2011 Glen Helen FIM Motocross World Championship Results

Dasalle Leads World MX1 at Glen Helen

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 was able to toast its second victory from just three rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship as Clement Desalle notched a perfect weekend at Glen Helen for the U.S. Grand Prix.


The Belgian sealed pole position and then won both motos on his works RM-Z450 in front of an attendance of 22,000 under varying weather conditions in California. Desalle regained the red plate as MX1 standings-leader after grasping his second champagne bottle of the season and was masterful across a difficult circuit.

Rain throughout Sunday morning meant that the long, fast and big jumps of the historic layout in San Bernardino became slippery and very muddy. Thankfully, strong winds cleared the grey clouds by midday and also started to dry the soil so that a very damp first moto gave way to demanding bumps and ruts by the time of the second gate-drop.


Desalle proved that he had found an unmatchable rhythm across the course during a dry Saturday when he sped to an undisputed pole position. Two excellent starts meant that the 21 year old could forge his pace at the front of the field. Antonio Cairoli and later Max Nagl gave chase to the rear Pirelli of the RM-Z450 deep into the 35 minute and 2 lap distance but neither could dislodge '25' from his position of control.

Team mate Steve Ramon was 13th overall but his result was determined by a fall on one of the steep hills in the first moto that damaged his motorcycle and forced a DNF. The former World Champion rode to seventh place in the second race.


Former World Championship runner-up Kevin Strijbos only just missed out on a podium finish with his RM-Z450 but the Belgian was a welcome sight back at the front of the GP field and collected fourth overall.


After three rounds of the World Championship, Desalle has regained the top spot of the standings and the red plate for the second time. He leads Nagl by six points and Cairoli by a hefty 24. Ramon is 11th.


The team will now refill the crates and pack in preparation for round four and the Grand Prix of Brazil at Indaiatuba next weekend.

Clement Desalle:

"It was a great weekend for me and I have never taken pole position and won both motos before. I also stayed on two wheels and came away without any problems, which is important because the track was dangerous and you had to make quick decisions. I kept in my comfort zone and really enjoyed it."

Steve Ramon:

"My riding wasn't bad but I couldn't find a good rhythm in the first moto and five minutes before the end I made a mistake going down the hill. It was a pretty big crash. The handlebar was bent and the dirt bike clutch lever had folded down so I had to stop. No points, no good. I was top-five at the start of the second moto but lost two positions on the second lap; however my speed was good. Near the end I had a problem with a lapped rider and I twisted my foot trying to pass him. I had to slow down in the last half-a-lap. What can I say? I cannot be too disappointed because the last few weeks were terrible for me but I had the energy to complete the moto at least. I am looking forward to Brazil now."

Nagl Earns 2nd Overall at USGP

Red Bull/Teka/KTM Factory rider Max Nagl put together two solid performances to take home 2nd overall at the U.S. Grand Prix of Motocross held at Glen Helen Raceway.


In moto one, Nagl got off to a great start rounding the first corner in 4th position while his teammate and reigning MX1 World Motocross Champion Tony Cairoli nearly holeshot and came around in 2nd place. Nagl bobbled a few corners in and dropped to 6th while Cairoli remained in 2nd. Nagl pushed his KTM into 5th on lap four and jumped to 4th on lap six. By lap eight he had moved himself into podium position after passing Kevin Strijbos for 3rd. Meanwhile, Cairoli had been slowly gaining on race leader Clement DeSalle and gave it a strong effort on the final lap. As they neared the halfway point of the track on the last lap, Cairoli was all over DeSalle's back wheel. Unfortunately, Cairoli got cross-rutted on a hill and lost his momentum and settled for 2nd overall in the first moto while Nagl finished 3rd.

Nagl repeated his first moto start as he rounded the first corner of the second moto in 4th position. Cairoli was not as fortunate and suffered a poor start at the second moto and came around mid-pack. Shortly into the first lap Cairoli crashed on an uphill with Steven Frossard and the two riders dropped to the back of the pack. At the end of the first lap Nagl was sitting in 5th position while Cairoli crossed the line in 24th.


Impressive was the word used to describe Nagl's second moto by the event announcers who were more than excited about his climb through the pack. Nagl passed for 4th on the lap four and then passed Evgeny Bobryshev for 3rd around the large sweeper on lap six. He made the same pass on Strijbos on lap eight and put himself in 2nd position. He quickly began closing on the lead ride of DeSalle with only five laps to go. At one point, Nagl was less than four seconds away from DeSalle. With three laps to go, he made a mistake and lost some time but quickly recovered to finish stronger on the final two laps. He crossed the checkered flag to take 2nd place only 1.5 seconds behind DeSalle. His teammate, Cairoli charged hard to climb from his poor start to 11th overall by race end.


"I really felt comfortable on this track and was able to make some important passes today," commented Nagl. "I am very happy with my race results today and am happy to gain more points toward the championship title."

Philippaerts 6th at U.S.GP

Monster Energy Yamaha saw two of their riders classify in the top ten of the MX1-GP standings at a windy and changeable Glen Helen for the Monster Energy U.S.GP and the third round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship. David Philippaerts was able to score 6th position overall on the factory YZ450FM while Anthony Boissiere marked a career-best MX1 finish with 9th. Series leader coming across the Atlantic, Steven Frossard, suffered crashes in both races and was 18th.


The Californian circuit had undergone some changes for 2011 and the second edition of the American event this century. New corners and an attempt to slow the average speed of the longest layout on the calendar mattered little with the heavy rainfall of Sunday morning. The mud was thick and slippery. Strong winds however managed to change the climate by the afternoon and the terrain was soon dry and bumpy. 


The team had been testing the week before coming to the USA and were able to make some small modifications to the suspension. The extra work helped as the Glen Helen bumps were physically difficult and required the riders to take risks to maintain a fierce pace. 


Former world champion Philippaerts was restricted by two poor getaways from the gate. The Italian enacted one of his usual hard-charges to reach 5th in the first moto but faced a harder task across the ripples of the track in the second and crossed the line in 9th.


Boissiere ripped along the start-straight in Moto1 to seize the holeshot and then fought among the top ten to earn a well-placed 7th. In the second race the Frenchman was 12th and ended the day content with his best effort yet since climbing on the YZ450FM.


Steven Frossard was not able to keep the red plate he earned at round two in Holland. The French rookie was set for 7th in the first affair after a lacklustre start until a mistake on the last lap dropped him three more positions to 10th. A collision with Antonio Cairoli on the first lap of Moto2 meant another trawl through the pack and Frossard was looking towards a top fifteen slot until another slip and a damaged motorcycle ended his race in the closing stages.


Frossard and Philippaerts are now fourth and fifth in the standings and split by five points. Frossard trails Clement Desalle by 32. Boissiere is thirteenth.


Monster Energy Yamaha will now remain outside Europe and travel south to Indaiatuba, north of Sao Paolo, for the Grand Prix of Brazil and round four of the FIM World Championship next week.

David Philippaerts:

This was a better race for me here than last year but we had some trouble with the starts today. I pushed really hard in both motos and I had a bit more luck in the first race but was really far behind at the beginning of the second. The results I took today are not the ones I want but this was the best I could do here. The track was difficult with many jumps and bumps, even dangerous in some places. I hope for better next week.

Steven Frossard:

It wasnt my weekend. In the first heat I had a bad start and I didnt have a good feeling. I tried to come back and reached seventh but then made a mistake on the last lap and crashed. In the second heat I couldnt improve the start and when Cairoli made a mistake I landed on him and we both fell. I pushed really hard to recover, perhaps too much because I crashed again and the handlebar was destroyed. I then looked to take some points but it was not possible.

Anthony Boissiere:

I am very happy today with my first overall top ten finish. In the first race I made the holeshot, which was perfect and then took seventh which is my best MX1 result so far. The second moto start was not great but I came back to twelfth and that was OK. The bike was awesome and to feel that power on the start straight was crazy! We are all motivated for good results.

Roczen Leads Every Lap at Glen Helen USGP

Red Bull/Teka/KTM Factory rider Ken Roczen dominated the MX2 class at the U.S. Grand Prix of Motocross held at Glen Helen Raceway.


Roczen earned first gate pick after winning Saturday's qualifier by 16 seconds over his teammate Jeffrey Herlings. Earning first gate choice gave him a great spot on the starting line for Sunday's first moto.


Roczen nailed the holeshot on the start of moto one and went on to lead every lap of the 35 minute plus two lap moto. He was followed closely around the first corner by his teammate Herlings and also Red Bull/KTM Team rider Marvin Musquin, who made his return to racing at the USGP. While Roczen and Herlings pulled away out front Musquin only made it to the second corner before he washed out and fell to the ground. He recovered in near last position and went to work trying desperately to gain positions. Musquin would suffer one more crash and have to return to the mechanics area to get his front brake adjusted before returning to action.

Meanwhile Roczen had no trouble taking the first moto win. "I like to consider this race one of my home races now that I have been living in California the first half of the year. It feels great to get a win here for my European team but to also have my American team celebrate with me," commented Roczen. Herlings went on to finish 2nd in the first moto while Kawasaki's Max Anstie finished 3rd. Musquin finished the moto in 19th position.


KTM fans everywhere were hoping for a repeat performance from Roczen and Herlings in the second moto and that is just what they got. Roczen pulled the holeshot once again and was followed closely by Herlings. The two riders remained close for the first three-quarters of the race before Herlings fell slightly off the pace and settled into 2nd. Roczen easily took the win and claimed the overall while Herlings finished 2nd and Tommy Searle rounded out the podium. Musquin had a much better showing in the second moto and finished in 6th position.

"We were very proud to see Kenny (Roczen) and Jeffrey (Herlings) finish so well today. It is great to see both of our team riders up front. I also would like to give credit to Marvin (Musquin) because I know how hard it is to return from injury and I am happy with his second moto result. He will need a few more weeks to build up his speed and he'll be back on his game," remarked Red Bull/Teka/KTM Team Manager Stefan Everts.


Osborne 5th and Three Yamahas Fill Up U.S.GP Top Ten

Three YZ250F riders ended the United States Grand Prix the third round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship in the top ten of the MX2-GP standings at the Glen Helen circuit in California. Bike it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamahas Zach Osborne placed 5th against adversity at his home event while Monster Energy Yamahas Harri Kullas was 6th and Christophe Charlier was 7th. 


Sunshine through practice and qualification on Saturday let the riders discover an altered Glen Helen layout that was still heavy on the throttle and provided one of the longest laps of the series (a time of almost three minutes). Persistent rainfall through the first half of Sunday created two distinct motos as the southern Californian sunshine belatedly arrived with strong winds in the afternoon. 


Osborne was the best Yamaha runner on the day but his race programme did not start well after he crashed into the slimy mud avoiding fallen world champion Marvin Musquin on the second corner. The British Champion was nursing a sore wrist from a blame-less accident on Saturday but was still able to work his way back from almost last to 9th spot. In the second moto a better start saw him tussling for positions in the top five and he gained ground to pass Max Anstie and secure 4th. The 21 year old also recaptured the Marty Moates Cup award as best American rider from both classes on the day.


The first Yamaha rider across the line in the first moto was Harri Kullas. The Finn made an excellent start and ran as high as third before being overtaken by Anstie. His 4th place was still a personal best result in only his second GP season. In Moto2 Kullas fell in the same spot where Osborne had hit the dirt earlier in the day and begun a path back to 11th for his overall ranking. Team-mate Christophe Charlier was not among the leaders out of the gate and was frustrated not to find an effective rhythm. The Frenchman was 8th on both occasions.


Gautier Paulin came to America having not ridden for several weeks due to a ruptured intercostal muscle in his back. The Frenchman was impressively fast and could take 6th in the first moto but his participation was halted with a mechanical problem early in the second. Osbornes team-mate, Arnaud Tonus, was lucky to walk away from a crash on one of the biggest and fastest jumps on the track on Saturday. The Swiss was holding third in the first moto until another fall pushed him down to 7th. After tangling with another rider exiting the first corner of the second race Tonus then had to retire after a broken front disc brake had damaged his wheel.


In the world championship Osborne is fourth and 30 points from further promotion. Tonus is sixth with Paulin seventh and Kullas eighth.


The MX2 competitors will now remain outside Europe and travel south to Indaiatuba, north of Sao Paolo for the Grand Prix of Brazil and round four of the FIM World Championship next week.

Gautier Paulin:

This was tough for me. I had bad luck in Valkenswaard when I hurt one of my intercostal muscles. I was not training for two weeks and was a bit worried and afraid how I would feel physically on Sunday morning. Thankfully I was able to ride without any medication. I had a good start in the first moto but someone pushed me wide in the first corner. I was in eleventh and came back to sixth and had some fun racing hard with Searle. I was at the front of the second moto and hitting the ruts smoothly but then we had the problem with the bike. We havent had any good fortune but we will keep working and keep our heads high.

Zach Osborne:

I had a tough day today. I crashed yesterday and my wrist is painful. I had a scan and nothing is broken but it was still sore. It was actually a late decision about whether I would ride or not. In the first race Marvin went down in the second turn and I tried to go around him but I fell down when I turned. I came back to ninth from almost last and did a lot of risky passes that perhaps I shouldnt have made to get up there. In the second race I had a decent start and worked forward the whole race. I felt a lot better on the bike. I didnt have anything for the front three today but my fitness is good and I just need to pick up my starts a little bit because you cant win a GP if you getaway in eighth. I wanted to win my home GP but in the circumstances Im happy. Im also really happy with winning the Moates Cup as best American for the second year.

Harri Kullas:

I was third at the beginning of the first race and tried to look at the lines of the others and meet the speed of the first two. Things were going well and I couldnt catch Anstie but I kept Searle behind me. I was really happy with fourth. In the second moto I was in the pack and couldnt complete the first jump and hit someone. I picked up the bike but then a guy hit me and we both went down. I then charged as hard as I could even though my leg was hurting a bit. I was not so happy with the second race but will remember the first from here.

MX1-GP Race 1 Results

1. Clement Desalle

2. Antonio Cairoli

3. Maximilian Nagl

4. Kevin Strijbos

5. David Philippaerts

6. Evgeny Bobryshev

7. Anthony Boissière

8. Christian Craig

9. Jonathan Barragan

10. Steven Frossard

11. Jason Dougan

12. Rui Goncalves

13. Davide Guarneri

14. Xavier Boog

15. Tanel Leok

18. Carlos Campano

19. Manuel Monni

20. Herjan Brakke

MX1-GP Race 2 Results

1. Clement Desalle

2. Maximilian Nagl

3. Evgeny Bobryshev

4. Rui Goncalves

5. Kevin Strijbos

6. Shaun Simpson

7. Steve Ramon

8. Jonathan Barragan

9. David Philippaerts

10. Xavier Boog

11. Antonio Cairoli

12. Anthony Boissière

13. Christian Craig

14. Gregory Aranda

15. Tanel Leok

17. Jason Dougan

19. Carlos Campano

MX1-GP Overall Results

1 .Clement DeSalle

2 .Max Nagl

3. Evgeny Bobryshev

4. Kevin Strijbos

5. Tony Cairoli

6. David Philippaerts

7. Rui Goncalves

8. Jonathan Barragan

9. Anthony Boissiere

10. Christian Craig

MX2-GP Race 1 Results

1. Ken Roczen

2. Jeffrey Herlings

3. Max Anstie

4. Harri Kullas

5. Tommy Searle

6. Gautier Paulin

7. Arnaud Tonus

8. Christophe Charlier

9. Zach Osborne

10. Travis Baker

11. Petar Petrov

12. Nicolas Aubin

13. Jordi Tixier

14. Joel Roelants

15. Alessandro Lupino

MX2-GP Race 2 Results

1. Ken Roczen

2. Jeffrey Herlings

3. Tommy Searle

4. Zach Osborne

5. Max Anstie

6. Marvin Musquin

7. Nicolas Aubin

8. Christophe Charlier

9. Joel Roelants

10. Jordi Tixier

11. Harri Kullas

12. Scott Champion

13. Pascal Rauchenecker

14. Alessandro Lupino

15. Nikolai Larsen

18. Petar Petrov

MX2-GP Overall Results

1. Ken Roczen

2. Jeffrey Herlings

3. Tommy Searle

4. Max Anstie

5. Zach Osborne

6. Harri Kullas

7. Christophe Charlier

8. Nicolas Aubin

9. Joel Roelants

10. Jordi Tixier

11. Marvin Musquin

MX1-GP Point Standings

1. Clement Desalle 128

2. Maximilian Nagl 122

3. Antonio Cairoli 104

4. Steven Frossard 96

5. David Philippaerts 91

6. Rui Goncalves 89

7. Evgeny Bobryshev 87

8. Jonathan Barragan 78

9. Kevin Strijbos 68

10. Davide Guarneri 58

11. Steve Ramon 56

12. Xavier Boog 52

13. Anthony Boissière 51

14. Tanel Leok 48

15. Shaun Simpson 38

16. Ken De Dycker 32

17. Jason Dougan 26

19. Carlos Campano 16

20. Marc De Reuver 13

28. Manuel Monni 2

32. Herjan Brakke 1

MX2-GP Point Standings

1. Ken Roczen 144

2. Jeffrey Herlings 130

3. Tommy Searle 120

4. Zach Osborne 90

5. Max Anstie 87

6. Arnaud Tonus 81

7. Gautier Paulin 80

8. Harri Kullas 74

9. Joel Roelants 67

10. Christophe Charlier 62

11. Nicolas Aubin 59

12. Jordi Tixier 39

13. Jeremy Van Horebeek 31

14. Glenn Coldenhoff 31

15. Nikolai Larsen 30

16. Alessandro Lupino 27

17. Petar Petrov 26