ROCKSTAR ENERGY SUZUKI MX1 SET FOR LATVIA

Little respite for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 as the FIM Motocross World Championship rolls east and to Latvia this weekend for the 11th round of 17 and the fifth consecutive year that the Kegums circuit welcomes Grand Prix MX.

If all goes to plan this this will be the last time the series visits the quick, loamy and popular course outside of Riga...at least for another year as Kegums is slated to host the 2014 Motocross of Nations and will see the biggest off-road race push into eastern Europe in a little over 14 months' time.

Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos travel to Latvia focused for more silverware and with one eye on the championship standings as Desalle needs to eat into the 24-point difference to Gautier Paulin for second place, while Strijbos has to work on a gap of 61 to close-up to Ken De Dycker for fourth spot. Desalle in particular will be hoping to improve on his sixth position in 2012 and will try to remember his overall victory in 2010 instead; which was also his first season on the factory RM-Z450. "For sure I want a better GP than last year where I was sick and also made too many mistakes," he said. "After Sweden there was not much time but I've been through the normal routine this week and it will be good to race again so soon."

For Strijbos Latvia is a happier hunting ground. It was at the (mostly) flat Kegums last summer when the Belgian took a privateer machine to victory in the second moto and claimed third position overall. After spraying champagne in Brazil in May the veteran racer is due another 'walk of the box' and needs to put two solid races together to enable the best chance.

"The track can change quite a bit depending on the weather so we will see what we find when we get there. I had a good race last year and it would be great to repeat that," he said. "Like I said in Sweden I just need to put two motos together. At the moment one is not great and the other is OK. My speed is not bad so with some starts I'm sure it will come together."

Clear and sunny weather is predicted for the weekend.

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.