Team Suzuki's Steve Ramon was the highest placed RM-Z450 rider at a 24,000 packed Sugo circuit for the Grand Prix of Japan and the sixth meeting from 15 in the 2007 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship. The Belgian was ninth and fourth in the two motos under dark and shifting clouds with infrequent sunny breaks whereas team mate Kevin Strijbos had a weekend to forget and simply could not find any confidence on the demanding Japanese course.
A period of at least seven hours of rainfall on Friday afternoon tested the absorption of the soft and wood-chip mixed terrain. Several sections were boggy and muddy even though Saturday was dry and bright. The track became rough very quickly and despite the wide choice of lines the varying grips levels meant some important decisions with regards to set-up lay ahead for both riders. Strijbos struggled to find a rhythm and get comfortable over the many bumps while Ramon was able to negotiate the ruts to seal the fifth fastest time.
Sunday was bright and with some sunny spells but the strong breeze pushed over batches of cloud. The first moto started badly for Ramon around the opening curves as he stalled the bike avoiding another rider. He quickly restarted and then rode positively to reach ninth place from last position. In the second moto he got away among the front-running group but was unable to follow eventual race winner Billy Mackenzie. He was sizing up a move past series leader Josh Coppins for third when he landed heavily negotiating the biggest jump on the track and slightly jarred his back. From that point, late into the 35 minutes and 2 laps, the former World Champion consolidated his standing.
Strijbos gated in the top ten during Moto1 but was a shadow of his normal self and could not reach the same level of speed and operation as the rider who won the Portuguese Grand Prix last month. He rode to 12th and desperately sought an improvement for the second race. A better start was ruined in the formative stages by a spill that briefly numbed his right hand and delayed an immediate restart. He then salvaged some points from last position by rising to10th; he classified 11th overall.
As a result of his 'off-day' Strijbos conceded 20 more points to Josh Coppins who now has a lead of 63 with nine rounds remaining. Ramon keeps third and has narrowed the distance to his team-mate. The gap is now at 25 points.
While Sylvain Geboers goes to visit the factory in Hamamatsu this week, the team will head back to Europe and possibly enter the third round of the Dutch Championship before beginning preparations for the Grand Prix of France at St Jean d'Angely and the seventh race on the World Championship calendar.
Ramon Fifth At Bumpy Sugo
Team Suzuki's Steve Ramon was the highest placed RM-Z450 rider at a 24,000 packed Sugo circuit for the Grand Prix of Japan and the sixth meeting from 15 in the 2007 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship. The Belgian was ninth and fourth in the two motos under dark and shifting clouds with infrequent sunny breaks whereas team mate Kevin Strijbos had a weekend to forget and simply could not find any confidence on the demanding Japanese course.
A period of at least seven hours of rainfall on Friday afternoon tested the absorption of the soft and wood-chip mixed terrain. Several sections were boggy and muddy even though Saturday was dry and bright. The track became rough very quickly and despite the wide choice of lines the varying grips levels meant some important decisions with regards to set-up lay ahead for both riders. Strijbos struggled to find a rhythm and get comfortable over the many bumps while Ramon was able to negotiate the ruts to seal the fifth fastest time.
Sunday was bright and with some sunny spells but the strong breeze pushed over batches of cloud. The first moto started badly for Ramon around the opening curves as he stalled the bike avoiding another rider. He quickly restarted and then rode positively to reach ninth place from last position. In the second moto he got away among the front-running group but was unable to follow eventual race winner Billy Mackenzie. He was sizing up a move past series leader Josh Coppins for third when he landed heavily negotiating the biggest jump on the track and slightly jarred his back. From that point, late into the 35 minutes and 2 laps, the former World Champion consolidated his standing.
Strijbos gated in the top ten during Moto1 but was a shadow of his normal self and could not reach the same level of speed and operation as the rider who won the Portuguese Grand Prix last month. He rode to 12th and desperately sought an improvement for the second race. A better start was ruined in the formative stages by a spill that briefly numbed his right hand and delayed an immediate restart. He then salvaged some points from last position by rising to10th; he classified 11th overall.
As a result of his 'off-day' Strijbos conceded 20 more points to Josh Coppins who now has a lead of 63 with nine rounds remaining. Ramon keeps third and has narrowed the distance to his team-mate. The gap is now at 25 points.
While Sylvain Geboers goes to visit the factory in Hamamatsu this week, the team will head back to Europe and possibly enter the third round of the Dutch Championship before beginning preparations for the Grand Prix of France at St Jean d'Angely and the seventh race on the World Championship calendar.
Steve Ramon:
"A positive thing about the weekend is that my riding was going well but I had no luck in the first moto. I think I was too hard on the brakes at the start, mainly because someone in front of me had turned very short and the bike stopped. I started again from last. I knew the podium had gone but rode with a decent speed and showed this in the second moto. The first two laps though were difficult because the lines were not that clear to me and I was stuck too long behind Noble allowing the others to break away. I worked hard to catch Josh and was gaining ground but on the big table-top I hit my back as I landed badly. From then I had to take it easy. The first moto was a real pity otherwise a podium would have been realistic."
Kevin Strijbos:
"It was a bad day; a bad weekend even. Through practice and even this morning people told me I looked ok but I did not feel good or fast. I started around eighth in the first moto, which wasn't too bad, but then I was too slow and could not follow the others or attack. I had no faith in myself over the bumps and in the ruts. Thankfully I felt better on the sighting lap of the second moto, the best all weekend in fact. I was in fifth when I lost traction and crashed on a right hard corner. My hand was sore and I could not clench my fist. I had to wait a few seconds but then the engine stalled so I had to restart. After that I just went for it, and the race did not turn out too bad but it was nowhere near enough to save the Grand Prix. We will see if I race the Dutch Championship next week. I might travel to France and practice on some hard-pack for the next two GPs."
MX1 Moto1:
1. Billy Mackenzie (GBR, Kawasaki), 39:31.947
2. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), +0:08.939
3. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:13.608
4. David Philippaerts (ITA, KTM), +0:27.369
5. Mike Brown (USA, Honda), +0:31.616
6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), +0:40.288
7. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:42.846
8. Yoshitaka Atsuta (JPN, Honda), +0:43.191
9. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:46.266
10. James Noble (GBR, Honda), +1:01.475
12. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:09.411
MX1 Moto2:
1. Mike Brown (USA, Honda), 40:20.363
2. Billy Mackenzie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:03.066
3. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:07.996
4. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:27.232
5. Yoshitaka Atsuta (JPN, Honda), +0:36.265
6. David Philippaerts (ITA, KTM), +0:40.274
7. Tanel Leok (EST, Kawasaki), +0:48.099
8. James Noble (GBR, Honda), +0:53.372
9. Manuel Priem (BEL, TM), +1:06.877
10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki) +1:08.637
MX1 Overall result:
1. Billy Mackenzie (GBR, Kawasaki), 47
2. Mike Brown (USA, Honda), 41
3. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 40
4. David Philippaerts (ITA, KTM), 33
5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 30
6. Yoshitaka Atsuta (JPN, Honda), 29
7. James Noble (GBR, Honda), 24
8. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 24
9. Manuel Priem (BEL, TM), 22
10. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 22
11. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 20
MX1 World Championship Standings (after 6 of 15 rounds):
1. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 274
2. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 211 p
3. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 186 p
4. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 154 p
5. David Philippaerts (ITA, KTM), 148 p
6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), 146 p
7. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 143 p
8. Mike Brown (USA, Honda), 141 p
9. James Noble (GBR, Honda), 128 p
10. Tanel Leok (EST, Kawasaki), 126
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