Kirssi Maintains BMW Motorrad's Perfect Record - Dirt Rider Magazine

The second race of the 2008 German Cross Country Championship, in the Thuringian city of Walldorf, heralded a second victory for Simo Kirssi and the BMW Motorrad team. There was no way past BMW factory rider Kirssi and team-mate Bert Meyer, with the pair completing a fascinating one-two finish with a dominating display in difficult conditions.Meyer had a better start than his Finnish team mate and was holding second position until Kirssi rode two fantastic laps, which were enough to put him in contention for the lead. Coming from sixth position, Kirssi quickly worked his way up to the front of the field and managed to create a sizeable gap between himself and his opponents. The rest of the contest appeared to be routine for the Flying Finn, and at the end of the two hour race, Kirssi rider found himself over two minutes in front of team-mate Meyer, and nearly five minutes in front of the rest of the chasing pack. Meyer secured second place after a gruelling half hour battle with Arnaud Demeester who finally gave into the power and determination of the younger BMW rider. The win highlights Kirssi's dominance of XCC series 2008, which he now leads thanks to a flawless record so far this season.Simo Kirssi: "I didn't have a very good start and first I was taking it easy trying to find my rhythm and figuring out my tactics. Then I started to push a bit more, and when Steffen Albrecht and Arnaud Demeester made mistakes in front of me it wasn't difficult to pass them. The rest of the race I was just riding my pace. I didn't feel so fit today and therefore I'm even happier about the result."Bert Meyer: "I am very happy about my performance in Walldorf. I had a really good start. Usually I have problems to keep up the pace in the first hour, but this time I was able to follow closely. Then in the second hour I could catch up and managed not only to get past Arnaud Demeester, but also to create a good distance between him and me."Berthold Hauser: "Weekends like this are absolute highlights. First we had the second place of Letti at Erzberg, and then a double victory in a XCC race. The race in Walldorf was a great event with a great track. Once more Simo showed his good feeling for tactics and was riding brilliantly and powerful. And Berti surprised with his second place and his fighting spirit. In Walldorf we could convert what we had tested last week with the 450 bike. This double victory is the reward for our continuous work and shows the potential of the bike."Results GCC Walldorfer Waldprufung XCPro Class:
1. Simo Kirssi (FIN, BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
2. Bert Meyer (GER, BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
3. Arnaud Demeester (FRA, Yamaha)
4. Mike Hartmann (GER, KTM)
5. Andy Boller (GER, KTM)
6. Bern Eckenbach (GER, BMW)
7. Stefan Geyer (GER, KTM)
8. Marco Straubel (GER, KTM)
9. Jorg Haustein (GER, KTM)
10. Falko Karbautzki (GER, KTM)