Yamaha Red Bull De Carli rider Tony Cairoli notched his 28th career victory to become the most successful Italian motocrosser ever at Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany and the ninth round of fifteen in the 2009 FIM MX1-GP World Championship. The Sicilian rode to 2nd and 1st positions with the YZ450F for his third win of a debut MX1 season and also captured his seventh moto triumph from a total of eighteen so far.
The fast and bumpy Talkessel course was crowded by more than 35,000 spectators, no doubt pleased to learn that the circuit has signed an agreement to host the German round of the series for the next six years as well as the 2013 Motocross of Nations. Cloudy and rainy conditions in the morning gave way to clearer skies and sunshine in the afternoon.
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Cairoli expertly took his third pole position of the season by overtaking Max Nagl on the last lap of Saturday’s heat race. It was also the fifth time from nine occasions that a Yamaha has entered the start gate first for Sunday’s motos. The 23 year old produced a similar performance in the first moto to close a six second gap to the German and almost snatch chequered flag; eventually missing out by just half a second. In the next outing Cairoli was fierce from the line and took control of the race in the formative stages, leading to the finish. Germany saw the fourth MX1 triumph of his career in just ten appearances.
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts had a hard weekend but managed to ride through some set-up issues to finish 4th overall. The World Champion had to retaliate from two mediocre starts and was 4th in both of the motos; winning an intense battle with team-mate Josh Coppins and Clement Desalle in the second sprint.
Coppins looked more like the rider that claimed the Grand Prix of Bulgaria back in April. The New Zealander is regaining his power and stamina and with two decent starts was 3rd and 5th for 5th overall. An engine stall cost him time and a position in Moto1 but his top three finish was the first since Sevlievo. The 32 year old pushed hard to the finish in the tussle with Philippaerts and Desalle in Moto2 and snatched 5th spot from the Belgian two corners from the line in a dramatic finale.
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Tanel Leok enjoyed decent getaways at this Grand Prix and went 6th and 7th to give Yamaha four machines in the top seven of the final classification. The Estonian struggled slightly with his rhythm in the second outing.
In the standings four Yamahas hold positions in the top seven with three riders in the first four. Cairoli keeps his red plate with a 41 point advantage over Philippaerts. Coppins is fourth and 23 behind the defending number one. Leok faces a deficit of 16 points to fifth. In the manufacturer’s table Yamaha lead the way from their nearest competitor by 46 points.
