GCC Tollwitz '09

April 5th 2009

The champion rules

The 2009 season started with a familiar name on top. Simo Kirssi is Mr. Cross Country, and it showed again during the first round of the German Cross Country Championship (GCC). The reigning German and European champion simply dominated the competition at the "Tollwitzer Sandkessel", as 3,000 spectators witnessed a successful opener to the continent's biggest off road series.

Weather conditions were almost perfect - 17° C and slightly overcast - when the gate dropped for the gruelling two-hour moto of the XCPro class. The Finn was blocked by another rider a little at the start, but soon found his way from tenth to fifth. He then watched his rivals a bit before getting on the gas around the 40-minute mark. The track by then had taken its toll from a full weekend's race activities and was filled all over with whoops.

As the race went on, Kirssi left Motocross fixtures Kornel Nemeth - a regular top three finisher in the German Motocross Masters - and sand specialist Dennis Schröter behind. Also, none of the quartet of French riders, or the ultra-quick Polish pair of Taddy Blazusiak and Bartosz Oblucki, stood a chance. Same for Germany's very own cross country man Bert Meyer.

When the chequered flag came out after 2:05:54 hrs, Kirssi had stolen over one minute from his fiercest competitors. And he didn't even use special cross country settings, he instead used the very bike that recently carried him to top ten finishes in the World Enduro Championship.

Simo Kirssi: "The start wasn't that good. I wasn't quite on top of it and found myself a little blocked to the right. So I had some extra work cut out for me. I then studied the track before I went for it around a third into the race. I don't mind the sand and the whoops. Yes, it is energy-sapping indeed, but I had a lot of fun. My 450 worked perfectly. There's not a single blister on my hands."

German Cross Country Championship, Rd. 1, Tollwitz:

1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 22 laps, 02:05:54 2. Kornel Nemeth (HUN), KTM, 22, 02:06:58 3. Dennis Schröter (GER), KTM, 22, 02:07:55 4. Bartosz Oblucki (POL), Husqvarna, 22, 02:10:56 5. Andi Boller (GER) KTM, 21, 02:08:50 6. Mickael Musquin (FRA) BMW, 21, 02:09:22 7. Dominique Thury, (GER), Kawasaki, 21, 02:09:28 8. Nicolas Deparrois (FRA), GasGas, 21, 02:11:00 21 9. Bert Meyer (GER), Honda, 20, 01:56:38 10. Christian Weiß (GER), MotoTm, 20, 02:06:31

Photo: Hubert Stanka

Published on: 2009-04-06 18:47

	News and Reports The Latest Results Gallery Pictures of my races Videos Videos of my races About More information about me Merchandising Simo Kirssi Merchandising Calendar The next events Downloads Download wallpapers Press PR and magazine screenshots Links Interesting Links Contact Don't hesitate to contact me! Search Search the site 7 Days 21 Hours 47 Mins 10 Secs GCC Mühlhausen GCC Tollwitz '09 April 5th 2009 The champion rules The 2009 season started with a familiar name on top. Simo Kirssi is Mr. Cross Country, and it showed again during the first round of the German Cross Country Championship (GCC). The reigning German and European champion simply dominated the competition at the "Tollwitzer Sandkessel", as 3,000 spectators witnessed a successful opener to the continent's biggest off road series. Weather conditions were almost perfect - 17° C and slightly overcast - when the gate dropped for the gruelling two-hour moto of the XCPro class. The Finn was blocked by another rider a little at the start, but soon found his way from tenth to fifth. He then watched his rivals a bit before getting on the gas around the 40-minute mark. The track by then had taken its toll from a full weekend's race activities and was filled all over with whoops. As the race went on, Kirssi left Motocross fixtures Kornel Nemeth - a regular top three finisher in the German Motocross Masters - and sand specialist Dennis Schröter behind. Also, none of the quartet of French riders, or the ultra-quick Polish pair of Taddy Blazusiak and Bartosz Oblucki, stood a chance. Same for Germany's very own cross country man Bert Meyer. When the chequered flag came out after 2:05:54 hrs, Kirssi had stolen over one minute from his fiercest competitors. And he didn't even use special cross country settings, he instead used the very bike that recently carried him to top ten finishes in the World Enduro Championship. Simo Kirssi: "The start wasn't that good. I wasn't quite on top of it and found myself a little blocked to the right. So I had some extra work cut out for me. I then studied the track before I went for it around a third into the race. I don't mind the sand and the whoops. Yes, it is energy-sapping indeed, but I had a lot of fun. My 450 worked perfectly. There's not a single blister on my hands." German Cross Country Championship, Rd. 1, Tollwitz: 1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 22 laps, 02:05:54 2. Kornel Nemeth (HUN), KTM, 22, 02:06:58 3. Dennis Schröter (GER), KTM, 22, 02:07:55 4. Bartosz Oblucki (POL), Husqvarna, 22, 02:10:56 5. Andi Boller (GER) KTM, 21, 02:08:50 6. Mickael Musquin (FRA) BMW, 21, 02:09:22 7. Dominique Thury, (GER), Kawasaki, 21, 02:09:28 8. Nicolas Deparrois (FRA), GasGas, 21, 02:11:00 21 9. Bert Meyer (GER), Honda, 20, 01:56:38 10. Christian Weiß (GER), MotoTm, 20, 02:06:31 Photo: Hubert Stanka Published on: 2009-04-06 18:47