Chris' Stuff: Boog remains sixth in world standings despite bad day at the office

Monday, June 08, 2009

Boog remains sixth in world standings despite bad day at the office

BOOG REMAINS SIXTH IN WORLD STANDING DESPITE BAD DAY AT THE OFFICE
7 JUNE 2009

Some days are just entirely forgettable. Now matter how hard you try, everything just goes wrong, and at the end of the days you feel like curling up in a corner and just let it all pass. We're not sure if it was quite that radical, but Xavier Boog's home Grand Prix at Ernee was certainly not exactly copybook stuff. The Frenchman would certainly have visualized his home GP somewhat differently, but he has learnt to take the rough with the smooth, and in the end, he produced a passable effort in damage control.

Everything still went swimmingly on Saturday during the qualifying proceedings. Xavier posted the ninth fastest time during pre-qualifying practice, and raced steadily to finish seventh in the qualifying race. The first indication that things were going to turn ever so slightly pear-shaped came at the start of the first race on Sunday, though. Xavier fluffed the start, and on a track rendered as slippery as a teflon layer on a bar of soap by some heavy rain, and forward progress through the field was always going to be a challenging affair. The Alsatian gritted his pearly whites, and rode the race out in a steady 13th place.

Whereas the first race was difficult, the second was little short of an unmitigated disaster. Right after the start, the Gravity Monster dragged him down, dropping him to near the back of the pack. He carefully edged his way forward on the challenging track, and just as he hit the points zone, another mishap dropped him way down the field again. No doubt issuing a few choice words of encouragement, Xavier resumed the chase. A final spurt on the last lap still netted him a few positions, and he crossed the finish line in 18th position, a long way removed from his own expectations.

Even Xavier's legendary stoicism was severely challenged by the day's setbacks. Nevertheless, he still holds onto his sixth position in the world standing, although both compatriots Stephen Frossard ahead of him and Nicholas Aubin behind him in the points standings, outscored him on the day, which will not have gone a long way to soothe his ruffled feathers.

Xavier heads back to the Teka Suzuki team's home base next to participate in the next round of the ADAC MX Masters series at Aichwald. He currently sits in joint fourth with teammate Ken Roczen in the standings, and will be going all out to improve his standing in this competitive series.