Yamaha force commence MX World Championship this weekend

The Grand Prix of the Netherlands at the Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard, close to the city of Eindhoven, opens the 2008 FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend and Yamaha’s strong arm faculty equipped with potent YZ machinery will go to the start-gate in earnest for the first time this year. The first round of fifteen in an ’08 series that visits thirteen countries and two continents will see Yamaha once more fit the role of protagonists in the MX1-GP (premier class with 450cc four-stroke motorcycles) and MX2-GP (250cc four-stroke motorcycles) categories. The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team bring their freshly painted YZ450FMs to Holland hoping to re-capture the title they narrowly missed out on in 2007 and add to their splendid tally of three championships from four years since the MX1-GP classification was established. Josh Coppins and new recruit David Philippaerts have had an excellent pre-season with four wins through events in Italy and France. Coppins, who won five Grand Prix, took nine podiums and led more laps than any other rider in his first season with Yamaha last year, has been recovering from two broken toes on his right foot after a freak accident while training two weeks ago. “Things are coming along well, it should be OK to race although the weekend will be more about damage-limitation for the championship instead of setting myself any specific targets,” said the recently turned 31 year old who won In Valkenswaard to mark a memorable Yamaha debut twelve months ago. “At first I thought I had broken my foot and my championship was ruined again but I’m happy with the rate of recovery. The bones have been healing well it is just the wound and the skin tissue that is causing discomfort. I have no idea what it will be like until I get to the track though and start practice. Let’s just see what we can get from this weekend and then move on. It can only get better.” For Philippaerts Valkenswaard will not only kick-off his second season in the premier class (after taking 6 wins in 2 terms as a factory-supported racer in MX2-GP) but his first with his new bike. “I like Valkenswaard, it is a difficult track but I had a good race there in 2004 when I finished sixth, which was my best result up to that point,” said the 24 year old Italian who won the 2007 German MX1-GP Grand Prix. “They changed the direction of the circuit last year and it worked well even if I did not have the best GP!” he adds remembering his fall through the sandy waves section that ended with a spot of fire-fighting to his stricken motorcycle.“At the start of the season in the past I have said that I want to go for a win or a podium and it has not turned out that way, so this time I will simply say that I want to do my best. I am confident with the bike and very happy with the team and we will see on Saturday how fast we are.” The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team will be unveiled to the media on Friday evening. Adding to Yamaha’s presence in MX1-GP will be UTag Yamaha.com’s Kenneth Gundersen. The Norwegian is a former Grand Prix winner in the old 125 and 250cc divisions and climbs aboard the YZ450F after two years in MX2-GP. The British squad have a representative in the class for the first time since 2005. Dutch set-up Yamaha Van Beers will again count on the services of promising youngster Aigar Leok for the second season in succession. The Estonian is hoping to shake-off his injury woes of 2007 and supersede his highest race finish of 10th taken at Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany last May. Yamaha’s excellent track record in the MX2-GP class with two Rider’s world championships and three manufacturer’s titles with the YZ250F in the last four years has been largely thanks to the talents of Antonio Cairoli, and the Sicilian is aiming for his third crown this season onboard his Red Bull De Carli-tuned equipment. ‘Tony’ decimated the 2007 competition with a phenomenal tally of numbers including 10 wins from 14 events and 21 motos victories from 28, overall making the podium 13 times, not forgetting of course his triumphant debut in the MX1-GP class at Donington Park. The Italian – who will glide into the paddock this weekend with a new motorhome purchased recently from MotoGP racer and friend Marco Melandri – has been turning heads on the YZ450F in the Italian championship but will get back to serious business on his 250 through the sand of Valkenswaard this weekend – a GP in which he owned both motos at a canter last season. “It has not been a bad pre-season period for me and we have been working with both the 250 and the 450,” he said. “I did not regain the championship in 2006 after winning in 2005 and I won’t be making the same mistakes that I did back then. I expect the competition to be harder this year and people like Tommy Searle and Nicolas Aubin will be quick. It will be interesting to see what the younger riders can do as well,” commented the 22 year old. Team-mate Matteo Bonini will miss the Grand Prix this weekend after undergoing an operation on his dislocated left shoulder several weeks ago in Italy. The luckless racer is expected to give an estimated time for return to the track shortly. Yamaha’s MX2-GP rider roster is largely unchanged. The third member of the Red Bull De Carli team, Alessandro Lupino, starts his second year with the Italian crew and within the world championship paddock. The teenager, who is currently lying third in the MX2 Italian series, will be optimistic of continuing his race education at the highest level. Great hopes are expected from the Yamaha Ricci Racing duo of Nicolas Aubin and David Guarneri both of whom have been collecting chequered flags in France and Italy respectively over the pre-season period with YZ250FMs. Aubin had a decent first season with the Italian team in 2007 where he scored his first ever GP win in the Czech Republic and took a career-best sixth in the world championship. He is now arguably France’s fastest rider in the category. Guarneri recovered from a broken ankle in the first months of ‘07 to rapidly gain pace and results, culminating in his maiden success at Namur in Belgium. Both will have special YRRD GP engine parts. Utag Yamaha.com’s Martin Barr – who has been flying high with personal best finishes in the Maxxis British Championship (2nd position overall two weeks ago) – again stands alongside former Spanish Champion Carlos Campano for the UK squad. The 20 year old’s speed and form has come-on leaps and bounds over the last twelve months and he could be one of the wide young select in the class to keep an eye on for 2008. Campano should travel to Valkenswaard fully fit and raring to go after two difficult seasons with injury niggles. Yamaha Van Beers welcomes two new signings to their fold with Russian champion Evgeny Bobryshev embarking on his first MX2-GP campaign and double FIM Women’s World Cup champion Katherine Prumm wears the number one plate on her blue machine for the inaugural Women’s World Championship; the first round of five getting underway at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria next month. 3C Racing complete the YZ250F pack with Italian championship leader and recent MX3 Grand Prix winner Manuel Monni looking strong and David Philippaerts’ younger brother, Deny, starting a second GP term making an all-Italian effort for 2008. 3C Racing, Van Beers and UTag Yamaha’s personnel will steer YZs with customer YRRD Racing part kits. The Eurocircuit will host the championship ‘curtain-raiser’ for the second year in succession and is the first of two visits to the Netherlands in 2008. The track was shortened and reversed for the 2007 Grand Prix and the radical changes – with a relocated start-gate – were well received by the riding fraternity. The terrain itself can get extremely rough and technical as the two 35 minute and 2 lap motos for each class wear on. Although the Dutch sand is not as notoriously deep and energy-sapping as other venues in the area, Valkenswaard is still a very tough physical and mental first test for the world championship aspirants. 2007 saw an excellent day for Yamaha with victories in both classes. Varying weather conditions are predicted for the weekend ahead.