After eight rounds of the 2006 FIM World Championships, Team Suzuki has collected podium results at seven races and filled the second and third steps of the rostrum at two events. The Belgian crew head to Uddevalla, over 100 kilometres north of the city of Gothenburg, this week for the Grand Prix of Sweden.
Kevin Strijbos has claimed silverware in the last three GPs and will be looking to continue his excellent run of form that has lifted him into second position in the standings at the venue where he scored his second career moto victory in 2004. The Belgian also inked a new two year deal with Suzuki this week that will stretch his association with the Geboers-led set-up into its sixth year.
“Yeah, it was good to tie up the contract and now I can focus on the rest of the season,” said Strijbos who won both motos at an International meeting in his native country last weekend. “I have some good memories at Uddevalla but it is not one of my favourite circuits; it will be interesting to see what they have done with it this year,” added the 20 year old who missed the 2005 Swedish stop due to injury.
Steve Ramon elected not to ride last weekend after banging his left knee in the first moto crash at the British Grand Prix. He completed some light training after arriving home from Matterley Basin and should be 100% for Uddevalla.
“I hear they have changed the track in Sweden and that is good news because as a rider you always like to discover new places,” he said. “The soil needs to be better prepared at Uddevalla but other than that, it is a good GP. My goal of course is the podium again and the result will be even sweeter there because I haven’t managed to obtain a decent finish in the past,” he added having finished fourth and losing a top-three berth on the last lap in 2005.
The Uddevalla course has been a staple part of the World Championships since the turn of the century and the Swedish Grand Prix has a long tradition in the sport going back to the foundations of the FIM competition in the 1950s. After some comments in 2005 that the venue had seen better days, the organisers vowed to ring the changes for 2006 and the course has been significantly altered. The track is now being run in reverse and boasts other changes to what was a quick layout with hard-pack terrain.
For the second year in a row the Swedes will entertain the Women’s World Cup. The 2006 edition has been run over two rounds and Katherine Prumm leads the series after the opening event at Teutschenthal and the Grand Prix of Germany.
The weather forecast for the weekend predicts yet more warm and sunny conditions.
MX1 World Championship Standings (after 8 rounds of 15):1 Stefan Everts, BEL 392,
2 Kevin Strijbos, BEL 293,
3 Tanel Leok, EST 278,
4 Ken De Dycker, BEL 267,
5 Steve Ramon, BEL 254,
6 Jonathan Barragan, SPA 190,
7 Pascal Leuret, FRA 159,
8 Cedric Melotte, BEL 147,
9 J.Garcia Vico, SPA 139,
10 Manuel Priem, BEL 13.6
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