MX GP: Philippaerts 2nd in Catalan sun

RACE REPORT 17/05/2009 Excellent Philippaerts 2nd at Bellpuig Philippaerts Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's David Philippaerts scored his second podium result of the season and his best result of 2009 so far with second position at a sunny, hot and crowded Bellpuig circuit for the Grand Prix of Catalunya and the sixth round of the FIM MX1-GP World Championship. The defending number one defied pain and discomfort with the left index finger he broke only one week ago to steer his YZ450FM to two third positions in front of 20,000 spectators. There were actually two Yamaha's present in the top three as Yamaha Red Bull De Carli's Antonio Cairoli finished third overall and won the second moto to grab his sixth chequered flag from the last eight sprints. Hard-pack, dusty and increasingly rough, the Bellpuig terrain was a major contrast to the 2008 event in which the Grand Prix was washed out with a deluge of rain. Yamaha were able to celebrate a double pole position (the second this season) on a very warm Saturday thanks to Cairoli's second qualification heat win of the year and Davide Guarneri starting well to lead home the MX2 field. Saturday was a positive day for Cairoli as he was fastest in both practice sessions and then completed a perfect set with the chequered flag for first pick in the gate for Sunday. Podium The first moto took place in the hottest conditions of the year and Philippaerts capitalised on a good start to push and hound Clement Desalle for second position for virtually the entire race. The 25 year old underwent three days of treatment in the UK prior to the GP. The team also adjusted the clutch lever and added some extra protection to the bars. Cairoli had collided with Billy Mackenzie on the second lap and although he flew back from eighteenth to fourth (in spite of a leaking fuel tank, picked up in the fall) he then tried to overtake Josh Coppins and hit the ground again in a small error of judgement. The Sicilian and world championship leader crossed the line in eighth and with a set of sore ribs. Cairoli In the second moto Philippaerts was again a protagonist and worked hard in third position to catch and pass Mackenzie. Cairoli followed his countryman until the closing stages when he pulled ahead and then pursued leader Max Nagl. A mistake by the German allowed '222' to get close to his back wheel and he moved into the lead on the penultimate lap to make the bottom step of the rostrum; his fourth consecutive trophy this year and also increase his championship lead by 11 points. Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's Josh Coppins was sixth overall with finishes of fourth and eighth. The New Zealander was proactive at the start of the motos but did not have the speed or extra energy to be able to push and affect the leaders. Cairoli's team-mate, Tanel Leok, had a difficult day. The Estonian made a mistake and crashed on the first lap and was halted from restarting by many riders clipping both the rider and the bike as they filtered past. Well down the field he recovered to eighth by the end. Two more errors and some brake trouble in Moto2 could only mean thirteenth at the end of the afternoon for a ranking of tenth overall. Four Yamahas lie in the first six positions in the world championship standings and the brand also heads the Manufacturer's table by 48 points. Cairoli holds the red plate with an advantage of 36 points from Bellpuig winner Jonathan Barragan. Coppins is fourth and 56 from the top spot, Philippaerts is fifth and trails his team-mate by one point while Leok is sixth. Round seven of the world championship will take place in two weeks time at the purpose-built track draped across the side of the Mallory Park road racing facility in England for the British Grand Prix. Tony third David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 2nd: "I did not expect this because my thumb gave me a lot of problems yesterday, but today I could ride well and quite easily and I am really happy for the result; it is a bit of a surprise. I did not do any training since Portugal, only treatment, so I felt a bit tired towards the end of the second moto but obviously I am really pleased with two third positions. My doctor believes that I should be almost back to normal for the next Grand Prix." Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 3rd: "In the first moto I made two mistakes and when I crashed with Josh it was my fault because I was going for his line and just caught his back wheel. With Mackenzie the first time I think it was a normal pass but he cut the line and we both went down. My fuel tank was actually damaged after that so I was going easy on the gas because I did not want to run out before the end of the race. I still could make the best lap-time and the moment with Josh was a shame, it also hurt some of my ribs although the pain was not so bad by the start of the second race. I lost some time at the beginning of the second moto but I found the right lines and even copied a few from Jonathan when he overtook me for a while! I felt really good, and when I saw Nagl make a mistake I pushed hard for the win." Coppins Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 6th: "I had some good starts and my riding was not too bad but I did not have much power today; I did the best I could do. I am not sure what the problem is at the moment but I felt tired and struggled in the second moto. There is not much more I can really say." Tanel Leok, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 10th: "A bad day. I felt good and the speed was fine but I was getting things wrong. In the second moto I hit someone's back wheel and he spun out so I was stuck behind him and was really far back, I crashed again and then had a stone jamming the rear brake so after two laps without a brake I stopped to take it out. I fell again later after that, I tried too hard to get back near the front and was making mistakes; it was not my day." Circuit Length: 1630 Crowd: 20,000 Weather: Sunshine Last Years Winner: Steve Ramon 2009 GP of Spain 17/05/2009 Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 40'38.899 2 Clement Desalle Honda BEL 0'10.982 3 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'11.453 4 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'16.273 5 David Vuillemin Kawasaki FRA 0'17.446 6 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'18.617 7 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'19.177 8 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 0'51.165 9 Tanel Leok Yamaha EST 0'54.074 10 Aigar Leok TM EST 1'05.652 11 Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 1'10.774 12 Julien Bill Aprilia CHE 1'13.182 13 Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 1'14.266 14 Tom Church CCM GBR 1'26.436 15 Jason Dougan CCM GBR 1'48.844 20 Rob van Vijfeijken Yamaha NED -1Laps Race 2 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 39'22.225 2 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'01.314 3 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'13.691 4 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'18.063 5 Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 0'20.186 6 Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 0'23.058 7 Clement Desalle Honda BEL 0'23.655 8 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'23.983 9 David Vuillemin Kawasaki FRA 0'33.488 10 Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA 0'39.470 11 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'48.519 12 Manuel Priem Aprilia BEL 0'54.672 13 Tanel Leok Yamaha EST 1'02.669 14 Aigar Leok TM EST 1'09.052 15 Gert Krestinov KTM EST 1'13.655 Rider Standings 17/05/2009 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 231 2. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 195 3. Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 183 4. Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 175 5. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 174 6. Clement Desalle Honda BEL 162 7. Tanel Leok Yamaha EST 162 8. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 155 9. David Vuillemin Kawasaki FRA 101 10. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 100 11. Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 92 12. Aigar Leok TM EST 85 13. Kevin Strijbos Honda BEL 82 14. Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 68 15. Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA 50 24. Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 21 28. Rob van Vijfeijken Yamaha NED 13 Manufacturer Standings 17/05/2009 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 261 2. KTM 213 3. Suzuki 197 4. Honda 196 5. Kawasaki 115 6. TM 85 7. Aprilia 69 8. CCM 38 RACE REPORT 17/05/2009 Guarneri 6th in Catalunya Guarneri The sixth round of the MX2-GP World Championship at the Bellpuig circuit for the Grand Prix of Catalunya saw Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team's Davide Guarneri negotiate the rough and dry Spanish hard-pack to clinch 6th position on his YZ250FM. The sunny conditions and high temperatures provided completely contrasting racing circumstances compared to the 2008 edition of the event. 20,000 spectators had to deal with sunburn and dust instead of rain and sinking mud. The track was rough and demanding and combined with the climate offered one of the toughest physical tests of the season so far. Guarneri started from Pole Position for the first time this year and for the first time since 2005. His getaways were not bad but the Italian struggled to make ground on the leaders as they circulated at the same pace. Taking fourth place the winner of the same GP thirteen months ago had some muscle pain in the second moto and scored seventh spot for another consistent points haul. Aubin Team-mate Nico Aubin was feeling better after recovering from his virus and a five-day course of antibiotics. The Frenchman had a poor start in Moto1 but after a few mistakes sailed from twenty-first to eleventh place. In the second race he had to ditch his goggles in the formative stages and although the dust proved hazardous he rode well to reach third place. He was just overtaken by GP winner Jeremy Van Horebeek on the last lap. Aubin was eighth overall. A first corner crash in Saturday's qualification heat left the third member of the team Loic Larrieu with a painful shoulder. The teenager did not attempt the warm-up and had to make a late decision to withdraw from the Grand Prix. He will have an examination this week to see the extent of the injury. Italian MX2 Champion Manuel Monni was 10th on the 3C Racing YZ250F. In the world championship standings Guarneri's regular points-gain means that he is third and only five points away from seizing the red plate. Aubin has made some ground and is seventh while Utag Yamaha.com's Zach Osborne might have been absent with a broken wrist but he still rests eighth in the points table. Round seven of fifteen will take place in two weeks time at Mallory Park for the British Grand Prix. Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 6th: "Yesterday and today my speed was really good but it was very hard to pass on this track. There was one really good line and the rest was really rough, too slippery or very deep. I was third at the start of the first moto but a KTM rider crashed in the second turn and that made me lose positions to sixth. To finish fourth was good for the points. In the second moto the start wasn't great but I pushed hard. I had a small problem with a muscle in my leg and I don't know why. It is where I had the operation in the winter so perhaps it is a little weak. I had a good period in the middle of the race but in the last two laps the pain was too much. It was a shame to miss the podium but we are close all the time and it will arrive." Nico Aubin, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 8th: "I felt better here today but my starts were not that good. I had some decent speed in the first moto and was pleased with my recovery because I was quite far back and it was not easy to pass. In the second moto I had a little problem with my goggles on the second lap and I had to throw them away. It was really hard then to see with all the dust and it made getting closer to riders very difficult. I could see nothing on the last lap and Van Horebeek was able to pass me for third and I was disappointed about that. I need points however and I feel things are getting better for me." Circuit Length: 1630 Crowd: 20,000 Weather: Sunny Last Years Winner: Davide Guarneri 2009 GP of Spain 17/05/2009

Race 1 - 20 Laps

Pos.	Rider	Manu.	Nat.	Total Time
1	Rui Goncalves	KTM	POR	39'21.424
2	Jeremy Van Horebeek	KTM	BEL	0'01.818
3	Xavier Boog	Suzuki	FRA	0'05.871
4	Davide Guarneri	Yamaha	ITA	0'06.426
5	Steven Frossard	Kawasaki	FRA	0'07.891
6	Ken Roczen	Suzuki	GER	0'07.954
7	Anthony Boissière	KTM	FRA	0'24.346
8	Manuel Monni	Yamaha	ITA	0'29.578
9	Marcus Schiffer	KTM	GER	0'33.182
10	Arnaud Tonus	KTM	CHE	0'34.051
11	Nicolas Aubin	Yamaha	FRA	0'34.785
12	Dennis Verbruggen	Honda	BEL	0'39.568
13	Joel Roelants	KTM	BEL	0'40.106
14	Marvin Musquin	Honda	FRA	0'51.241
15	Nikolai Larsen	Suzuki	DNK	0'54.281
20	Evgeny Bobryshev	Yamaha	RUS	1'07.348

Race 2 - 20 Laps

Pos.	Rider	Manu.	Nat.	Total Time
1	Anthony Boissière	KTM	FRA	39'35.739
2	Ken Roczen	Suzuki	GER	0'02.240

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