MOTOCROSS GP OF BENELUX 2013

Desalle and Tixier vice World Champions

Jordi Tixier (KTM) and Clement Desalle (Suzuki) went this weekend on the final rostrum in Lierop, to receive their silver medal in the MX2 and MX1 World Championship. It was the last chapter of a long season, dominated by Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli who got another title on their factory KTM in the MX2 and MX1 classes.

Lierop is a tough track, but due to heavy rains in the night it was even worst than usual, with lap times twenty five to thirty seconds slower than on Saturday! This race was a nightmare for many riders, except sand master Jeffrey Herlings who came back only three weeks after his injury in Belgium; the reigning World Champion won the seventeenth round of the MX2 category, and beats French riders Dylan Ferrandis and Jordi Tixier. “It has been a dream for me to finish on the podium, and I’m very happy with my season. I was expecting better than a third position here, but I still have some pain in my wrist after my crash in Great Britain” said Jordi, who grabbed two holeshot and finished third of this round.

In the MX1 class it was surprising Scottish rider Shaun Simpson (Yamaha) who beats all the factory riders, aboard a production Yamaha! The likeable private rider was impressive through the weekend and did ‘the race of his life’ to beat Belgian Kevin Strijbos and World Champion Antonio Cairoli. Two weeks after he secured his second position in the standings, Clement Desalle had a disappointing weekend. "I'm happy with second place in the championship but not so much with the weekend. I didn't really feel great throughout this GP and I had a bad crash on the first lap of the first moto; I made a small mistake and the handlebars went straight into my stomach, I restarted last and it was bad race. The second moto was not some of my best riding either in the sand. Finishing runner-up for 2013 is both good and bad because I want to make that last step to the top and I'm working on it all the time and I think I proved in the last few GPs that I can make it happen" said Clement who will race, as Jordi and most of their rivals, the Motocross of Nations in Teutschenthal (Germany) later this month.

Classification MX1
1.Simpson (GBR, Yamaha)
2.Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki)
3.Cairoli (ITA, KTM)
4.Bobryshev (RUS, Honda)
5.De Dycker (BEL, KTM)
6.Searle (GBR, Kawasaki)
7.Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki)
8.Van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki)
9.Desalle (BEL, Suzuki)
10.Satink (NED, Yamaha)

Standings MX1
1.Cairoli, 761
2.Desalle, 671
3.De Dycker, 607
4.Strijbos, 553
5.Paulin, 539
6.Searle, 487

Classification MX2
1.Herlings (NED, KTM)
2.Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki)
3.Tixier (FRA, KTM)
4.Petrov (BUL, Yamaha)
5.Febvre (FRA, KTM)
6.Ferris (AUS, Yamaha)
7.Charlier (FRA, Yamaha)
8.Tonkov (RUS, Honda)
9.Coldenhoff (NED, KTM)
10.Nicholls (GBR, KTM)

Standings MX2
1.Herlings, 742
2.Tixier, 607
3.Butron, 518
4.Charlier, 490
5.Coldenhoff, 472