A DEFENSIVE DAY FOR TEAM APRILIA AT POMPOSA
17 July 2006 - Aprilia

Intense heat and a track with an engaging off-road section played a role in Team Aprilia’s performance in the fifth trials of the Italian Supermoto Championship.

In Pomposa on Sunday, July 16th, everyone awaited another trial in which the riders from Noale would again be the protagonists. Instead, things didn’t go that way with tough conditions beginning from the trials on Saturday. In the horrid heat, the temperature of the track rose to 47 degrees Celsius. Yet worse than the heat, Thierry Van den Bosch and Jerome Giraudo weren’t immediately able to get a feel for the Ferrara track and the off-road section thrust the international riders into crisis. VDB didn’t place better than 6th in the Sport class qualifications and his teammate, Giraudo, only finished in 14th place.

On Sunday, notwithstanding a sensibly lower temperature, they couldn’t tell up from down to make it out of the impasse they found themselves in and weren’t 100% competitive. Van den Bosch closed out in 11th place in Race 1 after a comeback from 20th (where he found himself after contact at take-off and two falls). Right behind him was Giraudo (who also found himself on the ground twice) who finished in 12th place overall. Missing were Frederic Bolley and Christian Iddon, busy preparing themselves for the next international engagement that will take place on Sunday, July 23rd at Mores in the Sardinian province of Sassari.

Things did improve in Race 2 for the two riders atop their Aprilia SVX 4.5’s although both riders again fell twice. This time around, Giraudo’s best place was 9th and VDB crossed the finish line in 11th. As the Aprilia riders noted, they were not the only ones who had trouble with the track and of little consolation is the fact that the course didn’t match up well with the characteristics of Noale motorcycles. This notwithstanding, Van den Bosch maintained his leadership in the International Sport class with 190 points as opposed to Massimo Beltrami’s 181 (Honda), Eddy Seel’s 177 (Suzuki), and Giraudo’s 173. The sixth and last trial of the Italian Supermoto Championship will take place on September 17th at Castelletto di Branduzzo in the province of Pavia, where the titles will be awarded in the 2006 edition of the highest national championship.

Pomposa (FE) - 5th Trial of the Italian Supermoto Championship

INTERNATIONAL SPORT CLASS
Race 1: 1. Massimo Beltrami (Honda); 2. Jorge Nestor (Honda); 3. Attilio Pignotti (Ktm); 11. Thierry Van den Bosch (Aprilia SXV 4.5); 12. Jerome Giraudo (Aprilia SXV 4.5).
Race 2: 1. Massimo Beltrami (Honda); 2. Attilio Pignotti (Ktm); 3. Max Verderosa (Honda); 9. Jerome Giraudo (Aprilia SXV 4.5). 11. Thierry Van den Bosch (Aprilia SXV 4.5).

Provisionary Classification: 1. Thierry Van den Bosch (Aprilia SXV 4.5) 190 points; 2. Massimo Beltrami (Honda) 181; 3. Eddy Seel (Suzuki) 177; 4. Jerome Giraudo (Aprilia SXV 4.5) 173.

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