Several days after Ken Roczen's emphatic first victory of the season for the Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 team at Lommel in Belgium, the German crew will negotiate the Grand Prix of Czech Republic this weekend and Arnaud Tonus is relishing the fast and hard-pack race ahead.
The pebbly and undulating course near the town of Karlovy Vary and a stone's throw from the hamlet of Loket will offer a markedly different prospect for the riders after the heavy and rough sand of Lommel last Sunday. Just before heading out to ride and make some small tests to the set-up of his powerful RM-Z250 at the Belgian circuit of Genk this week, Tonus gave his views on the upcoming 12th round of 15:
"I really like Loket as the dirt is pretty good and it is easy to have fun around there," said the Swiss 18 year old who finished seventh at his first GP visit in 2009 - his best result of his maiden world championship season. "Although my sand riding has improved I think this weekend will be a better track for me.
"Loket is pretty short and the laps are intense, so the start is very important as it can be hard to make ground and even find clean passing opportunities," he added. "There are a lot of short and closed corners so you have to be very close to the rider ahead if you want to push past and overtake. I have been working my starts since the beginning of the year but perhaps this is still something I need to improve on. I got out of the gate very well in Sweden recently and it was a shame a couple of small crashes prevented a better result. The dirt in and around the gate in Loket is a bit similar to Uddevalla so I am hopeful for the weekend."
Tonus is ninth in the series but is only two points from eighth and eight points from seventh place. He will need more than 34 points over Zach Osborne in the four GPs left in the season to break into the top six. Trips to Brazil, Holland and Lierop will present the 18 year old with two new courses to discover after his Czech outing.
"I agree with most people when they say going to new tracks is always a good thing," he revealed. "Almost of us will not have seen the circuits so we start on a level playing field and it is fun trying to work out the best lines and secrets of the course. I am really motivated to get good points and move up in the championship in the GPs we have left. I want to get another two positions if possible and I know I need to be consistent and keep focussed."
Roczen was fourth at Loket in 2009 in what was also his first visit to the course. The German is 78 points behind Marvin Musquin in the standings and 23 ahead of Steven Frossard. With four rounds of the series remaining, a maximum of 200 points can be won.
Loket was constructed in 1973 and the layout, a rush of weaving turns up and down the hillside, is one of the more natural courses on the calendar. The track was homologated by the FIM in 1992 and held its first world championship event in 1995. Since the start of the century, Loket has been ever-present on the schedule and thanks to its relatively late slot in the campaign and traditional fixture near the beginning of August has seen several title celebrations over the years.
The weather forecast for the weekend predicts clouds and a chance of showers.
MX2 World Championship standings (after 11 of 15 rounds): 1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 480 points; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2), 402 p.; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 379 p.; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 371 p.; 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 298 p.; 6. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 290 p.; 7. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 274 p.; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 268 p.; 9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2), 266 p.; 10. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 233 p.
