Red Bull KTM factory rider Tommy Searle on Sunday wrapped up his first career 1-1 result for a clean sweep of the Grand Prix of France at St. Jean D'Angely and took possession of the coveted red number plate as championship leader.
Searle rode two superb races for the top podium slot. After a glorious ride in the first race, he took an early lead in race two. Title holder Antonio Cairoli challenged Searle for the front position about ten minutes into the race but the Italian slid off the bike and Tommy took charge again.
Elated Searle
"I came to the track hoping for some points but I never thought I would end up with a 20-point lead. It's a great birthday present for me," the 19-year-old said. Tommy celebrated his birthday on Friday. "This is the first time I have had a double win. It gives me confidence and makes me mentally strong for Germany. It's a track I like," he added.
Rattray makes two great recoveries
Red Bull KTM's Tyla Rattray made two magnificent recoveries from the back of the pack in both races. He got tangled with arch rival Cairoli in race one and while the Italian was unable to complete the race, Rattray made a charge from the back of the field, eventually rescuing points to finish in sixth place.
In race two he was equally competent recovering from an incident at the start to charge through the field to close the gap on Searle in the final stages, locking down second in both the race and the GP.
"I am not that happy because I had set myself a goal of getting back the red number plate but I can be satisfied," he said. "I crashed with Toni (Cairoli) in the first race and although I managed to start again I was right at the back. Then I hit the gate a bit in the start of the second race and was only about fourth or fifth. But I managed to get close to Tommy. There's still a lot of races to go and I like the track in Germany. I can have a good ride there."
Third place in the GP also went to KTM thanks to French rider Anthony Boissiere of the KTM-supported Team HDI France who was riding on his favourite circuit and enjoyed a lot of support from the French fans.
Goncalves finishes thirteenth
The third Red Bull KTM factory rider, Rui Goncalves of Portugal finished the day with sixteenth and eleventh position in the two races for overall thirteenth and expressed disappointment that until now he has not been able to convert his good training results into equally good ones on the track.
"I have to get rid of the pressure I am putting on myself," he said. He is sixth in the championship standings.
Everts satisfied
Team boss Stefan Everts was also very pleased with his MX2 riders. "It was a good weekend for us. Both Tommy and Tyla got a lot of points. Our boys are concentrated and consistent. They are very strong and got great results by fighting hard. That's what we expect from our riders," he said.
"Tyla was lucky that the bike was not damaged and he was not injured in the crash with Toni Cairoli. He's a very strong fighter and it was a great result for him. Now Tommy and Tyla can put pressure on Toni and they know they can beat him. This result is very important for our confidence for the coming races."
The weekend shakes up the championship standings between the top three contenders with Searle and Rattray getting both the points and psychological edge on arch rival Cairoli and underlining that after seven rounds, the championship is still wide open.
Results Race One
1. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM, 39:12.650
2. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM, 39:18.009
3. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM, 39:20.147
4. Xavier Boog, France, Suzuki, 39:22,272
5. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha, 39:25.602
Other KTM
6. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 39:37.637
10. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM, 39:58.250
16. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM, 40:11.477
17. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 40:14.727
19. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 40:36.311
Results Race Two
1. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM, 40:03.228
2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM 40:03.863
3. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha, 40:17.462
4. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 40:54.544
5. Steven Frossard, France, Kawasaki 40.59.015
Other KTM
6. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM, 41:29.972
11. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM, 41:42.048
13. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM, 40:18.967
18. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 40:36.311
Overall GP Results
1. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM
2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM
3. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM
4. Xavier Boog, France, Suzuki
5. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM
Other KTM
9. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM
13. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM
16. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM
22. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM
Championship Standings
1. Tommy Searle, Britain, KTM, 283 points
2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, KTM, 279
3. Antonio Cairoli, Italy, Yamaha, 263
4. Nicolas Aubin, France, Yamaha, 185
5. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 178
Other KTM
6. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM, 163
10. Anthony Boissiere, France, KTM, 126
11. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM, 120
16. Jeremy Tarroux, France, KTM, 89
18. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 73
www.ktm.com
- KTM-Sportmotorcycles, Mattighofen-
