RAMON 4TH AND DESALLE 5TH IN DUTCH MX1 QUALIFYING2010-04-25 22:25Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 duo Clement Desalle and Steve Ramon finished fourth and fifth respectively in the Qualification Heat at Valkenswaard for tomorrow's Grand Prix of the Netherlands for round three of 15 in the FIM Motocross World Championship. Sunshine and warm conditions at the Dutch venue close to Eindhoven meant the Eurocircuit sand was rough but not as challenging compared to recent seasons and the terrain was hard and slippery in place. Ramon quickly got to terms with the layout that caused him fall and suffer his neck injury 12 months ago and the former World Champion set the second-quickest lap on his 2010 RM-Z450 WS in the Pre-Qualifying Practice to enter the gate with the same position for the Heat. Desalle built up his speed in the two sessions, taking eighth in preparation for the 20-minute sprint. A good start saw the Belgian Champion constantly among the front runners. Taking the race relatively easy, he obtained fourth behind Tanel Leok and has a decent slot for tomorrow's two Motos; with the first corner followed immediately by a banked 180-degree turn for a complicated opening section. Ramon struggled to control a wheelie off the line and had to depend on a steady rhythm to pull through to the top five. Further excellent weather is predicted for Sunday. Clement Desalle: "The track felt a bit strange in the first practice. I found it really slippery and hard to get traction. It got better during the day and I felt faster each time we could go out. I took it step by step and rode carefully. It feels pretty dangerous out there so I didn't take any risks today." Steve Ramon: "The whole day was pretty good. I had a decent spot in the gate but started to wheelie and had to shut off the gas and lost some places. The first few laps were crazy and I had to pass a lot of riders while making some mistakes. After a while my rhythm came and fifth place is OK for tomorrow." MX1 Qualification Heat Classification: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 24:22.123; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), +0:06.680; 3. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), +0:07.544; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), +0:15.996; 5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1), +0:16.959; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:22.550; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:28.115; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), +0:36.175; 9. Tom Söderström (SWE, Yamaha), +0:36.920; 10. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), +0:44.481. Source: Team Suzuki Press Office Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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