Desalle takes third podium of 2009 in Mallory Park sunshine
. By Bikeland Staff
The British Grand Prix at Mallory Park, the second year in succession the race has been held at the road racing facility in England's Midlands, saw David Philippaerts win the MX1 class of the seventh round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship. A weekend total of 35,000 spectators, one of the biggest attendances of the season so far, witnessed LS Honda's Clement Desalle recover from a qualifying crash to earn his third podium result of the campaign with a third place finish on the CRF450R.
Excellent weather meant the riders faced a dry and technical layout with many jumps. The terrain was hard but became rutted and bumpy as the weekend action took its toll and overtaking (as well as surviving the heat) proved to be the toughest part of each moto.
Desalle, who recovered from an unwilling part in a qualification heat first corner pile-up to have a gate pick of 6th for the motos on Sunday, rode well across the course and was running in the top three of both races. The Belgian challenged Philippaerts for second place for the majority of Moto1 before a fall by Max Nagl permitted promotion to runner-up behind the Italian. He was again chasing the champion in Moto2 until a mistake saw him lose the rear wheel of the eventual GP winner and therefore the second step of the rostrum by just one point.
A pleasant surprise for the fans over the weekend was the return to GP racing by former MX1 Grand Prix winner Mickael Pichon came out of semi-retirement to represent, once again, the Martin Honda squad with whom he had enjoyed his most successful years in the category during 2004 and 2005. He last entered a Grand Prix at this level in 2006.
The most successful French motocrosser of all time and double 250cc world champion took his fuel injected CRF 450R to sixth overall with two seventh places and was fastest in practice during Saturday, despite only having tried the motorcycle for the first time late Friday afternoon.
CAS Honda's Billy Mackenzie (who has now been temporarily joined in the team by his cousin Bryan) enjoyed a sweet and sour home Grand Prix. The Scot is now racing with a broken ligament in his left thumb and needs strapping and a pain killing injection for each race. The dosage was not sufficient for the first moto and he painfully retired from the race. A sufficient dosage for the second outing allowed the 25 year old to animate the crowd by running with the leaders and taking fifth at the flag.
Bryan Mackenzie had a baptism of fire with the team after normally competing at British national level. A second moto crash saw him out of the points but he managed to finish 19th in Moto1.
In the MX1 World Championship standings Desalle is sixth and only 5 points from the top four. Billy Mackenzie is 13th.
Round eight will take place next weekend at the Ernee circuit for the Grand Prix of France.
Honda rider and team staff quotes:
Clement Desalle, LS Honda: "I am a bit disappointed to lose second position by just one point but this podium is another good result for my championship standing. I made a mistake in the second moto and this was a shame because I lost contact with David and second position. My starts were good and this is a positive part of the day."
Mickael Pichon, Martin Honda: "Everything is better than I expected; the speed was OK and my physical condition also because I could see that the second moto was alright. For sure I was tired but I was riding smooth and not pushing too hard. When the guys like Coppins and a few others passed me they were not pulling away and I was having fun, more so than the first moto. It was nice to come back to the GPs and see many people who I had been working with for a lot of years; it was pretty cool to be here. The new Honda is really good but I think we can always do better and improve it; everything can be better in life! I am going to try and work on it, for me it is not so important but if it helps Kevin and whoever else then I will be glad."
Billy Mackenzie, CAS Honda: "I went to the medical centre before the first race and had the injection but the doctor did not go deep enough and only numbed the skin around the joint, not the joint itself. It was a mistake because I could not hold on in the first race; it was brutal and I was quite annoyed with myself. I thought I might have made it worse but thankfully that wasn't the case. I learned from that and got the right treatment for the second moto. I had no pain but struggled a bit with some arm-pump half way through; still, to finish fifth wasn't too bad because after the first moto I thought that the weekend was over. The thumb has lost the ligament, so I will need an operation but I intend to keep riding and finish the season. I will need an injection at each GP but I hope I will be able to get into some sort of routine in a week or two. If there is no pain then I can make a good pace and go for the decent positions."
Bryan Mackenzie, CAS Honda:
"This was a big stage to make my debut on but I did not have much choice! I am really happy to be here and to be a part of this. I had a big crash in that second race but I think I got away with it! I am really tired now. It was a big experience for me this weekend and I hope I can join the team again in Ernee."
Roger Harvey, Off-road Co-ordinator Honda Motor Europe:
"A big welcome back to Mickael Pichon and it was such a pleasure to see him riding the bike like that, and also looking happy, relaxed and enjoying himself. Clement Desalle again stepped forwards for us and although his mistake in the second race cost him dearly he was very impressive once more. Billy Mackenzie did well to be at the front considering that his thumb requires an operation. He knows that he is going to have to grin-and-bear it for the rest of the season. Today was a big learning curve for Bryan and I think it opened his eyes with regards to what he has to face."
Results Motocross
MX1 Race 1 (20 laps = 31.6km)
Pos / Rider / Nat. / Bike / Time
1 / PHILIPPAERTS, David / ITA / Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team / Yamaha / 38:59.149
2 / DESALLE, Clement / BEL / LS Motors Honda / Honda / 39:02.500
3 / BARRAGAN, Jonathan / ESP / KTM Silver Action / KTM / 39:05.457
4 / NAGL, Maximilian / GER / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 39:10.115
5 / COPPINS, Joshua / NZL / Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team / Yamaha / 39:29.155
6 / DE DYCKER, Ken / BEL / Team Teka Suzuki World MX1 / Suzuki / 39:34.115
7 / PICHON, Mickael / FRA / Team Martin Honda MX / Honda / 39:34.829
8 / LEOK, Tanel / EST / Yamaha Red Bull De Carli Team / Yamaha / 39:36.928
9 / ARANDA, Gregory / FRA / CLS / Kawasaki / 39:38.632
10 / CAIROLI, Antonio / ITA / Yamaha Red Bull De Carli Team / Yamaha / 39:40.616
11 / SWANEPOEL, Gareth / RSA / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki / 39:48.326
12 / ANDERSON, Bradley / GBR / Honda / Honda / 39:56.197
13 / LEOK, Aigar / EST / TM Racing Factory Team / TM / 40:14.949
14 / NUNN, Carl / GBR / MVR-D Suzuki / Suzuki / 40:33.004
15 / DOUGAN, Jason / GBR / Phoenix Tools CCM Racing / CCM / 40:38.089
Fastest Lap: PHILIPPAERTS, David in 1:49.451 on lap 16
MX1 Race 2 (20 laps = 31.6km)
Pos / Rider / Nat. / Bike / Time
1 / NAGL, Maximilian / GER / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 39:36.111
2 / PHILIPPAERTS, David / ITA / Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team / Yamaha / 39:53.033
3 / DESALLE, Clement / BEL / LS Motors Honda / Honda / 40:03.290
4 / COPPINS, Joshua / NZL / Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team / Yamaha / 40:08.749
5 / MACKENZIE, Billy / GBR / CAS Honda / Honda / 40:11.179
6 / LEOK, Tanel / EST / Yamaha Red Bull De Carli Team / Yamaha / 40:14.244
7 / PICHON, Mickael / FRA / Team Martin Honda MX / Honda / 40:18.909
8 / CAIROLI, Antonio / ITA / Yamaha Red Bull De Carli Team / Yamaha / 40:22.945
9 / ARANDA, Gregory / FRA / CLS / Kawasaki / 40:24.565
10 / NUNN, Carl / GBR / MVR-D Suzuki / Suzuki / 40:26.948
11 / DE DYCKER, Ken / BEL / Team Teka Suzuki World MX1 / Suzuki / 40:39.734
12 / ANDERSON, Bradley / GBR / Honda / Honda / 40:44.040
13 / CAMPANO, Carlos / ESP / Yamaha Van Beers Racing / Yamaha / 40:59.385
14 / NEUGEBAUER, Filip / CZE / Kawasaki ELF Team Pfeil / Kawasaki / 41:13.004
15 / PRIEM, Manuel / BEL / Aprilia Racing / Aprilia / 41:15.332
Fastest Lap: NAGL, Maximilian in 1:51.125 on lap 2
MX1 World Motocross Championship Standings
Pos Rider Total
1 CAIROLI, Antonio 255, 2 PHILIPPAERTS, David 221, 3 BARRAGAN, Jonathan 215,
4 COPPINS, Joshua 209, 5 DE DYCKER, Ken 208, 6 DESALLE, Clement 204,
7 NAGL, Maximilian 198, 8 LEOK, Tanel 190, 9 SWANEPOEL, Gareth 106,
10 VUILLEMIN, David 101, 11 RAMON, Steve 100, 12 LEOK, Aigar 93, 13 MACKENZIE, Billy 84,
14 STRIJBOS, Kevin 82, 15 ARANDA, Gregory 74.
MX2 Race 1 (20 laps = 31.6km)
Pos / Rider / Nat. / Bike / Time
1 / MUSQUIN, Marvin / FRA / / KTM / 39:28.219
2 / FROSSARD, Steven / FRA / CLS / Kawasaki / 39:33.931
3 / PAULIN, Gautier / FRA / Bud Racing / Kawasaki / PSM / Kawasaki / 39:49.913
4 / GUARNERI, Davide / ITA / Monster Energy Ricci MX Team / Yamaha / 39:56.821
5 / MONNI, Manuel / ITA / 3C Racing - Yamaha / Yamaha / 39:58.011
6 / BOISSIERE, Anthony / FRA / KTM HDI Mx Team / KTM / 39:59.751
7 / GONCALVES, Rui / POR / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 40:08.886
8 / VAN HOREBEEK, Jeremy / BEL / KTM Factory Junior Team MX2 / KTM / 40:10.836
9 / ROCZEN, Ken / GER / Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 / Suzuki / 40:13.634
10 / BOOG, Xavier / FRA / Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 / Suzuki / 40:14.836
11 / AUBIN, Nicolas / FRA / Monster Energy Ricci MX Team / Yamaha / 40:19.625
12 / LARRIEU, Loic / FRA / Monster Energy Ricci MX Team / Yamaha / 40:20.657
13 / SWORD, Stephen / GBR / Red Bull KTM UK / KTM / 40:29.720
14 / ROELANTS, Joel / BEL / KTM Factory Junior Team MX2 / KTM / 40:31.175
15 / NICHOLLS, Jake / GBR / Red Bull KTM UK / KTM / 40:54.223
Fastest Lap: MUSQUIN, Marvin in 1:50.415 on lap 5
MX2 Race 2 (20 laps = 31.6km)
Pos / Rider / Nat. / Bike / Time
1 / MUSQUIN, Marvin / FRA / / KTM / 40:08.249
2 / GONCALVES, Rui / POR / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / KTM / 40:11.761
3 / FROSSARD, Steven / FRA / CLS / Kawasaki / 40:34.836
4 / PAULIN, Gautier / FRA / Bud Racing / Kawasaki / PSM / Kawasaki / 40:44.178
5 / VAN HOREBEEK, Jeremy / BEL / KTM Factory Junior Team MX2 / KTM / 40:47.006
6 / SWORD, Stephen / GBR / Red Bull KTM UK / KTM / 40:48.955
7 / BOOG, Xavier / FRA / Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 / Suzuki / 40:49.965
8 / ROCZEN, Ken / GER / Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 / Suzuki / 40:58.349
9 / MONNI, Manuel / ITA / 3C Racing - Yamaha / Yamaha / 41:00.563
10 / GUARNERI, Davide / ITA / Monster Energy Ricci MX Team / Yamaha / 41:14.122
11 / BOISSIERE, Anthony / FRA / KTM HDI Mx Team / KTM / 41:16.809
12 / TONUS, Arnaud / SUI / KTM HDI Mx Team / KTM / 41:18.509
13 / TEILLET, Valentin / FRA / KTM Factory Junior Team MX2 / KTM / 41:25.403
14 / VERBRUGGEN, Dennis / BEL / LS Motors Honda / Honda / 41:31.894
15 / VONGSANA, Khounsith / FRA / SRS Racing-Honda / Honda / 41:34.451
Fastest Lap: MUSQUIN, Marvin in 1:52.322 on lap 13
MX2 World Motocross Championship Standings
Pos Rider Total
1 MUSQUIN, Marvin 234, 2 PAULIN, Gautier 219, 3 GUARNERI, Davide 208,
4 GONCALVES, Rui 202, 5 FROSSARD, Steven 178, 6 BOOG, Xavier 166,
7 AUBIN, Nicolas 136, 8 VAN HOREBEEK, Jeremy 118, 9 MONNI, Manuel 115,
10 OSBORNE, Zach 100, 11 SIMPSON, Shaun 97, 12 ROCZEN, Ken 92,
13 TONUS, Arnaud 92, 14 SCHIFFER, Marcus 89, 15 SWORD, Stephen 84.