The Red Bull KTM Factory team was in action this weekend in Arco Di Trento, Italy for Round 4 of the Motocross World Championship, which yielded a hard fought overall win for Jeffrey Herlings in the MX2 class and a fifth place the factory teammate Antonio Cairoli.

Herlings, who has been injured and missed the GP of Brazil came away with a 1-2 results for the overall in MX2. Cairoli fought back to sixth place in his first race but a series of mishaps on the slick and slippery track knocked him down to fourth in the second race to finish overall fifth. The Italian rider still leads the MXGP championship standings.

MXGP action
Cairoli, who had crashed in warm-up on Sunday morning, got off to an uncharacteristic bad start in the opening moto to be buried back at twelfth on the very technical track. Eighteen minutes into the race he slipped past three riders in one corner to move up to seventh and then concentrated on closing down an eight second gap to the front group. He fought back to capture sixth place but then ran out of time. The race went to Cairoli’s rival in the points, Gautier Paulin.

Cairoli was sixth out of the gate in his second race and progressively worked his way up to second. But with 14 minutes to go he had a series of near crashes on the increasingly slippery track that dropped him back to fourth. He made a valiant attempt to close on the three lead riders in the last few laps but slipped again in the final lap and had to settle for an eventual overall fifth.

The Italian multi world champion who rides the KTM 350 SX-F said he had tried to get a good result for his many fans. “I did have the fastest lap in both races but I need to be more consistent,” he said. “I really wanted to win the second race today an I was working my way back to the front then I made another mistake.” Cairoli said he was hoping for a better result next weekend in Bulgaria.

MX2 Action
Herlings, on the KTM 250 SX-F fought hard throughout to win the opening moto by three seconds from Arnaud Tonus but admitted later that he was missing some bike rhythm after his injury layoff. Teammate Jordi Tixier was sixth.

Herlings knew he had moved up to third place in the championship points after the first moto and was intent in trimming the deficit even further in the second race. He was sixth out of the gate and sat at fifth through the opening half of the race before making a move into fourth place with 16 minutes and two laps to go. He wrapped up the race in second place after the win went to compatriot Glenn Coldenhoff, which was enough for the overall GP victory. Jeffrey is now in third place in the points, just 10 points off the leader Coldenhoff.

Herlings said the races were not perfect but he was still happy with the outcome. “My starts were not so good but I managed to work my way to the front to win the first race and to finish second in the second race. Considering I was injured and had also been sick with a virus infection and I haven’t had much time on the bike, we can’t really complain.”   

Tixier was riding with a badly swollen wrist from a crash on Saturday but still managed to pull off a couple of sixth places. “I think my speed was better than in Brazil but it was difficult to ride with my wrist problem and there was a lot of pain in the braking bumps. But since Brazil KTM has let me try a lot of new things on my bike and I am feeling much more confident, also in my head.”

Arco di Trento was also host to the second round of the WMX championship that yielded a podium third for KTM’s Natalie Kane of Britain who now leads the championship points by two from Chiara Fontanese, who won the GP in front of her home crowd.

Also racing in Arco were the 125 riders in the opening round of the EMX125 and the stand out rider was Davy Pootjes of the Netherlands who picked up two straight victories in impressive style on a track he described as ‘very slippery, with lots of bumps”. “But I liked it,” he said. “I felt really good on the bike. I had a good start in the first moto and I won easily and in the second I was sixth at the start and passed the other guys and won with a nice gap. I was riding good all weekend and now I’m looking forward to Bulgaria.”

MXGP Results
1, Clement Desalle, BEL, Suzuki, 47
2, Jeremy van Horebeek, BEL, Yamaha 42
3, Kevin Strijbos, BEL, Suzuki, 36
4, Max Nagl, GER, Honda 34
5, Tony Cairoli, ITA, KTM 33
Other KTM
7, Shaun Simpson, GBR, KTM 24
11. Jake Nichols, GBR, KTM 18
13, Matiss Karro, LAT, KTM 15
?
MXGP Championship points after Rd. 4
1, Cairoli KTM, 175 points
2, Desalle 158
3, Van Horebeek 154
4, Nagl 144
5, Paulin 137
Other KTM
10, Simpson 72
15. Nichols 50
17, Karro 43

MXGP Manufacturer's Standings after Rd. 4
1, KTM 175
2, Suzuki 160
3, Yamaha 154

MX2 at Arco di Trento
Results Rd. 4
1, Jeffrey Herlings, NED, KTM 47 points
2, Arnaud Tonus SUI, Kawasaki 42
3, Glenn Coldenhoff, NED, Suzuki 38
4, Valentin Guillod, SUI, KTM 36
5, Romain Febvre, FRA, Husqvarna 30
6, Jordi Tixier, FRA, KTM 30
Other KTM
9, Jose Butron, ESP, KTM 26
13, Hari Kullas, FIN, KTM 12
16. Mel Pocock, GBR, KTM 9
17, Pauls Jonass, LAT, KTM 9
19, Damon Graulus, BEL, KTM 7
?
Championship Standings after Rd. 4
1, Tonus, 154
2, Coldenhoff, 148
3, Herlings, 144
4, Febvre, 126
5, Dylan Ferrandis, FRA, Kawasaki, 118
6, Tixier, 107
Other KTM
8, Butron, 100
9, Guilloid, 95

MX2 Manufacturers Standings after Rd. 4
1, KTM 174 points
2, Kawasaki 172
3, Suzuki, 151

WMX at Arco di Trento
Results Rd. 2
1, Chiara Fontanese, ITA, Yamaha 45 points
2, Stephanie Laier, GER, Suzuki 38
3, Natalie Kane, GBR, KTM 38
4, Livia Lancelot, FRA Kawasaki 38
5, Francesca Noicera, ITA, Suzuki 32

Championship Standings after Rd. 2
1, Kane, 80
2, Fontanese, 78
3, Rutledge, 75
4, Lancelot, 74
5, Laier 72

EMX125 Championship at Arco di Trento
Results Rd. 1
1, Davy Pootjes, NED, KTM, 50 points
2, Michele Baraiolo, ITA, 35
3, Joakin Furbetta, ITA, 34
4, Brian Hsu, GER, 33
5, David Herbreteau FRA, Yamaha 32

Championship Standings after Rd. 1
1, Pootjes, 50
2, Baraiolo, 35
3, Furbetta, 34
4, Hsu, 33
5, Herbreteau 32 

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey picked up a podium third in the 450-class at round fifteen of the Monster Energy Supercross Series held at Century Link Field while teammate Ken Roczen finished a hard fought seventh overall. Both riders were on the KTM 450 SX-F.

Roczen and Dungey were among the top contenders in the early practice sessions. Roczen finished qualifying on top of the lap times to win a place in the first heat. Dungey was fourth fastest in practice putting him in heat two.

Dungey kicked the night show off in fine form at second out of the start gate. By lap five he had found his rhythm and after making a few attempts to take the lead from Mike Alessi he made a pass stick with a lap to go and went on to win the heat.

Roczen qualified for the main by finishing heat two in third spot after not getting the best of starts. He was seventh out of the gate but by lap two had worked his way up to fourth. He maneuvered his way past KTM rider Andrew Short and started to reel in Barcia in second place before time ran out on him and he transferred to the main event in third place.

In the main, Dungey got a good start rounding the opening turn just shy of the holeshot behind Villopoto. However, several mistakes in the early part of the race allowed James Stewart to gain ground on Dungey and to pass him in lap four. Dungey pulled it together and held off a hard charging Eli Tomac to finish the night on the podium beside Villopoto and Stewart.

Roczen got a reasonable start and rounded the opening lap in fifth position. But a mistake in the rutted out whoops section just before the finish line jump on lap five cost him several positions. There was then a three-way battle between Roczen, Short and Canard for most of the remainder of the race with Roczen ultimately taking the checkers in seventh place.

“I am not happy with the way I rode and I made quite a few mistakes tonight,” stated Dungey. “I need to go back to the drawing board this week with the team in California. Having a weekend away from racing should do me good and I want to come out at New Jersey feeling refreshed and ready to go.”

“I just didn’t ride very well,” said Roczen. “I am really lucky that I managed to save myself from crashing in those whoops. That could have ended up a lot worse. I just didn’t find my rhythm again after that. I battled with Shorty and Canard for quite a bit but I just didn’t have my A game on tonight.”

Next Event: New Jersey SX – April 26, 2014

US Supercross Rd. 15 (of 17) at Seattle
450-class results
1, Ryan Villopoto
2, James Stewart
3, Ryan Dungey KTM
4, Eli Tomac
5, Justin Barcia
6, Trey Canard
7, Ken Roczen KTM
8, Andrew Short KTM

Championship Points after 15 of 17 rounds
1, Villopoto 318
2, Stewart 270
3, Dungey KTM 267
4, Roczen KTM 249
5, Barcia 214

Manufacturers points after 15 of 17 rounds
1, Kawasaki 334
2, KTM 317
3, Suzuki 303  

KTM’s four time Dakar winner Marc Coma fought a great fight this week at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for the closest of finishes on the final Leg Five to miss the overall victory by just 20 seconds.

Coma, of Spain was on the podium with overall winner Paolo Goncalves and third placed Joan Barreda but can be well satisfied with his performance in the opening round of the FIM Cross-Countries Rally Championship.

KTM Factory teammate Jordi Viladoms finished in fourth overall and with Slovenia’s Miran Stanovnik in fifth to give KTM three of the top five riders in the competition. KTM UAE’s Mohammed AlBalooshi finished in sixth overall.

KTM factory riders competed on the 2014 KTM 450 Rally bike, the same machine Coma rode to KTM's 13th Dakar victory in January 2014.

Throughout the week Coma was never off the winning pace by more than 1 minute 31. He was the overall leader after Leg 2 and Leg 4 but his win in Leg 4 meant he was first out on the final day with the added responsibility of opening the track.

Sam Sunderland, the talented young British rider made a stunning start to the rally in his debut ride for the KTM Factory Team. He took line honors in Legs 1 & 3 before exiting in the fourth leg with bike issues, the result of coming off a particularly high dune during Leg 4.

Marc Coma: "We fought until the last kilometer but in this race we know the starting order has a big influence. We also had a race strategy with Sam (Sunderland) that we could not carry out after he went out. We missed the win by just 20 seconds, which was a shame because it would have been great to win here for the eighth time. I felt very comfortable and after winning the Dakar, I had the same motivation. I will try to get the win in Qatar (Sealine Rally April 20-25) that has eluded us here by such a small margin.”?

It was also an unlucky outing for KTM supported rider Jakub ‘Kuba’ Przygonski who crashed out of Leg 2. He returned to Poland for treatment for an injured back and dislocated elbow. His Orlen Team reported that he would not need surgery.
 
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Rally
(Rd. 1 of the FIM World Cross Countries World Championship)
Final overall results after Leg Five
1, Paolo Goncalves, POR, Honda, 16 hours 57.47
2, Marc Coma, ESP, KTM, 16:58.07 (at 20 seconds)
3, Joan Barreda, ESP, Honda, 17:38.36
4, Jordi Viladoms, ESP KTM, 17:38.36?
5, Miran Stanovnik SVN, KTM, 18:37.11
Other KTM
6, Mohammed AlBalooshi ARE, KTM, 18.57.53

Leg Five Results
1, Goncalves 2 hours 44.06
2, Coma, KTM 2:48.32
3, Barreda at 2:48.32
4, Helder Rodrigues, POR, Honda, 2:49.23
5, Viladoms at 2:53.35
Other KTM
6, Stanovnik at 2:46.37
7, AlBalooshi at 3:14.42

www.abudhabidesertchallenge.com 

KTM Factory riders Sam Sunderland and Marc Coma continue to occupy the first two overall places as the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first round of the FIM World Cross Countries Rallies Championship reaches the half way mark.

Britain’s Sunderland, the factory team’s latest recruit has a narrow overall lead over veteran and four-times Dakar winner Coma of Spain but they are being hotly pursued by two other top riders, Paolo Goncalves and Joan Barreda. Sunderland and Coma finished 3-4 in Tuesday’s Leg Three as both the temperatures and the competition began to heat up.

KTM factory rider Jordi Viladoms of Spain finished sixth in Tuesday’s leg to win back some time lost in the first two days. He is currently in fifth overall.

Coma said it had been another long hot day with very tough desert riding. “I opened the track today and when you are out in front and concentrating on the navigation, you tend to lose some time. But I am happy that we are still fighting for the victory and with two days to go it is important to stay very focused and make no mistakes.”

"Today was a little like we expected because it was not open desert and the dunes were quite narrow. This means it was difficult to keep a high pace. The level is high and our rivals are not making it easy. So it’s important to continue the fight. We have a good speed and the bike is running smoothly. "

Dubai–based Sunderland said he is enjoying being in the KTM Factory Team and riding the 2014 KTM 450 Rally machine. “I started out behind Marc today and I managed to catch him at about the 70 km mark. We rode together for about 30-40 km after refueling, then the others caught us and we rode the rest of the way in a group. Today there were not so many dunes but we did have a lot of hard piste to ride.” Sunderland will be aiming to improve on his third place finish last season and is well placed to achieve it.

KTM support rider Jakub “Kuba” Przygonski is out of the rally after crashing at the 190 km mark in Monday’s second leg just one day after he made a valiant attempt to save the life of a crash victim. Kuba’s Orlen Team later reported he had dislocated his elbow and injured his back and has returned to Poland for treatment. The team confirmed that he did not require surgery for his injured back.

Wednesday is the penultimate stage and riders face 380 kilometers, 240 of which are under the clock. Leg Four also features a mass start, another challenge for the riders in contention for the podium.

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Rally
(Rd. 1 of the FIM World Cross Countries World Championship)
Results Leg Three
1, Joan Barreda, ESP, Honda, 3:20.02
2, Paolo Goncalves, POR, Honda, 3:21.07
3, Sam Sunderland, GBR, KTM, 3:23.06
4, Marc Coma, ESP, KTM, 3:25.01
5, Helder Rodrigues, POR, Honda, 3:28.53
6, Jordi Viladoms, ESP KTM, 3:30.41
Other KTM
7, Mohammed AlBalooshi ARE, KTM, 3:40.35
8, Miran Stanovnik SVN, KTM, 3:42.24

 Overall Standings (after Leg Two)
1, Sunderland, KTM 10:33.02
2, Coma, KTM 10:33.30
3, Goncalves at 10:33.52
4, Barreda at 10:40.39
5, Viladoms at 11:04.19
Other KTM
6, Stanovnik at 11:53.41
7, AlBalooshi at 11:59.39

www.abudhabidesertchallenge.com 

On their 50^th anniversary, PUIG is manufacturing in the city it has seen us born. In Granollers, nearby Barcelona, it is located the 8,000 sq.m. facilities where PUIG holds the 3 sections of the company: Commercial, Thermoforming Plastics, and Metallic Components. After 50 years, PUIG is still designing, creating, and producing with the enthusiasm of the first day.

PUIG was founded on 1964 as “Carenados PUIG” by the brothers Josep and Jaume Puig who inherit from their father Joan Puig –mechanic trained in the 20s-, the interest for mechanics and specially for motorcycles. Nowadays, the vision of the Puig brothers is still alive on their mission:

• Manufacture and comercialize motorcycle accessories that protects the rider from the cold and wind, are easy to mount, and optimize the aerodinamic and style of the motorcycle.

First designs were made by Jaume in a garage and then sold in Barcelona by Josep. Barcelona was a main spot in Spain for motorcycles back in the day. The mounting process was easy and always precise. The design was new and practical, and soon the Puig brothers were recognized as good quality products. Historic clients in Barcelona are now part of our history as they help us become what Puig is nowadays.

In the late 70’s and 80’s PUIG developed full kits of bodywork for important motorcycles and become a must-have products for all motorcyclist. This was the hit PUIG needed to reach customers all around Spain. The expansion throughout Spain was not easy, but these kits along with a preceeding reputation made things easier.

By mid 90’s, PUIG started the expansion in Europe. France and Portugal were the primary targets. Then Italy, UK, and finally Netherlands and Germany. Other European countries adhered rapidly to our distribution network.

And finally, the new century brought us overseas with importers in South Africa, Taiwan, United States, Japan, Brazil, Malaysia, among many other countries worldwide. Moreover, PUIG opened in 2012 a new warehouse in Orlando, FL, USA, to improve distribution reaching customers overseas faster than ever.

After 5 decades, PUIG has collaborated with several important racing teams. On the 60s and 70s, PUIG sponsored the “red bullets” of Mollet (Derbi) and won various world titles together. In the new era, PUIG has achieved titles in World SBK, two on World Supersport, six on World Roadracing Endurance, and two in Moto2; also, podiums and pole positions in MotoGP.

From PUIG we want to celebrate this 50th anniversary with our customers worldwide –directors, managers, and employees – that work towards our mail goal and we hope this collaboration will continue for the next 50 years.

Puig imported and distributed by 

www.trickbitz.co.za

The KTM Factory Rally riders got down to some serious desert racing on Sunday with the opening leg of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first round of the 2014 World Cross Countries Rally Championship. Team rookie Sam Sunderland was the fastest home in the opening stage of 290 km, shadowed by 4-times Dakar winner Marc Coma just 34 seconds behind in second place.

Jordi Villadoms (Spain) and KTM supported rider Jakub Przygonski (Poland) came in at fifth and sixth, 11.12 and 15.06 off the pace set by Britain’s Sunderland. Sunderland and Coma are 1-2 in the overall standings after Leg One and Saturday’s prologue. the KTM Factory Team are competing on the 2014 KTM 450 Rally bike , the machine on which Coma took his fourth Dakar victory in January and KTM thirteenth.

Riders faced dauntingly high temperatures and demanding conditions through the dunes on Day One to signal that there is plenty more tough riding on the menu in the coming days. Leg Two on Monday is set to be a challenge with 494.82 km through the Emirates desert, including 269.67 km under the clock.

Marc Coma: “It was a good day for us today and the first day is very important to get the feeling for the desert back again. We are coming back to racing after some months since the Dakar, and I have had time to rest and get fit.

“The first day of the rally here in Abu Dhabi is always tricky because we are already in the dunes in the first kilometers but I am feeling good and I have a good feeling for the bike. Sam (Sunderland) opened the road today and he was very fast. We rode together and we had a good rhythm. Now it’s important to plan a good strategy for the coming days.”

The stage was marred by the fatal accident of a British rider Cameron Waugh who was found injured at the 155 km mark by KTM’s support rider Jakub Przygonski of Poland. Przygonski raised the alarm and performed CPR for 20 minutes on the victim. Waugh was airlifted to hospital some 13 minutes later but was pronounced dead on arrival.
 
KTM Racing joins Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, the rally organizers in expressing condolences to the Waugh family. The president paid tribute to Przygonski, who he said “.... was heroic in the way he tried to save a fellow competitor.” Przygonski admitted to his team it had been a tough day and it had been difficult to concentrate after the accident.

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Rally
Rd. 1 of the FIM World Cross Countries World Championship
Results Leg One (290 km)
1, Sam, Sunderland, GBR, KTM, 3 hours 29.47
2, Marc Coma, ESP, KTM, at 34 seconds
3, Paolo Goncalves, POR, Honda, at 2:44
4, Joan Barreda, ESP, Honda, at 5:05
5, Jordi Villadoms, ESP KTM, at 11.12
6, Jakub Przygonski, POL, KTM, at 15.06

Overall Standings (after Leg One and Saturday’s Prologue)
1, Sunderland, KTM 3 hours 31.53
2, Coma, KTM at 34 seconds
3, Goncalves at 2.45
4, Barreda at 5.04

The 2014 Enduro World Championship got underway in Solsana with the GP of Catalunya this weekend, with the KTM Enduro Factory Team reaping a slew of victories and podiums to launch their title bids.

Saturday’s first round proved to be particularly fruitful with wins in all three senior classes and two second places in E1 and E3 put all five factory riders in the spotlight. Riders returned on Sunday to pick up wins in E1 and E3, a podium second in E2 and a podium third in E3 to round off a great first weekend of racing.

E1
On what was described by Frenchman Antoine Meo as a return to the days of very hard Enduro riding, the 2013 E3 World Champion Christophe Nambotin proved at home and in winning form in Saturday’s E1 on the nimble KTM 250 EXC-F, winning six tests. Teammate Cristobal Guerrero of Spain was back to top form and injury free to finish second.

Nambotin was again in great form in the E1 class on Sunday to be fastest in seven of the nine tests for another decisive victory. Teammate Guerrero looked set to seal second place after a crash had cost him three places and 12 seconds and he had to settle for fourth.

E2
Meo (2013 E1 World Champion) was also the top rider in the highly competitive E2 class and led the field all day Saturday despite nursing a small foot injury. “It’s a long time since we had a race like that. The stages were long and very difficult. But I like the bike (350 EXC-F) a lot and the team has worked very well through the winter. The E2 is a tough class but its fun for me.”

Meo returned on Sunday to pull off second in E2 with a strong finish in the last three tests, eventually losing to Renet of France by just one second.

E3
Ivan Cervantes, like Guerrero, well supported by the Spanish fans had a great day out on Saturday to take the E3 victory but the factory team’s rookie, Australian Matt Phillips did not make it easy for him as the two riders on their 300 EXC machines sealed the top two spots in E3.?

Cervantes was again the dominant E3 rider on Sunday to comfortably take the top podium place. Phillips had a problem in the second extreme test but recovered well to hang onto a podium third on Sunday to signal the rookie will be a major player in the class this season.

Team boss Fabio Farioli said it had been a very solid weekend for the team. “Of course we would have likes to also have a win on Sunday in the E2 class but it was a good weekend, there were some very good fights for victory and we are now looking forward to the next rounds in Portugal next weekend.”

Enduro World Championship Rd.2 GP of Catalunya
Results E1
1, Christophe Nambotin, FRA, KTM (2 x wins in Rds. 1 & 2)
2, Anthony Boissiere, FRA, Sherco
3, Eero Remes, FIN, TM
4, Cristobal Guerrero, ESP, KTM (placed 2-4 in Rd. 1 & 2)
5, Jeremy Tarroux, FRA, Sherco
Other KTM
10, Edward Hubner, GER, KTM
11, Rudy Moroni, ITA, KTM
13, Joaquim Rodrigues, POR, KTM

E1 Championship Points after Rd. 2
1, Nambotin 40
2, Guerrero 32
3, Boissiere 27

Results E2
1, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, FRA, Husqvarna
2, Antoine Meo, FRA, KTM
3, Johnny Aubert, FRA, Beta
4, Jonathan Barragan, ITA Husqvarna
5, Alex Salvini, ITA, Honda
Other KTM
10, Mirko Gritti, ITA, KTM
12, Goncalo Reis, POR, KTM

E2 Championship Points after Rd. 2
1, Meo 37
2, Renet 35
3, Aubert 32

Results E3
1, Ivan Cervantes, ESP, KTM (2 x wins in Rd.1 &2)
2, Matti Seistola, FIN, Sherco
3, Matthew Phillips, AUS, KTM (placed 2-3 in Rd. 1 &2)
4, Luis Correa, POR, Beta
5, Aigar Leok, EST, TM
Other KTM
7, Jeremy Joly, France, KTM
11, Oscar Balletti, ITA, KTM
13, Simone Albergoni, ITA, KTM

E3 Championship points after Rd. 2
1, Cervantes 40
2, Phillips 32
3, Seistola 27 

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ken Roczen made a welcome return to the US Supercross Championship on Saturday night in Houston’s Reliant Stadium when he finished third. Teammate Ryan Dungey made an impressive recovery from a first lap crash to finish seventh overall and salvaged important points in the championship hunt.

Dungey was up in the first 450 SX heat where he engaged in a six-lap, four-way battle for the win alongside James Stewart, Josh Grant and Justin Barcia. He was third at the start and gained a place on Stewart in lap two. Then he took the opposite line down the split section and together with Stewart got around Grant to move into the top two spots. The leading contenders remained a bike length apart as they battled to the checkered flag.  Dungey crossed the line in second to advance to the main event.

Roczen was placed in the second heat and was at fifth after the start. He advanced into fourth in lap four at after leader Ryan Villopoto crashed and slipped past fellow KTM rider and holeshot winner Andrew Short on the final lap to finish third for his qualifying place in the main.

Roczen was a solid fifth at the first corner in the main event but quickly advanced to third place during the first lap. Behind him, Dungey had a poor jump off the start. He was buried back at eighteenth on the first lap, made contact with two other riders and crashed. He quickly scrambled back into the action but was right at the back of the pack.

Dungey spent the first half of the race moving up the order while turning lap times that were matching the lead riders. He was back in the top ten at the halfway mark and continued to pick off riders in the remaining laps to finish an impressive seventh at the end of the race.

Roczen was able to maintain his position to the checkered flag. He crossed the line in third to make a welcome return to the podium after an absence of four rounds. The German teenager is having an impressive debut season in the 450-class with both he and Dungey riding the KTM 450 SX-F Factory bike.

“It feels great to get back on the podium,” said Roczen. “I never was able to jump the quad that the lead riders were doing so I lost some time to them, but I am happy overall with the way I rode. I’m starting to test a lot more for outdoors coming up and I feel like it is making me stronger and will help me near the end of the season.”
 
“Unfortunately, I got a bad start and then came together with another rider on the opening lap which caused me to go down,” Dungey commented after the race. “I did my best to salvage what points I could riding from last to seventh by the end of the race. I’m disappointed how the race turned out but happy that I’m healthy and came away unscathed.”

Dungey and Roczen are currently 3-4 in the championship points with Dungey just one point away from second place. ?

The competition returns to the west coast next weekend for the next event at Seattle, WA – April 12, 2014

Overall 450-class results Rd. 14  Houston 
1, Ryan Villopoto
2, Justin Barcia
3, Ken Roczen – KTM
4, Trey Canard
5, James Stewart
6, Andrew Short – KTM
7, Ryan Dungey – KTM
8, Mike Alessi
9, Eli Tomac
10, Chris Blose

Overall Point Standings –
1, Ryan Villopoto – 293
2, Stewart 248
3, Dungey 247
4, Roczen 235
5. Barcia 198

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli of Italy was at his golden best on Sunday at the MXGP of Brazil taking a decisive 1-1 victory to surge ahead 30 points in the championship after just three rounds. It was the Italian’s sixty- fifth career GP victory.

The seven times world champion opened his account in the first moto with a stunning display of riding on his KTM 350 SX-F that thrilled the 20,000 Brazilian fans.

After getting hemmed in at the start he moved from sixteenth up to sixth in the opening lap and then settled down to pick off his challengers one by one while at the same time setting a string of personal best lap times. Twelve minutes into the 30-minute plus two laps race he was half a second behind the leader Jeremy van Horebeek. Two minutes later he took the lead and began to distance himself from the rest of the field.

Even the rain that started to fall on the Beto Carrero red clay track failed to undermine the pace of the race leader. Cairoli was in front by almost 16 seconds when he charged across the finish line, setting the stage for a thrilling second moto.

Heavier rain in between the two sessions threw in another difficulty factor, ensuring that the surface became slicker and stickier than in the opening moto. Cairoli was fourth at the start as MXGP riders shot out of the grid for the second time but he quickly moved up a position to sit behind his traditional rivals Gautier Paulin and Clement Desalle. Cairoli settled down in the next laps to put pressure on Desalle while assessing his overtaking options.

Sixteen minutes into the race he made his move into second. One minute later he was in the lead and immediately put down his fastest lap. The Italian went on to wrap up the race in style to pick up maximum points for this outing in South America.

Tony Cairoli: “I like this track a lot and I like being here in Brazil with a lot of cool people cheering. It’s a very technical track and this level of difficulty was increased after the rain we had between the two motos. Also the track this year was ripped way too much but it was the same for everyone. In some ways that was good because it was even more technical. It’s nice to be winning again like we did last year. Now I have 65 GP wins so it was another great result.”

MX2
With Jeffrey Herlings absent while resting an injured shoulder this weekend, the competition was fierce in the MX2 class, however it proved to be an unlucky weekend for Cairoli’s factory teammate Jordi Tixier of France. A series of crashes on the slick red clay track left him with a 12-12 result for an uncharacteristic overall eleventh.

Tixier admitted after the races that he had struggled with the Brazilian circuit right from the opening practice. “I never had a good feeling for the track right through this weekend and I also didn’t have the speed. I crashed three times in each race and twice I finished twelfth so I am really disappointed. In practice I am good but I am not so good in the race so it is something in my head I have to try to sort out.”

MX2 GP winner Arnaud Tonus of Switzerland took the victory and Herlings, who has consistently been the MX2 championship leader over the past two seasons dropped to fourth in the points. But as Brazil is only the third of a long 18-round season, there is plenty of opportunity for KTM’s Dutch rider to make up lost ground in his quest for a third world title.

In other news from the Red Bull KTM Factory team, Cairoli's MXGP partner Ken de Dycker, who has been recovering from an off season injury, suffered another slight setback this week when he sustained a small injury to his left ankle as the result of an accident at home. Ken has been told by his doctors that it should be healed in about 10 days.

The next round is at Arco di Trento in Italy on April 13, 2013

MXGP Results Rd. 3 Brazil
1, Tony Cairoli, ITA, KTM, (1 – 1)
2, Clement Desalle, BEL, Suzuki, (3 – 3)
3, Jeremy van Horebeek, BEL, Yamaha, (2 – 4)
4, Gautier Paulin, FRA, Kawasaki, (6 - 2)
5, Max Nagl, GER, Honda, (4 – 5)
Other KTM
13, Jake Nicholls, GBR, KTM, (11 - 15)
15, Matiss Karro, LAT, KTM, (20 - 8)
16, Shaun Simpson, GBR, KTM, (15 -13)

MXGP Standings after Rd. 3
1, Cairoli, 142
2, Paulin, 112
3, Van Horebeek, 112
4, Desalle, 111
5, Nagl, 110

MXGP Manufacturers Standings after Rd. 3
1, KTM, 142
2, Suzuki, 113
3, Kawasaki, 112

MX2 Results
1, Arnaud Tonus, SUI, Kawasaki, (1 – 2)
2, Glenn Coldenhoff, NED, Suzuki, (5 - 1)
3, Max Anstie, GBR, Yamaha, (4 - 4)
4, Dylan Ferrandis, FRA, Kawasaki, (2 – 10)
5, Tim Gajser, SLO, Honda, (11 - 3)
Other KTM
6, Valentin Guillod, SUI, KTM (7 - 5)
10, Jose Butron, ESP, KTM (9 - 9)
11, Jordi Tixier, FRA, KTM (12 - 12)
12, Mel Pocock, GBR, KTM (15 -13)

MX2 Standings after Rd. 3
1, Tonus, 112
2, Coldenhoff, 110
3, Ferrandis, 107
4, Herlings, 97
5, Febvre, 96
Other KTM
8, Tixier, 77
9, Butron, 74
11, Guillod, 59
15, Pocock, 37

MX2 Manufacturers Standings after Rd. 3
1, Kawasaki, 130
2, KTM, 127
3, Suzuki, 110

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ken Roczen of Germany finished fourth overall at the thirteenth round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Factory teammate Ryan Dungey battled alongside him but suffered a last lap crash that dropped him down the order into ninth.

Despite his bad luck, Dungey retains his second position in the overall points and Roczen holds onto fourth as he continues his great rookies season in the 450-class.

Dungey raced heat one and grabbed the holeshot and the first lap lead only to see the race restarted after it was red flagged for a fallen rider. This time Dungey came out of the gate at fifth place. He picked up one position early on and then spent the final lap in a three-way battle for second place. He banged bars with Justin Barcia and Weston Peick and came up just short of making the pass to finish fourth to qualify into the main event.

Roczen lined up for the second heat and pulled a third place start off the line. He maintained his pace and finished the race in that same position to advance to the main event.

When the gate dropped for the main event, Roczen was in sixth and Dungey got stuck mid-pack. Roczen made critical passes to move up to a possible podium position in the first half of the race and was in fourth at the halfway mark. Dungey followed suit and had moved up from eleventh to sixth by lap twelve. Dungey then made a pass on Justin Brayton to move into the top five and continued to work his way up to the leaders.

Dungey was able to reel in his teammate on the final lap and began to pressure for the position through the final rhythm section. But he then made a mistake and crashed while trying to battle for the spot and lost a few positions while scrambling back into the action. Roczen held onto his fourth position while Dungey cross the line in ninth place, just behind KTM rider Andrew Short.
 
Ken Roczen: “I really liked the dirt used on the track tonight. It didn’t get too deep or rutted but was still challenging and fun to ride. The whoop section was a little tricky and the lappers were hard to get around toward the end of the race. My result wasn’t quite what I hoped but definitely not the worst outcome either, so I’ll take it.”

Next Event: Houston, TX – April 5, 2014

Overall Results –
1, James Stewart
2, Ryan Villopoto
3, Justin Barcia
4, Ken Roczen – KTM
5, Trey Canard
6, Eli Tomac
7, Josh Hill
8, Andrew Short – KTM
9, Ryan Dungey – KTM
10, Justin Brayton

?Overall Point Standings –
1, Ryan Villopoto – 246
2, Ryan Dungey – 221
3, James Stewart – 207
4, Ken Roczen – 197
5, Justin Brayton – 185