Staged amidst the refreshing greenery of the rolling countryside in Winchester, England, one of the greatest circuits on the calendar, Matterley Basin, gears up to host round eight of the FIM Motocross World Championship with support classes; round three of the European Championships EMX250 and EMX300 and round two of the Honda EMX150.
MXGP
Coming fresh off of his first double victory since round fourteen of the 2013 series, last year’s round of Great Britain victor Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle will be radiating confidence this weekend as he continues in his attempt to chip away at the MXGP championship lead.
The most consistent rider this year, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek’s trophy cabinet is starting to fill up fast. While the silver wear continues to glisten as the young Belgian continues to shine, it will be a good idea to keep a firm eye on him as he inches closer to his first ever MXGP victory.
Taking his place as the third Belgian inside the top four, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s veteran Kevin Strijbos is currently teaching the youngsters a thing or two as he sits a lonely fourth in the championship standings, fifty-six points shy of Van Horebeek in third, and fifteen points ahead of injured Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team rider Gautier Paulin in fifth.
Meanwhile the red plate holder, reigning champ and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Antonio Cairoli had a rough weekend in Spain, but was nothing in comparison to how tough the following week turned out to be. At the press conference in Talavera de la Reina, the seven-times world champion mentioned he looks forward to racing in Matterley Basin because it is a great track, wide with plenty of lines. Now, after the tragic passing of his father, a couple days after MXGP of Spain, the Italian will be riding with a new angel on his shoulder and it would be no surprise to see him land back on top of the box.
Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev came out swinging in Matterley Basin last year taking two fourths for his second podium finish of the year. Meanwhile, the local kids are set to rev the crowd up this weekend. Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM’s Shaun Simpson has been tearing up the British championship this year and isn’t doing too shabby in MXGP standings either as he currently holds on to eleventh place, only ten points shy of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing’s Steven Frossard in seventh.
Wilvo Forkrent KTM’s Jake Nicholls punched in a career best finish at the last round of MXGP in Spain with a remarkable sixth overall. It’s easy to forget the Brit is a rookie in MXGP, and last season in Matterley he fought for the MX2 overall, meaning big things could be on the horizon for the youngster this weekend.
It will be a red flag and re-start for CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy MXGP’s Tommy Searle, who made a brief appearance at MXGP of The Netherlands in Valkenswaard before deciding it was too early to come back. Now with more laps under his belt, more training and more confidence, there’s no reason why the British fan favourite won’t be charging for a solid spot inside the top ten.
Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 304 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 280 p.; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 276 p.; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 220 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 205 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 166 p.; 7. Steven Frossard (FRA, KAW), 142 p.; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 136 p.; 9. Joel Roelants (BEL, HON), 134 p.; 10. Xavier Boog (FRA, HON), 134 p.
MX2
“I haven’t ridden enough this year”, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings stressed throughout the press conferences at the beginning of the year raising questions, is it for real or is it just and excuse and the other guys have just stepped up their game? After the last two rounds it is safe to say it was a legitimate excuse, and now ‘The Bullet’ is officially back, and is all set to make a statement as he heads for his third consecutive world title.
While both CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy riders Dylan Ferrandis and Arnaud Tonus have had a taste of glory this year, the duo have realized there is no time to rest on their laurels as the Flying Dutchman has returned to full speed and it is going to take something special to slow him down.
As for Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre, the French youngster has had the heart of a lion over the last couple of rounds but will need to find a way to iron out the kinks if he is to challenge for a podium finish at the end of the year. Meanwhile it’s back to the drawing board for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier as he continues to plug away in hopes of defending his number two ranking.
As for the mystery man and local hero BikeIT Yamaha Cosworths Max Anstie, he will definitely be hoping to walk the talk this weekend. The humorous Brit is always in great spirits, and is enjoyable to watch on the track. When his head is in the right space, there is no doubt the friendly red head can fight for a win.
TIMETABLE
SATURDAY: EMX300 Free/Timed Practice 07:45; EMX150 Free/Timed Practice 08:20; EMX250 Group 1 Free/Timed Practice 08:55; EMX250 Group 2 Free/Timed Practice 09:30; MX2 Free Practice 10:15; MXGP Free Practice 10:45; EMX250 Last chance qualifying race 12:15; EMX150 Race 1 13:00; MX2 Time practice 14:00; MXGP Time practice 14:35; EMX300 Race 1 15:20; MX2 Qualifying race 16:10; MXGP Qualifying race 17:00; EMX250 Race 1 17:40.
SUNDAY: EMX300 Warm-up 08:15; EMX150 Warm-up 08:30; EMX250 Warm-up 08:50; MX2 Warm-up 09:15; MXGP Warm-up 09:40; EMX300 Race 2 10:10; EMX150 Race 2 11:00; EMX250 Race 2 12:00; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.