Honda riders Eli Tomac, Justin Barcia and David Philippaerts achieved podium success today for Team USA and Team Italy, while Honda World Motocross riders Max Nagl and Evgeny Bobryshev enjoy strong second races at the Motocross of Nations in Teutschenthal, Germany.
In the opening race of today the MX1 and MX2 class saw GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, who was racing for Team USA, put in an unbelievable ride as he raced through from 17th on the opening lap to third position, before crashing spectacularly, as he got cross-rutted on a take off to a jump while battling with Ken Roczen. The disappointed Honda racer remounted to take 16th position.
Honda World Motocross’ Max Nagl didn’t get a good start for Team Germany, but he came through from outside the top 30 to 11th position in a strong race aboard his Dunlop-shod factory CRF450R. His Grand Prix teammate Evgeny Bobryshev was 12th after lap three, but was forced to retire with a technical problem while his Russian teammate ESTA Motorsports Honda rider Aleksandr Tonkov finished 14th. The race was won by Antonio Cairoli.
The second race saw the MX2 and Open riders do battle, with Tomac fighting hard with Roczen right to the wire, but with the home crowd behind him, Roczen was able to just take the advantage to bring home the win followed by Tomac in a close second. Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Barcia, racing for Team USA, didn’t have such a good start, but he raced his way through to an important fourth position with a strong ride. Tonkov finished 10th while podium man Gariboldi Honda’s David Philippaerts took 14th position around the gnarly German circuit, which was much drier than yesterday.
The overall team result came down to the final MX1 and MX2 race where Max Nagl took the holeshot in front of his extremely passionate home fans, while Bobryshev took up second position. Nagl was second until the final lap behind Cairoli, before he was caught out by a side wind that blew him off the track over a jump and he was unable to recover quickly, as he lost positions to finish in fourth place. Bobryshev took third with a strong ride behind Ken De Dycker.
Barcia put on a determined performance to recover from 31st on lap one after crashing on the start to 11th, helping put Team USA on the podium in second position, while David Philippaerts finished in 10th to help Team Italy to a third place finish on the podium. The race was won by Cairoli.
Overall team positions: 1. Belgium 2. USA 3. Italy 4. Australia 5. France 6. Great Britain 7. Germany 8. Russia 9. Switzerland 10. Estonia.
Max Nagl #1 – Team Germany:
“In the first race I had a bad start. The gate moved and my reaction wasn’t good enough, then I got caught a little with Jake Nicholls with our handlebars. I was around 35th, but I passed a lot of people every lap to come through to a decent result. In the second race I got a good jump and a holeshot. I was leading the race for a long time, and to be honest it wasn’t that tough. I was pushing, but not too hard, and I still had everything under control. After 20 minutes Tony passed me, but I planned to follow him and he didn’t pull away. With one lap to go I was caught out with a side wind on one of the big jumps, which blew me off the track and I was lucky not to land on the fence. De Dycker and Bobby closed up on me, as I lost so much time, then I was a bit stressed because I lost my rhythm, so I lost a few places. The riding and my result for myself was good, so it was a positive way to end the year. The track was really difficult, as it wasn’t graded since yesterday, so it was bumpy and hard. In some places there was grip, but not in others, so it was important to be smooth with the throttle. I am happy, as I can go with a good feeling into the winter. The Nations requires a lot of luck, and everyone tried hard, so we were just unlucky this year not to be closer to the podium. I am happy the season is over so we can start a good preparation for next year.”
Evgeny Bobryshev #31 – Team Russia
“In the first race I was a bit unlucky. I didn’t get such a good jump, but with some moves in the corners I was around 13th, battling with five people including Tomac, Dungey and De Dycker. It was difficult, because if I made a mistake I knew I would lose a lot of places. I had a technical problem, which may have been caused by a collision or a stone in the front brake, and this made me crash. I had to retire quite early on without the use of the brake. The last race was good and to end the season with a strong ride was nice. I had a good start and was second for a long time, but I made a little mistake and Tony (Cairoli) passed me. The sun was low, and I went in a hole, which kicked me off the track. I tried to pass Ken in the last few laps, and Max made a mistake so I got by him, which meant Team Russia was eighth overall. We’ve improved and it was good to be in the top 10, as well as a positive end to the season.”
Eli Tomac #8 – Team USA:
“I didn’t get a good start in the first moto, as I spun off the line and I think my dirt was a little dry; I thought it was going to work, but it didn’t. I went through the pack a little bit, and was in third place at one point, before I made a really big mistake that sent me flying over the bars. I was flying through the air without my motorcycle, which was a little scary, but I was lucky to get up, be healthy, get back to the bike and finish it out. In the second moto I had a big battle with Roczen. He got the start, and to me whoever got the start was going to win, because we were so close with a big battle all the way through. I did get shuffled back a few times with lappers, which was what hurt me the most, and the fans were really behind him, but he rode a great race. It’s been a really cool experience, and although we are disappointed not to win, hopefully I can come back and we know we’ve got to put together all five motos for the result.”
Justin Barcia #9 – Team USA
“The weekend was good; I struggled a little and I have much respect to Team Belgium and Italy, as the tracks here are extremely tough and a lot more challenging than back at home. I know we said that last year in the sand, but these guys ride some gnarly stuff. We wanted to win bad, but these guys just outrode us this year. I got a decent start in the first race, but I rode a bit tight and struggled with some stuff, although I ended up fourth. In the second race I fell on the start and had to fight my way back from the back of the pack, which was some frustrating racing. I didn’t ride very well all weekend, but there’s a lot of cool fans here. We are disappointed to finish second, but it’s been another good experience. I love racing with these guys, as it’s awesome. The European series is cool and the tracks are way gnarlier than back at home. I wish our tracks got like that; we can’t find anything like that in the US to ride with it being so choppy and gnarly. Hopefully one day I can maybe come back and race the GP’s after hopefully winning some US championships. No excuses for the race, we got beaten, but there’s nothing more in my heart I want than to win every race. I always want to win, and that’s my goal, so I did give it 100%.”
David Philippaerts #15 – Team Italy
“I am very happy to get on the podium. We know Antonio is so strong and it’s possible for him to win, so we knew that Alessandro (Lupino) and I had to be in the top 10 for the overall result in every moto. After three years of not being at the Nations due to injuries, to come back has been a dream, and to get a podium is so important. We are a private team with a private bike, so to get on the podium is more special for me.”