3rd June 2012 – St. Jean d’Angely, France – 2012 World Championship
Strijbos misses top ten in France
The sixth round of sixteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship was a hard day in the heat of St Jean D’Angely for HM Plant KTM UK as Kevin Strijbos could only take his 350SX-F to twelfth position overall for the Grand Prix of France.
31,000 spectators crowded the banking opposite the fast and hard-pack layout a short distance from La Rochelle and the west coast. Saturday was immensely humid and hot, with temperatures over thirty degrees, but cloudier skies arrived for Sunday and the forecast rain thankfully remained absent.
The hard terrain became dusty deep in the second motos and although several corners were rutted and rough, the course was quick and saw similar lap-times through the field. The leaders of the MX1 class set a fierce pace and meant that anyone suffering a less-than-ideal start would be carrying a handicap. Strijbos found himself in this situation and combined with his dislike of the circuit the former championship runner-up was always striving for better positions. Fifteenth was gained in the first moto and a slightly better performance to twelfth was obtained in the second dash of 35 minutes and 2 laps.
The Belgian holds eighth place in the MX1 championship table but is just 25 points from the top five.
After a crash on Saturday Eliott Banks Browne’s bad luck with hand injuries continued and after needing several stitches to a wound was ruled out of the motos on Sunday. James Dunn was eighteenth overall in the first round of the European MX2 Championship. Another six meetings remain in the tough Grand Prix feeder series. Better news for the team was found elsewhere on the continent and Natalie Kane’s scorecard of two second positions – therefore runner-up – in Croatia for the fourth round of eight in the FIM Women’s World Championship represented her best classification of the season. The result elevates the Irishwoman to third in the standings and just three points away from second spot.
HM Plant KTM UK now head south and west to the red dirt of Agueda and the Grand Prix of Portugal next weekend.
Kevin Strijbos: “It was a bad weekend for me. I don’t like the track in Saint Jean d’Angely and things did not go well. First race I got a really good start but in the first lap they came through on my left and right and I did not have the answer to it. I was then down in 14th, so it was not good. The second race was basically the same. I could ride a little bit better, my speed was also faster, but not the way I want. With such results you can’t be happy because I’m eighth in the Championship. I’m positive about next weekend because everything should go better.”
Roger Magee Team Principal: “We’ve had several bittersweet weekends so far and here we started yesterday with Elliott Banks-Brown who had a small crash on Saturday; he must have landed on a sharp stone and needed several stiches on his hand and today had to miss both motos. We had got two DNS’ today, but we hope he’ll be fit to ride in Agueda next week and we look forward to getting better luck in the next GP, which he deserves. With Kevin, St Jean was not going to be one of his favourite circuits but he got two points scores, which keeps him in the top ten of the World Championship and as a privateer teem in the MX1 class is a extremely good result. We will look forward to Agueda, which is a the track that suits him better and who knows…maybe he can make another podium.”
Photos courtesy of Ray Archer
Results
MX1 Moto1
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 38:29.928; ; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:02.258; 3. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:14.964; 4. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.382; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:21.858; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:23.566; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:27.154; 8. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), +0:30.296; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:30.832; 15. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +1:01.074.
MX1 Moto2
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 38:51.915; ; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:04.043; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:10.331; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:14.353; 5. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:16.055; 6. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:21.310; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:21.501; 8. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), +0:24.767; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:29.120; 12. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:48.819.
MX1 Overall
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 42 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 42 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 34 p.; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 32 p.; 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 27 p.; 7. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), 26 p.; 8. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 9. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 25 p.; 12. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 15 p.
MX1 World Championship
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 253 points; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 214 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 213 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 212 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 179 p.; 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 169 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 161 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 154 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 134 p.; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 121 p.
Event Gallery
