Team Suzuki Press Office – August 2.
Lommel was the stage for a busy home Grand Prix for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP today as Kevin Strijbos scored a solid, if unspectacular, fifth position overall in front of 24,200 spectators for the 14th round of 18 in the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship as Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff rode his RM-Z450 to eighth on the MXGP scorecard.
The Belgian sand was as rough and difficult as ever and with some variation on the normal racing lines due to the quantity of racing classes on the support bill and the smaller bumps created by so much track activity.
Strijbos made a fantastic start in Saturday’s Qualification Heat and led the formative stages of the race only to struggle slightly with his rhythm and eventually finished third. On Sunday the 29 year old knew what he had to do and in the first 30-minute and two-lap moto an incident that led to a crash early on meant ‘#22’ was almost in last place and had a hard race ahead of him, but Strijbos rode all the way up to seventh and passed Todd Waters with three laps until the chequered flag.
The Belgian benefitted from good support from the home fans but was mystified by his inability to find a higher-level of pace and performance in the second moto. He said that he was “rolling” the bumps instead of hitting and deflecting-off them, but rode to fifth for the same ranking overall and 10-points away from the last step of the podium.
Coldenhoff came to Lommel knowing that his last appearance in loose and sandy terrain in Kegums, Latvia, delivered a very first win in MXGP. Lommel was a different set of demands: He shared track-space with Dean Ferris and Waters in the first moto and rolled over the finish line in sixth, a single position ahead of his team-mate. In the second race ‘#259’ crashed from 10th place and then had to find some energy and willpower in the sand to recover all the way back to 12th. Coldenhoff is ninth in the MXGP Championship standings while Strijbos is 10th.
Clement Desalle will take no further part in the 2015 series. The Belgian briefly dislocated his right shoulder during Timed Practice on Saturday in a repeat of the injury from the Grand Prix of France in May and will now have an operation to fix and stabilise the joint that will almost certainly count him out of action for the rest of the campaign.
The Grand Prix of Lombardia on August 22-23rd will be the next FIM Motocross World Championship appointment for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP and the shallow Mantova sand will welcome MXGP back for the first time since 2010.
Kevin Strijbos:
“In the first race I had to come back from last until seventh and it is not that bad but I was riding bad and just rolling the corners instead of ‘taking’ them. The same for the bumps and the same happened in the second race. I was scared to run out of steam and when I had to pass guys; then I got so tired and I had to slow down again. We did everything we could. We rode here and tested here many times. It is not the bike…it just didn't happen on the day and it seems to be the same every year. I don't understand why I cannot make that step in the race.”
Glenn Coldenhoff:
“I’m a bit disappointed. My start was not good in the second moto and when I crashed I could not get my rhythm back. I was completely ‘done.’ I couldn't do the laps like I was before. The first moto was not so bad, I think, and my riding was OK. Today was not really what we were looking for. I think this perhaps is the roughest we have seen Lommel. The speed is still high but when it gets so bumpy you have to hold the bike so well. For me this one was especially tough and I’m happy it’s done.”
MXGP Moto1: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 34:36.275; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:04.580; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:30.238; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.372; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:53.607; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), +0:59.721; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), +1:15.111; 8. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:26.047; 9. Gert Krestinov (EST, Honda), +1:36.244; 10. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, Honda), +1:39.797.
MXGP Moto2: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 35:02.032; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:06.005; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:24.685; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:54.696; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), +1:22.952; 6. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:27.898; 7. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Kawasaki), +1:53.573; 8. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:58.778; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +2:01.731; 10. Gert Krestinov (EST, Honda), +2:03.900; 11. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Honda), +3:12.669; 12. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), -1 lap(s).
MXGP Overall result: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 50 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 44 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 34 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 30 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 28 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 24 p.; 9. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KAW), 23 p.; 10. Gert Krestinov (EST, HON), 23 p.
MXGP World Championship Standings (after 14 of 18 rounds): 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 547 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 463 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 423 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 416 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 360 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 356 p.; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 331 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 324 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 290 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki), 287 p.
