It is a truism that as soon as the New Year crackers and funny hats are packed away, the motocross racing world’s attention switches to the land of the brave and the home of the free, where the year’s first racing action takes place. The AMA supercross series normally provides racing fans with their first racing fix of the year as the US-based riders get into the swing of things, but this does not mean that their European cousins sit around the log fire swapping winter stories. Not by a long shot. The woods, hills and valleys resound with the grunt and crackle of racing machinery on the Continent as soon as is humanly possible, as the Europeans hone themselves into shape for another year’s worth of racing action.
Tanel Leok is no exception. Even in the face of a bone-chilling winter cold snap that would have polar bears phoning around for alternative arrangements, he was up and at it as soon as the calendar clicked over. More so than many of his fellow riders, perhaps, for he, as an Estonian, is no stranger at all to tootling around in -30° temperatures. Moreover, as the brand new signing to the factory Rockstar Energy Suzuki Racing squad, he has the excitement of a new challenge coursing through his veins.
Some serious hours’ worth of training had familiarized Tanel fully with his bike, and he could not wait for his first race outing on his yellow mount. The chance came soon enough, with the team entering him for the grueling Eundoropale Le Touquet beach race in the north of France. Now for those unfamiliar with Le Touquet, a short explanatory diversion may well be in order here. This is the undisputed king of beach races in the world which regularly attracts in excess of 1000 entries and more than 250 000 spectators (read that again). If the term “beach race” makes it sound like a bit of a play-play affair, a quick trawl through photos or videos of the event should quickly disabuse you of this notion. This event is tough and challenging, and a great test for both rider and machine.
The French have a rich history of producing riders who excel in this specialty event, and so even top line world championship motocrossers have their work cut out to ride to a meaningful result at Le Touquet. Tanel is no stranger to sand riding himself, however, and despite this being this being his first ever outing at the event, he was bubbling with anticipation to display his wares for his new paymasters. In deference to the massive role that elder statesman Steve Ramon had fulfilled for the Suzuki squad in the past, Tanel’s bike was decked out with the Belgian’s 2011 Le Touquet race winning number, and he felt the weight of expectation on his shoulders to bring honour anew to the number 411 …
As one can imagine, a good start is a fairly important requirement for success in a race with more than 1000 riders, and Tanel duly complied, launching himself into proceedings in 7th position. By the end of the first long lap, he was in third position. He now switched into full “Estonian Express” mode, and on lap 2, he surged into the lead as he overtook eventual winner Jean-Claude Mousse. The team had however mandated an extra pit stop to play if safe in the refuelling stakes, and this cost the Estonian some time. Both he and the team were happy enough though when he crossed the line in second position at the end of the three hour race.
The quiet man of world championship motocross delivered what was, by his standards, an epic speech after the race: ” The conditions were tricky in the beginning with the snow mixed into the top layer combined with the frozen ground underneath. I rode my own race and focused on keeping good momentum, it’s hard to actually follow which position you are in with those pit stops. I lost a little bit of time at some of my pit stops and could have gone a bit faster on the long straights, but overall I’m pretty happy with my race, the result and the team effort. My main focus is on the MX1 GP season but I’m happy tho have had the opportunity to do this race.”
As stated, Tanel’s main focus is on the 16 round-MX1 World Championships. There are, however, a few more international race events on the calendar before the hostilities break loose in the world championships, and the Suzuki strongman is set continue his preparation with outings at Valence, France, and Hawkstone Park, England, later this month.