"Welkom bij Eurocircuit" - That's what the sign says at the gate. Valkenswaard, a vibrant town twenty odd miles from Ground Zero of motocross, the Kempen in Belgium, and 80 miles from Germany, Brussels and Amsterdam, is the traditional season opener for the World Motocross Grand Prix, and this year again it hosts the world's most prestigious motocross championship opener. The weather is as could be expected considering the wave of low pressure systems that have chased across much of the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe – cold, wet, and nasty.
As is the usual case, the first round always is a flurry of activity – the manufacturers present their teams on the days leading up to the opener, and this year is no exception either. Suzuki invites the press to a track in Belgium while KTM opts for a very nice presentation at their new truck. Kawasaki books the VIP rooms at the track to present the two official factory teams for the year, as well as the two factory-supported ones. And finally, Yamaha kidnaps the press to take them forty-five minutes up-country to a facility created by famous Dutch motocross champion Gerard Rond, where the two Rinaldi Yamaha riders do a bit of a show before the team is presented.
Saturday dawns grey and cold, and it is really unpleasant for everyone. The track has soaked up just about every drop of rain it could, and the pounding that the riders give it, turn it into a muddy soup and deep tough ruts. Morning practice is a mess, but then again, the riders are only getting used to the track before they go out for a second practice, or, in the case of the MX2 class, qualifying practice for the qualifying races later in the afternoon. These races, starting at three o'clock, cut the MX2 class down to size; Twelve riders per qualifier go through to the Sunday races, an additional eight – six plus two reserves – are selected from a last-chance qualifying practice at the end of the Saturday sessions.
The South African rider for Red Bull KTM, Tyla Rattray, is on pole, followed by his Portuguese team mate Rui Gonçalves and Team Suzuki Inotec's Xavier Boog. Beursfoon Suzuki's Erik Eggens is fourth, Ricci Racing Yamaha's Nicolas Aubin is fifth. Rattray, so often the runner-up, or an early casualty of the rigours of the world championship, wins the first MX2 qualifier with just over five seconds over the incumbent champion, Yamaha Red Bull's Antonio Cairoli. Aubin is a distant third over twenty seconds behind. Red Bull KTM's Tommy Searle is the winner of the second qualifier, leading from start to finish. Erik Eggens tries his best to reel him in, but the fourteen second gap that remains says it all. Team KTM UK's Shaun Simpson, third, is nearly three quarters of a minute behind Eggens.
Team Teka Suzuki's Ken de Dycker is the man of the day in the MX1 class. On pole, he beats Dutchman Marc de Reuver, racing for Martin Honda, by four tenths of a second. Monster Yamaha's David Philippaerts is third, Monster CAS Honda's Billy MacKenzie is fourth with current MX1 champion Steve Ramon, racing for Team Teka Suzuki, rounding out the top five.
The MX2 last-chance qualifying practice has Swift Suzuki's Pascal Leuret on pole. Just outside the top twelve when his bike quit horribly on the finish jump during his qualifier, he pulls the best time out of the bag after only five laps. Countryman Marvin Musquin for Team NGS Honda, the Russian Evgeniy Bobryshev for Van Beers Racing Yamaha, SRS Racing Honda's Matti Seisola and Joaquim Rodrigues for Sarholz KTM all slip in line behind him. LS Motors Honda's Wyatt Avis is the last man into the Sunday show. Martin Barr for UTag Yamaha and Joël Roelants for Champ KTM are the reserves.
With all the racing over for the day, Honda unveils its two factory teams. After several years away, HRC Japan returns to support two Honda teams, Martin Honda and Monster CAS Honda, in the world championship. This is a big deal for everyone, as this is virtually the last of the Big Five of the manufacturers who returns with real factory support. Understandably, Roger Harvey for Honda Europe and the Japanese representative for HRC are all smiles. The fastest men of the day are rewarded with some personal goodies as part of the Lovemytime Pole Position award. This time it's an iPod.
The paddock starts to settle into the usual routine; bikes are cleaned, polished and readied, teams have their suppers together, and in the spectator area the party is rocking the beer tent. At half past eight, a select group of journalists descend on the Hotel Valk in town to listen to the future plans of Youthstream boss Guiseppe Luongo and FIM's Wolfgang Srb. The plans are to be revealed the next morning to the rest of the world after morning practice.
Any hopes for good weather look dim as the clouds quietly open overnight to pour more rain on the landscape. Seventy miles north in Amsterdam it snows. France and the United Kingdom are turned into a winter wonderland that has some repercussions in other parts of the racing world. But – as it usually goes, the weather forecast early on Sunday morning is somewhat more optimistic for the race itself: Sun with some snow later in the day. The track looks very much worse for wear; there is a lot of standing water on the track throughout that leaves several people drenched and muddied in the pit lane.
The announcement that Youthstream is, together with several other parties, planning to run a Pro-Am event from 2009, which will be part of a new feeder system into the world championship, comes as a bit of a surprise. Youthstream, who bid for the management and promotion of the AMA National Motocross Championship in the US, after the AMA announced its intent to withdraw from event and race promotion and sanctioning late in 2007, is definitely interested in returning to the United States to tap into the extensive motocross market there to rekindle American interest in the world championship. The first MX Rookie event is to be held at the Belgian Grand Prix at Lommel in August.
The Sunday schedule has been re-jiggered for 2008, with nearly two hours of no activity between morning qualifiers and the afternoon main races at rounds without a Women's or Veterans' World Championship round. This is the case here, and so much of the time is spent in the paddock to do more candid people photo work and the last minute closing of deals for the year.
Then, at quarter to twelve, the centre of attention changes to the start line where the thirty riders line up with bikes and mechanics to be photographed while doing the necessary 'gardening' work to prepare their race gates. This is a very serious affair, since it can mean a good or a bad start, and the chance at a win or not. At 12 noon sharp, the riders go for a quick sighting lap. Thankfully some more track maintenance has removed much of the mud and water that was present in the morning, and the track is actually in a good condition. And then at five past twelve, in gorgeous sunshine, it is time for racing.
Around the first corner is Jeremy van Horebeek. The young Belgian, racing for Champ KTM, has a good jump on the rest of the pack behind him and keeps it up for the first two laps. It is Searle who gets to him first. Searle's lead lasts barely another three laps before he has to make way for the freight train that is the duo of Tyla Rattray and Antonio Cairoli. Rattray leads Cairoli for the remainder of the race while Searle remains in third. Van Horebeek slides down the pack somewhat as stronger rivals muscle their way past the youngster. Eggens, Simpson and Aubin are a formidable trio, but Aubin is replaced by Gonçalves in the latter half of the race as the former makes a mistake that costs him several positions.
The first MX1 race at one o'clock is dominated by De Dycker. His unconventional style, which in some corners of the motocross fraternity elicits protestations of lack of style, seems to suit the track quite well, but that does not mean that he can run away with it all. Red Bull KTM's Max Nagl, the rider leading into the first corner and the rhythm section after the pit straight, is passed soon after; He keeps pace first in fourth, but eventually in second. MacKenzie, third in the first lap, is able to make his own move on Nagl first and go after De Dycker, but several mishaps mean that he slides to tenth by the race end. Monster Yamaha's Coppins and Philippaerts are also in the game at the front. Philippaerts is the more aggressive of the two, but Coppins is able to reel him in late in the game, only to end up in the dirt after a pass gone wrong. This leads to some deadly looks exchanged between team mates after the race. This leaves a door open for the incumbent champion, coming from eighth, to end in third.
A rest period of around an hour follows, after which it is back to the start for the second half of the race programme. The second MX2 race is a nail-biter between Rattray and Cairoli. Although Champ KTM's Joël Roelants is the first into the lead for several laps, it is Rattray who comes from fourth to blow past Cairoli and Roelants to lead for the remainder of the race. Cairoli is caught off-guard for just a second before he recovers and tries to undo his mistake. There is but a scant second between the leader and the runner-up and the last lap has a lot of breathless spectators, waiting to see if Cairoli will do what everyone knows he can. But he can't. Again it is Eggens who is in third at the chequered flag, while Gonçalves and Searle are close behind too to round out the top five. Roelants makes a mistake two thirds in and loses his spot in third to drop to tenth.
There is much jubilation at the podium; KTM has a lot of people around to celebrate that first season win, and Red Bull Yamaha is quite happy with their second place too. With all the podium celebrations, the MX1 class go out for their sighting lap and it is a hustle for the photographers to return to good start positions in time for the final race of the day.
This race is a procession of sorts. De Dycker is once again out front until the chequered flag, earning the Grand Prix win for the day, and MacKenzie is flawless this time round. He retains second place throughout with Silver Action KTM's Jonathan Barragán in third. Ramon remains fourth from start to finish, which gives him second place overall, while Nagl is fifth all the way, earning the third podium spot. Coppins and Philippaerts swap places around the halfway point.
Again KTM is jubilant; after all, Nagl is tied for second, while Ramon also has a rare smile on his face for a moment or two. And de Dycker has a huge grin plastered on his face and celebrates properly with his fan club crowded round. And the trophies – well, huge cups, with the biggest trophy of all kept till last.
Gorgeous sunshine ends the day. The press conferences are soon ended and the lights burn late in the press centre while motorhome after motorhome, truck after truck, pull out and onto the Valkenswaard-Lommel road for their final destinations around Europe. This is it. Until they all meet again two weeks later at Bellpuig in Spain.
Related Links
www.eurocircuit.nl
www.motocrossmx1.com
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