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SUZUKI RACE FOR MX1 TITLE
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SUZUKI RACE FOR MX1 TITLE
August 29, 2007
Team Suzuki Press Office - August 29, 2007.
Suzuki and Steve Ramon are just several days away from being able to
seal their
first Manufacturer's and Rider's titles in the FIM MX1 Motocross World
Championship.
The final round of 15 in the 2007 competition takes place in the sand of
Lierop in
the Netherlands this weekend and Ramon enters the last two motos with a
14-point
advantage while Suzuki lead reigning champions Yamaha by 29.
After his fourth position at Donington Park last weekend Ramon will wear
the red
number plate for the first time this season and the first time in his
four year MX1
career. Despite injuries to both of his wrists the Lierop circuit will
present an
easier prospect for the 27 year old.
"It feels good to be leading the championship at last; it is what we
have all been
working for and it just took a long time to get here!" he commented.
"There is one
GP to go and I just want to finish the races and stay calm. Lierop is
hard
physically but it will better for my wrists than Ireland or Donington. I
can feel a
small improvement now anyway."
"There has been more attention and pressure this week; a lot of phone
calls! However
I have kept to the normal routine," he added. "I think a win at the
weekend will not
be easy but I have to remain concentrated and finish the job."
Main title threat Josh Coppins is unlikely to fully fit just days after
pulling out
of the second moto in Britain with a painful left shoulder. Even if the
New
Zealander does make it to the chequered flag first both times in
Holland, Ramon
needs only to finish no lower than third and fourth in the two races to
make sure of
his second world championship and first in MX1.
The sand of Lierop is renowned for providing a rough and bumpy test as
the surface
churns into a series of lines and deep shifting ruts. The speed is high
but the
technical demands are also prominent. Ramon finished on the podium with
third place
last year and his comfort across this type of 'Benelux' terrain means
that he stands
a very good chance.
Kevin Strijbos will also be looking to cap a strong end to the season
that has seen
him grab two wins and a podium from the last four races. The Belgian is
firmly in
the hunt for the overall runner-up position in the championship and
needs to score
24 points more than Coppins (50 remain) to give Suzuki a perfect 1-2
finish.
Team principal Sylvain Geboers commented: "Last week got what we have
been working
for since the beginning of the year but since round 10 in the Czech
Republic Steve
has been riding with a partly broken scaphoid and this has not helped
his results.
The injury situation with Josh is a pity, but a championship runs over
15 rounds.
There is still one round to go and we hope we can finish it properly and
take the
title."
Weather predictions for the weekend and across the venue 10km from
Eindhoven, are
bright but cloudy with temperatures around 20C.
MX1 World Championship Standings(after 14 of 15 rounds): 1 RAMON 466, 2
COPPINS 452,
3 STRIJBOS 428, 4 POURCEL 427, 5 PHILIPPAERTS 406, 6 DE DYCKER 385, 7
BARRAGAN 347,
8 BROWN 344, 9 LEOK 341, 10 MACKENZIE 319
Manufacturer Standings: 1. SUZUKI 571, 2. YAMAHA 542, 3. KAWASAKI 525,
4. KTM 514,
5. HONDA 503.
For more stories about Steve Ramon, click here.For photos, click here
For more stories about Kevin Strijbos, click here.For photos, click here
Suzuki and Steve Ramon are just several days away from being able to seal
their
first Manufacturer's and Rider's titles in the FIM MX1 Motocross World
Championship.
The final round of 15 in the 2007 competition takes place in the sand of
Lierop in
the Netherlands this weekend and Ramon enters the last two motos with a
14-point
advantage while Suzuki lead reigning champions Yamaha by 29.
Steve Ramon finished fourth overall at the British Grand Prix on the
RM-Z450 and as
a result Suzuki now lead the Rider's and Manufacturer's standings of the
FIM
Motocross World Championship.
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.
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