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MISFORTUNE KEEPS LEOK OUT OF TOP 10 AT LOKET 9 August 2009 There is nothing quite like contract negotiation time to sharpen the senses out on the world's motocross tracks. Tanel Leok is a proven GP winner, solid value in the front quarter of the world championship pack, and a renowned hard worker who skirts controversy and gets on with the job at hand, and consequently the phone in his management offices was not altogether silent when the 2009 team musical chairs started to pick up steam. Nevertheless, some good results at the appropriate time would not go amiss to underscore the value of the rider, and like all others on the start line, he was extra keen to put his best foot forward as the GP circus moved into Loket for the Czech Grand Prix. The Estonian Express is always serious about his racing, but this time there was an extra edge to his performances. He posted the fastest time in the first free training on Saturday, and followed this up with the third fastest time in the pre-qualifying practice. A near copybook start launched him to the tip of the spear, and he easily kept pace with the race leaders to finish third in the qualifying race. As always, a bumper crowd came out to enjoy the perfect racing weather and the even hotter racing on this beautiful track, with its spectacular views over some old world architectural treasures. Tanel was 10th off the start, and soon barged his way to 8th in a very speedy procession. He hounded former world champion Steve Ramon, and was just about to pounce when the Belgian handed him the spot by thoughtfully retiring with mechanical problems. The Estonian set the GPS on his Red Bull De Carli Yamaha to full steam ahead, and soon formed part of a group consisting of positions three to seven, all covered by a relatively close three second gap. HIs next victim was Ken De Dycker, moving him into sixth, and as he homed in on Gareth Swanepoel, he had to fend off a rearguard assault by teammate Antonio Cairoli. As the last lap arrived, he seemed to have shaken Cairoli whilst latching onto Swan epoel. Unfortunately, an off-track excursion on the very last lap cost Tanel a position, as he lost the hold on Swanepoel whilst Cairoli also managed to slip by. Tanel finally crossed the line in seventh position. A better start augured well for the second race, but 2 corners later, things went pear shaped for the Estonian. Some riders were caught out by the freshly-watered track, and the pile-up caused him to tumble as well. Just as he was about to get going again, another bike collected him, in full view of the camera bike, leaving him well and truly last. He remounted and got going, furiously paddling at the levers on the bike to get them pointed in the general direction intended by the manufacturer, and started an arduous catch-up race. With the field long gone, it took him seven laps just to get back in the points, and thereafter he kept moving forward, each time closing up huge gaps before passing the next rider. His woes compounded when a stone lodged itself in his brake system, forcing him to stop and remove it. With such a series of setbacks there was no real prospect that he would get i n the top 10, but he made the best of a bad case and battled his way up to 15th position by race end. Now most people would be over the moon with a top 10 world championship result, but 9th overall in this GP was not exactly what Tanel had envisaged. He still holds onto an unassailable seventh position in the world standings, with a 129 point advantage over eighth-placed Gareth Swanepoel.
This report is available online. RESULTS All GP results are available on the official website of the motocross world championships.
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