Philippaerts third after impressive Italian GP charge

Yamaha Monster Motocross Team's David Philippaerts was not able to win his home Grand Prix at a wet Mantova circuit but certainly captured the admiration and attention of the 29,000 spectators with a captivating flight from last position to fifth spot in the first moto. The performance on his YZ450FM was backed-up by a strong second place in the following race to allow the series leader to tread the third step of the podium and increase his advantage in the standings even further. Josh Coppins was content with sixth position overall. Usually a safe bet for reliable weather the Italian round of the series, on this occasion hosting the fifth round of fifteen in the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship, was wet and overcast for both days. Frequent light rain tested the resolve of the sandy all-weather venue and the Monster Energy-backed riders had to contend with both dry and wet motos during Sunday. A slippery, rough and rutted terrain provided a formidable prospect. Philippaerts, winner of the Starcross International here in February - an event that represented his race debut for the team - was just over half a second from his first pole position on Saturday but second place still marked his best qualification performance in MX1-GP. Coppins had a difficult time on the first day. Set-up issues caused him to lose track time and then he was unable to post a satisfactory lap in qualification. The New Zealander was unable not to get into a groove with the track, of which he openly professes a dislike, but also admitted that the slower, more technical conditions thanks to the rain were more to his benefit. Nevertheless he went to the gate in sixteenth. Considering his handicap Coppins produced two excellent starts. The 31 year old almost had the holeshot in Moto1 and actually accomplished the honour in Moto2. Philippaerts' was holding third position approaching the fourth turn of the opening lap in Moto1 when a rider fell in front of him. The pack was still very congested and the hold-up caused another person to hit the Italian and put him on the ground. Restarting from last the 24 year old took almost two laps to steady himself but then exploded on a 30 minute whirl of lap-times and overtaking moves that saw him pass 16 riders and arrive to fifth position behind his team-mate. His progress was cheered by the crowd on virtually every lap and he deservedly earned plaudits from the team and his followers. Coppins hit the front in Moto2 but was passed by eventual winner Max Nagl. Philippaerts, in third spot and through the first turns safely this time, gave chase to the German but it wasn't until the final circulations that he was able to break down a barrier of some five seconds to the back wheel of the leader. Coppins took another top-five finish with a relatively lonely ride but was satisfied with his day's work. Van Beers'Aigar Leok obtained his best moto result of the season with a decent eighth place in the first moto but the Estonian was unable to finish the second outing. The points table makes favourable reading for the team and also for Yamaha. In just his second season in the category Philippaerts is already setting a high pace for the title. With 28 points advantage over world champion Steve Ramon Philippaerts has a gap of just over one moto. Coppins is keeping close and is only 10 points adrift of the Belgian. Yamaha head the manufacturer's standings by 8 points. The world championship now pauses for a week before the series reconvenes at the new Mallory Park circuit for the British Grand Prix on June 1st. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 3rd: "Someone went down in front of me and when I was hit from behind I went over the bike that was lying on the ground. It was a big crash and also disappointing because I knew it would be hard to win the GP after that. I tried as hard as I could. I was watching my lap-times and I knew they were fast; I did the best lap of the race near the end and that was a good thing. In the second moto I pushed to get near to Nagl so that he would see me and maybe make a mistake but it was raining a lot and I did not want to make a mistake. I thought of the points and did not take any risks. I wanted to win here but to be on the podium is OK. The bike and the team are so good and this is a big reason why we have this lead in the championship." Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 6th: "It is quite close at the front of the championship and we saw another new winner this weekend. I am the only guy from the first few in the standings who has not won yet, but it will come. I think everyone knows that I have had a hard couple of weeks and I am not riding as well as I would like, so I think we did a good job in the motos; I believe fourth and fifth was not too bad. I closed some points to Ramon and pulled away from Mackenzie. I was pleased with my starts today even if I did ride badly in the first ten minutes of both motos; I was just too slow. In the last ten minutes I am as fast as the leader but I am too stiff and not relaxed in the first moments of the races. My confidence is getting better though. I don't like this track and it is the only one of the fifteen that I struggle with, so that's another reason why I am pleased with the result. I am looking forward to England now; that is like a home GP for me. I like to think I have a chance to win there." Massimo Raspanti, Racing Manager: "This was good for us because from a bad day David still make a positive result. After the first two laps his speed was fantastic in the first moto. Josh was a different rider to the one we saw on Saturday so we are happy for him. He is still third in the championship but gained some points on Ramon." Race 1 - 19 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 41'10.667 2, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'6.173 3, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'8.384 4, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'10.939 5, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'20.259 6, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'24.082 7, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'26.078 8, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 0'39.106 9, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'41.779 10, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'45.875 11, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 0'49.613 12, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'51.609 13, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 1'1.909 14, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1'25.208 15, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1'30.363 16, Loic Leonce, Yamaha, FRA, 1'37.412 17, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1'40.828 18, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'44.755 19, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 1'55.139 20, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 2'13.916 Race 2 - 19 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 40'35.621 2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'5.258 3, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'29.696 4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'36.498 5, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'40.720 6, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'43.055 7, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'43.392 8, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 1'3.004 9, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 1'5.679 10, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'25.490 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 1'39.479 12, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'47.193 13, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'51.099 14, Bradley Anderson, Suzuki, GBR, 1'57.335 15, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 2'6.591 16, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 2'9.944 17, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 2'11.116 18, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 2'12.155 19, Lauris Freibergs, Yamaha, LVA, 2'14.916 20, Scott Columb, Suzuki, NZL, -1 Laps Rider Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 187 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 159 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 149 4, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 135 5, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 130 6, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 129 7, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 116 8, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 114 9, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 105 10, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 98 11, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 74 12, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 73 13, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 70 14, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 67 15, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 59 16, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 41 17, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 38 18, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 36 19, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 31 20, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 29 25, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 15 Manufacturer Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 189 2, Suzuki, 181 3, Kawasaki, 170 4, KTM, 161 5, Honda, 158 6, TM, 26 ---------- RACE REPORT - 18/05/2008 Cairoli lights-up Mantova with second 2008 victory MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli bounced back from his mishap in Bulgaria, defied two injured ribs and also recovered from a second corner crash - similar to countryman David Philippaerts in MX1-GP - to win his second Grand Prix of the season at Mantova. The fifth round of fifteen in the 2008 series was again cursed by rain; bad weather has now affected four of the five events run so far. 29,000 people still braved the damp conditions to watch the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli rider take his second success in a row after victory in 2007 at the Italian Grand Prix. Despite the grey clouds and rain overnight the MX2-GP motos were thankfully devoid of showers. Cairoli started the weekend positively with a strong performance in his Heat race to earn his third consecutive pole position. The Sicilian needed a pain-killing injection for both days of action but even the rutted and rough Mantova sand did not seem to put him off his stride. The first race started dramatically as the reigning number one - using special colours on his kit and helmet - was felled by Erik Eggens in the second corner. Retrieving his YZ250F Cairoli began one of his 'comeback specials' and over the course of the next 35 minutes and 1 lap passed more than 20 riders to reach an incredible fourth place. The only chance of triumph in front of his many fans lay in his capabilities to own the second moto and the double world champion duly obliged. He set a distance from the pack almost immediately and clinched his fourth race win of the year, and fourth from the last six. Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin was unfortunate not to take his first podium finish of the season after he rode brilliantly to celebrate his first chequered flag by beating Tommy Searle in Moto1. The Frenchman led the opening stages of the race before the Briton took control. Aubin was able to keep in his rival's wheel tracks and on lap 14 of 18 regained the advantage. The next sprint was a different affair as Aubin could not find sufficient speed to enter the top five and ended up sixth, for fourth place overall. The top four were separated by only three points in the closest GP ranking of the season. Team-mate Davide Guarneri was disappointed to have to withdraw from the Grand Prix. The Italian suffered a slow but awkward crash on Saturday and immediately feared he has broken a ligament in his right knee. Although the extent of the damage will not be known for a few days and when the Spanish GP winner has a scan, Guarneri - who has already suffered a similar type of injury - was understandably feeling low after this latest set-back. The rest of the De Carli team made the qualification cut. Matteo Bonini, still finding his way back to full speed after recovering from a dislocated shoulder, endured a hard day of work. He was out of the points in Moto1 but rallied to take fifteenth for six points in Moto2. Alessandro Lupino finished in the points on both occasions for the first time in 2008. The teenager was twentieth in each moto. The MX2-GP stars, like their MX1-GP counterparts, will be in action again in two weeks time when the British Grand Prix, at a new track within the Mallory Park motorsports venue, hosts the sixth stop in the 2008 FIM competition. Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 1st: "For sure I wanted to win both races but the second corner was a big problem. Out of the gate I started well but then I had some contact with Tommy. I tried for a good line in the second corner but Eggens was on the inside of me and decided to come across to the outside and hit my front wheel. I lost time taking and restarting the bike but then I pushed hard. I thought that it might still be possible to win the GP so I gave it everything I had. I put my head down and concentrated on good lap-times and catching the next rider. We have had a lot of wet races now and these are not my favourite conditions; although the track was not as slippery as Bulgaria!" Nico Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 4th: "I was very happy with that first moto. When Tommy passed me he was very fast but he was attacking so much and I could still follow him. I knew he would not be able to do that the whole race so I kept close and picked the right moment. I don't know what happened in that second moto. I did not get the start I wanted but it was not that bad. I just could not find the same speed as the first heat. I tried some new lines but it wouldn't come. It was positive to get that win but my goal right now is to make good results in both races." Matteo Bonini, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 21st: "During the week I could not train well because I was very tired after Bulgaria, which was my first GP of the year. I did not get a good start in the first moto and there were a lot of problems in the second corner that held me up. I tried hard to push and regain positions but I felt short of breath and had to lower my rhythm. Things were better in the second moto, including my start but after 20 minutes I felt tired and then just looked to getting as many points as I could. I took one more position on the last lap which was good but overall I still frustrated because I worked very hard in the winter and because of the injury it is like I am starting at zero. At least it can only get better." Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 39'32.202 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'0.972 3, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'22.192 4, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'40.411 5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'52.926 6, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'16.135 7, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 1'20.448 8, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'24.259 9, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 1'30.111 10, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'31.529 11, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'39.228 12, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'45.136 13, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1'45.719 14, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'49.505 15, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1'56.218 16, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 1'56.758 17, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 2'3.286 18, Kounsith Vongsana, Kawasaki, FRA, 2'8.805 19, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 2'12.605 20, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 40'31.009 2, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'18.667 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'23.490 4, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 1'8.418 5, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'10.863 6, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 1'21.967 7, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'36.613 8, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 1'55.742 9, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 2'1.461 10, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 2'7.780 11, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, -1 Laps 12, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 13, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, -1 Laps 14, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, -1 Laps 15, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 16, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, -1 Laps 17, Elliott Banks-Browne, Suzuki, GBR, -1 Laps 18, Jason Dougan, Suzuki, GBR, -1 Laps 19, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, -1 Laps 20, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps Rider Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 199 2, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 196 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 191 4, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 146 5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 132 6, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 124 7, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 113 8, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 109 9, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 99 10, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 97 11, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 97 12, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 86 13, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 63 14, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 55 15, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 54 16, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 51 17, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 50 18, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 48 19, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 46 20, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 43 23, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 20 28, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 12 29, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 10 Manufacturer Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 236 2, KTM, 228 3, Kawasaki, 147 4, Suzuki, 138 5, Honda, 67 ---------- RACE REPORT - 18/05/2008 Prumm makes the podium in Italy Double FIM Women's World Cup number one Katherine Prummtook her Van Beers Racing YZ250F to second position for her first podium result of the season at Mantova for the Italian Grand Prix and the second round of five in the first ever FIM Women's World Championship. The 19 year old underwent a scan during the week that confirmed the ACL in her right knee has detached but made the decision to compete in Mantova regardless and aim for her first podium. After taking third position in a wet practice - indeed the whole weekend would be hit by rain, creating a rougher and slower sandy terrain - Prumm launched out of the gate inside the top four of both motos. The first race saw her trailing winner Stephanie Laier for second place and she enjoyed a brief but entertaining tussle with series leader Livia Lancelot in the second moto until the French rider stalled her machine. Prumm, naturally, still lacks a little confidence and speed in the corners but took another runner-up position to Laier to strengthen her position in the standings. The points table has narrowed and Prumm lies just two behind Lancelot. Prumm heads back to her home this week and will begin a programme of physical work to build-up the required muscles in her knee to help compensate for the missing ligament. She will not be in Europe again until mid-June to prepare for round three of the series which will take place at the Teutschenthal circuit for the Grand Prix of Germany. Katherine Prumm, Yamaha Van Beers Racing, 2nd: "It was good to make the podium this weekend but to be honest I am not so happy with my riding. My confidence had taken a hit in Bulgaria and while things were better this weekend I still did not find the speed I know I am capable of and that I do in practice. I fought with Livia and she did not have the best day so it is positive that I am back in the championship hunt. Despite the knee I want to be here fighting for the championship. I will work the muscles I need to and I hope I can build my confidence to get faster. It is good to see how the championship is progressing. I was surprised when I came over for the first GP and found a lot of the girls are now members of teams and it is great that the manufacturers are supporting us. It was a big change for me to switch to Yamaha but I love the engine of the YZ and every weekend I am learning something new about the bike with the different conditions that we find." Race 1 - 10 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Stephanie Laier, KTM, GER, 25'52.655 2, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 0'22.005 3, Larissa Papenmeier, Suzuki, GER, 0'31.040 4, Maria Franke, Kawasaki, GER, 0'39.712 5, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 0'44.853 6, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'53.707 7, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 1'34.577 8, Nicky Van Wordragen, KTM, NED, 1'43.842 9, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 1'46.214 10, Brenda Wagemans, KTM, BEL, 2'4.474 Race 2 - 10 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Stephanie Laier, KTM, GER, 25'39.392 2, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 0'17.045 3, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'22.528 4, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 0'25.084 5, Larissa Papenmeier, Suzuki, GER, 0'25.835 6, Sandra Adriansson, Suzuki, SWE, 1'32.232 7, Elin Mann, KTM, SWE, 1'36.685 8, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 1'49.657 9, Nicky Van Wordragen, KTM, NED, 1'51.538 10, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 1'53.496 Rider Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 82 2, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 80 3, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 72 4, Larissa Papenmeier, Suzuki, GER, 61 5, Maria Franke, Kawasaki, GER, 58 6, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 53 7, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 51 8, Stephanie Laier, KTM, GER, 50 9, Elin Mann, KTM, SWE, 45 10, Nicky Van Wordragen, KTM, NED, 37 11, Sandra Adriansson, Suzuki, SWE, 30 12, Marielle De Mol, Yamaha, NED, 12 13, Anne Borchers, Suzuki, GER, 11 14, Niki Scott, Kawasaki, NZL, 11 15, Brenda Wagemans, KTM, BEL, 11 Manufacturer Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Kawasaki, 85 2, KTM, 81 3, Yamaha, 80 4, Suzuki, 76 5, Honda, 72