The FIM Magazine - Ride with Us - N° 74

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TONI BOu KING TONI IV

PAOlO FlAMMINIINTERVIEW

WANTED: yOuNG RIDERFOR CHAMPION!FIM JUNIOR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

WITH US !R I DE

T H E F I M M A G A Z I N E

Riders for health, The drummonds, spring hill, Pitsford, Northampton, NN6 9AA, United Kingdom T: +44 (0)1604 889 580 F: +44 (0)1604 889 595 e: [email protected] RegisTeRed ChARiTy No. 1054565

“My bike helps me save lives every day.”Bubacarr Jallow, a health worker in the Gambia

But every day in Africa children still die...

...because they don’t get the health care they need.

To find out how to help get more health workers on the road and save lives visit www.riders.org

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.74 JULY AUGUST 20105 Editorial

STANDINGS TRIAL

6-9 King Toni IVToni BouPADDOCK TRIAL

10-13Iris KramerChanging places!

15 FIM INSIDEPADDOCK SBK

16-17 Paolo FlamminiInterviewTECH TALK SIDECAR

18-21 “Swiss-made” high technology

23 FIM INSIDEGALLERY

24-27Thierry Van den BoschMister SuperMotoRIDE

28-31 Y viva España!Midseason MotoGP review

33 FIM INSIDEPADDOCK SBK

34-35Franco UnciniMister SafetyFIM WOMEN CAMPAIGN

36-38Interview Livia LancelotMotocross is so much fun!VINTAGE

40-43Observed Trials:The beginnings

44-45 FIM INSIDE

STANDINGS MOTOCROSS

47-51Wanted: young rider for champion!FIM Junior Motocross World ChampionshipGALLERY

52-55Tony CairoliSicilian masterpiece in World Championship dirt

57-58 ROAD BOOK SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

Publishing Director: Guy Maitre

Chief Editor: Isabelle Larivière

Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme11, route Suisse – 1295 Mies – SuisseTel : +41-22 950 95 00 – Fax : +41-22 950 95 01@ : [email protected] website : fim-live.com

Photos: FIM/G2F MediaStudioZac Mark WaltersMaurice Bula Collection/FIMDavid ReygondeauFIM/Marc PétrierStan PerecFIM/Bandito/Good ShootZanzani/NikonDonald Morley (Vintage)Maggie SuttonYouthstream/Laranjeira 2010Ray ArcherArchive/Cairoli family

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FIM Magazine n° 74Issued July-August 2010

Past issues available on request

The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of the FIM.

The content of this publication is based on the best knowledge and information available at the time the articles were written.

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FIM MAGAZINE .74 /// JULY AUGUST 2010 5

EDITORIAL

Vito IPPOLITO FIM President

This is a subject that attracts an enormous amount of debate. In the media we can find information about companies and institutions, private or public, that dedicate a part of their activities to “social responsibility”. The concept is politically correct and, not surprisingly, it has been universally embraced. That said, it is quite probable that the term means different things to different people.

Doing sports is something that is socially very useful. Thus, sports and social responsibility represent a perfect fit for the FIM, as the federation was founded precisely in order to organise motorcycle sports at the world level. For more than a century, the FIM has dedicated itself to this wonderful sport. However, the fact of engaging in sports alone does not mean that we comply fully with the principle of social responsibility.

The competitions that we organize involve athletes – we call them riders – and motorcycles. We therefore have a responsibility towards, and a direct relationship with, thousands of sportsmen and women, and dozens of different manufacturers. Fortunately for us, our sport attracts millions of viewers and spectators who watch the events either by coming to the race circuits or via the media (press, radio, TV and internet). The point is that the scope of our “responsibility” is far larger than it might appear at first sight.

How should we go about this responsibility? I think that the answer is very simple: we just need to do our job well. For example, one of the most important activities involves the inspection of the race circuits where the competitions are held, and where the safety of our riders is paramount. Obviously, we should never stop studying ways to make those circuits safer. The same thing could be said about the riders’ clothing. When a new technology becomes available, we should use it if it means reducing the severity of injuries. The list of things that we need to do to enhance security is long, but I think that the idea is absolutely clear.

We also have a responsibility towards the public who come to our events. The spectators have a right to be able to enjoy in comfort the entertainment that our sport can offer. As for our officials, we need to make sure that their qualifications are fully up to date and the decisions they take are seen to be both correct and fair.

The services we provide to our National Federations through our staff at headquarters must be efficient and timely. We must ensure that we maintain warm relations with our affiliates and that we do everything possible to strengthen their feeling of belonging to a large organization. Bringing new technologies on board in order to improve communications is another of a priority tasks.

At the same time, we must accept that our social responsibility is not limited to purely sports aspects. The fact that we are concerned for the safety of our riders does not mean that we should forget the safety of all the motorcyclists who ride their machines on roads throughout the world. Here, too, there is an enormous amount of work to be done.

One of the most urgent challenges facing humanity is the environment. Our sport and our activities in other motorcycle-related areas have a direct impact on the environment. We are increasingly turning to renewable energy sources for the fuel we need, we are developing alternative engines and we are making efforts to reduce noise levels, etc. These are just some of the issues which we are focussing on with a lot of a passion, and also a sense of responsibility.

Within the context of our Strategic Plan, we have defined a number of priority areas. One of these is precisely social responsibility. In order to make progress, we have set up a working group composed of a number of experts who have been entrusted with the task of developing these ideas, and they are doing a very good job. Some of the objectives that they have mapped out have now been included in our priorities. So we have a lot of work on our plate. But as I was saying at the beginning, it is not so much a question of how many things we should be doing, it is more a question of doing things well.

See you again in the next issue

The FIM and Social Responsibility


6 FIM MAGAZINE .74 /// JULY AUGUST 2010 FIM MAGAZINE .74 /// JULY AUGUST 2010 7

TONI BOU KING TONI IV

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT TONI

BOU – REPSOL MONTESA IS

VERY MUCH AT THE TOP OF HIS

GAME AND HAS DESERVEDLY

C A P T UR E D HIS FOURT H

CONSECUTIVE SPEA FIM TRIAL

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WITH

ONE ROUND OF THIS YEAR’S

SERIES STILL REMAINING.

The twenty three year old from Barcelona continues to make his mark in the history of Trial and looks like he could be the title-holder for several seasons to come. Although Bou still has work to do, already people in the paddock are talking about this young Spanish rider going on to beat Dougie Lampkin’s record of seven outdoor championships in a row.

Since joining the mighty Repsol Montesa team back at the start of 2007 Bou has not looked back, and whilst some doubted if the youngster would be able to adapt to riding the factory four-stroke machine after having learnt his craft purely on two-stroke bikes, they were soon to be silenced. The developing story tells the true scale of his achievement with Toni having not lost a FIM Trial World Championship since switching from Beta. His tally now stands at an incredible eight World crowns, consisting of four SPEA FIM Indoor Trial World Championships and four SPEA FIM Trial World Championships.

Whilst on paper Bou’s route to his latest FIM crown may show an easy road to his fourth successive crown, in reality Toni has faced one of his toughest season’s to date since first winning the championship back in 2007. Changes to the rules over the winter meant that unlike before when the best riders were placed at the back of the field via a reversed starting system, this year the leading riders found themselves heading the pack.

For those outside of the sport this small and simple difference may seem insignificant, but in a discipline were speed counts for nothing every other advantage that can be gained becomes so important. In the past the top contenders have had the luxury of riding behind their lesser rivals, giving them the opportunity to watch lines, to understand the terrain and often to wait until conditions in the section became better when grip and ruts had been established.

The change in rules was a direct move to create a more level playing field and to

This year, the twenty-three year old Spanish rider claimed his fourth consecutive SPEA FIM Trial World Championship’s title.///

/// R I D E /// S T A N D I N G S


DESERVEDLY HAPPY WITH HIS LATEST ACHIEVEMENT, TONI TALKS ABOUT THE 2010 SEASON AND THE OTHER TOPICS ASSOCIATED WITH HIS WINNING RUN.

Seven wins out of the ten counting days to date is a great record, do you think you can still improve on this level?“It´s very difficult, even more so with the new regulation. The truth is that it’s very hard to maintain this consistency because winning means you have to ride the sections first at the next event, which makes it more difficult to win again, but despite this we’ve had a really good season.”

Have there been moments in the year, where you have doubted yourself?“Yes, because as I said, the fact of winning and knowing that you have to go out first at the next Trial adds a lot of pressure. Most of all in Portugal where I finished fourth, and could have ended up further back. The other riders caught up on points, but we stayed confident without doubting the team or ourselves and we managed a great season.”

A fourth consecutive SPEA FIM Trial World Championship, your eighth if we include the SPEA FIM Indoor Trial World Championships. What does the future hold for Toni Bou?“I don’t know because we are working really hard, putting in a lot of effort every year and we all want to keep winning. I’m really happy with the team, with the bike and the intention is to keep up the standard of work year after year.”

People in the paddock are now saying that you will beat Lampkin’s record of seven successive titles. What are your thoughts? “The truth is that it’s still some way off for us. To win four titles in a row is a lot and we are very happy to have achieved that. They are two very different times and we have to be proud of what we are doing. Obviously we would like more but we have to look year to year, race to race and keep working hard every day.”

What is your opinion of your main rivals?They are of a very high standard, doing really good work and, although it’s true that I have managed to win a lot of events, many times it’s been by very few points. The truth is that with my team, we’re very strong and we’ve had some good races, but the others are very close and we can’t sit back and relax.”

Having now experienced the new rule, where the winner rides first, what are your thoughts?“It’s interesting and difficult to evaluate because sometimes it’s been good and other times not so good. I’ve been the only one able to win events consecutively, going out first, but it’s true that in races like Portugal, it was much more difficult. On the other hand, when I went out first, my rivals were quite far behind and I was able to make up a lot more points, so in some ways it’s also been a positive thing.”

What is your next goal?“First I’m going on holiday. We’ve had a really good season, working a lot and now it’s time to have a good rest because straight afterwards we’ll be back at work to try to regain the Spanish Championship titles.”

remove the advantage the leading contenders had long enjoyed. At the opening round of the 2010 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship Bou showed that this modification was not going to halt him in his tracks as he romped to an easy win at his home Grand Prix. However the true effects of the new rule were not to be seen until a week later as the series moved on to Portugal.

Although Bou was faultless on the first day of the two-day GP to record his second win of his campaign, on the Sunday he found himself at a severe disadvantage riding ahead of his rivals as the conditions began to change for the better. Uncharacteristically Toni found himself pushed off the podium and down in fourth spot after a ‘difficult day at the office’ and with his lead at the top of the general standings cut significantly.

It was to be a similar story at the Japanese Grand Prix, which was the next stop on the 2010 tour, as Bou claimed victory on the first day of the double header before having to surrender to his main championship rival Adam Raga – Gas Gas on day two. After having looked so untouchable at the opening GP on home soil back in April, Bou now found himself with a mere eight-point advantage as the series headed towards its halfway point.

Whilst the conditions for the British Grand Prix held in Fort William, Scotland were very different to any other World Trial, the familiar pattern emerged once again. After a nervous first lap Toni would eventually defeat home hero Dougie Lampkin – Beta to notch up his fourth day win of the year on the opening day before being demoted to the lower step of the rostrum by his Repsol Montesa team mate Takahisa Fujinami and Albert Cabestany – Sherco respectively on the second day of competition.

By now Toni was becoming used to the new starting system, and whilst his frustration at not being able to totally dominate how he had done in more recent seasons was there to see on occasions, he was also aware that he was not the only rider who was struggling with the new rules. Raga’s two fourth places in Fort William was confirmation of this point, and had now allowed Bou to open up a healthy and significant seventeen point lead in the general standings with four single day events to run.

This was to prove the turning point in the season for Toni as he claimed back to back wins in France and San Marino in mid July as Raga went 6 – 2 over the same two rounds, to give himself the chance of clinching the title early at the Italian Grand Prix a week later. As with all great champions Bou was not about to miss this wonderful opportunity and duly wrapped up his fourth consecutive SPEA FIM Trial World Championship with yet another victory, this time in the Italian mountains.

S T A N D I N G S ///


Even at thirty-four years old, ex multi FIM Trial World Champion Dougie Lampkin remains a respected and competitive member of the SPEA FIM Trial World Championship. In the history of Trial, Lampkin remains the most decorated rider with ninety nine Grand Prix wins and seven consecutive FIM trial World Championships to his name. Dougie was a member of the Repsol Montesa team when Bou joined back in 2007 and was only too aware of what this youngster was capable of the first day he saw him on the factory four stroke machine.

“Firstly I would like to congratulate Toni on winning the title once again, he has done a great job as I know it has been difficult for him at times this year with him having to ride first. Anyway he has showed that he is the best rider at the moment, both in terms of his riding level and also with his consistency, which is such an important part of winning a championship.”

“I can remember the first day that he joined the Montesa team and we all went training together. My first reaction was like others, I thought it was going to be tough for him to adapt to riding the new bike, as I remembered how tough it had been for me when I switched to the four stroke. I should not have worried too much as almost instantly Toni was riding the bike very well and in a different way to both me and Fujinami. His technique really suited the bike and immediately it was obvious that he would be difficult to beat.”

“I have been pretty lucky throughout my career with very few injuries, which allowed me to remain at the top of the sport for several years. So far Toni has been lucky too, and will need to continue to be, as you only need one bad crash and that can be your season over with.

I think this is becoming more apparent, as with the type of sections we are now riding, one small mistake can result in a big crash.”

“Right now if you ask me if Toni can beat my record, I would have to say yes. He has a good advantage of his rivals and is very consistent so it is difficult to see who can beat him, certainly in the next couple of seasons. Of course he will need some luck and to maintain his motivation as that can be difficult when you are winning all the time.”

“Of course I would like to retain my record, but at the same time I have a huge amount of respect for what Toni has achieved. I can remember seeing him in Spain when he was still too young to ride in the World championship, even then the things he was doing in the practice area were quite special. Since then I have watched him grow and become the great champion he is today.”

“All I ask is that he lets me win one more Grand Prix, as I do not want to retire still stuck on ninety nine GP wins!”

LAMPKIN TALKS ABOUT BOU

“Right now if you ask me if Toni can beat my record, I would have to say yes. He has a good advantage over his rivals and is very consistent so it is difficult to see who can beat him, cer tainly in the next couple of seasons!”

- says Dougie Lampkin.///

/// R I D E /// S T A N D I N G S


ANTONIO BOU

Date of birth• : 17/10/86Birthplace• : Barcelona, Spain

Hometown• : Barcelona, SpainMarital Status• : Single

CAREER HIGHPOINTS

2003 13th SPEA FIM Trial World Championship8th Spanish Outdoor Championship5th Spanish Indoor Championship

2004 9th SPEA FIM Trial World Championship11th Spanish Outdoor Championship4th Spanish Indoor Championship

2005 5th SPEA FIM Trial World Championship 7th SPEA FIM Indoor Trial World Championship

4th Spanish Outdoor Championship 2nd Spanish Indoor Championship

2006 5th SPEA FIM Trial World Championship3rd SPEA FIM Indoor Trial World Championship1st European Championship

1st Spanish Outdoor Championship 3rd Spanish Indoor Championship

2007 1st SPEA FIM Trial World Championship1st SPEA FIM Indoor Trial World Championship

2nd Spanish Outdoor Championship 1st Spanish Indoor Championship

2008 1st SPEA FIM Trial World Championship1st SPEA FIM Indoor Trial World Championship

2nd Spanish Outdoor Championship1st Spanish Indoor Championship

2009 1st SPEA FIM Trial World Championship 1st SPEA FIM Indoor Trial World Championship

1st Spanish Outdoor Championship1st Spanish Indoor Championship

2010 1st SPEA FIM Trial World Championship 1st SPEA FIM Indoor Trial World Championship


Although Laia Sanz – Repsol Montesa continues to top the world order ten years on, there is so much more to this female campaigner than just one multi world champion, as iris explains over the following pages.

At just twenty-nine years old ex FIM Women’s Trial World Champion Iris Kramer has had to quit the top level of the sport due to injury, but can now focus her attention on occupying a different role within the sport. Kramer from Darmstadt in Germany remains the only rider to have ever defeated the dominant Laia Sanz in the ten-year history of the World female series, with Iris clinching the title in 2007 after six years of being the bridesmaid to her Spanish rival.

This year when the 2010 FIM Women’s Trial World Championship kicked off in the small French town of St Michele de Maurienne close to the Italian border, Kramer was absent from the entry list. Although missing from the starting line up, Iris was very much present as the tenth edition of the championship got underway, however instead of wearing her normal riding clothing, this time Kramer was sporting the FIM uniform.

Since announcing her retirement from the World Championship at the end of last year, FIM Trial Commission (CTR) Vice President Anders Minken was quick to engage the outgoing German rider in discussions about her perhaps joining the FIM to assist with the Women’s series. Minken who has core responsibility of developing the ladies championship since the outset was not about to miss this great opportunity, and soon Iris had been appointed as an advisor for the FIM Women’s Trial World Championship, working alongside the CTR.

Throughout her riding career Iris was always a popular and charismatic individual as well as being an extremely talented rider in her own right, so the appointment seemed more than obvious. Normally Kramer would have looked to have continued her decade long battle with Sanz, but ongoing issues with her elbow, which date back to 2004, finally forced her to realise the time had come to change places.

Iris was introduced to Trial, like so many, by her father who was and remains a keen national level rider. However unlike other

riders who began very young, Kramer did not start to ride until the age of twelve and it was not until the following year that she competed in her first local competition. Her first bike was hardly a real Trial bike, with her Mecatecno 50 having tyres more suitable to tarmac rather than mud and rocks.

From those early days, Iris began to grow both in confidence and skill and rode a whole range of different capacity Gas Gas machines over the next seven years before making her debut at the FIM Women’s Trial World Championship in 2000. The now nineteen year old made an instant impact on the inaugural series by finishing runner up to Sanz the first time out. This was a tale that was to constantly repeat itself over the coming months and years as Iris shadowed Laia’s every move.

Despite Kramer’s best efforts Sanz was to maintain the upper hand, with the German rider finishing runner up to her now Spanish friend on no less than six occasions prior to 2007. Then it finally happened one day during September 2007, on the Isle of Man Iris at long last defeated Laia and in doing so clinched her one and only FIM Women’s Trial World Championship. Understandably

IRIS KRAMER CHANGING PLACES

THE FIM WOMEN’S TRIAL W O R L D C H A M P I O N S H I P CELEBRATES ITS ELEVENTH EDITION THIS YEAR, AND CAN BE PROUD OF THE STATUS IT NOW HOLDS AFTER A DECADE O F D E V E LO P M E N T A N D IMPROVEMENT. TO ASSIST WITH THIS ONGOING PROCESS THE FIM HAS ADDED EX FIM TRIAL WORLD TITLE HOLDER IRIS KRAMER TO ITS TEAM TO ENSURE THAT THE SERIES CONTINUES TO MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. After nine years competing in the ladies World Tour, Iris joins the FIM to assist with

the Women’s series as from 2010.///


/// PADDOCK

it was an emotional moment for the then twenty-six year old and especially for her father who had supported her every inch of the way.

During her nine years on the ladies World tour Iris competed in a total of seventeen Grand Prix events, and only once missed out on a podium placing as she scored points at every single round she rode in. Her points tally stands at an impressive two hundred and eighty and is only second to that of Sanz. Whilst Kramer will be sadly missed from the series as a top-level rider, her new presence as part of the FIM has been universally welcomed by all those connected to the championship.

With Iris installed in her new role, we took the opportunity on the close of the opening round of the 2010 FIM Women’s Trial World Championship to get her views on a range of topics.

FIM: So how did it feel this weekend to be at the 2010 FIM Women’s Trial World Championship, but not as a rider?Iris Kramer: I suppose it felt a little strange to begin with, but I came here only thinking about my new role and not about riding

at all. I have been given a big responsibility and a great opportunity and I really want to make a success of what I am trying to do. I had hoped to go practicing with the girls, but in reality there was no time to do this as my schedule has been really hectic this weekend, especially with it being my first round in this new job.

FIM: So have you completely stopped riding now?I.K.: Absolutely not, I still love to ride and will continue to ride as long as possible. It is only because of my injury that I took the decision to stop riding at the top level. I am still riding some small competitions in Germany and I am still practicing whenever I can. The only difference now is I stop immediately I have some pain in my arm, where before I knew I just had to continue.

FIM: Please can you explain the nature of your injury?I.K.: The problem started back in 2004 when I broke my elbow in five places. This was a very complicated fracture, so I was lucky to have ridden again after such a serious injury. Since then I have undergone six operations in an attempt to repair the joint fully. The problem is my body is trying

to repair itself and is creating bone, which is causing a number of problems. I have now lost the movement of two of my fingers, which makes it difficult to ride. Normally the best thing would have been to stop riding after the initial accident, but that was never an option for me.

FIM: So how do you feel about having now retired from the FIM Women’s Trial World Championship?I.K.: Obviously I will miss it in some ways, but in other ways it is actually a relief not to have to deal with the pressure anymore. During the last few seasons I felt really nervous about having to finish on the podium each time I rode. My own expectations were high, so I constantly put pressure on myself. Also it was becoming more and more difficult to stay in the top three with the new younger riders now arriving in the championship. I had many good years, so I am happy to have had that opportunity.

FIM: So how has this affected your life on a day-to-day basis?I.K.: Overall my life is much less stressful. It was hard to be a professional rider as well as having a normal job. I think Laia is the only full time professional in the FIM

As an ex-rider, Iris assists the female riders at many different levels. She supports them and also helps the organisers to create sections adapted for women.///


PADDOCK ///

Women’s Trial World Championship, but hopefully that will change in the future. I was working all the day and then was trying to go practicing in the evening when I was already tired. It was an impossible schedule and was always full of stress.

FIM: Your father has always been a big part of your career, how is he spending his weekends now that you have retired? I.K.: Yes I really need to thank my father and my family for their support, as without them none of it would have been possible.

I think my father is proud of what I have achieved and I am just glad he was a part of me becoming World Champion. Now he is riding more than ever, as when he was following me he had no time. He is riding in a lot of national competitions and is really enjoying making up for all those years he missed when he was minding for me.

FIM: Please can you explain about your new role working for the FIM?I.K.: Yes I was invited to be an advisor to the FIM Trial Commission about all aspects of the Women’s Trial World Championship.

My overall objective is to strengthen the championship and to make it appealing to more and more riders. As I am an ex rider I can assist the girls on many different levels. I really want to support them, I want to help make them more professional and to be aware that it is important to promote themselves and the series in the right way. Also perhaps the most important job is to help the organisers to create the right type and severity of sections. We need sections that will be challenging for the top riders, as after all it is the World Championship, but at the same time we want sections that will encourage younger riders to come and be part of the series. My goal is to get more female competitors to take part in the series by making it a more interesting proposition for all levels of riders. We need to communicate to the national federations, that this is a championship for their female riders and one where the sections have been designed for the majority of riders and not just the top few. This is very difficult work, but something I feel strongly about.

FIM: How do you see the national federations helping with this process?I.K.: I would like to see the national federations arranging training camps for their female riders, again this training should be designed for all levels of riders and not just the top few in that country. We are always doing this in Germany and it is working really well. The FIM is already arranging some female training camps, but the FIM should not be expected to do this alone.

FIM: How is your relationship with Laia Sanz?I.K.: After so many years we have grown to become good friends as well as rivals. You cannot be friends during the competition as you are always fighting to be the best, but after the Trial it is good to spend time with each other. Although we live in different countries and do not see each other that much, we do keep in touch by phone and by the computer too. We have a lot of respect for each other, so I know Laia will be an important person in helping me achieve my goals in my new role.

FIM: Please tell us about the introduction of the Women’s Trial Rookie of the Year Award?I.K.: We wanted to offer something to encourage new young riders to the championship. So I spoke to UNIVEGA who is a German bicycle company and a personal friend of mine and they agreed to


/// PADDOCK

donate a really good bicycle for the winner. The winner will be the best rider who is new to the series and who competes in all three rounds. It’s a great prize and one that has been well received by the young riders.

FIM: Which young riders do you feel could eventually defeat Laia in the future?I.K.: I think the two young riders who have made the biggest improvement are Joanne Coles and Hannah Styles. Both of these young British riders are riding at a really good level. Joanne could perhaps be Laia’s biggest rival this year. Perhaps she cannot beat Laia this year, but in the future she could be the new champion.

FIM: As well as working for the FIM, you are working for Eurosport too?I.K.: Yes I am doing the Eurosport commentary in German both for the Trial and Enduro programmes. It is a different kind of work and is quite challenging, but I am really enjoying it. I now have a small

studio in my house, so I do not even have to leave home to do this work. The strange thing is that this work came about quite by chance.

I was watching the Women’s FIM Trial des Nations on Eurosport and the guy who was making the commentary was making a real mess of it. He did not know who was who and thought my sister was me. I was so angry that I called to the Eurosport office in Paris and told them what I thought. The guy who I was speaking to said if I thought I could do a better job then I should give it a try and that’s actually what happened. They got me in to do a live commentary for an indoor Trial and they were happy with how I did, so they gave me a job.

FIM: Finally, what plans do you have for the future?I.K.: My main aim is to do a good job for the FIM and to achieve the goals we have set out. It will be difficult, however it is a

challenge I am really looking forward to. Other than that, yes I would like to get married and to have children, but that will not stop me working in the Trial.

FIM: Sorry, but that leads to one last question. If you have a daughter will she follow in your tyre marks?I.K.: That could be a long time in the future so I have not totally thought about that properly yet. I am sure my father would encourage his grand daughter to follow the same path as me and to ride Trial, but maybe I would have some other ideas. Perhaps she should play golf or tennis, these are a lot cleaner sports and also here she could earn a lot more money. Maybe she should just marry a footballer, then she would have a lot of money. No honestly Trial is my passion, and I would support my daughter, but only if she chooses to follow this path. She will not have pressure from me, and will be free to choose her own direction and sport.

by Jake Miller

LAIA ABOUT IRIS

When Iris told me towards the end of last season that she was going to retire I was sad. Maybe I should have been happy as she has been one of my biggest rivals for many years, but no I was sad as she is also my friend. Like me, Iris has been in the championship right from the beginning, so it was also a sad moment for the championship too as it was losing one of its most established and most successful riders.

At the start Iris and I did not know each other, and although we rode in the same competitions we did not really communicate with each other. Then as my English became better we started to talk and soon became good friends. Each year Iris and I would fight to be champions, but after each Trial we would spend time together as friends.

I was happy to hear that Iris was going to work for the FIM, as she has great experience and her involvement can be very positive for Women’s Trial. Already we have spoken together and she knows I will help her in any way that I can. The championship is about more than one rider, so I know she will speak and work with all the riders to find the best solutions, not just for me, but for the series as a whole.

Although I always want to win, I also want to help the other riders and to see the championship grow. With Iris we have the best person to do this job, she will work hard like she did with her riding, and I am sure the FIM will see the difference she will make.

LAIA ABOUT JOANNE

When you are the champion you are always looking at which riders you think may be the biggest threat to you. Over many years my biggest rival was Iris Kramer and then more recently it has been Becky Cook, but now I think it will be Joanne Coles.

I was really surprised and very impressed with the level she has this year. She must have made a lot of hard training over the winter as she is really riding very well. What is so incredible is that she is so young and also she is only riding a 125cc bike.

She has really good technique and is riding her bike to the limit. It will be interesting to see how she develops when she moves up to a bigger bike. I may have been the champion for many years, but in the future there is sure to be a new champion, and that could be Joanne.

It is always good to see new young riders, both for the sport and also for my motivation. If the Trial is difficult I am always confident that I can win, but when it is easy it can give the opportunity to other riders too. If there are any easy competitions then Joanne will have her chance, even this year.

As Laia Sanz goes for a record breaking tenth FIM Women’s Trial World Championship, we thought it would be a good moment to get her opinion about a couple of topical subjects.

LAIA SANZ TALKS ABOUT IRIS KRAMER AND JOANNE COLES


PADDOCK ///



FIM INSIDE ///

PAOLO FLAMMINIINTERVIEW

FIM: How do you deal with the economic crisis? Do you have any plans to reduce the cost and increase the number of riders, teams, manufacturers and sponsors in Superbike and Supersport?Paolo Flammini: From our point of view, we believe that the concept of World Superbike which we created together with the FIM in 2003 and which was already based on low cost or acceptable cost, easy access to technology for all the participants and fair conditions for the competition - for example the single tyre supplier rule – are the basic elements which has made the Superbike so successful during these years. This will also help the Superbike to overcome this difficult moment for motorsport. Today, the price of a Superbike machine ready for racing is 100,000 euros which is a very low price for a motorcycle racing in a World Championship. Therefore we are convinced that the basis is good. Nevertheless, we are still working together with the FIM, the manufacturers and the teams in order to possibly further reduce the cost. We took some initiatives this year; others have just been published, as always, the attention to costs is a key element for us.

FIM: This year we have seen fewer than 20 participants in the Supersport class compared to last year which was around 30. In your opinion, what is/are the main reason(s) for such a reduction in the number of participants? P.F.: The Supersport class is traditionally a class supported not directly by the manufacturers but mainly by the local importers. This class has suffered a lot this year because of the dramatic reduction in sales which heavily hits the budget of the importers. Therefore they had to reduce their support to the local teams and some of them have been lost. Clearly we realized the situation and we adopted some measures that will dramatically decrease the Supersport season costs. So we expect in 2011 to have again a good grid in this class.

FIM: There is a lot of talk about the future of MotoGP and Superbike. How do you see the situation today? P.F.: We have been very clear about our position; the MotoGP is a category for prototype machines but the Superbike is a category derived from production machines. If we manage to respect these basic characteristic of each category then I see a bright future for MotoGP and Superbike. I think that nobody can deny the fact that we have always been consistent in saying that we need two championships, that motorcycling is not a top sport like football. So the more championships we have the better it is for the promotion of the Two-Wheels racing image irrespective of whether it is Motocross, Grand Prix or Superbike. To be sincere at the moment, we are worried that the new technical regulations which could take place in MotoGP are not exactly in line with this clear division of the philosophy as it is implemented now. So we hope that the distinction will continue to be in place.

FIM: You have been a FIM contractual partner for more than 20 years now. How do you see the evolution of your relationship with the FIM?P.F.: The relation with the FIM has always been the basis of the business for us. I can say that it has always been perfect. The cooperation we have had with the FIM for more than 20 years now and hopefully for 20 more years in the future is really perfect. In my opinion it is always important to keep a good relationship in place to have a clear vision of the roles and tasks of everyone. The FIM is the ultimate sporting authority in motorcycling and therefore for us it is always the reference point when we talk about sporting and technical regulations, safety and all these issues related to the sporting and technical management of the event. From our side we play a role also in the terrain as a contractual partner of the FIM but our specific task is to implement the visibility of the product and its commercial exploitation. I believe that it is exactly what we have done for the past 20 years and to

me what we should continue to do in the future.

FIM: Which year or event has had the most impact on your career? Can you explain why? P.F.: This is an interesting question! Actually I have had two different lives in my business career. In my first life I was involved in the financial world; I was working as a stockbroker. This was my dream when I was at university. As soon as I finished my studies I managed to go back to Milan and became employed by a well-known stockbroker: for me it was a great experience. But clearly with my brother Maurizio, we always had planned to work together. Maurizio was already involved in the field of motorcycling event organisation. At one point in 1992 we decided to work together. I basically sold my company and I joined the Flammini group and we immediately had the FIM Superbike World Championship as our main target. We wanted to bring this championship to the maximum level. I am glad today because it was a very good decision!


/// PADDOCK

Paolo Flammini was born in Rome on 28 June 1963 and graduated with honours in Economics and Commerce in 1988.

He is married to Adele and they have two daughters: Beatrice (15) and Arianna (13).

After five year’s experience as a stockbroker at the Milan Stock Exchange, in 1993 he entered the Flammini Group as Sales & Marketing Manager.

In 1996 he was responsible for internationalising the group of companies specialised in the management of the FIM Superbike World Championship thanks to a joint-venture agreement with the Interpublic Group, one of the world leaders in the advertising sector.

Octagon Motorsport, of which he became Chief Executive Officer, was created from this joint-venture.

In 2003, together with his brother Maurizio, he took over 100% of the Octagon Motorsport Group, which was renamed FGSport.

In the last few years, as Chief Executive Officer of FGSport, he has promoted and managed the huge growth of the FIM Superbike World Championship until 2007, the year that marked the arrival of the Infront Group as shareholders of FGSport.

Today Paolo Flammini is Chief Executive Officer of Infront Motor Sports and his commitment is fully focused on the FIM Superbike World Championship.

CURRICULUM VITAE PAOLO ALBERTO FLAMMINI

FIM: What has been for you the best moment in the history of World Superbike?P.F.: This is really a difficult question. There have been several important and beautiful moments. At the same time I can say that not the moment but the period I like the most is the present period. I remember the 2002 and 2003 seasons when we had very serious difficulties; at that moment the public opinion was that Superbike

was going to die. Together with the FIM we made very strong and radical decisions and today we can say that those decisions were right. We have experienced a continuous growth since 2004 and the championship is more and more attractive every day, so if I have to think about the past six years, this is the period I like the most in the history of Superbike.

by Isabelle Larivière


PADDOCK ///

Louis Christen founded his “Louis Christen Racing” factory in 1972 in Rheineck (St Gallen/Switzerland) 100 metres from the Austrian border on the Swiss side of the River Rhine. He started his career by creating chassis for Formula V 1300cc racing cars then F3 and thus he developed his expertise in assembling aluminum chassis.

In 1979 the S1 Sidecar was born. Louis invented the “modern” racing monocoque sidecar by creating a longer aluminum chassis and setting the 1000cc engine behind the driver. The classic sidecar chassis are made of steel with an engine fitted below the rider.

Louis, a man of many projects, became impossible to ignore in the Sidecar world, creating aluminum chassis for high level performance. LCR is a human-sized factory of 3 people who design, make, assemble, customise and distribute their products. They are expert at welding (steel, titanium and aluminum), milling, undercutting, riveting and joining the 740 high quality parts of metals that make a S1 sidecar chassis. The aluminum plates used are 1.2mm thick and 700 rivets are necessary for assembling the 16kg chassis that support the 18kg of the Carbon/Kevlar® streamlining. When the S1 Sidecar is fully equipped with its 1000cc engine, the electronic cooling system, the FIA homologated fuel tank, wheels and tyres, the weight reaches the limits of the FIM regulations at 225kg.

In 1983-4, LCR made 40 chassis for solo motorcycles (Zündapp 80cc) and in 1985 production started with 60 chassis for racing motorcycles with 125cc MBA engines.

In 1987, Louis built 120 “KRAUSER DOMANI” leisure sidecars (for tourism use) assembled with BMW engines.

In 1995, LCR built 60 Karts with electric engines for the indoor championship and since 1980 LCR has made 400 S1 Sidecars (long aluminum chassis/850cc -1000cc engines). There have also been 40 S2 Sidecars built since 1960 (short steel chassis/600cc engines). The sidecars are distributed in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA.

More than 20 FIM Sidecar World champions have won their titles using LCR S1 sidecars. Swiss rider Stefan Dorflinger won two 80cc World Championship titles in 1984 and 1985 with LCR chassis-equipped motorcycles.

Man of many projects:

Louis Christen was involved in an Electric Vehicle project: he built aluminum chassis and his solar car raced during the “Tour de Sol” rally in Switzerland for 3 years. Now, he has a new project in mind to follow up beside his sidecar activity. He plans to assemble and adapt a chassis for an electric motorcycle and to solve the problems of overheating.

If ever you attend a Sidecar S1 event, look out for Louis Christen – he is still very much around!

HIGH TECHNOLOGY“SWISS-MADE”LOUIS CHRISTEN RACING (LCR)


/// TECH TALK

Exhaust system

Bodywork: carbon/Kevlar (®) composite fibre

Body workmounting point

Chassis-Anodised alloy, glued with araldite and riveted with Imex Rivets

Airbox

Carbon Fibre exhaust heat cover

Air duct for extra cooling to the front brake disc

Gear change pedal

Brake pedal

Engine Oil catchment box

Clutch lever

Superside S1 Sidecar chassis are manufactured • by Louis Christen Racing (LCR) Switzerland.

The ‘monocoque’ chassis is made from aircraft • quality aluminium.

The driver kneels in front of engine and over • exhaust system

The passenger positioned on the platform • moves around to transfer weight to improve traction while holding onto small handles mounted on rear of the sidecar

Overal length of the Sidecar : 3.2 metres • Minimum weight with driver and passenger: • 380kg.

S1 SIDECAR FROM THE OUTSIDE


TECH TALK ///

Wheels, LCR- BBS special wheels.•

Wheel size: front 9x13”, rear 11x14”, • side 11x13”

Tyres: grooved for wet and slick for • dry.

Tyre make: Yokohama or Avon•

All three brakes are operated by one • foot brake pedal

The driver can adjust brake bias from • front to rear and vice versa to suit race conditions, by turning the brake bias knob clockwise or anticlockwise

Brake disc front diametre 268mm x • 20 mm wide and vented. The rear is the same, sidecar disc diametre 246mm x 9mm solid disc.

Front and rear brake callipers are AP • Racing and 4 piston; Sidecar brake calliper is AP Racing 2 piston. All brake pads are high performance friction, make Padgid, Mintex, or Ferodo.

S1 SIDECAR FROM THE INSIDE

s


/// TECH TALK

Engines are standard 1000cc, 6 gear • with multi plate clutch producing an estimated 160 to 170 bhp. The standard solo motorcycle sump is removed and fitted with a sump with baffle plates to stop oil movement when going round corners as the engine stays level in the sidecar chassis. The engines are from well known motorcycle manufacturers, i.e. BMW, HONDA, SUZUKI, YAMAHA, etc.

The drive to the rear wheel is by • sprockets and a roller chain.

The sidecar is fitted with shock • absorbers for suspension to the front and to the rear wheels, the sidecar wheel dose not have any suspension. Manufactures include Maxton, Koni, Eibach and Proflex.

by Jean-Paul Gombeau & Mark Walters


TECH TALK ///


MOTOCROSSFIM & IFMXF JUDGING WORKSHOP IN MIES

by Dirk De Neve

FreeStyle Motocross is a fast evolving sport and riders are constantly pushing their performances to reach new levels. Surprisingly, the FIM FreeStyle Motocross World Championship Regulations have seen little changes since being drafted in 2006. This may sound strange to some but one should not forget that FIM contractual partner IFMXF and the FIM worked in close cooperation when drafting the Championship Regulations.

A review of the Regulations was necessary and FIM FreeStyle Motocross World Championship Head Judges, IFMXF and FIM representatives gathered at the FIM Headquarters on 20 July to discuss the current judging system, its strengths and weaknesses.

Fair and transparent judging was the guideline. Different topics were raised and each time all parties joined their opinions in one strong position.

The main decisions included the “Double up” the time for the “Double up” will be restricted. Exceeding the time limit will affect the rider’s score/points reduction); “Overall” scores (a new scoring system including a ‘Technical Deduction’ criterion will be introduced) and “Track use” and “Variation” (These criteria will be raised to a minimum of 20 points and could be re-adjusted according to the course set up).These new regulations should come into force as of the second half of the 2010 season and will be published soon.

From left to right: Marko Manthey (IFMX CEO), Dirk De Neve (CMS Coordinator), Head Judges Jose Gaspar (BRA), Jason Moriarty (RSA), Sören Sellmer (IFMX Event Director), Head Judges Alvaro dal Farra (ITA), Marco Roth (GER) & Laurent Collet (FRA), Sebastian Golze (IFMXF Technical Director) and Dr Wolfgang SRB (CMS President).///

Following the opening of the ROSA (it means “road safety”) at Jerez attended by FIM President Vito Ippolito, the ROSA Kinobus has continued its long travels. In Mugello Francesca Marozza of FMI and Silvio Manicardi of UEM (and also member of the CMT) were present working with the project. In Sachsenring CMT President Achilles Damen paid the project a visit. There are different strands to the work. As it moves around Europe the ROSA project is hosting workshops with national experts. At the conclusion handbook on best practices in safety will be prepared.

The other side to the project is dissemination of the safety message through the travelling exhibition. This includes the highly imaginative exhibit of the “talking dummy” who stars in a Spanish road safety advertisement.

It is not just the racing circuits either. Earlier this year the bus paid an official visit to Brussels where it was welcomed by FIM Brussels representative Matthieu Bertrand. Other visitors were Isabelle Kardacz Head of the EU Road Safety Unit, and Maria del Carmen Girón Head of International Affairs at the Directorate General of Transport in Spain. The visitors were all welcomed by RFME’s Andrés Pérez Rubio, the project leader.

by John Chatterton-Ross

ROAD SAFETYROSA PROJECT MOVES AROUND THE MOTOGP CIRCUIT


FIM INSIDE ///


/// GALLERY

FOUR TIMES SUPERMOTO WORLD CHAMPION THIERRY VAN DEN BOSCH IS DEFINITELY THE MASTER OF TARMAC, THE KING OF DIRT, AND A DEFINITIVE EXPERT OF THE ULTIMATE BALANCE ON A MOTORCYCLE. AND HE WAS NOT TOO FAR OFF BECOMING A MX CHAMPION AND ALSO A GREAT ROAD RACING RIDER, LIKE A CERTAIN JEAN-MICHEL BAYLE DID BEFORE HIM. IT’S NOT SO COMMON THAT VERSATILITY MEETS SUCCESS.

Does any one ever know the true meaning of chance or destiny? It was nearly by chance that Thierry Van den Bosch did a test ride on a SuperMoto bike. In 1998, after he had quit his racing career for four years, he got on a bike through a friend who owned a KTM dealership. Thierry thought that the 440cc, 2-stroke machine was great fun and he then entered some local races in France. He finished first in Bordeaux-Mérignac and second in Albi. The rest is history, but history still in the making: Thierry took four SuperMoto world titles and he has been undoubtedly one of the main characters of the class for more than ten years now, as he is still winning races.

Was Thierry made to become a SuperMoto king? At 10, he started to race 80cc MX bikes on the local Ligue d’Acquitaine (near Bordeaux). Thierry did not come from a family with a strong biking background but he was asking to ride and his parents gave him some support. He admits that they considered his racing more on the entertaining side than as a career building process.

Thierry seems to have an unfinished story with MX. “I did not reach the level I wanted to”, he said. Thierry got injured several times when he was younger. “I got injured at the wrong time; maybe it was the lack of maturity, young riders need to be trained properly to avoid hurting themselves”. However, Thierry moved from local to national racing and joined the Equipe de France team in 1993, to be supervised by former MX world champion Jacky Vimond. He sustained some knee injuries and had

to undergo some surgery, but nonetheless finished the season as vice-champion in the Junior French championship behind a promising youngster, Michaël Pichon. Many riders would have satisfied themselves with such a result, but Thierry knew his potential was much greater.

The injuries took him away from racing MX at the highest level so, for a couple of years Thierry did not race anymore, except for some go-karting, in which he again achieved some honourable results. And then, after four years away from the starting grids, he won his first SuperMoto race in 1998. Then Thierry’s progression was absolutely remarkable. He became French champion the following year, French, German and European champion in 2000, French and German champion again in 2001. 2002 was the perfect year. Thierry clocked the hat-trick with the French, European and World titles!

A great champion knows when to stop. After the absolutely perfect 2002 season, Thierry wanted to quit SuperMoto to embrace another challenge. He joined Yamaha Motor France to officially enter the FIM Supersport World Championship. “Before I did a few French SBK races and even some wild cards in GP 250, where I had the possibility to score a few points during the French GP race at Le Mans before the engine of his private Aprilia broke down. Getting into the FIM Supersport World Championship was a fantastic challenge too. In SuperMoto, I had won everything in 2002, so I couldn’t see how I could do any better. Unfortunately, I got injured in Valencia

at the beginning of the season, so I was not at my best. On the other hand, the team Yamaha Motor France was discovering the championship with me; everything was new for us, the tracks, the bike, the competition. My best result was good, with a fourth place at Silverstone”.

And then Thierry tries to justify himself – not that it was needed, anyway! “It was a real good result, in dry conditions. I started in tenth place and managed to move back to fourth, so the potential was there”. The potential was there for sure, but unfortunately not the finances. Although a two- year contract was signed with Yamaha, the French importer pulled away from WSS the next season and although Thierry was proposed to race in the national French Supersport championship, an agreement could not be found between the two parties and Thierry decided to go back to SuperMoto.

If a great champion knows when to stop, a greater champion knows how to come back and win everything again and again. “I was a bit dubious”, said Thierry, “because between the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2004, I did not ride any SM bikes”. But true talent does not lie and Thierry was crowned World Champion again for his comeback. Two more world titles were to come and it might not be over!

After twelve years riding at the highest level in SuperMoto, how does Thierry look back on that class? “It became more and more professional around 2004/2006.

THIERRY VAN DEN BOSHMISTER SUPERMOTO


GALLERY ///

Thierry Van den Bosch took four SuperMoto world titles and he has been undoubtedly one of the main characters of the class for more than ten years now, as he is still winning races.///

Before, it was easier, cheaper; we were riding with some kind of Motocross bikes with appropriate tyres. But for the last couple of years it became more and more sophisticated and all the set-up and testing and specific parts are more and more important. However, he does not train that much on SM bikes during the off-season. “It’s difficult because there are not so many places to ride. And if you can’t ride at 100 %, it’s kind of pointless because you don’t learn anything or make any progress on the set-up. So I keep myself fit with cycling and MX riding. I need to be fit, although SuperMoto is physically less demanding than Motocross or even Enduro”.

How to keep the motivation after all these years? “When you get used to winning, it’s difficult not to want to win again and again, to prove to yourself that you can do it. And I’ve changed classes and manufacturers quite a few times so to me it adds other challenges and it’s very motivating. I’ve won with HVA and KTM; I’ve won with Aprilia, with TM. I’ve won on single cylinder and twin cylinder machines. Of course, one can say that the Aprilia SXV was faster on fast tracks, but at the end we managed to win on slower tracks with a lot of dirt sections. So to achieve all that is highly rewarding”. Thierry talks about maturity as well. “Growing older, you evolve. I don’t think about risks per se, because doing certain things in your daily life can be risky as well and as long as the race is

on, once you are a racer, you’ll always be a racer. But SuperMoto seasons are short and if I think about not taking too many risks, it’s more because I think about the season than hurting myself”.

When asked what is the best memory or the highest achievement he can be proud of, Thierry still hesitates, as if the highlights had been too many to be prioritised. To become the 1999 French SM champion was a great surprise to him. To achieve the absolutely perfect 2002 season was a dream come true. But on top of that, if Thierry is too modest to pretend to be Mr SuperMoto, he admits that he is proud of putting his mark on the discipline for so many years.

Very few riders can give a precise background of racing so many different bikes to the highest level. So what is the absolute thrill? To ride an MX track, to skid corners on an SM or to reach the ultimate speed on a road racing bike? Here we go again with the unfinished MX love story: “Even in go-karting I had a lot of fun but four-wheelers do not bring as much adrenaline as motorcycles. I appreciate the SM riding style, you have to be as close as possible to perfection. I enjoyed the aesthetic side of it, to have the proper balance located in such a narrow margin. On top of that, the SuperMoto is the class that allowed me to accomplish myself, to win all these titles and be recognized as a champion. I’ll be eternally grateful for what SM brought to me. In road

racing, the pleasure comes from being the closest to the fastest lap time. But if the bike is not set up properly, or if the feeling is not there, it just does not make it”. No, ladies and gentlemen, it seems that the ultimate biking experience is on dirt. “If we do not consider the racing side and the fact that I am able to fight for a World Championship title only with a SM bike, I would say that it’s the Motocross bike I enjoy the most to ride just for fun. The track conditions are always changing; you need to constantly adjust yourself to be fast. If I don’t ride that much on the road anymore, I can’t see myself not riding Motocross bikes, just for fun”.

What about life after racing? “It’s difficult, because a racing season is just very intense and you don’t have much time to think about anything else. For now I’m still very happy with the racing, but the golden years are gone. Before, I could sign multi-year contracts, but with the economic turmoil, the situation has got worst. For the last two seasons, I signed just a couple of weeks before the start. Obviously, my heart is with motorcycles and with racing, so even if nothing is really planned, I can see myself keeping in touch with this world. But I also have an oenologist diploma, so I can work in real life!” No doubt that Thierry Van den Bosch is a very happy man.

by David Reygondeau


/// GALLERY

1984: first race in MX, regional French championship (Ligue d’Aquitaine: - Yamaha)

1999: French SuperMoto champion Prestige and 400cc (HVA).European SuperMoto Vice champion.

2000: French, German and European SuperMoto Champion (HVA)

2001: French, German SuperMoto Champion. European Vice champion (KTM)

2002: French SuperMoto Prestige and 450cc champion; European and FIM SuperMoto World Champion (KTM)

2003: FIM World Supersport (Yamaha)best result: 4th in Silverstone, in dry conditions

2004: FIM SuperMoto S1 World Champion (KTM)

2005: 3rd in SuperMoto S1 World Championship (KTM)

2006: FIM SuperMoto S2 World Champion. Italian SuperMoto Champion (APRILIA)

2007: 2nd in FIM SuperMoto S1 World Championship and2nd in Italian Championship (APRILIA)

2008: 2nd in FIM SuperMoto S1 World Championship (APRILIA)

2009: FIM SuperMoto S1 World Champion (TM)

2010: FIM SuperMoto S1(actually 3rd in FIM SuperMoto S1 World Championship, with TM)

PERSONAL FACTSBorn:• 8 July 1974 in Agen (France)Nationality:• FrenchLives in AndorraLives with JohanneOne son, Tom, born in 2009 Height:• 1m73Weight:• 67kg


GALLERY ///

In fact Spain has won three world crowns before, but that was in the days when there were more than three categories in the World Championships. In 1988 Juan Martinez won the 80 and 125 titles and Sito Pons took the 250. The following year Manuel Herreros won the 80, Alex Crivillé the 125 and Pons the 250.

MotoGP: LORENZO FINDS HIS GROOVE

No one stays on top forever, not even Valentino Rossi. Just as all empires eventually crumble, Rossi’s rule of MotoGP had to end one day. Except, of course, that Rossi’s reign had already been ended, by Nicky Hayden in 2006 and by Casey Stoner in 2007, and who would bet him against winning another title with Ducati?

But for some reason Jorge Lorenzo’s domination of this year’s MotoGP world championship has got more people believing that the game may really be up for Rossi, that 2010 is the year the torch finally changes hands, from ageing king to young prince.

Apart from Lorenzo’s crowning, the MotoGP status quo has largely remained undisturbed this year: Yamaha are still on top, Honda are still fighting to find week-in, week-out speed and Suzuki are still struggling to get into the ballpark. Only Ducati’s status has changed – they used to challenge for the title, now they challenge for podiums.

After two seasons of up-and-down performances, Lorenzo has found a perfect blend of speed and consistency. The Fiat Yamaha rider believes he always had the outright speed, it was only his tendency to go too fast that let him down.

“At the beginning of my career in MotoGP I was fast, but I didn’t have control of the motorcycle at 100 per cent,” he says. “The difference between 2008 and 2010 is not so much my speed, which is more or less the same, but the fact that the control I have in all situations is better.”Lorenzo, like so many racers, had to learn the hard way. There is one way to learn where the limit is, and that is by going beyond it on numerous occasions. Now Lorenzo can ride that fine line pretty much every time he climbs aboard his YZR-M1. Seven race wins and three second places from the first ten races are the undeniable sign of a man in the groove and at the very top of his game. Only two other men have finished first or second in the first ten races of a premier-class season – Giacomo Agostini and Mick Doohan, which tells you a lot about the quality of Lorenzo’s performance.

“Experience makes you understand that you may crash in the next corner before it actually happens, so it’s better to slow down a little, to not turn into the corner at the maximum,” he adds. “With the experience and all the crashes you understand where your limit is, much more than before.”

Y VIVA ESPAÑA!MIDSEASON MOTOGP REVIEW

2010 IS SPAIN’S YEAR, WITH THE NATION DOMINATING ALL THREE CL A SSE S OF THE M OTO R C YC L I N G W O R L D CHAMPIONSHIPS.IN JUNE, SPAIN’S FOOTBALL TEAM WON THE WORLD CUP AND NOW THE NATION LOOKS SET TO MAKE HISTORY BY BECOMING THE FIRST NATION TO TAKE A CLEAN SWEEP OF ALL THREE MOTOGP CLASSES. JORGE LORENZO IS CURRENTLY THE DOMINANT FORCE IN MOTOGP, TONI ELIAS IS A CUT ABOVE IN THE NEW MOTO2 CLASS AND M ARC M ARqUE Z IS THE S T R O N G E S T O F T H R E E SPANIARDS RULING THE 125CC CLASS.

After the Czech Grand Prix in Brno, the top three MotoGP riders are: Jorge Lorenzo with 235 points, Dani Pedrosa 158 and Casey Stoner 119.///

/// R I D E


After two seasons of up-and-down performances, Lorenzo has found a perfect blend of speed and consistency.///

But just because Lorenzo is winning races by big margins and leading the world championship by a big margin, doesn’t mean it’s easy.

“In some ways it is easier when you know a rider is just behind you because you have less to lose than when you are leading with a big gap. When you have a big gap you can crash and you are an idiot; if you crash when you are fighting with other riders it is normal.”

At the start of the season Lorenzo was still hurting from a training injury, allowing Rossi to beat him in Qatar after firm favourite Casey Stoner slid out of the lead. At the next two races the reigning world champion suffered defeat at Lorenzo’s hands, though by then Rossi was also hurt. Injury has been one of the themes of the 2010 season.

It is impossible to know how much Rossi’s shoulder injury (the result of a motocross tumble a few days after qatar) affected his performances at Jerez and Le Mans. But there’s no doubt that what happened to Rossi at Mugello should have had a huge effect on him. In fact, he amazed people with the speed of his return and with his ability to fight for a podium result during his comeback race. In doing so, the nine-time World Champion showed just how much he loves the sport of motorcycle racing. There is no bike racer in the world with less to prove, so Rossi’s return to action just five weeks after suffering a compound fracture of his right leg was astonishing. “I come back to race because I miss riding the motorcycle very much,” he said. “But I know I cannot crash. A crash would be

risky, so I have to be quiet and not make mistakes.” This is the first time in his career that Rossi has carried metalwork inside, which certainly adds an extra complication to the task of trying to win races in the biggest championship of them all.

MotoGP’s other so-called aliens have had their own struggles this year. Both Stoner and Dani Pedrosa have found it difficult to run with the Yamaha. Stoner was a big favourite pre-season and some people were already calling him the 2010 champion as he left his rivals trailing during the first few laps at qatar. But if Ducati improved the Desmosedici’s rear grip from 2009, it seems it’s been at the cost of the front grip.

“Sometimes the front folds three or four times on some laps,” says Stoner. “That’s shot my confidence. We don’t know if we’ve got too much weight on the front or too little.” So far, despite a myriad of settings, tweaks and reverting to 2009 forks, Stoner has been a shadow of his former self on the Ducati.Pedrosa has bravely continued leading the Honda charge during 2010. The factory started the season in some disarray, experimenting with different chassis and swingarms. Remarkably, it took them just two races to get back on track, Pedrosa within inches of winning at Jerez. The stability of the RC212V has certainly improved, but Pedrosa believes the heart of the problem isn’t the chassis.

“Our engine is peaky and aggressive, with not so much at the bottom and lots of power at the top, so the power delivery isn’t smooth, so the chassis is unstable,” he explains.

Winner at Mugello and Sachsenring, Pedrosa had just about got the foundations of a title challenge when he slid off while leading the US GP, the midpoint of the 2010 championship. As he admitted at Laguna, perhaps without any intention of understatement: “Now it will be difficult to win the championship”. No wonder that the Spaniard is starting to get impatient – this is his fifth year in the elite class. “I feel like time is running out,” he adds.

Time certainly isn’t running out for Ben Spies, so far the standout rookie of 2010. Fellow rookies Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Gresini Honda), Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki), Hector Barbera (Paginas Amarillas Aspar Ducati) and Aleix Espargaro (Pramac Ducati) have all shown glimmers of greatness, but Spies has been on another level, despite the fact that he’s learning new tracks most weekends.

The Texan – who scored his first MotoGP podium at Silverstone and his first front row at Brno – reckons he’s got plenty more to come and he’s very excited about the switch to 1000cc engines in 2012. “I think I will benefit from the 1000 thing,” he says. “My style now is in between the 800s and the 1000s, so it will match the 1000s perfectly because it won’t be completely superbike, it won’t be completely 800. Also, by 2012 I’ll have had two years learning the tracks, the tyres will be normal and the lifestyle too. Right now I’m not at my full potential to ride one of these bikes, I’m not as fast as the fastest guys but I don’t believe I can’t be. Everybody’s beatable.”

R I D E ///


With the second half of the 2010 series underway, Moto2 riders find that they can be in the hunt or victorious one weekend, then out of the hunt for points the next.///

The inaugural Moto2 championship was always going to be unpredictable because the use of control engines, ECUs and tyres puts riders on a level racetrack. But no one could imagine quite how unpredictable Moto2 would be. Even now, with the second half of the 2010 series underway, riders find that they can be in the hunt or victory one weekend, then out of the hunt for points the next.

Even star performers like championship leader Toni Elias (Gresini Moriwaki), Andrea Iannone (Speed Up) and Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Suter) have had their ups and downs: Elias won four of the first nine races but finished tenth at Silverstone, Iannone won two of the first six races but was only 19th at Losail, while Luthi scored four podiums from the first eight races but finished 19th at Le Mans and qualified 21st at the Sachsenring.

There is a straightforward reason for such topsy-turvy results. qualifying is so close that the tiniest mistake at one corner in qualifying can make the difference of several rows, which in turn can ruin the chance of a good result in the race. At Le Mans the fastest 29 riders were covered by just one second – the closest grid in any class in six decades of Grand Prix racing.

“If you’re on the first two or three rows you’re okay,” explains British rider Scott Redding, who nearly scored his first Moto2 podium at June’s British GP. ‘But after that you can’t break through the pack because there are riders who can’t do the pace themselves but who can get onto the back of you because the bikes are all the same.

“You need to be up front to try to get away, like Iannone did at Mugello and Assen. Once you’re in the middle of the battle, it’s hard to get anywhere. Iannone risks everything the first few laps; he puts

in five or six really hot laps and makes a gap, while everyone else is battling among themselves.”

Iannone has shown the most impressive speed so far, breaking away from the pack at Mugello and Assen. But overall Elias seems to know the most about getting the most speed out of a Moto2 bike from start to finish.

“The engines in Moto2 are slow, so you need to do everything you can to get more rpm,” says the Spaniard, the only man to have won GPs in Moto2, MotoGP, 250s and 125s. “The most important thing is to have a good chassis and suspension, so you can be very fast out of the corners, so you are quick down the straights.”

Elias (at 163cm and 58kg) is one of the shorter, lighter riders in Moto2, but bigger riders like Le Mans pole sitter Kenny Noyes (180cm and 66kg), have to work extra hard to be fast down the straights.

“I’ve had to learn some tricks,” says the Jack & Jones PromoHarris rider, who lost six kilos on a strict Moto2 diet. “At the first tests my elbows were outside my knees. In Moto2 you’ve got to get right into the bike – get as far back and as low as possible – so we moved the tail section back to give me room. Now I also put my toes on the footpegs which moves my feet back, so my knees go down a bit, which means more space for my elbows. And I roll my hands under the handlebars to give me more room.”

Big rider or small rider, there is no denying the equality of Moto2 – at Catalunya the fastest ten bikes were separated by just 1.8mph.

MOTO2: CLOSEST CLASS IN GP HISTORY

/// R I D E


The 125 class is where most MotoGP kings are born – and this year’s 125 world championship has already highlighted several talents who look strong enough to make it all the way to the elite class. Spanish teenagers Pol Espargaro (Tuenti Derbi) and Marc Marquez (Red Bull Ajo Derbi) have been the standout performers so far, with Marquez making a little bit of history along the way.

Marquez has been a slow burner – he has been knocking on the door of success for a year or more, but ill luck and tumbles kept him off the top step of the podium until June’s British GP. That was some breakthrough, because the 17-year-old also won the next three races, making him the youngest rider in history to win four consecutive GP wins. It’s a classic case of a talented rider who’s not sure he can win until he does win, and then he finds it difficult to stop winning.

That run of four perfect weekends – four pole positions and four wins – moved Marquez to the top of the championship past Espargaro, winner of two of the first three races, and early points leader Nicolas Terol (Bancaja Aspar Aprilia), who suffered a back injury at Catalunya which kept him out of action for two races. Then it was Marquez’s turn to get hurt – he dislocated his left shoulder during Brno practice, but bravely raced to a seventh-place finish. At Jerez Marquez had suffered a nastier dislocation of his right shoulder which kept him out of the race.

Whichever way you cut the 125 class, it is Spanish dominated. Terol’s comeback win at Brno was the 20th consecutive Spanish win in the category, an all-time record in all classes.

by Mat Oxley

125CC: SPAIN ALL THE WAY

The top three positions in the provisional standings of the 125 class are dominated by Spaniards. Terol’s comeback at Brno was the 20th consecutive Spanish win in the category, an all-time record in all classes.///

R I D E ///



MOBILITY,TRANSPORT, ROAD SAFETY AND PUBLIC POLICYEUROPEAN UNION ANNOUNCES A NEW FOCUS ON MOTORCYCLE SAFETY

The European Commission made announcements in July concerning road safety for all road users. The motorcycle part includes the following proposals:

New law to ensure all motorcycles and scooters are equipped • with, “automatic headlight on” systems. - Known as AHO. Further measures to bring in advanced braking technologies. • Additional “anti tampering” measures. • More research into airbags.• Research into protective clothing - including air bag jackets.• Road worthiness testing for two wheelers.•

So what does this really mean for riders? Taking these items as listed AHO is already with us for motorcycles produced by ACEM member companies. The proposed new law will plug a loophole where some machines imported into Europe from Asia (mainly from China) do not have this feature as standard. With “advanced braking” the wording is key. “Advanced braking” covers more than “anti lock” braking systems. It includes technologies such as combined braking systems. FIM has pointed out that at the present time economics make anti lock braking impossible – and anyway also unnecessary – for mopeds restricted to a maximum of 50 km/h, - the legal maximum in the EU. A simple hydraulic combined braking system makes more sense for mopeds.

The situation becomes more complex with the larger size machines now that Bosch have developed new lower price anti lock braking technology. Market forces are also complicating the picture. To take just one example the popular Kawasaki Versys model is available with, or without, anti lock braking and the price difference is only 480 Euros. This would this be reduced to if Kawasaki started using the new Bosch technology. What if Kawasaki simply took a decision to make the Versys available only with ABS? Making two different models must be an expensive operation. In recent years Honda have found it impossible to sell their basic 600 four in Germany except in ABS form because that is what German riders want. The, “writing has been on the wall” for years now. Back in 2001 ACEA (The European car industry association) moved to make cars and light vans sold in the fifteen EU member countries of that time only with anti lock braking systems. Any parent today buying a used car for their son or daughter about to set off to university, college or work will end up buying them an ABS equipped car. – Unless they buy something very old indeed! It cannot make sense for motorcycles and scooters to be the only vehicles in traffic in the EU that do not have this technology.

In 2008 the European Transport Safety Council tackled these issues in its report “Vulnerable Riders” to which the FIM contributed. It proposed anti lock braking systems for machines of 125cc and above. The report also conceded that for small vehicles like mopeds lower price more basic technology such as combined braking would make sense.

Anti tampering measures seem set to be increased in scope as the EU moves towards new licence categories such as the new A2 limited to 35kW. It is important that any such measures do not add to servicing costs.

AIR BAGSOnly one production motorcycle is so equipped – the Honda Goldwing. This is a genuine air bag using technology similar to that in cars in that the air bag is triggered by an explosive charge so that it deploys very rapidly. Of course the seating position on motorcycle varies widely as does the position of the fuel tank. It is not possible to replicate what has been done with the Gold Wing design across all motorcycles without much more research. A rider is in an entirely different position to a car occupant as he is not strapped in. This is why the air bag on the Gold Wing is so huge.

AIR BAG EQUIPPED CLOTHINGThis is a totally different concept and these devices cannot be deployed with anything like the speed of a vehicle air bag. Despite this many writing in the motorcycle press confuse this issue and write as if the technologies were similar – they really are not!

ROAD WORTHINESS TESTINGThis is a controversial topic in some countries, in others it is just regarded as “normal.” – In the UK it has been standard for motorcycle over three years old since 1958. The EU is planning to make this compulsory for motorcycles just as it is for other categories of vehicles.

So where does this all lead? It seems likely that over the next years there will be many EU funded projects to research these issues. FIM experience with motorcycle sports will become ever more relevant to testing some of these new concepts particularly in protective clothing.

Taking the EU programme as a whole it is not very ambitious or imaginative. There seems to be a real lack of focus on the increasing problem of “distracted driving” as mobile telephones are becoming mobile small computers. Far too many drivers are easily distracted and a change of social attitude is required. It is encouraging that some large companies – Michelin is one example – are now telling employees that when they are at work and driving the mobile telephone needs to be switched off.

by John Chatterton-Ross


FIM INSIDE ///

Franco Uncini riding the RG 500cc Suzuki on his way to the world title in 1982.///

PORTRAIT: FRANCO UNCINIMISTER SAFETY

A SAFETY DELEGATE UNDER

THE AEGIS OF IRTA, FRANCO

UNCINI WORKS TODAY WITHIN

THE RACE DIRECTION WITH

PAUL BUTLER, CLAUDE DANIS

AND JAV IER ALONSO. A

SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION

FOR HIM, WHO WAS 500CC

G R A N D P R I X W O R L D

CHAMPION IN 1982.

When Loris Reggiani and Didier de Radiguès asked him at the beginning of the 90s if he would agree to take over the role of Grand Prix riders’ representative in order to defend their rights and principally their safety, Franco Uncini did not hesitate very long. Beyond the fact that he had been dreaming for several years of coming back to work in the Grand Prix paddock, the Italian felt obviously concerned by the mission that was proposed to him. No-one had forgotten the dreadful accident he suffered on the Assen circuit in 1983. Qualified on the second row of the starting grid and then the 500cc reigning World Champion, he crashed in the exit of one of the first curves of the Dutch Grand Prix. While he tried to cross the track to reach a place to be sheltered from the pack following him, the Suzuki rider was violently hit by Wayne Gardner’s Honda. With the shock he lost his helmet. He spent five days in a coma and needed six months to recover from the accident. This is why Franco Uncini could only be sensitive to the

mission that the riders wished to entrust to him at the end of 1992. “I had just made a season as team manager in the FIM Superbike World Championship”, recalls the Italian. “I had just won the World Champion title with Doug Polen, but I was not satisfied with the support that Ducati was proposing for the following season. So I said yes to Loris Reggiani”.

For Franco Uncini, the passion started back in 1974 riding a Laverda. He says: “These were my first competitions as a junior before riding the following year, still in Italy, under the colours of Ducati”. And winning seven races out of nine… “I broke once and let my teammate win in the last race to please him”. Franco opened the doors of the Road Racing World Championship. In 1976, he offered himself a place on the rostrum in the 350cc behind Johnny Cecotto and made the best lap on the Montjuich circuit. At 22 he was promoted teammate of Walter Villa in the Harley Davidson Aermacchi team.

“ We had a motorcycle that was working erratically. One day you would win, another you wouldn’t even qualify”. Nevertheless, he made it twice on the first degree of the rostrum and finished second in the 250cc World Championship behind his teammate. In 1978, Franco Uncini accepted the proposal of Andrea Ippolito – father of the current FIM President - who was then working with the Venemotos company and importing the Yamaha brand for racing in Venezuela. “It did not work very well, as I had a difficult relationship with my mechanics”, the Italian regrets. He then decided to make his dream come true: to race in the 500cc Grand Prix. He bought a Suzuki – a machine which made up most of the top class grid, with which he succeeded in staying close behind the factory motorcycles. He stepped on his first rostrum in Yugoslavia on 17 June and finished his first 500cc season in fifth place in the World Championship. “And first privateer”, he said, making the point with some pride. In 1980, he entered with two


/// PADDOCK

machines and a reinforced team. Second in the first race in Misano behind Kenny Roberts, he was back on the rostrum in Assen and in Imatra, and finished his second season in the top class in fourth position. Once again best privateer, Franco Uncini received a proposal from the Suzuki factory to ride Wil Hartog’s motorcycle. “The Japanese came to see me when the 1981 season had already started”, the Italian remembers. “In fact, Hartog did not want this bike anymore and I quickly understood why…” While Marco Lucchinelli offered Italy a 500cc World Champion title that the Transalpines had not tasted since the crowning of Giacomo Agostini in 1975, Franco ended his third season in the 500cc class in 13th position. Despite this bad performance, Uncini inherited a place in Roberto Gallina’s factory team in 1982, besides Loris Reggiani. Fourth in Argentina in the first race of the season, he won in Austria a month later. He won again in Misano, Assen and Rijeka and made his

dream come true becoming 500cc World Champion! The Italians would then have to wait for the upcoming of Valentino Rossi to meet success again. In 1983 the accident he suffered at the Dutch Grand Prix was the end of his ambitions. “I came back at the end of the season but with its aluminium frame and its square-four engine, the new Suzuki was not up to scratch”, Franco explains. “I wanted to go somewhere else but Gallina held me back: he was convinced that Suzuki would make the corrections. Unfortunately it was not the case”. Then, at the end of ‘85, while he finished the season in 15th, having scored only eight little points, Franco Uncini decided to put an end to his riding career. “I was 30 years old. I’d always thought I would stop at that age, just like Jackie Stewart.”

Helmet, gloves, boots and leathers in the cupboard of souvenirs, Franco decided to turn the page. For three years he invested himself in a company which

was drilling for oil companies “But I missed racing too much”, the Italian said. He then decided to come back to Grand Prix and tried to put up a team with Kenny Roberts in the 250cc class. But the deal did not work because of a lack of budget. He had to wait until the 1992 season to take over the Ducati team which took the FIM Superbike World Championship title with Doug Polen. In 1993, he was thus riders’ representative. “We created an association we called IMRA (International Motorcycle Racers Association). I was writing letters to the organizers to ask for one or another improvement on the circuits. But as we were not recognized by anyone, I had problems in finding people to talk to”. That is, until the day someone proposed that he join IRTA in order to take care of safety questions. Having become an official, Franco started to work with the FIM on circuit homologations. Seventeen years later, the former World Champion still works with safety questions, hand in hand with Claude Danis. “Our work has considerably developed since I started in this job”, Franco said. “Today, all the World Championship circuits have a very high level of safety. We work now on details such as the quality of the paint used for white lines, or with the depth of the gravel beds… In Assen, for example, following Toni Elias’ crash in 2008, we asked the Dutch people to review the density of the upper layer of their escape areas so that a rider cannot fall in too deeply after a crash”. He takes part moreover in the homologation of new circuits with the FIM Safety Officer. Franco Uncini has an important role, during each Grand Prix week-end, within the Race Direction, chaired by Paul Butler. He works with Claude Danis and Javier Alonso, the Dorna delegate, in order to supervise the running of practice sessions and races. “It is an exciting mission”, the 55-year old Italian declared.

by Michel Turco


PADDOCK ///

FIM WOMEN RIDE CAMPAIGN

MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS NEWS

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LIVIA LANCELOTMOTOCROSS IS SO MUCH FUN!

IN THIS THIRD EPISODE OF THE FIM CAMPAIGN “WOMEN RIDE”,

WE PROUDLY PRESENTS FROM TOULOUSE, FRANCE, THE

MOTOCROSS BELLE LIVIA LANCELOT.

FIM: When did you discover the motorcycling world?LIVIA LANCELOT: When I was really young I had a motorcycle. I was given a motorbike for Christmas, I was just four years old, I think.

FIM: What age did you start racing? L.L.: I got on the bike immediately and started racing two years later.

FIM: Did you get your passion from somebody else?L.L.: In fact, it was my parents who gave me the spirit of motorcycling.

FIM: As a youngster were you into Barbie dolls or motorcycling? L.L.: Motorcycling for sure. I was a little bit into Barbie, but not much!

FIM: Men and women use the same Motocross bikes. From a physical point of view, how do you deal with this?L.L.: There is no difference; maybe the suspension is a little softer for the girls. The set-up may be different so it is almost the same. I spend many hours on the motorcycle. I ride everyday to achieve maximum race fitness.

FIM: What kind of training are you doing?L.L.: I have a coach. I have almost the same programme as a man. I run every day, cycle sometimes too… I do all I can to be good when I am racing.

FIM: What do you say to people who think that motorcycling is not for girls?L.L.: I am a professional female rider.

I work in a team exactly like male riders do. I compete in the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship. In my opinion female riders have nothing to prove about this anymore!

FIM: Did you choose this sport for passion only or because it is even more challenging to compete against male riders - it is rather a man’s world isn’t it?L.L.: Passion comes first. When I was young I was not thinking about racing with the boys. It was just a passion but now it is a little bit more of a challenge too.

FIM: Have you already experienced racing in any other motorcycle sport and did you enjoy it?L.L.: No I did not. I just rode a road racing bike when I was sixteen.

FIM: Did you enjoy it?L.L.: I did not enjoy it so much… there were no jumps!

FIM: Why did you choose Motocross in particular?L.L.: I did not really test ride in any other discipline so I cannot compare. I enjoy motocross because it gives me a fun feeling and brings up the adrenaline. I love the jumps and I do not think that I can find that in another sport.

FIM: Have you ever sustained any serious injuries? L.L.: Yes, I have had quite a lot of injuries. I broke my wrist one time, in 2007 I had a knee ligament torn and last year I dislocated a shoulder.

FIM: After these accidents what kept you riding?L.L.: I came back stronger each time! You know when you cannot ride you have time to watch the other girls and you have time to think about what you have to do to be better. I just worked hard to come back better than I was. I started riding again at the end of 2009 and now I feel really good when out on the track. I also enjoy being in my new team.


/// FIM INSIDE

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FIM: Is it a “plus” to be a woman in the motorcycle world today? L.L.: No, I don’t think so. I was FIM world champion in 2008, and even with this title it was hard to find a team. This year - after my injury - I was on my own. Nobody wanted me in their team and I couldn’t find a ride. It was not that easy; even for someone who won the title two years ago.

FIM: Do you think that the view of women in motorcycling has changed in recent years? L.L.: Yes, a little - because now the championship is on TV. That makes it better for us for sure. But I think it is not enough yet.

FIM: It seems that the woman’s market is one of the new targets for the motorcycle industry?L.L.: I don’t think it is a priority for the industry, but their interest is increasing. Now we can find products for the girls that were not there before, but it is still not a priority. That is for sure.

FIM: What kind of difficulties did you experience in your career coming up through the ranks and becoming a champion? L.L.: Not so much, actually. I think I just had the passion, so I worked when it was time to work. After sixteen I became a pro rider and I started to ride every day. Now it is my profession and I give my best – always! Becoming a champion is difficult. You have

Livia Lancelot enjoys motocross because it gives her a fun feeling and brings up the adrenaline! .///


FIM INSIDE ///

to work to develop your talent. I have won a title. I have to work take it again!

FIM: You hold a world title and the competition is out to beat you. Do you think that it will be difficult to keep your lead?L.L.: I think it is all about the work. The more you work, the easier it is in the race. I try to ride every day, even when it’s snowing, raining or whatever. I go out riding again and again and it makes it easier for the races. I have some ideas, but no real plan. I will see. I just want to

stay focused on my career and try to get as many titles as I possibly can. After that…? I will see when my goals change, and what I want to do then.

FIM: How do you see your future after your career as a rider? Would you like to stay involved in motorcycling? What’s your plan?L.L.: As I said, I don’t know yet. For the moment I just want to get as many titles as I can and then who knows?

by Isabelle Larivière

The FIM Women Ride campaign is promoted through the FIM Communication Platform (FIM-LIVE.COM, the FIM Magazine Ride With Us!, FIM YouTube Channel, the FIM TV Magazine – FIM Moto Show) and official Championship programmes. If you need more information about the campaign please contact Isabelle Larivière at [email protected].

“I love the jumps and I do not think that I can find that in another sport.”

– Says Livia .///

38 FIM MAGAZINE .74 /// JULY AUGUST 2010

/// FIM INSIDE


OBSERVED TRIALS: THE BEGINNINGSBETWEEN THE FIRST SCOTTISH

SIX DAYS TRIAL IN 1909 AND

THE FIRST EUROPEAN TRIAL

CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1967,

ALMOST 60 YEARS PASSED.

TRIAL IS THE SPORT WHICH

TOOK MOST TIME TO DEVELOP

AND SPREAD OUT FROM ITS

BIRTHPLACE, GREAT BRITAIN,

O R M O R E P R E C I S E LY,

SCOTLAND.

In fact, an essential role in the development of this sport – and its slowness to reach other countries – is the importance that the Scottish Six Days progressively took, becoming a traditional event. Originally, however, it was a Reliability Trial, such as the Six Days organised by the ACU. The first title was Scottish Six Days Reliability Trials, and the organiser was at first the Edinburgh Motor Club, then as from 1911 the Edinburgh and District Motor Club. In the same way as in any Reliability Trial, the riders had to confront quite difficult terrains and cross obstacles with machines which at that time were heavy, with very little power, equipped with tyres and suspensions far from what we know today (or even without any suspension at all, notably on the rear).

Today, when one talks about Trial (whether in English or in French), it is in fact what has been called “observed trials” since the 30s, as the word “Trial” alone has several different meanings (beside “judgement”): test and event. The distinction between “observed trials” and “reliability trials” – in other words between the Six Days’ Reliability Trial” and the “Scottish Six Days’ Trial”, established itself very progressively over the time. The Six Days’ Reliability Trial, which started in 1903 and became “International” in 1913,

is based on the reliability of the machine and the rider. The Scottish Six Days were no different. The course in those days was just as difficult (for those days, at least), to be run in a given time. They developed as a

local event, while the ISDT won international status in 1913 and then had their first tour on the continent as of 1920 – six years later than planned, because of the First World War.

Hugh Viney in the 1955 Scottish Six Days Trial. He won events in observed Trials (SSDT) as well as in Reliability Trials (ISDT) between 1947 and 1955 .///


/// VINTAGE

In Scotland, the evolution was different, changing gradually. Obstacle crossing was introduced; courses had to be run in a given time and in the end the prohibition of any external help, and in particular footing, was adopted in 1931. It gave birth to real “Observed Trials”, sanctioned with penalty points in case of fault.However, even with these differences, many riders took part in both competitions. Hugh Viney – just to mention one of the most well-known riders - appeared in the FIM classifications as a member of the British

team winner of the ISDT Trophy from 1948 to 1951, and then in 1953. Moreover, he was also well known by the specialists as a great Trial rider, triple winner of the Scottish Six Days in 47, 48 and 49 riding his 350cc AJS.

The observed trials only started to appear on the continent after the Second World War. The first national championships out of the United Kingdom started in the 50s: the Netherlands, Belgium, then France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, later Spain

in the 60s – where the new Trial industry would explode a few years later, followed by Italy and Japan, wiping out the British industry.There was very little, if any, mention of foreign riders taking part in the Scottish Six Days before the 50s, and it would not be until 1980 that the first non-British rider, the Finn Yrjo Vesterinen, would be seen on the first degree of the rostrum.

Various British riders contributed to the development of Trial on the continent,

Sammy Miller was a top rider in observed Trials from the early 50s until the early 70s first riding a 500cc Ariel, then the famous two-stroke Bultaco created in the 60s. He won the Scottish Six Days Trial five times and the European Trial Championship twice. He also won several Gold medals at the ISDT (Reliability Trials) and achieved podium places in the 125cc and 250cc Road Racing Grand Prix between 1955 and 1958 - a unique achievement in motorcycle sport.///


VINTAGE ///

among others Don Smith and Sammy Miller, as well as with the help of a FIM Vice-President, the Belgian Henry Groutars during the 50s. As the observed Trials were developing fast, the idea came up to organise a tournament gathering together the best international riders. This Trial competition was set up as from 1963, and would receive the name Henry Groutars Trophy, in tribute to the Vice-President who died in 1959. Don Smith, Sammy Miller and the German Gustav Franke would be the main actors of this first generation Trial – that by team in 1963 with a surprising victory by the Belgians, and then individual – in order not to compete with the Reliability Six Days. Don Smith won in 1964 riding a Greeves, followed by the German Gustav Franke in 1965 on a Zündapp, and again in 1966 (ahead of Smith and Miller). Don Smith won the last Trophy in 1967 in front of Franke.

The decision to pass to an European Championship was taken at the Warsaw Congress in October 1966. The Henry Groutars Trophy had obtained quite a success, showing it was time to move on, i.e. to organise a “real” Trial Championship. The proposal had been made years before by the Belgian Federation but the FIM delayed the decision until autumn 1966. The International Six Days Reliability Trial was then considered as a World Championship for teams, which it was not until then, at least officially. A project presented

by the Czech Federation was then under study. The solution for Reliability was taken in spring 1967 by creating a European Two Days Reliability Championship. Both European Championships, Trial and Reliability, would then start at the same time, but it is precisely at that moment that the comparison stopped. The distinction between both disciplines was officially and definitely established.

The first European Trial Championship would start in autumn 1967 and finish in April 68: Trial would be a sport run during the winter period – until 1970-71. As from 1972 it would start in January and finish at the end of August. Five events counted towards this first Championship (the three best results being taken into account). The first event was held in Switzerland, in Oberiberg on October 1st, 1967. Sammy Miller had dominated Trial for the previous ten years, after riding in Reliability and in Road Racing. Riding a Bultaco, he won the competition with 11 points lost, ahead of Bill Wilkinson (Greeves) with 31 points, Don Smith (Bultaco, 33 points), Gustav Franke (Zündapp, 36), the Frenchman Christian Rayer and the Belgian Jean Crosset with 46 points each.

The second round was held in Kronach (Germany) on October 22, and Sammy Miller won again in front of Gustav Franke, Bill Wilkinson and Gordon Farley (Montesa). Then came and the next round on 21

Don Smith won the Henry Groutars Trophy in 1964 and 1967 riding a Greeves and then the European Championship in 68-69 - a legend in observed Trials.///


/// VINTAGE

Gordon Farley (seen here during the 1969 SSDT) was fighting against Sammy Miller, Bill Wilkinson, Don Smith and Gustav Franke in the Trial events at the end of the 60s. His best result in the 67-68 Championship was a second place in France.///

Bill Wilkinson (Greeves) was one of the best Trial riders during the 60s – seen here during the “West of England” National Trial in 1964.He finished twice second behind Sammy Miller in the first European Trial Championship. He won the Scottish Six Days Trial in 1969, the last victory of a British manufactured motorcycle.///

January 1968 in Dison (Belgium). Sammy Miller was untouchable, finishing with 14 points, ahead of Peter Gaunt (22), Gordon Farley (24) and Gustav Franke (27). On February 12 the French round took place in Clamart, a suburb of Paris, and once again Sammy Miller made a demonstration, leaving behind him Gordon Farley, Bill Wilkinson, Christian Rayer and Gustav Franke. Finally the last event in Ashford (Great Britain) was the ultimate recognition for Sammy Miller, ahead of Gustav Franke, D.J. Weller and Gordon Farley.

All the rounds were thus won by the same rider: Sammy Miller. Gustav Franke finished second, ahead of Bill Wilkinson, Gordon Farley, Peter Gaunt and Don Smith. Riders from 9 countries took part in this first European Championship (average of 40 entered riders per event).

In 68-69, Don Smith (Montesa) succeeded Sammy Miller, who would take his crown back in 69-70, before the era of Mick Andrews. The British riders filled the largest part of the paddock in those days. This would start to change only as from 1976 with a certain Yrjo Vesterinen…

by Marc Pétrier


VINTAGE ///

LEISURE MOTORCYCLING

FIM RALLY: 2010 EDITION

M.S.: Geert Van den Bosch, you are one of the organisational team – how did you get involved with this event?

G.Vd.B.: Aha, I’m not a motorcyclist! I’m one of Walter’s best friends and he asked me to help him as his “right-hand man”. Being on this team has completely changed my previous image of bikers who I thought had a rather negative image. I am so impressed by the lack of conflict between riders from so many different nations and cultures – it has been a real pleasure to be involved in this FIM event. ...

M.S.: Ted, what are your impressions of your first FIM rally?

It was the first ever FIM Rally for Ted Trett from Bradford, England.

T.T.: I’m very impressed by the scale of this organisation – to put on an event like this, and get it just right. The facilities are excellent – but the best thing was when the local folk, who have nothing to do with motorcycling, were waving and cheering as we came through the town of Herentals on our bikes for the Nations Parade.

M.S.: Walter, what has being in charge of the 2010 FIM Rally organisational team meant to you?

W.V.T.: A lot of hard work (laughs). There has been a lot of stress and pressure. We have all had to be very flexible and have worked on this for 12 hours a day for a long time. People are very demanding nowadays and as FIM controls the rules for this event, it puts more pressure on the organisers and some aspects are very difficult to calculate. But since the event started, I have often felt the hairs on my arms rise with emotion

Parc Fermé in Herentals.///

THE 2010 FIM RALLY WAS ORGANISED FROM 22-24 JUNE IN HERENTALS, BELGIUM BY THE KAMC-HERENTALS MOTORCYCLE CLUB, UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE BELGIAN FEDERATION (FMB). MAGGIE SUTTON, FIM’S TOURING COMMISSION COORDINATOR, WAS THERE AND TALKED TO A FEW PEOPLE...


/// FIM INSIDE

For the first time ever at a FIM Rally, there was a delegation of riders from Saudi Arabia. Marwan al Mutlaq was their organiser and team leader.

M.S.: How was the idea of participating in the FIM Rally born? Can you tell us a little bit about your overland trip from Riyadh to Herentals...

M.A.M.: The idea came from wanting to organise a motorcycle trip for people who share the same passion and I developed the initiative to work with a committee for motorcycling and a federation was established by Royal Decree under the aegis of the FIM and FIA. There have always been sporting activities but no lobby for touring riding so the idea of participating in a FIM Rally appealed to me. For us, the journey itself would be the most important part – a far-away destination and a fulfilling challenge. The whole trip was more than 7’000 km overland. Our group met up (we had an

assistance vehicle too) and we left Riyadh three weeks before the official opening of the Rally. The journey was amazing! We passed through Jordan and Syria where I have friends who were very hospitable; we passed through the most magnificent scenery in Turkey and spent some time enjoying Istanbul’s history and culture. We then crossed through Bulgaria and visited Bucharest in Romania. (Even on our “rest” days, we didn’t stop riding – we were always doing little sight-seeing tours!) Between Bucharest and Hungary, we had our first breakdown, but the assistance vehicle was there to help and there was a minor accident also in Hungary when one of our riders fell and broke his arm. We then came through Austria and Germany stopping in Munich. Then, when we had almost reached our final destination in Belgium and were exhausted, we had the most terrible weather – we are so glad the weather is beautiful now in Herentals (laughs). There

is little or no motorcycling culture in Saudi Arabia but I hope that will gradually change and I am sure it will be more important in 10-15 years time. Certainly, coming to this FIM Rally has been an exciting experience for all of us and we are looking forward to the next FIM Rally in Vienna!

M.S.: Back to you Walter, the 2010 FIM Rally is over. You and your club have done an excellent job - everyone has had a great time. As an organiser, even with all the stress and pressure, would you ever do it again?Walter Van Tendeloo: ABSOLUTELY!

THE NEXT EDITION OF THE FIM RALLY WILL BE ORGANISED BY OEAMTC/OSK IN TULLN/VIENNA FROM 6-8 JULY 2011. WWW.FIMRALLY2011.COM

by Maggie Sutton

M.S.: Aimo, you have been the Swedish National Delegate for 44 years! What do you recall of your first FIM Rally in 1967 and how have bikes, bikers and the FIM Rally evolved since that time?

A.N.: The 1967 FIM Rally was held in Moscow and SVEMO (the Swedish affiliated national federation) asked me to go to Russia to represent the first official team from Sweden; we were 4 riders and 2 passengers out of about 800 participants. The roads were terrible – bad and very narrow and there were many incidents along the way! We met up in St. Petersburg and rode together. We found we were often escorted by officials and had surveillance

at hotels, petrol stations and so on...When we arrived at the Rally centre there were Russian officials in black suits to greet us – just for 6 people - we were very impressed! At the Arrival Control a military band played the national hymns of the participating nations but when the bikes were placed in the Parc Fermé, no-one was allowed to go and see the bikes in another nation’s zone and each zone was guarded by the military police! How have things changed? Well, of course now you need better bikes to cover long distances but many of the same people from Sweden go year after year–to the FIM Rally - our average participation is between 300-400 bikers now.


FIM INSIDE ///


WANTED: YOUNG RIDER FOR CHAMPION!THE FIM NURSERY FOR FUTURE MOTOCROSS STARS

The FIM Motocross Commission started working on a Motocross Championship for very young riders in 1998. Some of the guidelines for the project were that it should be one single event in order to attract young riders from all over the world. Last but not least: riders participating in the FIM Junior must not have scored any FIM Motocross World Championship points.

In 1999 the first edition of the FIM Junior Motocross World Cup was run in Gaildorf/Germany and Belgium’s Kevin Strijbos 85cc class (12-15 years). The 125cc class (15-18 years) was added as of 2001. The event was upgraded to World Championship as of 2004. In 2006, a Championship for national teams counting the best overall result of each nation’s rider in each class was added. Just like their elders do in the prestigious FIM Motocross of Nations, these young riders will defend their country (based upon their passport).

Actually, by participating young riders get a first taste of FIM Motocross competition. Very often, it tastes like “more”…Previous winners and participants are now household names in the “adult” FIM World Championships. Apart from Kevin Strijbos, other winners in the 85cc class are Dennis Verbruggen (2002), Ryan Villopoto (2003), Zack Osborne (2004), Ken Roczen (2007), Jeffrey Herlings (2008). The 125cc class winners’ circle includes: Tanel Leok (2000),

David Guarnieri (2002), Dennis Verbruggen again (2005), Joël Roelants (2006) and Mattis Karro (2008).

FIM World Champions Antonio Cairoli (MX2/2005-2007 + MX1/2009-2010), Christophe Pourcel (MX2/2006), David Philippaerts (MX1/2007), Tyla Rattray (MX2/2008), Pierre-Alexandre Renet (MX3/2009), Marvin Musquin (MX2/2009-2010), James Stewart (SX/2007-2009-2010) and Adrien Chareyre (S1/2007 + S2/2008-2009) all participated in the FIM Junior at

one early point in their successful careers … but even in the FIM Junior class, there can be one winner only.

Finally, there are the ones that have not won any FIM World Title yet (whether Junior or “Adult”): Nicolas Aubin, Evgeny Bobryshev, Xavier Boog, Clément Desalle, Steven Frossard, Rui Gonçalves, Gert Krestinov, Davy Millsaps, Max Nagl, Gareth Swanepoel, etc… The list is impressive.

The thrill of the start is always the same whether it is the Junior class or MXGP.///

Go, go, go … signalers pushing their riders to the max.///



As of this year, the event is restricted to 2-stroke motorcycles only. Not only are they less expensive to maintain and easier to work on (very often, “dad” is the mechanic), they also are the ultimate weapon to learn how to race. 2010 was also a first for the 65cc class (10-12 years) which joined the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship ranks. Who ever said: “Who learns young forgets not when he is old?”

The 2010 edition of the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship was held in Dardon-Gueugnon, France. More than 200 international young riders representing 34 countries lined up for battle.Adding up to an already strong contingent from several European countries, they came from as far as Australia, New Zealand, Myanmar, Guatemala, South Africa and the USA in their quest for FIM glory.

Saturday’s qualifications were run in very hot weather conditions (+ 30°C) but this was not going to stop these youngsters.

In the 65cc class in the Championship, Brian Hsu (TWN), currently leading the 65cc European Championship, finished his qualifying session almost 3 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. In fact, it would have earned him a 5th place in the 85cc class! Tamur Talviku (EST) and Joseph Crown (USA) followed in second and third.

In the 85cc class Brian Bogers (NED) confirmed his dominance in the European Championship leading Martin Borchert (GER) and Rostyslav Voytsyckyy (UKR).

In the 125cc class, Jordi Tixier (FRA) headed the French rollercoaster of Sulivan Jaulin, Simon Mallet, Maxime Desprey and Benoit Paturel. First “non French” were Joey Savatgy (USA) and Stefan Olsen (DEN) in respectively 6th and 7th positions.

Sunday’s weather conditions were cooler and threatening. But it takes more than some thunderstorms and some very nasty winds to keep away the 5000 spectators from watching the future stars of motocross. Neither did this slow down the latter who showcased their talent, speed and determination on a very technical and demanding track.

65CC: GO USA!The 65cc class was won by Jake Pinhancos (USA/1-1) beating Brian Hsu (TWN/2-2) and Todd Wilson (AUS/3-4). The American dominated both races and stated: “It was really difficult to hold Brian but he had some bad luck on the last moto and that can happen to anybody. The track was really rough; I do not have such hard packed tracks at home so I had a tough time getting around it. I would like to thank the people who set up this race, I want to come back sometime.”

65cc TOP TEN POSITIONS:1. PINHANCOS Jake (USA/KTM) – 50 pts; 2.HSU Brian (TWN/KTM) – 44;3.WILSON Todd (AUS/KTM) – 38; 4.SIKYNA Richard (SVK/KTM) - 32; 5.VAESSEN Bas (NED /KTM) – 27; 6.EVANS Mitchell (USA/KTM) – 27; 7.PAPI Brock (USA/METRAKIT) – 23; 8.CROWN Joseph (USA/KTM) – 20; 9.PRAMMER Lukas (AUT/KTM) – 20; 10. ZONTA Filippo (ITA/KTM) – 18.

85CC: A GERMAN TRIUMPH! Henry Jacobi (GER /1-3) won the 85cc class. His nearest opponent Tim Gajser (SLO/4-1), came two points short. Stefan Ekerold (GER/2 12) was third overall. «I was in eighth after the start of the second race and had to make my way through the field only able to finish in third but it was enough to get the overall. I want to thank my parents and my sister for helping me so much to get here», commented a happy Jacobi.

85cc TOP TEN POSITIONS:1. JACOBI Henry (GER/KTM) – 45 pts; 2. GAJSER Tim (SLO/KTM) – 43; 3.EKEROLD Stefan (GER/KTM) – 31; 4. JONASS Pauls (LAT/SUZUKI) – 29; 5. KOVAR Vaclav (ACCR/KTM) – 29; 6.CERVELLIN Michele (ITA/HONDA) – 28; 7. DE WAAL Micha Boy (NED/SUZUKI) – 27; 8.BOGERS Brian (NED/KTM) – 23; 9. MANN Scott (AUS/KTM) – 22; 10. OLSEN Thomas Kjer (DEN/SUZUKI) – 19.

125CC: COCORICO FRANCE!After a European 125cc Championship, Jordi Tixier (FRA/1-1) can now add the 125cc FIM Junior Motocross World Champion laurels. Although he had fierce opposition from Joey Savatgy (USA/2-3) and Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT/5-2), the Tixier won both races and gave the French fans what they wanted: the victory of a French rider. “Things were not easy as it looked because Savatgy is a pretty good rider. Although after having two good starts and finding better lines on the second race I managed to win both motos. I hope to ride the MX2 Championship next year and get some good results to be able to thank again the support that I have been having from my family and fans”, said Tixier.

125cc TOP TEN POSITIONS:1.TIXIER Jordi (FRA/KTM) – 50 pts; 2. SAVATGY Joey (USA/SUZUKI) – 42; 3. RAUCHENECKER Pascal (AUT/KTM) – 38; 4. JAULIN Sulivan (FRA/YAMAHA) – 36; 5. DESPREY Maxime (FRA/YAMAHA) – 29; 6. OLSEN Stefan (DEN/SUZUKI) – 27; 7. BERNARDINI Samuele (ITA/KTM) – 26; 8. HANOUSEK Roman (CZE/KTM) – 21; 9. BISCEGLIA Matt (USA/YAMAHA) – 20; 10. PATUREL Benoît (FRA/YAMAHA) – 19.

/// S T A N D I N G S


NATIONAL TEAMS 65cc 85cc 125cc TOTAL(pts)

1. USA 1 11 2 14

2. ITALY 10 6 7 23

3. AUSTRALIA 3 9 13 25

4. CZECH REPUBLIC 16 5 8 29

5. NETHERLANDS 5 7 19 31

6. FRANCE 19 17 1 37

7. DENMARK 41 10 6 47

8. SWEDEN 25 13 29 67

9. SPAIN 14 24 33 71

10. BELGIUM 40 18 22 80

TEAMS: USA, WHO ELSE?

The “race within the race” (The Championship for National Teams) was won by the USA. Italy was second and 2009 winner Australia had to settle for third position.

Will I be Stefan (72), will I be Antonio (222), que sera sera!///



Paul Broomfield/Team Manager Australia: “We have 6 riders here. It has been pretty tough to organise from the other side of the world but we have made good friends and contacts. The facility here is nothing like those that we have at home. The track is incredible; very steep hills and big jumps! The talent is amazing here. There are riders from 5 continents competing; it is a true world championship. It is going to be good racing. The organisation is amazing; we have been impressed by the friendliness of the French people and the help that we received from the French federation and the FIM”.

Kip Bigelow/AMA Delegate, USA: “We brought 6 boys over. This is the first time that we have put together a full team. It was a very long trip for us. We love the track; it is a lot like the tracks we have especially on the west coast, some of the east coast as well with the big hills and the long straights. We have a very strong team this year, and look to be coming back for many years to come.”

Enrico Oddenino/FMI Coach, Italy:“We are here with the 10 best Italian riders. This event is important because it is a real Junior World Championship. The track is very well prepared and technical, a typical French track.”

Leon Giesbers/KNMV Coach, Netherlands: “It is a really nice track; typically French with long up- and downhills. We brought over 12 riders. We see a lot of good riders from other countries. I knew from last year that the American, Australian and New Zealand riders are very fast and it is good that they come over to compete with the European guys. This is a true Junior World Championship”.

Antonio Alia/RMFE Delegate, Spain: “We have 11 riders. This championship allows riders from all over the world to compete against each other and to compare their skills. It gives them a right idea of their level and their career prospects. What is the RFME hoping for? We want them to participate, have fun and do their best. If a good result comes so be it.The track is excellent. The efforts made by the organisers to prepare the track and the paddock are enormous, congratulations!”

Alfredo Castro/FPM Delegate, Portugal: “For the first time, we brought 5 riders, all of them in the 85cc class. The track is beautiful and offers excellent views to the spectators. The organization of the event is good and it will be a nice racing weekend”.

André Vantomme/FMB Delegate, Belgium:“Motocross competition under the age of 12 is forbidden in Belgium. So we do not have a 65cc class and Belgian riders have to take a licence abroad. We only have 85cc competition in Belgium in the last 5 years. If a rider wants to achieve at an early age, he has to leave the country. As for this track, it is challenging and suitable to different classes. Riders can learn a lot here”.

Anthony Sprowe/Coach and Team Manager New Zealand: “It was only natural that we came over with a team. The track is fantastic; quite different to what we have in New Zealand. The soil is different and the track is pretty steep. Our tracks have softer soil and more rutted. Also the temperature; back home it is 3°C and snowing right now. It is a real challenge for our boys. We are really blown away with the hospitality of the French people, the atmosphere is electric and we are really enjoying ourselves.

Olivier Robert/Trainer, France: “I also work for the French federation and I am supporting clubs whenever requested. We have been preparing this event in Dardon for 18 months. It is a really dynamic club with a very beautiful circuit. We have 10 riders in each class. We have been more than surprised by the level of the foreign riders in the 65cc class. We are lagging behind. We have always considered the 65s as a youngsters class; let them have fun and not take too many risks. We do not want to put pressure on them and but to let them discover the sport by themselves on easy tracks. Maybe we ought to change our position or maybe not, let us see what happens.”

Harry Everts (father of…)/Talent scout, KTM: “I am here for KTM to spot new talent. We will gather the most talented ones to be rated by a selection of former riders. Our goal is to bring the best ones to the Grand Prix. I have already some list…”

Walking around we could see that many countries had sent riders coaches, trainers, and officials to look after these youngsters. Here is what they had to say. There is one intruder among them, can you find him?

Do this, don’t do that… coaches are there to help the young riders.///

/// S T A N D I N G S


34 countries, 233 entries, 3 classes Dardon-Gueugnon Motoclub’s (happy) President Jean-Paul Forest

Le festin d’Alain (Alain’s feast): a team of 15 ‘chefs’ preparing …800 meals, 4500 sandwiches and 1200kg of French fries. Enjoy your meal!

The end: 2 happy but muddy children and one mum to clean it all!

250 volonteers aged from 7 to 77! Chief flag marshal Mireille Forest and her 50 flag marshals

BEHIND THE SCENE: THE UNKNOWN HEROES

by Isabelle Larivière & Dirk De Neve



Career Highlights:

2009: MX1 World Champion2008: 6th MX2 World Championship (injured) 2007: MX2 WORLD CHAMPION, European Supercross Champion, Italian MX2 Champion 2006: 2nd MX2 World Championship, 2006 SX UEM Champion 2005: MX2 World Champion 2004: 3rd MX2 World Championship 2003: 15th Italian 125 championship (injured) 2002: Italian 125 ‘junior’ champion 2001: Italian 125 ‘cadet’ champion, regional 125 champion 2000: 5th European 85 cc championship, 3rd, Italian 125 ‘cadet’ championship 1999: 3rd Italian 125 ‘cadet’ championship 1998: Italian mini senior champion 1997: Regional mini champion 1996: Regional mini champion 1992: Started racing

TONY CAIROLI

Date of Birth: 23/09/1985 • Birthplace: Patti, Italy• Height/Weight: 175 cm/ 70 kg • Hobbies: Rallying•

Like most achievers in sport Cairoli’s success is a mixture of unmistakable talent and determination,

even a degree of defiance.///


/// GALLERY

TONY CAIROLISICILIAN MASTERPIECE IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DIRT

THE TOWN OF PATTI NESTLES qUIETLY ON THE NORTH-EAST COAST OF SICILY. THE 14,000

POPULOUS IS RENOWNED ON THE ISLAND FOR ITS GREEK TINDARI RUINS. IT IS ALSO THE UNUSUAL

BIRTHPLACE AND HOME OF ONE OF THE BEST MOTOCROSSERS IN THE MODERN ERA. ANTONIO

CAIROLI (THE SHORTENED ‘TONY’ MUCH PREFERRED AND SPELT WITH THE ENGLISH ‘Y’) IS 24

YEARS OLD AND LIKE ANOTHER FAMOUS ITALIAN HAS FIRMLY MARKED A TERRITORY WITHIN

HIS MOTORCYCLE RACING DISCIPLINE THROUGH HIS SPEED, STYLE, OFF-TRACK DEMEANOUR,

PROFILE AND OF COURSE RESULTS.

That Sicilian is currently one of the fastest and elevated riders in FIM Motocross World Championship bucks the trend of a sport dictated by northern Europeans, chiefly Belgians, for the better part of the last thirty years. Cairoli is flamboyance personified across the many large and spectacular jumps of a 21st century Grand Prix track but he also has the speed and race-nuance to earn his many lofty accolades.

The stats? Try three world championships before reaching his present age. The first rider ever to own crowns in the MX2 (which he did twice in 2005 and 2007) and MX1 categories which were conceived to house 250cc and 450cc four-stokes respectively in 2004. He was the first debutant to claim the premier MX1 class in 2009 (and the first rookie to triumph in an MX1 GP, managed in a wild-card outing in 2007) and twice a race-winner at the flagship annual tournament the FIM Motocross of Nations.

Cairoli’s greatness has been layered considerably in 2010. In his first season with the factory Red Bull KTM team and with the class-

redefining 350SX-F, ‘222’, who bears the tattoo ‘Speed, Mud and Glory’ on his nape, he has opened a lead in the standings that places him on the threshold of title number four and another record as the first individual to procure back-to-back championships with different manufacturers; a feat not achieved in any class, old or new, since the mid 1990s. In the grey and orange offices of Mattighofen in Austria Cairoli’s possible 2010 coronation would reverberate for many years not only for the impact on their bold 350cc project but for the ensnarement of the only major FIM prize that has eluded the European giants since their reinvention as a major off-road manufacturing force late last century.

Underneath Cairoli’s flotilla of CV admonishments exists a relatively humble person who bounces between residences in Belgium, Rome and Patti, has a long-term relationship with a Dutch girlfriend, who defies the traditional motocross stereotype by living a life that does not involve strict routines and is in absolute awareness of his still-growing popularity and role model berth that has by-and- large led to a rejuvenation of interest in motocross in Italy.

© A.Cairoli Archive© A.Cairoli Archive


GALLERY ///

Like most achievers in sport Cairoli’s success is a mixture of unmistakable talent and determination, even a degree of defiance. In Sicily as a youngster he modelled himself on peerless American SX legend Jeremy McGrath and birthed a manner of panache and individualism with the motorcycle that was aesthetic as it was effective. Needing to relocate with the support of his family to northern Italy to progress, a first attempt at the world championship with 17 years of age in 2003 was largely unnoticed; he even failed to qualify.

‘Coming from Sicily it was hard to get good at motocross because we don’t have the structure or the tracks for training,” he reflects. “You reach a point where you have to leave. In the end I decided with the guy from the motoclub that I would move to northern Italy and try to make it work against the fastest riders in the country.’

‘At the beginning, in the 85cc Italian Championship, nobody took me seriously because I was from Sicily and not their area,’ he continues ‘they were even laughing at me but that dropped away because I started winning immediately and was in the top five. I didn’t feel intimidated. I was twelve at the time. Of course it was not easy being away from home so young but I had people helping me and I look back on that time fondly now.’

‘It was not a simple thing to find my speed and get better but I used to watch a lot of DVDs of races and McGrath was my idol,’ he reveals. ‘I guess I tried to copy him a lot and would try small things in the early races. My goal was always to be the best Italian rider in the GPs and in the beginning that meant being in the top ten! I didn’t think that in three years I would be world champion.’ ‘In my first year I barely qualified,’ he adds. ‘I was a Honda rider but the team did not help me much as I came from nothing. The set-up was so professional and I think it was an environment for

rider who had already made it and not necessarily for someone who just wanted to learn. I did learn a lot and the experience was really good but perhaps if I had gone to De Carli sooner then I would have developed quicker.’

A switch to the Yamaha De Carli team in 2004 saw the beginning of a partnership with ex-rider-turned-tuner Claudio De Carli that would blossom immediately, involve a new home in Rome and then a partial relocation to Belgium at eighteen to conquer the sand, focus his training and really look ahead to becoming a world force. The whole team’s transfer to the Red Bull awning for 2010 is another emulation of the strategy of Cairoli’s spiritual ‘twin’ in MotoGP.

‘When I joined De Carli he had a base in Belgium and after a little while and some thinking I decided to try living in Belgium as I knew it would help me get better as a rider and also get better in the

sand,’ he offers. ‘A lot of GPs were in the sand at that point so it was important to get fast. De Carli really helped me. I found it easy to work with him and the team. We really were like a family and my team-mate Claudio Federici was another reason why I was able to settle and become fast very quickly in the GPs. In fact I was beating Claudio after a few races but he continued to advise me, which was very good of him.’

The histrionic manoeuvres and bike handling of earlier years on his preferred 250cc mount (hence the adoption of the 350cc in 2010) may have lessened in the jaw-dropping stakes recently but Cairoli’s cannon of skills has widened. He can win from the front – his small stature a help for valuable holeshots – he can peg back distances, he finds lines distinct from the pack, he is unbelievably fast in the sand (much to the chagrin of the Benelux elite), can still be set apart in terms of whips and scrubs, and importantly very rarely makes costly mistakes. ‘In the beginning of my career, around 2004 and 2005,

© A.Cairoli Archive© A.Cairoli Archive


/// GALLERY

the tracks were much nicer to ride with more lines. Now it has changed a little bit and is not as technical. I have changed my style a bit because it pays to be smart! I am a bit safer, a bit more careful,’ he says.

Belgium has been a heavily referenced source of quality in the trajectory of Cairoli’s emergence. He has been a semi-resident of Lommel for six years and his geographical European spread has helped as much with his English and openness as much as his professional evolution. On August 1st he simply blew away his rivals in the Lommel sand for the GP of Limburg and the 24,000 crowd must have wondered how a small Sicilian can display such dominance and temerity in a terrain that has been the happy-hunting ground for home riders for decades. ‘I really feel Italian and like to live there as much as possible but I still spend a lot of time in Belgium because I need to train here and I have access to the tracks.’

Cairoli has always cited his 2006 FIM Motocross of Nations moto victory at Matterly Basin on the YZ250F against the fastest on both sides of the Atlantic and half of those on 450s as his best outing ever. His performance in the same competition – the 63rd edition - at Franciacorta in Italy last year must surely eclipse. A race-long duel between the world number one and AMA champ Chad Reed saw the riders circulating within two seconds for the 40 minute duration with Cairoli under immense pressure feeding off the 80,000 crowd’s tangible desire and the pestering front wheel of Reed. FIM vs AMA; the battle of the two champions, it was an amazing spectacle and one of the biggest disappointments of 2009 quickly followed when a sequel was eliminated with start-straight and first corner crashes for both later in the afternoon. ‘I won in front of the public and there was a big crowd,’ he recollects. ‘It was amazing and for sure one of the best motos of my career.’

Two years ago Cairoli already achieved a lifetime ambition by eclipsing Alessio Chiodi’s trawl of 27 GP wins to become the most successful Italian (he now has 34). With spoils in 2010 - thanks to three more GP triumphs at the time of writing

– Cairoli’s fourth world championship will again move him ahead of Chicco’s record three 125cc titles and also alongside and maybe above the memories associated with the likes of Rinaldi, Puzar, Bartolini and his contemporary (the first Italian MX1 champ in 2008) David Philippaerts. The next frontier for a rider who has also won his national series and a European SX championship is a stab at AMA supercross events and the same arenas where McGrath once enraptured a skinny teenager in beach shorts and sandals through a television set.

And the final verification? Why not from ten times world champion Stefan Everts who has not only raced and beaten the best but now has the chance to work and closely observe Cairoli from the KTM pit: “Tony was already a double world champion before he came to MX1 but what he did last year was really impressive. After he took the title I went to tell him that he really is the one in my footsteps and is the true champion.”

by Adam wheelers

Maybe the most beautiful title of his career up to now…//


GALLERY ///

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LIVE WORLD MX ON MOTORS TV!

2010 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

LIVE MX1, MX2 & WOMEN’S MX

For more information

www.motorstv.com FIM MAGAZINE .74 /// JULY AUGUST 2010 57

S E P T E M B E R

11-12qTEL FIM ENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 24 HOURS BOL D’OR Magny-Cours FranCE

FIM ENDURANCE WORLD CUP 24 HOURS BOL D’OR Magny-Cours FranCE

FIM TRIAL DES NATIONSMyslEniCE PolanD

WOMEN’S TRIAL DES NATIONSMyslEniCE PolanD

12FIM MX1 & MX2 MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FErMo iTaly

FIM SIDECAR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ruDErsbErg gErMany

FIM WOMEN’S MOTOCROSSWORLD CHAMPIONSHIPFErMo iTaly

18FIM LONG TRACKWORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FINAL 6MarianskE laznE CzECH rEPubliC

19FIM ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX aragon sPain

FIM SUPERMOTOWORLD CHAMPIONSHIPPlEvEn bulgaria

04FIM MOTOGP ROOKIES CUPMisano san Marino

FIM WOMEN’S TRIALWORLD CHAMPIONSHIPkraMolin CzECH rEPubliC

FIM TEAM LONG TRACKWORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - FINALMorizEs FranCE

04-05MAXXIS FIM ENDUROWORLD CHAMPIONSHIPFETHiyE TurkEy

FIM JUNIOR ENDUROWORLD CHAMPIONSHIPFETHiyE TurkEy

FIM YOUTH ENDUROCUP 125cc 2-STROKESFETHiyE TurkEy

05FIM ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX Misano san Marino

FIM SUPERBIKE & SUPERSPORTWORLD CHAMPIONSHIP nürburgring gErMany

FIM SUPERSTOCK 1000cc CUP nürburgring gErMany

FIM MX1 & MX2 MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP liEroP nETHErlanDs

FIM MX3 MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP gEnEva sWiTzErlanD

FIM SIDECAR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP slagElsE DEnMark

25FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GPTErEnzano iTaly

FIM LONG TRACKWORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGEForssa FinlanD

25-26MAXXIS FIM ENDUROWORLD CHAMPIONSHIPnoirETablE FranCE

FIM JUNIOR ENDUROWORLD CHAMPIONSHIPnoirETablE FranCE

FIM WOMEN’S ENDUROWORLD CUPnoirETablE FranCE

FIM YOUTH ENDUROCUP 125cc 2-STROKESnoirETablE FranCE

26FIM SUPERBIKE & SUPERSPORTWORLD CHAMPIONSHIP iMola iTaly

FIM E-POWERINTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPiMola iTaly

FIM SUPERSTOCK 1000cc CUP iMola iTaly

FIM MOTOCROSS OF NATIONSDEnvEr uniTED sTaTEs

FIM VETERAN MOTOCROSSWORLD CUPliEroP nETHErlanDs

SPEA FIM TRIALWORLD CHAMPIONSHIPkraMolin CzECH rEPubliC

FIM JUNIOR TRIALWORLD CUPkraMolin CzECH rEPubliC

FIM YOUTH TRIALWORLD CUP 125cckraMolin CzECH rEPubliC

FIM SPEEDWAY UNDER 21 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FINAL ryE HousE grEaT briTain

10FIM WOMEN’S TRIALWORLD CHAMPIONSHIPMyslEniCE PolanD

10-11FIM SIDECARWORLD CHAMPIONSHIPMagny-Cours FranCE

11FIM E-POWERINTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPMagny-Cours FranCE

FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GPvojEns DEnMark

FIM LONG TRACKWORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FINAL 5vECHTa gErMany


ROAD BOOK ///

O C T O B E R

09FIM FREESTYLE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPColognE gErMany

FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GPbyDgoszCz PolanD

10FIM ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX sEPang Malaysia

02FIM SPEEDWAY UNDER 21 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FINAL 3ParDubiCE CzECH rEPubliC

02-10FIM CROSS-COUNTRY RALLIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PHaraon’s rally EgyPT

FIM CROSS-COUNTRY RALLIES WORLD CUP - QUADS PHaraon’s rally EgyPT

FIM CROSS-COUNTRY RALLIES WORLD CUP - WOMEN PHaraon’s rally EgyPT

17FIM ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX PHilliP islanD ausTralia

23FIM FREESTYLE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPriga laTvia

31FIM ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX EsToril PorTugal

03FIM ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX MoTEgi jaPan

FIM SUPERBIKE & SUPERSPORTWORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Magny-Cours FranCE

FIM SUPERSTOCK 1000cc CUP Magny-Cours FranCE

FIM SUPERMOTO OF NATIONSCaHors FranCE


/// ROAD BOOK

O F F I C I A L G E A R PA R T N E R

The FIM Magazine - Ride with Us - N° 74

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