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STRIJBOS 2ND ON BRITISH MX1 GATE
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STRIJBOS 2ND ON BRITISH MX1 GATE
August 25, 2007
Team Suzuki Press Office - August 25, 2007.
Team Suzuki filled two positions in the top five of Timed Practice for
the British
Grand Prix and the penultimate round of the FIM MX1 Motocross World
Championship
today.
Kevin Strijbos was second and lost pole position to Tanel Leok in the
final seconds
while Steve Ramon is fifth.
The brand new circuit at Donington Park offered a technical and very
jumpy layout.
The soil was hard and became rutted in some places but for the most part
was not
rough enough for the riding fraternity. The infrastructure was
impeccable and a
decent sized crowd had already gathered from Saturday morning in sunny
and warm
conditions.
Strijbos was quick to dial-in into the rhythm sections and set the
fastest time in
the morning. He struggled in the Timed Practice though to find a good
rhythm and
finally drilled the RM-Z450 hard in the final minutes to set the
quickest time. He
was denied his third pole of the season by half a second as Leok blazed
to the top
spot.
"It is fun to have a new track like this and when the weather is good it
makes it
even more enjoyable," the 22 year old commented. "Everything went well
after the
first practice; it felt easy and I did not have any arm-pump. I could
not get going
in the Timed Practice however. The lines did not come and I was a bit
worried but I
pushed at the end and was unlucky to lose out to Leok. I don't think the
gate
positions are too important here as long as you are on the inside."
Ramon (fifth and eighth in the two practice sessions) was having a
harder time with
both wrists heavily strapped. The Belgian has a damaged right joint from
his first
moto crash in Ireland last week to match his injured limb from Czech
Republic. The
27 year old is looking to beat Josh Coppins by 13 points tomorrow and
take the lead
in the championship for the first time.
"I wouldn't say it was a good day because the track is really
difficult," he said.
"There are a lot of stones in the dirt and in some places it is very
tricky. The
jumps are good but there are a lot of them! It is hard work every lap.
Fifth
position is fine as anywhere in the top ten and towards the inside of
the first
corner is OK for the gate. My riding was alright today but I am in pain.
I think a
win will be tough but I want to aim for the podium and finish ahead of
Josh."
MX1 Timed Practice:1. Tanel Leok (EST, Kawasaki), 2:00.130; 2. Kevin
Strijbos (BEL,
Suzuki), +0:00.492;3. Billy Mackenzie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:00.966; 4.
Sebastien
Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:01.227; 5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki),
+0:01.713; 6.
Julien Bill (SUI, Honda), +0:01.959; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda),
+0:01.970; 8.
James Noble (GBR, Honda), +0:02.428; 9. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM),
+0:03.089; 10.
Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:03.252.
For more stories about Steve Ramon, click here.For photos, click here
For more stories about Kevin Strijbos, click here.For photos, click here
Team Suzuki filled two positions in the top five of Timed Practice for
the British
Grand Prix and the penultimate round of the FIM MX1 Motocross World
Championship
today.
Steve Ramon enters the British Grand Prix at Donington Park and the
penultimate
round of the 2007 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship with a real
chance of taking
the lead in the series for the first time.
Team Suzuki's Kevin Strijbos took his third win of the season and Steve
Ramon
recovered from a pair of first lap crashes to finish fifth and close to
within 12
points of the FIM MX1 World Championship lead at a cold, deep and rutted
Moneyglass
Demesne circuit for the Grand Prix of Northern Ireland.
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