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MX2 : MX2 World Title goes in Yamaha's favour
Round: 15 - Grand Prix of England
Circuit: Isle of Wight
Date: 28 August 2005
Crowd: 25000
Temp: 24ºC
Weather: Sunny
Antonio Cairoli wasn't able to add to his recent winning streak but extended his MX2 World Championship lead by twenty-one points today at Gore-Basin on the Isle of Wight for the Grand Prix of England. The fifteenth round of seventeen in the long 2005 campaign took place in warm and sunny conditions for the first time this month and after three races affected by rain and deep mud. Billy Mackenzie, fifth overall, won the first race but France's Anthony Boissiere (Team PSM Casola)was best placed Yamaha rider with fourth overall. Boissiere, equal on points with Carl Nunn only missed out on a podium after a better second race result for the Brit. Mickael Maschio (Team Yamaha Evolution), Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) and Rui Goncalves (Van Beers-Yamaha)were other blue riders to finish in the top ten, finishing respectively sixth, seventh and ninth.
25,000 spectators travelled to the technical and spectacular circuit situated high in the Arreton downs with a splendid view across the eastern side of the Island. The terrain was excellent for racing with riders able to choose from numerous lines around the course. With two of the seventeen rounds remaining it is confirmed that a Yamaha rider will take the title. The MX2 title chase is now a two-horse race but McFarlane has had his wings clipped in recent weeks by Cairoli's splendid late season form. With one hundred points left to win, Cairoli only needs to take ten over the Australian for Yamaha's first crown with the 250F.
Cairoli comfortably won his qualification heat yesterday (his eighth of the season) but was clipped coming out of the gate starting the first moto and had to work his way through to an eventual third position from the lower reaches of the top ten. The Sicilian to make matters worse, sprained his right ankle within the first five laps. Yamaha UK Racing's Billy Mackenzie was a dominant force at his team's home Grand Prix and after passing early leader Ricci Racing's Davide Guarneri disappeared with the race to the delight of the crowd.
Cairoli produced his customary holeshot and winning margin in the second moto but could only lead two thirds of the distance before his machine expired and forced his retirement. The nineteen-year old Italian picked the right meeting to sample some bad luck as main title rival Andrew McFarlane failed to score in both outings due to mechanical failure. Billy Mackenzie hit the ground twice (the second in a tangle with the fading Guarneri outside of the top ten) and although he was close to a podium, even while circulating down in sixteenth position, a damaged radiator meant that he could not gain the extra two points needed to bump KTM's Carl Nunn from the bottom step.
Ricci Racing's Alessio Chiodi was also the victim of some on-track bad luck when he was hit in the first moto and ran into some green fencing in the second. He completed two active motos with a ninth and seventh giving him seventh overall.
Cédric Melotte was absent after breaking his right wrist at Gaildorf for the Grand Prix of Germany last weekend. The penultimate round of the World Championship takes place next week for the third Grand Prix in three weeks when the series visits the Lierop circuit in Holland, scene of the 2004 Motocross of Nations.
Billy Mackenzie (Yamaha UK Racing) - fifth overall "The first race was cool. I was prepared to get a good start and forced my way around the inside on the first turn. I was charging on the first couple of corners and wanted to get in the lead as soon as possible. I got McFarlane on the rhythm section and it took me another two laps to pass Guarneri. I knew my pace was there and I controlled the race. I felt smooth towards the end and was watching my pit-board. It was wild to win again and I was going to do a victory lap but the crowd just homed-in on me. They got me so fired up! The second race was disappointing with the two crashes and I did not know that I was close to the podium until I came into the pits!"
Antonio Cairoli (Team Yamaha De Carli) - eleventh overall "In the first heat I did not start so well but afterwards I came back OK and finished third. The track was not easy and I spent a lot of energy to get back to third. In the second heat I went for the win and made a good gap over Tyla but after about twenty-five minutes the bike started to make some noise and stopped. For sure it is not good but this is the first time the bike has broken in the World Championship. McFarlane did not take any points so it could have been worse today!"
Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) - 7th overall "I felt good on the track today but the result is really bad. I had a lot of bad luck and I think someone wanted me out of the GP! In the first moto I was fifth in the second turn but I had some contact with Tyla and ran off the track. I was down in fifteenth by the end of the lap. The track was so rough and muddy and it was difficult to change the line and pass another rider so I finished ninth. In the second moto I was third or fourth but at the top of the track Pourcel made a mistake in front of me, I changed my line and caught a rut that took me wide and into the green fencing that got mixed in my rear brake. I had no brake for the first fifteen minutes but it came back so I could catch other riders. I think I lost a good opportunity today to close the gap in the points, although I feel sorry for Andrew and his bad luck."
Andrew McFarlane (Ricci Racing) - 28th overall "In the first moto I got a really good start and tried to put in some fast lap-times. I was running third behind Davide and Billy when I had an engine problem and had to pull out. It was pretty much the same in the second moto from the second or third lap with another glitch. It was a disastrous day and there was not much we can do about it. There is still a chance of the championship. Cairoli DNF-ed the second moto and everything is still possible and we will fight to the end."
Race classification MX2
Round: 15 - Grand Prix of England
Circuit: Isle of Wight
