Grand Prix of Ireland 2005 - KTM News

Factory Red Bull KTM rider Ben Townley signed off his Grand Prix career with second position today at Desertmartin for the Grand Prix of Ireland, the seventeenth and final round of a long 2005 FIM Motocross World Championship.

The red and fine Irish sand provided a very rough test for the riders in the season curtain-closer although compared to the sweaty and stuffy conditions in Holland two weeks ago the weather was cold, windy and extremely grey. Almost 15,000 fans braved the sunken temperatures and were rewarded with four tense motos to close the 2005 MX1 and MX2 competitions.

After passing countryman Josh Coppins for second in the first moto, Townley shadowed World Champion Stefan Everts, constantly probing for a way past the Yamaha rider for the second half of the 35 minute and 2 lap distance. Despite several near attempts the 20 year old could not make a solid overtaking manoeuvre and was beaten to the chequered flag by less than a second. Steve Ramon did not enjoy a decent start and had to battle with Mickael Pichon and Kevin Strijbos to earn sixth place. Kenneth Gundersen was feeling the effects of an incident during Saturday practice when a heavy landing caused the Norwegian to damage both of his wrists.

In the second moto, Townley, who leaves next week to attempt the AMA series in 2006, produced a rare holeshot and began assembling a sizeable lead over Everts. The 2004 MX2 World Champion could not sustain his pace however and his Belgian rival closed him down and eventually took the lead. Townley was able to confirm second while Ramon again found himself in a tussle with Strijbos and another Honda rider in the form of Coppins. The Belgian performed a daring move on the final lap to grab third and assume fourth place in the final classification. Jonathan Barragan was eighth overall in his last Grand Prix before moving across to the works KTM team for 2006.

The MX2 class provided a bevy of results for KTM and highlighted the potency of the SX 250F. Tyla Rattray proved that his intentions to win the final three Grand Prix of the season were not hollow claims as he added the Irish trophy to the English and Dutch silverware locked in his cupboard. The South African went 2-1 to round-off the year very much in the same manner that he started with a comprehensive victory at Zolder for the season-opener.


Five KTM riders claimed positions in the top six of the first moto. American wild-card Mike Alessi holeshotted and lead the opening four circulations but was swiftly caught and passed by Marc de Reuver who set the best lap by almost two seconds over any other rider for the remainder of the duration. Alessi then fell into the clutches of a charging Rattray and the duo entertained the wind-beaten crowd with a close tussle until the South African took control and pulled away. David Philippaerts defeated new World Champion Antonio Cairoli for fourth position and Aigar Leok enjoyed one his better motos for sixth spot.Carl Nunn crossed the finish line in tenth after a poor start and then struggling to pass Alessio Chiodi.

Rattray swept past Cairoli and KTM Kosak rider Leok in the second moto while an early crash by De Reuver ruled the lanky rider from Amsterdam out of the running for the overall triumph. He did manage to come back to an impressive third, from twenty-third, in his last MX2 race before switching to the MX1 class for 2006 and the placing was enough for second overall. Leok’s pursuit of Cairoli paid off when the Yamaha rider was forced to pull into the pits with a bent gear lever and the Estonian was able to notch his maiden career podium and form a KTM 1-2-3 for the first time this season. An unhappy Carl Nunn lost any chance of moving up from his eighth position in the Championship when he fell and knocked his head, prompting an early retirement several laps before the end of the race.

Mike Alessi hit the ground twice in the second sprint. He was bumped around at the start and then was chasing David Philippaerts for fourth and a chance of the podium when the two collided and both went to ground. Philippaerts, furious believing the incident to be the American’s fault, pulled out of the race while Alessi restarted to pick up four points for seventeenth. His younger brother Jeff actually finished 5th overall despite allegedly riding with a broken collarbone.

In an active MX1 World Championship for KTM four Grand Prix and six motos from a possible thirty-four were won. Townley and Ramon finished third and fourth in the Championship with the firm taking third place in the manufacturer’s standings. Townley was the first rider in the class to own four motos in succession (Italy and France).Tyla Rattray and David Philippaerts contributed towards KTM’s haul of six Grand Prix wins in MX2 (nine motos from thirty-four). Carl Nunn, Marc de Reuver, Aigar Leok and Manuel Monni also registered podiums as the firm was second in the constructors Championship.

Ben Townley:“I finally got a hole-shot in the second moto and built up a lead of about eight seconds. I don’t think that I went much slower, just that Stefan really picked up his speed. He had better lines than me, especially where he moved through. I pushed so hard but Stefan was just better. I was happy with my riding today. There were a lot of people on the last lap who were clapping me and it was great to see the crowd at the finish line like that. I have built up some great friendships here in Europe and I am going to miss everyone. I really hit me today that I am going.”

Tyla Rattray:“I worked really hard towards winning these last three GPs and I’m really happy to see that the work has paid off. Marc was quick to pass Alessi in the first heat and although I got into second after a while I did not have the same speed to follow Marc. The second moto was good. I took the lead and pulled out a big margin quite quickly. I think it was around fourteen seconds at one point. In the last five or ten minutes I was just cruising around. I am really happy to win today and I think my recent form shows that I could have been in the title chase for sure.”

Marc de Reuver:“The first moto was awesome. Alessi took the holeshot and for the first two laps he was quite quick. I waited for the right moment to pass and then waved at him that he had to come with me but he couldn’t! I won quite easily and was pumped for the second heat. I was aiming for the overall but struggled with Alessi on the start straight. Tyla and I caught up really quick but then I made a mistake like an amateur and crashed. It was in a bad place because I had to waste time turning around and starting the bike again when all the riders were flying past me. I came back to third which was OK but people couldn’t understand that I am disappointed with second; I really felt I was fast enough to win the GP.”

Aigar Leok:“My goal at the beginning of the season was to get into the top five but it went wrong for me pretty much from the first race. I had a good start in the second moto but Tyla was too fast. Switching to the 250 was hard for me in the beginning but it is great to finish the year like this and go into next season on a positive note.”

Mike Alessi:“The first moto was really good. I got the holeshot ahead of my team-mates De Reuver and Rattray and felt pretty comfortable. I got third and was pretty stoked with that. Somebody hit me off the gate in the second moto and at the end of the first lap I went down because someone stalled in front of me. I got up and was catching the people in front of me. A lot of guys went down and I moved up to fifth and was trying to pass Philippaerts for fourth and was on for the podium. On one of the 180 degree turns he was on the outside and I went up the inside and I passed him and then I don’t know what he was thinking but he pinned it right into the back of me and we both went down causing us both to lose the podium. There were two laps to go and there was nothing I could do after that, I was so far back. I thought the Grand Prix was pretty good; the riders are fast. I liked it a lot and enjoyed my time in Europe. I just need a break now. My body says that it is tired and this year has been a lot for a seventeen year old.”

Steve Ramon:“My start was not so good in the first moto and I pushed hard to come to the front but the leaders were already gone. I came up to the back of Pichon but I lost my rhythm slightly. The end result was not so bad. In the second race the start was better but my riding was not that great. I haven’t been feeling too well these last couple of days and the cold did not help. I kept at my own speed and did not take any risks. I followed Coppins and coming up to the last lap I knew a place where I could try to pass and it worked. Third was good but overall I wasn’t that pleased with my riding.”

Carl Nunn:“I knew it would be difficult today because of my bad qualification yesterday but I believed I could do it. I only needed nine points in the second race but I got the worst start ever and although Billy was right there with me I just didn’t have anything left to give after having to work so hard from a bad position in the first moto. I only gained two places in the first race but I rode as hard as I could and maybe should have backed off to save some energy. I felt pretty demoralised with that start in the second moto I thought, ‘I’ve got to come back all over again now’. I was riding terrible. I saw Mackenzie’s position was somewhere in the top ten and I thought that it would not be possible. It was one of the worst races of the year. I could not get a rhythm and was not doing the easy things correctly. I wasn’t getting the best out of the bike and was fighting myself. I eventually had a big crash out the back of the circuit and that was it. I finished eighth in the championship which was the same as last year and that is disappointing. I need to be making my bad days into top ten results instead of DNFs. I need more consistency for next year and that is something I shall be working on.”

Kenneth Gundersen:“It was not a good day. Yesterday was fine in practice but in the chrono I got a rock in my rear brake and went maybe 25 metres too far on one of the big jumps. The landing took both of my hands off the bars. Today I tried my best but it was really painful.”