Sevlievo, Bulgaria, 17 June 2007 - Bulgaria and the Sevlievo circuit entertained the hottest Grand Prix of the season this weekend and it was a tough event for the GP riders who had to deal with high temperatures and hard soil. The conditions suited Sébastien Pourcel who finished fourth overall while younger borther Christophe missed the MX2 podium after a lacklustre first moto.
Saturday played as normal for Christophe who easily won his qualifying heat thanks to a holeshot and then twelve laps at the front of the pack. He took pole position and the inside gate but at the start of the first moto he tangled with Cairoli, who changed his line, and was pushed out of the quickest path to the initial turn. Pourcel was only seventh to the first corner but came back to third before the end of the opening lap and passed Searle for second on the fifth circulation. He kept this position for five more laps but then struggled for rhythm and lost several positions to Searle, Rattray, Leuret and Guarneri. Only sixth from race one Christophe tangled once more with Cairoli at the start of the second and rounded the early sections in eighth. He needed six laps to catch the third placed rider and then had to reduce the gap with race leaders Cairoli and Leuret. He passed Leuret at mid-distance but Cairoli was too far ahead to think about victory and he ended the race in second position.
Twice runner-up in the MX1 Timed Practice session in the last few events, Sébastien Pourcel collected his first ever pole position in this class and confirmed his ability on the KX450F during Saturday. Fourth after the opening lap of the first race, Seb had a good speed and challenged Ramon, Coppins and Philippaerts for second place behind Barragan. He passed Philippaerts and was ready to attack Coppins when he lost the front wheel and crashed in a corner. He didn’t lose any positions but Coppins had gone and Seb had to be content with third. His second start was even worse than the first one and he arrived to eighth after one lap. He then worked hard to come back to fourth behind Philippaerts and just missed the podium by two points. He is now third in the championship standings tied with Philippaerts and behind MX1 ‘veterans’ Coppins and Ramon.
Gregory Aranda crashed in the pre-qualifying session and damaged his right thumb. He was unable to enter the qualifying race.
Christophe Pourcel:‘Cairoli was not fair at the first start, he crossed my line and pushed me but I will remember this for the future. I came back to second but then didn’t feel that well as it was hot today, and I couldn’t keep the same pace. The second start was not good either but I had changed my tyre and I felt better on the bike. I came back to second despite a minor mistake in a corner, to finish the GP in fourth position. I lost one point to Rattray but there is seven other GP’s. I’m sure that I will be stronger in the second part of the season.’
Sébastien Pourcel:‘Except for my bad starts it was a good weekend, with pole position on Saturday and two good races. I missed both starts today and was tenth in the first corner of the opening race. I returned to third and I think that it was possible to beat Coppins if I didn’t crash. My second start was worse. Chris told me that I was twelfth or thirteenth and I came back to fourth. I lost time behind Brown but passed him, then he was stupid and tried to push me out of the line but he crashed himself. I was a little faster than Philippaerts, but couldn’t find the place to overtake him. Overall it’s a good GP even if I missed the podium, physically I was strong in both races, had a good rhythm and I’m pleased with my racing today.’
Roger Pourcel:‘Saturday was a great day for me as it was the first time in the motocross history that two brothers claimed pole position on the same track. The first race of Christophe was not so bad, even if it was too hot for him today. He had to slow down during the race to breathe normally and he finished only sixth. He was stronger in the following moto but again missed a good start and was capable of second behind Cairoli who had a strong advantage. Seb is working hard at the moment and has got great results; he has been regularly in the top five for a few weeks now. Compared to St Jean he was stronger; he took a good rhythm at the beginning of each race and never lost it. He is now third in the standings with Philippaerts, another Italian who is really consistent, and a final podium is possible if he continues to work hard.’
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