DESALLE RESTED AND READY FOR BENELUX MX1
The penultimate round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place this weekend in the sand of Lierop for the Grand Prix of Benelux and with Clement Desalle looking to try and cement his runner-up position in the MX1 standings on the factory RM-Z450WS.
The Belgian holds a 30-point advantage over Italian David Philippaerts with a maximum of 100 available through both the tough Dutch sand and then one week later on the hillside of Fermo for the final meeting of 15 on the calendar.
"I like the sand and while it can be difficult to deal with it is the same for all the riders," commented the 21 year old who took a deserved break after coming so close to victory in Brazil the previous week and enjoying a podium appearance in the AMA Nationals. "The sand in Lierop is different compared to Valkenswaard; it is softer and can get rougher. It is closer to what we normally find in Lommel.
"I'm glad I had the chance to take a break last week because I had been to the US and then to Brazil and I really felt the jet-lag and the effects of all the travelling," he added. "I had a relaxed weekend with a little bit of time at home.
"It would be good to confirm second in the Championship as soon as possible," he continued, "but I will go into this weekend like I do any other race and that is to give the best account of myself possible."
From the sand of Lierop to the hard-pack of Fermo in the space of a week the switch in extremes of the surfaces does not trouble the talented winner of two GPs this season. "I think it is actually fun to change from one to the other," he said. "We don't need a lot of preparation, especially at this stage of the season. It is one of the nice things about the Championship that we have different conditions each week."
Team-mate Steve Ramon will perhaps have a harder time as the former World Champion is carrying a groin muscle problem and has not been able to train since returning from Brazil. He tentatively completed the penultimate round of the Belgian Championship last weekend at Orp Le Grand and is extremely close to his seventh title on the national stage. "I am struggling a bit anyway, but I think it's probably the hardest sand race GP," he said. "It can be very heavy to pull the bike around there, especially in the second moto: It pushes your body and your fitness."
The event this weekend holds good memories for the team thanks to their victory 12 months ago - aptly showing the formidability of the RM-Z450WS in the sand - and their maiden World Championship success with Ramon in 2007.
Lierop has been a consistent fixture on the World Championship calendar for numerous years. The well-organised and presentable venue boasts a very challenging track and for many riders it is the hardest and most difficult sand to negotiate in the series. The ripples of the flat and fast course means a heavy test for the bike as much as the riders and consistent race speed combined with minimal mistakes often seems to determine the final podium. Lierop is divided between the distinct inner field section and the long stretches that thread into the woodland. The terrain often becomes so bumpy that riders create their own jumps between the mounds of sand.
The trip to Holland precedes the final round, the Grand Prix of Italy at Fermo, by just seven days. The weather for the weekend is predicted to be bright and sunny.
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.
