A gray and damp Uddevalla circuit helped add further color to the FIM MX1 World Championship story, as Yamaha’s David Philippaerts again set about prizing a window at the top of the standings with his sixth podium of the season in third position. The Grand Prix of Sweden and the ninth round of fifteen was not a frenzy of racing – mainly due to a slippery and difficult track that veered towards= a single racing line, a consequence of the weather – but Spain’s Jonathan Barragan reigned supreme for his second career success and second of the season ahead of world champion Steve Ramon, who only made his third rostrum appearance of 2008.

Steve Boniface continues to improve

Barragan, on the Silver Action KTM, was a different figure to the error-prone and unpredictable rider seen last week in Germany and in several events this year. He was the most consistent starter in both motos and also the most effective in the conditions, taking a 1-2 score. Germany’s Max Nagl was the other race winner thanks to a repeat of his peerless flight from Italy in May, and only a getaway in Moto 1 kept him from the podium and in fourth overall.

MX1 start

Ramon and Philippaerts looked every inch title contenders as both posted double results of third and fourth, respectively, and produced calculated outings with a view to the bigger picture. Ramon, just one week after his German crash, was clearly more capable in the wet and brought himself back to second position in the standings after Teutschenthal winner Josh Coppins could not get out of the soft dirt behind the gate and was handicapped by two first lap crashes (only one of which was his fault) leaving him 13th and fifth.

Steve Ramon

Philippaerts, riding through the discomfort of a cracked rib, was back on the podium after two GPs without champagne and extended his lead from four to 12 points. The Italian has now been on the box six times and had born the weight of the red plate since round three. Coppins is 16 away in third.

MX1 podium

Steve Boniface continues to improve. The former AMA runner led half of the opening moto in just his third GP appearance and second with the CAS Honda team but faded back to sixth place after making a few mistakes and losing his rhythm. He crashed and took 11th in the second. Teammate Billy Mackenzie continues his return from shoulder injury and matched good early speed in both races to remain in the top ten and score 5th overall.

Shaun Simpson

Grand Prix winners this year, Marc de Reuver and Sebastien Pourcel barely figured on the overall standings. De Reuver took an excellent second position in the first moto on his HRC machine – clearly enjoying the more sandy elements of Uddevalla – but a crash with De Dycker in Moto 2 left his bike damaged and he was unable to continue. Pourcel slipped off in the early stages of Moto 1 and could only recover to 11th. He could not start Moto 2, as his Kawasaki (with a new engine) refused to ignite in the gate. The Frenchman tipped the bike in disgust and promptly left the circuit, realizing that his title hopes are now among the dust with a 61-point deficit to Philippaerts.

In MX2, world champion Antonio Cairoli raced to his fourth victory of the season and his second Swedish triumph in succession as the “title triangle” was broken again by the impressively mature presence of Shaun Simpson, who nudged Tommy Searle down to fourth as Cairoli scaled the top step of the box just in front of series leader Tyla Rattray.

Tyla Rattray

Rattray, Cairoli and Searle separated by just 23 points and, in that order, have all taken turns with the red plate this season. After disappointment with a ruptured fuel tank in France, Cairoli – often hopelessly surrounded by KTMs – is now desperate to strike back.

He chipped Rattray’s margin to 14 points by taking second position and a moto win (his seventh of the year) in the two races, the second of which saw a master class of pursuit and overtaking on a track that was less than frugal with its passing potential. His rival owned the first race after finding a way through double holeshotter Simpson.

Antonio Cairoli

One of the main talking points was the increasing intensity of the duel/grudge between Cairoli and Searle. The pair already clashed in Ireland last year and have shared track in Britain and Bulgaria this season. On this occasion, Cairoli pushed from the inside of a long hairpin while Searle was on the outside, and the two connected on the exit in what the majority have deemed was a 50-50 opportunity for both. Searle came off worse and crashed while Cairoli would go onto the runner-up position. Moto 2 was cause for round two and after Cairoli cleanly moved past the 19-year-old for third place, Searle fought back and seemed to flick his back wheel at the Yamaha in a block pass entering a tight left-hander. There was more controversy when Searle’s pit board emerged with some advice that didn’t involve the speed or performance of the rider. There was no further interaction, however, as Searle’s positional superiority did not last for long: Cairoli simply stepped up a gear and moved forward. There is little doubt that Cairoli knows how to play Searle – just as he knew he could unsettle 2006 world champion Christophe Pourcel by quickly moving across on the Frenchman on the starts and getting him frustrated. Searle could certainly learn a thing or two from Simpson’s display of holding a line and defending a position; too many times he leaves himself open to attack.
Said the world champion, “It was a strange moto. I passed Tommy but he overtook me again and went straight for my front wheel in the next corner. I was also surprised by some words on the KTM pit board. I like racing with Tommy, and I think he is a very good rider, but sometimes I think he can do things better.”
Simpson was also a star, on a wet and greasy stage similar to the Bulgarian proscenium in which he led his first race and captured a maiden podium. His maturity and guile in defending the racing line from the factory bikes of Rattray and Searle behind him in Moto 2 indicates that, with more experience, the Scot will be a formidable force. He is currently fourth in the championship, and with the three riders ahead of him departing for pastures new in next year, the 20-year-old would be leading a hypothetical 2009 championship.

MX2 podium

Rattray, a runner-up in 2004, is one of the more experienced riders in the class, so Cairoli knows he will not be able to out-psyche the South African as he managed to an extent with Christophe Pourcel in 2007 and now seems to be enacting with Searle. The double world champion will know that a victory over his KTM rival at his home Grand Prix at Nelspruit in two weeks will be a precious accomplishment.