Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1's Clement Desalle walked away with his first silverware as a factory rider after taking his works RM-Z450 WS to third position overall at a sunny Sevlievo circuit for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria and the opening round of the FIM MX1 World Championship.
20,000 spectators (weekend figure) surrounded a soft, rough and extremely-bumpy track which was made all-the-more demanding thanks to unrelenting sunshine and temperatures in the mid-20s. Desalle started third and kept a steady rhythm to seal the same position in the first moto of 35 minutes and 2 laps duration. A more eventful outing later in the afternoon, with the terrain in its most energy-sapping state of the weekend, saw the Belgian battling with team-mate Steve Ramon and resisting a late charge from David Philippaerts to earn fifth. His scorecard of 3-5 was enough for the bottom step of the rostrum.
Ramon had a positive end to the Grand Prix and finished fifth overall. The 30 year old started badly in the first moto and was fighting a suspension set-up which prevented him from rising higher than seventh. An overhaul of the setting in between the races helped the Belgian find more speed and he was proactive in flying up to third place; feeling more encouraged by his performance.
Desalle has 36 points against winner Max Nagl's 47. Ramon is only two behind with 34. Round two of the World Championship will take place next weekend in the bumpy sand of Mantova for the Grand Prix of Lombardia in Italy.
Clement Desalle - 3rd:
"For sure this is a good result to start the season. I did not want to crash today or take any big risks so I am happy with how it went. I had a battle with Steve and when he passed me I followed him and saw some other lines. The conditions were pretty difficult; the track was softer with more lines than usual. I had to really concentrate on the last lap of the second moto because I knew the others were close. I am pleased to be on the podium for Rockstar Teka Suzuki but there is still a long way to go this season."
Steve Ramon - 5th:
"I have a better feeling about the grand prix after that second moto. The first race was not good. I started badly and was pushing in the first laps but making mistakes. I was having problems with the suspension and I could not go full-gas. I did the best I could and took seventh, which I was not happy with. We changed the suspension set-up completely for the second moto and there was a big difference. I found I could ride much better. The track was really rough and difficult to attack. You had to concentrate hard. In the end we did a good job and now I am looking forward to the next race."
MX1 Moto1: 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 40:45.442; 2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:08.599; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), +0:13.159; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), +0:18.117; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:22.864; 6. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:38.625; 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), +0:45.541; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:52.209; 9. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), +0:58.900; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), +1:05.675.
MX1 Moto2: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 41:06.743; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:03.685; 3. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), +0:07.060; 4. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:12.869; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), +0:15.479; 6. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:16.441; 7. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:16.619; 8. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), +0:48.535; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:51.452; 10. Jooshua Coppppins (NZL, Aprilia), +0:58.843.
MX1 Overall Result and World Championship standings: 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 47 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 41 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), 36 p.; 4. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 36 p.; 5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), 34 p.; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), 31 p.; 7. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), 30 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 9. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), 23 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 20 p.
