Here's another update from our cross-country partners in Germany:

 

 

GERMAN Cross Country Championships 2008 ”“ Fourth Round in Goldbach, Germany

Pro: Coulon deceives the competition again

At MSC Goldbach the fourth of total 7 races of the German Cross Country Series 2008 took place last weekend (12^th / 13^th July 2008). The GCC is the biggest offroad sportseries in Germany at the moment. In the classes of the Wild Child’s, the little, young-pilots of the 65 and 85 cubic-machines to the professionals and the quads, nearly 700 pilots were at the start. It was an excellent track conditions look. Neither the dreaded rain nor too much dust caused problems. And so it was just the route which has been damaged more and more and a prepared few riders difficulties.

 

The highlight of this weekend was once more the scoring race of the professionals and semi professionals. And for those, who had dismissed the victory of Parthen-pilot Cyrille Coulon of France in Mernes as a suprise effect, had to recognise now, that the 24 years old  Frenchman means it seriously. After he had gift the victory for the seasons opener in Tollwitz shortly before the end of race to Finland´s BMW-pilot because of a race mistake, in Mernes he showed with a superior victory that he has logged ambitions of the GCC title. In Goldbach he emerged himself as a top favourite.

Unfortunately at the professionals two big names were missed but the tension didn´t brake down during the race. Finland´s 4 times World Champion  Samuli Aro and  France´s Arnaud Demester, who could win the German Cross Country Series a few times, had to renounce their starts due to injury. But the starter field could be proud of. Belgium´s former motocross World Champion Joel Smets was at the start as well as Finland´s BMW factory rider Simo Kirssi and his team colleague Bert Meyer, one of the fastest German young riders. And also BMW-Touratech-pilot Bernd Eckenbach, former top-pilot of the German MX scene, for who the race ended prematurely, was with of the lot.

At the beginning of the race it was the white blue Armada, which played to the gallery imposingly. To all at the head Finland´s Simo Kirrsi, a real GCC pioneer and one of the darling’s of the public of the German scene, pulled circles in the quickest way on the route. But already in the 5^th round the BMW caused problems, which has been dependable in the last weeks and months and even brought him on the Enduro-WM platform stair. Stop in round five and end of the race in round six. Apparently an electronic problem threw the Finn out of the race. But at that time it was measurable that another will affix his stamp on this race.

France’s Cyrille Coulon had a badly start but the Parthen-pilot beat his Yamaha from round to round, in unbelievable dimensions, faster than all others, around the course. Shortly before Kirssi got technical problems, Coulon had already gone till a few seconds in Smets near. After Kirrsi´s end it was only a question of time, when Coulon will catch up with the new leading BMW-pilot Smets. And four World Champion titles didn’t guard the Belgium against the young Frenchman. And he did his thing, catched him and even the team needed just 30 seconds for service. After, Coulon drove home the race. At the end the ”žyoung wild“ reduced the speed and he rolled into the goal as the winner ”“ but with nearly one and a half minute advantage of Joel Smets.

Again he was followed by Bert Meyer, who only wanted to be glad about his 3^rd place after requesting him to come on the platform. But he had really earned it. Because Meyer outpaced the team colleague of Coulon about one minute behind him. Surely we´re talking about the best German GCC rider of the last years, Steffen Albrecht. But he committed itself to that he isn’t really in a good condition after cardiovascular problems and the previous injury of Walldorf. This was visible. Albrecht could always turn fast laps, but in the end he had to be satisfied with place 4 - although it often looked for more. Fifth was one of Germany's top endurist´s. BvZ-KTM-pilot was well on track and made clear, that the Enduro-GC-pilots can keep up easily in the GCC circus.

Results XC Pro:

1.      Cyrille Coulon (FRA), Yamaha, 23 laps

2.      Joel Smets (BEL), BMW, 23 laps

3.      Bert Meyer (GER), BMW, 23 laps

4.      Steffen Albrecht (GER), Yamaha, 23 laps

5.      Marco Straubel (GER), KTM, 23 laps

Pro Lites: Pro-Lites duel between Andreas Beier and Christian Weiß

For the season opener in Tollwitz TM pilot Christian Weiß had to stop his machine prematurely. But in the meantime it´s always better for Weiß. In Walldorf he assured the victory, in Mernes he reached place two after the powerful KTM-pilot Andreas Beier. In Goldbach they arrived with just 5 points gap because Andreas Beier also had zero round on his account. Beier couldn´t start at the seasons opener due to a scheduling conflict with the Enduro GC.

But by now tt looks like a duel of the two drivers and this you could see one more time in Goldbach. The better start had Christian Weiß and he tried from the beginning of the race to flee forward. And this was necessary, because after the BvZ-pilot had to speed down due to traffic, Beier could speed up and found his rhythm. After, Weiß and Beier drove almost identical fast rounds - with a impressive constancy. But always when Beier had drove near to Weiß, he countered with again with a very fast lap. The two made it possible, that they had the fastest lap in round 13. And the times matched almost to the hundredth of a second. Weiß drove 5:21,191 but the fastest lap from Beier was 5:21,134. But with such similar speeds the advantage of Weiß, which was about 25 seconds at the halftime, wasn´t in a danger. And as s matter of fact there shouldn´t be any changes until the end of the race - neighter in the sequence nor in the distance. Weiß saw the goal flag about one minute earlier than Andreas Beier.

His team-colleague Edward Hübner followed one minute later. Place four was for Parthen-pilot Steffen Meininger, 5^th was Tobias Balzer in his Pfeil-Kawasaki.

Not at all satisfied must be his team-colleague Marc Töppel. The Thuringian, who normally is one of the favourites of the Pro-Lites, had a really bad start. At the very beginning he had to go down, didn´t found a rhythm and didn´t ride with the top 20 at the beginning. Although he came to a better ride and drove similar fast laps as the pilots at the top, but the race and the chance of a podium place, the Kawasaki pilot lost already at the beginning of the two hours. At the end more than a 10^th place wasn´t possible for him and so he dropped back in the overall and is only 6^th now.

The overall leader is Daniel Weiß, who could reach an advantage of 10 points to his hardest persecutor Andreas Beier after his victory in Goldbach. 3^rd in the overall is Tobias Balzer. 5^th is Kawasaki-Pfeil pilot Philipp Held.

Results XC Pro Lites:

1.      Christian Weiß (GER), tm, 22 laps

2.      Andreas Beier (GER), KTM, 22 laps

3.      Edward Hübner (GER), KTM, 22 laps

4.      Steffen Meininger (GER), Yamaha, 22 laps

5.      Tobias Balzer (GER), Kawasaki, 22 laps

 

Quad & ATV: The GCC leaders defend their leadership

Nico Richter practise limitation of damage

The ATV quads had already in Mernes a record starter field. But this class definitely seems to become more and more popular and so in Goldbach once more pilots started. Twelve ATV´s  and 53 quads went hunting but especially in the ATV class really nobody had a doubt that Michael Behr could take the victory home.

Since his worst competitor Nico Wiesel had got a shoulder injury in Mernes with a fall and was operated only few days ago. Although Wiesel was also in Goldbach, but this time only as a spectator in the distance. ”žI hop, that I can be involved again in the next run, this time I am only here as a fan.“ And so should Wiesel, like the other spectators experience a rather clear case for the favourite Michael Krambehr. The giant on the red Grizzly made clear from beginning once more that the way to the uppermost platform place can go only in passing him. The speed of Krambehr only Stefan Herbst could go along but he could not endanger the fourth victory of Krambehr. At the end Krambehr had gone more than 1,20 minutes of projection out. Herbst became second.

 

The third was Jörg Thielicke, so it’s his best result of the season. The classification continues Behr stuff with the impeccable record of four victories in four races. Second is Stefan Herbst before Fourtec-pilot Klaus Bunse.

At the quads were once again the top pilots from the Quad Cup at the start. In addition to the current quad Cup winner Max Freund came the Alskom-pilots Stefan Schreiber and Tobias Lenz to Goldbach. Holland´s Joe Maessen was with the game for the first time. Denise Willmann wanted to use the GCC for a training race, too.  The Yamaha pilot should be 8^th in the race.

The one who was missing in the starter line-up, was the overall leading arrived Nico Richter. The Can Am pilot, who took his first race victory in Mernes, had experienced his first disaster before the start. He started his machine to bring the 450er DS to the pre-start. But after a few meters, the machine switched off by itself. Several fuses were blown at the same time, "we do not know why" Richter said after the race. The Fourtec pilot managed it to repair the machine but the pre-start was closed already. And so he had to start after all other riders, who were on the route already. And there the overall leading started a furious catching up, which brought him quickly forward to place seven. But then the catching up was stopped as because the misfiring became to a permanent problem for Richter and at the end he was the seventh and he had to be satisfied. "I would certainly go a lot faster, and at least top five would be feasible."

The race was meanwhile leaded by guest-starter Joe Maessen. And the speed of the Dutch Yamaha pilots only quad-Cup pilot Max Freund could keep up. But in the end Maessen left Max Freund almost a minute behind.

Tobias Lenz, with the GCC for the first time at the start, was 3^rd. "I was not sure how I should divide the race. So I am approached much too slowly. "As Lenz finally speeded up and had driven similarly fast times as the two Yamaha pilots at the forefront of the field, the distance was too big to intervene. Stefan Schreiber, team-colleague of Tobias Lenz, doesn’t seems to be more fun to GCC. After the second place in the season opener Schreiber stop his KTM for the second time prematurely. The machine had lost oil. The overall leader is Nico Richter. Team Parthen pilot Ralf Pabst is second -  before STW Polaris pilot Bernhard Welslau.

Results XC Quad:

1.      Joe Maessen (NEL), Yamaha, 12 laps

2.      Maximilian Freund (GER), Yamaha, 12 laps

3.      Tobias Lenz (GER), KTM , 12laps

4.      Andy Green (USA), Honda, 12 laps

5.      Ralf Pabst (GER), Yamaha, 12 laps

 

About European XCC Racing

BABOONS Corp. is owner and promoter of Europe’s by far biggest motorcycle race series ”“ XCC Cross Country Championship. Cross country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The two-hour long XCC races lead as many as 1,500 signed in riders through tracks ranging from three to five miles in length. With varied terrain including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, XCC events are tests of both survival and speed.

XCC Racing will air weekly television shows on the MOTORS TV network.

 

The European XCC series is made of the national Cross Country Series German Cross Country GCC    (seven rounds; average 800 riders per round) Austria Cross Country  ACC    (six rounds;average 400 riders per round) Italian Cross Country   ICC      (five rounds; average 200 riders per round) Czech Cross Country   CCC    (five rounds; average 100 riders per round) One European final race in fall ("the best of")      Among them are factory and importer teams by BMW, KTM, Aprilia, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda etc. combined with a huge privateer field. Several thousand spectators are attending our events in average. For more information log on to www.xcc-racing.com