After a stunning return from injury by Evgeny Bobryshev in last Sunday’s European Grand Prix, Dunlop heads to the 15th and final round of its 2011 Motocross MX1 comeback with two riders looking to climb further inside the championship top six.

Bobryshev and Honda World Motocross team-mate Rui Goncalves presently hold fifth and sixth in the standings, with 50 points up for grabs in this weekend’s Grand Prix of Italy finale.

Already out of reach of the seventh place rider, Bobryshev remains in mathematical contention for second place in the championship, while Goncalves has the potential for fourth.

Having been forced to miss the British GP due to a neck injury, Bobryshev made a magnificent last-minute comeback at Gaildorf – winning race one to claim his third grand prix moto win in a row on German soil this season.

Bobryshev then settled into a safe second during moto two, putting him on course for his second overall victory of the year. But unable to train for three weeks, Bobryshev began to suffer late in the race, when he was also hampered by trackside fencing tangled in his rear wheel.

Eighth at the flag, Bobryshev was still only beaten to overall GP victory by world champion Toni Cairoli. The result marked Bobryshev’s sixth podium of the year and the seventh by a Dunlop MX1 rider.

“The first moto just felt so good,” said Bobryshev. “I did begin to get tired towards the end but had enough to keep pushing for the win. The second moto just came around a bit quick. My lack of training meant my recovery wasn’t so fast and the green fence in my rear wheel didn’t help. But I was happy to be back on the podium so soon.”

“I was astonished to see Bobryshev racing!” admitted Sharon Antonaros, EMEA Marketing and Sales Director – Dunlop Motocycle Business Unit. “I thought he was going to be off for the rest of the season. I am very pleased he brought Dunlop another podium and is doing fine. Now I am very enthusiastic about the last GP and hope for more success.”

Bobryshev’s amazing return was a highlight of Dunlop’s Gaildorf weekend – but not the only one. Goncalves finished a solid fourth overall, while LS Honda rider Shaun Simpson grabbed a Saturday holeshot.

Dunlop’s Motocross Race Coordinator Eddy Seel commented: “Bobby again proved that he is one of the best in this championship, with a superb performance despite his physical condition.

“I was also really happy to see that our medium-hard racing tyre performed so well, with Shaun Simpson holeshoting Saturday’s qualifying race and Bobryshev winning the first moto. We are now looking forward to Fermo and I am very confident that we can end the year with another strong result.”

This weekend’s Fermo circuit is expected to offer similar traction characteristics to Gaildorf, raising expectations that Dunlop’s highly-successful 2011 season can end with more ‘yellow caps’ on the podium.

Qualifying for the Grand Prix of Italy takes place on Saturday, with the final MX1 (450cc) and MX2 (250cc) grand prix races of the season on Sunday.

The popular Dunlop Glove will again be making its presence known in the paddock throughout this weekend. Keep up to date with Dunlop’s MX activities on Twitter and on Facebook.