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Double points score for Simpson in Italy Team Wulfsport Kawasaki’s Shaun Simpson left a busy Grand Prix of Italy at the Mantova circuit today with 16th position overall after moto finishes of 20th and 11th through the rough sand on his KX250F. The fourth round of fifteen in the 2007 FIM Motocross World Championship took place in front of a noisy 29,000 crowd that enjoyed hot sunshine at the venue north of Bologna and east of Milan. Simpson equalled his personal best qualification on Sunday with a solid Heat race performance and sixth place. The result gave the Scot twelfth pick of slots in the start gate for Sunday. On a circuit that gave the riders plenty of air-time thanks to the many jumps but also a physical test due to the heat and rough nature of the sand. Simpson had a lonely first ride in the opening 35 minute and 2 lap race after colliding with another rider on the initial circulation and being forced to play catch-up to the pack. The teenager grinded the distance and laps down to regain ground and capture the last point for 20th. “I used second gear at the start of the first moto and the bike just bogged basically,” he admitted. “The dirt was really loamy in the first ten metres and I had a new tyre; it just soaked all the power. I got a bad start and I thought I would turn on the inside of the corner like I did yesterday in the heat race but it didn’t really work out. I was around 18th or 19th on the first lap and then came together with Boissiere and crashed. I worked my ass off for the whole race on my own and my pace was not bad but I could not really catch as many guys as I wanted. In the last couple of laps I had some action and managed to score one point, which was probably the hardest race ever for one point!” For the second MX2 moto later in the afternoon the track had been carved into its roughest state yet, littered with braking bumps and holes. Simpson gave a much better account of himself and displayed the speed and determination that is quickly marking his best season yet, both internationally and on the domestic scene. He held a top ten position for a lengthy period of the race and was just pipped to 10th on the last lap. “In the second moto I got a good jump but was a little bit boxed-in on the start,” he continued. “I was running tenth for the majority of the race, got into ninth then Hamblin got by me on the last lap. It was a tough race and in the last four or five laps I was definitely feeling it. This was my first GP in a while where I have managed to get two motos under my belt. I pulled in from the first moto in Spain and then in Portugal we had some bike trouble. Overall it has been a good weekend with eleven points.” In other news MX1 rider - and new father -Mark Jones is set to undergo an examination on his injured knee next month and if the Welshman continues his positive course of rehabilitation then he could be set for a racing return at Whitby and the sixth round of the 2007 Maxxis British Championship on July 8th. “Saturday started off well with sixth place in qualification which proved that Shaun can run at that level,” commented Team Manager Roger Magee. “The first moto was a bit disappointing with the bad start and the collision on the first lap but he came back well to get that one point. The second race saw an encouraging scrap around the top ten and that result puts us twentieth in the championship and only eleven points off the top fifteen. We will definitely be taking Shaun to Japan for the team’s first trip out there and I have to thank Jan de Groot (Kawasaki Racing Team Manager) and Kawasaki Europe for their logistic assistance in the organisation.” “Regarding our MX1 rider Mark Jones, he goes back to the specialist in Belgium on June 19th and if he has continued to make the good progress that he has of late then he hopes to get the all-clear to start riding,” he added. “We hope he might be back for Whitby. I would like to wish Mark and his wife Emma all the best after their new baby son Jake arrived last Monday.” Simpson currently
lies 20th in the series standings as the first third of the season
is almost over. Team Wulfsport will now travel directly north to
Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany next weekend. Simpson
will then have a free weekend before preparing to travel to Japan
for the first time and the sixth round of the World Championship
at the Sugo circuit.
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