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| SOLID RESULT IN PORTUGAL MOVES LEOK TO FIFTH IN MX1 WORLD STANDINGS 10 MAY 2009 The world championship motocross paddock is like a little village with all the happiness, heartache and intrigue of a long-running soap opera. Whereas the gossip can sometimes take a left turn, the whispers in the corners regarding Tanel Leok's move to the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli racing team have been nothing but positive. The reserved Estonian seems to have found a natural home in the Italian squad, and his results on the track bear this out, as he races to one steady GP result after the other. Coming straight off a podium finish at the GP of Benelux two weeks ago and another success at a Belgian international event the weekend thereafter, the Estonian Express was clearly in top gear as he headed South for the GP of Portugal at Agueda. After posting the fastest lap time in the day's first practice session, Tanel slipped a bit off the start in the qualifying race, but recovered well to take his bright blue Yamaha to fifth in the qualifying race. To his legions of fans, Tanel gratifyingly seems to have put the early season start-line bugs behind him. Whereas in the beginning of the year he often had to scrabble his way back into contention from the middle of the pack, in the last few races he has consistently launched into the top 10. This trend had a happy continuation in Portugal, and in race 1, Tanel charged into 9th spot, just behind teammate and championship leader Antonio Cairoli. He followed Cairoli through the pack, but whilst the wily Italian made quick passes to move into the lead, Tanel got stuck behind riders holding onto their positions with all the determination of a socialite holding onto the last handbag on sale on one or two occasions. His passing came at a more leisurely pace than that of Cairoli, and he finally had to settle for sixth position. IN race 2, the Estonian had an even better launch, and only 6 riders rounded the first corner ahead of him. He quickly worked his way into fifth spot, but then his bike started displaying some signs of trouble. Tanel paid close attention, but the problem did not seem to get worse, but he nevertheless slacked off the pace a bit to ensure that he made it to the end. Fortunately, he lost no positions in so doing, and held his fifth spot until the flag. After yet another strong GP outing, Tanel finished 6th overall for the day. With 31 points added to his world championship points tally, he had moved up one position in the world standings, and sits in a strong fifth position with a third of the season gone. The next world championship outing is next weekend in Bellpuig, Spain.
(Pic Yamaha Red Bull De Carli) Mail server hosting by www.mxhosting.be This report is available online. RESULTS All GP results are available on the official website of the motocross world championships.
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