The Sans Souci circuit at Bastogne was inaugurated under the international spotlight through hosting the Grand Prix of Belgium and the eighth round of sixteen in the 2012 FIM Motocross World Championship.

18,000 spectators surrounded the flat circuit in the Ardennes and watched Honda World Motocross team’s Evgeny Bobryshev help to set the pace in the second moto and score eleventh overall as the meeting was claimed by reigning World Champion Antonio Cairoli.

A weekend of contrasting weather conditions at Bastogne meant the decent crowd attendance were able to wear sunglasses on Sunday, but had to wade through the mud created by heavy rainfall through Saturday that forced the qualification heats for both classes to be cancelled in the name of track preservation. The racing course held up very well in the circumstances and after good work by the circuit staff the terrain was rough and varied for the 2 thirty-five minute and 2 lap Grand Prix motos.

Bobryshev battled through the pain barrier on his CRF450R still suffering from the chest injury he sustained last week in Portugal. The Russian had some bad luck at the beginning of the first moto and was part of a multi-rider collision on the opening corner. The tangle robbed him of his front brake due to a broken caliper and disc.

‘Bobby’ amazingly tried to recover positions until he ran off the track and was forced to retire at mid-race distance. Considerably fired up for the second outing, the 2011 German Grand Prix winner almost had the holeshot and led for the opening lap. He could not match the rhythm of the leading quartet, but settled into an effective pace to cross the finish in fifth and equal his highest position this season (obtained on two other occasions).

Team-mate Rui Goncalves faced more adversity and misfortune. The Portuguese crashed through the waves section on a wet Saturday and the impact of the handlebars to his torso broke a rib. After a difficult night trying to sleep and pain killers in the morning, ‘999’ bravely attempted the motos and grabbed points with 15th and 14th for 14th place in the final MX1 classification.

LS Honda’s Jonathan Barragan rode to 13th place in the first dash, but was hampered in his efforts by dust in his goggles and could not see properly. In the second moto a spill saw the Spaniard suffer a blow to the chest and he was forced to the paddock as he had trouble breathing. A scan revealed no serious damage.

At the halfway point of the 2012 campaign the three Honda riders all hold positions in the top thirteen of the MX1 championship standings. Goncalves is ninth, followed by Bobryshev in 11th and Barragan in 13th.

The MX2 class saw Gariboldi Esta’s Max Anstie out of luck on the CRF250R. The Brit had an electrical problem on the warm-up lap of the first moto and did not start. He then pushed hard in the opening phases of the second race, but could not get confident or comfortable on the track. The Brit currently holds seventh in the MX2 points table.

Round 9 of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place at Uddevalla, north of Gothenburg, in 2 weeks for the Grand Prix of Sweden.

Evgeny Bobryshev:
Race Result: DNF / 5th - Championship position: 11th

“The first race was one to forget from the beginning until the end. With no front brake there was not much I could do. The second was much better. I was second at the start, but found that speed pretty difficult purely because I haven’t had a race where I’ve be able to really go for it without worrying about some problem or making a crash. I had a bit of arm-pump in the middle of the race and had a little crash three laps before the end, but didn’t lose time. It was good to take that fifth position though and I felt happy with it. It was better than nothing. My chest is still not good and I’m going through the pain. I don’t want to take any pills because they affect my vision a little bit. I can handle the pain, but it doesn’t make the job any easier.”

Rui Goncalves:
Race Result: 15th / 14th - Championship position: 9th

“Tough weekend. Yesterday in the timed practice I went down in the whoops and over the bars. The handlebar hit my chest and I went to the clinic because I had so much pain to breathe. The x-ray showed a broken rib and I could hardly sleep in the night and in the morning it felt like there was a knife inside me. Just coughing or moving caused me pain and I needed pain killers to think about riding. The doctor came to strap it, but to be honest at some moments I just could not breathe and on the bike wasn’t easy at all. I don’t know what to say. I feel like I am swimming against the current; just when I start to feel fit I get another injury. I think this is my fourth now this season and I haven’t known a year like it. It is tough mentally and physically and I cannot wait to be in a position where I can ride to the best of my ability without it hurting. These injuries are not enough to keep me out of the race but they stop me being able to perform.”

Jonathan Barragan:
Race Result: 13th / DNF - Championship position: 13th

“In the first race I had a problem with the goggles in the first few laps and when some sand or dust came inside I couldn’t really see anything. I was thirteenth in that one, and then in the second I came off and hit the ground pretty hard. I couldn’t breathe and had to stop. Thankfully there is nothing broken, but for sure this is a day to forget.”

2012 FIM MX1 / MX2 World Motocross Championship
Round 08: Bastogne – Belgium