Philippaerts is back!

Great day for David here in Mexico with a second moto victory won after fantastic races against Tony Cairoli, Christophe Pourcel and Clement Desalle. ‘DP’ showed he still has the speed, courage and creativity to be on top of the ‘box’ and his podium finish here at Guadalajara was his first since the GP of Spain last summer and after that long recovery from injury in July.

The regular Grand Prix stars sat out the qualification heat on Saturday because there was too much dust across the circuit. The protest had an effect as the organisers heavily watered the track through the night and the result was less dust and more ruts and bumps.

David’s raceday started badly after a clash with Shaun Simpson that saw both Yamaha riders crash. Philippaerts was able to remount and pushed for the entire forty minutes to reach 10th. That same speed allowed David to race from sixth into the lead in the second moto and into a thrilling fight with Desalle. The Yamaha rider’s use of an effective line into the waves section gained him time each lap and with a big push on the penultimate circulation he reached the chequered flag first.

David finished third overall and has moved up from 9^th to 6^th in the championship standings.

“I’m so happy to win that second moto. I’m back! This is important for me because it was a long time since I last won. Mentally it can be difficult to deal with race crashes and results that you know can be better. I’m in great shape and it’s awesome to be back on the podium. I had some bad luck with another crash in the first race. Shaun came across and we clashed together. I had to enter the pits but then restarted last and fought back to tenth. I pushed every lap and it was hard work at this altitude and in this heat but the result was important and it paid off with the podium.”

Now onto Brazil!

Mexican Grand Prix ready to go!

David checks out the new track just outside of Guadalajara for the first ever Mexican Grand Prix this weekend. High temperatures and dry heat here mean a tough weekend ahead for DP and the rest of the Monster Energy Yamaha crew. David and Alice will be staying in South America this week and will fly to Brazil for round five of the world championship next weekend at Beto Carrero. DP won the 2011 Brazilian GP, so happy memories!

David still out of luck at Fermo - Italian GP, Rnd 3 of 16

After tweaking his knee in 2010 and missing his home Grand Prix in 2011 through injury David was still not able to count on good luck at Fermo for the third round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. DP had fantastic support from the fans that cheered him all the way through the motos in just his third Grand Prix in eight months. He finished eighth overall but the result could have been better if it were not for events out of David’s control. The factory Yamaha rider was holding a strong fourth place in the first moto on what was a difficult, rough and technical track when he was hit by Clement Desalle. His goggles were broken in the crash and on the last lap the worse scenario happened…a rock smashed his right eye.

Looking like he’d just managed several rounds with Muhammad Ali, David attempted the second moto but had trouble with his vision. His ride to eighth place was a brave performance in the circumstances. The former world champion will have over a week to recover before boarding a plane to Mexico and Guadalajara for round four on May 13^th.

“I was happy for the first part of the race because I started in eighth and came back to fourth. My times were good and I was close to the leaders. On one lap Desalle wanted to pass me on the outside and we crashed together. I broke the goggles so I took them off and then pushed the rest of the race. On the last lap one rider close to me opened the gas in a corner and a stone hit my eye. I couldn’t see anything for half a lap but took ninth. I was seeing double on the first lap of the second moto but I wanted to try. I got up to seventh but was struggling and almost crashed twice because I was seeing six or seven lines on the jump not three or four! Eighth is not my position…but it is what I have to accept. Maybe the team will have some more luck in Mexico because I think we are overdue some!”

David rode strongly and consistently to finish 7^th overall (a scorecard of 5-13) at a sunny Sevlievo for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria. His speed and form merited a higher results but it wasn’t to be…

In the first moto of 35 minutes and 2 laps he recorded an encouraging fifth position. It was only the Italian’s third GP outing in eight months and already he was troubling the top five. Sadly the former world champion could not reach the same slot in the second race as a crash after hitting a damp and watered area of the track put him at the back of the pack. ‘DP’ charged from last all the way to thirteenth, still an impressive feat and one that further proves Philippaerts is nearing past levels of performance.

“Not much luck. I had a good race in the first and I am very happy. I felt fast on the track, was close to the other guys and was consistent with the lap-times. The track was not easy on my wrists with all the downhills but it was good. At the start of the second I got pushed wide on the first corner but came from twelfth to seventh on the first lap. After the big jump around the back of the circuit I hit a watered park of the track and lost the front. I picked up the bike and then just tried to make each lap a bit better than the one before. I think I was 32^nd or something and came back to 13^th so not so bad. I am really motivated…just unlucky today! Fermo next and it is two years that I’ve missed a home GP. I’m on the path back to the top after my injury and I’m happy with how it’s going so far.”

Come and cheer David next week at Fermo for the first of two home Grands Prix in the sixteen round FIM Motocross World Championship!