Mud and glory

Steve Ramon on his way to victory in Brazil.jpg

Suzuki/Red Bull Photofiles

Mud and glory

by Paul Keith, Sep 14, 2009

Former world champion Steve Ramon left it late but claimed his first win of the year in the very last moto of the season at the Brazilian Moto X Grand Prix on Sunday.

WIth Saturday’s action was washed out, the riders expected the rain to have turned Canelinha into a mud bath, but instead it had dried overnight to create a surface that was rough and bumpy in some places, smooth and slippery in others and lively all over.

Given the conditions, the world championship in the bag already and the fact that a bunch of stitches were holding his knee together, Tony Cairoli would have been forgiven for sitting out the final round, but they’re made of stern stuff in Sicily.

Since sealing his title in Holland, Italy’s most successful motocrosser of all time has been jetskiing with Andrea Dovizioso at the Red Bull Aqua Battle before undergoing surgery to tidy up his left knee. But rather than miss the action, he came through both motos, finishing a creditable 6th and 12th.

But his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team-mate Max Nagl used the platform to tie up second place in the world championship. He rode to second place in the first moto behind Clement Desalle and ahead of outgoing world champion David Philippaerts.

KTM/Red Bull Photofiles

That gave him enough points to take a more cautious approach in the second moto. In the end, fifth place was enough. “I am very happy to finish second in the MX1 title," he said. "It's my best career result so far. I had a great start in the first heat but Desalle got past me. He's been very strong lately and I didn't want to make any mistakes that might have spoiled my chances. Now I'll concentrate on the Red Bull Motocross of Nations. We have a very good national team and it's my goal to finish well there."

The result – coupled with Marvin Musquin and Rui Goncalves’ performances – means the team has one-two finishes in both the MX-1 and MX-2 world championships.

In the second race, it was the turn of the 2003 and 2007 world champion to shine as he completed his comeback from the neck fracture that had kept him out of action for half the season.

After struggling in the shortened qualifying session and race one, the 29-year-old altered some settings and made a good start to seize the holeshot and, after winning a brief tussle with team-mate Ken De Dycker for the lead, sprinted away for his first moto victory since Spain last year. “I had some problems with arm-pump in the first moto but we made some changes to the set-up before the second race and I took the holeshot and could ride easy,” said Ramon. “It gave me a great feeling to win again and I am really happy, especially to end the season in this way."

After two fourth places in Brazil, De Dycker finished fifth in the world championships with the honour of best qualifier with four pole positions. "It wasn't such a good GP, I didn't feel strong enough and could not hold the bike like I wanted. The track was rough and then smooth in places and it was tricky to get some control on the race.”

Brazil was also Keeno’s final bow as a member of the Teka Suzuki team: “I have had a good two years with the team. We have had some decent and some bad races but overall I was really happy being a part of the team and I want to thank everybody for their hard work to support me."