Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 riders Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos grabbed second and third positions overall on their RM-Z450s at an overcast Beto Carrero for round seven of 17 in the FIM Motocross World Championship in front of 45,000 spectators.

Cloudy, humid and rainy conditions affected the meeting at the impressive facility north of Florianopolis. Showers throughout the night and also light downpours during race day kept the red terrain slick and clumpy. The layout itself was a tight and twisty combination of jumps, waves and off-cambers where overtaking needed a considered move.

Desalle began the Grand Prix in good form and rode to a fast and easy second place on Saturday for the second choice of slots in the gate for the first MX1 moto. The last running of the Superfinal format for the season saw the Belgian take to the line according to his championship position, so that meant one rank lower and third spot.

The opening moto of the day saw Desalle – celebrating his 24th Birthday – chasing Max Nagl for second position. He was a constant threat behind the German and attacked hard in the final laps but was unable to relegate his rival and secured third place, although was not so content with his rhythm across the Brazilian surface. Desalle again got away positively in the Superfinal and endured a relatively lonely ride to third once more. His combined points total gave him the runner-up ranking for the Grand Prix behind Antonio Cairoli and ensured his fifth spray of champagne this season.

Strijbos maintained his positive run of results in Brazil: The Belgian took a modest and solitary sixth place in the first moto but his fiery start into the lead of the Superfinal was electric stuff. He fronted 16 of the 19 laps ahead of the best 20 MX1 and MX2 riders in the world and was just edged out from victory by Cairoli in the closing stages. His second position was still enough to ensure his second podium in Brazil (the first in 2012) and first in yellow since 2007.

Both riders will now head to the United States to contest the second and third races of the Lucas Oil Pro MX Championship at Thunder Valley at Lakewood, Colorado; and then Blountville in Tennessee the following Saturday before flying back to Europe.

The next Grand Prix appointment for the team will be in Ernee, France on June 8th-9th.

Clement Desalle:

“After the big crash in Portugal I couldn’t really train like I wanted in the week and I could feel it this weekend. It is really positive to get up here on the podium because my feeling was not that perfect on the track, especially in the second moto where the weather and conditions seemed to get to me a little bit. I had a good battle with Max in the first moto and sometimes it was a bit frustrating. I had a small problem with my goggles and lost a second-and-a-half at one point but was able to fight back. We were together the whole race. I felt that the track was short for a 450. It was not that tricky because the speed wasn’t so high but there were a lot of jumps and waves and other stuff. The ground was good and I could control the power of the bike with plenty of traction so that was a positive thing. I think the track would be better if there were some simpler sections. We go to America now and this will be a different kind of training and hopefully a good experience.”

Kevin Strijbos:

“I felt really good out there, especially in the second moto! We had a good weekend in terms of getting the set-up right and we made the right choice with my rear shock and then made another change for the second moto. I enjoyed that holeshot and I pushed really hard in the beginning because I knew I would need a gap over Tony when I saw he was in second place. Later on he came closer and closer and I got a bit tired, Tony passed me in a corner and I couldn’t really follow him and he made the gap quickly with just two laps to go. In the end I’m really happy to be on the podium again and to take the first one of the season. We worked really hard in the winter and I hope there will be more trophies ahead!”

MX1 Moto1: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:15.493; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:03.017; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:04.748; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:24.442; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:30.333; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:36.445; 7. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:46.472; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:49.004; 9. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:50.898; 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, Yamaha), +0:53.195.

Superfinal classification: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:49.230; 2. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:02.830; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:25.606; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:31.078; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:41.121; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:44.766; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:45.861; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:50.619; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:03.885; 10. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:09.255.

MX1 Overall result: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 40 p.; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 37 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 37 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 36 p.; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 29 p.; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 9. Joel Roelants (BEL, Yamaha), 20 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, TM), 19 p.

MX1 World Championship Standings (after 7 of 17 rounds): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 330 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 278 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 267 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 245 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 220 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 205 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 169 p.; 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 148 p.; 9. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 138 p.; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 130 p.

Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Clement Desalle was one of the three fastest riders in the premier MX1 class of the FIM Motocross World Championship at a hot and sunny Grand Prix of Portugal.

The Belgian finished third overall at Agueda for the sixth round of 17 in the series, in front of 15,000 spectators, after battling with Gautier Paulin and Antonio Cairoli in both motos on his factory RM-Z450. Desalle survived a heavy second moto crash while trying to pass Paulin for second place to be able to spray champagne for the fourth time in 2013.

Agueda was a brutal mix of speed, bumps, ruts and forced concentration. The physical and mental demands throughout the two 35-minute and two-lap motos meant it was one of the hardest tracks of the series so far. Desalle came into the weekend as one of the favourites for victory thanks to success in the previous three visits to Agueda. Signs were positive on Saturday as he secured his first pole position of the season, but the terrain was heavily watered through Saturday evening and it meant a deeper and rougher course for Sunday where a single, quick racing line was prevalent.

Desalle had two good starts and together with Paulin and Cairoli set a frantic pace at the front. The 23 year old was frustrated in the first moto with an inability to overtake and a lack of comfort across the Portuguese dirt. He was able to finish second after Cairoli crashed in the closing stages. In the second affair he trailed Paulin for practically the entire distance as Cairoli led. A valiant attack on the penultimate lap cost him when a longer landing from the table-top nearest the crowd threw him into the braking bumps and pitched him off the saddle. Nursing pain in his back and neck Desalle was able to retrieve the bike and motored around the final lap-and-a-half to take fifth.

Team-mate Kevin Strijbos had a weekend to forget. The Belgian was not able to find a groove with the devilish hard-pack and the combination of mediocre starts and heavy arm-pump problems in the first moto eroded his capabilities for a top-five result. The Belgian struggled to 10th in the initial outing and a change of rear suspension helped improve his feeling for the second sprint. A better placing of ninth meant the same spot in the final MX1 ranking.

Desalle is third in the MX1 table and just 15 points behind Paulin while Strijbos is fifth and three points in front of Tommy Searle.

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 will now immediately prepare for freight with the factory RM-Z material due to be shipped to Beto Carrero where the Grand Prix of Brazil will entertain round seven of the FIM Motocross World Championship on May 19th.

Clement Desalle:

“What can I say? In the first moto I had good speed but I struggled the whole heat. I wasn’t relaxed and couldn’t find my rhythm. It was not so good, but also not so bad to finish third. In the next moto I was fourth at the start but it was the same thing: I was stuck behind Paulin and found it really difficult to pass. I couldn’t find a way, and Cairoli was just ahead. In the last two laps I said to myself ‘it’s now or never’. I did a good lap-time and got really close to Paulin but had a big crash in the braking bumps and now I have pain everywhere. I picked up the bike and could finish the race but my neck and back is painful. I was in the medical centre and they said I was OK but if tomorrow it is worse then I will go for a scan on Tuesday. I just went into that jump a bit faster than previous laps and the bumps kicked me over the top. I can’t remember if the bike hit me or not. It was a hard track but I liked it. I’m disappointed because I felt like I could win the GP. The two guys were just in front of me. Anyway, I did my best and I can only hope for some more fortune in the next races.”

Kevin Strijbos:

“A bad weekend overall and I couldn’t get going with the track. Yesterday I had arm-pump and had it again after the first lap of the first moto. I just rode around for the 40 minutes and couldn’t pass riders that I normally would do in one corner. I was so angry after that race. We tried a new shock for the second moto and it was better and I had less arm-pump but couldn’t find any aggression. I really don’t know why. A bad GP: I expected a lot coming here because I’ve had some decent results in the past. I know the track gets rough and I can be good on it, but today was not my day.”

MX1 Moto1: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 39:41.179; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:20.053; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:36.700; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:41.427; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:44.140; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:46.236; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +1:19.715; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +1:23.112; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +1:28.350; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +1:30.680.

MX1 Moto2: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:56.650; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:03.804; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:08.306; 4. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:08.912; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:21.757; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:23.805; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:28.000; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:33.464; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:39.969; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, TM), +0:51.773.

MX1 Overall result: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 47 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 45 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 38 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 33 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 32 p.; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 31 p.; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 26 p.; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 23 p.; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 22 p.

MX1 World Championship Standings (after 6 of 17 rounds): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 280 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 242 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 227 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 217 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 183 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 180 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 132 p.; 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 131 p.; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 112 p.; 10. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 109 p.

Sevlievo was hard-pack, ample and fast meaning the slightest mistake was costly and creating, or eroding, any differences on other riders was extremely tricky due to the closeness of the lap-times. Both Desalle and Strijbos – on their works RM-Z450 – gave an excellent demonstration of the character of the hilly circuit that was crowded by 22,000 spectators.

In the first moto it was Strijbos who slotted into second position and had Desalle as a shadow for virtually the entire 35 minute and two-lap distance. The pair formation-flew until Desalle ’switched off’ for two circulations, made an error and was victim to an emerging gap to the #22. A renewed effort was finally rewarded with an overtaking move for #25 but Strijbos replied instantly and was then able to control the duel until the finish line for his best race finish in ‘yellow’ and since coming back to the factory set-up.

Desalle had the initiative in the second moto. This time it was the younger Belgian who had to play the role of being the ‘hunted’ in what was a tussle for third spot. Strijbos was handicapped by faulty goggles that affected his vision but still showed his team-mate a front wheel on several occasions. By the chequered flag it was Desalle’s second moto classification that decided the final rostrum as the duo tied on points and Strijbos had to feel content with fourth overall.

Both Suzuki riders pocketed a tidy bag of numbers for their world championship standing. In the MX1 points table Desalle holds third and is six points off second place. Strijbos is fifth. The FIM Motocross World Championship will gather again in two weeks time for the Grand Prix of Portugal at the customary venue of Agueda, south of Porto.

Clement Desalle:

“I’m happy to take my first podium in Europe! I had some bad luck in the last two grands prix and I was disappointed about that so it feels good to be back. I had some good starts and I’m happy about that and was with Kevin for most the day. Some moves were really close and we had to be careful! It was a good battle for sure and we rode together for almost every lap. I tried some stuff to pass him in the first moto but then had two laps of making mistakes and he made a gap. I concentrated again and got close and then passed him but he came straight back; I didn’t expect him to come so close. Anyway, no crashes, good fighting and this result feels good.”

Kevin Strijbos:

“It was good today. I got most of it right in the first race; at the end my team-mate passed me and I could get him right back, so I was happy with that. In the second race I felt OK, got a good start but Tony ran wide, hit the berm and I had to slow down a little bit so not to hit him. I was fourth and stayed there the whole time! I was pushing hard but on the fifth lap a rock hit my goggle and the lens popped out, and that was about it. I couldn’t get close to Clement and every time I did I had sand in my face and it was flying around when I was going over the jumps. I wasn’t happy about that but overall it has been a good weekend. I had good speed for the podium and now I’ll work a bit more to try and make it happen in Portugal.”

MX1 Moto1: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 40:14.945; 2. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:04.689; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:06.006; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:30.205; 5. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:35.733; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:40.606; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:45.322; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:52.735; 9. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +1:05.573; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:14.625.

MX1 Moto2: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:00.784; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:02.888; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:07.415; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:08.501; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:40.876; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:44.408; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:47.683; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:48.078; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:56.418; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:01.838.

MX1 Overall result: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 47 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 43 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 40 p.; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 40 p.; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 29 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 29 p.; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 28 p.; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 25 p.; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 25 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 22 p

MX1 World Championship Standings (after 5 of 17 rounds): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 235 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 195 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 189 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 183 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 160 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 147 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 109 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 100 p.; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 90 p.; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 87 p.

Clement Desalle guided his works RM-Z450 to third position in the opening moto watched by 23,000 spectators in the shade of the Dolomite Mountains in northern Italy. The twisty, narrow, hard-pack and slippery circuit – formed from a bumpy terrain littered with ripples and braking bumps – was hardly a breeze for overtaking and the Belgian was frustrated not to be able to pass Gautier Paulin for the runner-up position.

Desalle planned a renewed attack in the second race of 35 minutes and two laps duration but his strategy was ruined on the second corner when a collision sent him to the ground. Restarting almost in last spot, a long outing eventually ended with a damage-limiting eighth to put the Qatar GP winner in fourth place overall.

Kevin Strijbos was fifth in the final MX1 listing: The Belgian endured arm-pump and lack of conviction across the Italian soil in the first moto on his way to an otherwise satisfactory sixth position. Tucking into the slipstream of Paulin as the duo cut through the top 10 in the second race paid dividends as Strijbos was able to scale the rankings faster and took his ‘#22′ RM-Z450 to fifth.

Desalle is now third in the points standing but will swiftly have the chance to reverse his luck with round five taking place at Sevlievo for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria next weekend. Strijbos is fifth as the team continues its steady launch to the 2013 campaign.

Clement Desalle:

“The first moto was not too bad but I was disappointed because I was stuck too long behind Gautier Paulin and I could not pass him. My start was better in the second moto. I was third but in the second corner I touched Searle and it was like my bike was glued to his. I don’t know what happened. I restarted last and on the second lap I crashed again. I came back to eighth but it was a bad day. My work didn’t pay anything back.”

Kevin Strijbos:

“I was OK today. I didn’t have a good feeling in the first race and when I was behind Leok I was stuck there for a bit and by the time I passed him there was a big gap to the others. Sixth wasn’t too bad but I wasn’t that happy because I didn’t feel sharp and was tired in my arms. I was anxious about the second moto because I wasn’t sure how I would get on. My jump was good but the wheel span on part of the gate and then someone – I think it was Simpson – came right across from the inside and hit me all the way to the outside. It felt like I was almost last! The speed and riding was good after that and I moved forward with Gautier and every time he overtook I was able to go past also. I ended up having more confidence than the first moto and I hope I can start the Grand Prix next week with this good feeling from the beginning. I think I can make the podium soon. The pace is there, I just need a few small things to click into place.”

MX1 Moto1: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:31.783; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:03.045; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:04.537; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:41.728; 5. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:46.724; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:50.663; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:56.209; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:57.255; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, TM), +1:00.618; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:22.412.

MX1 Moto2: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 41:03.682; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:06.931; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:11.561; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.281; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:18.686; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:31.259; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:32.388; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:33.570; 9. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), +0:41.915; 10. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:45.159.

MX1 Overall result: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 33 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 31 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 31 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 30 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 27 p.; 9. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 10. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 20 p.;

MX1 World Championship Standings (after 4 of 18 rounds): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 192 points; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 155 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 149 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 148 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 120 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 118 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 89 p.; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 87 p.; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 83 p.; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 75 p.

Desalle opted for get the best possible preparation for this coming weekend’s Italian GP at the second round of the French ‘Elite MotoCross’ Championship. He grabbed the holeshot on his RM-Z450 in the first race and kept the lead until the end in front of Sebastien Pourcel and Milko Potisek. The Belgian had a more difficult start in the Superfinal – which combined both MX1 and MX2 classes – but quickly worked his way back up to the top spot again and recorded a perfect 1-1 scorecard.

Strijbos struggled to find a good suspension balance, but managed to finish 3rd behind Ken De Dycker (KTM) and Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda) in the opening French Championship at Mons. With a better set-up found in the second heat, Strijbos found himself in second position behind a strong De Dycker with Bobryshev in third.

Clement Desalle:

“The race went well; it was a bit cold in the morning but it got really good in the afternoon, which were basically the best conditions for this track. The track was perfectly prepared and the soil is very similar to the that from the GP in Arco Di Trento next weekend. I managed to work on a few points and had a good training overall.”

Kevin Strijbos:

“After the suspension troubles last weekend we decided to try out some more settings to find the best setup for the next GP. In the first heat we still didn’t have the best setup, got to third but couldn’t push forward to be able to fight with Bobryshev and De Dycker. We found a better set-up for the second heat which I’m pretty happy about. De Dycker created quite a gap after putting in two super-fast laps in the first couple of rounds, but after that I managed to keep a similar speed, and after Ken got caught in traffic, I even got back close to him. Overall I’m pretty happy with the work we did over the weekend and some improvements we made on the bike.”

Overall results ‘Elite Motocross’ – Lacapelle-Marival, France: 1. Clement Desalle (Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1) (25-25) – 2. Sebastien Pourcel (KTM) (22-22) – 3. Milko Potisek (Yamaha) (20-20) – 4. Dylan Ferrandis (Kawasaki) (22-16) – 5. Valentin Teillet (Kawasaki) (25-11).

Overall results ‘Belgian Masters of Moto-X ‘ Mons, Belgium: 1. Ken De Dycker (KTM), 50p – 2. Kevin Strijbos (Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 42p – 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda), 42p – 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (Kawasaki), 36p. – 5. Shaun Simpson (TM), 32p.