Runner up David Philippaerts scored enough points to take over the championship lead with leader Ken de Dycker finishing a lowly 18th after a crash filled day.
"I am really happy to have the red plate because this is the first time for me," Philippaerts said. "The first moto was unbelievable. My start was pretty average but I passed Mackenzie and Barragan and found some effective lines. When Sebastien came near in the last moments I looked to pull another second on him and controlled it until the end. I started well in the second moto but on the second corner my line meant that I had to be careful and lost some time, which let Sebastien and Mackenzie escape. It was a long race so I did not want to go crazy at the beginning and also the track was not easy. I knew the others would slow their pace by the end so I wanted to be strong the whole distance. My aim now is to try and stay in the top five each GP and this will be good for the championship."
Kiwi Josh Coppins found his way back to the podium after struggling in the opening moto's of the season with a debilitating foot injury. A Pass on Steve Ramon in the dying stages saw the Coppins on the podium for the first time this year.
"It was an exciting end to the Grand Prix and one that even I did not expect. I could see that Steve was fading and, of course, after last year I always like to pass Steve, so I put in that extra effort. He went wide in the last corner and I could not believe that. My eyes lit-up and I made the pass.
"It was finally nice to have a real race; a race where the best rider wins instead of the terrain being good for some or just being a lottery. Today it was Pourcel but it was a GP where the degree of racing fitness and skill comes into it and that was really positive.
"It has been a tough season for me so far with a few 'downs'. I don't quite have the speed at the moment, especially at the start of the race; all I have is the consistency in the laps I make. I have to be patient, which is hard because I am not a patient person! With sixth, fourth and third things have gone well but you always want better. Everyone around me has been really supportive and I am sure I will get up to a higher level very soon. I was one of the strongest out there at the end, and this makes me proud," Coppins added.
KTM's Jonathan Barragan held out World Champion Ramon for 4th by a single point. Billy Mackenzie, who had held the lead in the opening moto finished sixth with Veteran Mike Brown in 7th.
David Philippaerts has now moved up to first in the MX1 points standings, being the first Italian to ever lead the category. Ramon keeps the runner up spot with Coppins coming up in third. Mackenzie moved up one position to sit on the fourth spot ahead of De Dycker, fifth. Nagl is sixth with Barragan moving from 12th to seventh and Pourcel from 26th to eighth.
In MX2 Yamaha Red Bull De Carli‰Ûªs Tony Cairoli moved back up to where he was at the end of 2007 courtesy of two stunning moto victories. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team mates rounded off the podium with Tyla Rattray second and Tommy Searle third. A solid Stephen Sword from Molson Kawasaki Racing ended fourth overall ahead of Ricci Racing Yamaha‰Ûªs Nicolas Aubin rounding off the top five. Home rider Rui Goncalves ended sixth.
"I am starting to get a much better feeling with my bike because in the winter we tested and practiced a lot with the 450," Cairoli said. "It was nice to have a 'normal' race because with the sand and then the mud last week I did not get a chance to have a look at my condition. I am really happy with the race today though.
"We had some fun in that first moto and Tommy had some good lines. His style is similar to mine; we both play a lot with the bikes on the jumps. We fought for three or four laps but then I had some more speed through one section and decided to make the break once the move worked. I only stopped taking antibiotics for my throat infection on Friday, so physically it was a hard day and now I can look after my body with the free weekend we have. Taking the lead in the championship is important but there is a long journey ahead still," Cairoli concluded.
Rattray was very disappointed to relinquish the coveted red plate for the first time this season but promised that he an Tommy planned to mount a real challenge for the championship title this year. "Still I was happy with my starts and with my riding style," Rattray lamented. "I lost some time in the first heat and it took me some time to catch up with Tommy and Toni (Cairoli) but I finished in third and I did not crash. In the second heat I was squeezed a bit by Tommy and Toni in the first part of the race but I came back from eighth to third then Tommy had a small crash and I finished second." Team boss Stefan Everts said he expected the weekend's result would in fact be positive for Tyla as it would strengthen him mentally and make him determined to take on the challenge of beating the title holder.
Tony Cairoli leads the MX2 point standings with a five point advantage over former leader and current runner up Rattray. Searle moved up to third with Guarneri slipping in fourth ahead of fifth placed Goncalves. Sword moved from ninth to sixth courtesy of another positive result.
The FIM Motocross World series will take a weekend off before the Bulgarian Grand Prix in Sevlievo on May 11th. Bulgaria will also play host to the opening round of the FIM Women‰Ûªs Motocross World Championship with Yamaha mounted Kiwi Katherine Prumm entering round one as the defending Champion.
MX1 Results:
1 Pourcel, Sebastien - Kawasaki - 22 25 47 Points
2 Philippaerts, David - Yamaha - 25 22 47
3 Coppins, Joshua - Yamaha - 16 20 36
4 Barragan, Jonathan - KTM - 20 14 34
5 Ramon, Steve - Suzuki - 15 18 33
6 Mackenzie, Billy - Honda - 18 15 33
7 Brown, Mike - Honda - 12 16 28
8 de Reuver, Marc - Honda - 14 13 27
9 Leok, Tanel - Kawasaki - 13 11 24
10 Desalle, Clement - Suzuki - 11 10 22
MX2 Results:
1 Cairoli, Antonio - Yamaha- 25 25 50 Points
2 Rattray, Tyla - KTM - 20 22 42
3 Searle, Tommy - KTM- 22 20 42
4 Sword, Stephen - Kawasaki - 18 16 34
5 Aubin, Nicolas - Yamaha - 13 18 31
6 Goncalves, Rui - KTM 15 15 30
7 Guarneri, Davide - I Yamaha 16 9 25
8 van Horebeek, Jeremy - KTM 11 11 22
9 Paulin, Gautier - Kawasaki - 12 10 22
10 Nunn, Carl - Suzuki - 6 14 20
