The Belgian holds a 30-point advantage over Italian David Philippaerts with a maximum of 100 available through both the tough Dutch sand and then one week later on the hillside of Fermo for the final meeting of 15 on the calendar.

"I like the sand and while it can be difficult to deal with it is the same for all the riders," commented the 21 year old who took a deserved break after coming so close to victory in Brazil the previous week and enjoying a podium appearance in the AMA Nationals. "The sand in Lierop is different compared to Valkenswaard; it is softer and can get rougher. It is closer to what we normally find in Lommel.

"I'm glad I had the chance to take a break last week because I had been to the US and then to Brazil and I really felt the jet-lag and the effects of all the travelling," he added. "I had a relaxed weekend with a little bit of time at home.

"It would be good to confirm second in the Championship as soon as possible," he continued, "but I will go into this weekend like I do any other race and that is to give the best account of myself possible."

From the sand of Lierop to the hard-pack of Fermo in the space of a week the switch in extremes of the surfaces does not trouble the talented winner of two GPs this season. "I think it is actually fun to change from one to the other," he said. "We don't need a lot of preparation, especially at this stage of the season. It is one of the nice things about the Championship that we have different conditions each week."

Team-mate Steve Ramon will perhaps have a harder time as the former World Champion is carrying a groin muscle problem and has not been able to train since returning from Brazil. He tentatively completed the penultimate round of the Belgian Championship last weekend at Orp Le Grand and is extremely close to his seventh title on the national stage. "I am struggling a bit anyway, but I think it's probably the hardest sand race GP," he said. "It can be very heavy to pull the bike around there, especially in the second moto: It pushes your body and your fitness."

The event this weekend holds good memories for the team thanks to their victory 12 months ago - aptly showing the formidability of the RM-Z450WS in the sand - and their maiden World Championship success with Ramon in 2007.

Lierop has been a consistent fixture on the World Championship calendar for numerous years. The well-organised and presentable venue boasts a very challenging track and for many riders it is the hardest and most difficult sand to negotiate in the series. The ripples of the flat and fast course means a heavy test for the bike as much as the riders and consistent race speed combined with minimal mistakes often seems to determine the final podium. Lierop is divided between the distinct inner field section and the long stretches that thread into the woodland. The terrain often becomes so bumpy that riders create their own jumps between the mounds of sand.

Just 100 points remain up for grabs in the MX2 contest and although Ken Roczen has little chance of deposing Marvin Musquin at the top of the standings, he is 69 ahead of Steven Frossard and can guarantee the number two plate for 2011 in the sand of Lierop on Sunday.

The newly-crowned 'Champions of Germany' will actually be able to secure two slots in the final top 10 as Arnaud Tonus is currently eighth and has every chance of being able to trouble the fringes of the first five. It has been a decent first season for the teenage Swiss with the team and he has scored points in every moto bar one; to confirm his excellent evolution and progress from a first attempt at the World Championship in 2009 where he classified 16th.

ADAC MX Masters Champion Roczen will enter the technical and bumpy sand of Lierop, in the south of the Netherlands, confident of his blossoming capabilities in the terrain after scoring his first Grand Prix win of the season last month in the similar confines of Lommel in Belgium. Roczen is definitely on a hot-roll after having won five of the last seven motos and the last GP outing two weeks ago in Brazil.

"We are looking forward to Lierop and Ken is planning to win there as his confidence is very high and he has been the best performer over the last three grands prix," said Team Manager Thomas Ramsbacher. "Since the week before Lommel we had some great help and a promising collaboration with SMC and from that point on we have been extremely competitive. Ken's win in the sand at Lommel means we can be hopeful for Lierop. Ken has progressed so much this year and I don't mean just in terms of his skills. Physically he has changed from a youth to a man and this has assisted his potential in the races.

"We have said before how happy we are with Arnaud and he is close to a very good championship finish in his second season and first with us," the German boss added. "As a teenage French-speaking Swiss, that is still effectively a rookie to come into a German-English speaking team, he needed to find his feet and get confidence but he has a great character and has fitted in so well. The results of the relationships he has with people are seen on the track where he has developed and that was all we ever wanted from this year."

The trip to Holland precedes the final round, the Grand Prix of Italy at Fermo, by just seven days. The weather for the weekend is predicted to be bright and sunny.