Paulin In MX1 And Herlings In MX2 Win The Italy GP - Dirt Ride Magazine

The final Grand Prix of the 2011 FIM Motocross World Championship took place today in Fermo and Gautier Paulin and Jeffrey Herlings were the last GP winners of the season in their respective classes.The top three riders of the 2011 FIM MX1 World Championship are Antonio Cairoli, who missed his home GP because his mother passed away on Friday, Steven Frossard, who was not present either because he is still recovering from the injury he suffered in Gaildorf, and Clement Desalle, who could keep the third place in the standings.The top three riders of the FIM MX2 World Championship had already been decided in Gaildorf, but Ken Roczen, Jeffrey Herlings and Tommy Searle received the FIM medals from the hands of FIM President Mr. Vito Ippolito after today's races.

Monster Energy Yamaha's Paulin has been chasing his maiden GP victory during the whole 2011 season and on his first appearance in the MX1 class, he clinched it. Paulin moved the clutch lever a bit forward to improve his starts and he managed to obtain the Lovemytime holeshot award in the first heat, which he dominated until the end. In the second one Paulin had really good fun with Pourcel fighting for the lead, but he could only finish second, as his energies were really low.The second overall position was for CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki's Pourcel, who went 8-1 in the Italian Grand Prix. In the first heat Pourcel was not comfortable on his bike and he struggled a lot to find his rhythm, but for the second moto they used the same settings as in Gaildorf and he won the race easily, which gave him the second overall place.Kawasaki Racing Team's Barragan was back on the third step of the podium since his maiden rostrum of the season in the first GP in Bulgaria. The Spanish rider admitted that he had almost lost all his confidence, as the results were not coming, but he mentioned that in the last three Grand Prix he has felt much better. Barrag?n was missing the good starts, but today he started in the front in both heats and crossed the finish line fourth and third respectively. Barrag?n ended eighth in the FIM MX1 World Championship.Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1's Strijbos finished fourth overall, being tight in 38 points with Pourcel and Barragan. The Belgian was third in the first race, the best result since 2009 in Turkey, but his fourth position in the second heat was not enough for being on the podium.Kawasaki Racing Team's Boog did an incredible first race, keeping his initial second position until the end, but in the second one his start was not that good and could only finish fifth. Boog was fifth overall but he was tight in points with the second, third and fourth overall riders of the Grand Prix. The young French rider finished seventh in the FIM MX1 World Championship.Boissiere did also a really good race today and ended sixth overall after going 5-7 in today's races. Thanks to the solid results Boissiere obtained in the last three Grand Prix, he finished 13th in the point standings of the Championship.Home rider Guarneri went 6-8 and got the final seventh position, his second best result of the season after Bulgaria. Goncalves was eighth overall, followed by Schiffer and other home rider Monni.Bobryshev struggled a lot today with the heat and could only finish seventh in the first moto. In the second one he was hit by Campano and had to enter in the pit lane to have his bike repaired. The Russian only needed one point to assure the fourth position in the championship and he actually achieved his goal, as he ended 16th in the second moto, which gave him the eleventh overall place.Nagl decided to take part in the first MX1 race, but he had to pull out as the pain on his right hand was too strong. The German was diagnosed with a broken scaphoid, so he is now a doubt for the Nations. The German finished fifth of the FIM MX1 Championship.Gautier Paulin: "For sure I am really happy and I didn't really know what I could expect for my first MX1 GP. In the first race I made the holeshot and was on my own so I sent my rhythm and just rode out the moto. In the second it was really good fun to race with Christophe and we passed each other but the track was getting harder and harder with more bumps; normally it is smoother for the MX2 motos. It was my first race on the 450 and I knew I was winning the grand prix so I did not want to go crazy. I was riding safe. With Monster Energy Yamaha we did something special today."Christophe Pourcel: "On Saturday during the qualification race I had a pretty good start, but then I went a little bit wide in a corner after the downhill; my back wheel went outside the bump and the bike slid out. I crashed and, although I recovered to eleventh, I was afraid that might not be so good for the races. However my Kawasaki still got me to the first turn with the leaders in both motos. Usually I can find the good lines right away but in the first race I couldn't find any ! We made a lot of changes on the bike this morning and I didn't feel comfortable so the only thing I could do was to finish the race and do my job. We changed the suspensions settings for the second moto; we put the same as for Gaildorf last week and the bike was so good ! We must keep working at it; we have only been together for a few weeks but the team is working hard and it's going better and better."Jonathan Barragan: "I was on the podium at the first round in Bulgaria and it's great to end the season like this with another podium. This year I had many problems with my starts, and I lost my confidence a little bit; we've been working hard, and it has been coming together again better for the last few GPs. The start is now so much important, and this weekend I had my best ones of the season! Next weekend we'll have a strong team for the Nations, with three good Spanish riders, and I'm really motivated."MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), 39:24.930; 2. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:11.779; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:19.334; 4. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:36.361; 5. Anthony Boissiere (FRA, Yamaha), +0:45.590; 6. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:48.323; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:48.634; 8. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:56.812; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:57.141; 10. Gregory Aranda (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:19.363;MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 39:31.286; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:14.080; 3. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:32.179; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:37.472; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:54.398; 6. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +1:10.394; 7. Anthony Boissiere (FRA, Yamaha), +1:22.599; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:38.375; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Honda), +1:44.436; 10. Marcus Schiffer (GER, Suzuki), -1 lap(s);MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), 47 points; 2. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 38 p.; 3. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), 38 p.; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 38 p.; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 38 p.; 6. Anthony Boissiere (FRA, Yamaha), 30 p.; 7. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Kawasaki), 28 p.; 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 27 p.; 9. Marcus Schiffer (GER, Suzuki), 20 p.; 10. Manuel Monni (ITA, Honda), 20 p.;MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 596 points; 2. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), 472 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 461 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 444 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 439 p.; 6. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 431 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 347 p.; 8. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), 326 p.; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 308 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 295 p.;

Red Bull Teka KTM Factory Racing MX2's Herlings obtained his fifth GP victory of the season in the hard pack track of Fermo. In the first race he could only finished second, 12 seconds behind Searle, but in the second moto, he took the lead already in lap six and he dominated it until the end.The second overall position was for CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit's Searle, who could not achieve his goal of winning the last GP, but he admitted that he was very satisfied with his riding this weekend. He easily won the first moto, but in the second one, he made a mistake when he was catching Herlings and lost all the opportunities to fight for the overall victory.His teammate Anstie obtained his maiden GP victory this weekend in Fermo and he was very satisfied, as had been chasing this result during the whole season. The CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit rider admitted that he has learned a lot this season, not only from the bike, but also from the riders and the FIM Motocross World Championship tracks.Bike-it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha's Tonus was fourth overall being tight in points with Anstie. Tonus finished third in the first race, but he crashed in the opening lap of the second one and had to push really hard from the back of the pack to cross the finish line fifth. Tonus ended fifth in the FIM MX2 World Championship.KTM HDI MX Team's Aubin obtained his best result of the season after finishing fifth overall in the Italian GP. Aubin finished sixth in the first race and after great start in the second heat, he managed to keep his initial third position until the end.Rauchenecker was one of the big surprises in the MX2 class, especially after his great performance in the second heat where he started sixth and crossed the finish line in the same position. In the first race he had been eleventh, so the young Austrian rider obtained a final sixth overall place.The seventh place was for Butron, who also achieved the best result of the season in Fermo. He was very satisfied with his riding this weekend and also with his final 14th position in the Championship taking into account that he had to miss the two overseas GP and had six DNF'S throughout the season.Tixier and Nicholls were eighth and ninth respectively, and Ferrandis obtained the overall tenth place in his first appearance in the MX2 class.Home rider Lupino had an electrical problem on his Husqvarna during the first heat and had to pull out, but in the second one, the Italian obtained a solid ninth place, which gave him the 14th overall position.Ken Roczen finished fifth in the first heat on his 125cc 2 stroke, but he had pull out from the second race, as the handlebar of his KTM was completely bended after a crash he suffered when he was riding fourth.Jeffrey Herlings: "I had a small crash in the qualifying heat and even though I had a good start in the first race my riding was bad. But I got away well in the second moto and I managed to get past Tommy (Searle). This year I was just 20 points off the title so I hope I can make it happen for KTM next season and follow in Ken's footsteps."Tommy Searle: "My first race was good; Jeffrey (Herlings) was fast at the beginning of the race, but I had a couple of good laps and increased my lead to fifteen seconds. After that I think he slowed down to conserve some energy, so I did the same as we both knew the second race would be tough with the heat. The second moto I got a good start, my second holeshot this season, and I was happy with that. Jeffrey was behind me and he clearly had some good lines; I knew he was fast in some places, so, when he passed me just before the finish line, I tried to follow him but he put in some fast laps and made a gap. I also put in a couple of good laps to catch him up again but I couldn't pass him; then I made a small mistake and fell on the ground. We were both pushing really hard after that, and it was not possible to close the gap as he was fast right until the end. For me it doesn't make a big difference to win this GP or not; I had a good feeling on the bike and I'm really happy with the way I rode this weekend. That's the main thing as I know that I can win, and we'll have some nice races next season with Jeffrey. I know what we have to work on this winter. We have already been working on the start; we spoke with (Pro Circuit owner) Mitch (Payton) and he knows what we have to do. Mitch really wants to win the championship and I think our bike will be even better next season."Ken Roczen: the first race was really good and I finished fifth. Then my start wasn't as good in the second race and I came from way back to fifth place. Then I jumped into the ruts and it was very slick because it had been watered and I just couldn't stay on the bike. My handlebars were bent so I couldn't go on. For sure I'm a bit disappointed because I was on a good way to get on the podium."MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 39:55.722; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:12.159; 3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:25.393; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:38.373; 5. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), +0:58.585; 6. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, KTM), +1:15.120; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:23.438; 8. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:40.741; 9. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:49.544; 10. Antonio Jose Butron Oliva (ESP, KTM), +2:04.147;MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 40:47.256; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:16.913; 3. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, KTM), +0:45.815; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:53.371; 5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:09.964; 6. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT, KTM), +1:49.365; 7. Antonio Jose Butron Oliva (ESP, KTM), +1:53.261; 8. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +2:00.408; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 10. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), -1 lap(s);MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 47 p.; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 36 p.; 4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), 36 p.; 5. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, KTM), 35 p.; 6. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT, KTM), 25 p.; 7. Antonio Jose Butron Oliva (ESP, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 21 p.;MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 651 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 632 p.; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 573 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), 458 p.; 5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), 427 p.; 6. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 405 p.; 7. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, KTM), 304 p.; 8. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 295 p.; 9. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 287 p.; 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 253 p.;