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Post count: 2134
BMW keeps dominating Cross CountryBMW factory rider Simo Kirssi continues to establish himself as one of the world´s best cross country riders. The friendly Finn is dominating Europe´s biggest off road series, the 2009 German Cross Country Championship, just like he did in the past.The BMW Motorrad Motorsport representative won round two of the campaign at Walldorf in convincing fashion, as 5,000 spectators were thrilled by top-notch racing, good weather and a well prepared course which included plenty of Enduro elements.Kirssi gated alright for the two-hour run, right behind his closest rival, Hungary´s Kornel Nemeth. He quickly used the demanding tree section, with its gnarly up- and downhills, to move past Nemeth. Kirssi opened a gap over Nemeth, but saw his lead disappear when he dropped the bike after touching a tree.Motocross expert Nemeth answered by racing back to the front, and that´s exactly how the pair came into the pits for the inevitable fuel stop. The BMW boys showed how they have their duties covered, when Kirssi´s crew managed to send their rider first back in the chase.The second part of the race then belonged to Kirssi out front. The defending champ extended his lead up to 40 seconds by the time when the chequered flag came out. Even more so, he came home almost four minutes ahead of WEC contender Bartosz Oblucki, who rounded out the podium. Renowned Supercross specialist Alexandre Rouis finished fourth.The ever-popular Kirssi was greeted by a long line of fans after the podium ceremony, and certainly had a lot of autograph-signing still to do.Simo Kirssi: "Walldorf is one of my favourites. The start went well and I followed Kornel a little before moving by in the tree section. I enjoyed the tight layout, that´s where I gained the most ground. The lappers really helped by making room, that made the job easier. I made one small mistake and touched a tree with my shoulder, so down I went. I took it as a wake-up call and rode very concentrated afterwards, feeling like I had full control over the race. The BMW 450 is the perfect bike for such a track."German Cross Country Championship, Rd. 2 Walldorf1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, BMW G 450 X, 14 laps 2. Kornel Nemeth (HUN), KTM, 14 3. Bartosz Oblucki (POL), Husqvarna, 14 4. Alexandre Rouis (FRA), Yamaha, 14 5. Bert Meyer (GER), Honda, 14 6. Dennis Schröter (GER), KTM, 14 7. Christian Weiß (GER), TM, 14 8. Andy Boller (GER), KTM 450, 14 9. Stefan Ludwig (GER), Husaberg, 14 10. Stefan Geyer (GER), KTM, 13Post count: 2134Jade Gutzeit Comes Home in Style Aboard the G450X Jade Gutzeit scored a first national victory for the new BMW G 450 X in South Africa when he won the Time Freight Timberland 400 national off-road race (the third round of the 2009 championship) on Saturday 2 May in KwaZulu-Natal. The third round of the 2009 SA national off-road championship produced excellent results for BMW Motorrad SA as Gutzeit and his team-mate, Gray Dick, scored first and third places in the Open Class Championship.
Jade Gutzeit powers through a water crossing...Gutzeit has already been on the podium twice this year with the Regent Racing BMW, finishing third in the Lesotho Bike Classic (national off-road) and second at the recent Montague Enduro in the Cape. This most recent result moves him into second place in the overall standings. Jade started the Time Freight Timberland 400 from pole position after the 50 kilometre time-trial on Friday 1 May which determined the starting order for the main race on Saturday (360km). He actually posted the second fastest time, but Louwrens Mahoney, with the fastest time, crashed while busy with the final set-up after the time-trial and could not compete. Gutzeit kept the lead and completed a trouble-free race, relishing every minute of it. Having grown up in KZN, Jade was completely at home in the demanding conditions. “I could not have asked for a better bike to do this race on,” a happy Gutzeit said afterwards. “I enjoyed the route and my BMW G 450 X did not put a wheel wrong. It feels great to provide BMW with their first victory in their first season of off-road racing in South Africa,” the former champion smiled. 
...and Grey Dick powers his way through some deep mudHis team-mate, Gray Dick, was denied third place on the overall results when he crashed 15 kilometres before the finish. He dislocated his middle finger on the hand needed to pull the clutch and Jarrod Blackman overtook him. Dick was in pain and, struggling to change gears properly, had to settle for fourth place overall and third in Open Class. Gray Dick Both Gutzeit and Dick are now preparing for the Lesotho Enduro (16 May), the third round of the SA National Enduro Championship. Both riders are also preparing to compete in the Erzberg Rodeo in Austria (11 – 13 June). SA National Off-road Championship Round 3 Results 1. Jade Gutzeit (BMW G 450 X)2. Clayton Enslin (KTM)3. Jarrod Blackman (Honda)4. Gray Dick (BMW G 450 X)5. Riaan van Niekerk (KTM)6. Nicholas Pienaar (Yamaha)7. Gavin Louw (Kawasaki)8. Juan van Rooyen (Kawasaki)9. Spencer Kriel (Honda)10. Darryl Curtis (Husaberg)
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