In MX2 Antonio Cairoli buried the bad memories of his DNF at the 2006 Spanish round at Bellpuig with an inspiring chase of Christophe Pourcel that had the crowd cheering his efforts. In both races the 2005 World Champion experimented with different trajectories in order to shrink large margins to the escaping Pourcel. He challenged the Frenchman on the last lap of Moto one but made a mistake and opted for second place several corners before the flag. In the second race he caught up some fifteen seconds to the Kawasaki rider and gunned his YZ250F to make his three best laps of the race in the last three circulations to push his way into the lead. His emphatic celebrations - he dropped his machine and stood on it to wave and acknowledge the spectators - after the finish line showed just how much the achievement meant to him.
Yamaha Team Ricci's Kenneth Gundersen could only secure thirteenth overall after two horrendous starts that left the Norwegian with a lot of hard work to get near the top ten. The former 125cc Grand Prix winner was twelfth and fourteen and now sits sixth in the World Championship standings.
His team-mate Nicolas Aubin showed some promising speed by running in the top five of both motos. The Frenchman unfortunately was unable to score any points due to a clutch problem in the first moto but took a decent fifth place in race two after losing second due to a small crash.
The third member of the Ricci crew, Davide Guarneri, attempted to return to World Championship action but could only manage a handful of laps in the first moto. The Italian has a strained ligament and a small fracture in the ankle he damaged while competing in his domestic series in March. The joint swelled considerably and he was unable to make the second moto. He is now a doubt for the Portuguese round next week, opting instead for more recovery time prior to the Italian Grand Prix in May.
Antonio Cairoli, Team Yamaha De Carli:"I am really happy with this race. I felt good on this track this year, we have never won the GP here before. I did not start well in the first heat but I worked hard and narrowed the gap to Christophe. I had a little bit of arm-pump and after I passed him he had some slightly better lines than me and got me back. I did not want to make a mistake so I settled for second. The track in the second moto was easier because there were more lines for us and passing was less complicated. I felt quicker than the first race so when I started slowly again I could work on Christophe's lead again; I made a very good pass on the last lap.
Last year I feel that I lost my Championship here because I threw away many points to Christophe by not finishing one moto. This year I did not want to make any mistakes. I did push very hard in the second race though because I wanted the win and it was right there. I made some good laps at the end, my condition is at a high level now. Claudio (De Carli, Team Manager) gave me the cost for some damage caused when I was chearing and made a little dance standing on the bike to celebrate the victory!"
Kenneth Gundersen, Yamaha Team Ricci: "In the first moto I started almost last and came up to twelfth by the end. I was out of the gate OK but ran wide into the thick mud and almost got stuck. The track was virtually only one-line and when you get stuck behind a slower rider it was so difficult to pass; you lose your rhythm all the time. It was the same in the second heat and I had to work my way up. I hit someone on the straight and this put me right at the back. I feel good and strong on the bike I just hope that soon I can get away with the guys at the front who I want to race with."
Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha Team Ricci:"The goal was to be twice in top five and without the problem in the first race I believed it would have been possible. The clutch was going and I had to work a lot with it; but in the end it was finished. I started the second race well and was settling into my own pace in second when I made a small mistake and lost the front wheel going around a corner. Luckily the bike was still running but I lost my rhythm after that and went back a few places. Physically I am feeling fit and today was not too bad as I feel my speed is really coming along."
Most of the teams and riders were in no rush to leave Sunday evening. The Grand Prix of Portugal will occur next weekend and means a journey east for the paddock across Spain to Agueda, just south of Porto, for the third race of fifteen on the '07 schedule.
Circuit Length: 1630
Temp: 21
Crowd: 22300
Weather: Sunny
Race 1 - 18 Laps - GP of Bellpuig, Spain:1. Christophe Pourcel - Kawasaki - FRA 41'28.206
2. Antonio Cairoli - Yamaha - ITA 0'0.921
3. Erik Eggens - Suzuki - NED 0'53.809
4. Tyla Rattray - KTM - RSA 1'3.739
5. Pascal Leuret - Honda - FRA 1'27.248
6. Tommy Searle - KTM - GBR 1'33.414
7. Manuel Monni - Yamaha - ITA 1'40.890
8. Marcus Schiffer - KTM - GER 1'48.657
9. Jeremy Van Horebeek - KTM - BEL 1'49.025
10. Matti Seistola - Honda - FIN 1'55.072
11. Tom Church - Kawasaki - GBR 2'0.526
12. Kenneth Gundersen - Yamaha - NOR 2'10.942
13. Steven Frossard - Kawasaki - FRA 2'14.454
14. Carl Nunn - Yamaha - GBR 2'16.461
15. Jason Dougan - Suzuki - GBR 2'17.818
16. Xavier Boog - Yamaha - FRA 2'20.120
17. Dennis Verbruggen - Yamaha - BEL2'33.960
18. Gareth Swanepoel - Kawasaki - RSA-1 Laps
19. Rui Goncalves - KTM - POR -1 Laps
20. Gert Krestinov - KTM - EST -1 Laps
Race 2 - 18 Laps:1. Antonio Cairol - Yamaha - ITA 40'54.529
2. Christophe Pourcel - Kawasaki - FRA 0'0.884
3. Tyla Rattray - KTM - RSA 0'37.726
4. Tommy Searle - KTM - GBR 0'41.313
5. Nicolas Aubin - Yamaha - FRA 0'45.718
6. Pascal Leuret - Honda - FRA 0'53.814
7. Matteo Bonini - Yamaha - ITA 1'12.971
8. Manuel Monni - Yamaha - ITA 1'20.316
9. Xavier Boog - Yamaha - FRA 1'22.680
10. Matti Seistola - Honda - FIN 1'28.111
11. Steven Frossard - Kawasaki - FRA 1'32.745
12. Shaun Simpson - Kawasaki - GBR 1'36.647
13. Marcus Schiffer - KTM - GER 1'49.494
14. Kenneth Gundersen - Yamaha - NOR 1'52.344
15. Tom Church - Kawasaki - GBR 2'3.490
16. Carl Nunn - Yamaha - GBR 2'7.461
17. Anthony Boissière - Kawasaki - FRA2'13.093
18. Gareth Swanepoel - Kawasaki - RSA-1 Laps
19. Jason Dougan - Suzuki - GBR -1 Laps
20. Rui Goncalves - KTM - POR -1 Laps
Rider Standings:1. Antonio Cairoli - Yamaha - ITA 97
2. Tyla Rattray - KTM - RSA 82
3. Christophe Pourcel - Kawasaki - FRA 81
4. Erik Eggens - Suzuki - NED 54
5. Pascal Leuret - Honda FRA 53
6. Kenneth Gundersen - Yamaha - NOR 50
7. Marcus Schiffer - KTM - GER 48
8. Tommy Searle - KTM - GBR 44
9. Nicolas Aubin - Yamaha - FRA 44
10. Gareth Swanepoel - Kawasaki - RSA 41
11. Matti Seistola - Honda - FIN 39
12. Manuel Monni - Yamaha - ITA 34
13. Anthony Boissière - Kawasaki - FRA 26
14. Steven Frossard - Kawasaki -FRA 25
15. Xavier Boog - Yamaha - FRA 25
16. Dennis Verbruggen - Yamaha - BEL 22
17. Jeremy Van Horebeek - KTM - BEL 21
18. Tom Church - Kawasaki - GBR 19
19. Matteo Bonini - Yamaha - ITA 14
20. Carl Nunn - Yamaha - GBR 12
Manufacturer Standings:1. Yamaha 97
2. Kawasaki 87
3. KTM 82
4. Suzuki 56
5. Honda 53
Related Linkswww.yamaha-racing.com
Related News
