MX1

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YAMAHA RACING

Cairoli sets career landmark with German win
Yamaha Red Bull De Carli rider Tony Cairoli notched his 28th career victory to become the most successful Italian motocrosser ever at Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany and the ninth round of fifteen in the 2009 FIM MX1-GP World Championship. The Sicilian rode to 2nd and 1st positions with the YZ450F for his third win of a debut MX1 season and also captured his seventh moto triumph from a total of eighteen so far.

The fast and bumpy Talkessel course was crowded by more than 35,000 spectators, no doubt pleased to learn that the circuit has signed an agreement to host the German round of the series for the next six years as well as the 2013 Motocross of Nations. Cloudy and rainy conditions in the morning gave way to clearer skies and sunshine in the afternoon.

Cairoli expertly took his third pole position of the season by overtaking Max Nagl on the last lap of Saturday's heat race. It was also the fifth time from nine occasions that a Yamaha has entered the start gate first for Sunday's motos. The 23 year old produced a similar performance in the first moto to close a six second gap to the German and almost snatch chequered flag; eventually missing out by just half a second. In the next outing Cairoli was fierce from the line and took control of the race in the formative stages, leading to the finish. Germany saw the fourth MX1 triumph of his career in just ten appearances.

Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's David Philippaerts had a hard weekend but managed to ride through some set-up issues to finish 4th overall. The World Champion had to retaliate from two mediocre starts and was 4th in both of the motos; winning an intense battle with team-mate Josh Coppins and Clement Desalle in the second sprint.

Coppins looked more like the rider that claimed the Grand Prix of Bulgaria back in April. The New Zealander is regaining his power and stamina and with two decent starts was 3rd and 5th for 5th overall. An engine stall cost him time and a position in Moto1 but his top three finish was the first since Sevlievo. The 32 year old pushed hard to the finish in the tussle with Philippaerts and Desalle in Moto2 and snatched 5th spot from the Belgian two corners from the line in a dramatic finale.

Tanel Leok enjoyed decent getaways at this Grand Prix and went 6th and 7th to give Yamaha four machines in the top seven of the final classification. The Estonian struggled slightly with his rhythm in the second outing.

In the standings four Yamahas hold positions in the top seven with three riders in the first four. Cairoli keeps his red plate with a 41 point advantage over Philippaerts. Coppins is fourth and 23 behind the defending number one. Leok faces a deficit of 16 points to fifth. In the manufacturer's table Yamaha lead the way from their nearest competitor by 46 points.

The world championship now continues onto its second event of three in consecutive weeks with the Kegums circuit hosting the Grand Prix of Latvia.

Tony Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 1st:
"It hard to pass on this track and I waited too long behind Josh at the start of the first moto. Only on the last lap could I catch Max and there was not enough time to set him up to overtake properly. When I was second in the next moto I looked for two laps for the right line to pass and then rode my race. I could hear the crowd and it was pretty good for me because I could not see the pit-board so I was listening to them to know if Max was coming close! We are now in the second half of the championship and I am having fun again. I made some more points today."

David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 4th:
"It was a difficult day, a difficult weekend in fact. We could not get the bike set-up just as I wanted it and that meant a fight out there. We tried a few different changes but without much luck. My starts weren't good but I could still pass many riders and to take fourth overall was good for me. The track was fast and bumpy and that made it quite dangerous; it was easy to crash."

Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 5th:
"I'm pumped. That's the first time in a while I could do two strong motos. Both of my starts were good and the only thing that I'm a little disappointed about was a bit of a lack of speed in the opening stages. Overall, though this was much better. The result of the second moto wasn't as good as the first but the riding was encouraging; I was more like my old self."

Tanel Leok, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli:
"Today was so-so and could be better. The important thing is that my starts were good. The first race was better but I struggled a bit in the second to get going. Maybe I should have chosen a different rear tyre but my riding was not going as well and it was disappointing."

Guarneri 6th at Teutschenthal
The Grand Prix of Germany at Teutschenthal saw Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team's Davide Guarneri again post consistent points and come through the ninth round of fifteen in the FIM MX2-GP World Championship with 6th place. The Italian recovered from lacklustre starts to reach 4th and 10th positions across a rough track that was hard for passing.

Overcast skies deposited occasional light rainfall in the first part of the day across the historic and 'old school' motocross track less than ten kilometres outside of Halle. The terrain became rough and hard and in the afternoon 35,400 fans absorbed the action under sunny skies.

In the first race Guarneri rode well to take his seventh top four finish from seventeen motos this year so far. Unfortunately a worse start and crash kept him on the edge of the top ten in the second sprint and denied the 2008 Spanish GP winner another shot at the overall podium.

Team-mate Nico Aubin completed two consistent motos for 8th place overall and his best points haul for several Grand Prix. The Frenchman was 8th both times.

Loic Larrieu survived a crash during the Saturday practice heat but was lowly placed in the gate for Sunday. The teenager, who took his first podium two weeks ago in France, had to retire from the motos after wrenching his right wrist on one of the steep down-hills.

Last week the potency of the YZ250F was again proved in the high-profile European Championship as Christophe Charlier and Klemen Gercar took the first two positions on the podium at the Bulgarian round of the series (Charlier going 1-1 and leads the standings by 33 points). The French youngster has won 8 from 10 motos and 4 rounds from 5 to thoroughly stamp his name on the competition.

Still in search of his first rostrum celebration this season, Guarneri nevertheless has remained very regular and is 3rd in the world championship. Aubin is 7th with 3C Racing's Manuel Monni in 9th spot.

Utag Yamaha.com's Zach Osborne was practicing last week and will attempt another return at the following meeting after recovering further from his broken left scaphoid.

The Grand Prix of Latvia at Kegums will take place next weekend for round ten of the series.

Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 6th:
"It was a strange day. I made two bad starts. In the first moto I was fast and came back to fourth but Boog was too far away to get third place. In the second moto I was outside the top ten at the start but pushed hard in the first to laps to reach eighth before I had a crash and was back down to 14th. Once I passed one or two more people there was a huge gap to the next rider. At the moment I cannot get past having one good and then one average moto; once I can get this to change then we will be on the podium."

Nico Aubin, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 8th:
"I did not ride badly on the bike and I tried not to make any mistakes. I had two good starts but was pushed a little to the inside and could not make the top three. We had worked on the carburation of the bike and it was fast this weekend; it seemed to work better for the start. Overall the result is not good but I feel that these two steady races are a move in the right direction."


KTM RACING

Double victory for KTM's Steffi Laier for dream home GP win at Teutschenthal
After Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Steffi Laier sailed through the chequered flag for her home GP victory in Teutschenthal she said it had been "a perfect weekend".

Laier, who captured the lead in the Women's World Championship and the coveted red plate, laid the foundation for her overall GP win in the first race on Saturday evening and on Sunday morning went out and finished the job. She led a trio of German riders over the finish line with a margin of almost 13 seconds and now moves into strong contention for winning the title. Two holeshots, two fastest laps, two moto victories and all in her home GP - It doesn't get much better than that.
 
While Steffi said she was thrilled to finally win a GP and take possession of the red number plate she did say she was disappointed that her strongest opponent, Livia Lancelot, with who she has shared the glory this season, was not able to ride. The French rider tackled Saturday's race with a shoulder injury and failed to finish. It is now being reported that she will need surgery to fix the injury and Lancelot herself told reporters that she must now concentrate on being fit for next season.
 
"I am sorry that Livia was not riding today because I wanted to fight with her on equal terms. It is always sad when you get injured. I know what its like because it has happened to me. Also there are not so many of the women riders in the top group and it is always more interesting when the competition is close," Steffi said.
 
Steffi drew praise from KTM's Offroad Racing Director Pit Beirer. "It was really great that Steffi won today and she did it with a double moto victory. Now she has the red plate so she must be confident and believe in herself," he said.
 
Max Nagl rewards home crowd fans with podium place in Germany
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Max Nagl rounded off a great weekend at his home MX1 GP in Teutschenthal scoring a 1-3 result in the two motos for overall second on the podium.

Max continued his tradition of lightning starts, shooting out of the gate in both motos to take the coveted holeshot and in both races fought a tough battle for the lead with the championship leader Toni Cairoli.
 
"Today I went out and I really wanted to win the first moto, especially as Toni (Cairoli) had beaten me in the final lap of the qualifying," Nagl said. "But winning that race cost me a lot of energy and I was a bit tired in the second race. Today I managed to reach my goal of being on the podium in my home GP and I picked up some good championship points. Now I am only four points behind David Philippaerts in second place. This weekend was really positive for MX in Germany because Steffi (Laier of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team), Ken Roczen (winner of the MX2 GP) and I were all on the podium. We also learned that the MX of Nations will be in Teutschenthal in 2013 and this is also very good for our sport. Today was great for me to have so much support from the crowd. They were amazing and it is very important when you are racing your home GP to get that support," Nagl said. Max dedicated his result to team trainer Hugo America because he has helped the team a lot and because it is his birthday.
 
Pit Beirer, KTM Offroad Racing Director said Max's result shows his strength and praised the entire factory team. "Our whole team is strong and you just have to keep going like this," he told the assembled factory team. "I have to thank Stefan (team boss Stefan Everts) for the work he is doing with you and because we got six holeshots today, I also have to thank our mechanics!" he added.
 
KTM's second factory rider Jonathan Barragan (Team Silver Action) is currently injured and did not compete in Germany. 
 
Conditions were almost perfect on the Teutschenthal circuit with occasional light rain keep the track malleable to allow riders a choice of lines without hampering the races. Riders next travel to new territory in Latvia for the next round at Kegums, south east of the capital Riga.

Musquin third in MX2 GP of Germany, retains championship lead
Red Bull KTM Racing's French rider Marvin Musquin spoiled his chances of a hat trick of GP win in the first MX2 moto in Teutschenthal, Germany after a mistake on the unforgiving circuit dropped him down to sixth place.

But Musquin, the latest recruit to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, was first across the finish line in the second race of the day, salvaging enough points for third overall to allow him to retain his healthy 38-point lead in the championship standings.
 
I managed to take the holeshot in the first race but I was not riding that well and I made some mistakes," Musquin said later. "I crashed and it was quite hard to make up ground again because somehow I lost my rhythm. Then Rui (factory team-mate Goncalves) got the holeshot in the second race. He was fast but I managed to get past him and I led the race for a while until Ken Roczen overtook me. I went on and managed to fight for the win in the second moto but it was not easy for me like it was in France. I got some good points and I am happy for Roczin that he won his home GP. I know how that is, he is very young and he deserved to win. Young Ken Roczin of Germany, the ultimate winner of the MX2 GP was racing in only his fifth GP and is only 15-year-old.
 
The team's second factory rider, Rui Goncalves of Portugal also had a good day picking up 32 championship points to be overall fifth and is currently fourth in the standings. "This was a tough weekend for me," Rui said. "I missed my rhythm and all I can say is I now look forward to the next races in Latvia and I want to be back riding the way I know I can." Rui is already the winner of two GP this season.
 
Next week the riders face a new challenge when they break new territory competing in Kegums, Latvia, which is southeast of the capital of Riga.


HONDA RACING
Weather:
Saturday – Cloudy, sunny intervals, late afternoon shower 20C
Sunday – Overcast, sunshine in afternoon 19C

Desalle fights through to 6th

The Grand Prix of Germany at the Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal saw Antonio Cairoli win the ninth round of fifteen in the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship. LS Honda’s Clement Desalle was the highest placed Honda CRF450R rider with sixth overall.

The Belgian negotiated the fast and rough German terrain with the undulations of the old track providing a tough test for suspension set-up and tyre choice. Desalle recovered from two average starts to battle for positions in the top five and in front of a mammoth 35,000-plus crowd. He took fifth in the first moto and just lost out on a similar result in the second outing after a mistake a few corners before the chequered flag. The youngster drilled his machine through the final turn to try and overtake Josh Coppins at the last possible moment (and actually crashed on the landing of the finish-line jump) and was just 100th of a second from a repeat fifth place.

The German event represented the third and last appearance by Mickael Pichon for Martin Honda. The 33 year old Frenchman had taken sixth, seventh and posted an eighth position at Talkessel in his three race return for the Italian squad. The former 250cc world champion struggled with some arm-pump as a consequence of a slight wrist complaint in Moto1 and was ninth at the flag. He was more relaxed in Moto2 and consequently faster racing to take eighth.

Martin Honda will not have a representative in Latvia next week but are expected to complete the Grand Prix of Sweden in two weeks time with another rider in place. The injured Kevin Strijbos, Martin Hondas contracted rider, will begin to practice in the next two weeks and will spend all of July getting into race-shape for his home meeting at Lommel, Belgium on August 2nd.

CAS Honda’s Billy Mackenzie had to withdraw from the Grand Prix after attempting the opening few laps of the first race. The Scot, competing with a ruptured thumb ligament and with pain-killing injections could not control the bike effectively on the steep downhills and through the deep ruts. After pulling into the pits the team and rider made the decision to stop and undergo surgery to fix the problem and the British champion is expected to miss the next two-three Grand Prix. Mackenzie’s cousin, Bryan, took the other CAS machine to 23rd with two points in the first moto.

Desalle now has 268 points in the MX1 standings, 25 less than Max Nagl in third place but with a 16 advantage over Tanel Leok in seventh.

Round ten of fifteen will take place next weekend at Kegums in Latvia.

Clement Desalle, LS Honda:
“The track was really difficult and the terrain was quite strange. My first start was not so good and I was in the top ten. I came back slowly to fifth. In the second heat the start was better and I was fighting with Coppins, Philippaerts and Leok. On the last lap I was close with Philippaerts and Coppins, we were in the same second, and I made a small mistake before the finish that lost me a top five result. I really went for it on the last corner and thought I could pass Coppins. I was full gas and that made me crash on the landing past the finish line. I am not so happy but will hope for better next time.”

Mickael Pichon, Martin Honda:
“It was a good race but I had a problem with my wrist. I twisted it last week and had some pain. I thought I had broken a ligament actually but it turned out to be OK for riding this weekend. The track was tough. I had some arm-pump in the first moto after four or five laps so I had to slow down as I was making big mistakes. Towards the end I felt a bit better and made my best lap, which wasn’t far from the top guys. In the second race I missed my start a little bit but came back. I tried to push hard and I am happy because although I was not in the top positions I stayed close to the fast guys like Philippaerts, Coppins, Desalle and Leok. So, overall six motos and no DNFs, between 25-30 points every weekend; of course it could be better but after not so much training it is OK. The bike is great and I had a good time with everybody in the team. I gave the best I could in each session and had a lot of fun.”

Billy Mackenzie, CAS Honda:
“We had made a decision that we would see how things were going up until the GP here in Germany and the bottom line is that I cannot ride how I want. They were a lot of downhills and rough parts to this track and I found that I couldn’t hold the bars properly and was losing my grip. Together with Honda we have made the decision now to have an operation. It depends if I still have any ligament in my thumb or I need a reconstruction but I hope to be back in time for the last few races.”

Roger Harvey, Off-road Racing Co-ordinator, Honda Motor Europe:
“We could see around here today that the injuries to Billy’s thumb made it unsafe for him to carry on.  We have made a decision to get surgery because we cannot expect him to race if it is not getting any better. Good determination from Desalle and it was an excellent last dash at Josh at the finish. We have to give thanks to Mickael Pichon for the great and professional job he has done. He put the bike up near the leaders and gave the Martin team the pick-up they needed. For the short-term now it will be hard to get any replacement in time for Latvia but we will see what is possible.”


KAWASAKI RACING TEAM

Best career result for Steven Frossard
Steven Frossard and Gautier Paulin scored second and fourth positions respectively at the Grand Prix of Germany, round nine of fifteen in the 2009 Motocross World Championship. Steven collected his best ever GP result, while Gautier remains the strongest rival to Marvin Musquin, the current leader of the MX2 series.

Teutschenthal, home of the German Grand Prix for almost a decade, is one of Steven Frossard’s favourite tracks as he claimed his first ever GP podium at the venue last year. Even if the circuit had been modified with two new sections and more sand mixed in the soil, the layout remained similar despite mixed weather on Sunday with several short showers.

Third in the qualification Heat, Steven took one of his best starts of the season in the opening race, and arrived immediately to second position behind Musquin. The leader could not pull away as he had done during the last couple of races, and Steven applied pressure until he crashed on the eighth lap. Steven controlled the last twenty minutes with a gap over his rivals to claim his second heat win of the season (the last was in Bulgaria). Gautier Paulin also started the race in the top ten, but unfortunately crashed early on and lost time; he regained some positions, crashed again and finally posted his fastest laps during the last five minutes to score fourth place. The third Kawasaki rider in the class, Loic Rombaut made a consistent race to finish fifteenth.

Gautier and Steven both started in the top sixth of the second heat, but during the second circulation Steven lost time and two ranks after a mistake. He had time to recover from his error, while Gautier passed Gonçalves and Schiffer to secure third position at distance behind Musquin and Roczen. Steven pushed back to fifth in the race to finish as overall runner-up behind Ken Roczen, the youngest ever GP winner. Nineteenth in the second race, Loic Rombaut took eighteenth position in the Grand Prix classification.

Steven Frossard: “I had a good opening race; after a decent start I came immediately to second position behind Musquin and followed him until he crashed. I was watching his lines and was waiting for the last ten minutes to attack him, but he fell and then I just had to control the gap over the rest. I knew that I could win my first GP here but unfortunately I had a bad jump from the gate. I came back to fourth but crashed and lost two places, and then crashed again. Fifth and second overall is not too bad, but I was expecting a win… The next rounds will take place on sandy tracks, I’m working hard alongside Thierry Godfroid and I can say that I am starting to enjoy riding in the sand.”

Gautier Paulin: “In both races my starts weren’t as good as my rivals in the championship, that’s a pity as this weekend I was sure I was able to beat them. We worked on the bike after France and we improved the suspension as well as the engine, we reach made another step and I’m sure that it will help us for the second part of the series. I crashed twice during the first heat and that cost me the fourth place, I finished only one thousand of a second behind Guarneri! I made another mistake early in the second moto, but I pushed to secure third place and I’m happy as I rode more aggressively on the bike. Physically I was fine and I proved it by making my best lap-times in the last circulations, now I need to continue working on my starts.”

Loic Rombaut: “I’m satisfied with my first moto. I finished fifteenth and had a good rhythm during the race. My second start was better than the first one, but Van Horebeek took my front wheel in the first corner and I crashed. Then I collided with Lupino when I was coming back up the standings, but finally I was able to score two points with nineteenth place. The track was pretty difficult with hard sections and sandy sections but I’m happy to score points for the sixth consecutive race.”

Jean Jacques Luisetti (Owner team CLS): “We’re delighted by Steven’s performance, of course we were expecting a GP win after the first heat but Steven is becoming more and more consistent. The positions are closer in the standings and we know that we are working in the right direction and for sure we’ll continue to reach the top step. We saw this weekend that Steven got better starts than usual; the bike has been improved, with a better engine, and Steven is working hard alongside Thierry Godfroid. Loic again scored points in both heats, it’s only his first GP season and he is heading in the right direction. I’d like to add that Steven and Gregory both have a multi-year deals with us, they will ride again for team CLS next year; we’ll decide later, depending of the budget, if we can line-up a second MX2 rider.”

Fred Lavergne (Chief mechanic Bud Racing): “Gautier just missed the podium this weekend but he made two strong races. We had some trouble during the pre-qualifying session and Gautier only started from the seventeenth gate although he could qualify in eighth. He got some decent starts for the races. For sure it’s disappointing to miss the podium but we’re happy with his riding and we’ll stay optimistic for the rest of the series.”

Tenth place for David Vuillemin
Tenth place at the German Grand Prix, David Vuillemin had to recover from bad starts at Teutschenthal, where Gareth Swanepoel suffered a fall in the second race.

A fast, rough and demanding track greeted the riders and variable weather conditions with some showers through the weekend coated the 35,400 spectators who came to Teutschenthal in the former Eastern Germany for the ninth round of the series. On Saturday evening a six year deal was signed to see the German Grand Prix remain at the venue.

Thirteenth in the MX1 qualifying Heat, five ranks behind Gregory Aranda, David Vuillemin was the most consistent Kawasaki rider in the opening moto, as he enacted an error-free ride to come back to eighth position after a great battle with fellow countryman Mickael Pichon. Sixth early in this race, Gregory Aranda lost three places when he crashed during on the fifth lap, and finished tenth behind Vuillemin and Pichon. Team-mates Florent Richier and Gareth Swanepoel were tight together in fourteenth and fifteenth; Florent started in twelfth, while Swanie was only twenty-second at mid-race after recovering from a collision with Leok.

Once more Gregory was the best placed Kawasaki rider at the start of the second moto, as Swanie, and David were stuck in a pile-up in the third corner of the race. Florent, suffering with illness, stopped before the end of the opening lap, and Greg retired at mid-distance after a third crash which worsened his ankle injury. Swanie and David both followed each other in their comebacks, but Gareth didn’t reap his rewards as he had a spectacular fall in a technical section near the pit lane with only two laps to go. He crossed the finish line in seventeenth position, three slots behind David.

Gareth Swanepoel: “It’s so frustrating, you think that you found the solution when you beat Billy
Mackenzie and Brad Anderson during the British championship, as these riders are strong on their home soil. Here it was tough at the beginning; I didn’t felt so good on Saturday and crashed during the qualifying race so I had a bad start gate for today. In the first race I was unlucky as Aigar Leok brake-checked me and I crashed, it was not so fair and then I came back to fifteenth. In the second race I was stuck in a crash at the start and came back to fourteenth but with one lap to go I had a very big crash in the section close to the pit-lane. I was unlucky to crash but lucky to be unhurt, and now I’m waiting for the sand tracks to come around. I think that sand is my strongest point; the track in Latvia seems to be similar to Hawkstone Park so I expect some good results there.”

Florent Richier: “The practice sessions were not too bad as I was in the top twelve, but I felt some pressure for the qualifying race and I scored a sixteenth position. In the first race I was twelfth for a while but lost some places; in fact since my eye injury in France I haven’t been able to train, so I was satisfied with fourteenth. I tried to ride in the second heat but I knew before the start that it would be difficult as I had stomach sickness between the races; I just did one lap and came straight in to the toilet. It was my second race with the factory bike, and I’ve to work on my starts as I always do wheelies with so much power. It’s a great opportunity to ride for a team such as KRT, the bike is amazing; the engine as well as suspension and you have a great technical staff. I will do several other GPs, except Sweden as I have to ride a German race for team Pfeil Kawasaki.”

David Vuillemin: “On Saturday I’d some trouble to get used to the track, today was better but once more I need better starts to score better results. I was in the top twelve for the first one, and had a great battle with Mickael Pichon who increased his rhythm when I joined him; we had some great racing together! The next start wasn’t as good, and I was stuck in the third corner with this pile-up; I came back to fourteenth, to collect tenth position of the Grand Prix and in the standings.”

Gregory Aranda: “Before I came here I knew that it would be difficult, as I twisted my ankle two weeks ago and couldn’t train normally, just one riding session this week. In qualifying it was pretty OK, with good lap-times and an eighth position in the race. I had a small crash in the first moto today but I scored a top ten result, then in the second race I crashed three times and damaged again my ankle in the last one. I had a new engine this weekend and I took three good starts, that’s a positive point as racing is much easier when you can start in the top five. I will stay quiet this week, and will try to ride next week in Latvia.”

Martin Van Genderen (Team manager KRT): “For sure this weekend was not really good for us, we came here expecting that Livia could get some reasonable results and stay in touch with her rivals in the standings. Unfortunately she dislocated again her shoulder, now we have to wait to see what the doctors will tell her. Concerning Florent I was afraid for his eye, but I was happy when I heard that he could race here; his first moto was good with a fourteenth place but he had some stomach troubles like many other people in the paddock between the races, and was forced to retire after the opening lap of the second race. Gareth had more or less the same problem, but both ate separately so it’s difficult to understand what happened there. In the second race he had a good start but after two or three corners he was unlucky to be stopped by the crash, and he wasn’t fortunate again with a terrible crash in the last laps of the race. We are in a bad corner at the moment, and I hope we come out as soon as possible.”

Lancelot out, podium for Franke
Reigning World Champion Livia Lancelot lost the lead of the Women’s World Championship in Germany, as she was unable to defend her position.

After a crash while practising in Lommel, Belgium during the week, the French woman suffered from a shoulder injury and had to retire in the opening moto. Third at the German event, Maria Franke collected her first podium this season.

There was probably a minor chance for Livia to save some points in Teutschenthal only a few days after her big fall in the sand of Lommel, but the reigning number one wanted to at least try to run with her rivals. Riding smoothly during the practice sessions, Livia had to stop early the qualifying session as her shoulder dislocated once more. Eighth of the period four seconds behind pole woman Maria Franke, Livia started in second position behind Laier and was fourth after two laps when the shoulder had again a problem. Forced to retire and visit the local hospital, she will have further exams next week in France to decide how she will treat this injury.

On front of her home fans, Maria Franke delivered her best GP this season and claimed a third position behind countrywoman Steffie Laier and Larissa Papenmeier. Recovering from a bad start in the first moto to take fourth position, Maria was the strongest opponent for Laier during the second heat; second of the race and third in the Grand Prix, she is currently fourth in the standings.

Livia Lancelot: “Last Tuesday I dislocated my right shoulder while practising in Lommel, I had to wait one hour and fifteen minutes before the doctors put it back in place under anaesthesia. The x-rays didn’t reveal any damage to the ligaments, but the shoulder came out twice on Saturday. The first time was during my fastest lap in the qualifying session, but I was able to finish the lap with the eighth fastest time. Then it came out again during the first race, despite strong strapping. I went to the hospital for a check-up and we didn’t see any damage, but I will go back home and visit a shoulder specialist. I will do what he will tell me, it will probably be some rest or surgery. It’s frustrating as I won three of the first four GPs, and was leading the championship before this crash. I worked hard last winter, but I’m ready to work even harder to regain the title.”


TEAM SUZUKI
DE DYCKER ON GERMAN MX1 PODIUM

Ken De Dycker scored third position overall under cloudy skies and changeable conditions at the Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany and the ninth round of 15 in the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship.

The Teka Suzuki World MX1 rider, who turned 25 years of age yesterday, took his RM-Z450 to seventh and second position in the two motos for his fourth trophy of the season and his first since round five at the GP of Portugal.

An increasingly-rough terrain combined with a fast layout caused traction and set-up issues for many riders and De Dycker was one of the individuals looking for the best configuration to tackle the surface. He started averagely in Moto1 in front of 35,400 spectators and was unable to make much of an impression on the leading group, moving from 10th to seventh.

Several tweaks to his machine for Moto2, and more determination off the line, led to a top-three slot on the opening lap. He followed local hope Max Nagl for a number of circulations before stealing past the German and recorded a runner-up position behind Antonio Cairoli; his first finish in the top-two since Agueda.

In the MX2 class, teenager starlet Ken Roczen guided his Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 RM-Z250 to a sensational maiden win. The 15-year-old - the youngest victor ever -  has made only five GP appearances but his electric style and sheer natural ability delivered 2-2 results making him the first triumphant German in MX2 and the first rider to give Suzuki an MX2 success since the creation of the class in 2004. His effort has seen him move up to eighth place in the series standings.

In the fifth round of seven in the FIM Women's World Championship, Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2's Larissa Papenmeier was able to celebrate her fourth podium in a row. The German went 2-3 for second position and is just 21 points from the summit of the series.

De Dycker is sixth in the World Championship standings and sits 29 points away from third place.

In some positive news, the team were able to confirm that Steve Ramon resumed riding this weekend for the first time since breaking his neck at the Grand Prix of Benelux. The former World Champion is expected to join the paddock again in an active capacity at the beginning of August for the team's home event at Lommel.

The team continue their intensive schedule with a trip to Kegums for the first time next week and the Grand Prix of Latvia.

Ken De Dycker - 3rd:
"I am really happy to be back on the podium. The first moto was disappointing as I didn't have a good start and couldn't pass anybody. The lens came out of my goggles and it was really hard from the first moments. The second moto went really well and with the good start things were much easier. The track was rough today and it was better for me. Physically I am feeling OK. We changed the sprocket after the first moto and that made quite a difference because the power was almost too strong in the first. I gave myself a bit of a kick in the ass after the first moto and I wanted that good start. Once I was in the top three I got relaxed and into a rhythm and could push harder."

Ken Roczen - 1st:
"I don't know what to say; this is amazing for me. After my first two GPs I saw that the podium was possible. I always do my best and I hoped for a podium here, with a bit of luck, but didn't expect the win. Musquin was going fast but I thought I could pass him. Towards the end I knew that second place would give the overall so I rode safe. All the attention has come quickly and it isn't always easy to give people what they want but I try to do what I can!"


LS Motors-Honda
Clément Desalle remains top five

The ninth round of the FIM MX1 World Motocross Championship in Teutschenthal, Germany again made for an interesting weekend for leading privateer outfit LS Motors-Honda. The Belgian team racked up decent points in all three classes (MX1, MX2 and WMX), although star rider Clément Desalle didn’t get the results he perhaps deserved. Twice Desalle had to work his way up after a mediocre start and he was rewarded a fifth and sixth place respectively to place sixth overall.

The 20-year-old is still fifth in the championship, trailing Coppins by five points. Clémént is also the leading Belgian rider in MX1 standings. Tony Cairoli won the event in front of home rider Max Nagl and Ken De Dycker.

Sports manager Marnicq Bervoets looks back on racing the Talkessel: “Once again differences were really small, as it’s often the case here in Teutschenthal. It might have looked a bit rutted in place, but in the end there really was only one line most of it. So I think considering the difficult starts he had, Clément did an excellent job. Unfortunately his hard work didn’t pay in full because he landed just a couple of points from the podium. I know that’s hard to swallow for someone like him, who wants to win all the time! He pulled off a gutsy move with the finish line jump he attempted at the end of the second moto, but that’s how I prefer it rather than a rider who sits around and settles for his position.

“Our MX2 man, Dennis Verbruggen, has put in a lot of hard work as well today. I know how tough it is to fight for every inch when you have to come from behind, or even dead last as he was forced to. Dennis rode hard and it’s clear his fitness level is all right as well. Only Elien (De Winter) was performing below expectations, but building your confidence back can be a long process. It struck me though, how her second race was better than the first. That seems to be typical for her, so two heats on Sunday would definitely be better for her!”

MX1 – Desalle keeps the momentum going
Saturday’s qualifying race earned ‘MX Panda’ fifth on the start gate, but the CRF450R mounted rider couldn’t capitalise on his position come race day. First moto saw him starting outside of the top ten and history repeated itself in the second moto when Desall got boxed in. Still Desalle battled through the pack to catch up with the leading riders in both races. Unfortunately he just came up short of claiming his fourth overall podium of the season. In a do or die move in the ultimate metres of moto two Clément heroically tried to re-pass Coppins but crashed in the process. Desalle walked away unhurt, but suffered a painful wrist. Honda, severely hit by injuries, is currently third in the MX1 manufacturers standings largely thanks to the efforts of Desalle.

Clément Desalle: ”This has been really a tough weekend! In spite of the modifications to the Talkessel it’s still challenging to overtake. My start in the first heat was pretty bad, but I climbed up from 12th to sixth. Half race distance I ran into some trouble with my goggles. For some silly reason the film got stuck so that affected my vision badly. Philippaerts passed me, but I was able to get in front Tanel Leok on the last lap. The second race was very similar to the first, where I didn’t have the best of starts but I could come back anyway. I was on Philippaerts rear wheel by the end of the moto, but Coppins re-passed me right before the finish. It was unfortunate, but also a bit typical for this GP...”

MX2 – Dennis Verbruggen digs deep
A DNF in the qualifying race relegated Verbruggen to a disastrous 38th spot on the grid. However two impressive comeback rides earned the LS Motors-Honda rider 17 valuable championship points. Moreover no one gained more positions today than Crusty, making up 25 places in the second moto. The former European champ was 13th overall and is now 21st in standings, equal on points with fellow Honda rider Koungsith Vongsana.

Dennis Verbruggen: “I was a bit too forceful in the qualifier and went down twice. So that was it, I thought because I was dead last and was getting lapped after only four minutes and decided to concentrate on the races. My gate pick was horrifying so I had only one choice left: give it absolutely everything. I fought hard and got 12th and 13th. It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure, because I had to dig damn deep! Still I’m really thrilled because I’m getting close to my best shape and my riding is good as well. I was able to focus well and made hardly any mistake.”

WMX – Mediocre German GP for Elien De Winter
The German GP has been a cornerstone for the women’s series for some time now. This time the home crowd had even more to cheer about with three German lasses (Laier, Papenmeier and Franke) capturing the podium! LS Motors-Honda rider Elien De Winter was not so happy in former East-Germany. The experienced WMX rider from Denderleuw, Belgium came home 12th overall after 10th and 12th place finishes. She drops one place in the world standings to ninth, seven points adrift from Marielle De Mol. De Winter, an aspiring physiotherapist, heads back to her books preparing for her upcoming exams, but she’ll be back on track in a fortnight for the sixth round of the WMX series in Uddevalla.

In Sweden Elien will be joined by American guest rider Ashley Fiolek. Kickash is currently in great shape, having won all four rounds of the WMA series in the US so far!

Elien De Winter: “Practice went okay, but I couldn’t string together a fast lap in qualifying due to traffic. So tenth was not too bad, and we were all very close to each other anyway. I was only one second off from Chiara Fontanensi in sixth. My first race was no good at all. I reacted too slow at the gate and on top of that my first few laps were not very inspired either. Setting up a good rhythm was simply impossible, however things changed for the better on Sunday. Again I didn’t exactly have the snap when the gate dropped but still I dove into the corner around fifth place. I lost some ground in the opening stages, but at least my riding was better for the remaining laps.”


JOSH COPPINS
Coppins finds new speed at Teutschenthal MX GP

Yamaha Monster Energy’s, Josh Coppins, has narrowly missed out on a podium finish at Round 9 of the World Motocross Championship this weekend, in Teutschenthal, Germany. After winning the 2008 edition with a stellar double victory ‘Lizzard’ had his sights set on a strong ride at the challenging hardpack Talkessel circuit.

In the Saturday qualifier, Coppins got a reasonable start as he sat in 8th position on the opening lap. Held up by Billy Mackenzie on lap 2, he lost time on the leaders, however once he passed the Scotsman, ‘Lizzard’ did his best to close in the competition, crossing the finish line in 6th place to qualify for a good pick on the gate for Sunday.

With overnight showers changing track conditions for the competitors, Coppins still rocketed out the gate in moto 1 , sliding through the first turn in 2nd position behind local favourite Maxi Nagl, with a charging Antonio Cairoli just behind in 3rd. For the opening 15 minutes Coppins and Cairoli battled it out for track position, with Cairoli eventually getting the advantage after Coppins stalled his machine. The Kiwi quickly recovered to ride a fantastic race, crossing the finish line in 3rd position.

A reasonable start in Moto 2 would see the likeable New Zealander head through turn 1 in 6th position, charging as hard as ever. Coppins battled bar to bar with Belgian, Clement Desalle and fellow Yamaha Monster Energy team-mate, Philippaerts, with the trio jockeying for track position lap after lap. On lap 12 Coppins and Philippaerts collided, leaving Coppins on the deck and dropped down to 7th position by the time he got going again. Coppins set a blazing pace as he fought back hard, re-passing Desalle and closing onto the back wheel of Philippaerts to cross the line in 5th position, only just missing out on an overall podium as he tied points with Philippaerts and De Dycker.

“There is still something left in this old dog,” smiled a content Coppins after the race. “I was happy with my speed in both races but in the final moto I proved that I still have it in me. I passed Desalle on the last lap, and I’m sure with some more time I would have had Philippaerts. I feel like I have discovered a new fight in me and look forward to the upcoming races to mix it up in the championship”


TOUGH TIME FOR CAS HONDA IN TEUTSCHENTHAL
CAS Honda endured a difficult day at today’s Grand Prix of Germany in Teutschenthal where Billy Mackenzie was ruled out of proceedings in the first moto with the thumb injury he has been carrying for some time, and Bryan Mackenzie’s race two came to a premature end with a snapped chain after finishing in 19th place in race one.

In yesterday’s qualifying race Billy got a good start into sixth place and completed the 20-minute plus two lap heat in ninth position. Bryan found it tough going, and two mistakes cost him dearly, leaving him in just 27th place on the gate.

In the opening race today both riders made strong starts with Billy firing off the gate into fifth place, and Bryan overcame his low gate position to get off the start line into 13th place. However, despite having had a pain relief injection, after only a handful of laps, 25-year-old Billy began to slip down the order and was visibly struggling to hang onto his race machine around the demanding Teutschenthal track.

Billy, who has been battling to overcome the painful thumb injury sustained in Portugal last month, crossed the finish line in 22nd position. Although initially it had been hoped that the Scottish rider would be able to continue racing until the end of the season, following a run of difficult races it was agreed on safety grounds by Billy, CAS Honda and Honda that after today’s race one struggle he should now return home to have surgery to repair the detached Ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb.

Team-mate Bryan demonstrated an improved performance, and although he lost a few places in the opening stages of the race, he maintained good speed and rhythm to finish in 19th place.

With Billy out of the remaining proceedings of the day, Bryan became CAS Honda’s sole representative in what turned out to be a fruitless second moto. The 24-year-old didn’t get the best of starts and became tangled up with a collection of fallen riders in the first lap.
 
The luckless CAS Honda pilot then ran into further trouble when a snapped chain on lap six of the 35-minute plus two-lap moto forced the Scottish rider to retire from the race.
 
Bryan Mackenzie #121: Race one: 19th Race two: DNF
“In qualifying I made a couple of mistakes, and I wasn’t riding so great, which I was surprised about because I was really enjoying the track. Today I got the best start I’ve had so far, but I still need to get used to the first few laps at this level, as I’m losing out on places and I didn’t really go along with everyone around me. I tightened up a little in the middle of the race but managed to finish 19th and in the points. In race two, although I didn’t crash, I got caught up in a pile-up at the start and was quite a long way down the order. I then felt there was a bit of a problem, and I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but only a few laps later the chain snapped and ended our race early. The next few races are going to be tough as I’ve never been to the tracks before, but I just hope we can have a good weekend, score in both races and finish where I know we can finish.”

Billy Mackenzie: #211
“We had a tough start to the year with injuries and going into Portugal things were starting to go right, so I was really looking forward to getting my season back on track. Unfortunately I had a small slip off in pre-qualifying, landed awkwardly and bust my thumb up quite bad. At the time we didn’t know the extent of the injury, but I had a scan and it confirmed that I’d torn off the collateral ligament. In motocross riding with injuries is one of the things that come as part and parcel of the job, so I thought I’d be able to continue with the hope that the situation would improve and the surgery would be able to wait until later in the year. Each weekend I was having pain-relief injections to try and help, but this didn’t always work so well, especially at the more demanding tracks, and we certainly haven’t been achieving the results that we are more than capable of. CAS Honda, Honda and myself had decided that if my results didn’t improve or the pain in my hand didn’t get any better by this race, then we would need to evaluate the situation, as riding like this is no good for me or the team. It’s been hard to ride and stay motivated with so much pain, as we haven’t really had the chance to race fully fit at all this year, and I definitely am not here to finish in the positions we’ve been gaining. It’s now come to the point now where I can’t ride safely and I was struggling to hang onto the bike today, so the decision has been made that I will now fly back to the UK to have surgery on the thumb, which will probably take place in the next few days. I’m not sure when I will be able to race again, but our aim would be to come back for the last few events of the year in full fitness to gain some good results.”

Neil Prince: CAS Honda Team Manager
“We’ve certainly not had the best of weekends here at CAS Honda. With Billy we’ve been struggling to overcome the thumb injury he sustained in Portugal, and although initially it was thought the pain would subside enough for him to be able to ride, it is now apparent that surgery really is needed sooner rather than later. This track is quite demanding, and he just couldn’t hold onto the bike safely, so it’s important that he now returns home to concentrate on making a full recovery from this very problematic injury. With Bryan we saw an improvement in race one, and he made few mistakes in his races today. Unfortunately the chain snapped on his bike in race two, and he was forced to retire. With Billy out now until the end of the season, we now head to Latvia in a less-than-ideal situation, and we certainly will be reviewing how we can resolve this problem. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for their ongoing support, despite some of the difficulties we’ve encountered this year.”

*Billy will now return to the UK for surgery on the detached Ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb, with an expected recovery time of six to eight weeks. CAS Honda and Honda will now decide whether a replacement can be sought for the next few Grand Prix events and the aim is for Billy to be back on track fully fit for the final few races of the year.


GAUTIER PAULIN
Gautier Paulin scores well in German MX GP

Heading into Round 9 of the MX2 World Championship in Germany this weekend, Gautier Paulin and the Bud Racing Kawasaki team have been working hard over the last few weeks to try and improve their overall performance in order to try and gain every last second on the track as they claw back the 34 point deficit over fellow countryman, Marvin Musquin.

In the Saturday qualifier, Paulin had a mediocre start, only coming through turn one around mid-pack. Riding a smooth race throughout the 20 minute and 2 lap duration the Kawasaki rider managed to get through to 8th position for a reasonable gate pick on Sunday.

It was once again nemesis, Musquin, who grabbed the holeshot in moto 1 and charged hard up front with Paulin back in 6th on the opening lap, banging bars with a gaggle riders all determined to score every possible point in the MX2 championship. On lap 7 Musquin high-sided his machine and went down, dropping him back into 5th position. Paulin quickly capitalised on the mistake closing right down on Musquin and within a few laps had made the pass.  Using his momentum, Paulin raced his way through to 5th position by the finish line with Musquin trailing behind in 6th.

The 2nd moto would once again see Paulin having to push his way through the first turn with Musquin and team mate Rui Goncalves leading the pack. On the opening lap Paulin was into 5th position with a  mistake a few laps later losing him time on the leaders.  Never giving in, the nineteen-year-old Frenchman pushed  hard to get through the pack once again. One by one Paulin made the passes getting himself into 3rd position, but he was unable to close down on the leaders who had stretched out a gap on the clear circuit ahead of them. At the end of the fast paced race, Paulin crossed the line in 3rd position, taking 4th overall in the Grand Prix.

“I crashed two times in the first moto and recovered quickly both times. I set a fast pace throughout the race but lost out with those mistakes.  The second moto I lost too much time trying to get past the riders in front of me and by the time I got into 3rd Musquin and Roczen were gone.  I’m happy with my speed and look forward to getting the starts I need to challenge for the win,” commented a content Paulin.


JEREMY VAN HOREBEEK
Van Horebeek disappointed with German GP

Suffering a hand injury in the French Grand Prix two weeks ago, a partly-healed Jeremy Van Horebeek has scored a 13-9 result at the German MX GP in Teutschenthal this weekend.

In Saturday’s qualifying race Van Horebeek took a tumble on the opening lap however he quickly remounting his KTM250SXF and the determined Belgian got the hammer down and surprised many as he powered his way back through to 14th position.

Overnight rain showers added deeper ruts to the Talkessel circuit with Moto one on Sunday proving to be another tough race for Van Horebeek. A bad start would see ‘The Jerre” down in 15th position on the opening lap. With a class of riders so equally matched Van Horebeek raced his heart out for just under 40 minutes, posting some fast lap times, but was just unable to progress through the field as he had hoped, ultimately crossing the finish line in 14th place.

Moto 2 was yet another poor start as the KTM Factory Junior rider battled through the first turn just inside the top 15. This time though a frustrated ‘Jerre’ was not wasting any time in making passes as he climbed his way up to 9th position by the chequered flag, giving him a 10th overall for the day.

“It was difficult to get a good start from my gate position so I had lots of work to do in both races today. I’m disappointed because I know I have a lot more to show and I want to look forward to Latvia and the change of track conditions. We have some really demanding tracks coming up in the next few weeks and I want to make sure that I can be ready to fight for a podium again soon,” vowed a confident Van Horebeek.


TANEL LEOK
LOTTO LEOK AT SIXES AND SEVENS IN GERMAN GP

The title to this piece might suggest that the Estonian Express was at a loss for ideas of what to do at the German GP. Far from it. The rather puzzling title finds its roots in his results for the day - he finished sixth and seventh in the races respectively, seventh overall on the day, and holds onto seventh position in the championship standings. All those sevens would make the most fervent bingo biddy jump for joy, and having revealed the outcome in the first paragraph, one might be tempted to stop writing.

This would do our legions of faithful readers (at the last count well over half a dozen) a terrible disservice, though. We have a well-deserved reputation for foisting descriptive race reports upon our subscribers, and the fact that the Estonian Express produced a good sequence of numbers on this occasion is not reason enough to break the trend.

Here then, dear reader, in its full an unabridged form, is the report of how Tanel Leok's weekend at the GP of Germany unfolded ... Pulling into the paddock, the inscrutable one had good memories milling about in his head - a year ago at this very race, he was on the podium after a hard -charging second heat. This time round, on a new mount, Tanel looked set to continue where he left off. In the timed practice session, he blitzed to the second fastest time behind team-mate and championship leader Antonio Cairoli. For once he utilised his good starting gate to good effect, and found himself in the top 5 at the start of the qualifying race. Tugging at his throttle with determination, he kept himself in the mix, and finally qualified fourth in the rough and tumble qualifying race.

In both races, the Estonian launched his Red Bull De Carli Yamaha into a top 10 start. Needless to say, the tip of the spear is where all the action happens, and, surrounded as the was by the world's top MX1 exponents, Tanel fought out tough battles to maintain himself near the top of the mountain. After two hard fought races, he, as we mentioned before, crossed the line sixth in the first race, and seventh in race two.

With seventh in the last heat, seventh overall for the day and seventh in the championship standings, Tanel may well have been forgiven if he had taken a flutter at the gambling machines in the evening. As it turned out, he didn't as he packed his family and his racing gear into his Vito and headed straight home for Estonia. The next GP is as close to a home GP that he will ever have had, as the world championship circus descends on Kegums in neighbouring Latvia.

KTM RACING - QUALIFYING

KTM's Musquin continues his charge in MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Marvin Musquin continued his express train charge in MX2 on Saturday in Germany's Teutschenthal adding yet another pole position to his credit and putting himself in the box seat for victory in the German GP on Sunday.

The recent recruit to the factory team has won the last two GPs in Britain and France on his KTM machine, finishing with perfect 50-points scorecards to add to his earlier GP win in Bulgaria and is looking strong and confident for Sunday's German GP.

"I have such a good feeling on my bike that it seems easy to take the holeshot," Musquin said.

"I didn't push too hard today because we will have two long heats tomorrow and I want to give my best."

He said he expected strong competition from the young 15-year-old German rider Ken Roczen who was second in Saturday's qualifying.

"Roczen will be strong and he will push because he's fast," Musquin said. "It's going to be a good race for the top riders."
 
Red Bull KTM Racing's Portuguese factory rider Rui Goncalves, winner of two GPs this season, was also in good form on Saturday coming home in fourth in qualifying.

"It was okay for me. I had a pretty good start and I rode well in the first part of the race. Then I got some arm pump and I made a few mistakes but towards the end I was again riding like it should be. I am looking forward to putting in two good motos tomorrow," Rui said after qualifying.
 
Also present with his team in Germany is Shaun Simpson, the third factory rider for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Shaun is still recovering from a training accident but was in Belgium this week for another operation to remove two screws from the pin in his fractured leg.

"Everything went well in the operation and the doctors are happy with my progress," Shaun said.

"My doctor told me to take it easy this week but next week I can start some cycling exercises and start to build up the strength in his leg. I should be able to be back training on my bike by the race weekend in Lommel (August 2, 2009)."

His return to racing will depend on his recovery progress and clearance to do so by his doctors.
 
Nagl a strong second in qualifying ahead of German MX1 GP
Max Nagl of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team revelled in the conditions of his home GP at Teutschenthal, Germany on Saturday coming in second in the MX1 qualifying for a strong confidence booster ahead of Sunday's GP.

"I lost the pole position on the last corner and I know I have to work on this because it's happened to me before this season, but second place in qualifying for my home GP is still good. I was a bit under pressure today from de Dyker and I did my best to pull away from him. Also Cairoli put on the pressure so I tried to stay calm and just run my race. The race tomorrow will be very important for me but I also want it to be fun," Nagl said.
 
The German KTM rider received a huge support from local fans, with a number of designated corners on the track being designated "Max Nagl" corners. This was part of a special initiative with Red Bull and the KTM factory team on Friday where Max and top team officials had a barbecue and held a "meet and greet" with his local supporters. During Saturday's qualifying fans at the Max Nagl corners wore a mask of his face and Max said this was great for him and lots of fun.

"It was really funny to see all those guys wearing Max Nagl masks and this is a great initiative with Red Bull. It's the first time that there has been anything like this for a German MX rider," he said, adding that he wanted to thank all of his team, family, friends and fans for the support they are giving him.
 
The second KTM factory rider, Jonathan Barragan (Spain) of Team Silver Action is not competing in Germany this weekend because he is recovering from a training accident.

This year there have been some modifications to the track in Germany and some sand has been added to the traditional hard pack, 1739 m circuit. Rain late Saturday resulted in some muddy conditions but organisers expect fine weather for Sunday's races.
 
Laier in a class of her own at home in Germany
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Steffi Laier was in a class of her own on Saturday at the Teutschenthal circuit in Germany, confidently winning the first of two women's races for the current round of the Women's MX World Championship.

Laier's arch rival Livia Lancelot was unable to complete the race due to the pain of a dislocated shoulder and this left nothing in the way for the fast and furious KTM talent.

"This was a perfect day for me," Steffi said after the first race on Saturday evening.

"I took the holeshot and I won."

She also rode the fastest lap.

"It's good to be racing here at home. I'm very relaxed and I have a lot of friends supporting me here. The track is more difficult than it was before because they have mixed in some sand and that's made it more technical. But It's good and I like it a lot," she said.
 
Laier, who enjoys riding in the rain, said she wasn't concerned if the weather was bad for the second race. "I actually hope it rains. It will be good for me but hard for the others. I've been training on this track and I am confident. I hope to have a good start tomorrow and I hope to have the red number plate at the end of the day!"


TEAM SUZUKI - QUALIFYING
DE DYCKER 3RD ON GERMAN MX1 GATE

Teka Suzuki World MX1's Ken De Dycker will filter into the start gate in third position for the Grand Prix of Germany at the Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal tomorrow.
 
The ninth round of 15 in the 2009 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship began under cloudy but bright skies and despite the occasional threat of rain, remained dry.

The Belgian experimented with settings on his RM-Z450 to cope with the hard and fast course located close to the city of Halle. The 24-year-old tried a different sprocket, altered engine mapping and also tweaked suspension settings in search of the best configuration.

De Dycker posted the seventh and fourth best times in the two practice sessions and then attacked the opening two laps of the qualification heat race to lead the pack. A few small mistakes and a change of lines in an effort to find more grip did not help the Suzuki pilot and he ended up slipping back two positions to third.

Ken De Dycker:
"Today wasn't bad. We tried to do some different things during the practice but arrived more or less at the setting we had before. We were trying to find more traction and the suspension set-up we have at the moment still isn't 100% even though it was better for the Heat. I made a few mistakes in the race and did not want to push too hard because it is Sunday's motos that really count and third was OK for the gate. We will see how it goes tomorrow because the track will get rougher and bumpier through the day so there will be more lines."