MX-GP: Frossard leads the world after heroic Dutch GP

MX1-GP NETHERLANDS - ROUND 2     Valkenswaard MX1-GP Race Report - 25/04/2011 Frossard leads the world after heroic Dutch GP Monster Energy Yamahas Steven Frossard somehow buried the pain of a strained collarbone ligament at a sunny Valkenswaard to finish fourth overall and lift the red plate as leader of the MX1-GP FIM World Championship. After only his second event on the works YZ450FM Frossard classified behind team-mate David Philippaerts the Italian scoring third place and walking the podium for the first time since the Brazilian GP last August but now leads the series by five points. A fall while heading towards pole position on Saturday left Frossard in pain come warm-up on the morning of race-day and even in doubt as to his participation for the motos. 35,000 people had taken advantage of the second round of fifteen in the FIM contest occurring over the Easter holiday weekend. With some treatment and strapping Frossard took to the start gate and benefitted from two bright getaways to run among the leading group for both sprints. He disputed the win with Tony Cairoli in Moto1 and finally took second and then was two laps away from the final step of the podium in Moto2 except a slip landing off the finish-line jump saw the 23 year old run into the fence. Frossard passed the chequered flag in fifth place. David Philippaerts was not sharp enough at the opening of Moto1 to be in contention for the top three but nevertheless rode strongly to obtain fourth. In Moto2 more intent from the first lap pushed the Italian into the battle for the lead and his third position was enough for the rostrum ceremony after Frossards late misfortune. The third member of the Monster Energy triumvirate, Anthony Boissiere, was 13th overall with 15th and 13th positions and was not assisted by a first moto crash at the start. In the formative championship standings Frossard is the first Frenchman in six years to front the MX1 table. Philippaerts is fifth and 22 points in arrears. Monster Energy Yamaha will next grace the international stage with back-to-back Grand Prix events in USA and Brazil. The Americas phase of the championship will begin on May 15th with the trip to Glen Helen in California. David Philippaerts, Monster Energy Yamaha, 3rd: It was difficult here because the lines changed every lap and it was possible to lose or make two-three seconds each time. In the first moto I was too relaxed at the start of the race and the others made a break. So in the second one I tried to push more in the beginning and it was better. Im really happy for me to be back on the podium. We have all worked a lot for results like this. Steven Frossard, Monster Energy Yamaha, 4th, 13th: Im really happy to get the red plate, especially because after the crash yesterday I had a lot of pain in my collarbone and it was difficult to ride; the warm-up was impossible this morning. I spent time with my doctor and trainer and with some massage and strapping I was ready to try the races. I had a really good start in the first moto and it was quite easy to stay focussed after that. My goal was to stay in fourth in the next heat and make the podium but my hand slipped off the handlebar after a jump and I crashed. I could still manage fifth and it feels great to have the red plate after a Grand Prix in the sand. For me it was easier to ride the 450 here. I could play with the bike and I felt really good on my race-bike today. Anthony Boissiere, Monster Energy Yamaha: Today was very difficult. I was not in the top ten because in the first race I crashed in the second corner and it was hard to come back. I was fifteenth and took thirteenth in the second moto which was a bit better but I was tired in that one. The track was really bumpy! I will try to be better for the GP in the USA. 2011 MX1-GP Netherlands Valkenswaard 25/04/2011 20 Laps race I 1 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 40'49.442  2 Steven Frossard Yamaha FRA 0'06.303  3 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'10.631  4 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'34.320  5 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'43.305  6 Rui Goncalves Honda POR 0'43.485  7 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 0'57.195  8 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'59.698  9 Tanel Leok TM EST 1'02.322  10 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 1'23.387  11 Marc De Reuver Yamaha NED 1'46.265  12 Davide Guarneri Kawasaki ITA 1'49.054  13 Martin Barr KTM GBR 1'50.558  14 Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 1'57.099  15 Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 2'01.533  18 Jason Dougan Yamaha GBR -1Laps  race II 1 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 39'21.653  2 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 0'14.447  3 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'22.047  4 Rui Goncalves Honda POR 0'27.150  5 Steven Frossard Yamaha FRA 0'44.569  6 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'53.640  7 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 1'09.411  8 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 1'15.250  9 Tanel Leok TM EST 1'21.478  10 Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 1'25.000  11 Davide Guarneri Kawasaki ITA 1'33.523  12 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 1'38.859  13 Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 1'53.340  14 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA -1Laps  15 Gert Krestinov Kawasaki EST -1Laps  19 Jason Dougan Yamaha GBR -1Laps  MX1-GP World Standing Rider Standings After Race 2 of 16 1. Steven Frossard Yamaha FRA 85 2. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 80 3. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 78 4. Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 72 5. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 63 6. Rui Goncalves Honda POR 62 7. Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 53 8. Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 52 9. Davide Guarneri Kawasaki ITA 45 10. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 42 11. Tanel Leok TM EST 36 12. Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 34 13. Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 34 14. Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 31 15. Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 28 16. Shaun Simpson Honda GBR 18 17. Marc De Reuver Yamaha NED 13 18. Jason Dougan Yamaha GBR 12 19. Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 11 Circuit Length: 1750 Crowd: 35,000 Weather: Sunshine Last Years Winner: Antonio Cairoli Manufacturer Standings 25/04/2011 1 Yamaha 89 2 KTM 85 3 Suzuki 78 4 Honda 64 5 Kawasaki 56 6 TM 36 Two Yamahas in Dutch GP top four The ever-changing and swirling sand of Valkenswaard presented a difficult and technical challenge for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands and the second round of fifteen in the FIM MX2-GP World Championship. Under day-long sunshine and the glare of 35,000 holiday-making spectators, Bike it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamahas Arnaud Tonus finished 4th overall while Monster Energy Yamahas Gautier Paulin defied odds to earn an excellent 5th. Track conditions and an unusually intense climate created an energy-sapping racing environment for the MX2-GP riders. Paulin, steering the prototype fuel-injected YZ250FM, had to take painkillers to erase discomfort of a suspected twisted torso muscle from Saturday. The Frenchman could barely complete the warm-up session but bravely entered the two motos and produced an exceptional set of rides to 5th and 6th; at one stage he battle for third spot in the first race. While Paulin exceeded expectations Arnaud Tonus was also displaying yet more improved speed and skill in the sand. The Swiss fought back from a so-so start in Moto1 to find his way to fourth and was only two circulations from an overall podium finish deep into Moto2 until fatigue caused a small slip and he was pipped to the line and a trophy - by Tommy Searle. Monster Energy Yamahas Harri Kullas had a consistent day with two seventh positions and the same overall ranking and was one place higher in the event standings than American Zach Osborne on the YZ250F who had to recover from a poor start in Moto2 to climb to eighth. Kullas team-mate Christophe Charlier was eleventh. The Frenchman, who underwent laser therapy on a broken bone in his right hand crashed exiting the first corner of Moto1 but started brilliantly in Moto2 and ran as high as third before feeling the pace and dropping back to tenth. Tonus, Paulin and Osborne are fourth, fifth and sixth in the championship table respectively and are within seven points of each other. Kullas is ninth with Charlier eleventh. The MX2 series will recommence with the U.S. Grand Prix at Glen Helen in southern California on May 15th. The American trip Gautier Paulin, Monster Energy Yamaha: The track was tough and very hard physically. I didnt start so well but I got some good points today and did the best job I could. We will see a little bit what has been the problem now and hope to be fully ready to go for America. Arnaud Tonus: It seems like I feel good on the sand now! It was two tough motos but the first one was great and to finish fourth on the sand was really good for me. I pushed really hard to fight back and did the same in the second moto. When I reached third in front of Tommy that was great but I started to feel tired and made a small mistake that led to a crash. Im disappointed that I missed the podium but the results were good. Harri Kullas, Monster Energy Yamaha: First race I was able to catch Aubin and then had a really good battle with Roelants to win seventh place. I wasnt so tired and could push hard in the last laps. I had a great start in the second moto and when Herlings crashed on the first lap I was second. I found my rhythm and Tonus and Searle were really fast. I concentrated on my speed and focussed on attacking Paulin in the last laps. I was close but made a mistake with four laps to go and he had a few more seconds on me, so it was really hard to go for sixth. I had a virus after Bulgaria and it took some time to get healthy again, nevertheless this was a consistent race and I hope we can have a good GP at Glen Helen. Zach Osborne: It was a pretty good result considering my past history on the sand. It was nothing brilliant but it was a solid day of riding. For me this was the hard one out of the way until we get to Lommel. We can keep on trucking and build some momentum going into America. My fitness is really good and in that second race I must have passed twenty guys. Overall this is something solid to lean on. My sand riding is getting better and I know more about what I need for my set-up on the bike now. 2011 MX2-GP Netherlands Valkenswaard 25/04/2011 20 Laps race I 1 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 39'55.351  2 Ken Roczen KTM GER 0'37.452  3 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 0'45.031  4 Arnaud Tonus Yamaha CHE 0'47.152  5 Gautier Paulin Yamaha FRA 1'01.981  6 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 1'19.739  7 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1'22.253  8 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1'24.197  9 Nicolas Aubin KTM FRA 1'29.839  10 Max Anstie Kawasaki GBR -1Laps  11 Nikolai Larsen KTM DNK -1Laps  12 Glenn Coldenhoff Yamaha NED -1Laps  13 Jose Antonio Butron KTM ESP -1Laps  14 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA -1Laps  15 Mike Kras KTM NED -1Laps  race II 1 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 41'04.993  2 Ken Roczen KTM GER 0'11.010  3 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 0'31.875  4 Arnaud Tonus Yamaha CHE 0'42.303  5 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 0'58.448  6 Gautier Paulin Yamaha FRA 1'09.328  7 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1'18.048  8 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 1'46.443  9 Max Anstie Kawasaki GBR 1'50.253  10 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 2'00.631  11 Petar Petrov Yamaha BGR -1Laps  12 Nikolai Larsen KTM DNK -1Laps  13 Glenn Coldenhoff Yamaha NED -1Laps  14 Jose Antonio Butron KTM ESP -1Laps  15 Jordi Tixier KTM FRA -1Laps  MX2-GP World Standing Rider Standings After Race 2 of 16 1. Ken Roczen KTM GER 94 2. Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 86 3. Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 84 4. Arnaud Tonus Yamaha CHE 67 5. Gautier Paulin Yamaha FRA 65 6. Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 60 7. Max Anstie Kawasaki GBR 51 8. Joel Roelants KTM BEL 48 9. Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 46 10. Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 36 11. Nicolas Aubin KTM FRA 36 12. Glenn Coldenhoff Yamaha NED 31 13. Jeremy Van Horebeek KTM BEL 31 14. Jose Antonio Butron KTM ESP 21 15. Jordi Tixier KTM FRA 20 16. Nikolai Larsen KTM DNK 19 20. Petar Petrov Yamaha BGR 13 Circuit Length: 1750 Crowd: 35,000 Weather: Sunshine Last Years Winner: Jeffrey Herlings Manufacturer Standings 25/04/2011 1 KTM 100 2 Kawasaki 84 3 Yamaha 74 4 Honda 17 5 Husqvarna 14 6 Suzuki 2

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