The Grand Prix of Italy, round three of sixteen in the 2012 FIM Motocross World Championship took place in the scenic rolling hills of Fermo next to the Adriatic Sea and Honda World Motocross’s Evgeny Bobryshev steered his works CRF450R to sixth position overall.

The premier MX1 class was owned by Christophe Pourcel, who triumphed in front of a 17,000 strong crowd that enjoyed hot and sunny conditions throughout the weekend.

The majority of the spectators had a tough climb to any vantage points as the hard-pack track is sprawled over the side of a steep hill, creating some daunting downhill drops and climbs for the riders as well as some fast and spectacular obstacles.

Bobryshev was still bothered by the right thumb he dislocated three weeks previously at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, but was once more determined to accrue as many points as possible as the injury heals. The Russian again needed painkillers to get through the two 35 minute and 2 lap motos and found the tighter sections of the track tough to deal with, but it is becoming easier for ‘Bobby’ to reach the chequered flag with better speed. In both races he made reasonable top ten starts and then ploughed a course to sixth and fifth positions for his overall ranking.

Rui Goncalves was struggling after pulling a groin muscle during the opening practice session on Saturday. The Portuguese could not push or attack the course in usual fashion and had to dig deep into his reserves to take twentieth and ninth for fourteenth overall. The former MX2 world championship runner-up was so drained towards the end of the second race that he was vomiting over his bike.

Jonathan Barragan is dialling-in his LS Motors Honda and continued to find a more effective setting with the recently acquired Showa suspension. The Spaniard did not have the best of days in Italy. Fourteenth place after a crash in the first moto was followed up by a DNF after two spills in the second sprint. He ranked nineteenth in the final classification.

Max Anstie, who celebrated his eighteenth birthday on Wednesday, was again the star campaigner for Honda on the CRF250R in MX2. The Brit collected eleventh and eighth positions after less than ideal starts and walked away from Fermo with eighth overall.

Bobryshev is making ground in the MX1 standings and now rests eighth with sixty-nine points. Goncalves is twelfth with fifty-four and Barragan needs to build some momentum from sixteenth. The fourth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place in Guadalajara for the Grand Prix of Mexico on May 13th.

Evgeny Bobryshev:
Race Result: 6th / 5th - Championship position: 8th

“For sure this was much better today – with my thumb – compared to Bulgaria. Last year this track was really hard for me; I could not get around! This was much better and I’m thankful that the GP was earlier in the year compared to the end of the summer like in 2011. In the first race I felt the heat and was a bit dizzy, but in the second it was cloudier and cooler and better for me. I was battling with Philippaerts and then kept the pace. I couldn’t close the gap to De Dycker for fourth because I was struggling a bit in the second section with the tight corners.”

Rui Goncalves:
Race Result: 20th / 9th - Championship position: 14th

“The weekend started badly because I put my foot down in a rut and it went backwards and I felt a crack in my hip. We went to the medical centre and made a check up and it was too early to tell if there was any damage. I got taped up and tried to do my best and just about survived through Saturday. In the first moto I couldn’t hold onto the bike and it felt like I had no power. There was not much I could do in the right turns because I couldn’t stick my foot out and if I had to then there was a lot of pain. It was tough. I had a medium start in the second race and it took me a few laps to get in the rhythm because I didn’t manage a good speed in the first moto. I had to go through the pain and in the last two laps I was digging so deep to catch David, but then I started to puke because I was ‘empty’. At least I got some points and now I will go home and try to sort out what is going on and hope it won’t be too long.”

Jonathan Barragan:
Race Result: 14th / DNF - Championship position: 16th

“I felt better with the suspension here, with the change to Showa, and although I found myself far back in the first moto my riding was easier and faster. I started well in the second moto, but then touched with Desalle in the first corner. I was fighting back through when I had another crash and wasn’t able to pick up the bike and continue. We’ve made the bike better and now I need to bring my side to the equation.”

2012 FIM MX1 / MX2 World Motocross Championship
Round 03: Fermo – Italy