This weekend Grand Prix of Germany at Teutschenthal will represent the eighth round of 15 in the 2010 FIM Motocross World Championship and begins a three-race back-to-back spell in the series with visits to Latvia and Sweden to follow.
For Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1, the meeting in eastern Germany and close to the city of Halle will present both Clement Desalle and Steve Ramon with another chance to close ground in the MX1 category standings upon their factory RM-Z450WS machines.
Desalle is now second in the World and stares at a hefty 68-point gap to leader Antonio Cairoli but has been excellent in his first season with the Belgian crew; obtaining five podiums with one win in the previous seven rounds heading into the second half of the campaign. Ramon, currently fifth, has also taken silverware - in Holland for the third Grand Prix on the schedule - and currently fronts the Belgian Championship after victory last weekend in Kester.
"I am pleased with the way the season has gone so far, especially considering the circumstances," evaluated team principal Sylvain Geboers. "On Saturday evening in Portugal I said to Eric, 'we are in a bad corner' because Clement had dislocated his shoulder two weeks before and Steve had had a big crash in the qualification race. However 24 hours later it had turned around and Clement had won; it shows just how fast things can change!
"Steve was on a great level before the accident in Portugal and is now coming back to that while Clement has been able to train and prepare like normal since France, so we are optimistic about the second half of the season. We are happy with how the standings are and we will look forward to even better results in the eight GPs to go.
"Regarding the RM-Z450s we have had no problems and the riders are happy; when they are pleased then so are we!" We will keep on trying to improve," added Geboers.
Teutschenthal has an association with World Championship motocross that stretches back almost 40 years. The Talkessel venue has been a staple part of the MX1/MX2 calendar since the creation of the new classes in 2004. The fast and natural layout submerged in rolling fields adjacent to the small village is an acquired taste, with the quick banked turns and dips-and-weaves of the hard-pack course dividing opinion. Talkessel is just one example of the diversity of the World Championship circuits with a trip into technical, soft loam next week at Kegums.
"I can have fun at Teutschenthal but this is probably the track I appreciate less on the calendar. It seems to be the same every year. In a way it is 'traditional' I suppose," said 20 year old Desalle who prepared for the upcoming Grand Prix by seizing overall honours at Aichwald for the third round of the ADAC German Masters last Sunday. "If it is dry here then it is really hard and fast. This is one of the tracks where you really have to make a good start because it is so difficult to make time catching up," revealed Ramon. The 30 year old will be hoping to gain seven points over local hope Max Nagl to be able to rise into the top four of the table. Ramon missed the 2009 event through a neck injury while Desalle finished sixth overall.
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