Motocross International 1: “The first blow…”
“The first blow is worth a dollar,” says an old Dutch proverb. In this case even two dollars because not only is this the very first episode of the Motocross International column, but it is also about the first GP of 2011 in Sevlievo.
After the first GP of the year, it is of course still too early to speak of a trend. The fact is that the cards were thoroughly shuffled. Quite a few riders shared the blows, especially in the MX1 the riders came from the Benelux with 2 exceptions. Was the victory of Clement Desalle a surprise? Maybe not really, since the KTMs didn't make a great impression during the preseason either. So do we Steven Frossard Cutting from the front was not a bolt from the blue either. If Stefan Everts says in a newspaper that he expects a lot from Frossard, you know that such a guy must be in the right place. Were there actually any surprises? Still, just take the good performance of Kevin Strijbos. Will this be the year that everything clicks again for Strijbos? It could well be… Steve Ramon said afterwards in the Rockstar Suzuki press release that he could have limited the damage. Maybe on paper, but at 12e Traveling to Valkenswaard in the standings may not give you a good feeling. The same conclusion applies to Ken Dycker. De Dycker has to work hard in Valkenswaard if he wants to play a significant role in the further course of this World Cup.
Whoever did well in Sevlievo will have a large number of World Cup points in their pocket. And such a strong start can help on more than one front. Just think of the team management and sponsors who can let off a little more steam. Of course, you won't win a world championship with podiums and GP victories, but it does help.
Also Ken Roczen made a flying start in Sevlievo. The German dominated his first outdoor competition on the KTM in an unprecedented way. The competition, with Tommy Searle in the lead, can already say that they came to Bulgaria to run their own race or to get a podium finish. That may all be true, but the blow will still have been hard. Searle had to in the 2e sequence giving up 21 seconds, Roczen’s teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek even 39. If the teenager from Mattstedt continues to show such astronomical speed during the remainder of the season, the collected motocross news could well run out of superlatives. The German-speaking trade press is already talking about “King Kenny”…
JBS
Photo Credit: KTM Images/R. Archer
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