Lierop opened its doors to the World Motocross Championship arriving to the venue in force, with the MX1, MX2 and Women’s World Championship rounds all to be run on the Dutch sand.
David Philippaerts and Tyla Rattray lead the MX1 and MX2 standings respectively as both Championships are very close, with runners up Steve Ramon and Tommy Searle being only a handful of points away.
Livia Lancelot leads the Women’s World Championship standings from a strong Steffi Laier as the series will come to an end this weekend.
MX1
The battle for the MX1 lead is turning out to be tougher and tougher every weekend as current leader David Philippaerts of Yamaha Monster Motocross and runner up Steve Ramon of Teka Suzuki WMX1 are in a close dice for points every weekend.
Belgian Ramon has positive memories of Lierop where he was crowned MX1 World Champion last year and he hopes to gain some good points on Philippaerts this weekend.
Other sand specialist Ken de Dycker of Teka Suzuki WMX1 is starring a solid season’s finale as he just moved up to third in the series after Fairyhouse while AXO KTM Silver Action’s Jonathan Barragan and Yamaha Monster Motocross’ Joshua Coppins round off the top five. Last weekend’s GP winner Tanel Leok sits in eighth.
Two major players in the MX1 series will miss this event; Martin Honda’s Julien Bill injured his elbow in Dublin while Kevin Strijbos and Kawasaki ended their working relationship and will not line up together again in 2008.
On the other hand Teka Suzuki’s Pierre Alexandre Renet will come back from an injury this weekend; his last GP before the injury was his home round in St. Jean, France.
MX2
Coming out of Fairyhouse with another GP win and seven more points added to his Championship lead Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tyla Rattray has not yet got rid of team mate Tommy Searle, who keeps following from second in the Championship despite a difficult Irish Grand Prix.
With Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s Tony Cairoli being injured since Nelspruit, Yamaha fellow rider Zach Osborne of Utag-Yamaha.com’s took his first ever moto win last weekend to put his name in the victory contenders’ list for the remaining two rounds.
On the other hand Ricci Racing Yamaha’s Nicolas Aubin, to race the 2009 season alongside Davide Guarneri and newcomer Loic Larrieu, is currently battling it out for third in the Championship with KTM fellow riders Shaun Simpson and Rui Goncalves.
Despite taking his second career podium at Dublin, CLS’ Steven Frossard still sits seventh in the Championship and expects a tough weekend due to the ground conditions.
DE HERSELSE BOSSEN AND LIEROP
After Valkenswaard and Lommel, the De Herselse Bossen track is another sandy venue in the World Motocross calendar. The venue hosted its first Grand Prix back in 1996 (500cc class) and it is more than a classical Dutch sandy course; the start straight is always covered in grass while there is a part of the track going through a forest. The whole layout and the ground are very demanding as a good physical challenge will add to the mounting mental pressure of the final two rounds of the MX1 and MX2 series. Among last year’s winners are Kevin Strijbos (MX1), Antonio Cairoli (MX2) and Katherine Prumm (Women).
Lierop is one of four community villages that form the municipality of Someren, a sort of natural paradise with its 1.615 hectares of woods, natural grounds and plantation landscape on which windmills, chapels and several other monuments are part of the beautiful Dutch scenery. Lierop is a quiet town at 20 kilometres from Eindhoven and 150 kilometres North of lively Amsterdam.
THE EVENT’S SCHEDULE
Saturday September 6: Women’s World Championship Free Practice 1 at 9:00 am; MX2 Free Practice at 10:00 am; MX1 Free Practice 1 at 11:00 am; MX2 Pre-Qualifying Practice at 12:00 am; Women’s World Championship Free Practice 2 at 1:15 pm; MX1 Free Practice 2 at 2:00 pm; MX2 Qualifying Race 1 at 3:00 pm; MX2 Qualifying Race 2 at 3:45 pm; MX1 Time Practice at 4:30 pm; MX2 Last Chance Qualifying Practice at 5:15 pm; Women’s World Championship Time Practice at 6:00 pm (local time).
Sunday September 7: Women’s World Championship Warm-up at 9:00 am; MX2 Warm-up at 9:30 am; MX1 Warm-up at 10:00 am; Women’s World Championship Race 1 at 11:10 am; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 at 12:10 am; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 at 1:10 pm; Women’s World Championship Race 2 at 2:10 pm; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 at 3:03 pm; MX1 Grand Prix Race 2 at 4:03 pm (local time).
The Grand Prix will be broadcast live on:
EUROSPORT 2 (Pan Europe) : MX1 Race 1 at 13:00 and Race 2 at 16:00 CET
MOTORS TV (Pan Europe): MX2 Race 1 at 12:00 and Race 2 at 15:00 CET
SPORT ITALIA (Italy): MX2 Race 1 at 12:00 and Race 2 at 15:00 CET
VRT (Belgium): MX1 Race 1 at 13:00 and Race 2 at 16:00 CET
GALAXIE SPORT (Czech Republic): MX2 Race 1 at 12:00 and Race 2 at 15:00 CET
ART (Pan Middle East): MX1 Race 2 at 16:00 CET
SPORT TV (Slovenia): MX2 Race 1 at 12:00 and Race 2 at 15:00 CET
EUROSPORT WORLD (PAN ASIA): MX1 Race 1 at 11:00 GMT
RED BULL TV (Austria): MX2 Race 1 at 12:00 and Race 2 at 15:00; MX1 Race 1 at 13:00 and Race 2 at 16:00 CET
MEDIAZONE (Worldwide): MX2 Race 1 at 12:00 and Race 2 at 15:00; MX1 Race 1 at 13:00 and Race 2 at 16:00 CET
TRANS 7 (Indonesia): MX2 Race 1 at 12:00 and Race 2 at 15:00; MX1 Race 1 at 13:00 and Race 2 at 16:00 CET
SPORT TV (Portugal): MX2 Race 1 at 12:00 and Race 2 at 15:00 CET
The Grand Prix will be broadcast delayed on:
EUROSPORT 2 (Pan Europe): Monday September 8; MX1 Race 1 at 10:00, Race 2 at 15:00 and at 17:00 CET
MOTORS TV (Pan Europe): Sunday September 7; MX2 Race 1 at 21:00 and Race 2 at 21:55. Monday September 8; MX 2 Race 1 at 05:00 and Race 2 at 05:50. Tuesday September 9; MX1 Race 1 at 21:00 and Race 2 at 21:55. Wednesday September 10; MX2 Race 1 at 01:00 and Race 2 at 01:50, MX1 Race 1 at 07:00 and Race 2 at 07:50; MX2 Race 1 at 14:00 and Race 2 at 15:50; MX1 Race 1 at 14:55 and Race 2 at 16:40 CET
SPORT ITALIA (Italy): Sunday September 7; MX1 Race 1 at 23:30. Monday September 8; MX1 Race 2 at 00:30 CET
EUROSPORT WORLD (Pan Asia): Sunday September 7; MX1 Race 1 at 15:30 and at 21:00; MX1 Race 2 at 17:30 and at 21:45. Monday September 8; MX1 Race 1 at 03:00 and at 08:00, Race 2 at 08:45 and at 23:15; MX2 Race 2 at 18:15. Tuesday September 9; MX2 Race 2 at 00:00, at 08:15 and at 21:30; MX1 Race 2 at 07:30 and at 20:45. Wednesday September 10; MX1 Race 2 at 04:30 and at 10:30; MX2 Race 2 at 05:15, at 11:15 and at 19:00 GMT
AMERICA ONE SPORTS (USA): Second Tuesday after the GP; MX2 Race 2 at 21:00; MX1 Race 2 at 22:00 USA Eastern Time
GAORA (Japan): MX2 Race 1 and Race 2; MX1 Race 1 and Race 2 N/A CET
Information, photos and results are online at http://www.motocrossMX1.com, the official website of the FIM Motocross World Championships.
MediaZone Moto is the leading global online broadcaster of Motocross and SuperMoto events. Fans worldwide can watch the thrills from this and every race of the 2008 FIM Motocross & SuperMoto World Championships LIVE and On Demand exclusively at www.MediaZoneMoto.com.
Youthstream is the company that manages the exclusive television, marketing and promotional world wide rights of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the FIM Motocross of Nations, the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, the FIM SuperMoto of Nations, the FIM Snowcross World Championship, the UEM Motocross European Championship and the UEM SuperMoto European Championship.
- Daniele RIZZI -
