Fresh from a rostrum finish last time out, Evgeny Bobryshev confirmed he is back to full strength with a second podium in as many races today in Bastogne, Belgium where he went 4-3 for third overall at round 15 of the MX1 World Championship.
After qualifying third yesterday, Bobryshev made a decent start to the opening race today, although he was pushed out wide in the second turn. After some good manoeuvres in lap one he was in fourth position, and maintaining a good rhythm while catching Gautier Paulin.
On lap eight of the 35-minute plus two-lap moto a mistake saw Bobryshev fall and remount in sixth, but the Honda pilot made amends by passing Ken de Dycker and Kevin Strijbos while defending his line against Jeremy van Horebeek to the chequered flag.
With light rain between motos, the track had become grippier in places, and Bobryshev got another good start into the top six. The 25-year-old Russian, who made up positions again with some strong riding in the first lap, passed fellow Honda racer David Philippaerts on lap eight for third place, after riding defensively again to control the gap to van Horebeek, and this sealed his podium position.
Bobryshev controlled the race from there, and although he was catching second placed Antonio Cairoli, he wasn’t able to bring down the gap enough by the end of the moto, although he took his second podium finish in two events aboard his Dunlop-shod factory CRF450R. It was a particularly special occasion for the Russian, as for the first time since his schoolboy days both of his parents travelled to Europe to see him race.
Clement Desalle won the overall, with Cairoli taking second place. The Grand Prix circus now heads to the penultimate round of the series, which will be held in Matterley Basin, Great Britain next weekend, where it is not yet known if Bobryshev’s teammate Max Nagl will be healthy enough to ride following his diagnosis of having the Epstein-Barr virus.
Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 3rd overall
“I didn’t get such a good jump out of the gate, but I did some moves in the first laps. Tony and Clement got away with good starts, and I was struggling a bit with the guys in front of me, as they broke my speed. I was behind Paulin and we pulled away from the fifth guy, but I made a little mistake, so I lost around 10 seconds. Strijbos passed me, and it took a long time for me to come through, as there weren’t so many lines, but I got to fourth. In the second race I was third from early on, and controlling the race from there, so it was good to get a podium again this weekend. I’ve collected a lot of points, which is good for the championship. The track had more grip today, but it was a bit flat. There were some nice berms, and it was raining a little bit during the day, which added grip and made it fun, as I could use the power of my bike. At the moment I’ve made another step, but I need to work more on my speed to get to the possibility of winning. It depends a little on the track, but everyone is working hard and I know there’s more to give. It’s been a positive weekend with two podiums in a row, so now I feel the confidence is back, and I’m looking forward to Matterley, as it’s a good track.”
Paolo Martin: Honda World Motocross Team Owner
“We started yesterday with Bobby doing a good job, and he’s felt good here. We made some changes overnight with the suspension, as the track is very slippery in places, which improved things. We had a meeting before the race and the target was for third position, so we are happy with the result. For me this is the best result we could ask for at this stage, and maybe at Matterley Basin we can improve a little bit, but at the moment it’s not possible to push 100%. We want Bobby to take things step-by-step, and he is doing that now with the podium, while getting a good feeling, so maybe by the end of the season we can see his full potential. The team continues to work very hard, and we’ve also had some Japanese Honda staff here with us this weekend. I’d like to thank everyone for their hard work, and another podium is a real big gift for them.”