Grand Prix of Bulgaria Race Report
The strong Sevlievo gusts blew in several cosmetic changes for the launch of the 2011 FIM Motocross World Championship; internet TV, a heavy tinge of black and green around the trackside, thumping music and the sweet aroma of thousands of open cans of Monster Energy through the paddock.
On the Grand Prix track surface little seemed to have changed. The MX2 class fell completely in the bookies favour, and only the continually unreadable MX1 division offered up the biggest dose of entertainment in Bulgaria.
The fact that Steven Frossard (3rd place in the 2010 MX2 series and something of a slow-burning success story) claimed the Italian championship recently ahead of the likes of fellow Monster Energy factory Yamaha team-mate David Philippaerts and world champion Tony Cairoli was a sign the quiet Frenchman had adapted to the YZ450F seamlessly.
Defending champion Tony Cairoli would struggle in Bulgaria.
Photo: Ray Archer
The 23 year old raced off to Pole and then aced the start of Moto1 and left the likes of Desalle (Rockstar Suzuki and a familiar name to AMA Nationals fans), Nagl, Philippaerts and Goncalves chasing dust plumes on the hard-pack and fast course. Riders were left counting their tenths on lap-times as Sevlievo was not tough to manage, but was tricky in demanding outright consistency.
The best race of the day was the second MX1 contest when Desalle holeshotted and banged-bars with Frossard as he came through. The Frenchman was clearly unimpressed by the affair as he refused a handshake afterwards. Clement loses another Christmas card. Frossard was the rookie in Bulgaria and the only time he showed it all weekend – in-between throwing the 450 around like he was actually competing in the 125cc two-stoke series that shared the same bill – was a slip in the final third of the moto while four seconds ahead that allowed Desalle to lead and even Spaniard Jonathan Barragan to get involved. A grandstand finale was dashed on the final lap as the ever-closing Frossard mistimed the waves and Desalle had his breather.
“I feel really good on the bike and the 450 suits me better,” offered Frossard, who’s English continues to improve. “In the second moto I passed Clement and was ahead by four seconds but made a mistake. My physical condition was really good and that helped me to come back to second and look for the win. I was pushing really hard because I wanted to win the GP and then made another error that cost me half a second. In my head I knew I was capable of this speed because we worked really hard over the winter with Yamaha.”
Elsewhere Barragan made the top three for the first time on the factory Kawasaki (and after missing most of last season with a dislocated hip), Nagl was a quiet fourth ahead of Honda World Motocross Team’s Rui Goncalves; the Portuguese in his second MX1 season but sampling his first race on a 450cc machine and even an aluminium frame after a lifetime with KTM. Tony Cairoli tweaked a knee – the same one in which he needed a surgical rebuild in 2008 - and was ninth overall. A journalist asked the Scilian afterward if he was riding with caution in the second moto. ‘I was riding with one leg,’ came the reply from ‘222’.
Roczen dominated in Bulgaria taking the easy victory in the MX2 class.
Photo: Ray Archer
In MX2 Red Bull Teka KTM’s Ken Roczen was gone like a tear-off in the stiff breeze. There was simply no disputing the German’s dominance as he cranked up race-winning margins from the ‘off’ that would top fifteen seconds. When asked if his supercross endeavours had contributed he said: “As soon as they let you go out for practice there everyone is on the gas and I think that helped me out for sure.”
Tommy Searle came out of the wilderness on the Pro Circuit backed CLS Kawasaki for two lonely second positions and Jeffrey Herlings repeated his dream-debut of a podium result in Bulgaria twelve months ago, even if he works KTM played up with gearbox trouble in the first sprint. The Dutch 16 year old will be happy to get to the sand of Valkenswaard over Easter weekend where he enacted the kind of runaway that Roczen sleepwalked at Sevlievo.
For the Stars and Stripes the fast Zach Osborne on the Cosworth-powered Yam was in great shape in more ways that one as a great many of the media centre computer screens testified; the Virginian scrubbing and whipping to his heart’s content. He froze a little from 4th in the first moto but eased out a solid run just outside the top three in the second sprint for 5th overall. “It was a pretty decent start to the season, a productive weekend and I am quite close to where I need to be,” he said. Michael Leib had to postpone a debut on the Husqy after suffering a concussion several weeks ago in an Italian meeting and still wasn’t quite right.
Two weeks until the first trip into the sand with the dark terrain of Valkenswaard up next.
MX1
1. Clement Desalle
2. Steven Frossard
3. Jonathan Barragan
4. Max Nagl
5. Rui Goncalves
6. Evgeny Bobryshev
7. Kevin Strijbos
8. Davide Guarneri
9. Antonio Cairoli
10. David Philippaerts
11. Xavier Boog
12. Steve Ramon
13. Anthony Boissiere
14. Shaun Simpson
15. Tanel Leok
MX2
1. Ken Roczen
2. Tommy Searle
3. Jeffrey Herlings
4. Zach Osborne
5. Jeremy van Horebeek
6. Max Anstie
7. Gautier Paulin
8. Arnaud Tonus
9. Nicolas Aubin
10. Christophe Charlier
11. Alessandro Lupino
12. Joel Roelants
13. Glenn Coldenhoff
14. Harri Kullas
15. Matiss Karro