Fermo, Italy – 12th Sept 2010 – World Championship

Nicholls ends 2010 GP series with 13th

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK’s Jake Nicholls took his ratio of top ten race results to virtually 50% for the 2010 FIM Motocross World Championship as he collected 10th and 8th to place eighth overall at Fermo for the Grand Prix of Italy and the final round of the campaign. Nicholls capabilities across the partially rough but fast and hilly circuit near the Adriatic Sea guaranteed an accumulation of 24 points and confirmed his slot of 13th in the final MX2 standings for the year.

22,500 spectators travelled to the fifteenth and last event of the season and decent weather conditions meant the Italian hard-pack was a flat and fast prospect with many jumps to pull the timing of the riders to the fore.

Nicholls made two reasonable starts on his 250SX-F and followed Christophe Charlier in the first moto before enjoying a more promising outing in the second sprint of 35 minutes and 2 laps to cross the finish line with eighth. Team-mate Alex Eriksson completed his last outing for the British team and came nearer to the points than ever with 25th and 21st positions.

Fermo saw the Women’s World Championship come to a close and Natalie Kane has finished the seven-round contest with 6th place. The Irishwoman didn’t have the best meeting in Italy. She crashed in the first moto to come back from outside of the top thirty and take points for 17th. At the start of the second race a technical problem meant the bike refused to fire.

Nicholls has improved his standing at the highest level of motocross racing by four positions compared to his breakthrough campaign in 2009. He reached a personal best moto finish of 5th in Catalunya and scored points in twenty consecutive motos (one of only several riders to do so) until his mechanical misfortune in Belgium for round eleven. He grabbed fourteen top ten results from thirty races.

The FIM World Championship may have ceased for another year but HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK still have a few busy weeks ahead. Both Nicholls and Eriksson are privileged to be picked to represent their countries at the biggest race of the season – the Motocross of Nations – now reaching its 64th edition at Thunder Valley near Denver. After the trip to the US on September 26th the final meeting of the Maxxis British Championship will occur in the dark sand of Hawkstone Park where Nicholls is still in contention for the MX2 title.

Jake Nicholls:

“I’m happy to end on a note like this and it’s how we started the season. I feel I have progressed this year even if I did have a few dips and a few things go wrong but those are parts of the sport you have to accept. I only wished I had the speed at the start of the last moto as I did at the end because I might have done a lot better. I did my best today however, and all through the season, and we still have a few meetings to look forward to!”

Alex Eriksson:

“I have been getting closer and closer to the points and my riding has been getting better so it is a little bit sad to do this last GP for the team. It has been a nice adventure and a fun time with the guys.”

Roger Magee, Team Principal:

“It was a good weekend for Jake with eighth and tenth and shows that he has that ability to comfortably be in the top ten and hopefully next year he can pick it up and break into the top six. We now look forward to the Motocross of Nations where he will represent Britain for the first time. Natalie had a poor weekend by her standards and it was a disappointing way to finish the season but we are happy with her sixth in the championship against tough opposition. Alex came into team to replace Graeme and almost grabbed a point today. He has made progress since he came into the team.”

Results

MX2 Moto1

1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), 39:38.851; 2. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +0:16.380; 3. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), +0:47.631; 4. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:04.997; 5. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:11.754; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), +1:22.380; 7. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), +1:23.686; 8. Nick Triest (BEL, KTM), +2:20.793; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 10. Matiss Karro (LAT, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 13. Jake Nicholls (GBR, HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK)

MX2 Moto2

1. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 40:17.580; 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), +0:12.174; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:12.729; 4. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +0:48.507; 5. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), +1:57.745; 6. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +2:11.606; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +2:29.973; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 9. Valentin Teillet (FRA, KTM), -1 lap(s); 10. Jake Nicholls (GBR, HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK), -1 lap(s);

MX2 Overall result

1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), 45 points; 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 30 p.; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), 28 p.; 7. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 25 p.; 8. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 25 p.; 9. Valentin Teillet (FRA, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Jake Nicholls (GBR, HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK), 19 p.;

MX2 world championship standings after 14 of 15 rounds

1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 613 points; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 524 p.; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 446 p.; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 391 p.; 5. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 368 p.; 6. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 366 p.; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 361 p.; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), 356 p.; 9. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 345 p.; 10. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 310 p.; 13. Jake Nicholls (GBR, HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK), 217 p

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