MX1 – ROCKSTAR ENERGY SUZUKI SET FOR GERMANY
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 will attack the final five rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship beginning this weekend with the Grand Prix of Germany at the Lausitzring motorsport complex with the goal to increase their trophy tally in the premier MX1 class.
Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos have notched 11 podium finishes between them with the factory RM-Z450 and both walked the rostrum at Finland for the previous meeting in the series almost a fortnight ago.
Both riders are sitting in the top five of the MX1 standings and Desalle has been gaining ground on Gautier Paulin in the past two meetings and lies just nine points from second place. Strijbos, who participated in the Everts and Friends charity event last weekend, needs to defend a 28-point margin from Tommy Searle.
“After three Grands Prix in a row it was good to break the routine a little bit,” said Desalle. “I worked on my GSX-R1000 and also took it out around Spa Francorchamps. I already got my knee on the ground the first time I went for some laps; it is not easy to do at Spa because it is very fast and there are not so many tight corners! Apart from that I had some relaxed time and also did some mountain-biking with friends. We have started preparation for Germany this week, even if some of the summer temperatures have been a bit crazy; it was 33 degrees in Lommel!
“I don’t really want to put too much pressure on myself,” he said about the close proximity to second place in the MX1 Championship. “At the same time I am looking at the points and just have to concentrate on doing the best I can in these last five races.”
High temperatures and sunny conditions fill the long-term forecast for the Grand Prix this weekend. The Lausitzring represents a strange venue for the series with a quick and jumpy temporary layout hastily constructed in front of the vast spectator banking enclosure and across part of the road racing track. Work started only last week on the formation of the course that has precious little time to bed-in and it is hard to know what the GP stars will encounter come Saturday’s programme. “That’s the problem,” said Desalle. “If it is still being built now then I’m worried it will not be able to pack-down well but we’ll see. It will be something different and a surprise, that’s for sure.”
MX1 World Championship Standings (after 12 of 17 rounds): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 564 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 465 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 456 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 441 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 365 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 337 p.; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 305 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 296 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 230 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 195 p.
MX2 – HOME GP NEXT FOR ROCKSTAR ENERGY SUZUKI
The final stages of construction on the motocross layout inside the Lausitzring motorsport complex are underway for the venue’s first role as host of an MX Grand Prix as Germany prepares to welcome the FIM World Championship for the 13th round of 17.
The series has just five rounds left on the schedule with Lausitzring preceding trips to the Czech Republic, Belgium, Britain and Holland. Max Anstie is running out of time to notch his first podium finish on the factory-backed Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe RM-Z250 but the signs are there that the young Briton is poised to make a late-season attack at the front of the leaderboard. Anstie again suffered poor luck around the first turns of both motos at the Grand Prix of Finland almost two weeks ago but surged through the pack with impressive lap-times to rescue points and pride.
The Supercross expert – in his first season with the team and the RM-Z250 – needs just seven points over Alessandro Lupino to move up to eighth place in the championship standings but is thirsty for overdue rostrum champagne.
“I’m feeling good as always,” he said today (Wednesday). “All has gone well with my training in the last 10 days. I am looking forward to the new track in Germany, it is a home GP for my team and many of the sponsors so I cannot wait to get out there and put on a show. I’m hoping for a little bit of luck out of that start this weekend and to then put my Yellow machine on that podium!”
The fresh track in the Eurospeedway will use an open and wide trajectory that runs parallel to the spectator seating enclosure for one of the more unusual circuits from the diverse spread of the world championship. Over a thousand truckloads of soil imported from a nearby resource of the facility will be used to forge the racing surface which will all be cleared away only two days after the Grand Prix on Sunday.
Lausitzring will also see Brian Hsu in action on the RM125 for the fourth round of eight in the European EMX125 and Jeremy Seewer will back-up Anstie in the MX2 class on the RM-Z250.
The long-term weather forecast for the weekend predicts sunshine and temperatures in the low 30s for both days.
MX2 World Championship Standings (after 12 of 17 rounds): 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 592 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 441 p.; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 383 p.; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 343 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 326 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 313 p.; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 292 p.; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 259 p.; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe), 252 p.; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), 221 p.