Opening 2016 with a victory and a dominant presence at the front, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team riders Romain Febvre and Jeremy Van Horebeek finished on the podium Sunday in Sardegna at the Internazionali d’Italia Motocross 2016 in Alghero in front of 10,000 motocross fans.
The first of three Italian Championship races in the early-season months of January and February put Yamaha Factory riders to their first competitive test of 2016. In heavy conditions these races allow team mechanics and riders to evaluate careful preparations and training ahead of the first FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship race in Qatar at the end of the month.
Under sunny skies in a difficult MX1 race on the YZ450FM Febvre and Van Horebeek finished 1-2, and later in the Elite race the duo arrived a steady second and third behind Russian rider Evgeny Bobryshev from a 40-rider combined field of top 20 riders each from MX1 and MX2.
Kemea Official Yamaha MX Team rider Valentin Guillod registered his first YZ450F results at 10th during the Elite race, with DP19 Yamaha Official MX Team’s David Philippaerts finishing ahead of the young Swiss rider in eighth. Philippaerts finished ninth in the earlier MX1 event with Guillod two spots back in 11th.
In MX2 Swedish DP19 Yamaha Official MX2 Team rider Alvin Ostlund was a solid fifth in his class, later 21st in the Elite race, while in the 125 class of talented young riders it was DP19 Yamaha Official’s Roan Van Moosdijk on a Yamaha YZ125 finishing second and showing great promise into the future.
Massimo Raspanti – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team Manager
“It was a difficult day, and the race had a lot of very good riders who were riding at different speeds, but for the first competition of the new season with so many good riders the Italian National Championship in Alghero was a good test for Romain and Jeremy after the break to see where their preparations are and what remains to be done.”
“It was the first time this year we could see what the YZ450FMs would do in competition, the first time we could test the preparations, and we saw that it was all something to make us happy about the progress, both for the riders and for the bikes.”
“Jeremy moved up from his start position midrace in the MX1 to take advantage of other riders’ mistakes and finish behind Romain on the podium, and we’re happy with the results. In the Elite race Romain started in third and Jeremy in fifth and both had really good speed, but Romain was content to follow Bobryshev and not to take any risks and he only pushed really hard in the finish where he was caught behind some lapped riders in the last 200m.
