David Philippaerts of Yamaha  Monster Energy Motocross Team will be unable to race for the incoming 64th Motocross of Nations due to an injury he sustained while showing off raging speed during the 2nd Moto race. Apparently, Philippaerts twisted his right knee and was unable to complete the race securing a third position in the FIM MX1-GP World Championship on the factory YZ450FM. The rider immediately went back to his home in Milan for a medical check-up that revealed that, although it was not serious enough to need surgery, his knee would require adequate rest for a period of twenty days before the 2008 world champion could begin light cycling routines.

On the other hand, luck comes to Gautier Paulin as Team Yamaha chose him to represent France in the MX1 category with a YZ450FM. "While I am sorry for Christophe this is an exciting news for me and I am proud to represent France as part of a strong team. There is not much time to prepare but we are working hard now to get ready on the bike and be as fast as possible for Thunder Valley”, Paulin said.

The 20-year-old racer, Gautier Paulin, is completely prepared to enter the race for the third time this year after a successful second half in the 2010 MX2-GP campaign. His success came in the form of a victory for the YZ250FM in Holland and four podium results from the final five rounds.

Upon being told that he wasn’t able to compete Philippaerts said, "This is the last thing I wanted to happen because the news at Fermo that we could go and race for our country was fantastic for us and all the fans. I’m lucky that the injury is not a third-degree tear because that would mean surgery. However I cannot ride nor do anything for nearly three weeks now; if the ligament has any more stress then it might go completely and that would put me out for quite a while. I want to thank all the people that supported me at the weekend and through the season and I am sorry I cannot do the Nations for them, the team and all our sponsors. I really hope that Italy can do well."

The 2010 Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations has begun to build some momentum as several countries have already selected superb racers set to battle for the event. The race is scheduled for September 25th and 26th at Thunder Valley in Colorado and many expect it to add to the never-ending history of the MON.
by topspeed