LANDMARK US GRAND PRIX NEXT FOR SUZUKI WMX1

Courtesy of Suzuki Press
LANDMARK US GRAND PRIX NEXT FOR SUZUKI WMX1


Team Suzuki Press Office - May 26.

The sixth round of 15 in the 2010 FIM Motocross World Championship sees the factory Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 team head to California and the circuit of Glen Helen for the first US Grand Prix of the century and the first of the MX1/MX2 era.

Clement Desalle and Steve Ramon will fly out with other members of the squad today (Wednesday) 10 days after competing in Catalunya, Spain. The two Belgians hold fourth and sixth positions in the standings respectively with their RM-Z450WS' and have placed a Suzuki on the podium in four of the five races run so far this season.

After back-to-back events in Portugal and Spain the team packed up the necessary equipment last week and the riders seized the free weekend to train and recuperate after a hectic period of the calendar. Desalle was able to rest his right shoulder and Ramon could recover from aches and pains courtesy of his Qualification fall at Agueda and his unwilling first corner crash at Bellpuig.

The meeting at Glen Helen will represent the first US Grand Prix since 1999 and the first trip to the hillside venue at San Bernardino since 1992. The winner of the 500cc contest 20 years ago was none other than current Team Manager Eric Geboers, who now returns to the West Coast hoping to again celebrate victory, but in a slightly different form.

"Obviously it is special to go back there and the sport has changed a lot both technically and in the way it is organised in the last 20 years so we will see a different kind of Grand Prix," Geboers said. "We have not done too badly this season so far but my feeling is that both Steve and Clement have more to offer both in terms of their performances and the results we are taking; I hope we can pick it up in the United States."

The Grand Prix is the first of two fly-aways on the 2010 schedule and the trip across the Atlantic has added significance for the Belgian crew thanks to their new partnership with Rockstar Energy. "We have such a lot of respect for the people at Rockstar Energy and it is fantastic to be associated with a company like that," commented Geboers. "Going to the US means that the Rockstar management will be able to get close to the team and see what we are all about."

For the riders, Glen Helen is a chance to tackle one of the most renowned circuits in the USA. The fast climbs and drops of the layout under the Californian sun east of Los Angeles is a tantalising prospect for Desalle who competed in a round of the AMA Nationals in 2009. "I am so excited to go," the Portuguese Grand Prix winner said. "The track will be new for me but I have watched every AMA national for many years there, so I feel like I know Glen Helen a little bit."

Ramon is no stranger to the American soil but acknowledges the novelty of the event: "I was there in 2002 to do some practicing but I was not on the full track. I like it. Depending on the weather it can be hard underneath with loose dirt or sand on the top. I am looking forward to going there as it is new on the calendar and something different."

A rapid retreat will await the team after their US adventure with the Grand Prix of France at St Jean d'Angely set to occur the following weekend. The weather forecast predicts fine conditions for the weekend with Sunday set to be particularly hot with temperatures tipped to hit the low 30s.
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ROCZEN WINS AT VALENCE INTERNATIONAL

Courtesy of Suzuki
ROCZEN WINS AT VALENCE INTERNATIONAL


Team Suzuki Press Office - February 22.


The second major International event of the European motocross calendar occurred under bright but cloudy conditions at the hard-pack and slippery Valence circuit in France, south of Lyon and Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2’s Ken Roczen won the MX2 class with 3rd and 1st positions in the two motos, before scoring 10th in the Superfinal that saw a mix of 450 and 250 machinery.

Roczen took his works RM-Z250 to the top of the podium for his first attempt at the Valence meeting and for the first time in 2010 as Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Steve Ramon was third overall on his RM-Z450 in the MX1 division.

Still using the pre-season meetings as chances for testing and training, Roczen, and team-mate Arnaud Tonus, ran plenty of laps in the practice sessions and steadily worked on their speed at a chilly Valence. The teenage German, the sensation of the 2009 FIM MX2 World Championship, was consistently one of the top three fastest on race day. He rode to 3rd in the first race before carefully picking his lines and beating World Champion Marvin Musquin in the second. He was the third highest-ranked MX2 rider in the Superfinal.

“I am happy because I did not come here expecting to win and had also felt sick last week which meant that I could not ride much; the weather hadn’t helped us either,” the 15 year old said. “Both the bike and I are on a good level, not the level we want for Bulgaria and the first Grand Prix but we are on the way. We used this meeting for further mileage and training and it went well. It is good to see we are pretty competitive already.”

Steve Ramon rode to 12th, 2nd and 2nd in the sprints and led for a section of the last moto. The Belgian weathered some difficult moments with arm-pump in the formative stages but emerged with a podium finish for his efforts. “I am quite pleased with the result because I suffered a bit with arm-pump again during the Timed Practice and also the first moto,” said Ramon. “My start was not great for the first race and I found I could not really push, so I rode my own speed. We made a change to the bike for the second moto and I was riding a bit more relaxed and could find a better rhythm. The last race was the best for me. I started in the top five and was leading for a while until Cairoli came through. I could stay on his wheel until the finish, so I was happy with that at this stage in the year.”

Team-mate on the factory RM-Z450, Clement Desalle, had an eventful day. The Belgian champion, in his second appearance in Teka colours, was 7th overall with a best finish of 3rd in Moto1. A poor opening phase of the next race meant he had to recover from the lower top ten to claim 5th and his event was prematurely ended in the Superfinal with two crashes. The second of which caused his retirement with a painful arm. “The first moto was the best, I took third. Then I was fifth in the next one after a start that was not so good,” commented Desalle. “In the last race I had the holeshot and was leading for two or three laps until I lost the front wheel in one of the corners. I recovered to the top five after five laps but the slippery track caught me again and I hurt my left arm. At the moment it seems to be nothing more than muscular pain. Hawkstone Park is next for me after some days testing in France.”

Tonus was pushing hard for positions in the second MX2 race after taking 10th at the first time of asking. The young Swiss rider made a mistake and lost two places and then was lucky to emerge relatively unscathed from a frightening looking accident only a few corners later.

The Teka Suzuki teams will remain in southern France for testing this week before attempting the Hawkstone Park International in England on March 7th.

Valence International results:
MX1: 1. Antonio Cairoli, 2. David Philippaerts, 3. Steve Ramon (Suzuki), 4. Anthony Boissiere, 5. Seb Pourcel. 7. Clement Desalle (Suzuki).

MX2: 1. Ken Roczen (Suzuki), 2. Marvin Musquin, 3. Steven Frossard, 4. Gautier Paulin, 5. Valentine Teillet. 16. Arnaud Tonus (Suzuki).
 

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