As could probably be expected due to the rain that has been falling since yesterday evening, the practice and qualifying schedule was delayed today until 12:00 and then again until 3:00 due to the very wet and muddy condition of the Moneyglass Demesne track in Northern Ireland.

Like mentioned above, for most of the day, everything was put on hold as everyone continued to wait to see whether or not the rain would die down enough, and the track dry out enough, for practice and qualifying to be held. As it turned out, the FIM Jury met one last time at 2:00 and made the final decision to grant one 45-minute practice for each class, with the first 15 minutes for free practice and the remaining 30 minutes for timed qualifying.

When practice finally got underway, it understandably took the riders a few laps to get lines broken in, however, once that happened it was business as usual, as the regular frontrunners were found at the top of the fast-lap list. In the MX1 class, Belgian CAS Honda rider Ken De Dycker turned in the fastest lap around the muddy course with a time of 2:48.792. “I hope to get a good start tomorrow, because that is going to be everything here,” De Dycker said during the press conference following qualifying. “I think everybody has a chance here, and I don’t think there is really anything special that you can do to prepare. I think there might be some surprises tomorrow.”

Right behind him were two of his fellow countrymen, Suzuki WMX GP teammates Kevin Strijobos and Steve Ramon. Their times were 2:49.065 and 2:50.325 respectively. Ramon’s qualifying time looks good for his chances tomorrow, and with the current points leader, Team Yamaha’s Josh Coppins, out due to a shoulder injury, there is a strong chance Ramon could take over the number one position in the championship chase. After recovering from a minor tip-over in the deep mud, fourth fastest honors went to GPKR Kawasaki’s Sebastien Pourcel with a time of 2:51.233. Rounding out the top five was Team Kawasaki Racing’s Tanel Leok with a time of 2:51.255.

In the MX2 class, it was to no one’s surprise who the fastest rider was, as current points leader Team De Carli Yamaha’s Antonio Cairoli turned in a blazingly fast time of 2:47.630. If Cairoli wins the first moto tomorrow, he could possibly win the MX2 championship. “I want to win the race, but I know that the championship can be won tomorrow as well,” Cairoli said about his title chances. “Tomorrow, I just want to concentrate on the race, because anything can happen if you make just one mistake.”

Behind Cairoli in qualifying was AXO KTM Silver Action’s Jeremy Tarroux of France. Tarroux’s time of 2:48.387 was just barely off the pace set by Cairoli. Third went to Ricci Racing’s Davide Guarneri with a time of 2:49.114. Fourth went to Tarroux’s teammate Rui Goncalves with a time of 2:50.841. Finally, rounding out the top-five was young French sensation GPKR Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel with a time of 2:51.433.

As for the track, like mentioned above, it was left super muddy and wet after an intense rainstorm last night. But that isn’t the only difference about the track from others on the circuit. This year is the first time a GP has been held at the Moneyglass Demesne track. According to a lot of the riders, they like it a lot, and if it weren’t for the wet conditions, it would probably be the favorite for many. Cairoli explains, “I think it is a very nice track. When it’s dry, it is for sure a good track to ride. In this condition, with the big jumps that there are, it’s hard. When it’s dry, though, it’s one of the best tracks to ride.”

QUALIFYING RESULTS:

MX1:

1. Ken De Dycker (Hon); BEL
2. Kevin Strijbos (Suz); BEL
3. Steve Ramon (Suz); BEL
4. Sebastien Pourcel (Kaw); FRA
5. Tanel Leok (Kaw); EST

MX2:

1. Antonio Cairoli (Yam); ITA
2. Jeremy Tarroux (KTM); FRA
3. Davide Guarneri (YAM); ITA
4. Rui Goncalves (KTM); FNM
5. Christophe Pourcel (Kaw); FRA