Teka Suzuki World MX1 are currently setting up their infrastructure, with the new Teka Station part of their impressive new paddock presence, at the Bellpuig circuit in eastern Spain for the Grand Prix of Catalunya and the sixth round of 15 in the 2009 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship.
The Belgian crew had been motoring across the Iberian Peninsula since the Portuguese round of the series last weekend at Agueda in which Ken De Dycker scored second position for his third podium result of the campaign so far with the fuel-injected RM-Z450.
De Dycker entered and departed the unforgettable 2008 edition of the Spanish event as the leader of the MX1 category and with his standing of second in the '09 table, 25 points behind Antonio Cairoli, there is a chance the red plate could again be his on Catalan turf. At best the team will be hoping for a repeat of last year's result in which Steve Ramon (presently recovering from his neck injury) claimed the overall win as the event was cut short after just one moto with some of the worst racing conditions seen this century; a consequence of 12 hours of relentless rainfall.
The weather forecast for this weekend, mercifully, predicts two days of sunshine.
If dry, the Bellpuig circuit, home of the Spanish stop on the world championship calendar since 2001, is a fast course punctuated with a steep zone of step-ups and a stomach-churning speedy downhill jump section to the finish straight.
"I think Portugal is more difficult, there are more stones and ruts. It also gets rough and slippery whereas the dirt in Bellpuig normally gives more traction and a smoother ride," says De Dycker, who opted to fly back to Belgium this week and train near his base rather than stay in southern Europe.
"Last weekend was good for the confidence and a progression of how good I was feeling after the Belgian championship the week before," said the 24 year old reflecting on last weekend.
"I was not strong enough in Portugal but I still finished second and I think it was an improvement over the previous GPs," added De Dycker, who injured his back pre-season and has been catching up on his fitness since. "There was only one guy faster than me at Agueda and I will have to focus on that this weekend and for the next races."
MX1 World Championship standings (after 5 of 15 rounds): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 193 points; 2. Ken De Dycker (BEL, Teka Suzuki WMX1), 168 p.; 3. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 152 p.; 4. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 144 p.; 5. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), 142 p.; 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 134 p.; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), 126 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 119 p.; 9. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 100 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Honda), 82 p.
