Yamaha Factory Racing end Italian stay with podium finish
It was a very encouraging maiden appearance for Jeremy Van Horebeek on the factory YZ450FM last weekend in the opening round of the ‘Internazionali D'Italia Motocross’. The Belgian was third and second in the draining sand of Riola Sardo as an estimated crowd of 12,000 turned out to watch the very first high profile motocross meeting of 2014 and the first of just three in three weeks in the Italian national series.
Van Horebeek was behind Tony Cairoli and Evgeny Bobryshev and classified ahead of brand-mate David Philippaerts in the first dash but rallied hard to gain positions from fifth place and claim the runner-up spot in the second. The event was positive confirmation for the Yamaha Factory Racing team that their three weeks of work on the island had helped the promising winner of the 2013 Motocross of Nations dial-in his race bike for the season.
"Having almost one month in Sardinia and in the sand was really good, even if I was a bit tired by the end of the weekend,” Van Horebeek said yesterday (Monday). "I was really stoked with the 3-2 results because the sand was very heavy. It was a good day and helped clarify that we have a decent base setting.”
"I’m at home now and will have a small break but then we’ll be back for the second round this coming weekend,” he added. "We’ll have one more week of testing and then we’ll start the packing for Qatar. I feel like our work has gone well and with regards to our set-up for the season then we are pretty much done. I feel really good on the bike and I’m happy with the choices we have made.” Christophe Charlier caught attention in the sand. The
Corsican helped set the pace in the first
"The Italian Championship has good riders in both MX1 and MX2 this year so the races are useful for us at this stage,” commented Team Manager Mino Raspanti. "Everything has been going in a good line. Jeremy has been working hard here for some weeks and has followed our lead. Christophe is also looking quick and although he had some arm-pump in that first moto he was in good form. Overall I’m really happy with last weekend and the previous weeks.”
Yamaha Factory Racing will gather away at the end of this week for the second round of the Italian series at Noto.
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MX2 moto on the YZ250FM and was just
denied at the line by Arnaud Tonus. In the second outing the winner of two 2013
Grand Prix motos caught his left knee entering a corner and suffered a flash of
pain. Charlier eased his way to the flag to take second overall but the
incident did not have any serious repercussions and the 22 year old was
training normally this morning (Monday).