Photo: CDS
Top privateer outfit, LS Motors-Honda, will be back on full war strength for next weekend’s GP of Sweden in Uddevalla. Clément Desalle (MX1), Dennis Verbruggen (MX2) and Elien De Winter (WMX) are all eyeing good performances on the Swedish round of their respective World Championships. Located some 100 km north off Gothenburg, Udevalla is definitely one of the oldest tracks on the World Championship calendar. The first GP held there was the 1958 Swedish 500cc round. The track is fast, technical with some undulations. Originally it was a hard pack track with some pebble sections. In the last few seasons however sand has been added to its surface. As the race weekend progresses ruts will get deeper and slippery parts will surface there where the sand got roosted away.
LS Motors’ MX1 rider Clément Desalle is currently fifth in the World championship standings but he managed to collect a lot of points in Latvia. This has brought him at 19 points behind second placed Max Nagl. By taking his very first victory in a GP heat Desalle put the icing on the cake after an impressive first heat. Desalle definitely has the pace these last few weeks and clinched his fourth GP podium of the year in Kegums. Desalle now has the second most podiums this year behind hid name. An honor he has to share with Ken De Dycker and David Philippaerts. The 20-year old Belgian has proven that he is capable to ride any kind of track in almost every kind of circumstances. Last season Desalle had his best result of the season in Uddevalla when he finished six overall.
Uddevalla will be the last event out of a grueling series of six GP’s and one Belgian Championship race but Dennis
Verbruggen doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. On the contrary because Verbruggen is getting faster week after week. Verbruggen who missed one GP (Turkey) is currently 19th in World MX2 standings and wants to progress gradually towards the top 15 in the last third of the season. After his excellent seventh place in Uddevalla the former junior MX2 World Champion is eager to repeat that in Uddevalla.
Elien Dewinter, the fastest female rider from Belgium hasn’t had an easy season so far. After suffering from a massive crash at te begin of the season she is now regaining confidence. In Sweden she’ll try to post her best performance of the season. De Winter knows the track from her 2007 World Cup campaign. The Flemish physio therapy student ended eighth on that occasion.
