MX2 BRAZIL (Aug 23, 2010)

Musquin second in MX2 GP of Brazil
Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin registered two second places in the two MX2 motos in Campo Grande in Brazil on Sunday to finish second to Germany's Ken Roczen and keep his championship title hopes alive.

Musquin, the current title holder, has a 72-point lead in the championship standings with just two GPs to go and 100 points theoretically still up for grabs.

Hard fought motos for Musquin
It was an eventful and hard fought two motos for Marvin. He had good starts in both races but was constantly challenged by Roczen. The two riders put a significant distance between themselves and the rest of the field then proceeded to play cat and mouse, neither giving any quarter as the lead swapped back and forth for the duration of both races.

Crash for Scots rider Shaun Simpson
While Musquin was able to celebrate yet another podium and retain the championship leader's red plate, it was a less happy day for his factory teammate Shaun Simpson. He crashed heavily in the first moto and dislocated his shoulder. Shaun received treatment at the track and was then transported to a local hospital where x-rays confirmed there were no chipped or broken bones. He will have the shoulder checked out again at his home base in Belgium but was hopeful that he may not be off the bike for too long. Speaking of the injury incident, Shaun said: "It all happened so quickly. I did the triple, but Gautier didn't so we ended coming into the corner together. I went to rail it around the outside, but Gautier came from the inside and cut across me. I ended up running wide into some real soft stuff, which pitched me over the bars. As soon as I landed I knew my shoulder was out."

The third member of the factory team, rising star and Dutch rider Jeffrey Herlings is also out with a shoulder injury after a crash at Loket in the Czech Republic in the last GP.

Riders had to contend with hot and humid conditions with temperatures in the mid 30 degrees Celsius and a track that offered many technical challenges which became even greater as it cut up into deep and often soft ruts as the day continued.

KTM sweeps FIM World Junior Motocross Championships titles
Meanwhile, earlier in the day at Dardon-Guegnon in France, KTM riders made a clean sweep of the World Junior Motocross Chamnpionship securing title in the three classes with victories by American Jake Pinhancos (65cc), Henry Jacobi from Germany (85cc) and French rider Jordi Tixier (125cc), proving that there is any amount of Orange riding talent waiting in the wings to move into the senior ranks.

In the 65cc class, Pinhancos took first place while fellow KTM riders Brian Hsu of Taiwan and Wilson Todd of Austria took the minor places. Also in the 85 cc class it was a great day for the Austrian manufacturer with Jacobi taking the title and KTM riders Tim Gaiser of Slovakia and Stefan Ekerold of Germany second and third.

The 125 cc class was a triumph for KTM rider Jordi Tixier, who has already secured the new European 125 Championship with one race in hand. Austrian KTM rider Pascal Rauchenecker finished in third place. Tixier said he was hoping for a ride in the MX2 World Championships in 2011.

MX2 Pix: Ray Archer

MX2 GP Results
1, Ken Roczen, German, Suzuki
2, Marvin Musquin, France, KTM
3, Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, Kawasaki
4, Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, Suzuki
5. Joel Roelants, Belgium KTM
(Shaun Simpson crashed in the first moto and dislocated his shoulder)

Championship standings after Round 13
1, Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 571
2, Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, 499
3, Steven Frossard, France, 430
4, Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, KTM, 391
5. Zach Osborne, USA, 343
Other KTM
7, Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM 329

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