The Teka Suzuki World MX1 team are currently traversing the Iberian Peninsula for the first of two races in southern Europe in the next two weeks. The Grand Prix of Portugal at the distinctive Agueda circuit, one hour south of Porto, constitutes round five of the 2009 FIM MX1 World Championship this coming weekend and then seven days later, the Grand Prix of Catalunya at Bellpuig on Spain's eastern coast will represent the sixth stop on the calendar.
The Belgian squad will be relying solely on the capabilities of Ken De Dycker - currently third in the series standings, with two podium results so far - as Steve Ramon begins his recovery and rehab from a fractured C7 vertebrae.
24 year old De Dycker comes to Agueda in decent form after a domestic double last weekend in which he claimed the first round of the Belgian Championship at Beervelde on Friday and then the Flanders Trophy International at Tongeren on Sunday. On both occasions De Dycker beat a number of Grand Prix contemporaries and also made some important progress with the suspension set-up on his RM-Z450.
"Steve's injury was obviously bad news for the team but his absence will not affect me too much and I will try to do my best and I know they will be happy with that," he commented.
Agueda has hosted the Grand Prix of Portugal since the start of the century. The undulating course is renowned for its jumpy layout and rich red soil, and is generally a well received track among the riders. The team have had some positive visits to the venue recently after gaining a podium finish in 2006 and then celebrating victory in 2007.
"It is quite a nice track to ride because there are many jumps and after a while a lot of ruts and bumps pop-up," said De Dycker, who three years ago squeezed into a moto podium spot for the first time. "After a bit of a bad race there last year I am not entirely sure what to expect, although I did take my first top three moto result at Agueda in 2006."
"I think it will be tough to get the red plate this weekend," he added, reflecting on the 19 point gap to first place in the standings. "Cairoli is fast at this circuit and there are too many points between us at the moment to make them back in one weekend. The goal of regaining the lead in the championship remains the same though and we will be working towards that in the next few GPs."
Ramon - who was a spectator at Beervelde - underwent a second scan on the neck he broke in a first moto crash at Valkenswaard for the Grand Prix of Benelux two weeks ago. There was some good news in that the fracture is not complicated and will not require an operation. The expected recovery period is still aimed at three months.
MX1 Championship (top 10): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 143 points; 2. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 128 p.; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Teka Suzuki WMX1), 124 p.; 4. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 118 p.; 5. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 112 p.; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), 111 p.; 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Teka Suzuki WMX1), 100 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 87 p.; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), 86 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Honda), 82 p.
