Philippaerts building up to Yamaha debut

As the first ever winner of both MX1 and MX2 Grand Prix there is a lot of hope for new Yamaha Motocross Team recruit David Philippaerts as the 24 year old opens the ‘blue’ chapter of his career this weekend at the Starcross International at Mantova in Italy. The first Italian representative for the crew since the inception of the MX1 category in 2004, Philippaerts is ideally placed to continue his impressive climb in world championship motocross since bursting onto the scene with a volley of MX2-GP podiums in 2005. The Tuscan has spent the winter working with the Rinaldi-helmed squad in preparation for the 2008 MX1-GP season, only his second in the premier class since entering the competition in 2007 and after adapting immediately to the demands of the 450cc four-stroke with six podiums, two moto victories and a single Grand Prix success at the Teutschenthal circuit in Germany.

Mantova this weekend – also host of the Italian Grand Prix on May 17/18 - will witness Philippaerts’ christening with the potent YZ450FM. The multi-title winning machine will carry the Italian and team-mate Josh Coppins for the 2008 campaign. “I was really pleased when I first rode the Yamaha because I found it light and easy to handle but with an engine and power output that was very manageable,” he commented. “It meant that I did not have to change anything with regards to my riding style, and this level of comfort gives you confidence.” “The standard bike was already very good from the outset and since then we began to work with pieces and upgrades for the race machine,” he added. “The team are well organised and professional and they provide a perfect working environment.There is always somebody to take care of things and they have good ideas; I’m very satisfied.” The feeling of well-being currently in the set-up is echoed by Co-ordinator ‘Mino’ Raspanti. “Even though we are just at the start of the year we already feel strong as a team and David is an easy guy to work with; he is always kind and professional,” he remarked. “We did some engine and suspension testing but we have not made any big changes to the bike compared to last year, our work was mainly focussed on adapting the YZ450FM to suit his style and to get him comfortable,” he further added. While the expectation of regaining Yamaha’s MX1-GP crown falls mainly in the lap of team-mate Josh Coppins, Raspanti believes that Philippaerts is capable of a few surprises: “We believe that David is one of the fastest riders in MX1 but he still needs some more experience. He is only 24 and potentially has a good career ahead of him. His strengths as a rider are his skills on the bike, his strong character and his fighting spirit. We expect a forward step in 2008 and we will support him totally to help achieve that.” Mantova will be the first of several race appearances for Philippaerts before the world championship gets underway at the Valkenswaard circuit for the Grand Prix of Netherlands on April 6th. “I want to get a lot of race time and hours so that I am completely ready to go at the first round,” the seven-time Grand Prix winner said “so I will be racing the pre-season international events and using them very much as testing opportunities.”