Round number thirteen of the fifteen round 2011 FIM Motocross World Championship heads back to Matterly Basin in Winchester, England for the 2011 Grand Prix of Great Britain. British fans have waited since 2009 for the Grand Prix series to make its return to the U.K., and you can be sure the loyal British motocross fans will be ready for their first GP in two years. To top off the excitement, it will be held at Matterly Basin.
The Matterly Basin circuit was crafted back in 2006 to host not only the British GP that year, but also the 2006 Motocross of Nations and has not seen action since. Riders that were lucky enough to race the circuit back in 2006 loved the track for the awesome jumps and layout, but more importantly, fans loved it and were treated to unparalleled viewing of almost the entire circuit from anywhere in the valley. Three American riders we know for sure loved Mattery Basin were James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto and Ivan Tedesco. The American trio were the last three to stand atop the podium there after they led the U.S. to the 2006 Motocross of Nations victory.
So now as World Class racing returns, we have two FIM World Championships coming down the home stretch. With only three races left on the schedule–Matterly Basin, Gaildorf and Fermo–the two pre-season favorites have begun to engrave their names on the World Championship trophies. In the MX2 class, the German sensation, Red Bull/Teka/KTM’s Ken Roczen, has a twenty-seven point lead over his teammate Jeffrey Herlings, while in MX1, Red Bull/Teka/KTMs Antonio Cairoli now has an eighty-one point lead over his nearest active competitor, Monster Energy/Yamaha rider Steven Frossard. Clement Desalle is still in second place in the points–forty-eight behind Cairoli–but a shoulder injury at the last round of the Belgian Championships has taken the Rockstar/Suzuki rider out for the remainder of the season. While Ken Roczen still has some serious work to do to win his first Championship, Cairoli–with a huge point advantage–can now pretty much cruise to his fifth World Championship.
With the MX1 World Championship firmly in the hands of Cairoli, that doesn’t mean the racing won’t be as exciting as it’s been all year. The MX1 class, despite the huge disparity in the points, has had a very competitive year, and we expect more of the same at Matterly Basin. The class has seen five different overall winners in thirteen races, and on any given day, we’ve seen as many as ten different riders show the speed to run at the front. Also, surprise first-time winners–like Honda World’s Evgeny Bobryshev and Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Steven Frossard–have shown us that the future of the MX1 class is as healthy as ever. With recent injuries to Clement Desalle (shoulder), David Philippaerts (wrists) and Steve Ramon (back), you can be sure some more riders will be looking to add their names to the 2011 MX1 first-time winners list. Riders like Rui Goncalves, Tanel Leok, Shaun Simpson and the newly rejuvenated Christophe Pourcel all have more than enough talent to get on that list before the season ends. We also expect Cairoli to be looking for more wins, but with the big picture being the Championship it should leave the door wide open for others.
In the MX2 class, Ken Roczen has a twenty-seven point lead to work with, but with his teammate Jeffrey Herlings has been bringing the heat every week. The German still has some serious work to do before sealing the deal. Throughout the year, Ken has been a tick faster everywhere except in the sand, but his mistakes have kept Herlings in the battle. If Ken wants to get his name on that Championship trophy, he may need to do something we’ve never seen out of him: back it down and ride for the title. Kenny often reminds of us of a young James Stewart, and like James, Kenny doesn’t back it down much. With only six motos left to run, Roczen can get seconds and thirds the rest of the way and win his first Championship.
One thing that you can count on is Jeffrey Herlings being there if a mistake comes from Roczen. Lately, Herlings has been showing more and more speed, and with his dominating win on the 350 in the Belgian Motocross Championship, he is overflowing with confidence. Three other riders to watch this weekend as the series heads to Great Britain are the fast trio of Englishman: CLS/Monster/Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammates Max Anstie and Tommy Searle, as well as HM Plant/Red Bull/KTM UK’s Jake Nicholls. Both Max and Jake have been putting in the best rides of their careers and will be looking to score their first podiums at home while Tommy would love to record his second win of 2011 in front of his home GP fans. You can be sure the British faithful will be hanging over the fences cheering them all on.
MX1 top 20 World Championship Points after 12 of 15 rounds
Pos Nr Rider Nat. Total 1 222 Cairoli, A. ITA 509 2 25 Desalle, C. BEL 461 3 183 Frossard, S. FRA 428 4 777 Bobryshev, E. RUS 387 5 2 Nagl, Max GER 378 6 999 Goncalves, R POR 349 7 19 Philippaerts, D ITA 308 8 9 de Dycker, K BEL 268 9 121 Boog, X FRA 262 10 7 Barragan, J ESP 254
MX2 top 10 World Championship Points after 12 of 15 rounds
Pos Nr Rider Nat. Total 1 94 Roczen, Ken GER 540 2 84 Herlings, J. NED 513 3 100 Searle, Tommy GBR 435 4 21 Paulin, G. FRA 389 5 7 Tonus, Arnaud SUI 325 6 99 Anstie, Max GBR 318 7 338 Osborne, Zach USA 295 8 151 Kullas, Harri FIN 268 9 131 Aubin, Nicolas FRA 227 10 34 Roelants, Joel BEL 206
