What the factory teams say after SevlievoHonda World Motocross Team Rui Gonçalves and Evgeny Bobryshev finished 5th and 6th overall respectively in the first GP of the year in Sevlievo, Bulgaria to register a solid start to the 2011 campaign. The first moto didn’t go quite to plan with both Rui and Evgeny getting tangled up in separate incidents that compromised their races. Bobby fell at the second turn in the early stages of the race, when a stone got caught in the wheel. Rui got stuck behind a fallen rider when catching Cairoli, a moment which halted his mid-race charge. Finishes of 12th for Evgeny and 8th for Rui were not justified reward but better was to come in Moto 2.Both Honda World Motocross riders got out of the gate well and rounded the first turn within the top 5. In the early stages of the race it was Gonçalves showing good speed, finding his way past Bobryshev and into 4th as the Russian struggled a little to get on the pace. As the race developed it was Bobryshev’s time to show his speed as he caught back up with his Portugese team-mate and engaged in a battle that would see the two exchanging (clean) blows for the duration of a racing lap. Bobryshev would eventually come out the winner but would remain in racing formation with Gonçalves for the rest of the moto, eventually finishing within 3 seconds of each other, in 4th and 5th position, and only 19sec behind eventual race winner and overall victor, Clement Desalle. Next stop is the sand of Valkenswaard, favoured territory for Rui but not disliked by Evgeny!  Rui Gonçalves: "I was feeling comfortable on the bike and enjoying the racing. I knew the start would be crucial and had a good one in the first moto. When I was readying to make a move on Toni (Cairoli) I hit a fallen rider and it disrupted my rhythm. By the end of the moto I was back on it again. In the second moto my start was even better and I built on that to finish 5th. I am really happy with that and with 5th overall.”  Evgeny Bobryshev: "First race was not good. I crashed and lost many places and am not happy with the points dropped! In the second moto I was more focused but at the beginning I was struggling to find my lines and my rhythm. I found my speed and came back the guys who passed me in the beginning and ended in 4th. I am really happy with that but feel that I should have had top 5 in the first moto as well.” LS Honda Racing LS Honda Racing hit the ground running on Saturday with Simpson posting the fourth time in free practice and the second time in pre-qualifying practice. The Scot pushed hard during the early stages of the qualification race when he was in contention for a top-3 spot. Unfortunately Shaun had to back off because he suffered arm pump and settled for 11th. Team mate De Dycker had a terrible day with electrical problems relegating him to a disastrous 31st starting position for Sunday’s races. Rain on Sunday morning made the dirt
softer and in some places treacherous and bumpy, while other sections
were slippery and lacking grip. Simpson didn’t have the start he wanted
to in the opening moto. Although he put in consistent lap times Shaun
didn’t succeed in making any headway from his thirteenth position on the
opening lap. De Dycker was highly motivated to bounce back from
yesterday’s trouble. The tall Belgian was fast but in his attempt to
make up as much ground as possible early on Ken clipped a hay bale and
went down hard. In the end a disappointing 22nd was the best he could
muster. Shaun Simpson: "This is not one of my favourite tracks because it is fast and bumpy and not really what I like to ride. I had some arm-pump in the heat race which was a bit beyond my control, but I was happy with my speed because I was in the top five in both sessions and also up there in warm-up. I think if I could have taken good starts in the two races then I would have been able to do something and make two top tens, which was my goal. I messed up the first start and then in the second Philippaerts crashed in front of me in the first turn and there was nowhere to go. I battled all race and I think my second-to-last lap was my fastest; I just took too long to dial-in to the track. Things should be better in Valkenswaard, but I will take the positives from this.”
Ken De Dycker: "It was a tough GP and a bad start to the year. The bike wasn’t running well for most of the day Saturday and then stopped in the heat race three laps from the flag. At least we were able to identify the problem. It meant I had to start from way outside along the gate and the starts are so important here. I crashed when I touched a hay-bale on the second lap and knocked myself about and it was hard to come back. I started badly in the second race and then a stone hit my goggles and knocked the lens out. I had to stop because it was so dusty. ‘Everything’ seemed to happen this weekend, so we will leave it behind and look to the next one.” Kawasaki Racing Team Jonathan Barragan of the Kawasaki Racing
Team started the 2011 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship with a
stirring third position, the Spaniard's first podium finish for nearly
two years. Qualification day on Saturday had been a curious mixture of
success and disappointment for the Kawasaki riders at Sevlievo in
Bulgaria as Gregory Aranda and Davide Guarneri of Kawasaki Bud Racing
topped the two training sessions, but none of the Kawasaki riders was to
finish in the top six of the qualification race as a crash during the
second training eliminated Aranda for the weekend with concussion, while
a last lap mistake by Guarneri cost him two places after he had earlier
advanced to a strong 5th position.
Team CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit
Tommy Searle of Team CLS Monster Energy
Kawasaki Pro Circuit made a superb return to GP racing in the FIM MX2
Motocross World Championship, with a stunning second place at Sevlievo
in Bulgaria. His teenage teammate Max Anstie was contesting a GP in Europe for the first time after spending the last three years in America and the 17 year old inevitably needed the weekend to adjust to the very different environment. 16th place in the qualifying race meant that he did not have a good choice of gate on Sunday, but the power of his KX250F got Max to the first corner amongst the top ten each time and, adjusting to his new work area quickly, he rode two strong races to advance to 8th and 6th places against riders of far greater experience.  Tommy Searle: "I expected Roczen to be fast, but I'm not concerned about him; he took the holeshots and controlled both races from the front. Ideally I should have got to second earlier, so I could have seen his lines but I wheelied out of the gate both motos and by the time I got past Herlings for second, Roczen was gone. I came here to get a solid start to the championship, and I did just that; we have got the bike working well and I believe I can go that fast too; it's early days yet and my day will come !" Max Anstie: "This was my first-ever GP and it’s a lot different to America; I came here not really knowing what to expect so I’m happy to leave Bulgaria with two top ten results. I was a little bit nervous in qualifying and made a couple of mistakes but today I built my confidence and each race went better and better. Now I have this experience I will be strong in Valkenswaard. My condition is good but it’s maybe 70% at the moment; it’s a long season and I don't want to be approaching my best until June. I’m building my condition, and I’m sure that before the end of the season I will be able to ride for a top three result. I’ve a good feeling with myself, with the bike, everything went smooth and I’m happy tonight.”
Red Bull Teka KTM - MX1 While the MX1 riders in the Red Bull Teka KTM Factory Racing
did not enjoy the same overwhelming success as their MX2 counterparts,
Max Nagl and Tony Cairoli still picked up valuable championship points
in the season opening GP on Bulgaria's Sevlievo circuit. The race on the Bulgarian circuit, where it is notoriously difficult
to pass, was not without problems for the KTM factory riders. Max Nagl
was unlucky to be hit in the goggles by a flying stone that forced the
lens out and let the dirt in, obstructing his vision in the second moto,
which he said was like "riding without any goggles". He also said he
has to work on his starts but overall was happy with his performance on
the KTM 350 SX-F this weekend. (Max has been riding the 450 SX-F in
previous seasons).
Max Nagl: "I am a bit disappointed that I missed the podium by just one point but for  the championship the points are okay. I
am happy that it's going so good with the 350 and I think it's going to
get even better when I've had more race practice. Next race is in the
sand at Valkenswaard. That's where I live and I like the track. Last
year I didn't do too bad there so I think it's going to be a good GP."
Tony Cairoli said he was disappointed about the result of the first races of the season but given that he had twisted his knee in race one was relieved that it seemed to be nothing serious and that he was able to race in the second moto. Tony Cairoli: "The start is very important here in Bulgaria because it is difficult to pass on this track. It was not so bad for me yesterday but today I had a very bad start in the first moto. I tried to pass as many as possible and I was up to about fifth then I hit my knee trying to pass Goncalves. It's the same knee that I broke so I was quite worried. It was hurting a lot and I gave up a bit and finished seventh. Then I made an appointment to see the doctor and it started to feel better so I was able to race again in the second moto. My start was better and I almost got the holeshot, I think I was third in the first corner. Then Philippaerts crashed in front of me and I couldn't avoid him and found I was back at 20 or 21 in the field. I scrambled back to tenth and tried to move up to ninth in the last lap. But I didn't manage it." KTM Motorsports boss Pit Beirer said at the end of the day that he was happy that everything was going well. "The bikes are good, the team is working great and all the riders are healthy so the basis is there for a good season. I am sure that we all expected a little more from MX1 but we also know the competition is very tough. We make no excuses but we know our weak points, the guys struggled a bit with the starts and made some mistakes but I am sure we will be ready to show better form in Valkenswaard." Team boss Stefan Everts: "We expect Tony to be winning of course. Yesterday he had a good qualifying race and a good speed. But today he hurt his knee and I'm happy he could finish the race and take some points. For sure he will come back strong. Max surprised me with how well he has made the change to the 350. He's been riding a 450 for many years and you cannot underestimate that. He did really well and he was riding very aggressively. Maybe he is not yet in the best shape but he showed some good things today. Red Bull Teka KTM - MX2
Now in his rookie year with the KTM factory team, the German teenager was super  impressive taking both holeshots and winning the first moto
by a margin of 14.66 seconds and the second by even more, 21.4 seconds.
He attacked the Bulgarian track from gate drop to flag indicating that
the experience he has had racing for Red bull KTM in the AMA SX Lites in
the USA during the winter has sharpened his riding skills to
perfection.
Ken Roczen: "I just wanted to go out in front and do my thing. I had an awesome race. I'm very happy and everyone is doing a great job. I hope I can continue like this for the next races." Looking ahead to Valkenswaard, the next GP, Ken said he liked the track and was going to "try my best" there. Factory teammate Jeffrey Herlings also had a good season's opener. He rode behind Roczen in second place for most of the first moto, only to drop back in the final laps to fifth place. He was a comfortable third in the second moto to finish overall third behind Britain's Tommy Searle. Jeffrey Herlings: "Now for the coming weeks I have to work on my speed. I haven't done too many races so far this year so I have to get into race mode. My main goal this year is to be consistent and to try to finish 2 or 3 in the championship. Everyone is expecting me to win at Valkenswaard but I am just going to do my best - more than that I cannot do." Jeffrey won the GP at Valkenswaard in his rookie year last year with the KTM factory team. Jeremy van Horebeek, the third rider in the KTM factory team was hoping for top five and indeed finished with equal points to fifth placed Zach Osborne but was discounted to sixth because of the order of his results. The rider with the best second moto results prevails. Jeremy van Horebeek: "I did expect a little more this weekend but for the first weekend of the season it was good for me. I had two good starts but I didn't seem to find my rhythm all Sunday. I finished 6 and 5 which was okay but I still need to work on some points." Jeremy said he is looking forward to Valkenswaard because although sand is not his favorite surface, he has trained a lot in the sand with team boss Stefan Everts during the winter and he is well prepared. Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports boss: "All the riders are fit and strong and it was a great start to have two GP wins with Steffi (Laier, WMX GP winner) and Ken and to have Jeffrey on the podium." Factory team boss Stefan Everts was also impressed with Ken Roczen's performance. "Ken did a great job winning and dominating both motos. He's adapted very well and he's coming from getting good results in the U.S. I thought the switch from SX to MX would be tougher but he's adapted very well. Jeffrey's a sand rider so he did well to be on the podium here. In two weeks he will have his home sand track so we will see how good he is." Strong finish in EMX 125 : Young KTM riders in the first EMX125 GP of the year also delivered solid results with Italian Samuel Bernardini of Italy on the podium in second place after a 4-1 in the two motos, Belgian Brent van Doninck in fourth place, Briton James Dunn fifth and other KTM riders at places 6, 9, 10, 11 &12. Red Bull Teka KTM - WMX World Champion Steffi Laier of France dominated the first WMX GP on the circuit at 
Sevlievo, Bulgaria on Saturday with back-to-back moto wins to grab the
red plate as championship leader after the first round. Right from the qualifying race it was obvious that Steffi remains in a
class of her own. She mastered difficult conditions that were dry,
dusty and very windy and led from the drop of the gate to the checkered
flag every time she went out on the track. She finished almost 18
seconds up on second placed Livia Lancelot of France in the first moto
and in the second moto she was 10 seconds ahead going in to the final
lap but eased back and took the comfortable victory with more than three
second to spare.
Steffi Laier: It was strange to have the two races on the one day and with the second one when it was already getting dark. The second moto was not so easy on the one hand but also not so difficult. We were fighting in the first four laps but then I found my rhythm but in the end I was flying blind because of the problems with the sun and the dust." In 2011 the women opened their season together with the MX1 and MX2 riders on the Bulgarian circuit but for the rest of the season they will race with the MX3 riders. They race nine GPs in 2011 and their next outing is on April 17 at Megalopolis in Greece. Steffi, like many of the women competing in the WMX is apprehensive about what to expect when the competition switches to the MX3 circuit as from the next race. her arch rival Livia Lancelot has decided to quit the competion and move onto other things and she expressed concern that so far there were only nine riders confirmed for the next races. "I really don't know what to expect," she said. "I feel good here with the team and racing the same weekends as MX1 and MX2 and I will miss all that." Rockstar Energy Suzuki - MX1 The Grand Prix of Bulgaria at Sevlievo witnessed an amazing start to the FIM Motocross World Championship for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 as Clement Desalle celebrated his fourth career victory on the factory RM-Z450 - and grabbed the lead in the 2011 series. The Belgian finished 2nd and 1st in two windy and chilly motos at the open and fast circuit; winning the second race after a tense and entertaining tussle with Steven Frossard. 
Great photo from Team Sukuki Press Office. That's Desalle third rider in. Desalle picked up the red plate as World Championship leader after two progressively-steady rides at the front of the field. He pulled through from third spot in the opening chase of 35 minutes and 2 laps - run across a hard-pack terrain in which lap-times were very tight - to leader Frossard, without getting close enough to attack. His runner-up finish - in spite of a last lap off-track excursion - set-up a good stage for the second moto, that began exquisitely with the holeshot and then several juicy-laps of action with Frossard. Desalle swiftly despatched the closing Jonathan Barragan and when Frossard made a mistake and slipped off, the 21 year old had the advantage and defended it to the flag. It was the second success in-a-row for the works team after Desalle also triumphed at the final grand prix of 2010 in Italy. Team-mate Steve Ramon entered the weekend feeling the after-effects of Flu and was unable to gel with the track, both on Saturday and Sunday. The former World Champion suffered with arm-pump in the first moto and took 10th and collected 12th in the second for 12th overall. Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 now has two weeks until round two and the Grand Prix of the Netherlands at the Valkenswaard circuit near Eindhoven.  Clement Desalle: "I am very happy and it is very cool to win, but this is the first grand prix and the season is very long. I made a mistake at the end of the first race because I changed my line, thinking towards the second moto. The take-off was different and I landed completely off the track. I don't think I could have done another lap because the back brake was already gone. Steven rode very well and very fast all day and it was good to take the win." Steve Ramon: "I had the same problem today as Saturday; especially in the first moto with the arm-pump. It was not possible to push and the track was not easy. I've been sick since Wednesday and I could feel in my muscles that I was not fully-fit. We struggled a little with the set-up so overall I did the best that I could. I guess I was not the only one with problems because Cairoli passed me and he wasn't lapping much faster. It was a bad day but also some damage limitation. Onto the next one!" Suzuki Europe - MX2 A taste of the bitter fortunes of motorsport this weekend at Sevlievo for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria after Valentin Teillet was unable to finish either moto in the opening round of the FIM MX2 World Championship. The Frenchman needed medical attention after a heavy crash into a low jump during the second race and the extent of the damage to his right shoulder has yet to be determined.  The hard and fast Sevlievo course saw Teillet - making his debut on the RM-Z250 - taking positions in the top-10 through practice and qualification and was happy with his pace. The first moto ended prematurely with a technical problem; and the team was dismayed when the former European Champion became entangled with a first turn pile-up as the start of the second moto. It was on a comeback-push through the field that Teillet had his accident. Monster Energy Yamaha - MX1 Steve Frossard as the factory team rookie tied on points for victory at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria, won a moto and left the cold and windy Sevlievo circuit with the runner-up position overall. The Frenchman aced the qualification heat on Saturday to take pole position and signal his intent across the flat hard-pack. The 23 year old handled his YZ450F with deft skill; the kind of form that recently helped him claim the MX1 Italian title. A superb start on Sunday watched by the officially-provided spectator figure of 35,000 allowed Frossard to flick and sprint away from the pack and win the first moto of the year and his first in the class and with Yamaha. The second race saw a similar level of speed and performance although he faced a tricky challenge from Clement Desalle that produced some close and exciting racing. Frossard was able to prevail and had a four second lead entering the closing stages of the contest when he lost traction exiting a corner and the back end of the bike spun out. Quickly remounting he jostled for the lead again with Desalle and also Jonathan Barragan. A small moment of mis-timing on the final lap prevented a last-gasp attack and Frossard had to accept second and the same ranking on the podium due to the second race classification. While Frossard was marking the pace at the front David Philippaerts was forging a similar effort through the pack after two restrictive starts. The Italian pushed through to fourth place in Moto1 after a thorough charge. A better launch in Moto2 was ruined on the apex of the first corner when the former world champion lost balance. From the very rear of the field DP19 valiantly chased back to 14th for 10th overall. Anthony Boissiere was another rider making his bow for Yamaha in MX1 and picked up a decent share of points for 15th and 13th and 13th at the end of the day. With 2nd, 10th and 13th the MX1-GP collective of the Monster Energy Yamaha team are off and running. Round two will take place in two weeks on Easter Monday at Valkenswaard for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands.    Steve Frossard: "I feel really good on the bike and the 450 suits me better. In the first moto I made a really good start and it was easy for me to take a lead of a few seconds. In the second it was completely different because the start was not great. I passed Clement and was ahead by four seconds but made a mistake. My physical condition was really good and that helped me to come back to second and look for the win. I was pushing really hard because I wanted to win the GP and then made another error that cost me half a second. In my head I knew I was capable of this speed because we worked really hard over the winter with Yamaha."  David Philippaerts: "The first moto was good but I crashed at the start of the second and made a mistake when the rear stepped out. I restarted last and pushed as hard as I could but my times were not as good as the first moto. Overall I think I was good enough for a top four finish today, which would have been OK because the track was very hard. I like this place but there were other riders who were quicker today. Im looking forward to Valkenswaard now and we must improve the starts." Anthony Boissiere: "I crashed on the first lap of the first moto and it was difficult to come back because the track was fast and I couldnt make much difference no matter how hard I pushed. 15th was not a good result in the first race but my riding was OK. The second race was better but I felt a bit tired towards the end. I look at the results and they are not great but I have scored points and will try for more now." Monster Energy Yamaha - MX2 Monster Energy Yamahas Gautier Paulin finished 4th at a blustery Sevlievo for the first Grand Prix of fifteen in the FIM MX2-GP World Championship on Sunday. The Frenchman who missed this event through injury in 2010 showed impressive speed and handling of the factory YZ250FM to 3rd and 7th positions under bright but cloudy skies and through a cold wind. The gusts dried the hard-pack track thoroughly during Saturday practice and qualification and even created difficult dusty conditions. A coating of rain during the night and watering helped roughen the surface but also made it greasy. Paulin was slightly undone by two average starts in the motos. His flight from a place in the lower half of the top ten on the first lap to pressurise and overtake Jeffrey Herlings for third by the end of Moto1 was entertaining to chart and his increased speed and overtaking prowess was commendable around a layout that was not forgiving to passing opportunism. The 21 year olds second start was worse around mid-pack and he spent many laps regaining ground to enter the top ten. Monster Energy Yamaha riders Christophe Charlier and Harri Kullas had varying experiences in Bulgaria. Charlier was eleventh overall, one place in front of Kullas, but was competing with a bone broken in his right hand and had to cope with pain and swelling. Kullas had a crash in the second race and felt dizzy. His tenth place from Moto1 was his highest finish of the day. Gautier Paulin - 4th: The first race was quite good but the track was so hard and it was watered so I struggled with it. I normally like Bulgaria but today it was something different. I had bad starts and it was hard to pass. It was like being at Loket where catching the guy in front is difficult. This is the first GP and everyone wants a good result, so I am not too disappointed with fourth because the championship is just beginning. I am so happy with the performance of the bike and the suspension was also very good; I feel happy going out in every session on this bike. For sure we will continue to work because you can never have perfection but the team are trying so hard and we are pushing together. I still need to find a bit more speed but physically I feel good. Two motos today was no problem at all and my lap-times were right there. Christophe Charlier - 11th: It was a hard GP for me because I broke my hand two weeks ago and I cannot ride like I want. We tried our best today and I pushed where I could but the racing conditions were hard and overtaking people was difficult. I hadnt ridden since the accident with my hand so that was also against me. After some treatment now I hope I can see an improvement for Valkenswaard. Harri Kullas - 12th: I lost too many positions on the first lap of the moto and that was not so good. I had a good battle after that until I had difficulty passing the backmarkers and finished tenth, which I was not so pleased with. I need to be stronger at the beginning. I ruined the start in the second Heat and came back to thirteenth before I couldnt avoid touching a rider who had crashed in front of me. I went down also and hit my head. I was a bit dizzy and had trouble concentrating after that. I tried to finish the race as fast as I could. I'm not really happy and want to do a lot better. Bike it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha - MX2 In fifth position in the final ranking was Zach Osborne. The American suffered a little with nerves in the first race and finished seventh but was more comfortable on his YZ250F later in the day and circulated on the fringes of the leading trio, capturing fourth by the flag. New team-mate Arnaud Tonus had a spectacular opening race to pass the chequered flag in fourth but suffered a little with fatigue in the second and sealed eighth for seventh overall. Zach Osborne - 5th: "It was a pretty decent start to the season, a productive weekend and I am quite close to where I need to be. I was a bit nervous and tightened up in the first race and had to ride through it but in the second race I could show a bit more of my speed and got a fourth place. I was a bit bummed out with the result because I felt like I should have been on the podium today. This was the best finish Ive had here in three years and Ive made improvements. I need to work on my first laps but I have something to build on from here." Arnaud Tonus - 7th: "I had a great first moto from a bad start and pushed really hard to come back. I was consistent with my lap-times and made a great race to fourth. I think I pushed too hard physically because after fifteen minutes in the next one I had to slow down and ride a smart moto; that was difficult. I need to improve my starts to be further up from the beginning and find the rhythm I want. The bike and the team are really good, I couldnt be happier from that side." |
