And, for Ken Roczen and Arnaud Tonus, the sand, bumps and physical demands of Lommel are not unfamiliar as the team's technical base is housed within the same GRP HQ of the factory MX1 squad only a few kilometres up the road. Many laps of testing and training during the winter months across the Belgian ripples mean that the German crew can head into this weekend quietly-confident of getting up-to-speed from the outset.

Roczen will be looking to consolidate second place in the World Championship standings and knows he faces a tough threat from Dutchman, fellow teenager and sand-specialist Jeffrey Herlings this weekend. Herlings is just one adversary in an immensely competitive MX2 division in 2010 but Roczen has been consistent and impressive on the new fuel-injected RM-Z250 in what is just his second World Championship season (and first full term). The 16 year old has accumulated three pole positions and six podiums and has come within minutes of Grand Prix victory on at least two occasions only to be denied by misfortune.

"For sure Lommel will be hard but I am actually looking forward to it," he said after having made recent tests and finishing on the podium in the ADAC MX Master last weekend in the sand of Tensfeld. "My sand riding has improved a lot since last year and maybe even from earlier this season. We made a few changes to the bike last weekend and also during this week and I am very happy with how the engine feels in the sand. It will be good to get the GPs going again and I know Lommel pretty well so I am hoping for a decent weekend."

Twelve months ago at Lommel, Arnaud Tonus barely registered on the leader-board with 18th place. In the two previous sandy outings of 2010 at Mantova and Valkenswaard the 18-year-old Swiss has shown his admirable improvement in the terrain by posting sixth and ninth and holds eighth position in the category standings. In what has been an impressive first year with the team so far, Tonus is an odds-on bet to demonstrate his evolving talent come Sunday's two 35 minute and 2 lap motos.

Lommel is a familiar course to many of the Grand Prix fraternity who base themselves in the Benelux region during the season for practice and training. The flat and challenging layout is renowned for its physical and technical demands and rewards the most skilled and fittest exponents of sand-riding. Lommel itself has improved each year as a Grand Prix infrastructure with upgrades to the viewing and spectator experience. New banking zones should greet visitors to the 2010 edition of Belgium's flagship off-road event.

In the daunting deep sand of Lommel, which will provide the factory Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 team with a chance to shine at their home event.

The Belgian crew are located only a few kilometres from the circuit that will host the 2012 Motocross of Nations and has entertained the Belgian stop on the FIM calendar for the last two years.

Clement Desalle and Steve Ramon sit in second and fourth positions respectively in the MX1 class standings and with the works RM-Z450WS have amassed three pole positions, two victories and 11 podiums between them in the10 rounds of 15 held so far in the current campaign. The pair has also taken victories in the Belgian and German national championships through the weeks away from the international stage.

Two-thirds of the way through the 2010 contest Desalle is having a stellar first season with the team and has not dropped out of the top six in the 18 motos from 20 that he has completed. The double '0-0' for round three at Valkenswaard after an early crash led to a dislocated right shoulder has proved costly to his championship aspirations and the 21 year old needs to reduce a deficit of 67 points to leader Tony Cairoli (250 points remain).

The Belgian has celebrated triumphs in Portugal and Latvia. "I live 200km from Lommel so it is not really a home GP! Lommel has a lot of bumps so it is hard for us as well as the motorcycles; a tough track," offered Desalle who set pole position at the circuit in 2009 and was fifth overall (taking second place in the first moto). "It is a nice change from hard-pack and I like sand but the body usually aches after this GP."

Ramon has collected three pieces of silverware with two third positions and a runner-up placement in the Netherlands. The veteran and former double World Champion is operating near the same impressive speed level he had reached prior to his qualification heat crash in Portugal. Ramon presently leads the Belgian Championship and took victory last Sunday in the sand of Tensfeld in Germany.

"I should be riding on Wednesday but nothing serious, just a play on the bike to get loose and the feeling back before heading to Lommel," he said. "For sure I will need some time to recover after Sunday, as the sand was deep and it was a physical race. I was at Lommel last Tuesday and I could not see any big changes. It was really dry then and the track could be different for the GP depending on the weather. I don't think Lommel is as hard as Lierop but for sure the sand gets rough."

The 30 year old Belgian was fifth in 2008 at Lommel and then fourth overall 12 months ago in what was his first Grand Prix after missing half of the season with a neck injury.

Lommel is a familiar course to many of the Grand Prix fraternity who base themselves in the Benelux region during the season for practice and training. The flat and challenging layout is renowned for its physical and technical demands and rewards the most skilled and fittest exponents of sand-riding. Lommel itself has improved each year as a Grand Prix infrastructure with upgrades to the viewing and spectator experience. New banking zones should greet visitors to the 2010 edition of Belgium's flagship off-road event.

Unfortunately the general weather forecast for the weekend is not too positive with cloudy conditions on Saturday and showers on Sunday.