The Northampton Schoolboy motocross Club played host to round five of the BYMX Championships, held at Woodford near Kettering at the weekend, with Relentless Suzuki Youth Academy riders James Dunn and Luke Dean participating in separate classes on their Suzuki RM85 machines

The weekend was full of mixed results for both the riders, but the overall results left them still in the running for the championship standings. With the track demanding a good start it was to see James taking the chequered flag with four top ten positions, including two podiums. This would see the small wheel 85 rider come away from the weekend with a fourth overall, but as luck would have it the current leader Jordan Godwin took sixth overall, so would see Dunn still claiming second in the championship standings and only 22 points separating the pair.

Luke Dean was to take his big wheel RM85 to podium positions having a great day on Saturday with first and second claimed. The Sunday however was to see a slightly different format, finishing in sixth and seventh positions. This would still see him taking second overall from the weekend, and a few positions claimed in the championship.

The next BYMX round is to be held at Cusses Gorse in August on Saturday and Sunday 23rd and 24th.

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Relentless Suzuki Enduro rider, Paul Edmondson, prepares this week for the British round of the World Enduro Championship taking place at the Hafren Forest in Wales at the weekend.

Riding the two-stroke RM250, Edmondson makes a return to the world stage, where he recorded four championship titles and still retains the accolade of being the longest serving rider in the series history.

Talking about his return to the WEC, Edmondson commented, “I’m really looking forward to riding again next weekend. I’ve enjoyed a great deal of success in the championship over the years and using the RM250 gives me added confidence for the potentially tricky conditions.”

Edmondson, who suffered a rare ‘DNF’ at the Welsh Two Day Enduro last month, injuring his hand in the process, is almost back to full-strength and expects to be able to contest for a top spot after a promising ride last weekend in the Great Britain X Country event at Llanarmon, where despite running out of fuel showed great pace.

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In changeable weather conditions and across a tricky Sevlievo circuit, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team‘s David Philippaerts scored his first success on the YZ450FM with first and second positions in the two motos at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria. After four rounds of fifteen in the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship the Italian has extended his lead in the series to 17 points and also placed Yamaha first in the manufacturer’s standings. Josh Coppins was sixth overall and currently lies third.

The hard and fast layout situated deep in the Bulgarian countryside offered two different tests to the riders of the MX1-GP category as the first moto of 35 minutes and 2 laps took place in sunshine but a grey sky and rainfall created a slick and greasy terrain for the second outing.

Philippaerts made the most of two decent starts to obtain his prize. The 24 year old escaped the attentions of Billy Mackenzie and Marc de Reuver to lead the first sprint from start to finish. In the second wetter race he fought with Jonathan Barragan and was ultimately unable to match the Spaniard’s pace. Entering the last lap Philippaerts was resigned to his second consecutive runner-up position until the leader crashed and allowed Sebastien Pourcel and the Yamaha representative to pull through. Second spot in the moto was enough to secure the overall and his second career MX1-GP success.

Josh Coppins ended the day disappointed with sixth position but a set of average starts and some hesitancy on the first lap of Moto1 meant that a better placing was not possible. The Kiwi qualified quite well, (Philippaerts was eighth after being baulked on his two flying lap attempts) with the sixth best lap-time on a dry track that saw the protagonists of the class separated by very little. However he was, by his own admission, ‘too slow’ in the opening stages of Moto1 and although he pulled through the pack well and was all over the back wheels of Marc de Reuver and Barragan contesting second place, he crossed the finish line in fourth. The second moto was even tougher as he touched with his team-mate along the start straight and had to be determined to cut through from a mid-pack position on the first lap.

The course was not easy for overtaking, making Coppins’ job even harder; he took 14 points for seventh at the flag. The 31 year old is still well in touch with the title chase.

Yamaha Van Beers‘ Aigar Leok was 17th, one place ahead of UTag Yamaha.com‘s Carlos Campano.

The world championship table still shows both Yamaha Monster Motocross team members within the top three. Philippaerts holds a bigger margin over world champion Ramon and Coppins is 34 points away. Yamaha head the manufacturer’s standings by 5 points. The squad are well-placed for round five and their home Grand Prix at Mantova in Italy next week.

DAVID PHILLIPAERTS, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 1st:
“This is a really good result for me. I tried to win both races but Barragan was very fast in that second moto and I had some luck when I saw him crash. I was pretty tired by that point and I could not stop Pourcel taking the lead. The track was very different in the afternoon. The rain had made it very slippery and some more lines appeared. The mud went softer and got bumpier. The bike is really good and the team are working hard. I’m happy for this; a good day!”

JOSH COPPINS, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 6th:
“I thought that things would turnaround for me this weekend but I am really disappointed with how the motos went. My starts were not good, which is unusual for me, and I was too slow at the beginning of the first moto. I wanted to do better for the second moto but David cut across me coming out of the gate; that’s OK though because I would have done the same if I also had the holeshot. I was stuck in the middle of the pack and by the time I passed riders there was too big a gap to rise any further. This is not what I wanted ahead of Mantova, which is perhaps the hardest track of the year for me and I am losing my patience; it has been a hard start to this championship.”

MINO RASPANTI, Racing Manager:
“A very good weekend. David won the GP with some luck, thanks to Barragan’s crash. He was already looking quick and motivated through the practice sessions and playing with the bike but found two slower riders in the Timed Practice that ruined his laps. Anyway, he still got the starts from eighth in the gate. Josh was fourth in the first race which wasn’t so bad and his speed in the last ten minutes was very good. His start was a handicap and he could not find his pace like before. The bikes performed well and the riders felt good; we just need to understand why Josh couldn’t get going in that second moto.”

RACE 1 – 20 LAPS
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 40’7.606
2, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0’5.616
3, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0’6.650
4, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0’8.084
5, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0’14.351
6, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0’29.896
7, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0’31.501
8, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0’36.148
9, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0’39.608
10, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0’43.629
11, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0’45.507
12, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0’48.676
13, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 0’59.604
14, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1’1.597
15, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 1’9.729
16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1’17.854
17, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1’19.659
18, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1’22.498
19, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1’24.738
20, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 1’40.124

RACE 2 – 20 LAPS
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 39’28.719
2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0’6.913
3, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0’8.068
4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0’21.486
5, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0’27.233
6, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0’34.377
7, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0’43.440
8, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0’44.277
9, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0’44.803
10, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0’48.434
11, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0’53.504
12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 0’55.953
13, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1’6.237
14, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 1’8.493
15, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1’11.843
16, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1’16.105
17, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1’17.858
18, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1’22.384
19, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1’26.089
20, Bradley Anderson, Suzuki, GBR, 1’28.192

RIDER STANDINGS 11 MAY 08
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 149
2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 132
3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 115
4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 100
5, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 98
6, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 94
7, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 90
8, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 80
9, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 76
10, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 71
11, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 62
12, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 62
13, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 56
14, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 55
15, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 40
16, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 38
17, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 36
18, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 28
19, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 23
20, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 20
26, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 14

MANUFACTURER STANDINGS (11 MAY 08)
POSITION, MANUFACTURER, POINTS
1, Yamaha, 149
2, Suzuki, 144
3, Kawasaki, 131
4, KTM, 125
5, Honda, 118
6, TM, 19

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Are you a UK-based Suzuki Off Road motorcycle or ATV owner? If you are, you’ll be mad not to read on. Suzuki GB Plc run an off road owners club for all official UK off road motorcycles and ATV’s – The Suzuki Off-Road Team or SORT. With this years FREE registration we are offering you a wide range of benefits.

With an online registration system, becoming a member couldn’t be easier. Once submitted your membership pass will then be issued, which also doubles as a VIP pass entitling you to complimentary refreshments with Suzuki GB’s official British Motocross teams at the British Motocross Championship rounds. On top of this for 2008 only Suzuki is offering an exclusive 10% discount voucher on your next purchase of parts at any authorised Suzuki off road dealer.

With competitions run on a monthly basis, members will also have the chance to win some great prizes from Suzuki clothing through to tickets to British Championship MX rounds courtesy of the ACU and Donington Park.

SORT promises to offer even more this year so why not sign up at www.suzukioffroadteam.co.uk

Note: SORT member Matthew Bettinson was the lucky winner of this month’s competition and will be attending the Torrington round of the British MX Championships courtesy of the ACU.

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The BMW Motorrad Motorsport team’s second stop on the ’08 World Enduro Championship tour saw team riders Anders Eriksson, Simo Kirssi, Jeff Goblet and Bert Meyer compete in the GP of Portugal – an event that proved to be anything but easy due to an extremely challenging course, three demanding special tests and heavy rain on day two. With Eriksson having narrowly missed a podium result at the opening round of the series in Sweden, the Portuguese event marked the first international enduro competition in which Eriksson would compete, outside of Sweden, aboard his BMW.

Hopeful of challenging for a podium finish in the Enduro 3 class things didn’t go as planned for Anders on day one as he failed to finish due to a clutch problem. Re-starting day two the experienced Swede was unable to perform at his best in the extremely wet and difficult conditions and placed ninth in the highly competitive E3 class. Despite being forced to retire on day one, Anders finished the harder second day’s competition without problems.

In the Enduro 2 class BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Simo Kirssi overcame his lack of World Enduro Championship experience to claim a solid top 10 result on day two having enjoyed the slippery and difficult conditions. Competing in only his second ever WEC event Simo was disappointingly unable to finish day one as on the penultimate special test he badly damaged his front wheel, which resulted in his retirement. On day two Kirssi finished comfortably inside the top 10 having ridden consistently all day. Finishing as high as fourth in class, and only twice placing outside the top 10 of the E2 class during the day’s nine special tests, Kirssi finished just 11 seconds behind the E2 class’s sixth placed rider.

For Kirssi’s E2 class team-mate Jeff Goblet the GP of Portugal proved to be a difficult one with the Belgian finishing in 12th on day one and 13th on day two. Performing at his best on the technical extreme test on day one, on day two Goblet suffered bad luck as his chain twice came off in the extreme test while he struggled to perform at his best in the muddy motocross test. In the Enduro Junior class Bert Meyer finished on day one as tenth but placed ninth on day two.

Simo Kirssi – Enduro 2:
“The first day ended disappointingly for me. Things had been going ok but in the final motocross test I landed from one of the many drop-off jumps and I heard a strange metallic sound. I was able to continue but I had damaged many of the spokes in my front wheel, which meant that I had to retire from the day. Day two was much better – I really enjoyed the conditions although on the motocross test it was really, really muddy. I learned a lot from the race. It was my first world championship race in normal conditions, and it was every bit as difficult as I expected it to be.”

Jeff Goblet – Enduro 2:
“I had some really good times in the extreme and enduro tests on day one but I really struggled in the muddy conditions on day two. With this season being my first on a four-stroke I knew it would take me some time to adjust to competing in muddy conditions. In the enduro test, which was dry, I was able to put in some good test times. But in the motocross and extreme test I struggled. Also, my chain came off twice in the extreme test. I need more time on the bike in these types of conditions, and then I am sure my results will improve.”

Anders Eriksson – Enduro 3:
“Not being able to finish the first day was a big disappointment, but I came into this season knowing that these things can happen. We learn more and more every day we spend time on the bike. I had a problem with the clutch, which was very strange. I didn’t ride that well, but I’m happy that I was able to finish the second day. Day two was extremely tough and my bike ran perfectly all day, which was good. It was the first time that I’d ridden the bike in such muddy conditions and although I wasn’t overly happy with my riding the bike performed really well.”

Wolfgang Fischer – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager:
“It was good to see all riders finish on day two, especially Simo as this was his first real world championship enduro race. Finishing seventh in the Enduro 2 class is very encouraging. Day one was a little disappointing as Anders Eriksson had a problem with his clutch. We’re not 100 per cent sure why he had the problem that he did but he finished day two without any troubles at all. The conditions were about as difficult as they get in world championship competition. It’s the first real mud race that the team has faced this year and despite the few problems on day one the fact that all riders completed the hardest day – day two, without problems was great.”

Results Grand Prix of Portugal – Day 1

ENDURO 2
1. Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) 49:13.71; 2. Juha Salminen (KTM) 49:14.30; 3. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 51:18.58; 4. Alessandro Belometti (KTM) 51:20.26; 5. Fabio Mossini (Honda) 51:51.68; 6. Nicolas Paganon (Aprilia) 52:0.71; 7. Fabrizio Dini (Yamaha) 52:08.31; 8. Rodrig Thain (TM) 52:12.27; 9. Jari Mattila (Honda) 52:13.81; 10. Nicolas Deparrois (Gas Gas) 52:36.47; 11. Alessandro Zanni (Honda) 52:48.87; 12. Jean Francois Goblet (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 53:14.12; 13. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 53:16.09; 14. Andrea Belotti (KTM) 53:42.12; 15. Helder Rodrigues (Honda) 53:50.42; 16. Rudy Cotton (Honda) 55:34.78; 17. Felipe Zanol (Yamaha) 57:25.53; 18. Mario Patrao (Suzuki) 58:00.25

ENDURO 3
1. Samuli Aro (KTM) 50:55.42; 2. Marko Tarkkala (KTM) 51:06.96; 3.Marcus Kehr (KTM) 51:19.94; 4. Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas) 51:25.46; 5. Fabien Planet (KTM) 51:28.46; 6. Sebastien Guillaume (Husqvarna) 51:40.74; 7. Bjorne Carlsson (Husaberg) 51:52.62; 8. Stefan Merriman (Aprilia) 52:06.37; 9. Xavier Galindo (KTM) 52:13.72; 10. Antoine Letellier (Aprilia) 52:16.88; 11. Alessandro Botturi (Honda) 52:23.42; 12. Alessio Paoli (Beta) 53:46.90; 13. Juan Pedrero (Yamaha) 53:58.21; 14. Jordi Figueras (KTM) 54:15.07; 15. Stefan Svitko (KTM) 54:41.01; 16. Vita Kuklik (KTM) 55:17.79; 17. Euan McConnell (TM) 55:38.28; 18. Gordon Clarke (TM) 58:52.89

ENDURO JUNIOR
1. Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna) 51:28.17; 2. Oriol Mena 52:33.30; 3. Oscar Balletti (Honda) 53:12.63; 4. Carlos Andreu (KTM) 53:29.69; 5. Simon Wakely (Husqvarna) 53:44.57; 6. Gregory Evans (KTM) 54:24.52; 7. Thomas Oldrati (KTM) 51:25.65; 8. Lorenzo Santolino (KTM) 53:27.34; 9. Lucas Puerta (Yamaha) 54:24.09; 10. Bert Mayer (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 55:52.34; 11.Guillem Pares (Yamaha) 56:52.32; 12. Ashley Wood (Honda) 58:27.00; 13. Roman Dumontier (Husqvarna) 1.03:07.95; 14. Roger Sanllehi (Honda) 1.05:40.14; 15. Marc Sola (KTM) 1.06:48.98; 16. Mark Risse (Gas Gas) 1.07:52.66; 17. Concelo Bandeira (Suzuki) 1.14:53.80

Results Grand Prix of Portugal – Day 2

ENDURO 2
1. Juha Salminen (KTM) 54:12.03; 2. Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) 54:43.01; 3. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 56:09.00; 4. Alessandro Belometti (KTM) 56:09.27; 5. Nicolas Paganon (Aprilia) 56:27.15; 6. Fabrizio Dini (Yamaha) 57:09.97; 7. Simo Kirssi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 57:20.95; 8. Jari Mattila (Honda) 58:05.47; 9. Fabio Mossini (Honda) 58:32.42; 10. Rodrig Thain (TM) 58:56.35; 11. Aaron Bernadez (Husqvarna) 59:14.03; 12. Freddy Blanc (Suzuki) 59:45.06; 13. Jean Francois Goblet (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1.00:38.36; 14. Andrea Belotti (Honda) 1.01:08.61; 15. Nicolas Deparrois (Gas Gas) 1.01:12.35; 16. Filipe Zanol (Yamaha) 1.02:00.05

ENDURO 3
1. Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas) 55:17.58; 2. Samuli Aro (KTM) 55:40.23; 3. Marcus Kehr (KTM) 55:43.86; 4. Stefan Merriman (Aprilia) 55:49.05; 5. Marko Tarkkala (KTM) 56:11.82; 6. Fabien Planet (KTM) 56:31.41; 7. Bjorne Carlsson (Husaberg) 56:43.32; 8. Sebastien Guillaume (Husqvarna) 57:20.92; 9. Anders Eriksson (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 57:25.05; 10. Xavier Galindo (KTM) 58:21.19; 11. Antoine Letellier (Aprilia) 58:38.62; 12. Euan McConnell (TM) 1.00:06.88; 13. Vita Kuklik (KTM) 1.00:16.13; 14. Stefan Svitko (KTM) 1.00:03.07; 15. Juan Pedrero (Yamaha) 1.01:42.55; 16; Jordi Figueras (KTM) 1.03:08.23

ENDURO JUNIOR
1. Tomas Oldrati (KTM) 55:.29; 2. Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna) 56:28.39; 3. Anti Hellsten (Husqvarna) 59:32.84; 4. Victor Guerrero (KTM) 59:54.91; 5. Lucas Puerta (Yamaha) 1.00:40.82; 6. Simon Wakely (Husqvarna) 1.00:43.01; 7. Lorenzo Santolino (KTM) 1.00:59.55; 8. Martin Kuklik (KTM) 1.03:37.35; 9. Bert Mayer (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1.03:32.43; 10. Adrian Metge (Husqvarna) 1.05:08.68; 11. Ollie Moyce (Yamaha) 1.07:13.23; Guillem Pares (Yamaha) 1.07:33.24 Sundin (Husaberg) 56:27.86; 20.Carl Sjoo (KTM) 56:30.38

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Suzuki GB’s officially backed teams were flying the flag in style on Easter Sunday with top-ten results galore in both MX1 and MX2 classes at the Canada Heights track in Kent.

In the MX1 class, Team Suzuki Swift’s Brad Anderson continued his run of good form on-board the new RM-Z450 by turning his 5th place qualification spot into a fourth place in race one, and a well-earned runner-up spot in race two behind eventual round winner Billy MacKenzie. Brad would leave Canada Heights with a impressive second place overall on the day, a place higher than at the opening round a few weeks earlier.

In MX2, Suzuki’s dedication to the class would be repaid, with no-less than four riders finishing inside the top-ten in race one alone.

Race one would eventually be won by Shaun Simpson, with Suso MVR-D’s Jason Dougan just missing out on a podium position with a fourth place finish. Following Jason home was team-mate Carl Nunn in fifth and the Team Suzuki Swift pairing of Elliot Banks Browne and Pascal Leuret in sixth and ninth respectively.

By race two, Pascal would be the strongest Suzuki mounted rider, taking his Team Suzuki Swift RM-Z250 to a solid 5th place, a position he would claim in the overall rankings too. Finishing one place higher overall on the day was Jason Dougan, with Elliott Banks Browne in seventh and Carl Nunn completing the story in tenth.

The teams will be back out in action at round three on April 13th at Torrington in Devon.

MX1 Race 1:
1. Billy MacKenzie, 2. Mark Jones, 3. Kenneth Gundersen, 4. Brad Anderson, 5. Scott Elderfied,

MX1 Race 2:
1. Billy MacKenzie, 2. Brad Andersen, 3. Tom Church, 4. Mark Jones, 5. Kenneth Gundersen 13th Jamie Law

MX2 Race 1:
1. Shaun SImpson, 2. Stephen Sword, 3. Martin Marr, 4. Jason Dougan, 5. Carl Nunn, 6. Elliot Banks Browne

MX2 Race 2:
1. Shaun SImpson, 2. Martin Barr, 3. Neville Bradshaw, 4. Stephen Sword, 5. Pascal Leuret,

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Joshua Coppins

Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’s Joshua Coppins is facing a rush to be fully fit for the opening round of the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship in two weeks after an incident while training Saturday morning (22nd March) caused the New Zealander to break two toes on his right foot and undergo immediate surgery.

The 31 year old travelled to the Dunkirk circuit in France to begin his motos in the early stages of Saturday morning to avoid a crowded venue later in the day. However his intentions were curtailed after he crested a hill only to find a local rider picking up his machine. Coppins’ right foot bore the brunt of the subsequent collision as he caught the other bike’s footpeg. With counsel from renowned motocross surgeon Dr Claes, Coppins went under the knife successfully the same afternoon and did not require the insertion of any metalwork into the two smallest toes on his foot.

The natural healing process means that one of the strongest favourites for the MX1-GP title is now staring at the possibility of missing the first meeting of the GP series at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands on April 6th.

“I cannot believe my luck, this is the third injury in a row that I have had that was not my fault,” he said. “Valkenswaard is 50-50 at the moment. My foot has to heal naturally and we might run out of time; I’m not too sure how things will go at the moment. We will have to assess things over the next few days. I am trying to stay positive but clearly this was not what I wanted. It is a long season though and we have to keep looking ahead.”

Coppins had won races in Italy and France over the last six weeks in a promising pre-season period on the works YZ450FM. He claimed five grand prix victories in 2007 and was leading the world championship by 107 points until a freak accident at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic, four rounds before the end of the campaign, caused him to surrender what would have been his first crown.

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Josh Hill pilots his Yamaha YZ450F to victory

Yamaha‘s Josh Hill toasted a fine maiden AMA-SX triumph in front of almost 41,000 fans at the Metrodome in Minneapolis last Saturday for round eleven of seventeen in the 2008 championship. The 18 year old steered his YZ450F to the chequered flag ahead of Ryan Dungey and Kevin Windham. Series leader Chad Reed was a protagonist in the Main Event but a crash dropped him down the race order and he finished seventh for the second week in succession.

Reed, who was struggling with sickness and sat out second practice, was hounding the back wheel of early leader Hill as the Yamahas formation-flew in the first half of the sprint. The Australian then made an uncharacteristic mistake at the end of the whoops section, and his slip caused him to plummet down the leader-board to ninth position. Hill was then free to continue his fine rhythm to the finish line.

“I knew that I had to get going because somewhere in the mix, Chad would be there,” said Hill, a first ever debut-winner in Minneapolis who is currently negotiating his first season in the SX class. “I was just in the right place at the right time. Chad made a mistake, and I just cruised along to victory, pretty much. After I broke away from Dungey, I kind of just was able to get into a smooth pace and keep it going.”

“Chad had problems,” he continued. “I haven’t beaten Chad straight-up. Has anybody? He’s gnarly! It’s not going to be easy at all to do this again, and with my rollercoaster-ride season… if I keep my track-record, I should be 17th next weekend! But I think my program has really improved to a point where I’m mentally in the game a lot more when I show up to the race. Before, I’d really work hard during the week, and I’d do my homework, but I’d show up at the race and either be drained or just mentally not focused and I think Ryan Hughes has really helped me out with that.”

As for Reed it was the first time he has missed the podium for two races this season. His error also sliced his advantage in the overall standings down to 17 points with six rounds left to run. AMA Motocross Champion Grant Langston is still unable to compete due to an eye problem.

Another Yamaha-mounted teenager, Tyler Bowers, was sixth in the East Coast Lites division on the YZ250F.

The AMA-SX (also an FIM World Championship) campaign now enjoys a break for the first time this year. The teams and riders will have two weeks to recollect over Easter weekend before the trip to the Rogers Centre in Toronto on March 29th.

Race 1 – 20 Laps
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 16’7.800
2, Ryan Dungey, Suzuki, USA, 0’5.397
3, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0’12.134
4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0’14.319
5, Thomas Hahn, Kawasaki, USA, 0’24.287
6, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0’28.537
7, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 0’31.192
8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 0’32.536
9, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 0’33.729
10, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps
11, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, -1 Laps
12, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps
13, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -1 Laps
14, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps
15, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps
16, Tyler Bright, Honda, USA, -1 Laps
17, Jeff Gibson, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps
18, Dusty Klatt, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps
19, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -5 Laps
20, Manuel Gomes Rivas, Kawasaki, ESP, -12 Laps

Rider Standings 15/03/2008
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 237
2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 220
3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 172
4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 164
5, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 137
6, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 135
7, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 134
8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 115
9, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 96
10, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 95
11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 81
12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 74
13, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 69
14, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, 61
15, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, 55
23, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38
36, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3

Manufacturer Standings 15/03/2008
Pos., Manufacturer, Points
1, Yamaha, 249
2, Honda, 235
3, Kawasaki, 199
4, Suzuki, 164
5, KTM, 95

バイカーブードゥー

The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team will be hoping to strike extra fear into their FIM Motocross World Championship rivals in 2008 thanks to a new alliance with Monster Energy drinks. The factory-backed Grand Prix squad – now entitled ‘Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’ thanks to the title sponsorship – will benefit from a high-profile three year joint programme with one of the new powerful movers in motorcycle racing for their attempt on the MX1-GP title.

Monster Energy, a product of California-based subsidiary Monster Beverage Co., part of the Hansen Beverage Company, have also lent their backing to the AMA Supercross series (an FIM World Championship) and have now extended their reach into the motocross Grand Prix paddock with the team responsible for winning three of the four titles since the MX1 class was born in 2004.

“It’s fantastic to have Monster Energy on board with us,” said Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “Our results with the team over a long period have shown that we can offer Monster – as a partner – the top level successful image that they are looking for in Europe. During the discussions it was clear we were speaking to a company dedicated to supporting us in getting the best results and above all passion for off-road sport. Monster is a young and fresh brand, relatively new to Europe. It will be also exciting from a marketing point of view to work with them and raise their awareness on this side of the world.”

The works YZ450FMs of Joshua Coppins and David Philippaerts will run a new design and livery for 2008 that will be unveiled in a special presentation on Friday evening prior to the first Grand Prix in Holland on April 6th.

The team rightfully fill a position of prominence in world championship motocross racing having won the MX1-GP crown three times in succession with the potent YZ machinery from 2004 to 2006. Prior to the inauguration of the MX1-GP class they were also responsible for three 500cc titles in 1999, 2001 and 2002. They dominated races in the short-lived MXGP competition (a forerunner to MX1-GP) in the 2003 season when Stefan Everts also made history by winning three motos on a Yamaha in three different categories on the same day at the Grand Prix of France. In 2006 they helped the Belgian to record ten world championships and 101 career victories before his retirement.

The crew were desperately close to a fourth crown in 2007 until Coppins sustained an untimely injury deep into the second half of the campaign while leading by a mammoth 107 points. With five overall triumphs and nine moto wins the New Zealander was still an outstanding performer of last year’s championship with more trophies than anyone else.

Monster Energy is emerging to become one of the premier energy drink brands on the planet. Popular in the United States, the drink first appeared on the market in 2002 and has expanded both in terms of its distribution, profile and range of flavours and products on offer. They are currently birthing and evolving their network in Europe and the association with Yamaha as one of the most successful motorcycle brands in off-road sport and one of the most prolific teams within the last ten years of motocross, is sure to assist in their blossoming project.

“We view the partnership between Monster Energy, Yamaha and the Rinaldi brothers as a European version of Monster Energy’s relationship with Mitch and Pro Circuit,” said Monster Energy spokesman Scott Sepkovic. “The Rinaldi Yamahas enjoy great racing heritage on the GP circuit, dating back to championships won by Donny Schmit and Bobby Moore. Monster Energy is looking forward to teaming up with this fine racing tradition as we continue to expand the Monster Energy brand globally. Here’s to a strong and healthy season for Josh Coppins and David Philippaerts the best of luck to both racers at their quest for the MX1 class championship. We’re pumped to have Yamaha Motor Europe and their team on board with Monster Energy.”

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Double FIM Women’s World Cup winner Katherine Prumm took her new YZ250F to first position in the opening round of the Australian Women’s championship at Tivioli in Brisbane and the 19 year old’s success was just one of several eye-catching results for the ‘Blue Army’ last weekend as Antonio Cairoli earned his MX1 spurs in Italy, and Kenneth Gundersen enjoyed a maiden MX1 bow for his new team in Great Britain.

Prumm comfortably owned the first Australian national on the hard and difficult circuit near the east coast. On her Subway YZ250F Prumm holeshotted and won both motos for an encouraging start to her career as a Yamaha rider.

“It was a great weekend of racing,” she said. “I was really happy with how the bike was handling and got to grips with the surface a lot better as the day progressed. It wasn’t one of my favourite tracks and I was glad to get through the day safely, it is always good to learn
something new on a tricky surface like that.”

“I got the holeshot in race one and tried to get used to the terrain as the corners were really demanding with slippery rocks covering the top soil,” the New Zealander continued. “I experimented with some new lines and techniques and rode away from Kristy Gillespie. During the course of the day the track disintegrated, as large clods of dirt would break out of the ground forming big squared-edged holes and bumps. I got the holeshot again in the second moto. I made some mistakes on the first two laps but I changed my lines and rode smoothly away from the rest of the field to a good lead of almost fifty seconds.”

The second round of three takes place at Newry in Victoria on May 25th.

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The Northampton Schoolboy motocross Club played host to round five of the BYMX Championships, held at Woodford near Kettering at the weekend, with Relentless Suzuki Youth Academy riders James Dunn and Luke Dean participating in separate classes on their Suzuki RM85 machines

The weekend was full of mixed results for both the riders, but the overall results left them still in the running for the championship standings. With the track demanding a good start it was to see James taking the chequered flag with four top ten positions, including two podiums. This would see the small wheel 85 rider come away from the weekend with a fourth overall, but as luck would have it the current leader Jordan Godwin took sixth overall, so would see Dunn still claiming second in the championship standings and only 22 points separating the pair.

Luke Dean was to take his big wheel RM85 to podium positions having a great day on Saturday with first and second claimed. The Sunday however was to see a slightly different format, finishing in sixth and seventh positions. This would still see him taking second overall from the weekend, and a few positions claimed in the championship.

The next BYMX round is to be held at Cusses Gorse in August on Saturday and Sunday 23rd and 24th.

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Relentless Suzuki Enduro rider, Paul Edmondson, prepares this week for the British round of the World Enduro Championship taking place at the Hafren Forest in Wales at the weekend.

Riding the two-stroke RM250, Edmondson makes a return to the world stage, where he recorded four championship titles and still retains the accolade of being the longest serving rider in the series history.

Talking about his return to the WEC, Edmondson commented, “I’m really looking forward to riding again next weekend. I’ve enjoyed a great deal of success in the championship over the years and using the RM250 gives me added confidence for the potentially tricky conditions.”

Edmondson, who suffered a rare ‘DNF’ at the Welsh Two Day Enduro last month, injuring his hand in the process, is almost back to full-strength and expects to be able to contest for a top spot after a promising ride last weekend in the Great Britain X Country event at Llanarmon, where despite running out of fuel showed great pace.

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In changeable weather conditions and across a tricky Sevlievo circuit, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team‘s David Philippaerts scored his first success on the YZ450FM with first and second positions in the two motos at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria. After four rounds of fifteen in the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship the Italian has extended his lead in the series to 17 points and also placed Yamaha first in the manufacturer’s standings. Josh Coppins was sixth overall and currently lies third.

The hard and fast layout situated deep in the Bulgarian countryside offered two different tests to the riders of the MX1-GP category as the first moto of 35 minutes and 2 laps took place in sunshine but a grey sky and rainfall created a slick and greasy terrain for the second outing.

Philippaerts made the most of two decent starts to obtain his prize. The 24 year old escaped the attentions of Billy Mackenzie and Marc de Reuver to lead the first sprint from start to finish. In the second wetter race he fought with Jonathan Barragan and was ultimately unable to match the Spaniard’s pace. Entering the last lap Philippaerts was resigned to his second consecutive runner-up position until the leader crashed and allowed Sebastien Pourcel and the Yamaha representative to pull through. Second spot in the moto was enough to secure the overall and his second career MX1-GP success.

Josh Coppins ended the day disappointed with sixth position but a set of average starts and some hesitancy on the first lap of Moto1 meant that a better placing was not possible. The Kiwi qualified quite well, (Philippaerts was eighth after being baulked on his two flying lap attempts) with the sixth best lap-time on a dry track that saw the protagonists of the class separated by very little. However he was, by his own admission, ‘too slow’ in the opening stages of Moto1 and although he pulled through the pack well and was all over the back wheels of Marc de Reuver and Barragan contesting second place, he crossed the finish line in fourth. The second moto was even tougher as he touched with his team-mate along the start straight and had to be determined to cut through from a mid-pack position on the first lap.

The course was not easy for overtaking, making Coppins’ job even harder; he took 14 points for seventh at the flag. The 31 year old is still well in touch with the title chase.

Yamaha Van Beers‘ Aigar Leok was 17th, one place ahead of UTag Yamaha.com‘s Carlos Campano.

The world championship table still shows both Yamaha Monster Motocross team members within the top three. Philippaerts holds a bigger margin over world champion Ramon and Coppins is 34 points away. Yamaha head the manufacturer’s standings by 5 points. The squad are well-placed for round five and their home Grand Prix at Mantova in Italy next week.

DAVID PHILLIPAERTS, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 1st:
“This is a really good result for me. I tried to win both races but Barragan was very fast in that second moto and I had some luck when I saw him crash. I was pretty tired by that point and I could not stop Pourcel taking the lead. The track was very different in the afternoon. The rain had made it very slippery and some more lines appeared. The mud went softer and got bumpier. The bike is really good and the team are working hard. I’m happy for this; a good day!”

JOSH COPPINS, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 6th:
“I thought that things would turnaround for me this weekend but I am really disappointed with how the motos went. My starts were not good, which is unusual for me, and I was too slow at the beginning of the first moto. I wanted to do better for the second moto but David cut across me coming out of the gate; that’s OK though because I would have done the same if I also had the holeshot. I was stuck in the middle of the pack and by the time I passed riders there was too big a gap to rise any further. This is not what I wanted ahead of Mantova, which is perhaps the hardest track of the year for me and I am losing my patience; it has been a hard start to this championship.”

MINO RASPANTI, Racing Manager:
“A very good weekend. David won the GP with some luck, thanks to Barragan’s crash. He was already looking quick and motivated through the practice sessions and playing with the bike but found two slower riders in the Timed Practice that ruined his laps. Anyway, he still got the starts from eighth in the gate. Josh was fourth in the first race which wasn’t so bad and his speed in the last ten minutes was very good. His start was a handicap and he could not find his pace like before. The bikes performed well and the riders felt good; we just need to understand why Josh couldn’t get going in that second moto.”

RACE 1 – 20 LAPS
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 40’7.606
2, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0’5.616
3, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0’6.650
4, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0’8.084
5, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0’14.351
6, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0’29.896
7, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0’31.501
8, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0’36.148
9, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0’39.608
10, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0’43.629
11, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0’45.507
12, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0’48.676
13, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 0’59.604
14, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1’1.597
15, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 1’9.729
16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1’17.854
17, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1’19.659
18, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1’22.498
19, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1’24.738
20, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 1’40.124

RACE 2 – 20 LAPS
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 39’28.719
2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0’6.913
3, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0’8.068
4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0’21.486
5, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0’27.233
6, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0’34.377
7, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0’43.440
8, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0’44.277
9, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0’44.803
10, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0’48.434
11, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0’53.504
12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 0’55.953
13, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1’6.237
14, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 1’8.493
15, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1’11.843
16, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1’16.105
17, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1’17.858
18, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1’22.384
19, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1’26.089
20, Bradley Anderson, Suzuki, GBR, 1’28.192

RIDER STANDINGS 11 MAY 08
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 149
2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 132
3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 115
4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 100
5, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 98
6, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 94
7, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 90
8, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 80
9, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 76
10, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 71
11, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 62
12, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 62
13, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 56
14, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 55
15, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 40
16, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 38
17, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 36
18, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 28
19, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 23
20, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 20
26, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 14

MANUFACTURER STANDINGS (11 MAY 08)
POSITION, MANUFACTURER, POINTS
1, Yamaha, 149
2, Suzuki, 144
3, Kawasaki, 131
4, KTM, 125
5, Honda, 118
6, TM, 19

バイカーブードゥー

Are you a UK-based Suzuki Off Road motorcycle or ATV owner? If you are, you’ll be mad not to read on. Suzuki GB Plc run an off road owners club for all official UK off road motorcycles and ATV’s – The Suzuki Off-Road Team or SORT. With this years FREE registration we are offering you a wide range of benefits.

With an online registration system, becoming a member couldn’t be easier. Once submitted your membership pass will then be issued, which also doubles as a VIP pass entitling you to complimentary refreshments with Suzuki GB’s official British Motocross teams at the British Motocross Championship rounds. On top of this for 2008 only Suzuki is offering an exclusive 10% discount voucher on your next purchase of parts at any authorised Suzuki off road dealer.

With competitions run on a monthly basis, members will also have the chance to win some great prizes from Suzuki clothing through to tickets to British Championship MX rounds courtesy of the ACU and Donington Park.

SORT promises to offer even more this year so why not sign up at www.suzukioffroadteam.co.uk

Note: SORT member Matthew Bettinson was the lucky winner of this month’s competition and will be attending the Torrington round of the British MX Championships courtesy of the ACU.

バイカーブードゥー

The BMW Motorrad Motorsport team’s second stop on the ’08 World Enduro Championship tour saw team riders Anders Eriksson, Simo Kirssi, Jeff Goblet and Bert Meyer compete in the GP of Portugal – an event that proved to be anything but easy due to an extremely challenging course, three demanding special tests and heavy rain on day two. With Eriksson having narrowly missed a podium result at the opening round of the series in Sweden, the Portuguese event marked the first international enduro competition in which Eriksson would compete, outside of Sweden, aboard his BMW.

Hopeful of challenging for a podium finish in the Enduro 3 class things didn’t go as planned for Anders on day one as he failed to finish due to a clutch problem. Re-starting day two the experienced Swede was unable to perform at his best in the extremely wet and difficult conditions and placed ninth in the highly competitive E3 class. Despite being forced to retire on day one, Anders finished the harder second day’s competition without problems.

In the Enduro 2 class BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Simo Kirssi overcame his lack of World Enduro Championship experience to claim a solid top 10 result on day two having enjoyed the slippery and difficult conditions. Competing in only his second ever WEC event Simo was disappointingly unable to finish day one as on the penultimate special test he badly damaged his front wheel, which resulted in his retirement. On day two Kirssi finished comfortably inside the top 10 having ridden consistently all day. Finishing as high as fourth in class, and only twice placing outside the top 10 of the E2 class during the day’s nine special tests, Kirssi finished just 11 seconds behind the E2 class’s sixth placed rider.

For Kirssi’s E2 class team-mate Jeff Goblet the GP of Portugal proved to be a difficult one with the Belgian finishing in 12th on day one and 13th on day two. Performing at his best on the technical extreme test on day one, on day two Goblet suffered bad luck as his chain twice came off in the extreme test while he struggled to perform at his best in the muddy motocross test. In the Enduro Junior class Bert Meyer finished on day one as tenth but placed ninth on day two.

Simo Kirssi – Enduro 2:
“The first day ended disappointingly for me. Things had been going ok but in the final motocross test I landed from one of the many drop-off jumps and I heard a strange metallic sound. I was able to continue but I had damaged many of the spokes in my front wheel, which meant that I had to retire from the day. Day two was much better – I really enjoyed the conditions although on the motocross test it was really, really muddy. I learned a lot from the race. It was my first world championship race in normal conditions, and it was every bit as difficult as I expected it to be.”

Jeff Goblet – Enduro 2:
“I had some really good times in the extreme and enduro tests on day one but I really struggled in the muddy conditions on day two. With this season being my first on a four-stroke I knew it would take me some time to adjust to competing in muddy conditions. In the enduro test, which was dry, I was able to put in some good test times. But in the motocross and extreme test I struggled. Also, my chain came off twice in the extreme test. I need more time on the bike in these types of conditions, and then I am sure my results will improve.”

Anders Eriksson – Enduro 3:
“Not being able to finish the first day was a big disappointment, but I came into this season knowing that these things can happen. We learn more and more every day we spend time on the bike. I had a problem with the clutch, which was very strange. I didn’t ride that well, but I’m happy that I was able to finish the second day. Day two was extremely tough and my bike ran perfectly all day, which was good. It was the first time that I’d ridden the bike in such muddy conditions and although I wasn’t overly happy with my riding the bike performed really well.”

Wolfgang Fischer – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager:
“It was good to see all riders finish on day two, especially Simo as this was his first real world championship enduro race. Finishing seventh in the Enduro 2 class is very encouraging. Day one was a little disappointing as Anders Eriksson had a problem with his clutch. We’re not 100 per cent sure why he had the problem that he did but he finished day two without any troubles at all. The conditions were about as difficult as they get in world championship competition. It’s the first real mud race that the team has faced this year and despite the few problems on day one the fact that all riders completed the hardest day – day two, without problems was great.”

Results Grand Prix of Portugal – Day 1

ENDURO 2
1. Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) 49:13.71; 2. Juha Salminen (KTM) 49:14.30; 3. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 51:18.58; 4. Alessandro Belometti (KTM) 51:20.26; 5. Fabio Mossini (Honda) 51:51.68; 6. Nicolas Paganon (Aprilia) 52:0.71; 7. Fabrizio Dini (Yamaha) 52:08.31; 8. Rodrig Thain (TM) 52:12.27; 9. Jari Mattila (Honda) 52:13.81; 10. Nicolas Deparrois (Gas Gas) 52:36.47; 11. Alessandro Zanni (Honda) 52:48.87; 12. Jean Francois Goblet (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 53:14.12; 13. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 53:16.09; 14. Andrea Belotti (KTM) 53:42.12; 15. Helder Rodrigues (Honda) 53:50.42; 16. Rudy Cotton (Honda) 55:34.78; 17. Felipe Zanol (Yamaha) 57:25.53; 18. Mario Patrao (Suzuki) 58:00.25

ENDURO 3
1. Samuli Aro (KTM) 50:55.42; 2. Marko Tarkkala (KTM) 51:06.96; 3.Marcus Kehr (KTM) 51:19.94; 4. Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas) 51:25.46; 5. Fabien Planet (KTM) 51:28.46; 6. Sebastien Guillaume (Husqvarna) 51:40.74; 7. Bjorne Carlsson (Husaberg) 51:52.62; 8. Stefan Merriman (Aprilia) 52:06.37; 9. Xavier Galindo (KTM) 52:13.72; 10. Antoine Letellier (Aprilia) 52:16.88; 11. Alessandro Botturi (Honda) 52:23.42; 12. Alessio Paoli (Beta) 53:46.90; 13. Juan Pedrero (Yamaha) 53:58.21; 14. Jordi Figueras (KTM) 54:15.07; 15. Stefan Svitko (KTM) 54:41.01; 16. Vita Kuklik (KTM) 55:17.79; 17. Euan McConnell (TM) 55:38.28; 18. Gordon Clarke (TM) 58:52.89

ENDURO JUNIOR
1. Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna) 51:28.17; 2. Oriol Mena 52:33.30; 3. Oscar Balletti (Honda) 53:12.63; 4. Carlos Andreu (KTM) 53:29.69; 5. Simon Wakely (Husqvarna) 53:44.57; 6. Gregory Evans (KTM) 54:24.52; 7. Thomas Oldrati (KTM) 51:25.65; 8. Lorenzo Santolino (KTM) 53:27.34; 9. Lucas Puerta (Yamaha) 54:24.09; 10. Bert Mayer (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 55:52.34; 11.Guillem Pares (Yamaha) 56:52.32; 12. Ashley Wood (Honda) 58:27.00; 13. Roman Dumontier (Husqvarna) 1.03:07.95; 14. Roger Sanllehi (Honda) 1.05:40.14; 15. Marc Sola (KTM) 1.06:48.98; 16. Mark Risse (Gas Gas) 1.07:52.66; 17. Concelo Bandeira (Suzuki) 1.14:53.80

Results Grand Prix of Portugal – Day 2

ENDURO 2
1. Juha Salminen (KTM) 54:12.03; 2. Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) 54:43.01; 3. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 56:09.00; 4. Alessandro Belometti (KTM) 56:09.27; 5. Nicolas Paganon (Aprilia) 56:27.15; 6. Fabrizio Dini (Yamaha) 57:09.97; 7. Simo Kirssi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 57:20.95; 8. Jari Mattila (Honda) 58:05.47; 9. Fabio Mossini (Honda) 58:32.42; 10. Rodrig Thain (TM) 58:56.35; 11. Aaron Bernadez (Husqvarna) 59:14.03; 12. Freddy Blanc (Suzuki) 59:45.06; 13. Jean Francois Goblet (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1.00:38.36; 14. Andrea Belotti (Honda) 1.01:08.61; 15. Nicolas Deparrois (Gas Gas) 1.01:12.35; 16. Filipe Zanol (Yamaha) 1.02:00.05

ENDURO 3
1. Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas) 55:17.58; 2. Samuli Aro (KTM) 55:40.23; 3. Marcus Kehr (KTM) 55:43.86; 4. Stefan Merriman (Aprilia) 55:49.05; 5. Marko Tarkkala (KTM) 56:11.82; 6. Fabien Planet (KTM) 56:31.41; 7. Bjorne Carlsson (Husaberg) 56:43.32; 8. Sebastien Guillaume (Husqvarna) 57:20.92; 9. Anders Eriksson (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 57:25.05; 10. Xavier Galindo (KTM) 58:21.19; 11. Antoine Letellier (Aprilia) 58:38.62; 12. Euan McConnell (TM) 1.00:06.88; 13. Vita Kuklik (KTM) 1.00:16.13; 14. Stefan Svitko (KTM) 1.00:03.07; 15. Juan Pedrero (Yamaha) 1.01:42.55; 16; Jordi Figueras (KTM) 1.03:08.23

ENDURO JUNIOR
1. Tomas Oldrati (KTM) 55:.29; 2. Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna) 56:28.39; 3. Anti Hellsten (Husqvarna) 59:32.84; 4. Victor Guerrero (KTM) 59:54.91; 5. Lucas Puerta (Yamaha) 1.00:40.82; 6. Simon Wakely (Husqvarna) 1.00:43.01; 7. Lorenzo Santolino (KTM) 1.00:59.55; 8. Martin Kuklik (KTM) 1.03:37.35; 9. Bert Mayer (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1.03:32.43; 10. Adrian Metge (Husqvarna) 1.05:08.68; 11. Ollie Moyce (Yamaha) 1.07:13.23; Guillem Pares (Yamaha) 1.07:33.24 Sundin (Husaberg) 56:27.86; 20.Carl Sjoo (KTM) 56:30.38

バイカーブードゥー

Suzuki GB’s officially backed teams were flying the flag in style on Easter Sunday with top-ten results galore in both MX1 and MX2 classes at the Canada Heights track in Kent.

In the MX1 class, Team Suzuki Swift’s Brad Anderson continued his run of good form on-board the new RM-Z450 by turning his 5th place qualification spot into a fourth place in race one, and a well-earned runner-up spot in race two behind eventual round winner Billy MacKenzie. Brad would leave Canada Heights with a impressive second place overall on the day, a place higher than at the opening round a few weeks earlier.

In MX2, Suzuki’s dedication to the class would be repaid, with no-less than four riders finishing inside the top-ten in race one alone.

Race one would eventually be won by Shaun Simpson, with Suso MVR-D’s Jason Dougan just missing out on a podium position with a fourth place finish. Following Jason home was team-mate Carl Nunn in fifth and the Team Suzuki Swift pairing of Elliot Banks Browne and Pascal Leuret in sixth and ninth respectively.

By race two, Pascal would be the strongest Suzuki mounted rider, taking his Team Suzuki Swift RM-Z250 to a solid 5th place, a position he would claim in the overall rankings too. Finishing one place higher overall on the day was Jason Dougan, with Elliott Banks Browne in seventh and Carl Nunn completing the story in tenth.

The teams will be back out in action at round three on April 13th at Torrington in Devon.

MX1 Race 1:
1. Billy MacKenzie, 2. Mark Jones, 3. Kenneth Gundersen, 4. Brad Anderson, 5. Scott Elderfied,

MX1 Race 2:
1. Billy MacKenzie, 2. Brad Andersen, 3. Tom Church, 4. Mark Jones, 5. Kenneth Gundersen 13th Jamie Law

MX2 Race 1:
1. Shaun SImpson, 2. Stephen Sword, 3. Martin Marr, 4. Jason Dougan, 5. Carl Nunn, 6. Elliot Banks Browne

MX2 Race 2:
1. Shaun SImpson, 2. Martin Barr, 3. Neville Bradshaw, 4. Stephen Sword, 5. Pascal Leuret,

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Joshua Coppins

Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’s Joshua Coppins is facing a rush to be fully fit for the opening round of the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship in two weeks after an incident while training Saturday morning (22nd March) caused the New Zealander to break two toes on his right foot and undergo immediate surgery.

The 31 year old travelled to the Dunkirk circuit in France to begin his motos in the early stages of Saturday morning to avoid a crowded venue later in the day. However his intentions were curtailed after he crested a hill only to find a local rider picking up his machine. Coppins’ right foot bore the brunt of the subsequent collision as he caught the other bike’s footpeg. With counsel from renowned motocross surgeon Dr Claes, Coppins went under the knife successfully the same afternoon and did not require the insertion of any metalwork into the two smallest toes on his foot.

The natural healing process means that one of the strongest favourites for the MX1-GP title is now staring at the possibility of missing the first meeting of the GP series at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands on April 6th.

“I cannot believe my luck, this is the third injury in a row that I have had that was not my fault,” he said. “Valkenswaard is 50-50 at the moment. My foot has to heal naturally and we might run out of time; I’m not too sure how things will go at the moment. We will have to assess things over the next few days. I am trying to stay positive but clearly this was not what I wanted. It is a long season though and we have to keep looking ahead.”

Coppins had won races in Italy and France over the last six weeks in a promising pre-season period on the works YZ450FM. He claimed five grand prix victories in 2007 and was leading the world championship by 107 points until a freak accident at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic, four rounds before the end of the campaign, caused him to surrender what would have been his first crown.

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Josh Hill pilots his Yamaha YZ450F to victory

Yamaha‘s Josh Hill toasted a fine maiden AMA-SX triumph in front of almost 41,000 fans at the Metrodome in Minneapolis last Saturday for round eleven of seventeen in the 2008 championship. The 18 year old steered his YZ450F to the chequered flag ahead of Ryan Dungey and Kevin Windham. Series leader Chad Reed was a protagonist in the Main Event but a crash dropped him down the race order and he finished seventh for the second week in succession.

Reed, who was struggling with sickness and sat out second practice, was hounding the back wheel of early leader Hill as the Yamahas formation-flew in the first half of the sprint. The Australian then made an uncharacteristic mistake at the end of the whoops section, and his slip caused him to plummet down the leader-board to ninth position. Hill was then free to continue his fine rhythm to the finish line.

“I knew that I had to get going because somewhere in the mix, Chad would be there,” said Hill, a first ever debut-winner in Minneapolis who is currently negotiating his first season in the SX class. “I was just in the right place at the right time. Chad made a mistake, and I just cruised along to victory, pretty much. After I broke away from Dungey, I kind of just was able to get into a smooth pace and keep it going.”

“Chad had problems,” he continued. “I haven’t beaten Chad straight-up. Has anybody? He’s gnarly! It’s not going to be easy at all to do this again, and with my rollercoaster-ride season… if I keep my track-record, I should be 17th next weekend! But I think my program has really improved to a point where I’m mentally in the game a lot more when I show up to the race. Before, I’d really work hard during the week, and I’d do my homework, but I’d show up at the race and either be drained or just mentally not focused and I think Ryan Hughes has really helped me out with that.”

As for Reed it was the first time he has missed the podium for two races this season. His error also sliced his advantage in the overall standings down to 17 points with six rounds left to run. AMA Motocross Champion Grant Langston is still unable to compete due to an eye problem.

Another Yamaha-mounted teenager, Tyler Bowers, was sixth in the East Coast Lites division on the YZ250F.

The AMA-SX (also an FIM World Championship) campaign now enjoys a break for the first time this year. The teams and riders will have two weeks to recollect over Easter weekend before the trip to the Rogers Centre in Toronto on March 29th.

Race 1 – 20 Laps
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 16’7.800
2, Ryan Dungey, Suzuki, USA, 0’5.397
3, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0’12.134
4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0’14.319
5, Thomas Hahn, Kawasaki, USA, 0’24.287
6, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0’28.537
7, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 0’31.192
8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 0’32.536
9, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 0’33.729
10, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps
11, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, -1 Laps
12, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps
13, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -1 Laps
14, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps
15, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps
16, Tyler Bright, Honda, USA, -1 Laps
17, Jeff Gibson, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps
18, Dusty Klatt, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps
19, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -5 Laps
20, Manuel Gomes Rivas, Kawasaki, ESP, -12 Laps

Rider Standings 15/03/2008
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 237
2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 220
3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 172
4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 164
5, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 137
6, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 135
7, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 134
8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 115
9, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 96
10, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 95
11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 81
12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 74
13, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 69
14, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, 61
15, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, 55
23, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38
36, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3

Manufacturer Standings 15/03/2008
Pos., Manufacturer, Points
1, Yamaha, 249
2, Honda, 235
3, Kawasaki, 199
4, Suzuki, 164
5, KTM, 95

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The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team will be hoping to strike extra fear into their FIM Motocross World Championship rivals in 2008 thanks to a new alliance with Monster Energy drinks. The factory-backed Grand Prix squad – now entitled ‘Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’ thanks to the title sponsorship – will benefit from a high-profile three year joint programme with one of the new powerful movers in motorcycle racing for their attempt on the MX1-GP title.

Monster Energy, a product of California-based subsidiary Monster Beverage Co., part of the Hansen Beverage Company, have also lent their backing to the AMA Supercross series (an FIM World Championship) and have now extended their reach into the motocross Grand Prix paddock with the team responsible for winning three of the four titles since the MX1 class was born in 2004.

“It’s fantastic to have Monster Energy on board with us,” said Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “Our results with the team over a long period have shown that we can offer Monster – as a partner – the top level successful image that they are looking for in Europe. During the discussions it was clear we were speaking to a company dedicated to supporting us in getting the best results and above all passion for off-road sport. Monster is a young and fresh brand, relatively new to Europe. It will be also exciting from a marketing point of view to work with them and raise their awareness on this side of the world.”

The works YZ450FMs of Joshua Coppins and David Philippaerts will run a new design and livery for 2008 that will be unveiled in a special presentation on Friday evening prior to the first Grand Prix in Holland on April 6th.

The team rightfully fill a position of prominence in world championship motocross racing having won the MX1-GP crown three times in succession with the potent YZ machinery from 2004 to 2006. Prior to the inauguration of the MX1-GP class they were also responsible for three 500cc titles in 1999, 2001 and 2002. They dominated races in the short-lived MXGP competition (a forerunner to MX1-GP) in the 2003 season when Stefan Everts also made history by winning three motos on a Yamaha in three different categories on the same day at the Grand Prix of France. In 2006 they helped the Belgian to record ten world championships and 101 career victories before his retirement.

The crew were desperately close to a fourth crown in 2007 until Coppins sustained an untimely injury deep into the second half of the campaign while leading by a mammoth 107 points. With five overall triumphs and nine moto wins the New Zealander was still an outstanding performer of last year’s championship with more trophies than anyone else.

Monster Energy is emerging to become one of the premier energy drink brands on the planet. Popular in the United States, the drink first appeared on the market in 2002 and has expanded both in terms of its distribution, profile and range of flavours and products on offer. They are currently birthing and evolving their network in Europe and the association with Yamaha as one of the most successful motorcycle brands in off-road sport and one of the most prolific teams within the last ten years of motocross, is sure to assist in their blossoming project.

“We view the partnership between Monster Energy, Yamaha and the Rinaldi brothers as a European version of Monster Energy’s relationship with Mitch and Pro Circuit,” said Monster Energy spokesman Scott Sepkovic. “The Rinaldi Yamahas enjoy great racing heritage on the GP circuit, dating back to championships won by Donny Schmit and Bobby Moore. Monster Energy is looking forward to teaming up with this fine racing tradition as we continue to expand the Monster Energy brand globally. Here’s to a strong and healthy season for Josh Coppins and David Philippaerts the best of luck to both racers at their quest for the MX1 class championship. We’re pumped to have Yamaha Motor Europe and their team on board with Monster Energy.”

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Double FIM Women’s World Cup winner Katherine Prumm took her new YZ250F to first position in the opening round of the Australian Women’s championship at Tivioli in Brisbane and the 19 year old’s success was just one of several eye-catching results for the ‘Blue Army’ last weekend as Antonio Cairoli earned his MX1 spurs in Italy, and Kenneth Gundersen enjoyed a maiden MX1 bow for his new team in Great Britain.

Prumm comfortably owned the first Australian national on the hard and difficult circuit near the east coast. On her Subway YZ250F Prumm holeshotted and won both motos for an encouraging start to her career as a Yamaha rider.

“It was a great weekend of racing,” she said. “I was really happy with how the bike was handling and got to grips with the surface a lot better as the day progressed. It wasn’t one of my favourite tracks and I was glad to get through the day safely, it is always good to learn
something new on a tricky surface like that.”

“I got the holeshot in race one and tried to get used to the terrain as the corners were really demanding with slippery rocks covering the top soil,” the New Zealander continued. “I experimented with some new lines and techniques and rode away from Kristy Gillespie. During the course of the day the track disintegrated, as large clods of dirt would break out of the ground forming big squared-edged holes and bumps. I got the holeshot again in the second moto. I made some mistakes on the first two laps but I changed my lines and rode smoothly away from the rest of the field to a good lead of almost fifty seconds.”

The second round of three takes place at Newry in Victoria on May 25th.

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