Valentin was back this weekend to the GP’s, alongside Dylan Ferrandis for the fifth round of the series on the fast hillside track on the outskirts of Sevlievo. They qualified in ninth (Dylan) and eleventh (Valentin) position on Saturday, and both were surprised on Sunday morning to do the warm up on a wet track after intense watering from the organizers.

Valentin Teillet made an heroic return from injury in Bulgaria to finish an astounding third in the opening moto; fourth at the start, Valentin did a perfect race and passed Butron in the eight lap to secure a fantastic third position behind Herlings and Tixier. His second start was again very good, and he advanced to sixth in the early stages of race before being forced to withdraw with a painful shoulder after a crash. He finish tenth overall of the event.

His young teammate Dylan Ferrandis had been most unfortunate in the first moto as he slipped to the ground in the hectic first turn when he was second, but he fought relentlessly to the chequered flag to finish nineteenth. He then reaped his just rewards in race two with an impressive ride from an initial twelfth to finish ninth. Next GP round in two weeks at Agueda (Portugal) after a French elite championship event this week-end in Villars sous Ecot.

Winner last year of the French Grand Prix in Castelnau de Levis, Livia Lancelot got another double win this weekend in the first ever Women European Motocross of Nations. Livia beats former double World Champion Steffie Laier in the first race, and then dominates reigning World Champion Chiara Fontanesi to win the event alongside Justine Charroux.

Valentin Teillet: “On Saturday it was pretty tough as my shoulder is not so strong, so I was satisfied with eleventh in the qualification. I felt better today, and in the first race I got a good start and then could keep my rhythm to finish third; that’s a great reward for my work with Jacky Vimond. I was in sixth position in the second race but I crashed on a downhill, I not quite sure what happened but I lost too much time to get back on the track to continue with the race. I will go to the doctors for them to look at my shoulder again this week as I never felt confident with it all weekend, and I want to understand why.”

Dylan Ferrandis:” I lost so much time with the crash at the first start that it was difficult to come back, but the second moto was much better. I feel that my speed is coming back, but I must get better starts and stay focused during the entire forty minutes. I will continue to work hard together with the team to get back to my best form; it is less than two months since I was able to start riding my bike again.”

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.

The fifth round of 17 was played out in front of 22,000 spectators surrounding the wide, fast hard-pack: Anstie had to enter the gate in 15th place on Saturday and his mid-gate position didn’t help with his starting prowess. The two 35 minute and two-lap motos were a test of overtaking skill and technique for the Brit as the grippy but flat terrain permitted few clear-cut passing opportunities and saw an elevated average speed.

Anstie worked his way from 21st to ninth in the first race; the highlight being an excellent double overtake on Dean Ferris and Mel Pocock. He slotted into the top 10 at the launch of the second sprint and pushed up to fourth position. Anstie circulated on the back wheel of Alessandro Lupino and gave all he had to try and relegate the Italian. Moving up to third would have allowed a spray of champagne but it wasn’t meant to be on this occasion.

Julien Lieber had to return home on Saturday afternoon after catching his foot on the ground and twisting his right knee. The young Belgian will head to the advanced Ortema facility first thing tomorrow morning for scans on the joint and for a full diagnosis.

Anstie has 128 MX2 World Championship points; just nine from Christophe Charlier and the top five of the standings. The Grand Prix of Portugal at Agueda is the next major appointment for the Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe team and will take place on May 5th.

Max Anstie:

“I felt strong. Each week we are improving and I’m learning about the bike and the team and they are learning about how I feel. We are getting better and stronger but we just need to figure out the gate. We got out of it in Qatar and Thailand but I had a poor qualification position and we paid the price for it today and had to push through. It made it a little bit difficult. I’m really looking forward to Portugal and also Brazil. It is about time we got on the podium now.”

MX2 Moto1: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:21.965; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:25.397; 3. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:36.700; 4. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:42.217; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:44.519; 6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:47.745; 7. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:55.354; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:56.889; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe), +0:57.451; 10. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +1:10.358.

MX2 Moto2: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 40:29.060; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:40.387; 3. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:44.302; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe), +0:47.967; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +1:02.871; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +1:10.192; 7. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:11.042; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:23.777; 9. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:24.743; 10. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT, KTM), +1:36.000.

MX2 Overall result: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 33 p.; 4. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Max Anstie (GBR, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe), 30 p.; 6. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 30 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29 p.; 8. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 26 p.; 9. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), 20 p.

MX2 World Championship Standings (after 5 of 17 rounds): 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 250 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 185 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 157 p.; 4. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 143 p.; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 137 p.; 6. Max Anstie (GBR, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe), 128 p.; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 115 p.; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 109 p.; 9. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 104 p.; 10. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), 98 p.; 11. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 87 p.; 12. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), 80 p.; 13. Julien Lieber (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe), 71 p.

The stylish Taiwanese-German sweated his way through two tough and sweltering motos at the Grand Prix venue to lift the crown for the German team in his first term with the squad.

Sevlievo basked in temperatures that topped 40 degrees and Hsu recovered from a start that saw him running eighth in the first moto to claim a top-three slot by the checkered flag. The teenager conserved energy for the second race where he aced the holeshot at the first corner and never looked back.

“I’m so happy we managed to win the Championship today,” he said. “Both races were very difficult because of the heat and I was a bit sick during the week after a stressful time in the UK for the European races last weekend. I was a bit careful in the first moto when I got to third because I knew it would be all about the second race. The bike worked really well and I have to give big thanks to my family, the team; and everyone who has helped us so far.”

Said Team Manager Thomas Ramsbacher: “We’re over the moon for Brian and for Suzuki. It is the kind of result we had set our highest hopes for at the start of the season and we knew we were up against a tough competitor in the category. Brian has learned a lot this year and to constantly develop is the only thing we can ask because we know his potential and we believe in what he can do.”

In other classes Italian Simone Furlotti was runner-up in the 125cc Junior World Championship on the RM125 and exciting Spaniard Jorge Zaragoza was fourth overall on the same machinery. Zaragoza was first and second-fastest in the first two sessions and went on to secure sixth and fourth positions in the motos.

85cc Race 1: 1. Austin Forkner (USA, Kawasaki), 24:51.527; 2. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +0:03.906; 3. Brian Hsu (GER, Suzuki), +0:25.259; 4. Jake Pinhancos (USA, Suzuki), +0:44.205; 5. Dovydas Karka (LTU, KTM), +0:46.098; 6. Tomas Ragadini (ITA, KTM), +0:46.750; 7. Enzo Lopes (BRA, KTM), +0:54.786; 8. Bradley Cox (RSA, KTM), +0:59.489; 9. Ivan Petrov (BUL, KTM), +0:59.759; 10. Lorenzo Camporese (ITA, KTM), +1:06.269.

85cc Race 2: 1. Brian Hsu (GER, Suzuki), 25:28.533; 2. Ivan Petrov (BUL, KTM), +0:15.466; 3. Austin Forkner (USA, Kawasaki), +0:18.148; 4. Tomas Ragadini (ITA, KTM), +0:20.216; 5. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +0:24.296; 6. Paolo Ricciutelli (ITA, KTM), +0:29.572; 7. Jake Pinhancos (USA, Suzuki), +0:31.970; 8. Filippo Zonta (ITA, KTM), +0:33.393; 9. Mitchell Evans (AUS, KTM), +0:45.869; 10. Bradley Cox (RSA, KTM), +0:50.398.

85cc Overall World Championship Results: 1. Brian Hsu (GER, Suzuki), 45 points; 2. Austin Forkner (USA, Kawasaki), 45 p.; 3. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Ivan Petrov (BUL, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Tomas Ragadini (ITA, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Jake Pinhancos (USA, Suzuki), 32 p.; 7. Bradley Cox (RSA, KTM), 24 p.; 8. Filippo Zonta (ITA, KTM), 23 p.; 9. Mitchell Evans (AUS, KTM), 18 p.; 10. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 18 p.