Philippaerts wins 2008 MX1-GP World Championship!

The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team celebrated a fantastic end to a wonderful season of racing as David Philippaerts became world champion and went home permanently with the red plate as MX1-GP series leader after the fifteenth and final round at the Faenza circuit in Italy. The 24 year old fronted the FIM world championship for 13 of the 15 events and was crowned 'number one' with the YZ450FM for the first time in his career in front of 30,000 wiling spectators.

The Italian, in his first season with the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team and only his second in the MX-1 GP class after moving up from successful exploits in MX2-GP, defied the pressure of expectation by his home crowd and also the last-gasp attentions of main rivals Steve Ramon and Ken De Dycker to take results of 3rd and 9th for 5th overall across the damp soil. The tight and compact Faenza circuit (some 50km east of Bologna) did not offer a typical Italian test thanks to some changeable weather conditions and outbreaks of rain that left the terrain a mixture of slippery and soft parts.

Philippaerts rode determinedly in Moto1 to rise from 8th to 3rd by mid-distance and leave nearest challenger Ramon in his wake. Finishing one position behind De Dycker meant that the champion-elect needed just three points to claim his prize. An understandably cautious approach in Moto2 saw Philippaerts settle for a safe top ten slot. After jumping for joy at the finish line he was mobbed by an army of fans, media and well-wishers at the finish line in scenes not witnessed at a motocross Grand Prix for many years.

His achievement in 2008 represented the fourth crown in five years for the Yamaha factory team with the potent and conquering YZ450FM.


From the 30 motos of the 2008 FIM world championship Philippaerts recorded 3 wins and 13 top three finishes. From the 15 Grand Prix he obtained 7 overall podiums and was victorious twice. He is the first Italian to win the title in the blue ribbon category since Alex Puzar eighteen years ago in 1990.

Josh Coppins ended the season with 6th place at Faenza. The New Zealander earned 5th in the final championship standings despite an unlucky campaign. He appeared twice on the rostrum, winning once and scoring 2 moto victories. The 31 year old had a problem with his front fork in the opening race and had to slow his speed; he took 10th by the flag. In the second outing he was back to form and held off several riders in an intense fight for 3rd place.

The racing calendar is not yet quite over for both Yamaha Monster Motocross Team riders. Coppins competes in the Belgian Championship next weekend before travelling to Donington Park to represent New Zealand at the 62nd Motocross of Nations. Philippaerts will also be in the UK and wearing Italian colours.

David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 5th, 1st in championship:

"It has been a long, long year and now I am so happy. Steve and Ken were really fast all week and kept the pressure on. I wanted to take decent points at every GP and I only really believed that the title was in my grasp during that second moto today. I had looked at Steve's season in 2007 and I knew that consistency was the key to the title. I am so pleased for the team, Yamaha, Michele and my sponsors. I also want to say a big thank you to my girlfriend Alice. I am happy and it was so emotional to win the championship here in Italy and in front of those fans. I do not know what else I can say!"

Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 6th, 5th in championship:

"It has not been my year but I am happy for the team and for Yamaha to regain the championship. With the fork problem in the first moto my braking points were off and the traction was affected; I struggled basically and crashed twice. I was disappointed when I came in and we made some changes during the break. My start was again good and in the second race I showed that I am capable of running near the front. I am happy the season is over and that I finished the year injury-free. I finished in the top five but this is not that much of a consolation for me. Anyway, we will now look towards next season."

Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team:

"This is a fantastic day, for many people connected with the team and with Yamaha. David was excellent in the first moto and was really dedicated and brave with his approach; many riders in the same position would have thought about the points but he pushed hard for the top three. He went for the safe result in Moto2 and he deserves all the acclaim. I am really happy for him. We knew he might win a few GPs this season but '08 was about gaining experience, so he has done an immense job, especially considering he led the championship from round three. Josh had a good second moto and it was a decent way to finish a season in which he has been so unlucky. After last year I am glad we have the title back and now we will continue working hard in the winter for a defence in 2009."

Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Division Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe:

"Last year we were so close to the championship and now I really feel that the title is back where it belongs. MX1-GP is the top class in off-road racing and we wanted the championship back for 2008. It has been an incredible year and an exciting season. David came into the team as the new rider but he was leading the series from round three and had to weather that pressure all year. To finish it off like this, here in Italy, is really fantastic."


Race 1 - 22 Laps 

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 38'49.652
2, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'31.860
3, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'35.891
4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'42.932
5, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'44.356
6, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'45.635
7, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0'46.998
8, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'49.515
9, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 0'57.967
10, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 1'0.552
11, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 1'1.630
12, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'41.127
13, Martin Michek, TM, CZE, 1'42.414
14, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'48.962
15, Luis Correira, Yamaha, POR, 2'23.116
16, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, -1 Laps
17, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, -1 Laps
18, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, -1 Laps
19, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, -1 Laps
20, Loic Leonce, Yamaha, FRA, -1 Laps

Race 2 - 22 Laps 

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 39'20.428
2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'5.714
3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'10.748
4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'13.861
5, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'15.936
6, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'17.332
7, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'48.880
8, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 0'56.674
9, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'57.990
10, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'57.990
11, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 1'1.352
12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'12.192
13, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 1'19.864
14, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'43.409
15, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 1'52.048
16, Scott Columb, Suzuki, NZL, -1 Laps
17, Jacob Saylor, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps
18, Youhei Kojima, Suzuki, JPN, -1 Laps
19, Martin Michek, TM, CZE, -1 Laps
20, Matteo Dottori, Kawasaki, ITA, -2 Laps


Rider Standings 14/09/2008

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 509
2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 495
3, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 490
4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 455
5, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 446
6, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 444
7, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 392
8, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 352
9, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 320
10, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 292
11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 290
12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 261
13, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 183
14, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 164
15, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 159
16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 147
17, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 109
18, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 107
19, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 94
20, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, 75
21, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 74



Manufacturer Standings 14/09/2008

Pos., Manufacturer, Points

1, Suzuki, 587
2, Yamaha, 583
3, KTM, 575
4, Kawasaki, 518
5, Honda, 470
6, TM, 43
7, Aprilia, 23
----------
RACE REPORT - 14/09/2008

Aubin ends 2008 championship with 3rd

With 7th position overall at the Faenza circuit in Italy for the last round of the MX2-GP World Championship Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin guided his YZ250F to 3rd place in the series. The Frenchman was 9th and 8th in the two motos under changeable but mainly bright skies and was able to fulfil his pre-season aim of securing a 'podium' finish behind champion Tyla Rattray and Tommy Searle.

Despite a grim weather prediction of continual rain all day, the clouds emptied only in the morning during Sunday and made the track a mixture of slippery ground and sticky mud providing decent traction.

First Yamaha rider in the classification was Utag Yamaha.com's Zach Osborne. The American took pole position on Saturday with victory in his heat race and then produced two decent moto performances (only blighted by an average start in Moto1) to place 7th and 3rd, for 4th overall. The teenager has impressed since coming to Europe for the eleventh round of the championship and has already signed to race for the British crew in 2009.

Aubin was 7th and was expecting a victory at this last round but a crash in Moto1 and not finding a satisfactory rhythm with the track kept him away from the leaders. Team-mate Davide Guarneri was unable to complete the first moto after catching and twisting his weakened right knee. The Italian, who will have surgery on Tuesday and then face a 3-4 month rehab period before he can ride again, did not start the second race and ended the year 15th in the final table.

10th overall in Faenza belonged to the continually improving Alessandro Lupino, of the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli Team. The teenager marked a career-best with finishes of 10th and 12th after his first full season in 2008.

Outgoing world champion Antonio Cairoli was on-hand at his home Grand Prix to present new winner Tyla Rattray with his number one plate. The Sicilian pulled out of the series at round ten with a knee injury and ended the year with 6th in the standings, registering 7 moto wins (from 20), 4 victories and 6 podiums from 10 events.

Elsewhere 3C Racing's Manuel Monni finished 11th in a term where he gained a Grand Prix podium (in Spain) and also became MX2 Italian champion. He was disappointed with his 12th place result in Faenza, commenting that the track was very different from tests one month before and he could not find the speed to enter the top ten. His low point haul meant that he lost the chance of a top ten slot in the championship.

Aubin (France), Monni (Italy) and Osborne (Puerto Rico) will contest the 62nd Motocross of Nations at Donington Park in two weeks time.

Nico Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing 7th and 3rd in the championship:

"I won a round in 2007 and I really wanted another victory before the end of 2008 but I was riding stiff on the bike and was not quick enough. The goal then became to keep third place in the championship and I got the job done. I am quite satisfied but the truth is that if Antonio Cairoli was not injured then I would likely have finished fourth."

Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing, DNF and 15th in the championship:

"The track was really rough and this is not the way I wanted to end the season. It has not been a lucky year for me and now I just want to finally have the surgery and get my body fit and well again for next time."

Zach Osborne, Utag Yamaha.com, 4th and 22nd in the championship:

"Just one point from the podium so it was quite a positive way to end the season. I was disappointed with my start in the first race; I made a complete mess with my technique and everything. I did better in the second moto and stayed in third for pretty much the whole way. I had one really big moment that cost me about four seconds and maybe that last spot on the podium but the result was OK. I enjoyed the track; it was really rough towards the end."

Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 10th and 23rd in the championship:

"I am really happy and I had some nice races today. I started the first moto very well and although I dropped back a little bit I was strong at the finish for 10th; it was a lot of fun. My second start was awful and I was 28th and practically last! I pushed really hard and came back to 12th. The season has ended quite well for me and now I will go to Belgium to train this winter and be stronger for 2009."

Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 6th in the championship:

"My knee is much better and I am working on getting the strength back in my leg. I hope to be able to start riding at the beginning of November and will get on the 450 right away. It is a shame to be here at my home GP and not going for the championship, I knew it would go right until the end but I always thought I would be a part of it. It is great to see the fans again though! I am really happy for David, it has been quite a while since Italy had a really fast rider in the class and I would like to congratulate him for a good season."


Race 1 - 22 Laps 

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 40'15.199
2, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'1.247
3, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, 0'2.732
4, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'13.268
5, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 0'31.918
6, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'34.575
7, Zach Osborne, Yamaha, USA, 0'35.071
8, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 0'45.389
9, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'50.920
10, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 0'52.194
11, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 0'59.374
12, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 1'7.923
13, Gareth Swanepoel, Kawasaki, RSA, 1'10.840
14, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'20.902
15, Klemen Gercar, Yamaha, SVN, 1'41.598
16, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1'48.914
17, Jake Nicholls, Suzuki, GBR, 1'49.997
18, Deny Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps
19, Marcus Norlen, Suzuki, SWE, -1 Laps
20, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, -1 Laps

Race 2 - 22 Laps 

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 40'8.026
2, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 0'5.185
3, Zach Osborne, Yamaha, USA, 0'10.637
4, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'14.105
5, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'15.501
6, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'19.513
7, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 0'52.490
8, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'56.786
9, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'58.613
10, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'58.887
11, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, 1'9.641
12, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 1'10.768
13, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1'16.069
14, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 1'18.339
15, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'22.599
16, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 1'25.793
17, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, -1 Laps
18, Marcus Norlen, Suzuki, SWE, -1 Laps
19, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps
20, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, -1 Laps


Rider Standings 14/09/2008

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 636
2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 613
3, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 406
4, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 394
5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 380
6, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 357
7, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 307
8, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 299
9, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 291
10, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 289
11, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 277
12, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, 263
13, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 216
14, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 189
15, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 181
16, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 169
17, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 118
18, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 118
19, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 101
20, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, 96
23, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 75
24, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 71
28, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 48
43, Deny Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 11
49, Martin Barr, Yamaha, GBR, 6



Manufacturer Standings 14/09/2008

Pos., Manufacturer, Points

1, KTM, 716
2, Yamaha, 631
3, Kawasaki, 464
4, Suzuki, 371
5, Honda, 265
6, Husqvarna, 1