Yamaha Red Bull De Carli's Tony Cairoli claimed his second MX1-GP event in the space of a week to extend his lead in the FIM World Championship to 57 points - more than one Grand Prix - with just five meetings left to run in the 2009 contest. The first ever trip to Latvia took place at the Kegums circuit and saw the stylish Sicilian race to 2nd and 1st positions in two sweaty but cloudy motos and watched by 32,000 spectators.

Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 1st:
"I am really happy with this GP, for sure. When I first saw the track I thought it would be hard to win because I still need to learn how to ride forty minutes in the sand with the 450 but my technical ability was good here and my lines also so I did not get as tired as I thought I would. I did not start so well but I took it easy in the first few laps and slowly pushed more and more. I worked really hard this winter so I know I am in good shape and that helped me make that fastest lap at the end of the first moto and also win a lot of time in the second. I am making good results at an important part of the season."

Clement Desalle, LS Honda 2nd:
“I was really happy to win that first moto, especially because the pressure was really on and it felt quite special. In the second moto my start was good and I was second behind Nagl. I went into the lead but after twenty minutes my clutch stopped working properly and the rest of the race was really hard. I lost a lot of time and was really disappointed; but what can you do? The track was good to ride and was fun but the hot conditions made it difficult.”

Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 3rd:
"I was close to the podium last week in Germany so I knew it was possible here. For the six or so GPs before Teutschenthal I was struggling but I think I have fixed the problem and now I expect to be fighting up here for the rest of the season. I enjoyed the Grand Prix here and thought the track was pretty good."

Max Nagl 4th:
"Somehow I had a lack of energy in the second race. Our bikes are very powerful and it's necessary to angle the power when you are riding on a difficult track like this. Still, I am now second. I am just one point ahead of Philippaerts, but second is second!"

Ken De Dycker, 5th:
"More than the crash I was worried about how I was feeling during the first moto. I wasn't ill, but had no strength or energy. I took it easy for the second moto and it was better. I will go home now and see what the doctor says. I think I have some low levels and we will see if I can get things fixed for Sweden."

David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 6th:
"My body is not 100% and today was difficult because it was hot and the track was very hard. I had good starts, good first laps and tried to push on from those but after the first half there was nothing left in the arms. I am not happy with the result but it is acceptable considering the week I have had. I should be better for Sweden."

Gareth Swanepoel 10th:
‘I was really impressed when I arrived here, the track was awesome and all week-end I was fast with top ten results in all the sessions. I finished ninth in the qualifying race as well as the opening race today; that’s the goal now to be always in the top ten. The second race wasn’t as good, I had a really bad start and I had some pain in my lower back as I over-jumped a jump during the first race. Physically it was a difficult weekend, the track was demanding and yesterday I had a huge crash where I hit my head; I’m learning at every race, learning in a hard way but still learning and I’m back in the top ten of the championship. This week I will take it a little easy to keep some energy for next weekend in Sweden.’

Tanel Leok, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 11th:
"In the first heat I was not pushing hard and was just trying to stay consistent but I came to that corner and the rut was broken and I had lost a bit of concentration under braking. I turned into the corner and the front wheel went over the berm and I crashed. I couldn't restart the bike. I tried many times and it made me so tired. At the start of the second race the air felt different, harder to breathe. I could not find my rhythm easily but things were going better towards the end of the race. It was nice to race here with many fans from Estonia coming to watch; I just wish that first moto could have been different."

Gregory Aranda 13th:
‘I had to rest this week with my sore ankle, so I was surprised with my lap-times during the sessions as I didn’t feel so fast on the bike. The qualifying race was more difficult. I only got a good rhythm in the last part of the race to finish thirteenth. I had the same problem during the first heat, I had good lines only in the second part of the race and I came back to eighth. I was happy with this result, as I don’t really like sandy tracks! In the second race I was battling with Swanepoel when I twisted my ankle again, it was painful and I stopped. But I’m happy with my first heat; I was not expecting such a good result on this kind of track. Now I will have daily treatment to my ankle and after Sweden I will take a short break before the final round of the French series.’

Bryan Mackenzie, CAS Honda 18th:
“I had a great start in that second moto and came out of the first corner in the top ten and then just tried really hard. I was battling every lap right until the end. I was kept motivated by my mechanic calling me bad things on the pit-board! I was trying to make amends for the first race because I was really disappointed with that moto, so I just dug-deep.”

Florent Richier DNF:
‘I never rode on the sand before this weekend as there are no sandy tracks in Germany where I’m used to competing. I didn’t feel comfortable on Saturday, the qualifying race was tough but today I rode better during the warm-up. I was more comfortable and got a great start from the outside gate; I came to fifth position but when he passed me Philippaerts was aggressive and hurt my ankle. I had already pain as I twisted this ankle on Saturday so I retired. Then I tried to ride the second heat but it was too much to bear. I will be back in GPs for Loket. I’m not ready to race in Lommel or Lierop as you need to practice hard in winter time to be competitive on these tracks.’


MX1 Overall Classification:
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 47 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), 41 p; 3. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 40 p; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 35 p; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Teka Suzuki World MX1), 34 p; 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 30 p; 7. Aigar Leok (EST, TM), 28 p; 8. Manuel Priem (BEL, Aprilia), 22 p; 9. Carlos Campano (ESP, Yamaha), 22 p; 10. Gareth Swanepoel (RSA, Kawasaki), 21 p.

MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Rui Goncalves rode a masterly second moto in Latvia on Sunday to snatch his third MX2 GP victory of the season and move into third in the championship standings. Team-mate Marvin Musquin was overall second.
Goncalves ended the day with equal points with Musquin who won the first moto and was second to Goncalves in the second - but this time the GP glory went to the Portuguese rider. Musquin, also satisfied with his weekend, retains the coveted red plate and consolidates his lead in the world championship standings and now has a 49-point lead on second placed Frenchman Gautier Paulin.

Rui Goncalves 1st:
"This was my third GP win and it was great to win here at this new track. It's the first time we have had a race here so it's a bit like going into the MX history books. I already had a very good impression of the track when I walked it on Friday and I knew I was going to enjoy the racing here. It was a bit soft on a hard surface and there were many lines. Now my goal is to keep riding like I did this weekend and to be on the podium as many times as possible. I am in a great team and I have a great bike and because of this I want to do my best."

Marvin Musquin, KTM 2nd:
"It was a good weekend, a good result for me and also good for my championship points. This was a slippery track on a hard surface and it got quite bumpy but that did not worry me. My bike is strong and so am I. Even though I won the first race, I didn't expect an easy second race. I knew that Rui was very strong especially on this kind of track. I tried to catch him in the second but I could see his was fast so I tried to be happy with second place and not push too much. I don't have to be sad about coming second today."

Gautier Paulin 3rd:
‘Already during the first practice session I had a great feeling with the bike and the track; that was a good start for the weekend. Everyone knows that I don’t like to take risks to post a fast lap, and I finished the pre-qualifying session in eleventh position; on Saturday my goal is to qualify among the top five, and that’s what I did. This morning I felt good during the warm-up, but my first start was not so great and I had to push before I came back to fifth; I spent a lot of energy during those twenty five minutes. My second start was much better; I had a good line inside the first corner and passed three riders during the opening lap to follow Rui and Marvin. I stayed close for a couple of laps, but later made a few mistakes when my third position was secured. I had a lot of fun this weekend, and I’m happy for the team and myself to be back on the podium. We’ve improved the bike, suspensions as well as engine; everyone is working hard in the team, they are all behind me and I will fight for the title until the last race.’

Ken Roczen 4th:
“I am really pleased with fourth overall but I feel completely empty and I am happy I kept on two wheels. People were telling me that I needed to push extra hard at the beginning otherwise I would be too far back from the leader so I rode like crazy for the first moments until the field was a little bit stretched. Goncalves passed me on the last corner of the first moto but at the time I did not have any reply to him. The sand was not so deep but it was really hard and slippery underneath. When we first arrived I saw the track and thought ‘this place is great! Just my thing’ but the ruts became so deep. Anyway, two top five results, that’s pretty good.”

Steven Frossard 10th:
‘Yesterday I had a good feeling with the track, I was surprised to ride smoothly and fast without spending too much energy; I had good lines and finished second in the qualifying race. Today was different, I didn’t felt so easy; I had a good start in the first race, but I pushed too hard to keep a good rhythm and I got tired. After another good start I was studying the lines at the beginning ofthe second. race, when I did a mistake after the pit lane. I lost control of the bike and crashed on my head. I had to retire and that’s not good for the championship as I lost points to Gonçalves and Guarneri. I will try to recover those next week in Sweden. On the other hand I’m happy with my riding in sand, I’ve improved my style and have a better feeling; we’re working for three weeks now with Thierry Godfroid and we’ll continue in order to prepare for Lommel and Lierop.’

Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 5th:
"This track was sandy but not really that deep and you could use your normal style. It was difficult out there because it was so rough with many square-edged bumps and holes. I felt fast and the podium should have been possible if I had made a better start in the first moto. I took some iron supplements this week and I feel the results. I believe I will be strong in Sweden also and I really want to fight for the win there. It is a good and competitive championship and now I am fourth. On the hard tracks I think I can beat Rui so a top three is for sure the goal."

Nico Aubin, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 17th:
"I made two bad starts and in the first moto I made a mistake on the second corner and everybody passed me. I restarted 37th and came back to 11th, which was a good race but not where I wanted to be. In the second one I was in the second half of the group again and after three laps had a crash. I lost maybe one minute recovering and restarting the bike. I came back to the pits and then re-entered the race to try and make a rhythm before stopping again; not a good weekend."

Jeremy van Horebeek 10th
“Another rough weekend for me. I was fast on the circuit and I know I should have had two top 5 results, but I crashed out of qualifying so had a terrible gate pick for the races on Sunday. Then in the first race I got hit by another rider which has re-aggravated my shoulder injury from earlier in the year. I will rest up this week and hopefully be strong for Sweden.”

Loic Rombaut:
‘Once more I scored some points in both races and that’s positive as I had a big crash on Saturday during one of the practice sessions. The track was strange and it took me time to get used to it, and I had pain in my body after the fall. Today I had decent starts and that helped me to score points; I rode safe, didn’t take any risks and scored a few points but now I expect better results in the following races.’

Yohei Kojima:
“It was a difficult track but the riding and the starts were OK today. In the second moto the crash was not my fault and I had nowhere to go once the rider went down in front of me. It was a shame because I think the top 15 would have been possible.”

Zach Osborne, Utag Yamaha.com:
"I did my best yesterday to get a result. I went out in the first practice and it was OK because the track was still smooth and I felt alright. As it began to get rougher then it got worse and worse for me. I slipped off in the qualifier and it did not affect my wrist but I could see that I was not ready to run at that pace with the strength I have in the wrist. It is a big disappointment for all of us because we are all paying for something that was not our fault. I was fifteen points down from the guy who now has the red plate when we had the accident and that is disheartening. Now we are just going to wait until I am 100% and we know I can win another race."

Thomas Ramsbacher, Team Manager Suzuki MX2 on Xavier Boog:
“It was a surprise to see Xavier suffering again with his stomach. Sunday night he was carried to the hospital in Riga and underwent an appendectomy. He’s to stay here until Thursday and is going to miss the Sweden GP for sure. Possibly he’s able to race the MX Masters in Ried. It’s been a surprise for us, because he underwent some blood tests after the GP in England and nothing indicated an appendicitis. It’s a shame, because the following races on sand would have been promising for him.”

MX2 Overall top ten:
1. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 47 points; 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 36 p.; 4. Ken Roczen (GER, Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2), 36 p.; 5. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), 32 p.; 6. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Dennis Verbruggen (BEL, Honda), 27 p.; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Yamaha), 23 p.; 9. Marcus Schiffer (GER, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 18 p.; 24. Yohei Kojima (JPN, Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2)