Teka Suzuki Set For Bulgaria MX1
May 08, 2008
Team Teka Suzuki WMX1 riders Steve Ramon and Ken De Dycker will be looking for good results at this weekend’s Grand Prix of Bulgaria held at the spectacular Sevlievo circuit during round four of the FIM MX1 World Motocross Championship.
Currently sitting second in the MX1 series, just six points behind the leader David Philippaerts, is reigning MX1 World Champion Steve Ramon. After winning last year’s World Championship without winning a single moto, Ramon has been on much better form in 2008 and totally dominated in the muddy conditions of Bellpuig on his factory Suzuki RM-Z450 to win his maiden MX1 GP overall.
With rain forecast for this weekend’s race, conditions could be similar to those seen at Spain although come rain or shine Ramon feels ready to excel on the Sevlievo circuit.
“It’s a fast hard track and I like to ride there. It’s a nice track with many big hills, it’s fast and there are lots of jumps also - it’s a fun track to ride for sure,” claims Ramon. “Every year I have good results in Bulgaria and this year I’ll be going there wanting to win but of course there are other fast riders like Sebastien Pourcel who excel on that kind of circuit also. My aim is to win but a podium result will also be okay.”
Ken De Dycker entered the last round of the championship at Agueda in Portugal as MX1 series leader after putting in great rides in both Valkenswaard, Holland and Bellpuig, Spain. Unfortunately for De Dycker and the Teka Suzuki WMX1 team a forgettable day saw the lanky Belgian rider slip to fifth in the standings as crashes and blistered hands hampered his performance.
“I was disappointed to lose the championship lead in Agueda but also just about having a bad day,” he says. “It was my own fault because maybe I wasn’t well enough prepared. I’ve been working hard since then because I’ve not done so well in Bulgaria because it’s a hard-pack circuit with no bumps. I need to have two very good heats there and I’m very motivated to do the very best I can do at this race and every race after this.”
Suzuki still leads the manufacturer’s championship by six points thanks to the combined efforts of both Ramon and De Dycker so far this season.
