Euro News
EURO NEWS
BLOG ... FROM STEVE RAMON
Edited copy courtesy of the Team Suzuki Press Office. This was written before Valence
A week ago I rode at Lommel for an International race and it is not the first time I have ridden in the snow and ice, even if it is an unusual situation and a bit of a waste. We were told that the track would be cleared and graded before the meeting but they had a problem with the machinery on Saturday, so it was rock hard and difficult to ride on Sunday because it was so slippery. I did my motos and took it easy.
We usually have a few options for pre-season races every year but obviously the early months mean that these events can be victims of the weather and winter conditions. I have been at races where they have been cancelled at the last moment; in Lommel a decision like that was not made! The internationals are important because they allow you to build up your speed and confidence to be ready for the start of the World Championship.
One week beforehand we were in Italy for the Mantova Starcross and that was the first meeting for me and the team. I travelled to Italy with my dad and used his small camper. I had bought a new one but at the end of 2009 I lost the registration papers and hadn't received the new version yet, so I needed him to drive me down there.
I was happy with the three motos, even if I did have a lot of arm-pump in the first race and had to slow down. The next two were fine and all of my starts meant I was right up there going for the lead in the first turns. I hadn't been riding so much in January so I was a little surprised with how easily everything came to me; normally I am not that good in the first few outings of the year! The track was not easy and there were a lot of ruts as well as hard and soft parts of the terrain. It was hard to read sometimes.
Mantova was the start of a pretty heavy schedule of races for me. I had spent part of December in Portugal doing running and cycling and then came home to start riding in January but as the weather was so poor we headed to the south of France for a week. After that I managed a few trips to the sandy circuit of Dunkirk because most of the tracks in Belgium were still closed. So I came to Italy with not a great deal of track-time but it worked out OK.
The GPs are of course the most important races during the year but I like the Belgian Championship and will continue to do it. It means that I have a busy calendar but I think it gives my fans an extra chance to see me compete and I value the title.
I have a new mechanic, Bo, who worked with me a few years ago and is a good friend. With Frank taking a step back from his position, there was the chance for Bo to come into the team after previously working with the MX2 guys. I am happy he is with us and we get on well together. The RM-Z450 we used at Mantova is more or less my 2010 factory bike and there are no major differences, just some refinements here-and-there like a new silencer.
On Friday we will go to Valence for the next International and then stay in France for several days to do some testing. In two weeks we will be in the UK for Hawkstone. Before long Bulgaria and the first Grand Prix will be here!
VALENCE INTERNATIONAL IN FRANCE
Lots of interest in this event near Lyon, as many of the Factory Team riders were there.
MX1 Moto one: 1. Greg Aranda, 2. Jonathan Barragan, 3. Clement Desalle, 4. David Philippaerts, 5. Antonio Cairoli, 6. Max Nagl, 7. Anthony Boissiere, 8. Davide Guarneri, 9. Josh Coppins, 10. Tanel Leok, 11. Marc De Reuver, 12. Steve Ramon, 13. Jimmy Albertson, 14. Xavier Boog, 15. Mike Alessi, 16. Sebastien Pourcel, 17. Christophe Martin, 18. Loic Rombaud, 19. Manuel Priem, 20, Mathias Bellino...21. Kevin Strijbos, 26. Ken De Dycker
MX1 Moto two: 1. Antonio Cairoli, 2. Steve Ramon, 3. Sebastien Pourcel, 4. David Philippaerts, 5. Clement Desalle, 6. Jonathan Barragan, 7. Mike Alessi, 8. Anthony Boissiere, 9. Xavier Boog, 10. Jimmy Albertson, 11. Josh Coppins, 12. Manuel Priem, 13. Max Nagl, 14. Christian Martin, 15. Loic Rombard
MX1 and MX2 combined: 1. Antonio Cairoli, 2. Steve Ramon, 3. David Philippaerts, 4. Tanel Leok, 5. Sebstien Pourcel, 6. Anthony Boissiere, 7. Steven Frossard, 8. Gautier Paulin , 9. Max Nagl, 10. Ken Roczen, 11. Xavier Boog, 12. Gregory Aranda, 13. Marvin Musquin, 14. Jimmy Albertson, 15. Marc De Reuver
MX1 overall: 1. Antonio Cairoli, 2. David Philippaerts, 3. Steve Ramon, 4. Anthony Boissiere, 5. Sebastien Pourcel, 6. Jonathan Barragan, 7. Clement Desalle, 8. Max Nagl, 9. Gregory Aranda, 10. Tanel Leok, 11. Xavier Boog, 12. Jimmy Albertson, 13. Josh Coppins, 14. Mike Alessi, 15. Marc De Reuver
FROM APRILIA
Fresh off his first podium achieved at Round 1 of the Italian championships last week, Josh Coppins, looked set to test his speed against a star studded field at the Valence MX international held in France over the weekend.
Coppins posted 12th fastest time in the morning qualification session and looked confident going into Moto 1. He grabbed a reasonable start, but then got stuck behind , Mike Alessi, and could not find an opening to get past the American. Eventually he made his move but then made a mistake as he was working his way through the field and had to settle for 9th spot.
Josh Coppins. Photo courtesy of Aprilia. Photographer CDS
Requesting some suspension changes for the second moto, Coppins was happy with the settings chosen, but had an issue with the clutch at the start of the moto. He worked his way up to 11th but then hit a false neutral and went down. Re starting at the back of the pack he fought through to 11th. A technical problem with the clutch in the Super Final saw a disappointed Coppins pushed to the side line.
"We have been testing some new settings and parts and obviously there are still some issues which we need to have ironed out. I am really happy with the performance of my bike and am confident I have what I need to run up top. Starts will be very important this year with so many fast guys, so this is an area we are working on at the moment. I am looking forward to doing some more testing this week in Italy and then I head to round 2 of the Italian championships next weekend." commented Coppins.
FROM KTM
Edited copy from KTM Racing
Antonio Cairoli the ruling MX1 world champion and the latest recruit to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team continued his pre-season preparation with a blistering attack on the Valence circuit to take victory in the second major pre-season contest. Cairoli, riding the new KTM 350 SX-F bike also won two weeks ago in Mantova, Italy, as riders continue to face off against each other ahead of the official world championship season. Cairoli, Sunday's winner in MX1 and the combined super final said he treated Valence as a test. "It was good training, also for the starts and quite different conditions than Mantova. I wanted to test the bike in hard competition and hard surface," Tony said. It was the Italian's first time in Valence.
Antonio Cairoli. Photo courtesy of KTM Racing. Photographer: Anonymous !
Red Bull KTM teammates Max Nagl and American Mike Alessi were also riding in Valence. Like Cairoli, Nagl saw the event as a training opportunity and did not push for a top result. He finished eighth in the MX1 and was ninth in the super final. The German said Valence was also not his favourite track. "I wasn't too motivated to push for a top result because this was just training for me. My starts were not as good as I would like but we know that with a small adjustment to the settings, I will again be fast out of the gates," Nagl said.
Mike alessi. Photo courtesy of KTM Racing. Photographer: Anonymous !
Alessi, who like Cairoli is also riding the new KTM 350 SX-F, said he was on a fast learning curve with his new machine and felt much more comfortable riding in Valence. The American rider, who will race the first three GPs in Europe has spent the past several weeks training with Cairoli in Italy. Mike also said he suffered with some arm pump during Sunday's races and this affected his overall performance.
KTM's MX2 world champion Marvin Musquin of the Red Bull KTM Factory team finished in second place in the MX2 category and was thirteenth overall. "I had very good starts today and it was nice to win the first heat ahead of Shaun (Simpson). I raced along with Roczen in the second moto but in the third race it was hard going competing against the bigger bikes," Musquin said. Riders in the super final had an extra challenge when the clouds broke adding rain to the already cold and windy conditions.
Marvin Musquin. Photo courtesy of KTM Racing. Photographer: Anonymous !
KTM factory team's MX2 rider Shaun Simpson put in excellent times in Saturday's practice that saw him finish almost two seconds ahead of Musquin. He was second to his French teammate in the opening MX2 moto on Sunday but then he got caught in a mid air duel with the KTM team's youngest rider, 15-year-old Jeffrey Herlings , in the opening lap of the second MX2 race. Shaun hit the deck hard but after examination, medics said he had escaped with just bruising, a relief for the Scottish rider who missed almost a whole season last year after a training accident. Meanwhile young Herlings said he had good starts and competing with the big names in racing was good experience. "I wasn't so fast on Saturday but I had better results when I was more confident on the track," the young Dutch rider said.
Jeffrey Herlings. Photo courtesy of KTM Racing. Photographer: Anonymous !
Also on the track was Women's World Champion Steffi Laier together with her strongest rival in the women's competition Livia Lancelot. Laier, since the beginning of 2009 a full factory rider for Red Bull KTM said it was not an easy track. She also took the experience as training ahead of her bid to retain the title and it was also an opportunity to test herself against Lancelot, who this year is a KTM-supported rider. Steffi was 25th and 21st while Lancelot was 27th and 20th, a creditable effort for the only two women riding with the best of the sport's men on Sunday.
FROM KAWASAKI
Edited copy and photos courtesy of Kawasaki-Racingteam.eu
For the first time this season the Kawasaki teams KRT, CLS and Bud Racing were involved in the same meeting, the Valence International, the second main pre-season motocross event of 2010. A race victory for Grégory Aranda, top three finishes for Jonathan Barragan, Sébastien Pourcel and Steven Frossard and top ten scores for Xavier Boog, Jeremy Van Horebeek and Nicolas Aubin confirmed that they are all making good progress in their preparation for the forthcoming GP season.
The opening MX1 race was a stunning double success for Kawasaki as Bud Racing's Grégory Aranda took his first major victory with KRT's Jonathan Barragan chasing him home in second place. Misfortune was to strike both riders in their later races, but Sébastien Pourcel took up the challenge for Kawasaki and advanced from bad starts to record impressive third and fifth placed finishes. Despite a disappointing opening race, those scores lifted the French KRT rider to fifth place on the day, one ahead of Barragan with Aranda ninth and Xavier Boog, the third member of the KRT team, narrowly missing the top ten overall despite three solid finishes.
There were high hopes of Kawasaki success in the MX2 class as Nicolas Aubin of Kawasaki Bud Racing set the fastest time during Saturday practice, and Steven Frossard of Kawasaki Team CLS Pro Circuit qualified fastest on Sunday morning, but both riders suffered setbacks during the racing. A sick Aubin was unable to maintain his proven pace for the full duration of a race, and Frossard, still getting used to the awesome power of his new KX250F, misjudged his first two starts and actually hit the gate in the opening race. Setting the fastest race lap each time, he scorched through the field to finish fifth and third, and in the final race of the day, in which the best MX1 and MX2 riders started together, he was the leading MX2 rider throughout to confirm third place on the day.
Kawasaki Team CLS Pro Circuit colleague Jeremy Van Horebeek recorded three solid finishes, the highlight being a second race fifth place, to finish the day eighth in class.
Each of the Kawasaki riders will now prepare in a number of different races all over Europe prior to the opening round of the FIM MX1/MX2 World Championships at Sevlievo in Bulgaria on the Easter weekend of April 3rd and 4th.
Jonathan Barragan. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki-Racingteam.eu
Jonathan Barragan: "I had good speed in the first race, but it is so difficult to pass here so I had to settle for second place. In the second race I crashed and scraped my arm on the tyres which mark the track, and I collided with another rider at the start of the Superfinal so I didn't get the overall finish my riding deserved. But this is only my second race with the team and I feel more at home on my KX450F every time I ride it."
Sébastien Pourcel. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki-Racingteam.eu
Sébastien Pourcel: "I was much happier with my last two races. I found a good rhythm to come back to third and fifth after bad starts in all three races. We have been testing different tyres and exhausts; I feel good on the bike now and didn't get tired so that shows we are working in the right direction."
Xavier Boog: "This was only my second race on the KX450F-SR and the first in track conditions like we had today, but I felt stronger in every race. I still have to improve my starts, but now we have three French championship races before the first GP to work on that."
Grégory Aranda. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki-Racingteam.eu
Grégory Aranda: "I was very satisfied with my first race as I proved that I can run the same pace as the top riders if I get a good start. I had some bad luck in the other races, like a stone in the front brake in the second race, but I felt good on the bike all weekend and confirmed that my physical condition is good."
Steven Frossard. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki-Racingteam.eu
Steven Frossard: "My main aim this weekend was to test the bike in racing conditions, and I must say that the technicians have done a great job. The power comes in so strongly that I made a mess of the first two starts, in fact I hit the gate in race one, but I had got used to it in the Superfinal and was the first MX2 bike from the start. I made the fastest lap in the first two races and that gives me confidence for the World Championship."
Jeremy Van Horebeek. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki-Racingteam.eu
Jeremy Van Horebeek: "I already have a great feeling on the bike, but the track was slippery this weekend and I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. This was our first race and I made a few mistakes getting used to the power but the bike is so good that I can hardly wait for the GPs to start."
Nicolas Aubin. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki-Racingteam.eu
Nicolas Aubin: "I didn't get the results I expected today, but I know the reason. I proved already yesterday in practice that I had good speed for one lap, but I felt sick today and found it difficult to concentrate. The race was useful though, because we made some improvements to the set-up of the bike and are working in the right direction."
TEAM SUZUKI
Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2's Ken Roczen won the MX2 class with 3rd and 1st positions in the two motos, before scoring 10th in the Superfinal that saw a mix of 450 and 250 machinery.
Roczen took his works RM-Z250 to the top of the podium for his first attempt at the Valence meeting and for the first time in 2010 as Teka Suzuki World MX1's Steve Ramon was third overall on his RM-Z450 in the MX1 division.
Still using the pre-season meetings as chances for testing and training, Roczen, and team-mate Arnaud Tonus, ran plenty of laps in the practice sessions and steadily worked on their speed at a chilly Valence. The teenage German, the sensation of the 2009 FIM MX2 World Championship, was consistently one of the top three fastest on race day. He rode to 3rd in the first race before carefully picking his lines and beating World Champion Marvin Musquin in the second. He was the third highest-ranked MX2 rider in the Superfinal.
Ken Roczen. Photo courtesy of the Suzuki Press Office
Ken Roczen. Photo courtesy of the Suzuki Press Office
Ken Roczen: "I am happy because I did not come here expecting to win and had also felt sick last week which meant that I could not ride much; the weather hadn't helped us either," the 15 year old said. "Both the bike and I are on a good level, not the level we want for Bulgaria and the first Grand Prix but we are on the way. We used this meeting for further mileage and training and it went well. It is good to see we are pretty competitive already."
Steve Ramon rode to 12th, 2nd and 2nd in the sprints and led for a section of the last moto. The Belgian weathered some difficult moments with arm-pump in the formative stages but emerged with a podium finish for his efforts. "I am quite pleased with the result because I suffered a bit with arm-pump again during the Timed Practice and also the first moto," said Ramon. "My start was not great for the first race and I found I could not really push, so I rode my own speed. We made a change to the bike for the second moto and I was riding a bit more relaxed and could find a better rhythm. The last race was the best for me. I started in the top five and was leading for a while until Cairoli came through. I could stay on his wheel until the finish, so I was happy with that at this stage in the year."
Clement Desalle. Photo courtesy of the Suzuki Press Office
Team-mate on the factory RM-Z450, Clement Desalle , had an eventful day. The Belgian champion, in his second appearance in Teka colours, was 7th overall with a best finish of 3rd in Moto1. A poor opening phase of the next race meant he had to recover from the lower top ten to claim 5th and his event was prematurely ended in the Superfinal with two crashes. The second of which caused his retirement with a painful arm. "The first moto was the best, I took third. Then I was fifth in the next one after a start that was not so good," commented Desalle. "In the last race I had the holeshot and was leading for two or three laps until I lost the front wheel in one of the corners. I recovered to the top five after five laps but the slippery track caught me again and I hurt my left arm. At the moment it seems to be nothing more than muscular pain. Hawkstone Park is next for me after some days testing in France."
Arnaud Tonus was pushing hard for positions in the second MX2 race after taking 10th at the first time of asking. The young Swiss rider made a mistake and lost two places and then was lucky to emerge relatively unscathed from a frightening looking accident only a few corners later.
The Teka Suzuki teams will remain in southern France for testing this week before attempting the Hawkstone Park International in England on March 7th.
YAMAHA Monster Energy Motocross Team
David Philippaerts gained his second podium in a week and the second from three race appearance so far in 2010 on the new YZ450FM. The 25 year old rode to 4th, 4th and 3rd positions for the overall runner-up position at the Valence International in France. On a cold weekend and across a track that was stony and damp but became drier throughout race day, Philippaerts faced a large number of Grand Prix competitors and produced three consistent and decent outings. The Italian is gaining speed and confidence with his 2010 race-bike and benefitted from more suspension tests last week after his victory in the first round of the Italian Championship at Montevarchi.
David Philippaerts. Photo courtesy of Yamaha-Racing
David Philippaerts: "I am very happy as my riding was good today, better than last week in the Italian Championship. We made a test with the suspension in the middle of the week before coming to France and it was a step forwards. We made a change on the rear shock and also discovered a setting for the front fork. I felt comfortable on the bike at Valence and could run the pace I wanted."
Philippaerts placed behind Antonio Cairoli and in front of Steve Ramon, Anthony Boissiere and Sebastien Pourcel.
Gauter Paulin. Photo courtesy of Yamaha-Racing
Team-mate Gautier Paulin swung his leg over the works YZ250FM for just the second time in competition this year and claimed fourth place overall. The Frenchman was pleased with the progress he is making in preparation for his assault on the MX2-GP world championship.
Gautier Paulin: "Everything went OK," he said after taking two 4th places and then was the second best MX2 rider in the Superfinal with the 450s. "Frossard was perhaps the fastest MX2 rider on the day but I was not far away from him and I was pleased with the fact that my best moto was the last one; I only needed a little bit more time to overtake him to be the first MX2 bike against the MX1 guys. My fitness is good and we are going in the right direction."
Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci Motocross Team's Loic Larrieu enjoyed his first race on the 2010 YZ250F and his first outing since injuring both of his shoulders towards the end of 2009. The French teenager was 11th overall in the MX2 class. Team-mate Ken De Dycker was not able to score points across the Valence leaps after a small mechanical problem.
The second round of the Italian Championship takes place next weekend at Castiglione Del Lago with both Yamaha Monster Energy teams set to participate.
Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship
Edited copy courtesy of the ACU
THE 2010 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship jumps into action this Sunday February 28th at the dramatic Little Silver circuit in Devon with a host of exciting new rules and top British and GP riders going for glory.
The Little Silver circuit offers all round viewing and is situated within sight of Junction 31 of the M5 Motorway near Exeter. Top GP riders include, Zach Osbourne, Tom Church, Stephen Sword, Mattis Karro, Jake Nicholls, Gareth Swanepoel, Evgeny Bobreshev, Graeme Irwin and Pascal Lauret, who will be supported by all the top UK riders, including defending MX1 Champion Brad Anderson.
And the racing will be intense with a Superpole F1/World Superbike style qualifying session sorting the start gate and then three quick-fire 20-minute races for both the MX1 and MX2 classes, giving the crowds plenty to get excited about.
Despite recent rain the hillside track is extremely dry and the fact that it was "sealed" has made it in prime condition. The gritty, sand based circuit will be left sealed until very late in the week. Once the weather forecasters are confident of a dry weekend it will be ripped and harrowed. If a wet weekend is forecast it will be left as hardpack.
