Encouraging Swedish GP for De Dycker and Graulus
Both 24MX Honda riders, Ken De Dycker and Damon Graulus, took points at the 15th round of the FIM MXGP World Championship in Uddevalla, Sweden. De Dycker, who won his first ever Grand Prix at the famous Swedish circuit in 2007, finished 16th in the first heat and was in the points when his brake line was damaged in the second heat.
>After a one-year absence, the Uddevalla track in the south-west of Sweden made its appearance again this weekend. The organizing club had done an excellent job in advance by supplying new soil and properly preparing the track. However, those improvements did not mean that the circuit was easy! In some parts the surface remained treacherously slippery and the hard pits also required utmost concentration.
The riders had to deal with cool temperatures and very changeable weather conditions throughout the weekend. Sometimes it was raining, other times there were clear skies and sunshine. Yet De Dycker immediately felt at home in the 'Glimminge Motor Stadium'. In qualifying, the tall Belgian rode to a decent 16th place, despite a weak start. Damon Graulus had a better start and was in the top 15 when he was set back by a driving error. Ultimately, the #71 of the 24MX Honda Team would qualify 18th.
Both drivers got off to a mediocre start in the first series. Although De Dycker did not feel completely comfortable during that first race, this was not noticeable in his speed. The former Belgian, British and German National MX1 champion went for it and managed to climb to 16th place. Graulus turned out to be almost the equal of his teammate in terms of speed, he crossed the line in 17th just after 'Keeno'.
De Dycker wanted nothing more than to repeat his result from the first heat. However, due to an excursion off the track in the opening lap, Ken immediately had to chase. With 30 minutes remaining he went to work to fight his way to the front. After returning to 18th place, De Dycker had to deal with a defective brake line. In the end he had to settle for 22nd place. Graulus also set strong lap times in the second heat. Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan for Damon in the initial phase. As a result, the talented Belgian had to give chase. From last place he rode his CRF450R to 21st place. He finished less than a second behind Nick Kouwenberg who scored the last World Cup point.
Ken Dycker: “My starts weren't that good this weekend, but I was happy with my speed. In the first series my stomach felt upset while driving, but fortunately the pace was okay. In the second moto I was able to get to the front after going straight on the first lap. Too bad I had a problem with my brakes. I know I certainly had the speed for two top-16 places, but mechanical problems are now part of the deal.”
Damon Graulus: “You never know what to expect if you haven't driven on a certain track for a while. The Swedish GP was a step in the right direction for me. I felt good and luckily I didn't have as much pain from my injuries as I did in Switzerland. In general I was also pleased with my riding. We are back on track after a few difficult weeks. I'm now really looking forward to the coming matches.”
Next weekend, Damon Graulus and Ken De Dycker will ride a home race in Orp-Le-Grand, Walloon Brabant, where the International Motocross will take place on the Kleine Gete circuit. The 24MX Honda riders will compete in Orp against, among others, Clément Desalle, Jeremy Van Horebeek and Shaun Simpson.
MXGP Race 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:57.413; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:09.286; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:12.301; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:17.530; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:19.141; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:20.596; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:22.919; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:25.946; 9. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:27.326; 10. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +0:29.405; 11. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:38.198; 12. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Honda), +0:41.363; 13. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:57.551; 14. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +1:12.574; 15. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:16.282; 16. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX Honda), +1:19.108; 17. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX Honda), +1:23.556; 18. Rui Goncalves (POR, Husqvarna), +1:24.785; 19. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), +1:38.075; 20. Nikolaj Larsen (DEN, KTM), +1:54.884; 21. Jernej Irt (SLO, Husqvarna), +1:59.836; 22. Stefan Ekerold (GER, Suzuki), +2:02.440; 23. Jaromir Romancik (CZE, KTM), -1 lap(s); 24. Peter Irt (SLO, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 25. Eddie Hjortmarker (SWE, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 26. Anton Wallin (SWE, Yamaha), -2 lap(s); 27. Henrik Wahl (NOR, Honda), -3 lap(s); 28. Harri Kullas (EST, Husqvarna), -12 lap(s); 29. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, Yamaha), -13 lap(s); 30. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), -16 lap(s); 31. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), -16 lap(s);
MXGP Race 2: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 35:40.541; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:04.402; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:13.010; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:16.251; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:18.148; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:21.519; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:35.840; 8. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:38.986; 9. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +0:40.499; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:44.403; 11. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +0:45.500; 12. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:46.602; 13. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:48.925; 14. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:52.420; 15. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +1:12.513; 16. Harri Kullas (EST, Husqvarna), +1:14.281; 17. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), +1:30.884; 18. Nikolaj Larsen (DEN, KTM), +1:45.554; 19. Jernej Irt (SLO, Husqvarna), +1:56.325; 20. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 21. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX Honda), -1 lap(s); 22. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX Honda), -1 lap(s); 23. Jaromir Romancik (CZE, KTM), -1 lap(s); 24. Eddie Hjortmarker (SWE, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 25. Anton Wallin (SWE, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 26. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Honda), -2 lap(s); 27. Henrik Wahl (NOR, Honda), -2 lap(s); 28. Stefan Ekerold (GER, Suzuki), -3 lap(s); 29. Peter Irt (SLO, Yamaha), -7 lap(s); 30. Rui Goncalves (POR, Husqvarna), -9 lap(s); 31. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), -16 lap(s);
MXGP Uddevalla final standings: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 47 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 36 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 26 p.; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 24 p.; 9. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, SUZ), 23 p.; 10. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 11. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 21 p.; 12. Tanel Leok (EST, HUS), 17 p.; 13. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 17 p.; 14. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 15 p.; 15. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, HON), 9 p.; 16. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 8 p.; 17. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 6 p.; 18. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), 6 p.; 19. Harri Kullas (EST, HUS), 5 p.; 20. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX HONDA), 5 p.; 21. Nikolaj Larsen (DEN, KTM), 4 p.; 22. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX HONDA), 4 p.; 23. Rui Goncalves (POR, HUS), 3 p.; 24. Jernej Irt (SLO, HUS), 2 p.; 25. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, YAM), 1 p.;
FIM MXGP World Championship after 16 rounds: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 631 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 530 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 526 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 519 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 453 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 441 p.; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 377 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 364 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 352 p.; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 344 p.; 11. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 328 p.; 12. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 328 p.; 13. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, SUZ), 283 p.; 14. Tanel Leok (EST, HUS), 184 p.; 15. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, HON), 164 p.; 16. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 149 p.; 17. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 140 p.; 18. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 122 p.; 19. Rui Goncalves (POR, HUS), 108 p.; 20. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 79 p.; 21. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 61 p.; 22. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX HONDA), 60 p.; 23. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX HONDA), 46 p.; 24. Harri Kullas (EST, HUS), 40 p.; 25. Maxime Desprey (FRA, KAW), 28 p.; 26. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 26 p.; 27. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), 18 p.; 28. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 15 p.; 29. Jaromir Romancik (CZE, KTM), 14 p.; 30. Jeffrey Dewulf (BEL, KTM), 14 p.; 31. Priit Ratsep (EST, HON), 13 p.; 32. Milko Potisek (FRA, YAM), 12 p.; 33. Evgeny Mikhaylov (RUS, HUS), 10 p.; 34. Xavier Boog (FRA, HON), 8 p.; 35. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 6 p.; 36. Viacheslav Golovkin (RUS, KTM), 6 p.; 37. Jernej Irt (SLO, HUS), 5 p.; 38. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 4 p.; 39. Gert Krestinov (EST, HON), 4 p.; 40. Nikolaj Larsen (DEN, KTM), 4 p.; 41. Jetro Salazar (ECU, HON), 4 p.; 42. Jens Getteman (BEL, KAW), 4 p.; 43. Peter Irt (SLO, YAM), 4 p.; 44. Vladislav Leonov (RUS, KTM), 4 p.; 45. Dennis Ullrich (GER, KTM), 3 p.; 46. Steven Lenoir (FRA, KAW), 3 p.; 47. Lukas Neurauter (AUT, KTM), 3 p.; 48. Ander Valentin (ESP, HON), 2 p.; 49. Sven Van der Mierden (NED, HUS), 2 p.; 50. Joaquin Poli (ARG, HON), 1 p.; 51. Andy Baumgartner (SUI, KTM), 1 p.; 52. Matteo Bonini (ITA, KAW), 1 p.; 53. Sandro Peixe (POR, HON), 1 p.; 54. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, YAM), 1 p.; 55. Farhan Hendro Fahrodjie (INA, KAW), 1 p.;
Photos:shotbyBavo
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