Team Suzuki Press Office – July 3.
A potentially hot Uddevalla circuit awaits the Rockstar Energy Suzuki teams this weekend as the Grand Prix of Sweden will take the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship up to round 11 of 18.
The Scandinavian trip carries a warm weather forecast with temperatures predicted to creep up near 30 degrees and the sweaty fixture will be the first of back-to-back meetings with Kegums in Latvia poised for round 12 the weekend after.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP’s Kevin Strijbos comes to Uddevalla with increasing fitness and race speed and after two superb consecutive podium finishes in Italy and Germany in the past three weeks with the works RM-Z450. The 29 year old has good previous results at the tight Swedish layout and his 2014 appearance delivered a decent third position overall.
“I’ve had 10 days of good work after Germany and I’m looking forward to Sweden,” the Belgian said. “I’m feeling really good at the moment so we will see how it goes. Uddevalla is a good track where I have had some good results in the past. It can be very hard and slick when it is dry and I like these kinds of conditions; I think the track is pretty OK whatever the weather…I just hope we don't have too much dust.”
Strijbos will be alone in the factory team awning once more. The Swedish GP comes just too early for Clement Desalle as the Belgian strives to recover from the stretched MCL in his left knee. After a medical check on Wednesday ‘#25’ was advised not start riding yet but the joint has been getting better and his right shoulder is also stable and might not require any surgery. “The feeling in my knee is improving and is not bad for everyday things and for cycling but for riding motocross the doctor said I should wait a bit more,” he said. “My shoulder should be OK and it has been getting stronger. I don't have the perfect feeling in terms of upwards movement but this is not so important on the bike.”
Somebody else on the recovery path has been Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff. The Dutchman suffered a twisted left knee at Teutschenthal in Germany for round 10 and didn't have the best feeling around the Aichwald circuit for the fourth round of the ADAC MX Masters series (German Championship) where he finished second overall last week. The MXGP class rookie felt a significant improvement in the strength and flexibility of the joint this week and has been riding his ‘#259’ machine; even heading into the sand for some practice ahead of a busy August programme with three consecutive races taking place in the terrain.
“I didn't ride after Teutschenthal to rest my knee so I didn't have the best feeling at Aichwald and wasn’t too happy,” said Coldenhoff, who leads the German contest by 28 points over Dennis Ullrich. “Since then it has become much better and I have done a little bit of sand riding this week with a view to Latvia, Lommel and Assen.”
“I didn’t ride at Uddevalla last year because I was injured,” he continues. “They changed the track for the 2014 GP so I’m looking forward to trying it a different way.”
Jeremy Seewer is hunting more speed with the leading group in the MX2 category after taking his RM-Z250 to third position overall in Italy and then a decent third place in the second moto at Teutschenthal. “The goal is always the top-five but I’ve been feeling fast recently and have made some changes that have worked out better in recent weeks,” the Swiss said. “Uddevalla is a strange track. It doesn’t really have much flow to it and the ground changes between being very hard pack, very slippery and then almost sandy in places.” Seewer was eighth overall in Sweden in 2014. “Obviously I want better this time and starts will again be important but I am riding well. I had a good day at Aichwald and even though I was just seventh overall it was a track that definitely favoured the 450s; my speed is good.”
Seewer won’t be the sole RM-Z250 runner in Sweden as Brian Hsu and Bas Vaessen travel to Uddevalla for the sixth round of nine in the EMX250 European Championship. Hsu in particular now has the confidence and experience of his first rostrum finish in the class in what is just his maiden season on the four-stroke technology and as part of the category that is the final ‘proving ground’ before Grand Prix.
MXGP Championship Standings: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 369 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 360 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 352 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 324 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 306 p.; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 291 p.; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 227 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 194 p.; 9. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 192 p.; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 169 p.; 11. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 155 p.; 12. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 151 p.
MX2 Championship Standings: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 398 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 298 p.; 3. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 297 p.; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 288 p.; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 286 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 275 p.; 7. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 256 p.; 8. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 248 p.; 9. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 243 p.; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 205 p.
EMX250 Championship Standings: 1. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, HON), 179 points; 2. Damon Graulus (BEL, YAM), 172 p.; 3. Maxime Desprey (FRA, KAW), 170 p.; 4. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), 170 p.; 5. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 119 p.; 6. Steven Clarke (GBR, HUS), 118 p.; 7. Ander Valentin (ESP, YAM), 114 p.; 8. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, KAW), 96 p.; 9. Brian Hsu (GER, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 91 p.; 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, KTM), 80 p.; 11. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), 80 p.; 12. Simone Zecchina (ITA, KAW), 79 p.; 13. David Herbreteau (FRA, KAW), 66 p.; 14. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 47 p.; 15. Alessandro D'Angelo (ITA, KTM), 43 p.; 16. Ken Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), 42 p.; 17. Michael Eccles (GBR, HUS), 37 p.; 18. Simone Furlotti (ITA, KTM), 37 p.; 19. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 34 p.; 20. Bas Vaessen (NED, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 34 p.
