Thanks to a harsh wind, the skies over Ernee in north-east France, reasonably close to the city of Le Mans, turned from blue to black, delivered bolts of lightning and copious but brief showers of rain on the eighth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. There was a dominant shade Sunday, however, as Red Bull KTM’s Max Nagl and Marvin Musquin blew across the MX1 and MX2 lap charts to go 1-1 each, respectively.
With Musquin dominating the British Grand Prix last week and leading the MX2 World Championship, Livia Lancelot looking very strong to regain her Women’s World title and Mickael Pichon returning to the track where his glittering GP career ended unceremoniously on a stretcher in 2006 – the last visit by the FIM series to Ernee – the 38,000 French public certainly had good reason to leave the track on Sunday with stinging vocal chords and expired air-horns.
Thankfully there was a lot of local interest as the races themselves were stifled by a track that permitted one line and was slippery through its stony consistency. The added rain created muddy opening motos and only the second MX1 sprint – on a drying, rougher and more “attackable” surface – provided some action and entertainment. The other races were pretty much decided by the second and third corners with both Nagl and Musquin enjoying the best starts.
In MX1 World Champion David Philippaerts was second for his third podium on the spin (Nagl enacting revenge for his defeat at the hands of the Italian in the UK one week before) and series leader Tony Cairoli – also on a Yamaha – gained his fifth rostrum trophy. Tanel Leok pushed his way back into the picture with fourth, and pole-position holder for the first time, Clement Desalle, was partly undone in his quest for a top three by a poor start and a few slips. Billy Mackenzie did well to run second for so long in moto two with his thumb still missing a ligament and spare a thought for Ken De Dycker who was third in moto one and a clear second in moto two before losing a right footpeg and forced to accept his second DNF of the season. Josh Coppins is still not able to count on his normally trusty high reserves of fitness and was sixth. Pichon collected seventh and his 5-9 scorecard hid an impressive rhythm and a decent comeback from a third-turn fall in moto two.
Musquin didn’t hang around for any foes in MX2, especially not title rivals Gautier Paulin or Davide Guarneri. The Frenchman, still fresh from his controversial switch from a privateer Honda team to a non-official factory KTM (with lawyers set to meet this coming week over the matter), extended his unbeaten run to four motos and two Grand Prix. An all-French podium was completed by Anthony Boissiere in second and Loic Larrieu; an 18-year-old rookie negotiating his first World Championship.
German star Ken Roczen shone in the second moto and took another second position to prove that his showcase in Spain several weeks ago was no fluke.
The fourth round of the Women’s World Championship was won by reigning champion Livia Lancelot much to the acclaim of the crowd. The Kawasaki rider went 1-1 for his first double victory and a career highlight for a first success on home turf. Her third triumph of the season meant that she finished ahead of Steffy Laier (Red Bull KTM) and Larissa Papenmeier (Teka Suzuki) and leads the same two girls by 24 and 37 points.
A two week break now precedes three Grand Prix in succession with trips to Germany, Latvia and Sweden bringing the world championship up to round eleven and prompting a summer break for three weeks in July.
MX1 MOTO 1: 1. Max Nagl (KTM); 2. David Philippaerts (Yam); 3. Ken De Dycker (Suz); 4. Clement Desalle (Hon); 5. Mickael Pichon (Hon); 6. Josh Coppins (Yam); 7. Tony Cairoli (Yam); 8. Tanel Leok (Yam); 9. Aigar Leok (TM); 10. Tom Church (CCM); 11. Manuel Priem (Apr); 12. David Vuillemin (Kaw); 13. Gareth Swanepoel (Kaw); 14. Julien Bill (Apr); 15. Greg Aranda (Kaw); 16. Gert Krestinov (KTM); 17. Rob Van Vijfeijken (Yam); 18. Billy Mackenzie (Hon); 19. Shannon Terreblanche (Kaw); 20. Raphael Beaudouin (Hon);
MX1 MOTO 2: 1. Max Nagl (KTM); 2. Tony Cairoli (Yam); 3. Tanel Leok (Yam); 4. David Philippaerts (Yam); 5. Billy Mackenzie (Hon); 6. Clement Desalle (Hon); 7. Josh Coppins (Yam); 8. Aigar Leok (TM); 9. Mickael Pichon (Hon); 10. Jason Dougan (CCM); 11. Manuel Priem (Apr); 12. Julien Bill (Apr); 13. Tom Church (CCM); 14. David Vullemin (Kaw); 15. Gareth Swanepoel (Kaw); 16. Gert Krestinov (KTM); 17. Shannon Terreblance (Kaw); 18. Bryan Mackenzie (Hon); 19. Carlos Campano (Yam); 20. Rob Van Vijfeijken (Yam);
MX1 OVERALL: 1. Max Nagl (KTM); 2. David Philippaerts (Yam); 3. Tony Cairoli (Yam); 4. Tanel Leok (Yam); 5. Clement Desalle (Hon); 6. Josh Coppins (Yam); 7. Mickael Pichon (Hon); 8. Aigar Leok (TM); 9. Manuel Priem (Apr); 10. Ken De Dycker (Suz); 11. Billy Mackenzie (Hon); 12. Tom Church (CCM); 13. Julien Bill (Apr); 14. David Vullemin (Kaw); 15. Gareth Swanepoel (Kaw); 16. Jason Dougan (CCM); 17. Gert Krestinov (KTM); 18. Shannon Terreblance (Kaw); 19. Greg Aranda (Kaw); 20. Rob Van Vijfeijken (Yam);
MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 8 of 15 rounds): 1. Tony Cairoli (291); 2. David Philippaerts (261); 3. Max Nagl (248); 4. Josh Coppins (238); 5. Clement Desalle (237); 6. Ken De Dycker (228); 7. Tanel Leok (223); 8. Jonathan Barragan (215); 9. Gareth Swanepoel (120); 10. Aigar Leok (118); 11. David Vuillemin (117); 12. Billy Mackenzie (103); 13. Steve Ramon (100); 14. Kevin Strijbos (82); 15. Greg Aranda (80); 16. Manuel Priem (77); 17. Mickael Pichon (56); 18. Tom Church (51); 19. Julien Bill (47); 20. Gert Krestinov (46);
MX2 MOTO 1: 1. Marvin Musquin (KTM); 2. Anthony Boissiere (KTM); 3. Steven Frossard (Kaw); 4. Loic Larrieu (Yam); 5. Arnaud Tonus (KTM); 6. Valentin Teillet (KTM); 7. Loic Rombaut (Kaw); 8. Gautier Paulin (Kaw); 9. Nicolas Aubin (Yam); 10. Rui Goncalves (KTM); 11. Joel Roelants (KTM); 12. Evgeny Bobryshev (Yam); 13. Xavier Boog (Suz); 14. Davide Guarneri (Yam); 15. Ken Roczen (Suz); 16. Cedric Soubeyras (Hon); 17. Manuel Monni (Yam); 18. Mel Pocock (Yam); 19. Pascal Leuret (Hon); 20. Nikolai Larsen (Suz);
MX2 MOTO 2: 1. Marvin Musquin (KTM); 2. Ken Roczen (Suz); 3. Davide Guarneri (Yam); 4. Gautier Paulin (Kaw); 5. Loic Larrieu (Yam); 6. Manuel Monni (Yam); 7. Anthony Boissiere (KTM); 8. Nicolas Aubin (Yam); 9. Joel Roelants (KTM); 10. Valentin Teillet (KTM); 11. Jeremy Van Horebeek (KTM); 12. Rui Goncalves (KTM); 13. Mel Pocock (Yam); 14. Steven Frossard (Kaw); 15. Evgeny Bobryshev (Yam); 16. Dennis Verbruggen (Hon); 17. Petr Smitka (KTM); 18. Xavier Boog (Suz); 19. Loic Rombaut (Kaw); 20. Cedric Soubeyras (Hon);
MX2 OVERALL: 1. Marvin Musquin (KTM); 2. Anthony Boissiere (KTM); 3. Loic Larrieu (Yam); 4. Gautier Paulin (Kaw); 5. Ken Roczen (Suz); 6. Davide Guarneri (Yam); 7. Steven Frossard (Kaw); 8. Valentin Teillet (KTM); 9. Nicolas Aubin (Yam); 10. Joel Roelants (KTM); 11. Rui Goncalves (KTM); 12. Manuel Monni (Yam); 13. Loic Rombaut (Kaw); 14. Arnaud Tonus (KTM); 15. Evgeny Bobryshev (Yam); 16. Mel Pocock (Yam); 17. Xavier Boog (Suz); 18. Jeremy Van Horebeek (KTM); 19. Cedric Soubeyras (Hon); 20. Dennis Verbruggen (Hon);
MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANNDINGS (After 8 of 15 rounds): 1. Marvin Musquin (284); 2. Gautier Paulin (250); 3. Davide Guarneri (235); 4. Rui Goncalves (222); 5. Steven Frossard (205); 6. Xavier Boog (177); 7. Nicolas Aubin (161); 8. Manuel Monni (134); 9 Jeremy Van Horebeek (128); 10. Ken Roczen (120); 11. Loic Larrieu (115); 12. Arnaud Tonus (108); 13. Joel Roelants (103); 14. Anthony Boissiere (100); 15. Zach Osborne (100); 16. Shaun Simpson (97); 17. Marcus Schiffer (89); 18. Stephen Sword (84); 19. Valentin Teillet (71); 20. Khounsith Vongsana (60);
WMX OVERALL: 1. Livia Lancelot (Kaw); 2. Stephanie Laier (KTM); 3. Larissa Papenmeier (Suz); 4. Maria Franke (Kaw); 5. Marianne Veenstra (Suz); 6. Nathalie Kane (Suz); 7. Elin Mann (KTM); 8. Marielle De Mol (Yam); 9. Elien De Winter (Hon); 10. Chiara Fontanesi (Yam);
FIM WOMEN’S MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 4 of 7 rounds): 1. Livia Lancelot (185); 2. Stephanie Laier (161); 3. Larissa Papenmeier (148); 4. Maria Franke (139); 5. Elin Mann (128); 6. Nathalie Kane (116); 7. Marianne Veenstra (111); 8. Elien De Winter (88); 9. Marielle De Mol (86); 10. Ashley Fiolek (80);
