By Pascal Haudiquert
Clément Desalle and Arnaud Tonus both dominate the International Motocross of Valence, where they already won last year. The main opponent were the French riders, in the MX1 class with Gautier Paulin and Steven Frossard who finished second and third as well as in the MX2 class with Valentin Teillet runner-up.
Tonus dominates the MX2 class
For the first time in his young career, Arnaud Tonus stays in the same team this year and didn’t need any time to get used to his Monster Dixon Yamaha. It’s Valentin Teillet who got twice the holeshot, but Arnaud was faster and got the lead after a few laps in each race to win the two MX2 heats. Teillet was a strong contender, but the French kid suffered from his arms and just secured three good results to finish second for his first race with Bud Kawasaki. Jake Nicholls won the battle for the last step of the podium, as the Brit – now member of Jacky Martens squad – posted a third and a fourth position in the MX2 races, and then finished second MX2 rider behind Tonus in the super final. Fourth and seventh Alessandro Lupino finished fourth, followed by Harri Kullas, Valentin Guillod and Antoine Meo. The enduro champion was amazing for his come back on a motocross track, as he got twice a top ten result – seventh and tenth – with a 125 KTM two stroke. Christophe Charlier was fast on his Rinaldi Yamaha, with a second position in race two, but unlucky with some troubles at the start of the opening race and a crash in the super final.
Desalle impressive
For his comeback after his shoulder injuries, Clément Desalle was impressive as the Belgian dominates the three races! “I just did my races at my own rhythm and didn’t look so much to my rivals” explained Clément on the podium “but I had a good feeling with my Suzuki and with the track. I was back on my bike late in December, and it was great to be again riding after four long months at home. I’m happy with this win, but I know that there’s still a long way before the first GP”. Clément was not always leading his rivals at the start, but he did three perfect races and didn’t do any mistakes. Steven Frossard was one more a strong rival, but the Frenchmen did a couple of mistakes – he stalled the engine in the first race, and crashed in the last lap of the second heat – and suffered from some arm pumped for this first event of the season. He finishes third overall, behind Gautier Paulin who did three consistent races despite a very bad start in the opening moto. Coming back four, and then twice on the podium, Paulin confirmed his ability on a 450; his teammate Xavier Boog crashed in the first race, but then secured good results to finish fourth. Podium contender before the super final, with a second and a fourth position in the MX1 heats, Tanel Leok lost his chances at the start of the last race when he stays behind the grid.
Résults First Heat MX1 : 1.Desalle (BEL, Suzuki) ; 2.Leok (EST, Suzuki) ; 3.Frossard (FRA, Yamaha) ; 4.Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki) ; 5.Schiffer (GER, Suzuki) ; 6.Potisek (FRA, Honda) ; 7.Boog (FRA, Kawasaki) ; 8.Kojima (JAP, Suzuki) ; 9.Bill (SUI, Honda) ; 10.De Dycker (BEL, Honda) ; 11.Pichon (FRA, Honda) ; 12.Simpson (GBR, Yamaha) ; etc…
Résults Second Heat MX1 : 1.Desalle ; 2.Paulin ; 3.Boog ; 4.Leok ; 5.Frossard ; 6.Schiffer ;7.De Dycker ; 8.Bill ; 9.Soubeyras ; 10.Simpson ; 11.Potisek ; 12.Pichon ; etc…
Résults First Heat MX2 : 1.Tonus (SUI, Yamaha) ; 2.Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki) ; 3.Nicholls (GBR, KTM) ; 4.Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna) ; 5.Aubin (FRA, KTM) ; 6.Meo (FRA, KTM) ; 7.Kullas (FIN, Suzuki) ; 8.Guillod (SUI, KTM) ; 9.Petrov (BUL, Suzuki) ; 10.Getteman (BEL, Yamaha) ; 11.Paturel (FRA, Kawasaki) ; 12.Clermont (FRA, Honda) ; etc…
Résults Second Heat MX2 : 1. Tonus ; 2. Charlier (FRA – Yam) ; 3. Teillet ; 4. Nicholls ; 5. Kullas ; 6. Lupino ; 7. Petrov ; 8. Guillod ; 9. Méo ; 10. Larsen (DEN -Suz) ; 11. Paturel ; 12. Clermont ; etc …
Super Final : 1.Desalle ; 2.Frossard ; 3.Paulin ; 4.Boog ; 5.Schiffer ; 6.Tonus ; 7.Soubeyras ; 8.Potisek ; 9.Simpson ; 10.Leok ; 11.Nicholls ; 12.Kojima ; etc….
Overall MX2 : 1.Tonus, 64 pts ; 2.Teillet, 49 ; 3.Nicholls, 37 ; 4.Lupino, 32 ; 5.Kullas, 30 ; 6.Guillod, 29 ; 7.Meo, 27 ; 8.Charlier, 24 ; 9.Petrov, 24 ; 10.Paturel (FRA, Kawasaki), 18 ; etc…
Overall MX1 : 1.Desalle, 75 pts ; 2.Paulin, 60 ; 3.Frossard, 58 ; 4.Boog, 51 ; 5.Leok, 50 ; 6.Schiffer, 46 ; 7.Potisek, 35 ; 8.Soubeyras, 30 ; 9.Simpson, 29 ; 10.Kojima, 27 ; etc…
