MX Czech GP
 RACE
REPORT 10/08/2008
Fantastic Philippaerts takes win number two of 2008
Only three rounds remain in the 2008 MX1-GP World Championship
after a brilliant meeting for the Yamaha Monster Motocross
Team at the Loket circuit for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic
represented the twelfth meeting of fifteen on the series schedule.
David Philippaerts obtained his second victory of the season
and his third moto success to regain control of the standings
and snare the red plate once again for the front of his works
YZ450FM. Team-mate Josh Coppins was struck by a freak moment
of misfortune that contributed to his result of 9th position
overall.
Under cloudy but dry skies and in front of 28,000 spectators,
Loket was an extreme contrast to the rough and physically
demanding depths of the Belgian sand last weekend. Hard-pack,
slippery and fast, the layout was uncomplicated and offered
diversity through the many changes of elevation thanks to
the valley setting. The riders spent time finding effective
tyre combinations through practice in search of the best traction.
The team were pleased with some technical modifications to
the YZ450FMs with new engine parts adding more bottom end
grunt to the potent motor. Coppins was particularly content
and was holding 3rd position in Timed Practice until finally
being nudged down to 4th; it was still one of his better qualification
performances of the year. Philippaerts was fastest in the
first free practice although was unable to get a clean lap
in the official chrono and placed 11th. The top sixteen riders
were split by less than two seconds.
Philippaerts' first race was incredible and saw one of his
best performances of the season. More misfortune on the opening
lap after a tangle with Tanel Leok witnessed the 24 year old
picking up his motorcycle and re-starting outside the top
twenty. He then embarked on a heart-pounding recovery with
adventurous lines and overtaking manoeuvres to rapidly gain
ground. Philippaerts worked his way back, setting the fastest
lap on the fifth circulation and passed his team-mate and
world champion Steve Ramon to take a dazzling 3rd place. The
second sprint was less frantic and he grabbed the lead on
the first lap and established a race winning advantage over
Sebastien Pourcel to the flag.
Hard GP for Josh
Coppins was a persistent rider in the battle for third position
in Moto1 but his progress was limited when a rock broke his
goggles on the second lap. The Czech dirt was littered with
small stones so even keeping pace with his rivals and taking
4th was a remarkable achievement. In the second race the New
Zealander was still suffering with blurred vision and when
he touched a false neutral over a jump; he hit the ground
and sacrificed a top three finish to cross the line in 10th.
One week after losing the red plate to Ramon, Philippaerts
is again in charge of the MX1-GP World Championship by 7 points
over the Belgian. Coppins is still third but now 35 behind.
Yamaha hold a 14 point lead in the manufacturer's table.
A three week break now precedes a hard and rapid finale to
the season. Three consecutive Grand Prix, in Ireland, Holland
and Italy, will close the campaign by mid-September. The trip
to the Fairyhouse horse racing venue for a new track just
outside Dublin will represent round thirteen on August 31st.
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team,
1st:
"This is a great win for me and it has come at a good
time. I pushed really hard in that first moto after a stupid
crash and passed many riders. I found some good lines and
just went for it. The track was very difficult but the team
had worked hard in the last week to give me a bike that was
perfect and I felt really happy being able to push. My goal
was to at least catch Ramon but I found I could keep going
and the top three was possible. In the second moto I took
one or two risks but then was able to make good lap-times
when I was in the lead and had a great race. For me Loket
is a very real and natural motocross track and has similarities
to some places in Italy. We have three races left now and
I will try hard each time to get the best position I can.
We will then see if the championship is ours or not!
Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 9th:
"If I am honest then I am happy to get out of here uninjured
because it was a big crash for me in the second race and I
was lucky not to get hurt. I don't seem to get on too well
with Loket! Overall it was a disappointing day and nothing
went right. I felt like I was riding pretty good but I was
struggling with my vision in the first race after a stone
whacked my goggles and broke the strap clean off. It was a
freak thing. Thankfully it did not happen again in the second
race but I was suffering from the first; my eyes were watering
and it was very difficult to go fast. I could not race how
I wanted because I couldn't glimpse the bumps clearly and
things were all blurry; it was even quite dangerous sometimes.
I hit a false neutral over the jump in the second race. I
went over the bars and it more or less ended the moto. I ripped
my pants, broke the buckle and my kidney belt was away somewhere.
I feel pretty sore now and have some cuts and bruises. We
still have some races left in this championship and the next
challenge is to keep positive over this break until the next
Grand Prix."
Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager, Yamaha Monster Motocross
Team:
"This was a fantastic response after Lommel. David tried
to pass another rider in the first lap of the first moto and
the crash meant he had a lot of work to do from outside the
top twenty, but wow, what a job. After two laps he had a good
lap-time but was still far away and it wasn't until the halfway
mark when he reached eighth and the group ahead that we realised
a top three was a possibility. It was a great race. He started
OK in Moto2 but the first two corners were excellent and he
passed three or four riders to lead. He then did not make
any mistakes to finish a fantastic weekend. Josh was so unlucky
again. To race here without goggles is very tough but he is
a strong guy and pushed very hard to finish the moto. The
false neutral and the big crash probably cost him a podium.
He lost some points in the championship but is still third
with three GPs to go. YRRD have been working hard and were
able to give us some new parts this weekend so a big thank
you to them."
Circuit Length: 1630
Crowd: 28,000
Weather: Dry
2008 GP of Czech Republic, Loket 10/08/2008
Race 1 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 39'38.255
2 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'8.690
3 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'16.171
4 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'19.210
5 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'20.225
6 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 0'20.798
7 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'23.086
8 Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 0'24.745
9 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'37.346
10 Kornel Nemeth KTM HUN 0'50.532
11 Manuel Priem Kawasaki BEL 0'54.403
12 Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA 0'58.941
13 Bradley Anderson Suzuki GBR 1'0.900
14 Steve Boniface Honda FRA 1'8.367
15 Marc De Reuver Honda NED 1'9.294
16 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 1'15.572
17 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 1'19.569
18 Martin Michek Honda CZE 1'20.518
19 Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 1'30.893
20 Alessio Chiodi TM ITA 1'32.081
Race 2 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 40'18.466
2 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'4.986
3 Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 0'6.206
4 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'10.184
5 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'14.943
6 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 0'17.849
7 Manuel Priem Kawasaki BEL 0'24.837
8 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'31.930
9 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'39.030
10 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'51.460
11 Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA 0'52.513
12 Kornel Nemeth KTM HUN 0'54.687
13 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 0'56.987
14 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 0'59.846
15 Bradley Anderson Suzuki GBR 1'0.810
16 Steve Boniface Honda FRA 1'11.377
17 Marc De Reuver Honda NED 1'16.289
18 Kevin Strijbos Kawasaki BEL 1'20.246
19 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 1'24.554
20 Jiri Cepelak Yamaha CZE 1'34.332
Rider Standings 10/08/2008
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 405
2. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 398
3. Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 370
4. Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 369
5. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 369
6. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 344
7. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 327
8. Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 275
9. Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 257
10. Marc De Reuver Honda NED 224
11. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 215
12. Manuel Priem Kawasaki BEL 197
13. Kornel Nemeth KTM HUN 159
14. Julien Bill Honda CHE 148
15. Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 131
16. Mike Brown Honda USA 107
17. Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 97
18. James Noble KTM GBR 93
19. Steve Boniface Honda FRA 75
20. Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 74
23. Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 44
Manufacturer Standings 10/08/2008
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Yamaha 471
2. Suzuki 457
3. KTM 452
4. Kawasaki 420
5. Honda 362
6. TM 32
7. Aprilia 12
RACE REPORT 10/08/2008
Aubin 4th in Czech Republic
Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin missed out on a podium position
by just one point at a cloudy but dry Loket circuit for the
Grand Prix of Czech Republic and the twelfth round of fifteen
in the 2008 FIM MX2-GP World Championship. The Frenchman was
4th overall at the venue where he scored his maiden victory
twelve months earlier.
The hard and fast Loket mud meant that it was very difficult
for riders to make up time on their competitors while even
the smallest mistake conceded hard-won ground to pursuers.
The 20 year old took 2nd place in his qualification heat on
Saturday despite suffering a stomach illness which took the
edge from his physical condition. He had an average start
in the first of the two 35 minute and 2 lap motos but fought
back to capture 3rd spot behind runaway leaders Tyla Rattray
and Tommy Searle. The duo battled for the win again in an
entertaining Moto2 while Aubin had to strive against countrymen
Steve Frossard and Anthony Boissiere for a top five position.
Finally abdominal pain meant that 6th position was the best
he could manage.
Second best Yamaha finisher was 3C Racing's Manuel Monni.
The 2008 Italian MX2 champion registered 11th and 8th for
a decent top ten standing and 8th overall. Monni spent long
periods of the first moto chasing and fighting with sole Red
Bull De Carli representative Alessandro Lupino. The teenager
notched the best result of his short career to-date with a
decent start and 12th behind his fellow Italian. A tougher
second moto meant he finished 17th, but 13th overall was a
landmark.
Aubin's team-mate Davide Guarneri was 12th at the end of the
afternoon and although he could only complete the second moto
he gained 14 points for 7th spot. The Italian was fighting
for 11th in Moto1 until a crash three laps from the line dropped
him far behind the pack and he rode into the pit-lane, well
out of the points. A more positive outing in Moto2 produced
his eighth top ten result this season. Guarneri is missing
a ligament in his right knee and is currently reviewing his
options to have corrective surgery in order to use the winter
months for rehabilitation and come back fully fit for testing
and preparation in 2009.
Impressive 18 year old American Zach Osborne was on slightly
easier ground compared to the demands of his world championship
debut last week in the deep Belgian sand. The Utag Yamaha.com
rider has signed with the British team to finish the Grand
Prix season with the YZ250F and although his lap-times would
have guaranteed a top ten finish he suffered a mechanical
problem in Moto1 and was knocked off the bike on the fourth
corner of Moto2 which meant he had to restart from last and
reached 16th position.
Yamaha Van Beers Evgeny Bobryshev was back in Grand Prix
action after missing the last round in Belgium to win the
final meeting of the Russian MX1 series with a YZ450F. The
rookie missed the points in Moto1 and had a big crash on a
steep downhill in Moto2 but was able to walk away.
Aubin's points haul in Loket and Shaun Simpson's absence
due to a fractured collarbone in Saturday practice means that
he is 3 points from 4th position in the championship standings.
Tony Cairoli is still 3rd despite missing the last two events
and the rest of the season after the operation on his left
knee. Monni is 10th.
Three consecutive Grand Prix events - in Ireland (Dublin),
Holland (Lierop) and Italy (Faenza) will finish the season
after a three week break which now lies ahead for the teams
and riders of the MX1-GP and MX2-GP categories.
Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 4th:
"I am a bit disappointed because I had pain in my stomach
today and for sure this affected my speed; I knew before the
races that it would be a difficult GP. I had a bad start in
the first moto but I made my way to 3rd and then tried to
catch Tommy. I started to have some pain and had to ease-off
at the end. It was the same problem in Moto2 but this time
after a few laps, right at the time I was fighting with a
group of riders. 4th overall is not a bad result considering
the problem I had and now we have a few weeks before Ireland.
It is bad luck for Shaun that he missed this GP because he
has ridden well this season but I hope we can fight on the
track again and both try for that third position in the championship."
Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 12th:
"It was a bad weekend up until the last moto! I did
not ride well on Saturday; I was too tense on the bike and
then had a bad start in the heat race. In the first moto I
got the start wrong again and my speed was not so good. When
a rider put me on the floor I was too far behind by the time
I restarted and stopped. I was angry for the second moto and
pushed as hard as I could to reach 7th, which was much better.
This might be the last race for me, although I will be in
Ireland if the doctor cannot do the operation in the next
few weeks."
Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 13th:
"Today I had two good starts and this was very important;
I was really happy about this and also the fact I could do
some good lap-times that were not too far from the front guys.
Fighting with Monni was fun and it was like an Italian championship
race! Staying in front of him for 17 laps was very hard, so
it is something I can be pleased about. It has been a tough
time for the team so I am pleased I can give them a small
result and show that I am making progress in my first season."
Zach Osborne, Utag Yamaha.com, 22nd:
"To say I did not have much luck today is a big understatement.
I am a bit disappointed because I had the lap-times to be
hanging with the top five but it overall it was a good learning
experience because I sorted my starts. I will head back to
the US to do Southwick on a 450 and then return in time to
be ready for Ireland."
Circuit Length: 1630
Crowd: 28,000
Weather: Cloudy
2008 GP of Czech Republic, Loket 10/08/2008
Race 1 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 40'20.524
2 Tommy Searle KTM GBR 0'4.493
3 Nicolas Aubin Yamaha FRA 0'9.888
4 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 0'11.828
5 Anthony Boissière KTM FRA 0'13.149
6 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0'14.178
7 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 0'14.995
8 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 0'15.974
9 Jeremy Tarroux KTM FRA 0'17.119
10 Xavier Boog Suzuki FRA 0'36.511
11 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 0'39.144
12 Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 0'42.322
13 Jake Nicholls Suzuki GBR 0'49.717
14 Marvin Musquin Honda FRA 0'52.567
15 Jason Dougan Suzuki GBR 0'54.891
16 Carl Nunn Suzuki GBR 0'56.787
17 Gert Krestinov KTM EST 1'2.672
18 Loic Rombaut Kawasaki FRA 1'5.522
19 Gunter Schmidlinger Honda AUT 1'8.845
20 Petr Smitka Yamaha CZE 1'13.475
Race 2 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Tommy Searle KTM GBR 40'44.956
2 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 0'11.162
3 Anthony Boissière KTM FRA 0'14.520
4 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0'19.897
5 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 0'23.158
6 Nicolas Aubin Yamaha FRA 0'26.136
7 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 0'28.266
8 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 0'28.909
9 Jeremy Van Horebeek KTM BEL 0'31.683
10 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 0'34.397
11 Xavier Boog Suzuki FRA 0'43.388
12 Jeremy Tarroux KTM FRA 0'47.232
13 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 0'48.062
14 Carl Nunn Suzuki GBR 0'50.107
15 Elliott Banks-Browne Suzuki GBR 0'52.827
16 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 0'53.855
17 Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 0'59.025
18 Gert Krestinov KTM EST 1'1.139
19 Loic Rombaut Kawasaki FRA 1'8.502
20 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1'9.492
Rider Standings 10/08/2008
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 499
2. Tommy Searle KTM GBR 479
3. Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 357
4. Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 312
5. Nicolas Aubin Yamaha FRA 309
6. Rui Goncalves KTM POR 303
7. Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 248
8. Xavier Boog Suzuki FRA 245
9. Jeremy Van Horebeek KTM BEL 244
10. Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 226
11. Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 212
12. Anthony Boissière KTM FRA 210
13. Marvin Musquin Honda FRA 180
14. Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 167
15. Jeremy Tarroux KTM FRA 161
16. Joel Roelants KTM BEL 148
17. Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA 101
18. Gautier Paulin Kawasaki FRA 95
19. Carl Nunn Suzuki GBR 85
20. Gert Krestinov KTM EST 80
25. Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 45
26. Evgeny Bobryshev Yamaha RUS 42
29. Matteo Bonini Yamaha ITA 25
43. Deny Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 7
Manufacturer Standings 10/08/2008
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. KTM 569
2. Yamaha 520
3. Kawasaki 371
4. Suzuki 296
5. Honda 234
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