Circuit de Motocros de Catalunya - Bellpuig, Spain
The Spanish Grand Prix can be summed up in one word - rain. It rained all day.
The track itself is a bit reminiscent of the legendary Carlsbad Raceway: it's clay-based, and when it's dry, it can be rock-hard and like riding on cement. When it's wet - the clay is very slick and treacherous. With the amount of rain coming down all day, the final moto of the afternoon (the second moto of MX1) was cancelled because the track had become too dangerous, and sections of the track (like some steep uphills) were impossible to climb.
In the first MX2 moto, it was KTM's #4 Tyla Rattray running away with the win. After a few corners, riders were unrecognizable - they all looked the same - completely covered in brown mud.
In the first (and only) MX1 moto, the winner was World Champion Steve Ramon. Again, after the first few corners, all the riders were unrecognizable.
One thing very noticeable in the first motos of each class - even with the rain and the mud, the top riders were still going about the same speed (fast) and doing all the big jumps and doubles. The second moto, with the rain still coming down hard, the track really started to deteriorate, and, as mentioned before, the final MX1 race was cancelled because conditions were so dangerous.
The Spanish fans clapped, whistled, and cheered for each and every rider - even those way back in the pack, appreciative of each giving 100%, and especially in the very trying conditions.
In the second MX2 moto, it was Davide Guarneri winning, and, capturing the overall as well. Davide was riding with an injured shoulder, and took two pain injections (one Saturday, one on Sunday) to race.
| Round 2 - Spain - April 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Most of the photos you see are from Saturday's practice sessions, when the track was dry. Notice the two photos, and the two videos from Sunday that demonstrate how wet the track was.
MX1 Video highlights
MX2 Video highlights
