We got lots of team PR from Round 3 of the World Championships…
Paulin…
Carrying confidence from his first 2012 MX1 GP victory in Bulgaria a week prior, Kawasaki Racing Team’s, Gautier Paulin, was disappointed not to be on the podium at round 3 of the FIM Motocross world championship held in Fermo, Italy.
Both Paulin and Pourcel went head to head in Saturday’s qualification race with Paulin gaining the upper hand with the victory and pole position for Sunday’s race. When the gate dropped for the first 35min + 2 lap moto, Pourcel grabbed the hole-shot and Paulin quickly moved past championship leader, Antonio Cairoli, then he made his move on Pourcel for the lead. Pourcel quickly countered while Cairoli hitched a tow. With 2 laps to go Paulin upped his pace and started to pressurize his fellow countryman forcing him into a mistake, which handed him the lead. Pourcel wasted no time in a quick recovery and with two corners to go Paulin missed his inside rut allowing Pourcel to sneak past for the win.
A detrimental slip in the first corner ruined Paulin’s chances of a podium when he went down and had to remount in last place. He pushed hard throughout the moto gaining as many positions as possible. At the checkered flag he salvaged 6th place for 4th overall.
“I was really happy with my qualifying and the pole position on Saturday and felt great on the KX450F-SR. I was confident for the first moto and had a great start but then made a mistake on the last lap so I was not happy about that. The second moto I lost the front end and had to come back from last which was frustrating for me. My goal was to be upfront at this GP and I showed I have the speed so I will try to minimize my mistakes at the next race.” said Paulin.
A week’s break will allow Paulin some rest before he travels to Guadalajara, Mexico for round 4 of the 16 round series.
Image: CDS
Race results:
MX1 Race 1:
1 Pourcel, Christophe FRA Kawasaki
2 Paulin, Gautier FRA Kawasaki
3 Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM
4 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki
5 Boog, Xavier FRA Kawasaki
6 Bobryshev, Evgeny RUS Honda
7 de Dycker, Ken BEL KTM
8 Simpson, Shaun GBR Yamaha
9 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha
10 Strijbos, Kevin BEL KTM
MX1 Race 2:
1 Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM
2 Pourcel, Christophe FRA Kawasaki
3 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki
4 de Dycker, Ken BEL KTM
5 Bobryshev, Evgeny RUS Honda
6 Paulin, Gautier FRA Kawasaki
7 Strijbos, Kevin BEL KTM
8 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha
9 Goncalves, Rui POR Honda
10 Ferris, Dean AUS Kawasaki
MX1 GP Overall:
1 Pourcel, Christophe FRA Kawasaki 47
2 Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 45
3 Desalle, Clement BEL Suzuki 38
4 Paulin, Gautier FRA Kawasaki 37
5 de Dycker, Ken BEL KTM 32
6 Bobryshev, Evgeny RUS Honda 31
7 Strijbos, Kevin BEL KTM 25
8 Philippaerts, David ITA Yamaha 25
9 Boog, Xavier FRA Kawasaki 23
10 Leok, Tanel EST Suzuki 20
MX1 World championship standings:
1 Cairoli, A. ITA 133
2 Paulin, G. FRA 116
3 Pourcel, C. FRA 106
4 Desalle, C. BEL 105
5 de Dycker, Ken BEL 95
6 Strijbos, K. BEL 76
7 Boog, Xavier FRA 72
8 Bobryshev, E. RUS 69
9 Philippaerts, D. ITA 69
10 Leok, Tanel EST 62
KTM
KTM RESULTS SUNDAY APRIL 29, 2012
CAIROLI AND HERLINGS LEAVE FERMO WITH RED PLATES IN MX1 & MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing put in a strong weekend of racing in Round Three of the of the MX1 and MX2 World Championship in Fermo on Sunday coming away from Italian track with two red plates and Jeffrey Herlings and Tony Cairoli as championship leaders.
The day started well with Dutch teenager Jeffrey Herlings snapping a double moto win in MX2 on the KTM 250 SX-F to top the podium ahead of American Michael Leib and factory teammate Jeremy van Horebeek.Herlings has now surged 30 points clear in the standings with van Horebeek in second place while UK rider Tommy Searle slips to third after failing to pick up any points in the first moto.
While Herlings had it all his own way in the opening race on the KTM 250 SX-F, the second was much harder for him. After crashes and confusion at the start of the race he then had to go on the charge from back in the field.
Herlings got down to business and picked off riders in front of him until he hit the front in the closing stages. In the process he was also able to hold off a charge from rival Tommy Searle who was out to regain points after coming away from race one empty-handed. Van Horebeek also looked strong on the difficult hard pack surface that broke up into deep ruts and bumps as the day progressed and led for the first half of race two. The rookie member of the three-man factory team, Jordi Tixier of France also picked up valuable points to finish fourth overall and is now sixth in the standings.
Meanwhile Cairoli rounded off a good day on a track that is not his favorite on the KTM 350 SX-F with a 3-1 result for overall second. The popular Italian rider, who finished third in the opening MX1 moto came out in race two determined to treat his home town fans to a display of top riding on the KTM 350 SX-F. The wily Italian didn’t disappoint. He hit the front as soon as the gate dropped, secured the holeshot and to the delight of the dedicated fans, led throughout the entire race.
It was also a good day for his current teammate Ken de Dycker of Belgium who has stepped into the factory team to replace the injured Max Nagl of Germany. De Dycker is looking increasingly comfortable of the KTM 450 and his strong fourth place finish in the second moto put him at overall fifth in Fermo. The Belgian rider is also currently fifth in the championship standings.
Cairoli comes away from Fermo with a cushion of 27 points lead as riders now take a one-week’s break before reconvening in Mexico on May 13th for Round Four. Mexico is the first of two legs in the Americas and is followed by Round Five in Brazil.
Earlier in the day young Slovenian KTM rider Tim Gajser also had another convincing double victory in the EMX 125 class and now has a maximum of 100 points from four races. KTM riders took the top five places in the class this weekend.
What the Red Bull KTM Factory Riders said after Fermo:
Jeffrey Herlings MX2 : “I had a little bit of luck in the first moto and I went on to win by 15 seconds from Jeremy so it was a solid result. Then I took the holeshot in the second moto but I got cleaned out by Tommy (Searle). We both went down and came back from pretty much last place. I tried to push as hard as I could, I went into the lead and made it happen. So today I got 28 points on Tommy and that was good.”
Jeffrey van Horebeek MX2 : “I came out of the gate in second in both motos and in the first race I was behind Jeffrey till mid way. We had a big lead and then five minutes before the end I had a crash in the whoops and I hit my head pretty hard. I was dizzy but I still managed to finish second. I didn’t feel so good between the motos but I wanted to give the team the podium so I worked hard in the second moto. I was leading for a few laps but my head was hurting and then I had to drop the pace. Now I am second in the championship and I’ve never been there before.”
Jordi Tixier MX2: “I took a good start in the first race and I was fifth and finished seventh, which was not so bad. Then many people crashed at the start of the second race but I managed to finish fifth behind Jeremy so it was a good weekend for me. I liked the track but it had many bumps and lines and there was also a lot of crashes.”
Tony Cairoli MX1: I had a good start in the first heat and I was second but I was not so happy with my riding in the beginning. I made a few mistakes and I dropped back to 5-6 . Then after 10-15 minutes I found my rhythm and closed the gap on the front guys but I was a bit tired so I stuck to my third place. In the second race I also had a good start and I tried to make some good laps at the beginning of the race. I was also happy with how things went in the second race and I did a pretty good job.”
Ken De Dycker MX1: “I didn’t have a good start in the first moto and I didn’t find my rhythm or any good lines. But the second moto was much better. It was easier for me and I was more relaxed so there was not so much pressure. I didn’t expect more from this GP because its not one of my favorites.
GP of Italy at Fermo – Round 3 of the World Championship
MX1 Results
1, Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki
2, Tony Cairoli, Italy, KTM
3, Clement Desalle, Belgium, Suzuki
4, Gautier Paulin, France, Kawasaki
5, Ken de Dycker, Belgium, KTM
Other KTM
7, Kevin Strijbos, Belgium, KTM
12, Matiss Karro, Latvia, KTM
13, Davide Guarneri, Italy, KTM
MX1 Standings
1, Cairoli, 133
2, Paulin, 116
3, C. Pourcel, 106
4, Desalle, 105
5, de Dycker, 95
Other KTM
6, Strijbos, 76
14, Davide Guarneri, 36
15, Karro, 35
MX1 Manufacturers Standings
1, KTM, 133
2, Kawasaki, 129
3, Suzuki, 115
MX2 Results
1, Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, KTM
2, Michael Leib, USA, Yamaha
3, Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM
4, Jordi Tixier, France, KTM
5, Jose Butron, Spain, KTM
Other KTM
13, Jake Nichols, GBR, KTM
MX2 Standings
1, Herlings, 144
2, van Horebeek, 114
3, Searle, 109
4, Roelants, 85
5, Anstie, 80
Other KTM
6, Tixier, 78
8, Nichols, 69
13, Butron, 48
MX2 Manufacturers Standings
1, KTM, 144
2, Kawasaki, 132
3, Honda, 84
EMX 125 Overall Results
1, Tim Gajser, Slovenia, KTM (1-1)
2, Magne Klingshelm, Norway, KTM
3, Calvin Vlaanderen, Netherlands, KTM
4, Davide Bonini, Italy, KTM
5, Riccardo Righi, Italy, KTM
Other KTM
6, Jaap Corneth, Netherlands, KTM
7, James Dunn, GBR, KTM
10, Henry Jacobi, Germany, KTM
11, Pauls Jonass, Latvia KTM
12, Anton Lundgren, Sweden, KTM
13, Vaclav Kovar, Czech Republic, KTM
14, Styn Hofman, Belgium, KTM
15, Dietger Damiaens, Belgium, KTM
EMX 125 Championship Standings
1, Gaijser, 100
2, Bonini, 75
3, Klingshelm, 66
4, Vlaanderen, 60
5, Jacobi, 56
EMX 125 Manufacturers Standings
1, KTM, 100
2, Suzuki, 58
3, Kawasaki, 6
MotoGP of Spain – Jerez Circuit – Round 2
Moto3 Results
1, Romano Fenati, Italy, FTR Honda
2, Luis Salom, Spain, Kalex KTM
3, Sandro Cortese, Germany, KTM
4, Alex Rins, Spain, Suter Honda
5, Alexis Masbou, France, Honda
6, Maverick Viñales, Spain, FTR Honda
7, Alberto Moncayo, Kalex KTM
8, Niccolo Antonelli, Italy, FTR Honda
9, Hector Faubel, Spain, Kalex KTM
10, Zulfahmi Khairuddin, Malaysia, KTM
Other KTM
DNF Arthur Sissis, Australia, KTM
DNF Brad Binder, RSA, Kalex KTM
DNF Niklas Ajo, Finland, KTM
DNS Danny Kent, GBR, KTM
Moto3 Standings
1, Fenati, 45
2, M. Viñales, 35
3, Salom, 33
4, Cortese, 32
5, Rins, 19
Other KTM
6, Khairuddin, 16
9, Moncayo, 11
10, Faubel, 11
11, Sissis, 9
13, Kent, 8
19, Ajo, 3
Moto3 Manufacturers Standings
1, FTR Honda, 50
2, Kalex KTM, 33
3, KTM, 32
Red Bull Rookies Cup at Jerez, Spain – Round 2
All riders on KTM 125 RR machines
1, Lorenzo Baldassarri, Italy
2, Ivo Lopes, Portugal
3, Diego Perez, Spain
Ferris achieves first top 10 MX1 GP result
Australian, Dean Ferris, has achieved a career best at round 3 of the FIM Motocross world championship held in Fermo-Italy. Having competed at the spectacular hillside circuit in 2010 in a guest ride, Ferris knew what to expect against the world’s fastest MX1 racers.
Qualifying in 19th spot gave Dean a wide gate pick for both moto’s and he was caught in the gaggle of riders going into the first turn in moto 1. He took time to settle down into his race rhythm but he finally found his race pace and climbed the ladder steadily setting his fastest times towards the end of the moto. His efforts were rewarded with 17th spot.
A much better start in moto2 had Ferris in the top 15 as he completed the first lap. He put his head down and punched out some fast consistent lap times which took him into 10th spot with 4 laps to go. He kept up his intensity and closed down factory rider Rui Goncalves. Goncalves managed to defend his position as Ferris chased him to the flag.
“I’m really pumped with my result today and with the support that the ICEONE Racing team are giving me. We have been trying to catch up on bike setup since my injury and this weekend we made improvements once again. I was happy with my riding in the first moto even though the results don’t show it because I had to come from far back after a bad start. I had a great jump in the second moto and pushed hard from start to finish and felt comfortable with running that pace. I’m looking forward to Mexico and Brazil and to mixing it up with the top guys.” admitted Ferris.
Ferris travels to Guadalajara Mexico in a week’s time to contest round 4 of the 16 round FIM Motocross championship
Sixth overall for Bobryshev in Fermo
Honda World Motocross team’s Evgeny Bobryshev put on a strong performance today at Fermo, Italy for round three of the MX1 World Championship to take a strong sixth overall and has moved up six places in the standings.
In race one it was teammate Rui Gonçalves, who is suffering with a painful groin injury sustained in yesterday’s free practice, that got the best jump off the gate into fourth position, with Bobryshev completing lap one in ninth place. After a handful of laps Gonçalves begin to struggle with the pain in his leg, while Russian-ace Bobryshev made progress up-to sixth place around the Italian track, which is a circuit that neither rider particularly enjoys.
Bobryshev was handed fourth position for a couple of laps when Clement Desalle and David Philippaerts had a coming together mid-race, but as the pain in his hand increased and while suffering with a spell of dizziness in the Italian heat, the Honda pilot dropped a couple of places in the final stages to finish in sixth place, with Gonçalves coming home in 20th position.
In the second moto both riders certainly improved the pace aboard their Dunlop-shod factory CRF 450R machines. Although the starts weren’t the best with Bobryshev in seventh and Gonçalves in 11th at the end of the first lap, both riders managed to work their way forward around the technical hardpack track.
Bobryshev climbed the order into fifth position, and while he looked like he may catch fourth placed Ken de Dycker by setting consistently fast laptimes, with 10-minutes to go the Russian racer settled for another bagful of points while taking sixth overall, which moves him up to eighth in the championship standings. Gonçalves got into a good rhythm in ninth position and while pushing to catch David Philippaerts, the Portuguese star was battling through the pain, even vomiting in his helmet, and was forced to concentrate on maintaining his position to bring home his race machine in ninth for 14th place overall.
The overall race winner was Christophe Pourcel and the MX1 teams will now prepare for the first overseas round in Mexico in two weeks’ time.
Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 6th Overall
“For sure things have been better with my thumb, although I still have pain and I am taking some painkillers. Last year this track was tough for me, as I just didn’t gel with it, but this year it’s certainly been much better with a good result. I was a little bit hot in the first race, and I started to get a bit dizzy from the sun. It was a lot better in the second race, as the sun was behind the clouds, which made it a lot easier for me to ride. I had a good start and I was battling a little with Philippaerts, but I couldn’t close the gap on de Dycker. I was struggling particularly in the second section in the small corners, which is where I was losing time. Overall I’m happy with the result and again thanks to the team for their support. I’m now heading home to Russia to do a special race there before the next round in Mexico, where I hope my hand will be com pletely healed.”
Rui Gonçalves #999: 14th Overall
“After first practice yesterday everything has been really tough. My groin had swollen up this morning and I’ve been in a lot of pain. Our physio has done a great job with taping me and he has been working as hard as possible to try to make the situation better, but it’s been a big challenge. In the first moto I got a good start, but was really struggling. I just wanted to survive and I couldn’t hold onto the bike, as I had no power in my leg, which made it so difficult in the right hand turns, especially as I couldn’t put my foot out. Then in the second moto I got a medium start, and it took me a couple of laps to get into the rhythm of things. Towards the end I started to get better and better, but to be honest I went through the pain, especially in the last two laps. I was digging deep to hold on, catching David (Philippaerts), but then I started to be sick, so I just had to get to the end of the race. At least we’ve got some poin ts and now we’ve just got to see how long this will take to recover, then go from there. Also I want to thank the team for all of their hard work and support, especially with the situation this weekend. I hope we can improve and have some better luck to reward the team for their efforts in the next few races.”
Lorenzo Resta: Honda World Motocross Team Manager
“I’m very happy with our performance today because both riders really gave their everything, especially in the second moto. This is all we ask for, to do everything possible for the results. Rui was very weak in himself in the second moto; he was throwing up everything in the last lap with the pain in his leg, and to finish ninth was very commendable. Bobby had a good pair of races, and for him the season has really started now. He was riding very well with fast laps and the podium is getting closer every week. His hand injury is improving and to come away with these results, especially on a track that neither rider enjoys because it is so tight in places, is very positive.”
KULLAS CLAIMS ANOTHER TOP-6 AT FERMO MX2
Team Suzuki Press Office – April 29.
A week after a positive outing in Bulgaria, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe was back in action under warm sunshine at Fermo for the Grand Prix of Italy today as 17,000 spectators saw Harri Kullas take his factory-backed RM-Z250 to sixth position in the first moto and recover from an early fall to ride to 14th and leave the rough and rutty venue with 11th spot overall in the MX2 class.
The Italian hard-pack of Fermo was defined by many downhill and uphill sections as the steep hillside layout pushed the demands of the MX2 equipment to the maximum. Several technical parts of the track and battled-scarred corners helped vary the difficulty of the course.
Kullas started brightly and blasted away near the top five in the first 35 minute and 2-lap dash. He was part of a six rider group vying for third spot at one stage but settled into an effective rhythm and was satisfied to classify sixth one week after a similarly-encouraging performance netted the Fin fifth in Bulgaria. A mistake on a freshly watered track in the opening phases of the second race meant that the top 10 was a major ‘ask’ considering the ground Kullas had lost, but he persevered to reach 14th.
Alongside him in the awning, Petar Petrov was doing his best to deal with the physical and technical demands of the racing surface that was becoming heavier work with the passing laps. The Bulgarian was pretty consistent once he found his flow and eliminated some of the errors that were restricting his pace. Thirteenth and 10th still represented his best joint points-haul of the season so far and he rested in 12th.
Jorge Zaragoza picked up a superb debut podium result on the RM125 in the European 125 two-stroke championship at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria last week but the Spanish teenager was devastated when his Italian run ended before it had even begun: A slip on just his second lap in practice led to a cleanly broken right wrist and an estimated recovery period of four weeks.
There is a chance Zaragoza could be fit in time for round three of seven in the EMX125 series, which takes place on June 10th at Agueda in Portugal. The MX2 element of the team however has only a few days respite before freight needs to be prepared and travel arranged for the South American stint of the Grand Prix calendar. Trips to Mexico and then Brazil will constitute rounds four and five.
Harri Kullas:
“The first race was really good and my starts now are much better. Like Valkenswaard I didn’t feel 100% here and a bit like I was running on ’empty’. I was sixth for almost all the race and a couple of guys passed me near the end but Roelants vanished and I managed to find sixth again. The speed was OK. I was pushed wide at the second start and I was lucky I didn’t crash. I was thinking that I had to be smart because the track had been watered but I still went down! I passed some guys and came to 14th but then had a problem with my goggles and I was disappointed with that. It was my mistake and it meant I couldn’t push as much as I wanted. Sixth and 14th is not so bad but it could be better. I still had a great feeling on the bike.”
Petar Petrov:
“I was making mistakes out there and I’m not happy about this but there are some positives from this GP because I worked hard and my riding turned out OK. My start wasn’t so bad in the first moto but I had to put my head down to come back to 13th while in the second race I had a top-10 start, lost some places and then came back to 10th. It was a similar story in both parts of the day really. The track was a bit weird and sketchy. The ruts were really hard and you paid for any mistakes. You had to be calm out there. If you were aggressive then you crashed.”
