DESALLE 6TH IN VALKENSWAARD MX1 GATE

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 sweated through a hard day of work at the Valkenswaard circuit as the first day of action at the Grand Prix of The Netherlands took place in sweltering conditions and Clement Desalle was able to finish sixth in the MX1 Qualification heat.

The Belgian rode a steady 20-minute and two-lap race on his factory RM-Z450 across a sandy track that was deceptive in terms of the technical challenge it offered. The soft waves, bumps and berms became rough with four different categories competing at the second round of 15 in the FIM Motocross World Championship, but the shallow terrain often revealed hard and unforgiving ground making the surface difficult to judge.

Desalle ran inside the group fighting for a top-five position and finally eased his way through the closing stages of the sprint to take sixth - sufficient for a positive pick in the gate for the motos on Monday. Steve Ramon was ninth after recovering from a first lap fall and spent the earlier sessions searching for the best set-up to effectively tackle Valkenswaard.