BMW factory rider Simo Kirssi took an important win on Sunday during round five of the German Cross Country Championship (GCC) held under perfect conditions at Goldbach. The defending champ dominated the race in front of 5,000 fans, giving him a solid lead in the series standings.
The Le Mans-style start procedure saw Kirssi get away decently, behind GCC regulars Bert Meyer and Andi Boller. The Finn soon passed the leading duo, but found a new opponent in Antoine Letellier. The battle between Kirssi and the Frenchman lasted halfway into the race, until Letellier was forced to call it a day due to mechanical gremlins.
Kirssi had the remainder of the two-hour race firmly under control, as he steered his BMW 450 X to a confident win over Nicolas Deparrois, who took the chequered flag 1:40 minutes behind Kirssi.
The Scandinavian now leads the championship by 30 points over Kornel Nemeth. Kirssi has collected 110 points, while Nemeth - who missed the Goldbach event - keeps sitting on 80. The title could be decided at the next round in Mühlhausen on 9 August.
Simo Kirssi: "It's always a pleasure to race in Goldbach, even though I didn't have too much luck here in the past. This time everything went well; my bike was working perfectly. The event provides a great atmosphere and a superb track layout. Antoine was the only real threat today, but I managed to control him. Once he was out of the race, I basically had to bring the win home.
Results Goldbach
1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 32 laps, 2:00,48 hrs
2. Nicolas Deparrois (FRA), Gas Gas, 32, 2:02,28
3. Bert Meyer GER), Honda, 32, 2:02,51
4. Andi Boller (GER), KTM, 31
5. Chris Weiß (GER), TM, 31
6. Andre Adrian (GER), Honda, 30
7. Alexander Barthe (GER), Yamaha, 30
8. Michael Herrmann (GER), Honda, 29
9. Jens Pester (GER), Honda, 29
10. Andreas Schulz (GER), KTM, 29
The Le Mans-style start procedure saw Kirssi get away decently, behind GCC regulars Bert Meyer and Andi Boller. The Finn soon passed the leading duo, but found a new opponent in Antoine Letellier. The battle between Kirssi and the Frenchman lasted halfway into the race, until Letellier was forced to call it a day due to mechanical gremlins.
Kirssi had the remainder of the two-hour race firmly under control, as he steered his BMW 450 X to a confident win over Nicolas Deparrois, who took the chequered flag 1:40 minutes behind Kirssi.
The Scandinavian now leads the championship by 30 points over Kornel Nemeth. Kirssi has collected 110 points, while Nemeth - who missed the Goldbach event - keeps sitting on 80. The title could be decided at the next round in Mühlhausen on 9 August.
Simo Kirssi: "It's always a pleasure to race in Goldbach, even though I didn't have too much luck here in the past. This time everything went well; my bike was working perfectly. The event provides a great atmosphere and a superb track layout. Antoine was the only real threat today, but I managed to control him. Once he was out of the race, I basically had to bring the win home.
Results Goldbach
1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 32 laps, 2:00,48 hrs
2. Nicolas Deparrois (FRA), Gas Gas, 32, 2:02,28
3. Bert Meyer GER), Honda, 32, 2:02,51
4. Andi Boller (GER), KTM, 31
5. Chris Weiß (GER), TM, 31
6. Andre Adrian (GER), Honda, 30
7. Alexander Barthe (GER), Yamaha, 30
8. Michael Herrmann (GER), Honda, 29
9. Jens Pester (GER), Honda, 29
10. Andreas Schulz (GER), KTM, 29
