Mantua thermometer: who was Hot, who was Not?
Except media attention and a shiny trophy, the stakes of the Starcross are nil. Yet Mantova remains ideal for taking the temperature of the men's GP riders. Anyone who is anything but 'hot' now still has two months to prepare themselves and their bike for the GP of Bulgaria...
The Americans: Jimmy Albertson & Mike Alessi
Mike Alessi and hype go together like Lady Gaga and crazy outfits! The prospect of seeing Alessi at work on the KTM 350 in Mantova was one of the top attractions beforehand. As MXM previously wrote, however, the American's participation was hanging by a thread. During his last training in the US, Alessi lost a lot of weight. Ultimately, he also appeared to have not recovered sufficiently from that shoulder injury. Except for a few blitz performances (Saturday and training and 1-to-1 on Sunday) we unfortunately did not see Mike in action.
Compatriot Jimmy Albertson, on the other hand, turned out to be the revelation of the weekend. The Honda-Martin signing stood out with a beautiful style and immediately felt at home at the Circuito Tazio Nuvolari despite the difficult conditions. In one lap, 'Albee' even proved unbeatable! Albertson won the one-on-one, in which he even beat Desalle and Cairoli in a direct duel. Now he needs to sharpen his endurance and Jimmy has everything it takes to become the surprise of the MX1 World Championship.
The Belgian transfers: Clément Desalle & Ken De Dycker
One, Desalle, rode his Suzuki super relaxed and with confidence. Keeno was not in his normal behavior so he could never play a significant role. However, Mantova is certainly ideal for the Lubbeken resident. Like some other top players (Barragan, Strijbos, Philippaerts, even Cairoli!), De Dycker clearly still has testing work ahead of him. However, this is not surprising, because Ken has hardly ridden his new Yamaha YZ450F until now. That's what preparatory competitions are also meant for, of course. The Monster Energy-Ricci Racing-Yamaha pilot returned to Italy on Wednesday where tests with the team bore fruit. This way, De Dycker can still work in front of his own audience on Sunday in the opening cross in Lommel.
Contrary to his temperament, 'MX panda' did not want to prove himself at all costs in Mantova! The season is still long and the 2009 revelation wants to grow step by step to his best form. Clément is on the right track both mentally and physically. In principle, Desalle will ride the first round of the Italian championship in Montevarchi this weekend.
The brands: KTM & Kawasaki
Mantova 2010 was also synonymous with MX through orange glasses! KTM was emphatically present. And that on all fronts. On Saturday evening a team presentation of the MX factory teams took place in a local hotel. At the same time a nice presentation video thrown onto the net. Unlike most other teams, KTM had also completed all the homework on their new look. The bikes, trucks and drivers all looked great. As if Mantova was the first GP of the season! Cairoli, Simpson and Musquin already made a stunning impression on the track. Even WMX world champion Steffi Laier was present in Mantova. The German already seems ready to defend her title.
Since the death of the late Jan De Groot, the Kawasaki Racing Team organization has been shaken up. Gradually, the Dutch team became more and more French, under the influence of French owners, and that transition now seems completely complete. This season, the greens in MX1 will feature two newcomers (Jonathan Barragan and Xavier Boog), while Seb Pourcel was allowed to stay. Barragan completed his laps in Mantova anonymously, while Pourcel showed good will but did not participate in a single race in the past 10 months. The question, however, is how much trouble the Frenchman still experiences from his shoulder. 2010 will probably be an adjustment year for Boog as he makes his debut in the MX1.
The lowlanders: Bas Verhoeven & Kenny Van Dueren
Van Dueren and Verhoeven both had a good time on Saturday. Unfortunately, Kenny got stuck in a rut on the penultimate lap of MX2 qualifying and hurt his knee. At that moment the DAM-KTM rider was sixth, more than decent ahead of Van Dueren who had been out of action for almost 7 months. Fortunately, the diagnosis in Belgium revealed that the damage to the knee was not too bad. Normally Kenny is back at Hawkstone Park.
For Verhoeven, Mantova became an international return through the big gate. The Dutch VLM champion was fast and eager. With a sixth place in the free practice on Saturday and a tenth place in the first series, Bas immediately made his mark. After a good catch-up race in the second race, he became 14de. Only the last series was disappointing due to cramps and a crash.
The MX2 title candidates: Marvin Musquin & Gautier Paulin
For flyweight MX2 world champion Marvin Musquin, Mantova was not just a snack. The Frenchman immediately had to compete against teammate Shaun Simpson and Ken Roczen. Musquin, however, was immediately alert. He won the MX2 qualifying series on Saturday and also became 1-to1 winner in MX2. On Sunday it got faster and faster as the day progressed. In the third race he even challenged the 450 top riders Philipaaerts and Musquin. Following the example of Simpson, who was by far the best MX2 rider in the first two series.
The Italian public had to make do with Paulin's Yamaha on display in Mantova. Having only returned from the US on Tuesday, the Frenchman chose to recover quietly from the jet lag and not compromise his preparation. So we will have to wait a little longer for the first confrontation between the MX2 contenders. Paulin will take office in Montevarchi this Sunday. At least if the snow doesn't become a spoilsport there!
The Estonians: Tanel Leok & Gert Krestinov
Gert Krestinov (Silver Action-KTM) is known as a sand specialist. The petite Estonian is and will remain known as a one-hit wonder until further notice due to his victory in the MX2 GP of Lommel two years ago. In his first year of MX1 and last weekend in Mantova, Krestinov could not convince. This winter Gert was hard at work in the States. The former German ADAC 85cc champion does have his age, because he is barely 19.
Compatriot Tanel Leok also made his debut in MX1 at a young age. This season, with starting number 40, the 'Estonian Express' continues its memorable breakthrough year in 2004 (with Motovision-Suzuki). The adjustment to the Honda CRF450R seems to have gone smoothly and Tanel was definitely one of the fastest of the weekend. The strong performance of the LS Motors-Honda driver also received a lot of support in Estonia, as Leok made it to many newspapers and websites in his home country on Monday.
Photos credit: CDS
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