Niels-Kristian Iversen secures first FIM Speedway Grand Prix win in Italy

Courtesy of Speedway Grand Prix

IVERSEN’S ITALIAN DREAM

Danish champion Niels-Kristian Iversen stormed to his first SGP win in the Italian FIM Speedway Grand Prix in Terenzano on Saturday and admitted “I almost passed out” as his dream victory became a reality.

Iversen, who has established himself as one of the most consistent riders in world speedway in recent years, rounded British champion Tai Woffinden on the second corner in the final to win the gold medal.

Woffy took silver to close the gap between him and World Championship leader Emil Sayfutdinov to five points as the Russian sensation defied a disastrous start to the meeting to finish third.

But Iversen had the biggest cause for celebration. The victory lifted him from seventh to sixth in the World Championship and he admits it has given him the confidence to win more rounds after wondering whether his maiden triumph would ever come.

He said: “I don’t know if I really believed it when I crossed the line. I almost passed out when I came to the first corner. I was waiting to wake up or something like that because it always seemed so far away.

“This win has been close, but it has still been far away. I’ve had a couple of finals and I had a podium in Cardiff, where I came second. I was still far away from winning it, though, but it happened.

“It’s just awesome that it finally went my way. You need a bit of luck to win it and I had a bit of luck. It was just awesome.

“That has given me some more belief that these wins can actually happen. Before you sort of dream about it and hope for it, but you’re not sure you can actually do it.

“I know now that I’ve got what it takes to win a Grand Prix and that’s an awesome feeling. There’s no guarantee I’m going to win anymore, but at least I’ve won this one and I know I can do it. Why shouldn’t I win more?”

Iversen may go into the rest of 2013 as an SGP winner, but he refuses to get over-confident after the biggest victory of his career to date.

He said: “I know that even though I won this one, it doesn’t give me anymore points for the next one. If it goes badly next time, I won’t remember this one.

“It’s just about focusing on every single meeting and every single race you’re in. This one is sweet now. But at the next Grand Prix I can’t use this win for anything.”

Iversen is still just nine points clear of Tomasz Gollob in ninth place, who is seeking to break into the top-eight automatic qualification positions and secure his place in the 2014 series. But the Esbjerg-born rider is a mere eight points behind Jaroslaw Hampel in third place.

NKI would love to push for a medal, but he knows he will have to be on his toes to avoid dropping out of the qualification places.

He said: “If things go wrong I could easily slip out of the top eight. There are also some people above me I can catch up and I’ll just take every meeting as it comes.

“If I can sneak a few more finals and maybe win another one or get on the podium, it would be awesome. I could still get a medal, but I’m not really thinking about the top three now. I’ll take one meeting at a time and that’s what I’ve done all year.”

Woffinden is second in the World Championship on 102 points and, despite missing out on his second victory of 2013, he can be pleased with cutting Sayfutdinov’s pre-meeting advantage at the top from 13 points to five with four rounds remaining.

He said: “I said before the start of the meeting that I need to score as many points as I can and try catch Emil up and apply some pressure.

“I’ve done that and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season now.

“I’ve been working very hard for the last week and a half and it’s going to get even harder from now on. I feel like I’ve found a bit of form this week and hopefully I can take that into my league racing. Congratulations to Niels. This is his first Grand Prix win and I know how that feels – it’s a pretty good feeling.”

Sayfutdinov sneaked into the semis on seven points from his five heat races, so he was delighted to leave Italy with 10 points and third place. But he is determined to enjoy better fortunes at the Rietumu Bank Latvian SGP in Daugavpils on August 17.

He said: “The start was very bad for me, but I did everything to get 10 points.

“I think that was very good for today. Tai was very fast and congratulations to Niels.

“I want to go to Daugavpils now and I think everything will be better there for me. We will do everything we can there. More fans will come from Russia and it will be a good meeting for me. The track is very nice and we will see what happens.”

Wild card Nicolas Covatti crashed out of the Italian SGP and early reports are that he suffered a suspected broken wrist.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Emil Sayfutdinov 107, 2 Tai Woffinden 102, 3 Jaroslaw Hampel 85, 4 Nicki Pedersen 83, 5 Chris Holder 82, 6 Niels-Kristian Iversen 77, 7 Matej Zagar 75, 8 Greg Hancock 71, 9 Tomasz Gollob 68, 10 Fredrik Lindgren 61, 11 Krzysztof Kasprzak 59, 12 Darcy Ward 55, 13 Martin Vaculik 44, 14 Andreas Jonsson 39, 15 Antonio Lindback 34, 16 Ales Dryml 11, 17 Leon Madsen 8, 18 Chris Harris 7, 19 Krzysztof Buczkowski 6, 20 Linus Sundstrom 6, 21 Bartosz Zmarzlik 6, 22 Michael Jepsen Jensen 6, 23 Josef Franc 2, 24 Peter Kildemand 2, 25 Kenni Larsen 2, 26 Nicolas Covatti 2, 27 Jason Bunyan 1, 28 Craig Cook 1, 29 Josh Auty 1.

ITALIAN SGP SCORES: 1 Niels-Kristian Iversen 13, 2 Tai Woffinden 18, 3 Emil Sayfutdinov 10, 4 Matej Zagar 14, 5 Jaroslaw Hampel 13, 6 Nicki Pedersen 12, 7 Darcy Ward 11, 8 Leon Madsen 8, 9 Tomasz Gollob 6, 10 Antonio Lindback 6, 11 Fredrik Lindgren 6, 12 Greg Hancock 5, 13 Krzysztof Kasprzak 5, 14 Martin Vaculik 5, 15 Ales Dryml 4, 16 Nicolas Covatti 2, 17 Nicolas Vicentin 0, 18 Michele Paco Castagna DNR.

Notes to Editors:
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Top Seeds Advance Among Upsets at ASP 6-Star Ford Supergirl Pro

Courtesy of Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America

Ford Supergirl Pro
ASP 6-Star Women’s Event
Oceanside Pier, California, USA
August 2-4, 2013

Pictured: Coco Ho (HAW), 22, advanced to the Round of 12 at the Ford Supergirl Pro.

Credit: ASP/SHADLEY

OCEANSIDE, California/USA (Saturday, August 3, 2013) – The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 6-Star Ford Supergirl Pro returned to building two-to-four foot (1 metre) waves at Oceanside Pier today, with several ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) surfers dominating their heats despite a shock elimination from current ASP World No. 1 Carissa Moore (HAW), 20.
Malia Manuel (HAW), 19, took out two heat wins today with a hard-fought effort despite the day’s tricky conditions while earning the event’s highest scores. The Hawaiian belted a single-wave score of 9.60, finishing with a combined effort of a 17.60 heat total in the final minutes of her Round of 24 campaign.

“This morning I came down early and had a practice surf and as the tide was filling in my first heat got really slow,” Manuel said. “I had to wait 15 minutes to get my second score and I just had to trust my instincts. This Round of 24 heat was fun, there were a lot more flurries of waves with lots of peaks and I like a little wind. I got some fun waves.”

Manuel, current ASP World No. 12, has lost some close heats throughout her 2013 ASP Women’s WCT season, and hopes a result a the Ford Supergirl Pro will mark a momentum swing for her year.

“I just want to get some heat wins and carry it in to the rest of the year,” Manuel said. “This beginning of the year was totally different from my rookie year. I had such a good start and made a few Quarterfinals, so it was a whole different mindset. This year, I had to reevaluate what was going on. I was confident in my boards and my surfing and it was a couple things that I had to twist with heats and I know anything can happen with one result.”

Pauline Ado (FRA), 22, fresh off of a 3rd place result at the US Open of Surfing, advanced through two heats today with impressive wave selection, punctuating her Round of 12 berth by defeating Carissa Moore in their Round of 24 affair.

“I didn’t surf that well this morning and came second, and I guess I had a harder heat this afternoon,” Ado said. “Carissa (Moore) just won the US Open and Dimity (Stoyle) won the last QS, so it was a pretty tough heat. I only got two fives, but it was enough to win. I was stressing out until the end.”

Silvana Lima, past ASP World Title threat, looked at home in the peaky beachbreak conditions, unloading fins-free turns and powerful combinations to solidify her position in the Round of 12.

“I’m so confident in these conditions and I have a new board that feels really good,” Lima said. “The waves are fun out there and I’m really happy to get through.”

Lima, current No. 14 on the ASP Women’s WCT, has struggled to find a rhythm among the ASP Top 17 this season following a severe knee injury but feels her performances are improving as the year progresses.

“This does a lot for my confidence,” Lima said. “When I got injured, I wasn’t able to surf at all for two years. It feels good to just surf now. My knee doesn’t hurt anymore and I feel 100 percent. I’m trying to get some good results on the QS and the WCT to requalify for next year.”

Paige Hareb (NZL), 23, last year’s Ford Supergirl Pro runner-up, would contribute to the day’s upsets, defeating defending event champion Sage Erickson (Ventura, CA), 22, in a rematch of last year’s Final while securing a spot in the Round of 12.

“Sage (Erickson) has beaten me a few times now and it was good to get one back on her,” Hareb said. “I’m the lone Kiwi, so it was nice to see an Aussie get through the heat with me as well. I feel good out here event though it’s a tricky wave. It seems to change everyday and every tide and I’m just trying to be on to it and have fun out there.”

The Ford Supergirl Pro will return tomorrow at 10am local time and crown a champion by day’s end. Watch the webcast LIVE via www.supergirlpro.com

For complimentary high-res images log on to http://www.aspworldtour.com/press-room/

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org

FORD SUPERGIRL PRO ROUND OF 24 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 17.60, Justine Dupont (FRA) 10.43, Leila Hurst (HAW) 9.63, Frankie Harrer (USA) 5.34
Heat 2: Pauline Ado (FRA) 11.03, Anali Gomez (PER) 9.96, Dimity Stoyle (AUS) 9.10, Carissa Moore (HAW) 2.34
Heat 3: Silvana Lima (BRA) 12.27, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 8.00, Demi Boelsterli (USA) 7.94, Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) 6.84
Heat 4: Bethany Hamilton (USA) 13.67, Coco Ho (HAW) 10.40, Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 9.80. Chelsea Tuach (BRB) 7.77
Heat 5: Paige Hareb (NZL) 13.23, Phillipa Anderson (AUS) 12.20, Sage Erickson (USA) 12.20, Bruna Schmitz (BRA) 8.93
Heat 6: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.66, Alessa Quizon (HAW) 7.00, Laura Enever (AUS) 4.23, Lee Ann Curren (FRA) 3.83

FORD SUPERGIRL PRO ROUND OF 48 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Leila Hurst (HAW) 12.20, Pauline Ado (FRA) 11.53, Alize Arnaud (FRA) 8.90, Naomi Stevic (AUS) 6.90
Heat 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.17, Anali Gomez (PER) 9.47, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 7.76, Kaleigh Gilchrist (USA) 6.87
Heat 3: Dimity Stoyle (AUS) 14.43, Justine Dupont (FRA) 13.60, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 11.50, Keely Andrew (AUS) 9.37
Heat 4: Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.60, Frankie Harrer (USA) 12.40, Quincy Davis (USA) 9.90, Nage Melamed (HAW) 8.70
Heat 5: Rosanne Hodge (AUS) 12.10, Chelsea Tuach (BRB) 11.70, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 9.60, Laura Macaulay (AUS) 7.20
Heat 6: Silvana Lima (BRA) 14.27, Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 11.10, Nikki Viesens (USA) 9.14, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 7.76
Heat 7: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 10.27, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.04, Sarah Baum (ZAF) 8.23, Skye Burgess (AUS) 6.17
Heat 8: Coco Ho (HAW) 13.27, Demi Boelsterli (USA) 10.23, Freya Prumm (AUS) 7.57, Brittani Nicholl (UAS) 6.67
Heat 9: Bruna Schmitz (BRA) 9.57, Lee Ann Curren (FRA) 8.76, Dominic Barona (ECU) 8.57, Ellie-Jean Coffey (AUS) 8.40
Heat 10: Sage Erickson (USA) 14.10, Alessa Quizon (HAW) 11.06, Ornella Pellizzari (ARG) 6.87, Chandler Parr (USA) 5.74
Heat 11: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.67, Paige Hareb (NZL) 8.37, Maud Le Car (FRA) 6.90, Kahanu Delovio (HAW) 4.20
Heat 12: Laura Enever (HAW) 9.50, Phillipa Anderson (AUS) 8.17, Reika Noro (JPN) 7.83, Nao Omura (JPN) 6.37

World Champion Laia Sanz attacks XGames Enduro X on JCR Speed Shop HONDA motorcycle.

Courtesy of Icon 1 Agency

Johnny Campbell’s new retail business, JCR Speed Shop, has teamed with 12-time motorcycle champion Laia Sanz to battle the world’s best women racers at XGames Los Angeles.  Laia will pilot a purpose-built HONDA CRF250R in the Women’s Enduro X event on Sunday, August 4th at Staples Center.  Enduro X is a major part of the show with live TV coverage planned for ABC this Sunday at 3PM Eastern Time. For more info check your local listings or http://xgames.espn.go.com/events/2013/los-angeles/schedule/ “We are excited to announce the opening of the JCR Speed Shop. We are focusing on specialized replica race bike building and prepping for sportsmen to world class athletes like World Champion, Laia Sanz.  Laia is a True Champion with 12 World Trials titles and 3 Dakar Rally campaigns to her name, and most of all she is an amazing person.” — Johnny Campbell “I m very excited to ride this XGames race on a JCR Speed Shop built Honda, and happy to be helped by Johnny Campbell a person and rider that I admire a lot, I want to say thanks all people from JCR, and Johnny s family, for their big help. We’ve been training at Colton Haaker’s track, and preparing the bike and I love it, also they help me train on the starts. Now I feel ready for the race and I hope to get a good result, I have no excuses, the bike and team is perfect.” — Laia Sanz JCR Speed Shop builds turn-key HONDA motorcycles for racers and enthusiasts alike at its San Clemente, CA headquarters and offers official JCR team apparel, replica bike graphics and Johnny Campbell trail tool kits at www.JCRSpeedShop.com For more information about applying the deep JCR expertise to your motocross, grand prix or Baja bike please contact Joe Lloyd at joe@jcrhonda.com.

Coma takes final stage; finishes overall third

Courtesy of KTM

KTM factory rider Marc Coma on Saturday wrapped up the Dos Sertoes Rally in Brazil by winning the final Stage 10 just seven seconds ahead of rival and former teammate Cyril Despres. Coma finished third in the overall standings behind winner Paolo Goncalves of Portugal and Despres. Coma top three in 8 of 10 stages Following the largely tactical prologue where riders jockey for favorable starting places, the Spanish rider had a win and three second places in the next four stages. But in the first half of the marathon stage, where riders are not permitted any mechanical assistance over two consecutive stages his wheel took a big impact during Stage 5. At the start of Stage 6 he noticed a crack in the wheel and had to nurse his damaged KTM 450 Rally bike home at a very careful pace. He finished back at 23rd and lost 42 minutes in the process, most of which he managed to make up in the remaining stages. Coma then registered two more stage wins and a second and third place, making him top three in eight of ten stages. Fourth overall for Kuba Przygonski KTM factory teammate Jakub ‘Kuba’ Przygonski of Poland finished fourth in Stage 10 and fourth overall, having moved up one place each day in the second half of the rally. Ruben Faria, the third KTM factory rider had to retire after a wrist injury in the first half of the rally. Marc Coma: “There was not much more I could do today but I tried to finish well. It was a short stage with a very quick first part and then another mountain. I didn’t take too many risks but still tried to go as fast as possible That’s all we could do. Generally the rally has been a good one. Losing more than 42 minutes then still being able to get on the podium means I should be more than happy. We also had three stage wins. Physically I felt good, we had a good pace and we know we are competitive. We also put in quite a few more miles and that is very important for our preparation. Now e have to continue the work.” Championship title chase hots up Dos Sertoes was also the fifth leg of the FIM World Cross Country Rally Championships in which Coma is the points leader and is bidding to retain his world title. He and Goncalves are the main contenders and with one rally to go, the Pharaoh’s Rally in Egypt (September 28 to October 5, 2013), Coma maintains a slim 8 points lead in the title chase. Dos Sertoes Rally Stage 10 1, Marc Coma, Spain, KTM, 01:26.51 2, Cyril Despres, France, Yamaha, 01:26.57 3, Paolo Goncalves, Portugal, Speedbrain, 01:27.46 4, Kuba Przygonski, Poland, KTM, 01:28.55 5, Ricardo Martins, 01:29.29 Overall After Stage 10 1, Goncalves, 30:27.38 2, Despres, at 25 minutes 00.7 3, Coma, at 36 minutes 24.4 4, Azevedo, at 1 hour 20 minutes 09.4 5, Przygonski, at 1 hour 31 minutes 36.2

Coma finishes in style with stage 10 win Coma powers home in final stage Coma & Goncalves continue to fight for world championship title Job done: Coma overall 3rd; Przygonski overall fourth

Sofuoglu Second On The Grid After WSS Qualifying

Courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team

WSS, Silverstone, Great Britain, 3 August 2013
Kawasaki Mahi Racing Team India rider Kenan Sofuoglu placed second on the grid at Silverstone and in doing so puts himself in a good position to go for a race win at the long and fast English circuit.

 

 

Sofuoglu’s team-mate Fabien Foret was seventh on the grid and now starts from the third row for Sunday’s single 16-lap WSS race, meaning he has some work to do to get to the very front in the first few corners.

Sofuoglu was particularly pleased to be so competitive at Silverstone and did a long run race simulation this morning in free practice, which went well, putting him in confident mood for the race on Sunday. He was balked by backmarkers in qualifying or he could have got closer to pole man Sam Lowes, who is also the only rider ahead of Sofuoglu in the current championship standings.

Kevin Coghlan (Kawasaki DMC-Lorenzini) was a happy home rider at Silverstone, the Scot taking his Ninja ZX-6R to fourth place on the grid, leading off the second row riders. Florian Marino (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) was fifth fastest rider overall, with returning Kawasaki man David Salom (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) ninth, making him the final rider on the third row. Injured Intermoto Ponyexpres rider Luca Scassa was 20th.

Kenan Sofuoglu: “I am on the front row after qualifying and that is quite OK. In any case, the bike is working very well at Silverstone, even better than I expected. I did a race simulation in the morning and the results were very strong. I could do a very fast lap time quite easily. I am ready, the bike is ready, and I am just waiting for the race now. I hope we are going to win the race.”

Fabien Foret: “I cannot really fly over one lap in qualifying so far this year and I am paying a price each time with a less than perfect starting position. My ambition was the first two rows of the grid each time but here I am on the third row. These races are always difficult if you do not take a place in the leading group early in the race. So hopefully tomorrow I can get to the front at the beginning. I am not pleased with the way I am riding right now but I am a racer and I know it will be better for me once we reach the race itself. I just need to make up a little bit of time somewhere and we will see how it is tomorrow.”

 

WSS results
Silverstone

Join the Celebration! Suzuki Celebrates 50 Years at IndyGP

Courtesy of Suzuki Motor of America

Sykes And Baz On The Second Row After A Bizarre Superpole

Courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team

Tom Sykes and Loris Baz each lost a chance to take pole position after rain appeared in the final Superpole session, cancelling the result and bringing forward a final 20-minute ‘Wet’ Superpole.

 

 

In what was the fourth Superpole session on track, but by regulation the third and final one as the results stood, Loris was fourth and Sykes fifth, meaning they will each start Sunday’s races from the second row of the grid.

At his home round Sykes initially set a remarkable 2’03.362 second lap in the eventually cancelled Superpole Three (with Baz right behind him and also under the previous track best) but that time was nullified when the session was red flagged with four minutes to go.

The re-run Superpole Three eventually delivered dry conditions, but in changeable early wet conditions Baz was fastest, before he was finally pushed to fourth place as the track dried at the end.

After the confusion of the final Superpole qualifying sessions both top Kawasaki riders are still in strong positions for raceday itself, after finding good solutions for the Silverstone challenge relatively late on in race weekend.

They each now face two 18-lap races on Sunday, with Tom looking to add to his season tally of five race wins, and Loris trying to repeat his first career win at Silverstone in 2012.

Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) was 16th after regulation qualifying, one place up on Federico Sandi (Kawasaki Team Pedercini).

Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) was the top Ninja ZX-10R rider in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup combined qualifying sheets in fourth and leading a run of five Kawasaki riders from fourth to eighth place.

Tom Sykes: “If those are the rules then that’s what happens but at least we got back to the second row and not the third. There had four minutes left of the session when they stopped it and turned it into a wet Superpole. I am far from happy because nobody even looked at a wet tyre. On the positive side tomorrow is another day and row two is not too bad. We have struggled a little bit all weekend but when it really mattered Kawasaki, the boys, and especially my crew chief Marcel have given me a package that I was able to do something good with. I was more comfortable on the bike in that session and the lap time was not so bad. I was riding easier than I had been all weekend. My qualifying time that got cut was really good. I will just re-set myself for tomorrow now. It is the race result that counts, second row is good and we have a strong race setting.”

Loris Baz: “I do not know whether to be happy or gutted! This morning when I woke up I never thought that I would be able to get fourth place after Superpole. Honestly I do not understand the rule that we have to stop in Superpole three and then have 20 minutes of ‘wet’ Superpole. All the same I made a very good time in Superpole – can I say – Superpole ‘four’. Then the track dried out near the end and I was able to take the top position again, until I got stuck behind another rider in two crucial corners. That was a big shame and maybe it just was not my day. I am really confident for tomorrow now and I want to thank my team who did a mega job yet again.”

 

WSBK results
Silverstone

De Dycker and Herlings take pole in Loket

Courtesy of Youthstream Media

LOKET (Czech Republic), 3 August 2013 – Day one of the Czech Grand Prix took place today in Loket where Ken De Dycker and Jeffrey Herlings won their respective qualifying races. Once again all the riders had to cope with extremely high temperatures and most of them preferred to safe some energies to give it all tomorrow at the main races. In the EMX125 Semi Final ‘Group A’ Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Pauls Jonass dominated once again winning his heat by over thirty seconds ahead of Swedish Anton Lundgren and Italian Riccardo Righi. In the Semi Final ‘Group B’ Frenchman Nicolas Dercourt led from start to finish while KTM Sarholz Racing Team’s Henry Jacobi was second and Dutchman Davy Pootjes was third. Meanwhile in the EMX250 Semi Final ‘Group A’ Guillod Motorsports Valentin Guillod was looking very smooth and confident to win ten seconds ahead of KTM Scott Racing’s Brent Van Doninck and Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Jorge Zaragoza. In the Semi Final ‘Group B’ Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Jeremy Seewer had his work cut out riding under the pressure of Stabilo Progrip MX Team’s Brian Bogers. Seewer managed to hold off Bogers for the win with Husqvarna Junior Factory Team’s Benoit Paturel rounding out the top three. MX1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker had a really good start and he managed to dominate the whole qualifying race. The Belgian rider felt really good in the track and he explained that he really likes the modifications that have been done in the Czech lay out. De Dycker is very confident for tomorrow’s main races and he said that if he manages to start at the front he might be able to fight for the overall victory. Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle started right behind De Dycker, but even if he tried to overtake him in several occasions, Desalle crossed the finish line in second. The Rockstar Energy Suzuki World rider was the fastest in the pre-qualifying practice, so he is looking forward to tomorrow’s races, as he knows that he has a lot of possibilities to win the Czech Grand Prix tomorrow. Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek did a very consistent moto today and he was able to keep his initial third position until the chequered flag. His compatriot Kevin Strijbos rode right behind his rear wheel during the whole qualifying race, but Van Horebeek managed to keep the pressure. The Kawasaki rider is very positive for tomorrow, as he is also one of the favourites to finish among the top three. Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos was very satisfied with his riding today, as he clinched the second best lap time during the pre-qualifying practice and he also managed to ride among the top five riders since the beginning of the qualifying heat. The Belgian was really close to overtake Van Horebeek, but in the end he decided to ride safe and ensure a good gate pick for tomorrow. After a very difficult Grand Prix in Germany, Honda World Motocross’ Evgeny Bobryshev rode a very consistent qualifying race in the fifth position. The Russian rode the whole heat in front of Antonio Cairoli and he was able to cross the finish line six seconds ahead of him. Tomorrow’s races are very important for Bobryshev, as he really needs a good result after such a difficult season. Antonio Cairoli did not feel really comfortable today in the Czech track, so he did not want to take many risks and rode a solid moto in sixth. Seventh was Tommy Searle, who managed to move up from his initial tenth position, and David Philippaerts obtained a strong eighth position. Shaun Simpson ended ninth and Tanel Leok completed the top ten. MX1 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 24:35.074; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:01.413; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:03.344; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:06.733; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:23.029; 6. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:29.644; 7. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:33.207; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:33.984; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:35.595; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +0:49.465. Click here to obtain the complete results Photos of the whole Grand Prix are available here MX2 It is a very important weekend for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, as he has the first opportunity to be crowned for second time in a row FIM MX2 World Champion. The Dutch rider needs to cope with all media and fans that have travelled to the Czech Republic this weekend, but at the same time he needs to be fully focused to do well in the track. Herlings obtained the best lap time in the pre-qualifying practice, but he did not have a good start in the qualifying heat and he had to push really hard to move from his initial tenth position to the lead. Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier had a really good start and after riding second behind José Butrón during the first three laps, the French rider managed to take the lead. However, Charlier could not stop Herlings to pass him and he had to settle down with the second position. The French rider felt really good today, so he might be able to fight for a podium finish tomorrow. KTM Silver Action’s José Butrón was at the front after the start and he dominated the first laps of the qualifying race. However, he could not keep the rhythm and he lost two positions, first with Charlier and then with Herlings. The Spanish rider is satisfied and confident for tomorrow, as he felt really comfortable on the Czech track. CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit’s Alessandro Lupino did not have a good start, but lap after lap he improved his rhythm and he found the good lines to move up to the fourth place. The Italian has been struggling in the last races, so he really wants to do well tomorrow and finish among the top five MX2 riders. The fifth place was for Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Romain Febvre, who also had a bad start in eleventh but he managed to move up to sixth by the middle of the race. In the last stages of the qualifying race, the French rider caught Aleksandr Tonkov, and with two laps to go Febvre moved up to fifth. Aleksandr Tonkov had obtained the best fourth lap time in the pre-qualifying practice and in the qualifying heat he managed to start sixth behind Pascal Rauchenecker. The Russian moved up to the fourth position, but he could not keep his rhythm and he dropped down to the sixth place. Jordi Tixier did not have a good start either and he struggled to find the good lines to move up to the front. In the end Tixier finished seventh, followed by Rauchenecker who did an incredible qualifying heat. Max Anstie was ninth and Mel Pocock crossed the finish line in tenth. Glenn Coldenhoff had a really good start, but while he was riding in third he had to enter the pitlane because a stone got stuck in his break. His team made a good job to sort the problem out very quickly, and Coldenhoff was able to finish eleventh. Dean Ferris crashed right after the start and had to push really hard from almost the very last position to cross the finish line in the 17th position. Dylan Ferrandis had a really good start and he was riding in the third position when he had a problem in the rear wheel. He had to stop in the pitlane to have the wheel changed and the French rider was only able to finish twenty- sixth. MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 25:02.799; 2. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:06.823; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:12.873; 4. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:13.712; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:15.652; 6. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:16.391; 7. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:27.707; 8. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT, KTM), +0:30.315; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), +0:36.247; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +0:39.148. Click here to obtain the complete results Photos of the whole Grand Prix are available here MXGP CZECH REPUBLIC – QUICK FACTS Circuit length: 1586m Type of ground: hard pack The Grand Prix of the Czech Grand Prix will be broadcast LIVE in the USA on Be In Sport, in France on Be In Sport 2 and Motors TV France, in Italy on SportItalia, in Slovenia on Sport TV, in Portugal on Sport TV3, in the UK on Motors TV UK, in Brazil on Bandsports, in Thailand on True Vision, in Africa on Al Jazeera Sport and Sport TV 2, in the Middle East on Al Jazeera Sport, in Europe on Motors TV Europe and worldwide on MX-LIFE.TV. By clicking here you will be able to download the complete TV coverage of the MXGP of the Czech Republic. TIMETABLE Sunday: EMX125 Warm up 8:00; EMX250 Warm up 8:30; MX2 Warm up 9:00; MX1 Warm up 9:30; EMX125 FINAL 10:20; EMX250 FINAL 11:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 12:10; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 13:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 15:01; MX1 Grand Prix race 2 16:07. LINKS Youthstream FIM Grand Prix Czech Republic

MX1 Qualifying race start in Loket Herlings obtains his 7th pole Strong qualifying race for Charlier