MX1 FIM World Championship Motocross top 5 in points
Leading the way and holding the red plate heading into round five in France is Clement Desalle. The Rockstar Energy Suzuki pilot has banked two overall GP wins—Bulgaria and the USA—and carries a nine-point lead to St. Jean d'Agely this weekend. The Belgian looks like a man on a mission in 2011.
The German Red Bull/KTM rider Max Nagl has been the most consistent finisher thus far in 2011 and sits second in the points. Max switched from the KTM 450 to the KTM 350 in 2011 and with two podiums in the first four rounds it looks like it may have been the right move. Heading into round five in France, Max sits just nine points behind Desalle in the MX1 Championship points and poised to make a run at his first World title.
The defending MX1 World Champion Tony Cairoli sits third in the MX1 Championship points after four rounds. The Italian, four-time World Champion started 2011 off rough with a ninth overall in Bulgaria after injuring his knee in qualifying. Since then, though, the Red Bull/KTM superstar has begun to look like the Champion we know him to be. Tony, after a win at Valkenswaard and a solid second place in Brazil, now sits just thirteen points of the Championship points-lead.
Monster Energy Yamaha's David Philippaerts was absolutely unstoppable in Brazil last week and now sits fourth in the World Championship points after his first win of the year. The Italian former World Champ struggled with the speed needed to stay on pace with the likes of Cairoli and Desalle in 2010, but now in 2011, seems to have found that missing speed. With four rounds complete, a podium finish in the Netherlands and a win in Brazil, the number nineteen sits just twenty-six points back. Hopefully DP19 can use this newfound confidence to stay up front all year.
Monster Energy Yamaha's Steven Frossard started out 2011 as the surprise rider of the year. The French MX1 rookie started 2011 by winning the first GP moto of the year in Bulgaria and was the proud holder of the red plate after the first two rounds. Since then, Steven struggled in the US—only scoring eleven points—but rebounded well with a fourth overall in Brazil. As the series heads back over to Europe for the Grand Prix of France, Frossard sits fifth in the points thirty-two points behind Desalle. We expect the Frenchman to be ready to battle at his home GP for the win this weekend.
MX1 FIM World Championship Motocross top 5 in points
Ken Roczen has been a fine tuned machine in 2011. Since heading back from contesting the 2011 West Region of the AMA Lites SX series, Ken has at times looked unbeatable. Other than the one sand round in Valkenswaard, the Red Bull/KTM has been the class of the field. Winner of the opener in Bulgaria and the US Grand Prix, Ken now holds on to a fourteen-point lead over his teammate Herlings. As the series heads into round five, we expect to see the teenage superstar continue to shine as he tries to win his first World Championship.
The Dutch teenager Jeffrey Herlings has been the only man so far that has been able to keep Ken Roczen honest. With two overall GP wins—Netherlands and Brazil—the young Red/Bull KTM pilot looks game to fight all the way until the last round for his first World title. Jeffrey, at times, seems just a click off of Roczen's pace on the hardpack, but you can be sure he will do whatever it takes to try and keep Roczen in sight.
The Brit Tommy Searle heads to St-Jean d'Angely third in the MX2 World Championship standings—thirty-five points behind Ken Roczen. The former MX2 vice-champion has been blistering fast all season long, but can't seem to close the gap between himself and the two KTM teenagers up front. The CLS/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider finished the first three GP's on the podium, but missed the podium at the last stop in Brazil. Expect Tommy to be pushing that Kawasaki in France to try and score his first GP win of 2011.
The lone American in the top five of either series is the Bike-It/Cosworth/Wild Wolf/Yamaha backed Zach Osborne. Zach sits fourth in the World Championship points and is sixty-nine points behind Roczen. The Virginia native came into 2011 with high hopes for a World Championship, but has struggled to find the pace of the leaders. Now feeling a lot better after suffering from a wrist injury at Glen Helen—and with the series heading to his two favorite tracks—Zach looks to turn it around. Here's to hoping Zach can get it done starting this week in France.
Frenchaman Gautier Paulin is coming off his best finish for 2011 in Brazil. With a solid 3-3 score last weekend, Paulin now finds himself fifth in the World Championship points. The Monster Energy Yamaha rider came into 2011 one of the odds on favorites for the title, but with a mountainous seventy-one point deficit in front of him, the Championship may soon begin to look out of reach. Expect to see the French favorite try to get back on track at his home GP this weekend at St-Jean d'Angely.
