Steve Ramon has closed to within 43 points of injured World MX1 Championship leader Josh Coppins after taking fifth place at his home GP at Namur in Belgium - round 12 of the series.
The fourth-to-last meeting in the 2007 campaign saw both Ramon and Kevin Strijbos guide their works RM-Z450s to fifth and sixth positions respectively in what was a busy home Grand Prix for the squad.
The Namur circuit provided its usual perilous test: The bumpy and dusty tree-lined track was extremely narrow and permitted very few clear-cut passing opportunities. Both slippery and rough the mud also saw occasional tree roots coming through the terrain presenting an additional hazard in what was an already very quick course.
Good starts were compulsory for any goals of success and neither rider was left content with their getaways from the gate. Ramon was left reaching for whatever standing he could obtain from the lower reaches of the top 10 and mid-pack. The 27 year old was at one time in contention for third place in Moto1 and confirmed fifth before going one position better to fourth in Moto 2 but was never in with a chance of a top three appearance.
“34 points is not too bad to take away from Josh but it could have been more, ” said Ramon. “I wanted at least 40 today but again bad starts cost me. It took so much energy and time to come to the front and I reached moments where it was almost impossible then to close the gap to the next rider. I was not riding how I wanted so it was a tough day; I can normally ride a lot smoother. There are still three GPs to go so we will keep trying and not give up. “
Strijbos had a mediocre launch in the first moto but was decisive with his passing to rise from a first lap position of 15th to an impressive third. His efforts left the 21 year old with little energy reserves to hold off a determine Billy Mackenzie and he was relegated to fourth on the penultimate lap. He was better placed in the top ten during the opening stages of Moto 2 but crashed on a steep uphill when he rear wheel slid out. Needing time to restart, he again came through from mid-pack obscurity to find sixth position.
“My riding was good but I had a bad start in that first race and I was almost last, ” Strijbos recounted. “I pushed hard and got to third but felt tired and I wasn’t happy that Mackenzie could pass me at the end. I had a better start in the second moto and I didn’t want to rush things and wanted to pace myself better. I made a small mistake on one of the hills when my back wheel went over the rut and I crashed. I was on the wrong side of the bike on the slope to be able to kick it so I lost time. After that I charged for the whole race as much as I could and made it to sixth. It was not a disaster of a day but it could have been so much better. “
Ramon’s 34 point tally in front of his many fans means that he now stares at less than a one Grand Prix gap with three meetings remaining. Strijbos is fifth and can still realistically rise to third with a 28 point difference to Sebastien Pourcel.
Team Suzuki will now face the final three Grand Prix of the year with journeys to Northern Ireland, Great Britain and The Netherlands in the space of three weeks. The crew have a free weekend before the sixth round of the Belgian Championship on Wednesday 15th August.
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