Kevin Strijbos came back to Motocross World Championship action with a bang and captured his second career pole position under dark clouds at Uddevalla for the Grand Prix of Sweden the ninth round of 15 in the FIM series.
The 21 year old Belgian set the quickest lap in damp and difficult conditions after missing the previous race in Bulgaria due to problems with his left knee. Strijbos was quick and confident at the venue where he claimed his second ever moto victory in 2004; the first GP campaign of the RM-Z450.
The team were satisfied as both riders placed in the top three fastest with Steve Ramon just over a second behind in third spot. Heavy rainfall during the week and Friday night meant that the Uddevalla course was soft, rough and very rutty throughout practice and the technical nature of the terrain increased during the sessions as the mud dried. Strijbos did not alter any settings on his works machine after last steering the bike in France three weeks ago. Ramon tried switching between bikes with two different engine configurations but eventually opted for the set-up he used to take successive podiums in the previous two rounds.
Strijbos posted his fastest lap early in the 30 minute Timed Practice and then enjoyed an advantage for the rest of the period as the deep carved ruts meant that a quicker effort was almost physically impossible for the rest of the MX1 field. Weather predictions are positive for race day and the mainly-single racing line layout of the track means that decent starts will be paramount.
"When I ride the knee is ok even if I did have some more inflammation only last week and I really don't know what to expect from the races," Strijbos commented. "It feels good to be on pole but going strong for the whole moto on this track will be hard. I want to do my own race, take as many points as I can and then try for third in the championship; catching Steve will be difficult."
"I had a better feeling in Timed Practice than this morning simply because it was so wet," said Ramon. "The second session was slightly drier but still difficult and only one-line. It was slippery out there with many deep ruts so a small mistake was costly. My riding was pretty good but the track requires so much concentration because you can be on the floor in an instant."
MX1 Timed Practice
- Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 1:40.735
- Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), +0:00.186
- Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:01.320
- Tanel Leok (EST, Kawasaki), +0:01.419
- Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:01.669
- Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:01.893
- Billy Mackenzie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:02.080
- Mike Brown (USA, Honda), +0:03.029
- Manuel Priem (BEL, TM), +0:03.137
- Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:03.162
Related News
