GP riders prepare

Last weekend many GP riders got in some extra practice for the Grand Prix of Italy this coming weekend at the Maggiora circuit. From England, to France to Belgium some of the best GP riders put on their racing faces and prepared for heading down to Italy for what is expected to be a classic GP.

At the former GP circuit of Kester in Belgium Christophe Charlier scored victory with 2-7-2 results. It would be the 50^th anniversary of the circuit and the last time motocross would be held at this facility.

The 24MX Honda Racing rider led home a bunch of GP riders including Ken De Dycker, Jeremy Van Horebeek, Kevin Strijbos, Jordi Tixier, Pauls Jonass and Tyla Rattray.

“I’m proud to be on the winners list! It took a bit of time to get used to the track but I had so much fun to come and race here. We’ve been trying some new things with the bike and they’re clearly paying off. My starts were a lot better than before which makes a great difference. I tried not to rush things today because it was easy to make mistakes.

“Still I felt that my speed was good. In the third moto I started to push at the end and I was catching up quickly to De Dycker. However I had a bit of an issue with my goggles which hurt my vision. Anyway, this result gives us a good base to work from for the next MXGP in Maggiora and I’m looking forward to the second half of the World Championship season.”

Over in England Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings put together 1-1-1 results to win the MX2 class ahead of names like Max Anstie. In the MX1 class Shaun Simpson took the overall ahead of Steven Frossard. Herlings was happy to be back at the Hawkstone Park facility for this one off appearance in the British championship.

“It went pretty well,” Herlings said. “We won all three MX2 motos and that was expected, but we still had to do it, it was a good day. I like the circuit, always have and it was great weather, so that made it a nice weekend.”

In France Xavier Boog was crowned MX1 champion despite riding in some pain. Boog who has struggled with injures the last two years, and entered last weekend race in Gaillac, France with a shoulder injury picked up from the Grand Prix of France a little over a week ago.

“It was a tough weekend,” Boog said. “It was a pretty difficult week mentally as I couldn’t train following the crash at Villars. When I tried to ride my bike on Friday my shoulder was painful and I didn’t know what to expect, but in the end it was OK and I could win the three races today. I couldn’t expect any better from this weekend.”

Now they all head to Maggiora in Italy for the Grand Prix of Italy. It’s a circuit most love and you can expect all these riders will be brimming with confidence after their successful weekend.