Honda World Motocross team’s Evgeny Bobryshev defied a fresh thumb injury to score sixth position overall at a sunny Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany.

The sixteenth and final round of the 2012 FIM Motocross World Championship took place in front of forty thousand spectators who witnessed Antonio Cairoli win the last MX1 event of 2012 and just a week before the traditional season curtain-closer that is the FIM Motocross of Nations.

Bobryshev had to negotiate the many undulations and tight, weaving layout of the hard-pack track with a disadvantage on raceday. The Russian had damaged a ligament in his thumb during practice and lacked strength to efficiently muscle the factory CRF450R around the Talkessel leaps – scene of his first Grand Prix victory last summer. While the pubic packed into the renovated circuit (new banking and infrastructure changes to accommodate the massive event that is the FIM Motocross of Nations in 2013) ‘Bobby’ was hopeful of making the chequered flag in both 35 minute and 2 lap motos never mind having designs on the podium.

Evgeny showed typical guts – a characteristic he has demonstrated on more than a few occasions in 2012 – to chase Ken De Dycker and then Gautier Paulin hard in both races and collect a brace of sixth positions for the same classification in the overall MX1 points table. The resilience of the factory Honda rider – who will be joined by Max Nagl in the Italian crew for 2013 after a press conference by Honda Motor Europe on Saturday in Germany - and his subsequent haul of points helped him move up to ninth place in the World championship standings after an unfortunate and injury-interrupted campaign.

Bobryshev was operating alone in the factory awning after the broken shoulder blade sustained by Rui Goncalves proved too painful and weak to allow the Portuguese to compete. The former GP winner had crashed two weeks previously at the Grand Prix of Europe in Italy and had still not sufficiently recovered to be able to consider a last World championship outing in Honda colours. Rui attempted the first practice sessions, but soon withdrew and ends 2012 with tenth in MX1.

LS Honda’s Jonathan Barragan signed off his season with the team with a visit to the medical centre. The Spaniard crashed in the opening moments of the first moto and struggled to find a good rhythm thereafter. Seventeenth position could not be bettered in the second outing as a scrape with the banking on one side of a corner led to a painful right finger which was later diagnosed to be fractured. Barragan was forced to withdraw from the race and dropped to fourteen in the championship as a result of the DNF.

In the MX2 category the CRF250R was steered to tenth place by Gariboldi Esta’s Alexander Tonkov while Max Anstie was seventeenth overall after two bad starts in Germany, but claims seventh spot in the final MX2 listing.

Both Bobryshev and Anstie will represent their countries next weekend at Lommel in Belgium for the 66th FIM Motocross of Nations while the participation of Barragan for Spain is now in doubt.

Evgeny Bobryshev:
Race Result: 6th / 6th - Championship position: 9th

“In a way I am happy this season is over. Since Valkenswaard I’ve been dealing with pain and trying to race with a lack of training, coming back, then pain again. It has been tough and didn’t get easier today. I lost grip of the bars in the braking bumps on Saturday and yanked my thumb. I couldn’t believe it and needed painkillers. It was hard to accelerate and I didn’t have much strength in the hand. On this track it was difficult to pass and that was the story for me in both motos. I had a bad start in the second moto, but I saw a bit of space and went flat out in the first three corners to make positions. I wanted to keep Paulin behind me, but he made a move and then I was always trailing him and all the rocks and roost was making me angry! To finish sixth with the pain was not too bad and to make some positions in the championship was good. I’m looking forward to the Nations now; it is a sand race so it should be fun.”

Jonathan Barragan:
Race Result: 17th / DNF - Championship position: 14th

“A bad way to end a bad year. I crashed at the start of the first moto and tried to push hard to recover positions, but couldn’t get a good feeling on the track. In the second race I tipped into a corner and caught my hand against the wall of mud there. I felt a lot of pain and had to pull into the pits. We went to see the doctor right away and he explained I had a fracture, which does not look good for the Nations. All I can do is look towards the future now and be happy to get 2012 out of the way.”

Rui Goncalves:
Race Result: DNS / DNS - Championship position: 10th

“I knew coming here that it would be very difficult to ride because I was still in a lot of pain, but after some medication and strapping I at least wanted to try. Just landing the jumps in the first practice made me realise that it was too much. I’m really disappointed to finish the season and with the Honda World Motocross team in this way because it now looks very tough also for the Nations next week. We will see, but I reckon I will be doubtful for Lommel.”

2012 FIM MX1 / MX2 World Motocross Championship
Round 16: Teutschenthal – Germany