Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 departed reasonably content from a 22,000-packed Uddevalla circuit after Clement Desalle took his factory RM-Z450 to third position overall for his seventh podium of the season.
The 10th round of 17 in the FIM Motocross World Championship finally took place in good weather conditions after a cold and wet climate on the first day of the meeting threatened to create a heavy mud race. The Grand Prix of Sweden provided a bumpy and slick course for the two 35 minute and two-lap motos and was a tricky stage for Desalle to spray champagne for the fifth time in the last six events.
After taking a steady second position in the qualification heat on Saturday the Belgian was again a constant figure at the starts on Sunday. He struggled to find his speed initially in the first sprint and across a terrain that rarely yielded more than a single line. Desalle tried to close the gap to Max Nagl for second position but eventually ran into some trouble with backmarkers and accepted his 14th top-three finish from 19 motos. He was initially submerged in the pack around the first corner of the second race but some decent attacks in the first two laps brought him up to fourth and behind Tommy Searle. A duel erupted for the duration with Desalle continually probing for a way into third place. He would be frustrated by the finish line but a penalisation for Searle through jumping while yellow flags were waved dropped the Briton down the ranking and the Suzuki man ended the day 3-3 for third on the box.
Across the awning Kevin Strijbos continued to enjoy contrasting fortunes in the motos. The Belgian struggled through the first dash as he tried to find the most effective lines after a poor start. He was disappointed with ninth, but was then more prominent in the second race after getting out of the start gate with more momentum. With Searle's penalty, the 28 year old took sixth in the classification for seventh overall on the day.
The picture in the MX1 standings sees Desalle in third position and 24 points behind Gautier Paulin. Strijbos is fifth and nine ahead of Searle. Rockstar Energy Suzuki WMX1 has completed the first of three back-to-back events and now travels east to the Kegums circuit near the city of Riga for the Grand Prix of Latvia next weekend.
Clement Desalle:
"I'm not so happy with the result. In the first moto I struggled to find my lines and it was a difficult time. I made some mistakes and it was only in the last 15 minutes that I could really step-it-up. Unfortunately I lost a lot of time in one corner because of lapped riders, so it was not the best moto for me. Second one...my start was not great but I came back to fourth quickly and spent the whole race behind Searle. It was a little bit frustrating and I don't have the best feeling about this GP. All my work didn't really pay off in terms of the results. It is good to be on the podium but I expected more and want to do better in the next GP."
Kevin Strijbos:
"A little bit up and down again. The first race was bad; a bad start. I came through the pack quite well, just like yesterday, but got stuck behind Davide Guarneri halfway and then had some arm-pump! I had to slow a bit and that was it. I wasn't happy at all. I made a better start in the second race but ran a bit wide on the first corner. It was difficult at the beginning and I couldn't find my lines or speed. Once Max [Nagl] passed me I was finally able to get a good rhythm. I crashed when the front washed away but finished seventh. So overall not great, but I have to take it. I don't know what is wrong with the first motos but the second races are giving me a better feeling. I need to try and put two good performances together. The speed is there but the starts and little crashes are obviously not helping."
MX1 Moto1: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:17.944; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:06.363; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:12.605; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:14.381; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:16.738; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:26.765; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:28.030; 8. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), +0:34.768; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:48.040; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +0:57.531.
MX1 Moto2: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:42.231; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:01.399; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:03.749; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:19.796; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:26.109; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:35.125; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:38.596; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +0:41.299; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:54.992; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +1:00.509.
MX1 Overall result: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 40 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 33 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 32 p.; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 32 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 27 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 23 p.
MX1 World Championship Standings (after 10 of 17 rounds): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 467 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 398 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 374 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 359 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 298 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 289 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 253 p.; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 237 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 180 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 169 p.
