Teka Suzuki Podiums at Mallory MX1
Team Teka Suzuki WMX1 riders Ken De Dycker and Steve Ramon dominated the opening moto of the British Motocross Grand Prix at Mallory Park to finish first and second on their factory RM-Z450s.Backing their opening display of dominance up with solid rides in moto two the pair of Belgian racers were able to finish second and fourth overall with De Dycker being the podium visitor.
The Mallory Park circuit was in prime condition for today's races and when the gate dropped for moto one of the sixth round of the FIM World Motocross Championship, both Ramon and De Dycker were away in the top six. But the great start did De Dycker no good as he got tangled in a turn two pile up with Marc De Reuver and David Philippaerts and started dead last while Ramon ran a steady third.While De Dycker rampaged through the field from, Ramon moved forward and dogged early leader Jon Barragan at the front and finally moved into the lead on lap 11 - a position he'd hold until the very last lap.
Amazingly De Dycker not only caught his team-mate but made an outside move on the very last lap of the race while Ramon guarded the inside line to steal the win from the defending MX1 World Champion making it a Suzuki 1-2 in front of 41,000 excited race fans.
De Dycker didn't get such a good start in moto two and once more had to fight through the pack after getting tangled with Clement Desalle, who crashed in front of the moto one winner on lap two. Ramon meanwhile was fourth and on a mission to the front of the pack, moving to second when Julien Bill crashed out of the runner-up spot on lap six.
After holding that position for six laps Ramon started to slow as muscle cramps made it difficult for the champ to push the pace on the difficult and now very rough Mallory Park circuit. Dropping to sixth at the 30-minute mark, Ramon would again lose a place to his team-mate De Dycker in the closing stages of the race to finally finish seventh.
Although De Dycker's progress through the pack was nowhere near as impressive as in moto one, his sixth place in moto two was enough to place the Belgian star second overall on the day and improve his championship position to third - 20 points behind Ramon who stays second in the series.
"I'm really happy to finish second overall," said De Dycker. "It feels really good. Everything went well for me this weekend and it's made all the hard work myself and the team have been putting in to get back to the front of the pack worthwhile.
"I got a good start in moto one but De Reuver and Philippaerts came together right in front of me and I couldn't avoid De Reuver's bike and I crashed with them. I got going with Philippaerts and we both made good progress through the pack. We were second and third and closing down on Ramon and then he crashed and I was able to catch Ramon on the last lap. I knew there was one corner where I'd be able to pass him and I lined him up and passed him around the outside.
"I didn't get such a good start in moto two and I found it difficult to find good lines to pass people early on. Desalle crashed in front of me and I got tangled with him so I lost some time there too. I wasn't riding as well in the second moto - I think I was a little tense because I wanted to do good again - but I was able to come through to sixth."
Ramon was very unfortunate not to join his team-mate on the podium as although he tied on points with Philippaerts - who took the third and final podium position - he lost out on the better-second-moto tie-breaker rule. Disappointed not to pull back Philippaerts' points lead, Ramon realises that he did the best he could on the day under the circumstances and has to be satisfied with that.
"I should have taken points back on Philippaerts today but it was just not possible," said Ramon. "In moto one I started second but in the third turn Billy MacKenzie made a move and blocked me a little bit so I was third in the early laps but riding was going good for me, the track was rough and I was able to use some good lines to get to the front of the pack.
"Ken caught me on the last lap and I had to defend myself and take the inside lines but Ken was able to go wide and carry more speed to pass me. It was a no win situation because I know that if I'd gone wide he'd have passed me on the inside. It's always frustrating when someone passes you on the last lap but I was still satisfied with second place.
"In the second race I started well and I was running a good pace behind Barragan but after 15 minutes I was getting tired and I started getting cramps all through my body and it was just not possible to ride at 100 per cent. It was frustrating to have those riders pass me but it's also important not to push too hard and crash so I know I did the right thing."
The team's riders results on the day also helped Suzuki close within four points of the series' leader in the Manufacturer's World Championship with nine rounds remaining. There's now a one-week gap in the MX1 series schedule and the next round of the World Championship will be held at Saint Jean D'Angely in France on June 15.
