church had a good weekend at the races scoring good points in both motos on his KX450F. Proving that the stock-based 450 Kawasaki is potent in the right hands, TC launched his machine out of the gate and had his handlebars in front of the pack midway down the start straight. Wisely backing off early to avoid trouble as he held a highly disadvantaged outside gate position, TC rounded the first lap mired in the mid-pack but battled hard all race long to finally finish 17th. Race two was more of the same for the Marshfield-based rider who battled over 16th place for the full 40 minutes.
“I had a great start in race one but shut off way too early. I was having a good race but clashed with Clement Desalle and got bounced off the track a little bit. I had to come back through the pack and I got stuck behind Scotty Columb for a little while and by the time I dropped him I was too far behind Noble and them guys so I had to settle for 17th.
“I got a better start in moto two and was going well inside the top-15. Brad Anderson passed me mid-race and I stayed with him for a while but I just needed a bit more towards the end of the race. I’m happy though, I scored points in both races and I’ve only done that once before so far this year and I’ve also moved up a position in the series standings.”
The Molson team’s next outing will be at the next round of the British Motocross Championship at Desertmartin in Northern Ireland on June 22. The World Championship resumes at Teutschenthal in Germany one week later.
CAS HONDA RACING
BILLY MACKENZIE SETBACK IN FRANCE
It could have been a whole heap worse but Billy MacKenzie was injured during the first lap of qualifying at St Jean d’Angely this weekend. It was first thought that he may have temporarily dislocated his shoulder but it has been confirmed today, back in Belgium, that he has a slight hairline crack in his shoulder. The good new is that as it is not too serious, and he will be fit for the German GP.
Meanwhile team-mate Mike Brown soldiered on for the CAS Team and gated well in both races. In the first race his made a couple of mistakes and slipped back eventually to 12th. The track was so fast that a small mistake meant losing a position or two. He was out of the gate again in the second race, dropped a few positions until mid race when he sat comfortably in 10th place, which is where he finished.
With Billy not able to score points in either race this now puts him down to 8th overall in the World Championship. Mike is currently running in 12th place overall.
This was not a GP to remember, however the Team now have the German GP to focus on and much work to do until that weekend.
Team Manager Neil Prince said,”‘I am gutted for Billy, he hit his head hard when he crashed and it took him 12 minutes to get back to the pits. Knowing Billy he will be raring to go in Teutschenthal.”
As expected Billy didn’t have much to say other than, “I’m nothing more than gutted, everything was going perfect til then.”
Mike’s weekend could also have been better, and he felt that with his good starts he really should have finished in the top 5.
XAVIER BOOG
BOOG MISSES GP PODIUM BY AGONISINGLY SMALL MARGIN
 A home GP is special. There is nothing quite like donning your battle gear in front of a throng of rabidly enthusiastic home fans, hearing the cheers and hooters, and knowing that at least some of that noise is for you. The seventh GP of the 2008 motocross season brought this honour for Xavier Boog, as the action rolled over to St Jean D'Angely, not too far from Bordeaux.
The home support of course always helps a bit, and Xavier drew in every ounce of motivation as he prepared for his qualifying race. He charged into sixth spot off the start in a race that, apart from Sicilian world champ Antonio Cairoli at the front, wast turning into a near all-French affair in the top 10. Xavier battled past veteran Luigi Seguy, who still knows where all the fast bits on a bike are. The pace was blistering, and Xavier held his own, passing compatriot Steven Frossard with two laps to go. Xavier was the fourth rider to acknowledge the flag, and did his bit to drive the home fans into rapture, as 7 French riders (and a French-sounding South African, Shannon Terreblanche), made their way into the top 10.
Xavier had all systems ready for launch, and emerged out of the first corner mayhem in fifth position. With the commentator rattling off a thousand words a minute without drawing breath, a group of French riders settled down into positions 3-6, with Britons Tommy Searle and Shaun Simpson leading proceedings. Simpson disappeared from second position after a get-to-know you session with the track-side bunting, and now it was French triumvirate fighting for second position, with Xavier just tailing Jeremy Tarroux and Anthony Bossiere. He pulled out all the stops, but his compatriots exhibited all their wiles and kept their positions, whilst Nicholas Aubin also joined this fray. Xavier held the plot upright and crossed the line in fourth position, his joint best moto finish in a GP race.
A fluffed start did Xavier no favours in heat 2, as he had to fight his way from 16h position. He had the bit squarely between his teeth, though, and by lap 8, he was in a top 10 position. His advance continued, and the team pitboarded him in a frenzy as it became clear that an overall podium finish was on the cards. He homed in on compatriots Gregory Aranda and Anthony Bossiere, the latter being his rival for the final podium spot. For the second time this year, however, Xavier just failed in his bid for a maiden GP podium as he fell three points short of the mark. The fourth place finish was nevertheless enough to hoist him to 8th in the world standings, on equal points with 7th -placed Stepehn Sword.
He was disappointed, but philosophical after the race. “It was so close again,” he smiled wryly. “For the second time I missed a podium by only a few points. My feeling is getting better all the time, and I hope the luck will swing my way soon.”
SHANNON TERREBLANCHE
TERREBLANCHE EXPERIENCES TOUGH LUCK IN FRANCE
Time flies when you're having fun, the saying goes. Time also flies when you're working our way up the world championship ladder in a tough sport such as motocross. Come to think of it, time always flies. It was a year ago, but feels like yesterday, that Shannon Terreblanche reached a milestone of sorts at St Jean D'Angely, indubitably one of the most spectacular tracks in world motocross. The celebratory fires burned high as he qualified directly for his first GP race on foreign soil.
 Now a year hence, Shannon is a GP regular with a good few world championship points under his belt. And yet, there is still much to learn, and the learning curve is still steep. On his second visit to St Jean D'Angely, Shannon was riding on a wave of confidence. Last year he proved that he could take on the world's best and the fast French locals on own terrain and get onto the starting grid. Moreover, at the last GP in England, he produced a scorching ride for his best ever race result in a GP event.
Be that as it may, the sun bore down on a perfect motocross scene as the MX2 elite prepared for Saturday's qualifying. Shannon had a solid, albeit not eye-popping pre-qualifying session, and had 14th gate pick for his qualifying race. The patron saint of good starts had however been around in the past few weeks, and the teenager got pretty much a front end view of proceedings at the start of the race. He slotted into 7th position, and slotted right into the pace of the surrounding group. He clamped onto former GP great Luigi Seguy, and after a few laps' worth of chipping away, he finally felled the tree and moved into sixth spot. Homeboy Gregory Aranda was lurking with intent on the Beursfoon Suzuki's rear fender, however, and putting the interests of a safe qualifying result ahead of the heady excitement of a pitched battle, and settled in to cross the line in seventh position, his best GP qualifying result to date.
A good qualifying position does not guarantee a trouble free race, however, and this Shannon was to discover in the first race on Sunday. After an eventful start he slotted in just outside the top 10, but not long into the race, Beursfoon Suzuki flight #77 disappeared off the radar screen. Shannon was later seen wheeling his bike to the pits, and closer investigation revealed an intermittent electrical problem, which effectively ended his race prematurely.
Lady Luck sent Shannon an early telegram in the second race that things would not go his way. A fair start put him in the thick of battle, but a rider crashed ahead of him, and he could not avoid heading groundwards himself. He restarted the bike and got going again, by now a massive distance behind the pack. He kept the pressure on and headed steadily towards the points, until the final chapter of a rather forgetful racing day was written in the rough sandy whoop section. Shannon got spat off the bike, and the Suzuki landed on him exhaust-side down, medium-raring his shoulder in the process. Any further meaningful participation in the race was now effectively ruled out, and Shannon headed for the pits disconsolately, after a day best to be forgotten.
Since no points came his way on the day, Shannon remains in 26th position in the world standing. He will participate in the second round of the Belgian championships in Kester next weekend, and after that he is off to the next GP in Teutschenthal, Germany.
Bodo Schmidt Racing
DIFFICULT DAY FOR TEKA SUZUKI SQUAD IN FRANCE
 Bodo Schmidt Racing's Teka Suzuki squad experienced a difficult weekend at the GP of France in St Jean D'Angely this weekend. Spearheaded by Pierre-Alexandre Renet at his home GP, the team riders were keen to make a good impact at this spectacular track under the watchful eye of thousands of cheering fans. Unfortunately for the team's junior member, Evgeny Tyletski, his participation in the GP ended on Saturday. The Belorussian finished 15th in his pre-qualifying race, 3 positions shy of the required 12th spot. A heavy crash during an earlier practice session did not help matters along either, and Tyletski was a disappointed spectator on Sunday.
Renet, meanwhile, qualified solidly in the MX1 class on Saturday. He clocked the third fastest time, and it is indicative of how fast the pace was when one considers that he was a mere 3 seconds shy of world champion Steve Ramon in pole position.
The first part of a two-part bad luck package was delivered right at the start of race 1. Renet launched off the gate and got going, only to coast to a halt. The problem was traced to that most freakish of occurrences, a derailed chain. It appears that a stone from the notoriously stony track surfaces may have lodged in the drive system, causing the problem, but the end the result in any case was that Renet's race was over.
The Frenchman's desire to atone in front of his home fans in race two also ran into problems. He started off just outside the points, but soon rode into a points scoring position with his attractive riding style. On lap 15, however, he was forced to retire form the race after a heavy crash.
Pierre-Alexandre was naturally disappointed not to have added to his points tally in front of his home fans, but he still maintains a good world championship ranking with 22nd position. In two weeks' time the riders will report for duty at the GP of Germany on the equally spectacular track of Teutschenthal.
This is the team's home GP, and all the team riders are motivated to put their best foot forward in front of the team's main sponsors.
WYATT AVIS
Six World Championship Points for Wyatt Avis in France
LS Motorsport Honda rider Wyatt Avis scored six World Championship points at the seventh round of the World Championship Series in St. Jean d’Angely last weekend. In the first moto Wyatt crashed hard in the beginning of the race and had to retire. In the second moto he took revenge and crossed the finish line in fifteenth position.
Despite fighting off illness in the week preceding the French GP, Wyatt pulled it together during qualifying and qualified in 11th position for the race.
He just edged into the top 20 at the start of race 1, and within a few laps worked himself up to 17th spot. His advance through the pack came to an unfortunate halt when he crashed hard, and he retired from the race cringing in pain.
Wyatt started the second race just outside the points. A ding-dong battle ensued amongst a group of riders, and Wyatt gained a few spots as the race went on. He guided his LS Motorsport Honda to 15th position, and scored a handful of points after a strong effort.
Despite his bad luck in the first race Wyatt finished in 21st position overall. After seven rounds he sits in 22nd position in the World Championship Standings. Next weekend he will participate in the second round of the Belgian Championship Series in Kester.
KTM Racing - Qualifying
Tyla Rattray out to recapture MX2 Red Number Plate in France.
Red Bull KTM factory MX2 duo Tommy Searle and Tyla Rattray performed well on a hard and dusty surface at St. Jean D'Angely to be first and third fastest in Qualifying Race Two ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix of France.
Searle, who this weekend celebrated his nineteenth birthday was in fighting form clocking 24:24.869, almost three seconds faster than second-placed countryman Stephen Sword of Britain. Rattray, who is committed to recapturing the coveted red number plate of the championship leader said he initially struggled to find his rhythm on an extremely dusty track surface that riders are hoping will be watered down overnight.
Rattray positive
"I have a good feeling for tomorrow," Red Bull KTM's South African rider said. "I'm positive and optimistic. I want a good start and I'll be going for the win." Tyla is just a tantalizing one point behind standings leader Toni Cairoli and plans to turn that situation around in Sunday's race.
Riders battle dusty track
Red Bull KTM team-mate Rui Goncalves of Portugal was down the order at ninth after he admitted was "not a good start". "I tried hard to find my rhythm but it was difficult today and there was a lot of dust." Jeremy van Horebeek of the KTM GP Juniors Team Champ was back on the track after missing the British GP with a broken thumb and injured wrist. Wearing a special brace, he rode to eighth fastest in Qualifying Race Two.
Anthony Boissiere of the KTM-supported Team HDI France was third in Qualifying Race one, won by Cairoli.
Barragan Fastest in MX1 Time Practice for Grand Prix of France
Jonathan Barragan of KTM-supported Team Silver Action was the fastest MX1 KTM rider in Time Practice Saturday ahead of the Grand Prix of France at St. Jean D'Angely.
The Spaniard was 0.065 seconds off the pace of Saturday's fastest Steve Ramon of Belgium finishing in eighth slot on a dry and dusty track. Kornel Nemeth of the KTM-supported Sarholz team was eleventh and James Noble of the new KTM UK team was twelfth. Max Nagl, factory rider for Red Bull KTM was less fortunate finishing back in fifteenth place, but put in his fastest lap time of towards the end of the session.
"There is less than two seconds between the top 15 riders, so it is not too bad. Normally I like French tracks but it is very dry and dusty here at the moment," he said. "For tomorrow I hope for a good start and let's see what will happen." Nagl, of Germany has been out of sorts condition-wise and will undergo some medical tests during the course of next week.
Meanwhile Barragan, pumped from his victory in the last round will be hoping to pick up a bunch of points on this traditional hard pack surface and sometimes stony track. He hopes to match his winning performance from the last round in Britain when he was third and first in the two motos for overall GP victory.
Team Suzuki - Qualifying
RAMON ON POLE IN FRANCE
 Steve Ramon is on pole for tomorrow's seventh-round World Motocross Championship round at St Jean d'Angely in France with Teka Suzuki team-mate Ken De Dycker third.
It was Ramon who took the fastest time in the closing seconds of the session on his factory RM-Z450. The reigning MX1 World Champion was also quickest early in the session with a time of 1:47:576 but was overtaken by Marc De Reuver, Jon Barragan, Julien Bill and Tanel Leok who all bettered his blistering fast time.
But riding as fast and consistently as ever, he fired back with a super-quick 1:46:418 to seal the deal and ensure he has the all-important first pick of the gate for tomorrow's races.
"I felt good but in the beginning it was really tricky as the circuit was much drier and dustier than the second free-practice session and with all the small stones it was also very slippery," explained Ramon. "I was able to put a good lap in early in the session but the one at the end was even better - I pushed hard and it was a good one. I like this track to ride even though it's pretty fast and hard and hopefully I can get two good starts tomorrow and push for victory or at least be on the podium."
Although De Dycker was less than 0.4 seconds slower than his Teka Suzuki WMX1 team-mate he ended the session in third place despite not particularly enjoying the fast hillside Saint Jean d'Angely circuit.
"It wasn't until the end of the session that I was able to put a good time in and even that one didn't feel that fast," said De Dycker. "This track is always tough to make time up on because it's so fast and there's not much to separate the riders. I didn't expect to do as well as I have today and I'm really motivated for tomorrow now.
"It's most important to get good starts at this track because it's not only difficult to pass because there's not much to separate the riders but there's also a very strong possibility if stone damage. I need to be top five from the start and on the top of the podium at the end."
The weather forecast for tomorrow's races is for rain with temperatures expected to be in the region of 19 degrees Celsius.
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