Czech points for De Dycker and Graulus
Ask riders for their opinion about the track in Loket and you get two camps. You either love it or hate it! For the 13th round of the FIM MXGP World Championship, the Czech circuit confirmed its reputation. It was therefore a rather mediocre weekend for the 24MX Honda riders. Ken De Dycker collected six points, Damon Graulus added one point to his total.
On the hot and sticky first day of the Czech Republic GP, De Dycker rode to 22nd place after a bad start. His teammate Damon Graulus was much better off. At the start of the race, Graulus was briefly 14th. Unfortunately, due to a hesitation and a fall in the second half of the race, he lost his chances of a strong qualification. Ultimately, Damon had to sit behind the fence for the heats in 24th place.
The conditions of the traditional race had changed considerably on Sunday. Since it had rained during the night, there was a greasy top layer on the track in the first heat. A treacherous surface and the perpendicular first left was no gift for 'Keeno'. From the very last position he managed to fight his way to 19th place. Series one also became quite a challenge for Graulus. The talented Vossem native fell in the first round, but a few laps later he had to abandon the fight due to a technical problem.
Although the track had dried up considerably, it changed as far as the course is concerned, nothing in the nature of the beast. Even more than elsewhere, a strong start in Loket is of paramount importance, especially in the extremely competitive MXGP category. De Dycker was over-enthusiastic and crashed into the fence, which completely ruined his start. As we are used to from Ken, he knew better than anyone else how to find new lines and overtaking opportunities in the busy first laps. As a result, De Dycker quickly rose to 15th place. After 30 minutes plus two laps, the 24MX Honda rider finished 17th.
Graulus wanted his revenge for the disappointing first heat. He was deep in the pack at the start, but Damon still sent his CRF450R to 18th place. Unfortunately, the lack of engine rhythm made itself felt and he ultimately had to settle for 20th place.
The 24MX Honda riders will compete this weekend for the highly regarded Championship of Flanders in Gooik. This will be followed by the Belgian Grand Prix in Lommel on August 5 and 6.
Ken Dycker: “Anything but a great weekend, but Loket has always been a very difficult circuit for me! Not only is the start super important, it is also one of those places where it is difficult to make up time, because everyone drives at the same speed! That was the case now too. My pace was good enough to overtake the slower guys, but catching the faster guys with a bad start is really impossible unless you are much faster. It's frustrating but to be honest I never had a good feeling all weekend. That's just the way it is. I'm really looking forward to the second home race now. First there is the Flanders Championship, the successor to the Kester Motocross, so to speak, then Lommel. I'm excited!"
Damon Graulus: “It was a very tough Grand Prix for me! To fully recover from my health problems after Portugal, I had to rest a lot. On the one hand I feel much better now, but on the other hand I noticed that I was simply lacking motorcycle training. Yet there are certainly also positive elements that we can remember. My speed was quite good, so I know that with more hours on the bike I can again aim for the top 15 results that I showed earlier. We still have six GPs ahead of us in the world championship, so my goal is to finish the season as strong as possible.”
MXGP Race 1
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 35:16.286; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:03.096; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:04.058; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:11.240; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:11.588; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:16.478; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:26.057; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:29.479; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:41.694; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:43.516; 11. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:50.258; 12. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Honda), +0:55.098; 13. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:57.888; 14. Evgeny Bobryshev (US, Honda), +1:02.591; 15. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +1:35.082; 16. Rui Goncalves (POR, Husqvarna), +1:42.610; 17. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:53.765; 18. Jaromir Romancik (CZE, KTM), +1:59.536; 19. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX Honda), -1 lap(s); 20. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 21. Stefano Pezzuto (ITA, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 22. Martin Finek (CZE, KTM), -1 lap(s); 23. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), -1 lap(s); 24. Rudolf Weschta (CZE, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 25. Ryan Houghton (GBR, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 26. Peter Irt (SLO, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 27. Jeffrey Dewulf (BEL, KTM), -1 lap(s); 28. Bryan Boulard (BEL, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 29. Jernej Irt (SLO, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 30. Jonathan Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), -1 lap(s); 31. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), -2 lap(s); 32. Lukas Neurauter (AUT, KTM), -14 lap(s); 33. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), -14 lap(s); 34. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), -15 lap(s); 35. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX Honda), -16 lap(s); 36. Maxime Desprey (FRA, Kawasaki), -18 lap(s)
MXGP Race 2
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 34:45.495; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:04.530; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:08.989; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:10.846; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:11.580; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.554; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:31.941; 8. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +0:38.193; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:44.144; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:44.836; 11. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:46.861; 12. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:54.112; 13. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +1:06.861; 14. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +1:19.378; 15. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:23.764; 16. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Honda), +1:27.734; 17. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX Honda), +1:32.372; 18. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:37.035; 19. Maxime Desprey (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:56.735; 20. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX Honda), -1 lap(s); 21. Lukas Neurauter (AUT, KTM), -1 lap(s); 22. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), -1 lap(s); 23. Ryan Houghton (GBR, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 24. Jeffrey Dewulf (BEL, KTM), -1 lap(s); 25. Stefano Pezzuto (ITA, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 26. Jernej Irt (SLO, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 27. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), -1 lap(s); 28. Jonathan Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), -1 lap(s); 29. Peter Irt (SLO, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 30. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), -1 lap(s); 31. Martin Finek (CZE, KTM), -2 lap(s); 32. Jaromir Romancik (CZE, KTM), -8 lap(s); 33. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), -10 lap(s); 34. Rui Goncalves (POR, Husqvarna), -10 lap(s); 35. Bryan Boulard (BEL, Yamaha), -11 lap(s); 36. Rudolf Weschta (CZE, Suzuki), -17 lap(s);
MXGP of Czech Republic classification
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 45 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BELL, COWS), 44 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 43 p.; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 34 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 27 p.; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 26 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 20 p.; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 19 p.; 11. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 19 p.; 12. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 18 p.; 13. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, SUZ), 14 p.; 14. Alessandro Lupin (STONE, HON), 14 p.; 15. Tunnel Leok (EST, HUS), 13 p.; 16. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 9 p.; 17. Jordi Tixier (FRA, CAW), 8 p.; 18. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 7 p.; 19. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX HONDA), 6 p.; 20. Rui Goncalves (POR, HUS), 5 points; 21. Jaromir Romancik (CZE, KTM), 3rd place; 22. Maxime Desprey (FRA, KAW), 2nd place; 23. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX HONDA), 1 p.; 24. Lukas Neurauter (AUT, KTM), 0 points; 25. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 0 points; 26. Ryan Houghton (GBR, YAM), 0 points; 27. Jeffrey Dewulf (BEL, KTM), 0 points; 28. Stefano Pezzuto (ITA, YAM), 0 points; 29. Jernej Irt (SLO, HUS), 0 points; 30. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), 0 points; 31. Jonathan Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), 0 points; 32. Peter Irt (SLO, YAM), 0 points; 33. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), 0 points; 34. Martin Finek (CZE, KTM), 0 points; 35. Bryan Boulard (BEL, YAM), 0 points; 36. Rudolf Weschta (CZE, SUZ), 0 points;
MXGP standings after 13 rounds
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 523 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BELL, COWS), 431 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 418 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 417 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 353 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 338 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 308 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 294 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 286 p.; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 279 p.; 11. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 264 p.; 12. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 249 p.; 13. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, SUZ), 241 p.; 14. Leok Tunnel (EST, HUS), 153 p.; 15. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 123 p.; 16. Alessandro Lupin (STONE, HON), 123 p.; 17. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 120 p.; 18. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 108 p.; 19. Rui Goncalves (POR, HUS), 88 p.; 20. Jordi Tixier (FRA, CAW), 79 p.; 21. Valentine Guillod (SUI, HON), 61 p.; 22. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX HONDA), 46 p.; 23. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX HONDA), 36 p.; 24. Maxime Desprey (FRA, KAW), 28 p.; 25. Harri Kullas (EST, HUS), 21 p.; 26. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 15 p.; 27. Jaromir Romancik (CZE, KTM), 14 p.; 28. Jeffrey Dewulf (BEL, KTM), 14 p.; 29. Priit Ratsep (EST, HON), 13 p.; 30. Milko Potisek (FRA, YAM), 12 p.; 31. Evgeny Mikhaylov (RUS, HUS), 10 p.; 32. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), 8 p.; 33. Xavier Boog (FRA, HON), 8 p.; 34. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 6 p.; 35. Viacheslav Golovkin (RUS, KTM), 6 p.; 36. Jetro Salazar (ECU, HON), 4 p.; 37. Vladislav Leonov (RUS, KTM), 4 p.; 38. Jens Getteman (BEL, KAW), 4 p.; 39. Dennis Ullrich (GER, KTM), 3 p.; 40. Gert Krestinov (EST, HON), 3 p.; 41. Steven Lenoir (FRA, KAW), 3 p.; 42. Lukas Neurauter (AUT, KTM), 3 p.; 43. Ander Valentin (ESP, HON), 2 p.; 44. Peter Irt (SLO, YAM), 2 p.; 45. Joaquin Poli (ARG, HON), 1 p.; 46. Matteo Bonini (ITA, KAW), 1 p.; 47. Sandro Peixe (POR, HON), 1 p.; 48. Farhan Hendro Fahrodjie (INA, KAW)
Photos: shotbyBavo
Also to read
The final of the MXGP Championship will be held in Spain
Infront Moto Racing today announced that the Spanish venue Cózar will host the exciting final round of the 2024 MXGP Championship. It is the third Spanish GP…Team HRC Honda to Portugal with Tim Gajser as the only rider
The 2024 MXGP World Championship kicks off the first of three straight races this weekend in Agueda, Portugal for the fifth round in this exciting battle. The next weekend it will…VIDEO: Roger De Coster about communication with the riders
In a video interview with Roger De Coster, the difficult start of the KTM boys in the US is discussed. It's about the set-up of the engines and how everyone...An update on Tyla van de Poel's injury
Tyla van de Poel crashed during the EMX125 in Arco di Trento and broke his tibia and fibula. Another pilot hit his front wheel on a ski jump, causing him to...
Your reactions