An extremely exciting finale to the 2008 season will get underway in the five remaining Grand Prix’s, starting with the Belgian round in Lommel this weekend.
David Philippaerts holds the MX1 red plate but he is closely followed by 2007 World Champion Steve Ramon and Joshua Coppins.
After South Africa, defending MX2 Champion Antonio Cairoli is out of the chase for the Title as current leader Tyla Rattray and team mate Tommy Searle remain the two most creditable candidates for the crown.
MX1
After a week break the World Motocross series is back in action and the Belgian meeting in Lommel is an extremely important one for the Teka Suzuki WMX1 squad made of Steve Ramon and Ken De Dycker, both Belgians.
Defending Champion Ramon is currently second in the series after shortening the gap from leader David Philippaerts to 11 points courtesy of his South African podium. Also early series leader De Dycker is in a close dice for third with Philippaerts’ Yamaha Monster Motocross team mate Joshua Coppins as both made their latest podium appearance in Germany.
On the other hand AXO KTM Silver Action’s Jonathan Barragan and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Nagl are in excellent form at the moment. The Spaniard took his third season’s GP win in South Africa, where the German led most of both moto’s to end a solid second overall.
Despite the fact that both riders admit that the sandy conditions haven't been a happy hunting ground in the past, Barragan and Nagl hope to improve on their fifth and seventh place in the Championship.
Dutchman Marc de Reuver will come back to the GP scene after a left foot injury took him out of the South African GP.
MX2
The South African Grand Prix left a heavy mark on the 2008 season by eliminating defending MX2 Champion Antonio Cairoli from the series. Cairoli underwent an operation to his left knee afterwards and will not take part in the remaining GP’s for 2008.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team mates Tyla Rattray and Tommy Searle are ready to star in the new season’s finale without their arch rival who was likely to battle with them until the final round in Faenza.
Searle was the winner of the South African GP, with home rider Rattray taking a decent consolation with second on the podium and victory in the second heat. The Championship leader now looks forward to the sandy Belgian track where he plans his revenge on his favourite racing conditions.
KTM UK’s Shaun Simpson and Ricci Racing Yamaha’s Nicolas Aubin are fourth and fifth in the series respectively, as both aim at improving their Championship position by overtaking Cairoli, currently third. The same goes for sixth placed Rui Goncalves.
Racing at home might mean a podium chance for youngster Jeremy Van Horebeek, who is sandwiched in eighth place in between Xavier Boog and Steven Frossard.
On the other hand other young gun Gautier Paulin will miss Lommel, where he was supposed to come back to the GP scene after his injury in France. Paulin will miss the rest of the season’s meetings because he broke his left tibia in a training accident.
