STRIJBOS SEALS 6TH IN MX1 AS BANKS BROWNE LEADS THE WORLD

40,000 spectators created one of the busiest events of the season around the hard-pack and rutted tight curves of Teutschenthal close to the city of Halle for the sixteenth and last appointment on the FIM calendar. The noisy crowd was treated to some tasty action in both categories. Strijbos did what was necessary on his 350SX-F and finished 12th overall to grasp enough points and end the campaign with his highest classification for a number of years.

It was in MX2 though where the team had their pulses racing. Elliott Banks Browne was lively out of the gate throughout the weekend and across the narrow course where passing was complicated his prowess from the start line was a major advantage. EBB led the opening moto on the first lap after notching the holeshot and proceeded to hold a position in the top three for over half of the race until an engine problem devastated the Brit and forced a retirement. The British Championship contender – who has been unlucky on the GP scene this season due to injury – was again among the leaders in the second sprint but couldn’t quite maintain the same pace with a burnt out clutch. He passed the chequered flag in ninth place, which still counts as his personal best in 2012.

Strijbos suffered some misfortune on Saturday when a stone broke his goggles and meant twelfth pick in the gate. A lack of decent starts limited his possibilities and he lost his rhythm in the first race after failing to find a way to pick off Tanel Leok for twelfth. He ended his last GP for the team with a 13-13 scorecard but leaves happy memories of podium finishes in Brazil, Sweden and Latvia.

Teutschenthal was also the scene of the final round in the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and Natalie Kane rode her 250SX-F to fourth position overall with 4th and 3rd in the two motos. Kane’s regular points scores and a campaign free of injury meant she was able to show her speed and secure the runner-up position in the series.

Maxxis British Championship fate awaits both Strijbos and Banks Browne now with the eighth and final round of the series due to take place at Little Silver in October.

Kevin Strijbos: “It’s not really the result I wanted to finish the season with but I think we have to be happy with sixth position in the championship. This year I have managed to put my name back up there with some podium results and at last some consistency after a few years of injuries. I didn’t really get going with the track today; I just found it really tricky for passing and when I was behind Leok in that first moto I just lost my way and speed a bit. Anyway I want to thank the team, sponsors, KTM and Harry Everts for all they have done for me this season. I am very happy with how we have approached it all and I think we can all look back on the GPs and feel content with what we managed.”

Elliott Banks-Browne: “The weekend was pretty good; I had a decent qualifying heat finishing fifth and I actually led the race for a lap, but then I went back a bit. The first race today was going so well, I got the holeshot, led again and I was second for most of the race, but then something happened to my bike. We are not sure what it was but it started to get slower. Osborne came past me and I had to stop because there was smoke everywhere. I was absolutely gutted because I was third and I just had eight minutes left until the chequered flag. I’m sure I would have had a third place. The second race I had bad luck again; I was fourth at the start but something happened to my clutch and for the rest of the race I had no clutch, so I struggled getting into the corners properly. I finished ninth, which is the best result I have taken in a moto but even this weekend I think I could have been on the podium because my speed was really good. Now let’s see what happens next year.”

Roger Magee, Team Principal: “We’ve a lot to feel happy about both this weekend and also the Grand Prix season overall. Kevin’s confirmation of sixth position is an important landmark for the team at the highest level and I have to thank him for the professionalism and the good job he has done in 2012. Elliott showed today what we and many people already know and that is that he can easily get into the top six of the MX2 class and with a bit of luck will have a strong season in 2013 where we can really show our potential in that category. A big ‘well done’ to Natalie as well for getting that second place in the Women’s World Championship in the bag. We still have some work to do back in the UK but this season has been a real team effort so far. It is not getting any cheaper or easier to race and with the FIM World Championship expanding and becoming more international – rightly so – it places the role of sponsors and supporters more to the forefront than ever before so I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has backed us in 2012 and hopefully into the next season.”

MX1 Moto1

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:20.857; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:04.984; 3. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:23.134; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:29.686; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:33.895; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:35.278; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:36.056; 8. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:53.085; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:53.887; 13. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +1:12.511.

MX1 Moto2

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:24.135; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:04.862; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:07.977; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.607; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:25.935; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:30.107; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:46.263; 8. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:50.282; 9. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:09.831; 13. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +1:28.762.

MX1 Overall

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 40 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 30 p.; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 26 p.; 9. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 12. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 16 p.

MX1 World Championship

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 692 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 594 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 536 p.; 4. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 521 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 505 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 405 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 398 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 381 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 325 p.; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 315 p.;

MX2 Overall

1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 50 points; 2. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 40 p.; 3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), 35 p.; 4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), 31 p.; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 16. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR, KTM), 12 p.

MX1 World Championship

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 694 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 651 p.; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 559 p.; 4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 443 p.; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 434 p.; 6. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 367 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 333 p.; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 291 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 273 p.; 26. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR, KTM), 47 p.