The 2012 .FIM Motocross World Championship found some overdue hot sunshine and good weather conditions as the twelfth round of sixteen was played out over the rough and slippery track of Loket for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic.

Honda World Motocross team’s Rui Goncalves steered the works CRF450R to seventh position overall as the premier MX1 class was won by reigning number one Antonio Cairoli in front of twenty-three thousand spectators (weekend figure).

Stuffy air, reasonably high temperatures and mostly sunny skies blessed proceedings in Loket for what is one of the more distinctive circuits on the Grand Prix calendar. The hilly course boasted many off-cambered turns, a slick and stony terrain and a fast pace that saw many riders circulating with similar lap-times. Overtaking was therefore a considered act; the layout punished any mistakes and made the starts of the thirty-five minute and two lap motos critical for designs on the podium.

Goncalves was distracted at the crucial moment of the first race. The Portuguese almost nudged the start gate and rounded the opening corner deep in the pack. The 27 year old moved through the field effectively to reach eleventh and his application and skill on the Czech surface that rewarded throttle control bore him in good stead for the second moto. A better launch in Moto2 saw ‘999’ running inside the first five and he continued to push all the way to the flag, almost catching Max Nagl by the finish but sealing his fifth top five classification of the season regardless.

Team-mate Evgeny Bobryshev scored ninth and tenth for eleventh overall. The Russian struggled to find an effective pace around the Loket undulations and coupled with two mediocre starts was unable to trouble the top of the leaderboard. LS Honda Racing’s Jonathan Barragan was also left with a bitter test of the Czech Grand Prix. The Spaniard – low on confidence – suffered a mechanical problem in the closing stages of the first race and failed to last the distance. In the second he could only ride to sixteenth position.

In the MX2 class Gariboldi Esta’s Max Anstie was able to mark an effective speed at Loket but was hamstrung by being submerged in the mire around the first corners of each moto. The talented Brit took his CRF250R to fifth and twelfth for seventh overall. Anstie is the top Honda racer in the competitive category with seventh position in the MX2 standings.

The points table of the FIM MX1 World Championship shows that Goncalves still holds ninth place, but is just four points behind Tanel Leok. Bobryshev is eleventh and five points from further promotion. Barragan is thirteenth. Round thirteen of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place in two weeks time at the Matterley Basin circuit for the British Grand Prix.

Rui Goncalves:
Race Result: 11th / 5th - Championship position: 9th

“It was a positive weekend. I was riding well and feeling good. In the first moto I messed up my start. Guarneri was next to me and he moved early and I moved and almost hit the gate. I was way behind and outside the top twenty, but made my way through up to eleventh. It was difficult to pass and closer to the top ten the more tricky it was because of the faster pace. I was pretty happy with my lap-times and that was important for the second moto. I had a better start in the next one and made a faster rhythm right away. The guys were pushing behind me but I didn’t give up and kept trying all the way. I almost got Nagl by the end and Pourcel made a mistake. I was pleased with fifth, just a shame about the first moto because overall it could have been a different story. We will keep focused until the last round and keep working during the week. I will give my best every race and I want to thank the team and everyone that is behind me and believes in me.”

Evgeny Bobryshev:
Race Result: 9th / 10th - Championship position: 11th

“I didn’t enjoy the track. It was full of stones, very slippery and everyone was going the same speed. I found it impossible to pass. I think what you managed out of the gate then you could probably add a few positions, but that was it. I did OK in the first race, . but in the middle of the moto I lost my lines and rhythm and Simpson passed me. The second race was bad because my start was horrible. I made only two places. Eleventh overall is not good. I need to train on ground like this to get better here but there are not many GP tracks like this.”

Jonathan Barragan:
Race Result: DNF/ 16th - Championship position: 13th

“Things didn’t go well and I didn’t feel good on the track. I’m not feeling confident or motivated - to be honest - to be fighting for positions between fifteenth and twentieth. The bike broke in the last few laps of the first moto and I couldn’t finish. For one reason or another, whether for crashes, bad starts or a bad feeling I’m not getting the results and I feel the pressure. I’m riding tense and need to get through this and find some confidence.”

2012 FIM MX1 / MX2 World Motocross Championship
Round 12: Loket – Czech Republic