Double French MX1 champion Xavier Boog made a victorious return to his domestic series, this weekend in Gueugnon. The 24MX Honda rider was the strongest in both motos, each time before Sébastien Pourcel. Boog came close to pulling off the perfect hattrick but was pipped for the win in the super final by Switzerland’s Arnaud Tonus.
During the morning’s time practice Boog underlined his intentions by posting the fastest time in his group and the overall pole in the MX1 class. The sandy track of Gueugnon was perfectly prepared but weather conditions were far from pleasant and throughout the day the terrain would roughen up considerably.
Starting second behind Potisek, Boogie didn’t find a passing opportunity in the first couple of laps of moto one. However ten minutes into the race Xavier took control of the affair and went on to capture his first victory in the highly regarded French National championship since Romagné in 2012. Again it was Potisek who had the best jump out of the gate in the second moto, but Xavier was less patient than in the first race and quickly made his way from third to first. Even the hail couldn’t disturb the #121 Honda and Boog claimed a dominant win ahead of Pourcel and Potisek.
With an early lead in the Superfinal the CRF450R mounted Boog seemed set for his third win of the day but the chasing trio of Tonus, Ferrandis and Pourcel kept him real. In the two last corners of the race Xavier left the door open just a little too long and Tonus took full advantage of this mistake. So while Boog was clearly the strongest in MX1 he has to hand the overall ‘Inters’ win to Tonus.
Xavier Boog: “My first moto was nothing special, but I was quite satisfied with the second moto. I could control my race and rode relaxed. Really I should have won the final moto as well… I could kick myself because it was an amateur-like mistake not to protect my line any better! Anyway I was happy to race the MX Elite in France. I feel that the speed is coming back and we’ve made further progress with the suspension setup after our test last week. So that’s another step in the right direction.
With the many ruts and the soggy track the conditions were demanding here. However I think that’s great preparation for the GP in Brazil next week.”
MX1 Moto 1
1. Xavier Boog (FRA, 24MX Honda Racing), 2. Sébastien Pourcel (FRA, KTM), 3. Milko Potsek (FRA, Yamaha), 4. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Kawasaki), 5. Fabien Izoird (FRA, Suzuki), 6. Christophe Martin (FRA, Honda), 7. Jules Hadjoudj (FRA, KTM), 8. Loic Rombaut (FRA, Kawasaki), 9. Romain Laurens (FRA, Yamaha), 10. Gaetan Le Hir (FRA, Honda)
MX1 Moto 2
1. Xavier Boog (FRA, 24MX Honda Racing), 2. Sébastien Pourcel (FRA, KTM), 3. Milko Potsek (FRA, Yamaha), 4. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Kawasaki), 5. Fabien Izoird (FRA, Suzuki), 6. Christophe Martin (FRA, Honda), 7. Kevin Ballanger (FRA, Yamaha), 8. Loic Rombaut (FRA, Kawasaki), 9. Jason Clermont (Fra, Suzuki), 10. Romain Laurens (FRA, Yamaha)
Superfinal MX1+MX2
1. Arnaud Tonus (SWI, Kawasaki), 2. Xavier Boog (FRA, 24MX Honda Racing), 3. Dyalan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 4. Sébastien Pourcel (FRA, KTM), 5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Kawasaki), 6. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Kawasaki), 7. Damon Graulus (BEL, KTM), 8. Milko Potsek (FRA, Yamaha), 9. Fabien Izoird (FRA, Suzuki), 10. Jason Clermont (Fra, Suzuki)
MX1 Day result
1. Xavier Boog (FRA, 24MX Honda Racing) 72 pts, 2. Sébastien Pourcel (FRA, KTM) 62, 3. Milko Potsek (FRA, Yamaha) 53, 4. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Kawasaki) 51, 5. Fabien Izoird (FRA, Suzuki) 44, 6. Christophe Martin (FRA, Honda) 38, 7. Loic Rombaut (FRA, Kawasaki) 33, 8. Kevin Ballanger (FRA, Yamaha) 28, 9. Romain Laurens (FRA, Yamaha) 24, 10. Jason Clermont (Fra, Suzuki) 23