Motocross World Championship
With rain affecting the opening day of the Bonver Grand Prix of Czech Republic, the qualifying procedure was changed from the classic qualifying race to a timed practice session.
In the slippery conditions of the Czech track, Desalle (MX1) and Frossard (MX2) unveiled to be the quickest and both will start from pole tomorrow.
Desalle posted a strong time to top the time sheets from Tanel Leok and Kevin Strijbos, again fast on the wet after his Bellpuig pole position this year. Ken De Dycker and Steve Ramon completed the top five ahead of series leader Tony Cairoli.
In MX2 Frossard was the quickest ahead of countryman Marvin Musquin and Jeremy Van Horebeek. Zach Osborne and Jeffrey Herlings completed the top five with Roczen sixth.
Jordi Tixier and Dylan Ferrandis starred a two way battle for pole position in the EMX 125 class with the latter taking the eventual pole. Tixier, who leads the Championship and has a solid chance to wrap up the Title tomorrow, will start from second.
MX1
Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Desalle topped the timed practice in this wet opening day of the Bonver Grand Prix of Czech Republic. The Belgian took his fourth pole position of the season to overcome Cairoli and become the rider with the most poles to his credit. Desalle took his maiden GP win last year at Loket and aims at a strong outing tomorrow in order to cut the gap from series leader Cairoli.
A last minute effort brought LS Motors Honda’s Tanel Leok up to the second position on the time sheets, with the Estonian securing a good gate for tomorrow’s races. Leok, who had a disappointed Grand Prix last weekend – even running out of fuel on the last lap of the first moto – is looking for revenge this weekend despite he left Loket with a ninth place overall in 2009.
Beursfoon Suzuki MX’s Strijbos was third at more than a second from Desalle but the former runner up in the World showed once again this year he can be among the fastest in the wet – as he first displayed in Bellpuig by taking his first and only pole of 2010.
De Dycker of Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci found his place in the top five by clocking the fourth fastest time at Loket. De Dycker made his comeback to racing in Lommel after missing Uddevalla with an elbow injury and will now try to recover the points he missed in Sweden with a strong outing in Czech Republic.
Ramon completed the top five as the Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 racer was the fourth Belgian among the first five riders. The two time World Champion was almost one and a half second off the time of his team mate Desalle but his experience will surely help in tomorrow’s heats which will probably be held in demanding conditions.
Current Championship leader Cairoli started the timed session slowly to then work his way up to a final sixth place while Russian Bobryshev was right behind him in seventh place.
Aubin also found a place in the top ten by finishing eighth fastest ahead of Guarneri and Gonçalves completing the top ten.
Third placed in the Championship Philippaerts was 11th, the Italian having won at Loket both in MX1 and in MX2 in the past.
Nagl was right behind in 12th while Barragan was a bitter 20th – Kawasaki Racing team mate Boog instead will miss this Grand Prix after Lommel’s knee injury and will come back for the Brazilian round, Pourcel was 14th.
Returning on the FIM Motocross World Championship scene, Buildbase CCM Racing took 15th and 19th with Sword and Church respectively.
MX1 Time Practice top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 1:53.881; 2. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), +0:00.889; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:01.070; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), +0:01.120; 5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:01.473; 6. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.780; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:01.959; 8. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:02.322; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), +0:02.687; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:02.796;
MX2
Kawasaki CLS’ Frossard made it to his second pole position of the 2010 season by topping today’s timed session. The French tried just a few laps on the slippery course and stopped right after he felt he could not improve his time further. Frossard’s feeling was proved right when he found himself on top of the standings at the end of the session.
French countryman Musquin of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2 took second in the qualifying as he lapped two tenths slower than Frossard. The Championship leader marked his comeback to the podium in Lommel last weekend and after taking victory in seven GP’s this year he is eager to prove he can master also this track – actually at Loket Musquin broke his foot in 2008 and his bike in 2009.
Other Kawasaki CLS man Van Horebeek completed the top three and is now in the perfect position to improve on his tenth place overall from 2009, his last year with KTM before moving to the Kawasaki squad.
Bike-it Cosworth Yamaha UK’s Osborne stormed back into the top five as he was fourth quickest today. After taking back to back podiums in Glen Helen, St. Jean and Teutschenthal, the American has been quite unfortunate – being involved in several crashes and tangles – but he is now motivated to make it to the Czech podium on Sunday.
Completing the top five was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Herlings, with the Dutch coming to Loket after a streak of three consecutive podiums starting with his GP victory in Latvia.
The winner of the latest GP in Lommel Roczen was sixth quickest, just behind his main rival in Belgium Herlings. Tonus was seventh ahead of Simpson and Paulin while Lupino completed the top ten.
Home rider Michek was 14th quickest on the day preceding the Bonver GP of Czech Republic.
MX2 Time Practice top ten: 1. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 1:56.548; 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), +0:00.225; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:01.123; 4. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:01.285; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:01.299; 6. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), +0:01.695; 7. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), +0:01.774; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:02.042; 9. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:02.180; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Yamaha), +0:02.569;
EMX 125
A two way battle for the pole position ended with Ferrandis taking the top of the time sheets from EMX 125 Championship leader Tixier, ending second by less than two tenths of a second. Swiss Seewer completed the top three while second placed in the Championship Lafont had a nightmare qualifying as he ended 21st. In tomorrow’s races of this penultimate round, Tixier has a solid chance to wrap up the first ever EMX 125 Title as he leads the series with 71 points more than Lafont.
Bonver GP of Czech Republic – Quick Facts
Circuit length: 1586 mt
Type of ground: hard pack
Temperature: 16° C
Weather conditions: rainy and cloudy by the end of the day
Sunday: EMX 125 Warm up 8:00; MX2 Warm up 8:30; MX1 Warm up 9:00; WMX Warm up 9:30; EMX 125 Race 1 10:20; WMX Race 2 11:15; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 12:10; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 13:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 15:03; MX1 Grand Prix race 2 16:03; EMX 125 Race 2 17:20.
