MxLarge Story
Cairoli and Tixier win in the Mud of Semigorje
News Saturday 21th July 2012
Frenchman Jordi Tixier and Italian Antonio Cairoli of the Red Bull KTM Factory team have won their respective qualification races during the Saturday of the Grand Prix of Russia. Tixier led home a KTM domination with the six of the first seven riders all on the orange machines.
The FIM Motocross World Motocross Championship was again hit by treacherous weather conditions and the first-ever event at the Semigorje facility for the Grand Prix of Russia was lashed by torrential rain that flooded the shallow and sandy track prior to the MX2 qualification heat today.
The first race of the UEM EMX250 championship took also place today and Mel Pocock obtained a dramatic victory, overtaking Stefan Olsen in the last corners of the race. The Danish rider started dominating the heat, but he crashed in the last lap with Pocock. The Brit was faster in starting the bike again and crossed the finish line first in a dramatic ending. Third was Mike Kras who rode a consistent moto from beginning to end.
MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli took the holeshot of the MX1 qualifying race and he succeeded in keeping the lead until the finish line. The Italian admitted that the rain made the track more difficult than expected, but he predicts good racing for tomorrow’s main races.
The second position was for Monster Energy Yamaha’s Shaun Simpson who had a really good start and rode comfortably second during the complete heat. The British rider has improved significantly since he started racing with Philippaert’s bike, so he could even fight for a podium finish tomorrow if he repeats his today’s performance.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker starred again in an excellent race, starting around the tenth position and finishing third. The Belgian rider had been the fastest of the pre qualifying session, so the track obviously suited De Dycker’s riding, so even having a bad start, he managed to move quickly to the third position and by the end of the race he was even able to close the gap with Simpson. The KTM rider is very confident for tomorrow and he will do his best to be on the podium.
Honda World Motocross’ Evgeny Bobryshev battled for the third position most of the race with his teammate Gonçalves, but the Russian admitted that he struggled a little bit with the track by the end of the heat and had to settle down with the fourth position. However, Bobryshev was satisfied with his performance and tomorrow he will do his best to finish on the podium in front of his home crowd.
Rui Gonçalves was finally fifth of the qualifying race, but his rhythm and speed showed that tomorrow he might be able to ride for the podium again. The Honda World Motocross rider had a really good start and rode third during the first three laps, he was then overtaken by Bobryshev and later on by De Dycker.
Tanel Leok rode a consistent qualifying race and he crossed the finish line sixth followed by his teammate Clement Desalle. The Belgian rider started ninth and he had to take off his goggles, so he made a superb effort to keep on racing until the chequered flag and he was even able to improve two positions.
Gautier Paulin was eighth and Xavier Boog and Davide Guarneri completed the top ten.
Christophe Pourcel crashed in the first corner after the start, he then crashed again in the corner after the pitlane and he had to pull out from the qualifying race.
MX1 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 26:04.171; 2. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:15.039; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:22.217; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:30.593; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:33.246; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +0:37.557; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +1:01.569; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:03.913; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:18.746; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:24.887;
Complete results available at www.motocrossmx1.com/reslists.aspx
Photos available at www.motocrossmx1.com/gallery
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier obtained his first qualifying race victory today at Semigorje. The French rider took the holeshot, but his teammate Jeffrey Herlings overtook him in the third lap. However, Herlings made a mistake and Tixier took advantage of it and he took the lead until the chequered flag. The French rider was very excited about his performance today and he hopes to do well also tomorrow.
Jeffrey Herlings was able to finish second of the qualifying race even crashing several times during the moto. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider struggled a little bit today, but he is confident about the main races tomorrow. If it does not rain, the hard sand track of Semigorje can really fit Herlings’ riding, so he could perfectly go for the overall victory.
Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Glen Coldenhoff did an excellent qualifying race, moving from his initial eighth position to third. The Belgian rider found himself really comfortable on the Russian track and he stayed in two wheels without making any mistake and tomorrow he will have a really good gate pick to try to start at the front and finish among the top five MX2 riders.
Estonian Priit Rätsep had one of his best performances today by finishing fourth of the qualifying heat. The Diga Racing KTM rider started seventh and he succeeded in moving up to fourth, so he will have a good opportunity tomorrow to fight for the top positions. On the other hand, his teammate Jose Butrón had to pull out from the race due to some technical problems on his KTM.
Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Joel Roelants completed the top five of today’s qualifying heat. The Belgian rider did not have a good start and had to give all his best to move from eleventh to fifth, so he might be able to fight for a podium finish once again this weekend.
Valentin Guillod had a really good start and he crossed the finish line sixth, followed by Jake Nicholls and home rider Alexander Tonkov.
Zach Osborne had a really good start and he was riding sixth when he crashed and dropped down to twelfth. In the end he was ninth and Simone Zecchina completed the top ten.
It was not an easy qualifying race for Jeremy Van Horebeek, but even having to enter the pitlane to receive some assistance from his team, he was able to cross the finish line thirteenth.
Valentin Teillet is back this weekend after having missed three Grand Prix due to an injury on his left collarbone. The French rider struggled a lot today because he had to race without goggles, but in the end he managed to finish fourteenth. His teammate Dylan Ferrandis was involved in a crash at the start and he had to work really hard to go from the very last position to the final fifteenth place.
Tommy Searle got another DNF today; the British rider was fighting for the lead when he hit Tonus’ bike when the Swiss rider was recovering from a crash. The radiator of his Kawasaki was damaged, so Searle had to enter the pitlane and pull out from the race.
Arnaud Tonus could not restart his Yamaha after the crash, so the qualifying race was also over for him.
MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 24:45.870; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:19.519; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:21.162; 4. Priit Rätsep (EST, KTM), +0:22.825; 5. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:25.219; 6. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +0:35.699; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:36.793; 8. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:40.445; 9. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +1:12.199; 10. Simone Zecchina (ITA, Yamaha), +1:12.896;
Complete results available at www.motocrossmx1.com/reslists.aspx
Photos available at www.motocrossmx1.com/gallery
GP OF RUSSIA – QUICK FACTS
Circuit length: 1510
Type of ground: hard sand
Temperature: 23° C
Weather conditions: Changeable – rainy and cloudy
The Grand Prix will be broadcasted LIVE on MX-LIFE.TV and by clicking here you will obtain the full schedule and coverage of the Russian Grand Prix.
TIMETABLE
Sunday: EMX250 Warm up 8:30; MX2 Warm up 9:00; MX1 Warm up 9:30; EMX250 Race 2 10:15; 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.
MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli took the holeshot of the MX1 qualifying race and he succeeded in keeping the lead until the finish line. The Italian admitted that the rain made the track more difficult than expected, but he predicts good racing for tomorrow’s main races.
The second position was for Monster Energy Yamaha’s Shaun Simpson who had a really good start and rode comfortably second during the complete heat. The British rider has improved significantly since he started racing with Philippaert’s bike, so he could even fight for a podium finish tomorrow if he repeats his today’s performance.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker starred again in an excellent race, starting around the tenth position and finishing third. The Belgian rider had been the fastest of the pre qualifying session, so the track obviously suited De Dycker’s riding, so even having a bad start, he managed to move quickly to the third position and by the end of the race he was even able to close the gap with Simpson. The KTM rider is very confident for tomorrow and he will do his best to be on the podium.
Honda World Motocross’ Evgeny Bobryshev battled for the third position most of the race with his teammate Gonçalves, but the Russian admitted that he struggled a little bit with the track by the end of the heat and had to settle down with the fourth position. However, Bobryshev was satisfied with his performance and tomorrow he will do his best to finish on the podium in front of his home crowd.
Rui Gonçalves was finally fifth of the qualifying race, but his rhythm and speed showed that tomorrow he might be able to ride for the podium again. The Honda World Motocross rider had a really good start and rode third during the first three laps, he was then overtaken by Bobryshev and later on by De Dycker.
Tanel Leok rode a consistent qualifying race and he crossed the finish line sixth followed by his teammate Clement Desalle. The Belgian rider started ninth and he had to take off his goggles, so he made a superb effort to keep on racing until the chequered flag and he was even able to improve two positions.
Gautier Paulin was eighth and Xavier Boog and Davide Guarneri completed the top ten.
Christophe Pourcel crashed in the first corner after the start, he then crashed again in the corner after the pitlane and he had to pull out from the qualifying race.
MX1 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 26:04.171; 2. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:15.039; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:22.217; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:30.593; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:33.246; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +0:37.557; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +1:01.569; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:03.913; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:18.746; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:24.887;
Complete results available at www.motocrossmx1.com/reslists.aspx
Photos available at www.motocrossmx1.com/gallery
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier obtained his first qualifying race victory today at Semigorje. The French rider took the holeshot, but his teammate Jeffrey Herlings overtook him in the third lap. However, Herlings made a mistake and Tixier took advantage of it and he took the lead until the chequered flag. The French rider was very excited about his performance today and he hopes to do well also tomorrow.
Jeffrey Herlings was able to finish second of the qualifying race even crashing several times during the moto. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider struggled a little bit today, but he is confident about the main races tomorrow. If it does not rain, the hard sand track of Semigorje can really fit Herlings’ riding, so he could perfectly go for the overall victory.
Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Glen Coldenhoff did an excellent qualifying race, moving from his initial eighth position to third. The Belgian rider found himself really comfortable on the Russian track and he stayed in two wheels without making any mistake and tomorrow he will have a really good gate pick to try to start at the front and finish among the top five MX2 riders.
Estonian Priit Rätsep had one of his best performances today by finishing fourth of the qualifying heat. The Diga Racing KTM rider started seventh and he succeeded in moving up to fourth, so he will have a good opportunity tomorrow to fight for the top positions. On the other hand, his teammate Jose Butrón had to pull out from the race due to some technical problems on his KTM.
Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Joel Roelants completed the top five of today’s qualifying heat. The Belgian rider did not have a good start and had to give all his best to move from eleventh to fifth, so he might be able to fight for a podium finish once again this weekend.
Valentin Guillod had a really good start and he crossed the finish line sixth, followed by Jake Nicholls and home rider Alexander Tonkov.
Zach Osborne had a really good start and he was riding sixth when he crashed and dropped down to twelfth. In the end he was ninth and Simone Zecchina completed the top ten.
It was not an easy qualifying race for Jeremy Van Horebeek, but even having to enter the pitlane to receive some assistance from his team, he was able to cross the finish line thirteenth.
Valentin Teillet is back this weekend after having missed three Grand Prix due to an injury on his left collarbone. The French rider struggled a lot today because he had to race without goggles, but in the end he managed to finish fourteenth. His teammate Dylan Ferrandis was involved in a crash at the start and he had to work really hard to go from the very last position to the final fifteenth place.
Tommy Searle got another DNF today; the British rider was fighting for the lead when he hit Tonus’ bike when the Swiss rider was recovering from a crash. The radiator of his Kawasaki was damaged, so Searle had to enter the pitlane and pull out from the race.
Arnaud Tonus could not restart his Yamaha after the crash, so the qualifying race was also over for him.
MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 24:45.870; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:19.519; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:21.162; 4. Priit Rätsep (EST, KTM), +0:22.825; 5. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:25.219; 6. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +0:35.699; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:36.793; 8. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:40.445; 9. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +1:12.199; 10. Simone Zecchina (ITA, Yamaha), +1:12.896;
Complete results available at www.motocrossmx1.com/reslists.aspx
Photos available at www.motocrossmx1.com/gallery
GP OF RUSSIA – QUICK FACTS
Circuit length: 1510
Type of ground: hard sand
Temperature: 23° C
Weather conditions: Changeable – rainy and cloudy
The Grand Prix will be broadcasted LIVE on MX-LIFE.TV and by clicking here you will obtain the full schedule and coverage of the Russian Grand Prix.
TIMETABLE
Sunday: EMX250 Warm up 8:30; MX2 Warm up 9:00; MX1 Warm up 9:30; EMX250 Race 2 10:15; 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.
Rider comments
Evgeny Bobryshev
“I didn’t get the best of the starts today, but I made up a lot of positions in the first few turns to fourth, and I was battling with Rui. The ground is sandy and I got a lot of wet sand in my radiator, which made the bike bog for a couple of laps, and when it got going again I made a few mistakes, so Ken, who had a good pace, came past. I decided just to ride my own race and tried not to crash, even though I was making some mistakes, as it’s quite technical here with it being sandy on top and hard underneath. I’m in a good position for tomorrow and my aim is for a podium. It’s been good to have my family around, although my mum and sister are at home. The fans have been great; it’s amazing, as I could hear them shouting when I passed the stands, and my father is here along with my close friends, so I have a lot of support.”
Rui Gonçalves
“It was positive today; I’ve had some good lap times and I like the track. In the first two practices I felt good out there, and we tried a lot of options with settings, but before the qualifying race we had heavy rain, which changed the track quite a lot. I didn’t get the best of starts and I wasn’t riding great until about halfway, as I was riding too safe and trying not to make mistakes. Towards the end I changed my style a little bit, got Tanel back and finished fifth, which I was happy with. Now it’s important to get a good start tomorrow and to ride two consistent motos.”
Tanel Leok:
"Sixth is not so bad for tomorrow. Strange conditions today. I went a bit wide on the first corner and with this amount of mud then you slide around a lot. I was third or fourth and then De Dycker got me. I made a few mistakes but by the middle of the race I found my rhythm again. I kept it steady and got my lines back. My ankle is a bit sore: I caught it in Latvia and again in the morning. There must be something wrong because every time I go running it starts getting painful."
Clement Desalle:
"Rain, sun, rain, sun...then finally big rain before the qualification changed the track! I had a good first corner but then Bobryshev passed me and threw up the track at my goggles. I had to throw them away and I had a big problem. I lost places and time and was seventh. The ground is sandy here but I hope we will have more lines tomorrow."
"Sixth is not so bad for tomorrow. Strange conditions today. I went a bit wide on the first corner and with this amount of mud then you slide around a lot. I was third or fourth and then De Dycker got me. I made a few mistakes but by the middle of the race I found my rhythm again. I kept it steady and got my lines back. My ankle is a bit sore: I caught it in Latvia and again in the morning. There must be something wrong because every time I go running it starts getting painful."
Clement Desalle:
"Rain, sun, rain, sun...then finally big rain before the qualification changed the track! I had a good first corner but then Bobryshev passed me and threw up the track at my goggles. I had to throw them away and I had a big problem. I lost places and time and was seventh. The ground is sandy here but I hope we will have more lines tomorrow."
Stanley Leroux Design
