Valentin Teillet endured a hard Grand Prix of Limburg in the impossibly rough sand of Lommel in Belgium to finish 17th overall at the 11th round of 15 in the FIM Motocross World Championship.
The Frenchman tackled the ruts, bumps and changing-lines of the terrain and pushed to the maximum on his RM-Z250 but was unable to complete a third race in succession inside the top 10.
Cold and grey skies covered the largely flat and busy venue where a crowd of 23, 300 spectators filled the banks of the circuit that will host the 2012 Motocross of Nations. Teillet struggled slightly through the practice sessions and qualification heat and was hoping for better on race-day but the sand was too-tough to conquer with even the smallest mistakes costing time, energy and ruining 'rhythm'.
Teillet gated well and was contesting the fringes of the top 10 when a crash dropped him to14th by the end of the first sprint of 35 minutes and 2 laps. The former Euro Champion was undone by a lack of energy reserves in an even more demanding second race where he focussed on reaching the chequered flag and picked up 16th.
Teillet has moved into the top 20 of the MX2 World Championship standings and rests 19th with four rounds remaining: The first of which will take place this coming weekend at Loket for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic.
Valentin Teillet:
"In the first heat I had a good start and was fighting for 10th place for the first 20 minutes but then I had a crash and had to restart the bike. I finished 14th, which I was not so happy about. At the start of the second race I started outside the top 10 but after about 15 minutes I felt really tired. I had nothing left. With 16th position I think that today was one to forget! I am really looking forward to Loket now."
MX2 Moto1: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 40:09.879; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:25.846; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +0:54.275; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:13.150; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +1:24.853; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:30.270; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +1:30.797; 8. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:56.063; 9. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), +2:08.345; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), -1 lap(s). 14. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Suzuki Europe MX2), -1 lap(s);
MX2 Moto2: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 41:28.098; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:18.176; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +0:44.762; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:58.899; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +1:20.408; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:28.568; 7. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +1:32.563; 8. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), +1:57.215; 9. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +2:05.593; 10. Matiss Karro (LAT, Honda), +2:32.356. 16. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Suzuki Europe MX2), -1 lap(s).
MX2 Overall result: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 36 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), 30 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 30 p.; 7. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 25 p.; 8. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), 21 p.; 10. Matiss Karro (LAT, Honda), 20 p. 17. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Suzuki Europe MX2), 12 p.
MX2 World Championship standings (after 11 of 15 rounds): 1. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 490 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 469 p.; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 400 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), 373 p.; 5. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 295 p.; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), 295 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 285 p.; 8. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 249 p.; 9. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, KTM), 207 p.; 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 180 p.; 11. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 170 p.; 12. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 139 p.; 13. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 131 p.; 14. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), 124 p.; 15. Antonio Jose Butron Oliva (ESP, KTM), 108 p. 19. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Suzuki Europe MX2), 82 p.
