DESALLE IN TOP 10 AT GERMAN MX1
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1's Clement Desalle will take the eighth pick of slots in the Talkessel start gate for the Grand Prix of Germany at Teutschenthal tomorrow.
The Belgian adapted to a tight and rough circuit for the 16th and final round of the FIM Motocross World Championship and recovered from a small technical glitch to steer his RM-Z450 to a top-10 slot.
A chilly and windy day at Teutschenthal provided brief moments of sunshine and the German terrain began to shift and move with the passing of each timed session. The curling nature of the layout and the many jumps - some spectacular - meant the track was challenging.
Desalle and team-mate Tanel Leok worked on optimising set-up and traction throughout the sessions with the latter softening his front suspension and also experimenting with different gearing. Desalle suffered an engine stall while holding fourth position in the qualification race and fought back from outside the top 10 to reach eighth place. Leok made a mediocre start and continued to improve his feeling on the terrain by completing the 20 minute and 2 lap distance in 13th.
Clement Desalle:
"Some lines started to develop and I felt better and better out there but it is not easy because of the changes they have made to the track. I think I could have done better in the pre-qualification but I was not stressed and the times were very tight. In the heat race my bike didn't start for the sighting lap but we got it going in time. I then had a good start but the two guys either side of me were just a bit better. I was fourth and looking to get my rhythm but the bike stopped and I had to restart. I lacked a bit of confidence after that because there are many jumps here and I was a bit wary. Anyway I found some good places on the track and made my way up to eighth. A gate position in the top 10 is OK and I'll try and have some fun and look for a good result tomorrow."
Tanel Leok:
"It didn't go so well today but things were getter better by the heat race and the lines and passing places were starting to come through a little bit. It is hard with the new jumps interrupting the start straights and those overtaking spots have gone. We tried a bigger sprocket and went softer with the front fork and we'll assess the changes a bit more in the warm-up."
MX1 Qualification heat result: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 26:00.844; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:05.430; 3. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:10.201; 4. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:35.498; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:38.507; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:43.184; 7. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:44.606; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:44.919; 9. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Yamaha), +0:48.378; 10. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Honda), +0:50.010. 13. Tanel Leok (EST, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:52.393.
