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[Andy]

In front of 32,000 spectators Steven Frossard claimed the first MX1 victory of his career under hot and bright conditions at St Jean D’Angely for the Grand Prix of France. Honda World Motocross Team’s Evgeny Bobryshev was the top CRF450R runner at the fifth round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship with a decent fifth position across a rough and rutty track that offered varying degrees of grip.

The venue that will host the 65th Motocross of Nations in September still welcomed a hefty attendance with the French public enjoying the intense breaks of sunshine. In spite of a violent rain storm on Saturday night the French dirt was reasonably dry, but pretty bumpy and caused the Grand Prix elite to count the cost of their mistakes.

Bobryshev again led the four-rider Honda collective in the premier class and sixth position in the first race of 35 minutes and 2 laps was bettered by fifth place in the second sprint. The Russian formation-flew with team-mate Rui Goncalves in second and third spots for more than half of the second moto and although the heat caused the American GP ‘podiumee’ to tire in the closing stages his consistent riding in the mid top ten helped towards a decent points haul.

In sixth place overall was LS Honda’s Ken De Dycker who recovered from a bad start in the first moto to rally his way to fifth. The tall Belgian was not quite as efficient in the second outing and collected eighth, but the meeting was still a positive step forward for the former GP winner.

Eighth position in the final ranking and the third CRF450R in the top ten belonged to Goncalves who experienced contrasting motos. A glitch with his ‘starting device’ meant the Portuguese had to dismount and reset the forks only seconds before the launch of the first race and disrupted his getaway. After a long trawl to fourteenth, Goncalves chased Bobryshev in the second affair and looked comfortable in the leading pack. Finally he was able to take advantage of the Russian’s fatigue on the last lap and crossed the line in a creditable fourth.

After reaching the heights of second position for a segment of the qualification heat, Shaun Simpson did his best on Sunday for thirteenth and twelfth (thirteenth overall).

In MX2 Swian Zanoni was pushing back to fitness after the hand injury sustained in the USA and used the Grand Prix motos to record twenty-fourth place on both occasions. A worthy mention must go to Pulse DB Racing Honda’s Elliot Banks-Browne who took the CRF250R to twelfth position overall.
A bright start and ninth place in the first moto was the highlight of the Briton’s wild-card appearance and represented the highest classification for the motorcycle in the category this season.

In the world championship standings Bobryshev and Goncalves are sixth and seventh with De Dycker in twelfth and Simpson in fifteenth. Grands Prix in Portugal (at Agueda) and Spain (La Bañeza) will take place in the next two weeks as a busy period of the calendar will keep the riders and team occupied until the end of July.

Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda World Motocross) Race Result: 6th/5th Championship position: 6th “Many times my second race is always better than the first and I don’t know why. The track here has always been very difficult for me; it is not my kind of track. Those banked corners where I cannot slide are very tricky. Many ruts with big bumps. I had a good start in the first race but could not really find my speed and I nearly had the holeshot in the second and tried to stay with Desalle. Near the end the sunshine got me. I was sweating from everywhere and was counting down the laps when Rui passed me. This is where I have gained some experience and we must look forward now and do our best again.”

Rui Goncalves (Honda World Motocross)
Race Result: 14th/4th Championship position: 7th “Two different races for me because of two different starts. I messed the first moto up. My fork clip went off just as the fifteen second board went up. I had to jump off the bike and put it back on and then there was just five seconds so I couldn’t focus and missed the gate. It was an awful start. I wasn’t feeling 100% with the lines and not riding my best. I couldn’t do better than fourteenth. The second race was definitely different. I could ride the pace at the front and when I’m there I can hold the speed; it must seem like a different rider to you guys! The track was not easy for passing, but I still managed a move on Bobryshev on the last lap. Fourth was OK and now the home GP is around the corner.”

Ken De Dycker (LS Honda Racing)
Race Result: 5th/8th Championship position: 12th “I’m quite happy. The starts weren’t great, but I felt much better than before out there. I passed so many people and found a good rhythm, even if the first race was better than the second. We have improved the bike in the last week and hopefully we can get closer to the front guys.”

Shaun Simpson (LS Honda Racing)
Race Result: 13th//12th Championship position: 15th “I think yesterday my speed was OK and I showed with a start I can be near the front, perhaps not with the leaders, but certainly best of the rest.
The second moto was rough as hell, I was tired and I didn’t really know what was happening I wasn’t that much slower than Bobryshev, Rui and Cairoli as I could see that I was holding the distance to them. Two bad starts today. In the first moto I was running in eighth and had some pressure from behind. The track wasn’t easy, the roost was pretty bad. I did the best I could as always and there have been worse days so far. I can build on this next week and then again for Spain. I want to get in the top ten, then the top eight and see if I can go further. If we can improve the bike a bit more then I can get those starts and prove what I’m capable of.”

Swian Zanoni (Honda Brazil)
Race Result: 24th/24th Championship position: - “I haven’t ridden because of my hand injury and on this track with the steep hills and jumps it was hard going. I gave it my best out there and I’m quite happy with how I felt in the motos.”

Roger Harvey, Off-road Manager, Honda Motor Europe:
“It was a good weekend for Honda and with the schedule we set ourselves things are going more or less to plan. It would have been great if Evgeny and Rui could have finished second and third like they were running in that second moto but it was still a good enough set of results.
Ken De Dycker was also very combative in fighting back from a bad start. It was good to see.”


RESULTS

MX1 RACE 1 (20 laps = 31.80 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / MOTORCYCLE / TIME
1 / FROSSARD, STEVEN / FRA / YAMAHA / 39:43.001
2 / CAIROLI, ANTONIO / ITA / KTM / 39:57.167
3 / PHILIPPAERTS, DAVID / ITA / YAMAHA / 40:09.590
4 / BOOG, XAVIER / FRA / KAWASAKI / 40:29.858
5 / DE DYCKER, KEN / BEL / HONDA / 40:38.477
6 / BOBRYSHEV, EVGENY / RUS / HONDA / 40:40.386
7 / NAGL, MAXIMILIAN / GER / KTM / 40:41.512
8 / TOWNLEY, BENJAMIN / NZL / KAWASAKI / 40:55.516
9 / STRIJBOS, KEVIN / BEL / SUZUKI / 40:57.589 10 / LEOK, TANEL / EST / TM / 41:03.474
11 / DESALLE, CLEMENT / BEL / SUZUKI / 41:05.709
12 / RAMON, STEVE / BEL / SUZUKI / 41:08.783
13 / SIMPSON, SHAUN / GBR / HONDA / 41:10.593
14 / GONCALVES, RUI / POR / HONDA / 41:16.932
15 / BARRAGAN, JONATHAN / ESP / KAWASAKI / 41:35.014 Fastest Lap: CAIROLI; 1.55.128 lap 19 with 49.72 Km/h

MX1 RACE 2 (20 laps = 31.80 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / MOTORCYCLE / TIME
1 / DESALLE, CLEMENT / BEL / SUZUKI / 39:50.343
2 / FROSSARD, STEVEN / FRA / YAMAHA / 40:01.329
3 / CAIROLI, ANTONIO / ITA / KTM / 40:04.108
4 / GONCALVES, RUI / POR / HONDA / 40:07.159
5 / BOBRYSHEV, EVGENY / RUS / HONDA / 40:10.109
6 / BARRAGAN, JONATHAN / ESP / KAWASAKI / 40:12.111
7 / BOOG, XAVIER / FRA / KAWASAKI / 40:16.311
8 / DE DYCKER, KEN / BEL / HONDA / 40:19.867
9 / NAGL, MAXIMILIAN / GER / KTM / 40:21.587 10 / LEOK, TANEL / EST / TM / 40:26.849
11 / STRIJBOS, KEVIN / BEL / SUZUKI / 40:37.660
12 / SIMPSON, SHAUN / GBR / HONDA / 40:52.164
13 / BOISSIERE, ANTHONY / FRA / YAMAHA / 40:53.959
14 / ARANDA, GREGORY / FRA / KAWASAKI / 40:54.448
15 / MONNI, MANUEL / ITA / HONDA / 41:01.107 Fastest Lap: PHILIPPAERTS; 1:55.078 lap 7 with 49.74km/h

MX1 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE:
1 DESALLE 199, 2 CAIROLI 193, 3 FROSSARD 179, 4 NAGL 179, 5 PHILIPPAERTS. 161,
6 BOBRYSHEV 141, 7 GONCALVES 133, 8 BARRAGAN 115, 9 STRIJBOS 114, 10 BOOG 109,
11 RAMON 103, 12 DE DYCKER 87, 13 LEOK 81, 14 BOISSIERE 73, 15 SIMPSON 66.


MX2 RACE 1 (20 laps = 31.80 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / MOTORCYCLE / TIME
1 / ROCZEN, KEN / GER / KTM / 40:46.690
2 / PAULIN, GAUTIER / FRA / YAMAHA / 41:00.444
3 / OSBORNE, ZACHARY / USA / YAMAHA / 41:11.059
4 / SEARLE, TOMMY / GBR / KAWASAKI / 41:22.799
5 / TONUS, ARNAUD / SUI / YAMAHA / 41:39.870
6 / AUBIN, NICOLAS / FRA / KTM / 42:00.605
7 / HERLINGS, JEFFREY / NED / KTM / 42:14.921
8 / ROELANTS, JOEL / BEL / KTM / 42:20.972
9 / BANKS-BROWNE, ELLIOTT / GBR / HONDA / 42:35.627 10 / KULLAS, HARRI / FIN / YAMAHA / 42:41.211
11 / NICHOLLS, JAKE / GBR / KTM / 42:48.517
12 / TIXIER, JORDI / FRA / KTM / 40:49.325
13 / COLDENHOFF, GLENN / NED / YAMAHA / 41:03.892
14 / BUTRON OLIVA, ANTONIO JOSE / ESP / KTM / 41:14.222
15 / RAUCHENECKER, PASCAL / AUT / KTM / 41:38.029 Fastest Lap: ROCZEN; 1.56.435 lap 3 with 49.16 Km/h


MX2 RACE 2 (20 laps = 31.80 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / MOTORCYCLE / TIME
1 / SEARLE, TOMMY / GBR / KAWASAKI / 39:47.629
2 / HERLINGS, JEFFREY / NED / KTM / 39:49.363
3 / OSBORNE, ZACHARY / USA / YAMAHA / 39:52.058
4 / PAULIN, GAUTIER / FRA / YAMAHA / 39:52.840
5 / AUBIN, NICOLAS / FRA / KTM / 40:39.514
6 / ANSTIE, MAX / GBR / KAWASAKI / 40:46.133
7 / TONUS, ARNAUD / SUI / YAMAHA / 41:03.166
8 / CHARLIER, CHRISTOPHE / FRA / YAMAHA / 41:12.134
9 / KULLAS, HARRI / FIN / YAMAHA / 41:19.909 10 / ROELANTS, JOEL / BEL / KTM / 41:22.928
11 / ROCZEN, KEN / GER / KTM / 41:39.062
12 / TRIEST, NICK / BEL / KTM / 41:47.131
13 / NICHOLLS, JAKE / GBR / KTM / 41:51.644
14 / LUPINO, ALESSANDRO / ITA / HUSQVARNA / 40:00.550
15 / COLDENHOFF, GLENN / NED / YAMAHA / 40:03.520 Fastest Lap: OSBORNE; 1:55.332 in lap 14 with 49.63km/h

MX2 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE:
1 ROCZEN 226, 2 HERLINGS 213, 3 SEARLE 199, 4 OSBORNE 162, 5 PAULIN 160,
6 TONUS 138, 7 ANSTIE 135, 8 KULLAS 119, 9 ROELANTS 114, 10 AUBIN 104,
11 CHARLIER 102, 12 TIXIER 70, 13 RAUCHENECKER 52, 14 LUPINO 47, 15 COLDENHOFF 45.