Motocross fans that remember racers from the old school can appreciate Tanel Leok. A hard man. Businesslike. A give-it-all-you’ve-got man. Year after year he digs in, finds the motivation and speed, and mixes it with the top men that world motocross has to offer. And he does it with a style all of his own. A style that a Martian with a half-way decent telescope can instantly recognize from a galaxy away. A style that deservedly earned him the moniker “Estonian Express.”
It is no wonder, then, that just about every single factory team in motocross racing has at one stage or another come knocking, cheque book in hand. He has done his bit for virtually every brand there is, and his racing shirt collection is more colourful than a Smarties convention. For 2013 the story has, in a sense, gone full circle. Tanel is back in the fold of the MVRD racing team of Mark Chamberlain, a place where he felt very much at home in back in 2004 when he took his first tottering steps in the MX1 class. Only they were rather faster than that. Sitting astride just about the last two stroke bike left in the class, he blasted his way into world consciousness, and endeared himself to legions of fans. Now, after nearly a decade of service to various factory teams, the old firm of Chamberlain & Leok set up offices again, looking for more of the same magic.
The start of the 2013 season certainly gave every indication that this may indeed yet be a good partnership again. Tanel rode his new Honda with determination at the season opener in Mantova, Italy, and the next call of duty was Valence in France. The stony, hilly track is not universally liked, for a number of reasons. Passing on it is not that very easy, for one. The weather is often on the extreme side of dreary, for another. To top it all, a number of riders have come away form there with injuries that compromised the rest of their seasons. Still, racers are racers, and any opportunity of letting the snorting beasts loose are to be grasped with both hands.
Fortunately for all, the 2013 edition of the race proffered crisp air but sunny skies, and the spectators poured through the gates like a good North Sea catch out of the nets . The riders were keen got get the heat of battle into their chilly bones, and Tanel went out in the qualifying session and turned the throttle of his Honda in a manner entirely consistent with the wishes of the manufacturer. He posted the third fastest lap time, a mere 0.2 seconds off pole position, and this augured well for a good race day.
The start of an international MX1 race is a sight to behold. There is bump and barge and elbows and bikes snorting and stones flying in all directions – a bit like a more intense form of the charge of the light brigade. Tanel was the victim of some overenthusiastic shoving at the start of race one, and had to fight his way back from 17th position. He did this in his usual no-nonsense style, and pretty soon found himself in the top 10. With a few laps to go, he made a final surge, and forced his way to sixth position. He was now in a bit of no man’s land, with the riders ahead enjoying too much of a gap, and settled in fro a decent points haul.
A much better start in the second race ironically yielded the same result for the Estonian, but this time he was much closer in the hunt, crossing the line just a tad over a second adrift of factory Suzuki rider Kevin Strijbos. Valence is one of those events that has a Superfinal race, pitting the fastest MX1 – and MX2 machines against each other. This time round the Number 40 Honda was well in the mix of things right from the get-go. He latched onto the tail of Clement Desalle, so close that it seemed as if the two bikes were planning some offspring. After Gautier Paulin fell by the wayside, Tanel and Desalle were fighting for the lead, but when their bikes tangled, it allowed Xavier Boog to pounce. Tanel recovered and crossed the line in third position, four seconds behind the winner and just over a second shy of Desalle.
The Quiet One was pretty happy after a busy race day that kept getting better as the sun described its arc across the sky. He was credited with third overall, the second time in as many races that he collected some silverware. “We changed some settings on the bike before the third race, and it worked much better then,” he said. “I am happy with where we are in our development curve at the moment. I have good speed, rhythm and confidence, and I look forward to the rest of the season.”
Our good friend Arno van den Brink of Motocrossplanet was in attendance, camera in hand, to capture the action. Here we see the Superfinal race. Tanel is the one on the red bike with the 40 on the number board clinging on for dear life. The video should be hiding somewhere about here. Look out for Tanel’s take on the race day at the very end of the video.
RESULTS
Qualifying
Race 1
Race 2
Superfinal
Overall
Reporting by Tinus Nel