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Simpson chalks up more points in Germany A 33,000 spectator-packed Talkessel circuit just outside of Teutschenthal hosted a cloudy Grand Prix of Germany and the fifth round of fifteen in the 2007 FIM Motocross World Championship. Team Wulfsport Kawasaki’s Shaun Simpson left with eight points for a hard-earned thirteenth position in the first of two motos. The sunken undulations at the venue close to the city of Halle had undergone some revisions for the seventh consecutive Grand Prix at the site with more than 36 years of motocross heritage. The fast and hard-pack layout is starting to show its age and offers little in the way of a difficult technical challenge, instead being a test of nerve and horsepower with mistakes proving costly in the mainly spread-out pack. The MX2 class, including Simpson with his KX250F, faced a Timed Practice period on Saturday after the qualification heats were cancelled due to a delayed schedule. The Saturday programme was reduced after severe winds on Friday damaged part of the circuit set-up. Simpson was 22nd quickest in the 30 minute chrono and had his work cut out around the first corner. A decent start out of the gate of 30 riders was a precious commodity at a course that largely determined the running order by the end of the first lap. The Scot got off to a mediocre start but rode without any mistakes to creep his way into the top thirteen; his highest first moto finish this season. In the second race he was running mid-pack until losing traction on a damp part of the track and skidding over the finish jump. The prang put him to the back of the field and he circulated out of the points. He was nineteenth overall. “I wasn’t too keen on the track to be honest,” he said. “Some of the changes they made were alright and the sandy section was OK with a few lines going through it but mainly it wasn’t any better than last year. There was just one groove that was about six foot wide the whole way round that was getting used.” “In the first race I didn’t get such a good start and came through around 18th or something like that,” he continued. “I picked a couple of guys off, a few crashed and I rode a steady race. I was quite pleased with 13th as that was the first time I had made a good result in the first moto. The second start was OK and I cut through on the inside to be mid-pack but they had watered the take-off to a jump and as I came around I put the power down and it spun out. I kept going after that for a bit of training as there was not much point in pulling in. It was a good-day-bad-day and now we are looking forward to Japan. The track looks good there and it will be a new experience.” Shaun,
who earlier this year led the British Championship and remains one
of the UK’s small elite on the MX GP scene, is currently hanging
onto the top twenty in the standings. Team Wulfsport will now enjoy
a rare break after four Grand Prix in five weeks before preparing
for their first ever trip to Japan and the sixth round of the FIM
series at Sugo.
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