DESALLE SO CLOSE TO VICTORY IN BRAZILIAN MX1
Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 was minutes away from their third victory of the season at Campo Grande for the Grand Prix of Brazil and the 13th round of 15 in the FIM MX1 World Championship:
Some 21,500 spectators saw Clement Desalle take third position in a hot and difficult first moto and then suffer a technical problem while leading the second race that denied the Belgian team the top step of the podium. Steve Ramon rode through the pain barrier of a stretched right groin muscle to bravely capture fourth overall on the RM-Z450WS.
The dark red dirt of the new GP course created dust-clouds that plumed across the site on Saturday and formed difficult riding conditions for the riders in the qualification heat in which Desalle took third place and Ramon seventh as both Belgians exercised caution. The track itself involved many jumps and the watering required in containing the loose top soil meant that some sections were soft and rutted while others were hard.
Desalle slipped off twice in the first moto on Sunday but was quick enough to finish third by the flag. He was superior to the rest of the pack in the second outing but an electrical problem halted his progress and meant that rival Tony Cairoli was able to clinch the MX1 title. The 21 year old classified ninth. Ramon almost crashed in morning warm-up but in saving the motorcycle, over-extended his right leg and was forced to grit his teeth through two long 35 minute and 2 lap races to finish seventh and fourth.
With the World Championship tussle now over, Desalle has to concentrate on securing the runner-up slot in the 2010 competition. He heads David Philippaerts by 30 points and 100 remain on the table with two rounds remaining. Ramon is fifth and 12 points away from Max Nagl.
Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 will return to Europe on Monday. Desalle will have a free weekend before the final two appointments of the FIM Motocross World Championship at Lierop in Holland and then Fermo in Italy occurring back-to-back. Ramon, meanwhile, will hope to attempt the penultimate meeting in the Belgian Championship at Orp-le-Grand.
Clement Desalle:
"I was leading the GP until we had the mechanical problem. I thought I was running out of fuel the lap before but then it stopped. We will have to see what happened. I made a few mistakes in the first moto but the speed was good. I was disappointed with the last lap because I had to change my line because of the backmarker and slipped away. I'm not injured, despite the mistakes, so that is a positive. Tony is World Champion now and we will try to step up another level and work towards the win next season."
Steve Ramon:
"This morning in the muddy conditions I made a little mistake. The bike slipped out of the rut. I wasn't crashing but I tried to save it and put my foot on the ground. I stretched my right leg and immediately pulled out of the session because I had so much pain in my groin. It was a tough day after that! It was difficult to ride. Somebody crashed in front of me at the start of the first moto but to be honest I could not ride flat-out all day because I had to be careful in the right corners with my leg. There were many ruts. I had to fight the pain for a long time. Hopefully the muscle is not too bad."
MX1 Moto1: 1. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 41:20.839; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:09.791; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), +0:13.112; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:20.864; 5. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), +0:46.909; 6. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:54.816; 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), +1:13.946; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), +1:21.489; 9. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), +1:23.814; 10. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), +1:25.132.
MX1 Moto2: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 41:15.746; 2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:08.278; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:16.775; 4. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), +0:29.866; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:43.882; 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:58.480; 7. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), +1:03.281; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), +1:08.317; 9. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), +1:09.895; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), +2:03.205. 17. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), -3 lap(s).
MX1 Overall Result: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 points; 2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 47 p.; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), 32 p.; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 29 p.; 7. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), 26 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), 24 p.; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), 24 p.; 10. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), 23 p.
MX1 World Championship standings (after 13 of 15 rounds): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 578 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), 471 p.; 3. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 441 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 420 p.; 5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), 408 p.; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), 314 p.; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), 309 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 291 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 270 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 242 p.
