LIEROP (The Netherlands), 30 August 2012 – After the MXGP Festival two weeks ago, the FIM Motocross World Championship reaches the last part of the season and it travels to Lierop, The Netherlands, to celebrate the fourteenth out of sixteen Grand Prix of the 2012 season. It was back in 2010 that Lierop hosted the Benelux MXGP when Marvin Musquin was crowned the MX2 World Champion, so everybody is very excited to have the FIM Motocross World Championship back in the sand and demanding track of Lierop.

A part from the MX1 and MX2 classes, the MXGP of Benelux will also host the penultimate round of the UEM EMX250 class, where Mel Pocock has many possibilities to be proclaimed the 2012 UEM EMX250 Champion.

MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli has been training really hard these days on the sand in order to be 100% ready to claim another GP victory and get closer to what it would be his sixth World Title. At the moment the Italian is fifty-five points ahead second classified Clement Desalle, but Cairoli is not thinking much about the title and he prefers to be focused on every race and obtain as many points as possible after every race.

There are still some chances for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle to become the 2012 MX1 World Champion, but lately the Belgian has not been at his 100% and he has not been able to fight for the overall victory either. The Benelux Grand Prix will be crucial for the Belgian rider if he wants to keep on fighting for the Title.

CP377 Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Christophe Pourcel is still third in the point standings but he is ninety points behind red plate holder Antonio Cairoli. The French rider was sick in the previous Grand Prix and he was not able to show his full potential, so after this short break, it is expected to see the best of Christophe Pourcel on the sand track of Lierop battling for the victory with Cairoli as he did in the past.

Fourth in the point standings is Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin, who was back on the podium on the last Grand Prix at Matterley Basin, UK. The French rider dominated the MX2 class when he last visited Lierop in 2010, so he will be for sure fighting for the overall victory, especially because he had been preparing this race thoroughly.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker completes the top five of the MX1 point standings and this weekend he will be fighting for the top step of the podium and obtain some valuable points to get closer the top three positions of the championship. De Dycker missed the podium last weekend because he made some mistakes in the second race, but he has recently admitted that he is ready to be back racing for the top three positions.

Kevin Strijbos could also do very well this weekend at Lierop, but he will have to watch out with Xavier Boog, because the French man is only six points behind the Belgian in the point standings of the MX1 class. Tanel Leok is eighth in the championship, and Rui Gonçalves and Shaun Simpson are completing the top ten.

Max Nagl is feeling better each week and a proof of that are the outstanding results he is obtaining race after race. This weekend Nagl will be racing on a track where he obtained the pole in 2010 and he was second overall during the same weekend, so he is looking forward to go on his KTM and gave his 100% to be again on the podium.

2010 MX1 Podium
1. Antonio Cairoli
2. Max Nagl
3. Steve Ramon
2011 MX1 POLEMAN: Max Nagl

All the Grand Prix Photos available here

MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings will be back racing on the sand this weekend and he is determined to conquer the first step of the podium and get closer to what it would be his maiden MX2 FIM World Title. The Dutch rider missed the overall victory at Matterley Basin, where Tommy Searle counted with the full support from the public, but this weekend everything will be different, as Herlings is racing really close from where he lives, so he will count with loads of supporters who will come to Lierop this weekend to support their best motocross rider of the moment.

Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle will have things really difficult this weekend to beat the red plate holder of the MX2 class, especially because Herlings will be racing on his home turf. The British rider knows very well what it is to race with the whole public behind you, because this is what actually happened two weekends ago at Matterley Basin. In any case, Searle has not lost the hope and he will give his best to obtain as many points as possible in order to keep on fighting for the Title.

His teammate Joel Roelants will miss the MXGP of Benelux this weekend because he is still recovering from the crash he suffered during the warm up in Matterley Basin. The Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit is still fourth in the point standings, but Jake Nicholls may move up one place after this weekend’s Grand Prix.

Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Jake Nicholls is making great progress lately and he is been riding more constant than ever. For this reason he moved up to the fifth position of the championship, and if he does well this weekend he will be able to climb up one more position in the MX2 point standings.

Jordi Tixier, instead, dropped one position in the point standings after his DNF in Loket, and he is now nineteen points behind Nicholls. Max Anstie is seventh in the standings, ahead of Dylan Ferrandis; Jose Butron and Alessandro Lupino are completing the top ten.

2010 MX2 Podium
1. Gautier Paulin
2. Marvin Musquin
3. Joel Roelants
2011 MX2 POLEMAN: Gautier Paulin

All the Grand Prix Photos available here

TIMETABLE
Saturday: EMX250 Free + Qualifying Time Practice Group A 7:55; EMX250 Free + Qualifying Time Practice Group B 8:35; MX2 Free Practice 9:30; MX1 Free Practice 10:15; EMX250 Qualifying Race Group A 11:15; EMX250 Qualifying Race Group B 12:00; MX2 Pre-Qualifying Practice 13:15; MX1 Pre-Qualifying Practice 14:00; EMX250 Last Chance Qualifying Practice 15:00; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:10; MX1 Qualifying Race 17:00; EMX250 B-Final 17:50; EMX250 Race 1 18:40.

Sunday: EMX250 Warm up 8:30; MX2 Warm up 9:00; MX1 Warm up 9:30; EMX250 Race 2 10:15; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 12:10; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 13:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 15:03; MX1 Grand Prix race 2 16:03.

LINKS
Youthstream
FIM
Grand Prix of Benelux

Photo: Jeffrey Herlings determined to conquer his home turf this weekend

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