Pundit Picks Racers To Beat The Heat On May 30th
April 27, 2010 – Glen Helen Raceway, CA – As the winner of six international Grand Prix races himself, French racing hero David Vuillemin has some unique insight on the forthcoming USGP at Glen Helen set for May 30th. In addition to winning at the top levels overseas, “Le Cobra” lived and trained in Southern California to compete in both the Supercross and AMA outdoor national series, moving to the area full-time back in 2000, so he knows exactly what the world’s best motocross riders will be facing at the USGP.
“The USGP at Glen Helen is going to be the hottest race of the year for the Europeans and it will be tough physically with the heat and the rough track,” explains the recently retired DV12 (as he is known online). “The best advice I can give them is to be ready to race a tough and brutal track!”
This gives the American wildcard riders a hometown advantage. “In addition to the usual challenges of having to recover from jetlag and learning a new track, dealing with the heat will be an issue. Some of the GP regulars ride with camelback when it’s 70 degrees,” explains Vuillemin. “I don’t know what they are going to use when it’s going to be 90 degrees!”
Still the talent is top level, and DV12 says the GP regulars can adapt and overcome. “It is going to be four great motos of racing with a deep field of talent. Many Americans may not know all the names, but the level of competition is close and it should make for some good racing! It’s a two-day race format with a 25-minute qualification race on Saturday for the gate pick on Sunday.”
So who can we expect to see up front on Sunday? “The trio of Marvin Musquin, Jeffrey Herlings and Ken Roczen is going to be cool to see in MX2, but the real battle will be watching Tony Cairoli try to defend his #1 plate in the MX1 class. Musquin and Roczen will be tough to beat, even for the Americans and I hope some top U.S. guys will join the party in Glen Helen,” says DV12. “In MX1, Cairoli is the guy to beat on the new KTM 350, but there are a lot of great riders. Clement DeSalle from France, David Philipaerts from Italy, Max Nagl from Germany… I can’t wait to see those guys race each other!”
Tickets for the “Race of the Century” as the USGP is being billed, are available at the Glen Helen website www.glenhelen.com as well as at participating local Yamaha dealers. Reserved camping is also available for $50 per spot.