HM Plant KTM UK’s Kevin Strijbos came through a difficult and demanding Grand Prix of Mexico at Guadalajara with a decent seventh position overall and holds the same ranking in the standings of the ultra-competitive premier MX1 class.

25,000 spectators flocked to the first ever Mexican round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. The high altitude (over 5000ft) and temperatures (30 degrees) created tough conditions and the tricky racing surface was hard to judge and even verged on being perilous. On Saturday the 20 Grand Prix regulars in the series who had made the trip to South America decided to abstain from the qualification heat race on the grounds that the vast volume of dust presented visibility problems. After watering and preparation on Saturday evening the dust issue was mostly resolved but the loose and sandy dirt was rough and bumpy with varying levels of grip. The wild-card native entrants were also vastly off the pace and caused a great deal of track ‘traffic’.

In this theatre of adversity Strijbos found his way to an excellent fifth position in the first moto to equal his best finish yet on the 350SX-F. A slightly worse getaway and less confidence on the churning Mexican soil meant a regression to tenth place in the second race but the British Championship leader continues to be consistent.

HM Plant KTM UK have cleaned and crated the bike, spares and equipment for travel south through the continent and Beto Carrero for the Grand Prix of Brazil next weekend. 

Kevin Strijbos: “It was a little difficult this weekend for me. The first race was ok. I made a good start and I rode in sixth position for most of the moto but Pourcel made a mistake somewhere and finally I finished fifth. I really felt ok; I didn’t have arm pump, so I was happy with this result. In the second race, I felt strange, not tired but it was too hot and I tried to push and I couldn’t. My start wasn’t too good like the first one and I tried to find my lines and do my best. Finally I was tenth and I am not happy with that but the positive thing is that I was fifth in the first race and I hope that I make a better job next week in Brazil.”

Roger Magee, Team Principal: “Yet another good weekend for HM Plant KTM UK as Kevin Strijbos again proved that he is one of the main contenders in the 2012 MX1 World Championship with another two top-ten finishes in the inaugural Mexican GP and is now 7th overall in the standings. He’s really proved to be competitive on his 350SX-F machine especially in the first moto despite his lowly qualification position due to the ‘problems’ encountered yesterday. We now look forward to next weekend’s GP in Brazil where Kevin can hopefully even improve on his consistent results.”

MX1 Moto1

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:53.481; ; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:07.664; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:30.519; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:43.925; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:48.259; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +0:53.089; 7. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Honda), +1:07.005; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:14.736; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +1:19.620; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +1:34.840;

MX1 Moto2

1. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 40:15.650; ; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:01.323; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:05.451; 4. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:11.445; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:14.190; 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +0:16.658; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.784; 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:18.654; 9. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Honda), +0:29.974; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:45.232;

MX1 Overall

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 45 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 44 p.; 3. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 36 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 30 p.; 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 27 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Honda), 26 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 25 p.; 10. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 23 p.

MX1 World Championship

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 178 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 149 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 134 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 131 p.; 5. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 129 p.; 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 105 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 103 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 99 p.; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 92 p.; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 79 p.

Event Gallery

Although much drier than expected the super-tough Lyng race track in not so sunny Norfolk proves to be relentlessly difficult – catching out the unaware and punishing the unprepared. Fortunately, Kevin Strijbos is neither of the above and the red-plate holder absolutely dominates in MX1 winning all three motos to take the overall on the day. The maximum haul means the Belgian racer almost doubles his lead in the series and now sits on a whopping 31 point lead as the championship heads to the halfway point in just a few weeks time.

Elliott Banks-Browne’s day starts and ends in fine style – with gate to flag wins – however the middle moto is not so stunning and a pair of crashes ensures that Elliott’s scorecard only reads 1-5-1 at the end of the day. Even with that difficult race Elliot still ends the day second overall and leapfrogs Neville Bradshaw to take second in the series standings although he does lose the tiniest amount of ground to series leader Mel Pocock.

It’s another day of mixed fortunes for Sean Mitchell and James Dunn who both suffer some bad luck but also post their best results of the season so far. Mitchell runs 19-11-dnf to take 18th overall while Dunn proves his potential with a fantastic final moto 10th that more than doubles his championship tally for the year.

The Maxxis British Motocross Championship resumes with round four atMiltonMotoParkin Northamptonshire on May 27.

Kevin Strijbos MX1 #22

“In the first race I took the holeshot and pulled away quite quickly but then I had some problem with lapped riders. I know they’re in battles of their own but when they see the blue flag they should move over. It got a bit exciting in the last lap because Shaun Simpson was able to catch me up and I only just took the win.

“In the second race I started third and I had a lot better lines so I could follow easily and then when the time was right I made my move and pulled out a gap straight away which was good.

“In the third race I took the lead in the first lap and made a gap. The track was pretty dangerous in some places and there were a lot of yellow flags so I just cruised around to take the win.

“Overall I’m very happy – everything is going great and my HM Plant KTMUKbike works really well. I’m definitely looking forward toMexicoandBrazilwhere I think I can step it up a little more.”

Elliott Banks-Browne MX2 #44

“The first race was pretty good. I took the holeshot and kept the lead until the end – it was a pretty easy race to be fair. I took another holeshot in the second race but made a little mistake and Mel Pocock passed me on the first lap so I settled in behind me then on the third lap my back end stepped out in the second corner and I crashed quite heavily but got up okay and got going in fifth. I was right behind Bradshaw and I felt good – like I could have gone on to win the race –but I misjudged his position on the hill and clipped his back end and went down. It’s a real fast part of the track and I hit my head pretty hard and my bike was all bent but I still managed to salvage fifth.

“The last one was the same as the first one – I took the holeshot rode easy and I won. I’m a bit disappointed because I felt like I could have come away with three wins but I’ve shown I’ve got good speed and I can win races. I feel like I’m the fastest guy right now, there’s still a long way to go and there’s only 15 points in it – I know I can do it.”

Sean Mitchell MX2 #50

“It was all about the start today because the track was kind of narrow and there weren’t so many lines. In the first race I didn’t get such a good start but I came through the field well to 15th but then I tried to make an aggressive pass and I crashed. I picked myself up in around 22nd place and charge back to 19th with the short amount of time I had remaining – I felt I was riding okay and the speed was not so bad.

“The second moto was not so bad either. I got a good start and I stayed in eighth for a good amount of time. I started to feel like I had no control of my bike so I had to lower my pace a little bit and fell down to 11th and I finished there. We found the problem after the race and rectified it for race three. I wanted to do even better in race three and after not such a good start I charged up to 16th and I was catching the group ahead and then I had a bit of a technical problem which meant I couldn’t finish the race. That wasn’t so good but I’m now looking forward toward the next round.”

James Dunn MX2 #200

“I was struggling with my front end in the first two races so we changed the forks for race three and it was much better. I didn’t get the best of starts – I got a little bit tangled up in the first turn with a few other riders although I didn’t crash. After that I rode well though and came from way outside the points to finish 10th. I passed at least one rider on every lap. My speed and fitness are good and I’m looking forward to getting more top 10 results.”

Roger Magee: HM Plant KTM UK Team Manager

“Not a bad day in the office. We almost had a perfect weekend and took five out of six wins and I also think we took the fastest lap in each race with Kevin Strijbos and Elliott Banks-Browne. Kevin extended his lead in MX1 and Elliott moved up into second in MX2 overtaking Neville Bradshaw. Unfortunately Mel Pocock extended his championship lead over Elliott by another point but there are still five rounds to go and there’s plenty to race for.

“Hat’s off to Sean Mitchell today who showed a lot of pace in race two and finished a very good 11th place having just been passed by some top GP riders in the last couple of laps. It’s difficult to keep swapping from the two-stroke bike to the four-stroke and after showing great pace in Fermo last week where he finished second James Dunn struggled a little bit today but turned it around in the third race where he finished 10th. Like I say it’s difficult to swap between the two classes and this is a learning year for him before we move up to MX2 full-time next year.

“Now we move to the overseas GPs with Strijbos and then it’s back toBritainat the end of the month for round four of the Maxxis where hopefully we’ll have an even better day.”

Results

MX1 Overall result

1 Kevin Strijbos (HM Plant KTM UK) 75, 2 Shaun Simpson (Monster Energy Yamaha) 62, 3 Matiss Karro (STR KTM) 58, 4 Marc de Reuver (Lanes Kawasaki) 47, 5 Gert Krestinov (MVR-D Honda) 44, 6 Nathan Parker (STR KTM) 40, 7 Alex Snow (Lanes Kawasaki) 37, 8 Jamie Law (D3 Racing KTM) 36, 9 Stephen Sword (Tyco Suzuki) 35, 10 Carl Nunn (Stebbings KTM)

MX1 Series standings

1 Strijbos 206, 2 Simpson 175, 3 Karro 173, 4 Sword 136, 5 Krestinov 136, 6 de Reuver 117, 7 Parker 102, 8 Martin Barr 98, 9 Law 98, 10 Kristian Whatley 94

MX2 Overall result

1 Mel Pocock (Monster Energy Yamaha) 67 points, 2 Elliott Banks-Browne (HM Plant KTM UK) 66 points, 3 Graeme Irwin (Samsung Yamaha) 60, 4 Steven Lenoir (Samsung Yamaha) 56, 5 Bryan MacKenzie (Rockstar KTM) 54, 6 Lewis Tombs (John Banks Honda) 38, 7 Neville Bradshaw (Evo-Tech Stevens Honda) 29, 8 Nathan Watson (PAR Honda) 27, 9 Alan Keet (Dyer & Butler Suzuki) 27, 10 Ryan Houghton (Buildbase Honda) 26… 18 Sean Mitchell (HM Plant KTM UK) 12, 19 James Dunn (HM Plant KTM UK) 11

MX2 Series Standings

1 Pocock 185 points, 2 Banks-Browne 170, 3 Bradshaw 137, 4 Lenoir 137, 5 MacKenzie 130, 6 Irwin 111, 7 Nicolas Aubin 107, 8 Jordan Booker 97, 9 Tombs 77, 10 Stuart Edmonds 74… 23 Mitchell 26… 26 Dunn 18

Event Gallery

12►

HM Plant KTM UK’s Kevin Strijbos obtained a top ten finish with seventh position overall at a tricky Fermo circuit for the Grand Prix of Italy and what was the third round of sixteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

The Belgian was hampered by a poor starting position in the gate (14^th after Saturday) for the two 35 minute and 2 laps motos that were played out in hot and sunny conditions on the east coast of the country. 17,000 spectators came to the hillside venue to watch the fastest off-road racers around defy the G-effects of the sheer drops and climbs of the Monterosato layout.

Concentrated watering to fight the dust and soften the hard-pack soil created a strange terrain that was soft and extremely rough and rutted in places and then slippery and flat in others. Overall it was a circuit that was hard to judge.

Strijbos made a bad start in the first moto and needed full concentration to reach the top ten. The former world championship runner-up made better headway in the second race and was just pipped by Gautier Paulin in the closing stages for sixth place. Kevin however secured enough points to retake sixth position in the MX1 standings.

Elliott Banks Browne was unlucky not to be able to compete in the MX2 class at Fermo. ‘EBB’ tangled with Jeffrey Herlings on Saturday and in the ensuing accident injured his thumb and could not effectively hold onto his 250SX-F.

The second round of the European EMX125 series saw James Dunn reaching the top three and again showing some very encouraging speed on the 125SX-F. The youngster even led the second moto for a while before crossing the line in second position.

HM Plant KTM UK now head back to base after more than two weeks touching the edges of eastern and southern Europe. The third round of eight in the Maxxis British Championship awaits at Lyng in Norfolk before flyaway Grands Prix in Mexico and Brazil.

Kevin Strijbos:

“My weekend started very badly. I didn’t have a good feeling with the track and yesterday I was only fourteenth in the qualifying race. This morning in the warm-up I felt better and I made good lap times because I found the lines on the track.

A bad start in the first race but I came back until tenth and this was ok for me after yesterday’s result.  In the second race I made a better start and was sixth but before the flag Paulin passed me. Finally I was seventh in the Grand prix and that is OK. For sure it was not the best weekend but finally the result is alright.”

Roger Magee, Team Principal:

“Yet another bitter-sweet weekend for HM Plant KTMUK with the agony of EBB suffering yet more bad luck in Saturday’s qualifying race after tagging Herlings on the opening lap causing him to crash and injure his thumb, effectively ending his Italian GP. In contrast, Kevin again proved that he is one of the main contenders in the 2012 MX1 World Championship with another two top-ten finishes regaining 6th overall in the standings. He has really proved competitive on his 350SX-F machine on the different types of terrain encountered so far. James Dunn also proved that he can be a contender for the EMX125 Championship after finishing 2nd behind Championship-leader Gajser, having led the race for a time at half-distance. We now head back to the UK for the 3rd round of the British Maxxis Championship where hopefully Strijbos can extend his MX1 Championship lead and EBB can close the gap on the leader of the MX2 class.”

 Results

MX1 Moto1

1. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 40:45.152; ; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:00.807; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:10.841; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:45.920; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:46.277; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:49.834; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:57.051; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:59.812; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +1:04.282; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +1:07.930.

MX1 Moto2

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:48.505; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:09.147; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:15.265; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:20.222; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:31.310; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:42.169; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:54.334; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +1:02.716; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +1:05.010; 10. Dean Ferris (AUS, Kawasaki), +1:06.052.

MX1 Overall

1. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 47 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 45 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 38 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 37 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 31 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 25 p.; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 25 p.; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 23 p.; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 20 p.;

MX1 World Championship standings

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 133 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 116 p.; 3. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 106 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 105 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 95 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 76 p.;
7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 72 p.; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 69 p.; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 69 p.; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 62 p.;

MX2 World Championship standings

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 144 points; 2. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 114 p.; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 109 p.; 4. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 85 p.; 5. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 80 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 78 p.; 7. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 73 p.; 8. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 69 p.; 9. Harri Kullas (FIN, Suzuki), 65 p.; 10. Michael Leib (USA, Yamaha), 61 p.;

EMX125 Overall

1. Tim Gajser (SLO, KTM), 50 points; 2. Magne Klingshelm (NOR, KTM), 36 p.;
3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 35 p.; 4. Davide Bonini (ITA, KTM), 33 p.; 5. Riccardo Righi (ITA, KTM), 30 p.; 6. Jaap Corneth (NED, KTM), 26 p.; 7. James Dunn (GBR, KTM), 22 p.; 8. Iker Larranaga (ESP, Suzuki), 22 p.; 9. Tommaso De Pietri (ITA, Suzuki), 22 p.; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), 22 p.;

EMX125 Championship standings

1. Tim Gajser (SLO, KTM), 100 points; 2. Davide Bonini (ITA, KTM), 75 p.; 3. Magne Klingshelm (NOR, KTM), 66 p.; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 60 p.; 5. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), 56 p.; 6. Anton Lundgren (SWE, KTM), 47 p.; 7. Jaap Corneth (NED, KTM), 46 p.; 8. Riccardo Righi (ITA, KTM), 45 p.; 9. James Dunn (GBR, KTM), 44 p.; 10. Tommaso De Pietri (ITA, Suzuki), 40 p.;

Event Photo Gallery

Kevin Strijbos took his HM Plant KTM UK 350SX-F to twelfth position overall across the fast, hard-pack terrain of the Sevlievo circuit for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria and continues to hold a slot in the mid-top ten of the MX1 class of the FIM Motocross World Championship after two of sixteen rounds.

15,000 spectators came to the excellent venue in the centre of Bulgaria and some two hours east of the capital Sofia. Occasional showers on Saturday in practice and qualification made the Sevlievo muddy slightly rougher and slicker but warm sunshine dried the terrain and increased the speed on Sunday.

The team experienced contrasting fortunes throughout the weekend. Kevin Strijbos lamented a lowly qualification position in 17^th but Elliott Banks-Browne captured a personal best finish of 5^th in the MX2 sprint on Saturday. In the European 125cc two-stroke category (the series opening with the first of seven rounds that will run concurrent with the Grands Prix) James Dunn was unlucky to be involved in a collision in the first moto but gained a superb podium result on Sunday morning for the second race.

With the elite of both MX1 and MX2 classes running similar lap-times extra emphasis was placed on the starts and this aspect of the day cost Strijbos distance and positions. The Belgian rode to twelfth and tenth for his overall ranking. Despite a low-key event, Stribos is still just eight points away from the top five of the MX1 points table.

In MX2 ‘EBB’ was tussling with Jake Nicholls for a slot in the top ten during the first moto until the Brit was forced to retire with a dislodged fuel pipe. His poor luck continued in the second race when he crashed, losing control on one of the steep downhill sections and needed a scan to provide the ‘all-clear’ on a painful elbow. Sean Mitchell struggled with the course and failed to pick up any points.

HM Plant KTM UK now head across to the east coast of Italy and another hard-pack circuit, Fermo, for the Grand Prix of Italy next weekend.

Kevin Strijbos:

“It was a difficult weekend, the track was really hard and really fast and you couldn’t make so much difference on the others. I didn’t have a good qualifying race, only seventeenth, and for this reason I didn’thave a good gate for the races. Today both starts were bad and in the beginning of the race I had to be careful not to crash but after four laps all was better and then I started to push more and more until the end. In the first moto Ifinished twelfth and in the second one tenth. I think that the riding was ok but I made two bad starts.”

Sean Rowen Mitchell:

“The weekend was difficult for me with the rain and everything else. The track was really hard to ride, but I’ll just keep pushing and keep working and hopefully in Italy it will all turn around. The first moto was not so bad I was running twenty-second for bit and I got a little bit of arm pump and fell back to twenty-ninth. It´s not so good but we have to look at the positive side and just keep working and hopefully I’ll get there.”

Elliott Banks-Browne:

“The weekend was not so good, I had some bad luck. Saturday was ok, I was fifth in the qualifying race but in the first race on Sunday I was riding eighth until I had a problem with the bike and the race was over. In the second one I got a very good start and I took the holeshot but on the first lap I crashed in the top of the track and I had to come back to the pits and that’s all. Next weekend is Fermo and I hope I’ll do better.”

Roger Magee, Team Principal:

“Another weekend where we almost showed our potential. Kevin Strijbos needed some better starts but had two solid rides and it is important that he is still sixth in the MX1 World Championship. We will see if we can get something better in Italy. In MX2 Elliott had a stonking ride to fifth position on Saturday but was unlucky when his fuel pipe can loose in the first moto and caused a DNF. We don’t know if it was caused by a stone or maybe he knocked it with his boot but it was a real shame. In the second moto he just seemed to get caught out by the damp track and hurt his elbow. Fortunately the x-ray revealed no major damage so we hope he will be in shape for next week. James Dunn was landed upon in the first EMX125 moto and had to charge back through the pack to get points but was excellent in the second race. The 125s are with us againnext weekend so the podium is a possibility for us there.”

Photos courtesy of Ray Archer

Results

MX1 Moto1

1. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 39:09.159; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:05.667; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:07.718; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:08.467; 5. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:20.631; 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:21.770; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:36.027; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:44.249; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda),+0:44.410; 10. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Yamaha), +0:57.539; 12. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +1:04.228;

MX1 Moto2

1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 39:17.879; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:02.427; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:23.189; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:26.379; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:29.251; 6. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:29.975; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:31.978; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +1:05.762; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:07.483; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +1:08.192;

MX1 Overall

1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 47 points; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 47 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 29 p.; 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 29 p.; 7. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 24 p.; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 23 p.; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 22 p.; 10. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 21 p.; 12. Kevin Strijbos(BEL, KTM), 20 p.;

MX1 World Championship standings

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 88 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 79 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 67 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 63 p.; 5. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 59 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 51 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 49 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 45 p.; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 44 p.; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 42 p.;

MX2 Moto 1

1. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 39:43.795; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:09.286; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:17.680; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +0:24.904; 5. Harri Kullas (FIN, Suzuki), +0:39.615; 6. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), +0:44.290; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:50.642; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:53.251; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:54.123; 10. Michael Leib (USA, Yamaha), +1:09.346; 29. Sean Rowen Mitchell (ZIM, KTM), -1 lap(s); 36. Elliott Banks-Browne(GBR, KTM), -DNF

MX2 Moto 2

1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 39:24.388; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:02.231; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +0:43.372; 4. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:52.201; 5. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), +0:59.616; 6. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:18.428; 7. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:23.833; 8. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +1:26.744; 9. Harri Kullas (FIN, Suzuki), +1:29.499; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:29.660; 34.Sean Rowen Mitchell (ZIM, KTM), DNF; 35. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR, KTM), DNF

MX2 Overall

1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 45 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 43 p.; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 31 p.; 6. Harri Kullas (FIN, Suzuki), 28 p.; 7. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 24 p.; 8. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), 23 p.; 9. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), 22 p.; 35. Sean Rowen Mitchell (ZIM, KTM), 0 p.; 36. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR, KTM), 0 p.;

World Championship standings

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 94 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 87 p.; 3. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 85 p.; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 74 p.; 5. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 57 p.; 6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 51 p.; 7. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 48 p.;

8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 48 p.; 9. Harri Kullas (FIN, Suzuki), 43 p.; 10.Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), 38 p.;

EMX125 Classification and EMX125 Championship standings

1. Tim Gajser (SLO, KTM), 50 points; 2. Davide Bonini (ITA, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Jorge Zaragoza Beltran (ESP, Suzuki), 35 p.; 4. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Anton Lundgren (SWE, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Magne Klingshelm (NOR, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 8. James Dunn (GBR, KTM), 22 p.; 9. Jaap Corneth (NED, KTM), 20 p.; 10. Tommaso De Pietri (ITA, Suzuki), 18 p.;

Event Photo Gallery

HM Plant KTM UK launched the 2012 FIM Motocross World Championship with their new rider line-up at a rainy and cold Valkenswaard circuit for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands and the first round of sixteen in the series. It was a weekend of contrasting fortunes for the Irish squad asformer double MX1 World Championship runner-up Kevin Strijbos claimed theirbest ever finish in the premier class to-date with fifth position but some small mechanical gremlins prevented MX2 duo Elliott Banks-Browne and Sean Mitchell from aspiring to similar heights.

The Dutch sand offered its usual test of shallow but unforgiving bumps and ruts and watched by a crowd of 23,000 undeterred by the weather, the Grand Prix campaign got underway. Strijbos was eager to make amark in what was his first major international outing with the 350SX-F and after a winter of decent preparation under the guidance of Harry Everts. The Belgian forged two good starts among factory 450cc company and went out racing the track just as much as his rivals. Although he was powerless to prevent the strong Ken De Dycker depriving him of fifth by the end of the first moto of 35 minutes and 2 laps Strijbos was in a defiant mood in the second affair – run through the heaviest shower of the day – and surged up to fifth for what was an extremely creditable start to the ‘12 term.

In MX2 Banks-Browne was smashed to the ground by another rider in the first moto and although he was lucky to escape injury his 250SX-F was not so fortunate and he had to withdraw with a damaged motorcycle. In the second moto he had to pit for goggles in the wet conditions at one stage but a technical problem would ultimately end his participation. The same fate interrupted Mitchell’s efforts as the teenager wasn’t able to start the second moto and had earlier been on the fringes of the points in the first race only to slip back to 26^th by the flag.

Although nursing a recently sustained painful hand injury Natalie Kane was able to open the eight-round FIM Women’s World Championship with a brave and steady run to fifth position overall. Kane is back in action this coming weekend for the second race in France.

The three HM Plant KTM UK riders head to Sevlievo for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria in two weeks time and also have a trip to Italy before the end of the month.

Kevin Strijbos:

“I think overall it was a good day. In the first race I had good start and had some arm-pump. I couldn’t pass Boog for a couple of laps and I lost the back of the guys in front and had trouble closing the gap. Ken passed me towards the end of the race and I was able to follow him and it felt like the riding was a bit easier. In the second one I had another good start, around fifth, and then the bike stopped through my own fault. It took me a few seconds to restart but then I rode well to come back to fifth, especially because the front brake was dragging and it affected me over the jumps and in the corners. It wasn’t a bad day and the team have been working really hard. A big thanks to Harry Everts for helping me with my training. We had a lot ofheavy weeks leading up to here and I think it is paying off. We will see how things are in the coming races because it will be a completely different GP on the hardpack but we will fight for sure!”

Roger Magee, Team Principal:

“The first Grand Prix of the year and, because of my injury, the first race of the year for me. It was a tough weekend but we have to take a lot of positives out of it because we are running fifth in the MX1 World Championship with Kevin Strijbos and fifth in the Women’s World Championship with Natalie Kane and that’s the highest the team has been for the past few years, especially after the first round. Kevin continues to grow week by week and he was very strong today. His lap-times were excellent. With Natalie she suffered a slight crack in one of her fingers about ten days ago and she rode through the pain today, so we’re very happy with fifth. In MX2 Elliot and Sean had a very mixed day with Elliot being hit out of the first race and Sean was just running outside the points but he has shown a lot of improvement. There were a couple of technical problems but we’re on the case and we’ll look forward to the next GP in Bulgaria.”

MX1 Grand Prix classification and World Championship standings

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points;
2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 44 p.;
3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), 40 p.;
4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 32 p.;
5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, HM Plant KTM UK), 31 p.;
6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 31 p.;
7. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 29 p.;
8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 23 p.;
9. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 22 p.;
10. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 20 p.;

Event Photo Gallery

Photos by Ray Archer. Kevin Strijbos (22) and Elliott Banks Browne

Strijbos retains MX1 lead and Banks-Browne takes overall MX2 victory

It was a good day for the HM Plant KTM UK team at the second round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship that was held at Canada Heights in Kent (April 1).

Elliott Banks-Browne took a commanding win in the MX2 class while Kevin Strijbos finished fourth overall and maintained a healthy championship lead in the MX1 class.

Despite freezing temperatures through the night, the sun was shining come race time with temperatures way higher than expected for the start of April. The clement weather and the promise of awesome racing brought out a massive crowd who packed their way in to the Canada heights track for six thrilling championship motos.

After a tough opening round Elliott Banks-Browne started the day in eighth place in the MX2 championship chase but managed to jump up five spots in the standings by being the dominant rider at Canada Heights. Only a first race crash stopped Elliott from scoring maximum points but even with that fifth, he was able to halve the gap between himself and the championship pace setter and now sits just 14 points behind the new leader – Mel Pocock.

It was a topsy-turvy day in the MX1 division and although Kevin Strijbos only managed to run 9-2-2 in his three motos for fourth overall he was only a pair of points off winning the meeting outright as the first four all finished within two points of each other. Despite being disappointed not to finish on the podium Kevin retains the series leader’s red plate and sits on a healthy 16 point lead in the standings ahead of another KTM 350 SX-F mounted rider – Matiss Karro.

Sean Mitchell continued to battle away in the MX2 class although he struggled with the hardpack conditions after concentrating on sand riding in the early part of the season. Scoring in two motos out of three, Sean ended the day 25th overall and sits 23rd in the season standings. James Dunn meanwhile suffered with technical gremlins all day and is unable to score – he’ll be looking for better luck at round three where he’ll hope to improve on his championship ranking of 32nd.

The HM Plant KTM UK team’s next competitive outing will be the first round of the FIM World Championship that will be held at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands on April 8/9.

Kevin Strijbos MX1 #22

“It was a difficult day. The first race I hit another rider just after the gate and then in the first corner there was a crashed rider so I had to come from last to ninth. I didn’t feel so good here because it’s very narrow and there aren’t so many lines. In the second race I started second and I finished second. I tried to push Matiss but it just wasn’t possible because he was riding so good. The third race I thought I got a good start but I shut off the gas a little bit too early so I was between fifth and 10th on the first lap but I pushed hard and I felt my riding was better. It’s good to be leading the championship, I’m not happy I didn’t finish on the podium but I still have the red plate so I’m happy about that.”

Elliott Banks-Browne MX2 #44

“Qualifying was okay and I ended up sixth in Superpole. In the first race I got a good start and was running second before I made a pass for the lead. I started pulling away but I made a mistake and crashed and ended up fifth. Race two I took the holeshot and pulled out a good lead until the bike cut out. I got it going again and managed to pass the leader near the end to take my first big win of the year. The last race was more of the same – I holeshot and was just maintaining my lead when they stopped it early. I pulled some good points back in the championship so it’s been a good day.”

Photo - Ray Archer

Roger Magee: HM Plant KTM UK Team Manager

“Elliott Banks-Browne showed us his true potential today with his first ever MX2 British championship race victory in moto two which he backed up in race three to take the overall win and put himself in third place in the championship. He now sits just 14 points behind the new leader Mel Pocock. I think it showed today he has the legs on the competition and I think we can expect more wins at his home round at Lyng which is coming up next so he can close the gap in the championship and put himself in a position to bring home the title for KTM in 2012.

“Kevin Strijbos had another strong day and maintains a 16 point lead in the championship despite a few unfortunate incidents like being brought off in the first corner and a couple of not so good starts which is unusual following his form in the last few weeks. The MX1 class was very close today with only two points separating the top four so it was disappointing not to be on the podium but hats off to Matiss Karro for keeping the 350SX-F win streak alive for KTM in the British championship. Hopefully Kevin will be able to return to his winning ways at Lyng to extend his championship lead further.

“Sean Mitchell continues to improve with the team, scoring points in two out of three races. James Dunn meanwhile had one of those weekends to forget but we’ll put that down to experience and hopefully he’ll come back swinging at round three.”

Results

MX1 Overall result

1 Matiss Karro (STR KTM) 58 points, 2 Stephen Sword (TAS Suzuki) 58, 3 Shaun Simpson (Monster Energy Yamaha) 57, 4 Kevin Strijbos (HM Plant KTM UK) 56, 5 Kristian Whatley (PAR Honda) 46, 6 Marc de Reuver (Lanes Kawasaki) 40, 7 Dorren Coutts (PAR Honda) 38, 8 Martin Barr (LPE Kawasaki) 37, 9 Gert Krestinov (MVR-D Honda) 34, 10 Alex Snow (Lanes Kawasaki) 34

MX1 Series standings

1 Strijbos 131, 2 Karro 115, 3 Simpson 113, 4 Sword 101, 5 Krestinov 92, 6 Barr 87, 7 de Reuver 70, 8 Coutts 70, 9 Whatley 67, 10 Jason Dougan 64

MX2 Overall result

1 Elliott Banks-Browne  (HM Plant KTM UK) 66 points, 2 Neville Bradshaw (Evo-Tech Stevens Honda) 60, 3 Mel Pocock Monster Energy Yamaha) 60, 4 Nico Aubin (Buildbase Honda) 60, 5 Bryan MacKenzie (Rockstar KTM) 47, 6 Steven Lenoir (Samsung Yamaha) 40, 7 Connor Walkley (LPE Kawasaki) 32, 8 Jordan Booker (Buildbase Honda) 31, 9 Stuart Edmonds (TYCO Suzuki) 27, 10 Shane Carless (Rockstar KTM) 27… 25 Sean Mitchell (HM Plant KTM UK) 6

MX2 Series Standings

1 Pocock 118 points, 2 Bradshaw 108, 3 Banks-Browne 104, 4 Aubin 83, 5 Lenoir 81, 6 MacKenzie 76, 7 Booker 71, 8 Zach Osborne 69, 9 Edmonds 63, 10 Graeme Irwin 51… 23 Mitchell 14… 32 Dunn 6

Event Photo Gallery

If there had been any doubt leading up to the 2012 motocross racing season, by now it had been dispelled without doubt – Kevin Strijbos means business, and he came out of his corner swinging in the first races of the season. After a perfect outing at the British Championship opener, the Belgian HM Plant KTM rider returned to Dutch Soil for the third round of the Dutch Championships at Heerde.  A strong line-up, featuring a goodly number of GP riders, was ready for action, but Kevin is never one to shy away from a challenge.

Kevin rode smoothly during the qualifying session and got to know the track anew. He posted the fourth fastest time, but by the end of the shortish qualifying session he was well acquainted with the demands of the rough track, and ready to defend his corner.  The first heat had to be restarted  after the race had been stopped to clear a stricken rider off the track. Kevin had some problems off the start, and only bothered the scorers in 16th position at the first passing. He had the rocket fully lit, though, and cut through the field like the proverbial knife through butter. Producing the ride of the day, he shot to the front, and with a few laps to go, grasped the lead away from eternal rival, Evgeny Bobryshev. He kept the air in front of him clear for a few laps, but the exertions of the chase began to count against him towards the end of the race. Some  severe arm pump was his punishment, and this drove the pace down enough to allow Bobryshev to reclaim the lead. Kevin kept the Russian rider in check, and crossed the line in second position, less than 3 seconds adrift of the winner.

The first race result still left ample scope for overall victory on the day, but all these hopes went up in a cloud of sand as Kevin struck a soft spot in the track at the start of race two and succumbed to the effects of gravity. He had to dig himself out of the hole from 37th position, but again he was the rider that caught everyone’s attention, making forward progress like an attack missile on the way to a target. He finally made it all the way to fifth position, and by race end he was the fastest man on the track, but time ran out for him to clinch another position which would have yielded him the same points as overall winner Gautier Paulin. As it was, he scored yet another overall podium finish, and the trophy cabinet is starting to creak under the strain of the 2012 awards already.

Despite having missed the second round of the  series, Kevin  has moved to fifth in the championship standings. This certainly augurs well for the first Grand Prix at Valkenswaard which is looming large.

Results
Qualifying
Race 1
Race 2
Overall
Championship

Reporting by Tinus Nel

A huge crowd flocked to the deep sand circuit to enjoy a great day of racing in the spring sunshine. Strijbos absolutely dominated the MX1 class all day setting the fastest time in the Superpole session before leading all three 20-minute plus two lap motos from start to finish ending the day with maximum points. This means the Belgian rider takes a commanding lead into the second round of the championship where he’ll proudly run the red plate.

In the MX2 class Elliott Banks-Brown showed he has the speed and fitness to run at the front of the pack in 2012 and finished a fighting third in moto one even though early problems saw him slip down the leader board. A strong charge back through the pack saw him back in a podium position by the end of the race. Moto two brought even less luck for Elliott who was running third when technical problems brought his race to an early end. TheSuffolkspeedster regrouped and managed to safely bring home his KTM 250 SX-F for fourth place in moto three.

James Dunn and Sean Mitchell had a tough time in theYorkshiresand during their Maxxis debuts although they still both managed to score points. Although the plucky pair didn’t get the results they deserved on the day they learnt plenty and will be firing on all cylinders come round two of the championship.

The HM Plant KTMUKteam’s next competitive outing will be the second round of the Maxxis series that will be held atCanadaHeightsinKenton April 1.

Kevin Strijbos MX1 #22

“I won Superpole and then took the first race holeshot but in the beginning I was riding a little bit too tight and I got arm pump. I couldn’t push as hard as I’d like to but I had a big lead and I was able to manage that until the finish.

“The second moto was the same with another holeshot. This time the arm pump was a little bit less and I was able to win easily. Before the third race we changed some settings on the bike and it was a lot better – I could ride much easier and the big bumps weren’t so much of a problem. I’m very happy with the team and everything’s going well at the moment – I’m looking forwards to winning more races!”

Elliott Banks Browne MX2 #44

“Qualifying was good even though the track was really fast and everybody was going at the same speed. I got a good start in the first race, pulled through to fourth and I was right on the leaders when my bike stopped. I pulled off the track and managed to get it fired up again, got going in 10th then managed to pull my way through to third which was a pretty good ride.

“In the second race I got a bad start but was coming through pretty good, got into third and was closing in on second but the bike stopped again. I went out in moto three on my second bike and had some problems with the clutch but was able to keep going to finish fourth. It hasn’t been a good start to the championship but my speed feels good and my fitness is really good – hopefully I’ll be able to pull back some points atCanadaHeights.”

Sean Mitchell MX2 #50

“Qualifying didn’t go so well for me as it’s a new format that I’m not used to and I missed the board telling us that timed training had begun. I only put a couple of fast laps in which was enough for 28th but I wasn’t too disappointed because I knew I had more speed than that. In the first race I got a good start, went off the track at the back and lost a lot of places but I was able to pull back through to finish 13th which wasn’t a bad start to the season. In the second race I got a really good start and stayed fifth for a while until I had a big crash that broke the handlebars and ripped the throttle off. The third race again I had a good start but I’m still getting used to the suspension and I struggled to find a rhythm. I’m happy though and I’m looking forward to being able to dial in the bike and get inside the top 10!”

James Dunn MX2 #200

“I‘ve been working quite hard on my quick laps recently and all that work paid off with 14th in qualifying which I was pleased with. In the first race I got a good start and I was running seventh for a few laps until I had a bit of a crash that shook me up. I dropped back to 17th at the finish which was still quite good as I scored some points. The second race wasn’t so good as I had some technical problems and couldn’t finish which also meant I had to ride the 125cc two-stroke in the final race which was pretty cool and I’m always happy to ride that and I was able to score a couple more points. The track was really rough but I was able to push hard until the end. Considering it’s my first Maxxis I’m quite happy to have scored points in the two races I finished and I’m looking forwards to being able to push on throughout the year.”

Roger Magee: HM Plant KTM UK Team Manager

“Kevin Strijbos showed the competition just what he’s capable of in 2012 in his first ever visit to FatCat while most of his competition spent a good portion of the winter there. He showed that the 350 SX-F is the bike to have in the MX1 class and we can now look forward to the next round atCanadaHeightsand also to the first GP in Valkenswaard which is another sand circuit and should suit him down to the ground.

“Elliott Banks-Browne put in three good strong rides today – it’s just unfortunate he had some technical problems in race two. If it weren’t for those he’d have finished on the podium today. Sean Mitchell had a good result in race one but then had a big crash in race two – fortunately he’s okay – and in race three he was feeling very second-hand and finished further down the leader board. James Dunn showed he’s capable of running top-10 in the MX2 class but he had some problems today and the results didn’t show what he’s capable of or the effort he put in. The main thing is all four riders are healthy after today and we can now look forward toCanadaHeightsin three weeks time.”

Results

MX1 Overall result

1 Kevin Strijbos (HM Plant KTM UK) 75 points, 2 Gert Krestinov (MVR-D Honda) 58, 3 Matiss Karro (STR KTM) 57, 4 Shaun Simpson (Monster Energy Yamaha) 56, 5 Martin Barr (LPE Kawasaki) 50, 6 Jason Dougan (MVR-D Honda) 45, 7 Stephen Sword (TAS Suzuki) 43, 8 Jamie Law (D3-Racing KTM) 35, 9 Dorren Coutts (PAR Honda) 32, 10 Nathan Parker (STR KTM) 32

MX2 Overall result

1 Zach Osborne Monster Energy Yamaha 69 points, 2 Mel Pocock Monster Energy Yamaha 58, 3 Graeme Irwin Samsung Yamaha 51, 4 Arnaud Tonus (Monster Energy Yamaha) 50, 5 Neville Bradshaw (Evo-Tech Stevens Honda) 48, 6 Steven Lenoir (Samsung Yamaha) 41, 7 Jordan Booker (Buildbase Honda) 40, 8 Elliott Banks-Browne (HM Plant KTM UK) 40, 9 Stuart Edmonds (TAS Suzuki) 36, 10 Bryan MacKenzie (Rockstar KTM) 29… 23 Sean Mitchell (HM Plant KTM UK) 8, 24 James Dunn (HM Plant KTM UK) 7

(Championship positions as above)

For a full set of event results please copy and paste the following link into your web browser: http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=751729

Oss, Holland – first round of the ONK Dutch Championship

In international motocross racing terms, Kevin Strijbos is often a bit of an enigma. We alluded before to problems the unassuming Belgian  had encountered in seasons past, and this has often led to him being underestimated by the opposition, the industry media and the armchair critics who win Grand Prix races from behind their keyboards on the forums. Yet he has an innate ability which has seen him come surging back time after time, and  in so doing he claims his corner solidly, reminding the world at large that he can never be discounted.

Kevin’s outing at the Hawkstone Park international a week or so ago again underscored the fact that he knows full well what the twisty appliance under his right hand is for. Not only does it convert gasoline into one of the sweetest noises known to mankind, it converts can symphony of energy and mechanical interaction into forward  locomotion of the exciting kind. Having drawn his line in the sand (pun alert), Kevin was off to Oss for the first round of the Dutch Championships to build on his ever-improving early-season form. It took a fair bit of cajoling and re-aligning of the planets to get him entered, for it was a late decision by the team, but Renè Liekens, the gentleman of gentlemen who has moved mountains for so many motocrossers in his life, exercised the right mix of cajoling and firm pressure, and come race day, the HM Plant KTM and its rider were ready for action.

Now everyone knows that Holland doesn’t offer much in the way of elevation changes, but what little there is, is on full display at Oss. The track is generally enjoyed by riders and spectators alike, and Kevin took to it like a duck to water, posting the second fastest time in the qualifying session. The timing sheets were topped by Russian granite man Evgeny Bobryshev, who is widely tipped to be one of the serious contenders for world championship honours this year.

As 40 grunting, high powered monster machines tore away from the start in race 1, Kevin edged into the lead on Oss’ short uphill start. Bobryshev managed to make and early pass, but the Belgian clamped on with all the tenacity of a society lady grabbing the last handbag on sale.  He held onto second position for most of the race, but, as in the first race the week before, some arm-pump gremlins clambered out of the cupboard, and the resultant slacking of the pace allowed Ken De Dycker to move through into second spot. Kevin crossed the line in third position, with his mind firmly set on clinching a better position in race two.

Kevin certainly had his holeshot cereal for breakfast,  for again he claimed the early lead. In a carbon cop[y of race 1, Bobryshev stormed past, but this time the Belgian was better equipped. He settled into a good rhythm, always lurking with intent. When the Russian flagged somewhat with three laps to go, Kevin pounced, and surged into the lead. He was never challenged after that, and rode to a comfortable victory.

With third – and first in his races respectively, Kevin was called up to the podium to collect some silverware for second position overall. This is also his position in the championship standings after the first round of the series. “My riding and rhythm are improving all the time,” he said after the race.”In the first race I had some arm-pump again, but I had a smoother rhythm in race two and it felt easy. I am happy to have won the second race. It is a great mental boost for me to have been able to battle with Bobry, and I want to continue with my development throughout the season. I am really happy with my bike and team, and this helps me a lot in producing good results.”

Results
Qualifying
Race 1
Race 2
Overall