Rockstar Energy Suzuki, which has been in a faithful and constructive partnership with Motul for several years, is off to a good start in the 2013 season! For a kickoff, the team is entering again this year Clément Desalle, second last year in the World Motocross Championship. His team-mate will be another Belgian rider, Kevin Strijbos, British champion 2012. Both participated in the pre-season events on their RM-Z450, in particular in Mantova (Italy) and Valence (France). In the Italian event, on 27 January, Strijbos took a convincing win by finishing in the lead of the three races, Desalle remaining a bit behind especially after a collision with Max Nagl during a jump, fortunately of little incidence to either rider. For the winner of the day, 'I made good starts and found a good pace throughout the day. I'm pleased to have won, but I also know what weak points I must work on before the first championship race.'
In Valence on 17 February, it was Desalle's turn to assert himself by taking the win in the overall of the three races, which made him say: 'I'm pleased with the day: in the first race I found it hard to find a good pace, but I felt much better on the bike in the following two. (…) But my starts were average, so that's something I must work on.'
The riders will get down to the heart and soul of the matter during the weekend of 2 March, at the first event of the season in Losail, Qatar.
Photo credits: Suzuki-racing.com
