RAMON KEEN TO GET BACK ON TOP
 Team
Suzuki's Steve Ramon will be gunning for a bold result this
weekend at Agueda for the Grand Prix of Portugal and the third
round of the 2007 FIM MX1 World Championship.
The RM-Z450-mounted Belgian could only grab ninth overall
in Spain last week and has seen the margin to current series
leader Josh Coppins expand to 34 points after only two meetings
from the 15 on this season's schedule.
The former World Champion fell at the start of Moto2 in difficult
conditions and fought his way back to 15th but felt the damage
to his scorecard. "I am not going to say that the Championship
is lost but it was a big blow last Sunday," he said.
"It is not part of our plan to have results like that.
After the first moto things were looking pretty good,"
he said of his third position "but the second race destroyed
what we had worked for.
"We go to Portugal now and we have had rain there in
the past which is not too bad for the track because otherwise
it gets very hard. I like the layout but I made a big crash
last year. I need to forget that and take a strong result
because I need the points."
Meanwhile Kevin Strijbos is optimistic of further spoils
on his factory RM-Z450 after seizing his first podium of the
season in Spain. The Belgian is approaching full race fitness,
drawing him near to the speed and form that he showed in pre-season
events and prior to the minor knee surgery he underwent in
March.
Agueda hosts the Portuguese round for the fourth time in
successive years. The various elevation changes of the distinctive
red dirt provide a scenic and interesting viewing prospect
while also seeming to suit the preferences of the rider fraternity
in terms of the technical challenges.
Last year Ramon crashed heavily and suffered a concussion
after taking seventh place in the first moto. Strijbos fared
better and gained third place overall.
After the torrential rain that marred Saturday at Bellpuig
last week the paddock hopes for better weather on the west
coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Sadly the outlook is not so
positive with cloudy conditions and showers predicted over
both days.
MX1 World Championship Standings (after 2 of 15 rounds):
1 Joshua COPPINS (NZL) 97, 2 Kevin STRIJBOS (BEL) 78, 3 Jonathan
BARRAGAN (ESP) 74, 4 Maximilian NAGL (GER) 63, 5 Steve RAMON
(BEL) 63.
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