GCC Final Schefflenz '08

Simo Kirssi is the new German Cross Country champion in the XCPro class. The Finn took the title one day after his 29th birthday at the final round in Schefflenz. The success for the factory rider and his BMW Motorrad Motorsport team was completed by Jeff Goblet, who ended third on the day. Germany´s Bert Meyer finished in ninth position to seal third place in the championship standings.

Kirssi led through the opening stages of the two-hour race after owning the Le Mans-style start. Arch rival Cyrille Coulon followed in second place ahead of Meyer. The leaders quickly ran away from the pack on the demanding and slippery Schefflenz circuit. Coulon pressured and eventually passed Kirssi so the latter decided to settle for second and study the Frenchman´s lines.

The battle heated up after Kirssi´s BMW had been refuelled during a brief pit stop midway into the race. Kirssi immediately stormed back to the front only to make a small mistake and hand the lead back to Coulon. Both pilots were literally riding in a class of their own, but it was Kirssi who gained the upper hand with a brilliant performance during the final 20 minutes of the race. Kirssi took the win after 2:01:26 hrs and 23 laps to be celebrated the 2008 German Cross Country champion.

Bert Meyer had meanwhile been holding third place halfway into the race before facing technical issues. The problems caused several pit stops and costed the young rider a likely spot on the podium. His ninth place is a testimony of the good work his mechanics provided as they kept him in contention.

Jeff Goblet finished third on unfamiliar terrain, enjoying a trouble-free race.

There´s one more cross country event to come in this year´s XCC proceedings: the European series final on 18 October at Mattighofen, Austria. That´s where the best riders from Germany, Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic will gather to determine their best.

Simo Kirssi: "I managed to take the holeshot. The next laps were rather unspectacular. I would have liked to apply some pressure, but the slippery soil made it difficult. I decided to let Coulon by and follow him. Looking back, that was the right thing to do. We kept close to each other and faced the lappers both at the same time. My team did a great job when I came in for fuel. I was quicker out of the pits, with Cyrille close behind. We went for it for three laps, and when I failed to attack a corner properly, he went to the front again. I then watched his lines and turned it up a notch. He had nothing to respond and I took the win.
I am delighted with the title and would like to thank everyone who supported me; the team and most prominently my brother and mechanic Juho. We´ve been working under a great atmosphere and with terrific team spirit."

GCC Schefflenz, XCPro class
1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 23 laps
2. Cyrille Coulon (FRA), Yamaha, 23
3. Jeff Goblet (BEL), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 23
4. Steffen Albrecht (GER), Yamaha, 22
5. Andy Boller (GER), KTM, 21
6. Falko Karbautzki (GER), KTM, 21
7. Thomas Günther (GER), Husaberg, 21
8. Nils Hagen (GER), KTM, 20
9. Bert Meyer (GER), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 19
10. Björn Schuh (GER), BMW, 19

GCC final standings, XCPro class
1. Simo Kirssi, 175 points
2. Cyrille Coulon, 155
3. Bert Meyer, 127
4. Steffen Albrecht, 119
5. Andy Boller, 104
6. Falko Karbautzki, 100
7. Thomas Günther, 88
8. Marco Straubel, 76
9. Martin Schneider, 70
10. Stefan Geyer, 68