X Fighters Quotes before Rome!

Robbie Maddison (AUS):
“The stadium is awesome. It’s such a huge footprint. It’s a massive course. It’s cool that we can circumnavigate the center and get close to all the fans, which is going to make for a really action-packed night. I’m sure we’re going to get a great atmosphere. The atmosphere in Rome is just awesome. I love Rome, the ancient city. This place is putting a smile on my face. So far I’m having a lot of fun.”


“I’ve got a few new tricks for Rome. I’ve got the body-varial (volt) up my sleeve, it’s where I let go of the bike and spin around. I did it last year in Madrid and won there. But I just haven’t been able to land it since. I broke my wrist and didn’t do it for eight months. Last week I managed to do 12 of them to the dirt at my house. I kind of got it consistent and feeling like, as long as I’m feeling comfortable out there I’m gonna do a body-varial and hopefully it’s enough to win the judges scorecard for the night. It’d be nice to taste a victory this year."

“We have a few issues with the amount of moisture in the course. It’s really dry out there and the water on the top is becoming kind of a problem. I’m sure the guys will sort that out. I’m sure we’ll work out way up from here."



Blake Williams (AUS):
“I’m just getting back to full speed to where I was about two years ago. Since my injury at Russia last year I’ve had three surgeries and I didn’t ride for about six or seven months. I’ve only been back on the back for about four or five months. I’m just getting more comfortable each time I ride. I’ve got a few of my tricks back so I’m pretty stoked. The course is big and pretty technical so it’s going to be a tough one. There’s a lot of area to cover in 90 seconds.


“It was pretty funny jumping the police bike yesterday. I didn’t know there was so many police in the stands too. They were all cheering and standing up. It was pretty cool to have some slick leather boots on. I looked the part but I’m not sure I’d want to wear an Italian police uniform all the time with the white leather strap over your shoulder. I wouldn’t want to be a motorcycle cop in Italy, but maybe Australia. The language barrier here would be a problem for me.”

“I’d like to get on the podium here, for sure. I really want to get on the podium. I need to step up my game in qualifying. That cost me a podium in Dubai. I got fourth there. First place without a trophy,”




Andre Villa (NOR):
“Rome is a great city and there’s nothing that needs to be changed about that. But the track needs some changes on the dirt. It needs way more water and that’s being put on it right now. We need more consistent watering. But in the end it’s going to be a great event."

“I’ve got a couple of new tricks, but nothing new for freestyle. Just new for me. I feel alright here and hopefully I’ll get a podium and maybe a win. My goal is to win but I’ll be happy with a podium.”



Dany Torres (ESP):
“My feet are much better. A few days I rode at home and did every trick. And I feel good. Not perfect, but I can ride. When I crashed I actually broke five bones on both feet. At first the doctor at the hospital told me it was three broken bones but a month later another doctor told me I had two more broken bones and I said ‘why didn’t the doctor tell me that before or why didn’t he see it?’"

"Last year I won here for the first time. I like the crowd here and I hope it’s the same this year.


It’s almost like a home event for me. It’s similar to Spain here, it’s close to Spain, just two hours in the plane. I like it here. I feel the crowd here when I’m in the track in Rome. I feel the heartbeat of the crowd.”



Massimo Bianconcini (ITA):
“It’s a really good track, really technical. I can’t wait to ride here. There was a little problem with the water, they put too much on it and it’s a bit muddy."

“I’ve been in freestyle for 10 years but I got my first bike when I was three. My first motocross event was when I was six years old. Now I’m 31 so I’ve been on bikes for a long time."


“At 3 I rode a pocket bike for the first time. My dad and my uncle had a shop to repair bikes. They had a lot of passion for bikes and I inherited this passion. I can’t stop riding. “

Roczen Dominates MX2 in Spain

Ken Roczen spring back into form with two dominant wins at the 7th round of the FIM World Motocross Championship in Spain.

La Baneza was another example of the diversity of the series. The short, narrow and twisty layout provided hard-pack terrain, deep ruts in the corners and stony soil. The onslaught of jumps and corners made overtaking a tricky task and placed extra emphasis on the start and first corner for podium positions as 16,000 spectators filled the small banks around the compact venue.














The German lead both races start to finish closing in on championship leader Desalle.



Overall - MX2 La Baneza
1: Ken Roczen KTM
2: Tommy Searle Kawasaki
3: Gautier Paulin Yamaha
4: Jeffrey Herlings KTM
5: Arnaud Tonus Yamaha
6: Nicolas Aubin KTM
7: Joel Roelants KTM
8: Glenn Coldenhoff Yamaha
9: Harri Kullas Yamaha
10: Nick Triest KTM

MONSTER ENERGY EXTREME FREESTYLERS TOUR RESCHEDULED

Organisers of the Monster Energy Extreme Freestylers Rock ‘N’ Ride tour have today announced that the UK tour date will be rescheduled for 2012 following indepth discussions with a new and exclusive headline act.

Following the success of the tour in Europe organisers have decided to reschedule the July event which was to take place at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and have been working to develop new stunts, sets, rider schedule and music acts which will enhance and fully immerse visitors in the adrenaline fuelled experience.

Adam Bray, Managing Director of Extreme Freestylers said: “This has been a hard decision to make, however after a number of indepth discussions with investors and the acts involved in the show, we felt that in order to offer UK fans something truly unique, we should start with a blank canvas and move away from the content in previous European shows.

“The tour dates in France and Holland were incredibly successful and as a result, partners have agreed to invest more funding into the show. This cash injection will aid us in developing a completely new motocross experience for fans, professional and amateur riders alike.

“Since the decision was made we have already begun talking to a variety of global music acts who will take to the stage on a soon to be confirmed date, making the event not only appeal to motorcross fans but also music fans.

Customers who have purchased tickets for the UK tour date of the Monster Energy Extreme Freestylers Rock N Ride Tour have been informed that tickets will remain valid for the new soon to be confirmed date in 2012 but alternatively fans are advised to contact their point of purchase in order to receive a full refund.

Race Report: FSX backed 44Racing at Fort William UCI World Cup

After the endless rain showers of the British4X and Euro4X at Afan, Wales, the 44Racing Rockstar team split up with Mop Head and Jake Ward both making the journey north to the second round of the UCI World Cup taking place in Fort William, Scotland. The weather outlook for the week ahead looked shaky with massive storms and strong gales forcing the cancellation of the British Downhill Series not far away in Glencoe the weekend before, but the weather reports promised better weather to come.

Jake Ward was taking the position of the more experienced team member having raced two world cups last season in Belgium and Slovenia, this was Mop Head’s first world cup and he was nervous having dreamed of competing at a world cup since he started riding. With both riders now rocking the new Kore USA T-rail seating system, from team sponsor Kore, and Fox race kit, from Freestylextreme.com, the team were attracting a lot of attention throughout the World Cup community. Mop Head was looking strong and having fun on the track. Both riders were finding that the newly changed Fort William track was suiting them.

The qualifying round reared its head, each rider gets a solitary timed run, if they do not get into the top 64 times that signals the end of their event. The final qualifying positions also define the opponents each rider will face in the heats on finals day. Mop was the first of the 44Racing Rockstar pair to be called for his run, putting in what he described as an easy, solid run where he just had fun he put in a time near to the back of the field. With riders still to come down the hill it could spell not qualifying for the super tall racer. Jake Ward was then called shortly after, it was evident on the big screen in the finish he was on a stormer of a run, shooting through the finish with a time 3 seconds faster than Mop’s.

After all the riders had completed the qualifying round Jake Ward had a great result of 27th with Mop Head getting a lucky break, choosing to have a solid run he avoided the punctures that hindered many and only just qualified in 64th, the last qualifying position. This meant he would be up against the number one qualifier, Jared Graves. Jake Ward was also facing a very difficult heat the next day.

Finals day and the track was bone dry, with rocks starting to come up through the loose surface the finals were going to be interesting. With an hour and a half practice session before the finals both 44Racing riders went out doing only a few runs each to see how the new ground conditions would affect them and to warm up for the heats to come. First in the gate was Mop Head, in a stacked gate full of the fastest racers it was going to be tough, the realisation of where he was, on a gate with his heroes got to him and on the first straight of the track he suffered for it. But he quickly got his head in the game and made up the gap to the tail of the rider ahead but it was not enough to get past ending his first world cup there.

Jake Ward had a lot longer to wait for his heat, but it was worth the wait. A stunning move sent the Rockstar athlete from fourth to first with every rider around him toppling over after colliding with one another. Through to the next heat with difficult opposition from the three other riders things took a turn for the worst. Jake had a small crash at the start of his second heat, he got back up and started charging after the pack ahead, but it was not to be and he finished 4th in the heat.


Both riders then stayed trackside enjoy the Rockstar and cheer on the finals. Mop Head finished in 62nd place and Jake Ward almost matched his qualifying position with a great 29th place for the Rockstar Energy athlete in his first year of Elite category competition in the UK.

The 44Racing Rockstar team will all be back for the next round of the British 4X Series at Harthill, Cheshire. However most of the team will venture to Redhill in Gloucestershire for the first ever Redfest 4X and Dual Slalom weekend

44Racing
Sponsored by Rockstar Energy Drink, FreestyleXtreme.com, Etnies Europe, Last Bikes, Funn Mtb, Kore USA, Halo, Mojo/Fox Shox, Snapped Action, Biketape, Biba Salon.

Onboard: FreestyleXtreme Team rider Rob Smith at Leogang

FreestyleXtreme's leading Downhill Rider Rob Smith headed off to Leogang in Austria last weekend. Rob had a tough time in the event, with a c rash in quali hampering his chances. The course was pretty technical and soaking wet, really tricky conditions but it made for some good footage!

LPE On the Podium at Whitby

Round 3 of the 2011 Red Bull Pro National Championship saw the FreestyleXtreme Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasaki team head to Whitby. The meeting marked the first race back after a short summer break in the calendar.

The day started with the Practice and Qualifying session being run on a damp track which saw the track very slippery. As the session went on Bryan MacKenzie moved up into 5th place in the MX2 class, while Gert Krestinov took 5th place in the MX1 class. Young Connor Walkley rode well to produce 10th fastest lap time in the MX2 class.

Following the lunch break it was time for the opening race of the day and by this time the track had dried out it was to make for some very fast racing. When the gate drop MacKenzie made a strong start from the outside gate ending the opening lap inside the top 10 of both classes. Krestinov started well and pushed forward to finish the race in 7th place in MX1, meanwhile MacKenzie rode a superb race to finish in 2nd place. The first race of the day was to be a long race for Walkley after a bad start, the youngster had to battle from the back to finish in 8th place in MX2

The second race of the day saw the rain start to fall before the gate dropped, which turned the track very slippery. When the gate dropped MacKenzie made another good start, along with Krestinov. Unfortunately MacKenzie crashed on the opening lap and slipped to deep in the mid pack, for Walkley it was another poor start. As the race settled down MacKenzie worked hard to recover to 4th place in MX2, which would hand him 3rd overall on the day. For Krestinov the race would see him slip back after struggling to get to grips with the conditions and finish in 6th, while Walkley moved forward to 9th place.

Connor Walkley
Today has been an up and down day for me. I’ve ridden well all day but didn’t get out of the gate and was nearly last in both races. I’ve come away with 7th overall after an 8th and 9th results. I just need to work on my starts and then I can push into the top 5 but each meeting I’m feeling better so I’ll keep working at it and putting in the results.


Bryan Mackenzie
This weekend I didn’t feel myself coming into the meeting, whether it was due to returning from the trip to Australia. During the week I’ve not felt myself on the bike so we stopped on the way to the meeting to do some extra practicing before racing. I came into today hoping for a good result and 5th in qualifying was a good start. In the races I opted to use the far outside gate and it worked in both races. The first race I finished in 2nd place and the second race I washed the front end in the first set of whoops and dropped to mid pack. I got up quick and put a charge on for 4th place and 3rd overall which I’m pleased about. It’s the first of the year and hopefully the first of many more.

Gert Krestinov
This weekend I had big hopes but I’m happy to be health as the track was very slippery. The qualifying went well and I got 5th place. The first race I got a bad start and had to push on for 7th place. Then in the second race the rain came down and I struggled but still finished in 6th place for 6th overall. The result is ok but it should have been better and I’m now looking forward to the upcoming weekends.

Steve James
This weekend has been a good weekend with a strong set of qualifying results, then in the first race Bryan got a great start and finished in second in MX2 which is great. Connor produced a 9th place in the opening race and for Gert it was a 7th place in MX1 following a poor start. Before the second race it started raining and made the track very slippery, but it was the same for everyone. Unfortunately Bryan slipped off on the opening lap and had to charge back to 4th place in MX2 for 3rd overall. It’s our first overall of the season and has moved Bryan into 3rd in the championship. For Connor it was to be another strong ride in 8th place for 7th overall and 11th in the championship after missing the opening round. Gert made a good start in the top 5 but a couple of mistakes slowed him a little and finished off the race in 6th place for 6th overall. Gert has also moved up in the championship to 5th place and it’s good to come away with all three riders fit and healthy.

MX2 Overall
1st Elliott Banks Browne, 2nd Neville Bradshaw, 3rd Bryan Mackenzie, 4th Mel Pocock, 5th Stuart Edmonds, 6th Matthew Moffat, 7th Connor Walkley, 8th John Phillips, 9th Lewis Rose, 10th Steven Clarke
MX2 Championship Standings
1st Banks Browne (150), 2nd Pocok (126), 3rd Mackenzie (93), 4th Edmonds (92), 5th Bradshaw (70), 6th Rowson (66), 7th Elderfield (64), 8th Clarke (61), 9th Moffat (60), 10th Phillips (54), 11th Walkley (51)

MX1 Overall
1st Brad Anderson, 2nd Martin Barr, 3rd Kristian Whatley, 4th Stephan Sword, 5th Nathan Parker, 6th Gert Krestinov, 7th Gordon Crockard, 8th Jamie Law, 9th James Noble, 10th Adam Reynolds
MX1 Championship Standings
1st Anderson (147), 2nd Barr (113), 3rd Sword (112), 4th Whatley (103), 5th Krestinov (86), 6th Simpson (84), 7th Parker (79), 8th Law (73), 9th Crockard (69), 10th Snow (47)

Solid day for Kawasaki as Searle takes another win MX2 Portugal

Monster Energy's Tommy Searle swept to another moto win at round six of the FIM MX2 World Championship at Agueda in Portugal, only bad luck denying the Kawasaki Team CLS rider a second GP victory in eight days.
Another moto win for Searle

The British rider was in outstanding form on the day before his 22nd birthday to run out a clearcut winner of the second moto at the rugged track in the hills 20 miles from the Atlantic coastline after he had suffered wretched luck in the opening race as he was forced to retire with green net fencing entangled in his rear wheel. At the time of the incident Tommy, renowned for his strength in the later stages of each race, was just about to overtake teammate Max Anstie for third place and set off after the leaders with every prospect of victory. Regrouping for race two Tommy gated third and, after allowing the well-watered track to dry out and become less slippery, charged through for a 16 second victory. He retains third in the championship series.

Max Anstie continued to impress during his debut GP season, narrowly missing the podium after two sturdy rides. Finally getting his starting technique sorted out again, the 18 year old held an early second in the opening moto before backmarkers hindered his progress and allowed two rivals to slip past on this, his first-ever visit to the Portuguese track. Not starting quite so well in race two, Max had to battle forward from an initial 10th to cross the finishing line 7th and the two scorelines have lifted him a place to 6th in the championship standings.

Kawasaki enjoyed yet more success with the KX250F model when Dylan Ferrandis of Kawasaki Bud Racing dominated both motos of the European MX2 championship round which was also on the programme at Agueda over the weekend. The French teenager has now won the last three races in the series to move up to fifth place in the standings despite missing the opening round in April due to injury.

Tommy Searle: “It was a day of mixed fortune today. I felt that in the second moto I rode my best race of the year; that was great. But I'm really disappointed about the first race; I made one small mistake but it cost me so much ! I usually try to stay away from the edge of the track as much as I can, but my back wheel slipped as I went for a pass and I got some green fence in my wheel. It’s frustrating as it probably cost me 25 points. The track was good; they put some water down for the second moto but I was happy with my riding. I felt so good in that race, and was really having fun on the bike.”

Max Anstie: "It’s my first time in Agueda and I really liked the track. In the first race I had a very good start, was pushing forward and was having a good race with some guys, but I lost my rhythm at midrace when I got caught up with some backmarkers, but I still finished fourth. The second race I made a really good jump at the gate but I wheelied and lost some valuable positions. The track was very wet on the first lap and I lost a lot of ground to the guys in front; once the track dried a little, I had a strong ride to come back seventh. The top guys are really close and there’s not so much difference between finishing in third or eighth position, the top riders are really close; it’s all about the start, and I’m looking forward getting out of the gate well again in Spain next week.”

Insane line up for 2011 Relentless NASS!

MAIN STAGE: NERO supporting Sub Focus Live Friday 8th July, Labrinth and Dot Rotten on Saturday 9th.


Relentless Energy Drink NASS announce MILLENCOLIN with CANCER BATS supporting, as headliners of the Kerrang Stage on Friday 8th July. NERO is confirmed for the main stage on the Friday 8th, with LABRINTH and DOT ROTTEN playing the main stage on Saturday.

Millencolin, the legendary Swedish skate-punk rockers are heading up the Kerrang stage, which returns with a line-up of heavy live-acts for a thundering good time. Known for their driving skate punk rock, and catchy melodies with tunes like ‘no cigar,’ the rockers will be returning to the UK for an almighty night. Supporting are the Cancer Bats, the Canadian hardcore punk band who will be bringing their energetic performance to get the crowd ready. We Are the Ocean, the Essex based post-hardcore five piece unleash their heavy guitar riffs and screaming vocals on the Saturday at the Kerrang Stage.

The dubstep phenomenon NERO will be spinning on the main stage on Friday 8th before Sub Focus Live. The multi-talented producer, artist and songwriter Labrinth is confirmed on Saturday’s main stage, along with Dot Rotten, the notorious grime MC from the OGz crew.

###

Artist info

The legendary Skate-Punk rockers, Millencolin, who have seven studio albums under their belts, are going to be closing the Friday night festivities at the Exmoor Bar. Fresh off the back of a world wide tour the Swedish four piece are currently playing their historical album Pennybridge Pioneers in its entirety with hits like 'No Cigar', 'Penguins and Polarbears' and the 'Fox' they are sure to rock the house and maybe even the Street Course.

Cancer Bats, the Toronto hardcore punk band will grace Relentless NASS as supports to Millencolin. Originally a trio the band now write as a 4 piece with their latest creation, 'Bears, Mayors, Scraps And Bones' described as their heaviest, deadliest and most brutal offering to date. Be prepared for an explosive performance from the Canadian shredders

We Are The Ocean have screamed their way into consciousness with their first album Cutting our teeth which was described as a ‘melodic masterpiece,’ with the soaring vocals of Liam Cromby rising above heavy guitar riffs and shouting vocals. They toured extensively, supporting Funeral for a Friend, Lost Prophets, You me at Six and have played at festivals nationwide. Fresh from recording their second album Go now and live, due out in April, it is tipped to be a massive hit for 2011, now you can catch them headlining the Exmoor Bar on Friday 8th July.

Nero, the London-based electronic superstar duo consisting of Daniel Stephens and Joe Ray have been producing dubstep and drum n bass tracks making waves around the world. The huge tune ‘Me and You’ was nominated for BBC’s sound of 2011 with the New Yorker magazine and Zane Lowe picking them out as stars of the electronic music scene. Supporting Sub Focus Live, the main stage is going to be a night of heavy beats and dancing on the main stage.

The only talent to be picked up by Simon Cowell’s label Syco not from a talent contest; Labrinth has a huge name and a number 1 in the UK chart under his belt. Massively-talented producer, artist, musician and songwriter Timothy McKenzie, has produced for Tinie Tempah, Professor Green and Black Eyed Peas.

Dot Rotten made his name in the UK Grime scene with heavy beats and shrewd lyrics. The south Londoner will be taking to the main stage on Saturday and proving why he’s considered one of the biggest names in the Grime scene.





Main Stage
Friday 8th July Saturday 9th July

Sub Focus Live
Nero
Modestep
Redlight
tbc
Tinie Tempah
Labrinth
Ms Dynamite
Maverick Sabre
Dot Rotten

DnB Arena

Dirtyphonics Live
Breakage ft. SPMC
Joker ft. Nomad
Crissy Criss
Flux Pavillion
Charlie G
Freerange DJ’s
Krisoff
Benny MC
DJ Fresh & MC Fearless
DJ Hype & IC3
Netsky ft. Jenna G
Camo & Krooked
Loadstar Live ft. Texas and Ikay
Klimax
Premise
Palm
Benny MC
Crisis MC

Kerrang Stage
We Are The Ocean
tbc Millencolin
Cancer Bats

Tickets are on sale at www.relentlessnass.com


Editors Notes:

Relentless Energy Drink NASS is the UK’s only action sports and music festival including 2 nights of camping, 5 live music areas and the world’s best athletes.

2011 will see NASS continue its growth to give even more of what NASS fans have come to expect from this unique party. Athletes are being confirmed and music acts will be announced over the coming months.

• Tinie Tempah and Sub Focus Live to Head line Main Stage
• UK’s Only Action Sports and Music Festival
• 5 live music Stages
• International Skateboarding and BMX Competitions
• World’s Best Athletes.
• Over £50,000 in prize money

The Relentless Energy Drink NASS festival is a completely unique event and once visited will not be forgotten. Please go to www.relentlessnass.com to check out videos and pics from previous years and keep up to date on news.

There is a new facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Relentless-NASS/178163352200715 take the time to like. Special offers and exclusive news!

Yamaha prepare for round 6 of the World Superbike Championship at Misano

Just less than two weeks after the US calendar stop off in Salt Lake City, the Yamaha World Superbike Team are preparing for Round Six of the championship, closer to home on the well know Italian Romagnola Riviera. Misano, situated on the Adriatic coast is to host the second of three Italian rounds on the 2011 World Superbike Championship, this weekend. This stop-off marks the home race for Marco Melandri, who is based just over 30 minutes from the track. The Misano World Circuit, formerly known as the International circuit of Santa Monica, has undergone massive renovations over the years since Melandri first became acquainted with the layout in the early days of his racing career, with the most recent modifications in 2007. The newly renovated and modernized track has ten right turns, six left turns and 1850 metres of straights. The most significant changes were made to the Del Rio and Del Carro turns to ensure improved safety but also a reversal in the direction of travel from anticlockwise to clockwise is an added feature.


Marco Melandri experienced a less than perfect race weekend in Miller, USA where he struggled to find a suitable set up providing sufficient stability to be on top form. Intent on capitalizing on his familiarity with the track, Melandri is confident that Misano is the ideal place to bounce back and display his true potential, gain valuable points and re-confirm his position in the World standings where he currently sits in second place behind Carlos Checa. Team-mate Laverty is also familiar with the track where he has been victorious on the Supersport bike in previous years. The Irishman, currently fourth in the classification after climbing even further up the ladder at Miller, is determined to continue on the consistently strong and competitive path which has been evident in the previous races and deliver another victory on his powerful YZF-R1.

Marco Melandri

Yamaha World Superbike Team

"I'm delighted to be heading to Misano. It's really near home for me and it's a track I like and I know really well. I've ridden the track many times since I first started riding when I was a kid. Ive also always had relatively good results there in the past and I think it's the perfect track where I can get over the difficult weekend I had in the USA and put that behind me. The team and I have since had the chance to work out what the problem was in Miller and I'm pretty sure we are heading in the right direction. I'm really looking forward to trying my Yamaha R1, hopefully to our full potential, this weekend in Misano."

FSX Rider Eugene Laverty

Yamaha World Superbike Team

"I'm really looking forward to Misano. Last year on the Supersport bike I won the race with a significant margin so I have fond memories. Some of the Superbike teams have tested there earlier in the season so it'll definitely be a challenging race weekend. It's really important for me to continue on the good run that I've been on since Monza so I'll be pushing my hardest and doing my best to get back on the podium again. I'm particularly excited about riding my Superbike through the fast section at the end of the back straight. That was very enjoyable on the Supersport bike and I'm sure it will be even more so on my R1."

Bolddog FMX Championship Event Report & Gallery

Saturday 4th June marked a big moment in British Freestyle Motocross, with the first ever Championship event taking place. The event took place at Rougham Airfield, near Bury St Edmunds, UK. Run by the FSX sponsored Bolddog FMX team, the event saw all of the UK's pro FMX riders come together for the event.

We headed up to support the event, which turned out to be a huge success with thousands of people turning up on the day for some insane FMX action! Chris Birch won the event overall, being one of two people landing a backflip on the day. Second place went to Jamie Squibb, with third place going to FSX's very own Dave Wiggins.

Overall it was a pretty awesome event, with a good turn out and some crackin' FMX action. Everyone seemed to enjoy the event and we're just hoping that next year it can be a full series!

Landmark victory for Frossard in France

June 5th 2011 will live a long time in the memory of Thor's Steven Frossard as the 23 year old Frenchman clinched victory at his home Grand Prix at St Jean DAngely and celebrated his maiden success in the premier MX1-GP class in just his fifth appearance on the works YZ450FM. The fifth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship took place in cloudy but hot conditions near the west coast and in front of 32,000 spectators.

The shallow valley setting of St Jean was blessed by sunshine, bashed by a torrential thunderstorm and stifled by humidity in the space of forty-eight hours, which meant that the terrain varied in terms of grip and the density of the dirt. The riders had to carefully judge the surface that became increasingly bumpy through race-day.

Frossard leapt out of the start gate in Moto1 and took part in yet another gripping bout of action in the MX1 category as he led and withstood pressure from Tony Cairoli and team-mate David Philippaerts. Cheered on by an animated crowd Frossard was nevertheless coming under pressure from DP entering the final phases of the sprint until the Italian was caught out by the collapse of a berm entering a downhill corner and crashed. Philippaerts was able to remount for third but Frossard swept onwards for his second moto win of the year.



Number 183 needed more than half of the second moto to pass the Hondas of Bobryshev and Goncalves and reach 2nd position but his controlled performance confirmed his dominance on the day. Philippaerts was unlucky to suffer two early falls and was disappointed with 18th for 9th place overall.

Also at his home Grand Prix and at the site where he triumphed for the first time riding the YZ250F in 2005, Anthony Boissiere was 16th and 13th for 14th by the close of the afternoon.

Frossard has moved up to third place in the world championship standings and recovered some of the ground he lost after a turbulent U.S. Grand Prix last month. He is just 20 points from Clement Desalle at the top of the table. Philippaerts is fifth with Boissiere in fourteenth.

Monster Energy Yamaha now head for a two week stay in southern Europe where Grands Prix in Portugal and the staple venue of Agueda, some 80km south of Porto, and Spain (at the facility in La Bañeza, north of Valladolid) will fulfil rounds six and seven of the 2011 schedule.


Steven Frossard, 1st place:
I was really focussed on my riding and for sure my goal was victory today. I was smooth and didnt take many risks. This is my first year in MX1 and to win here at St Jean is something so good for me. I want to thank my sponsors, my parents and everybody. It has been a really great day, especially because I havent ridden for three weeks. It is good to be third in the championship but I am still counting the cost of those mistakes in Glen Helen. I have to concentrate more and get back what I lost.

David Philippaerts, 9th place:
I felt good here today but Im not happy. We still have trouble with the starts but I was pleased with my speed and physically I am in good shape. The first moto was going well until I slipped. I then had another crash later when I touched a rider on a fast line and it was a big one. I had another problem in a corner and lost a lot of time to restart and was far behind. Eighteenth position is not good enough and bad news for the championship. Luck was not with me today but we have two more races close together now and a chance to recover quickly.