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| 2009 De Carli line-up presented in Italy | | |  | The 2009 Yamaha Red Bull De Carli team was officially presented to press and partners in Italy this week. The forthcoming FIM World Championship will see the successful squad entering new ground with their priorities aligned to the premier MX1-GP category for the first time. After two MX2-GP world championships in the last four years with the YZ250F, De Carli – with riders Antonio Cairoli and Tanel Leok – has been applying his technical tuning expertise to the YZ450F for an attempt at the crown that Yamaha has owned for all but one of the five years since the inception of the class.
Many eyes will be on the full-time maiden MX1-GP season of former double MX2 champion Cairoli who sensationally won the 2007 British Grand Prix in a one-off wild-card appearance with a near-standard YZ450F. The Sicilian has been working and training diligently to master the physical demands of the larger machine over the winter and is now hungry to take to the start gate for the first time since rupturing his knee ligaments at the 2008 South African Grand Prix; an injury that ruined his quest for a third MX2-GP title. Cairoli is also the defending MX1 Italian champion in 2009.
Tanel Leok – winner of the 2008 Irish Grand Prix – begins his sixth season in MX1 and his first with the YZ450F. The strong and aggressive Estonian is expecting to add to his impressive tally of six GP podiums.
With a long and impressive heritage in the MX2-GP division (formerly 125cc) De Carli has not abandoned his roots and teenager Alessandro Lupino will begin his second year with the team after showing encouraging results during the latter half of 2008.
"We have been a world championship team since 1995 and often with good results. It gives me great satisfaction that now, following the maturing of our athletes such as Cairoli, we can enter the premier class with full commitment and logistic strength; this is mainly thanks to our technical partners," said Team Principal Claudio de Carli.
"Tony will be making his first season in MX1 and will need to acclimatise himself but he is a fast learner," he continued. "Tanel already has some years of experience and arrived in the team with a lot of motivation to improve and to reach top results. We will also continue to help Alessandro grow in MX2. I am convinced that with our technicians, riders and contributors, we have created a solid group and we are determined to continue to do well." |
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