After the deep Dutch sand of the previous round, the 2009 FIM Motocross Championship campaign moved on to the rolling contours of the Agueda circuit in Portugal for round five of the series. Warm and dry weather meant that the spectacular track with its many undulations was in great shape both during Saturday’s busy qualifying programme, and thanks to some heavy watering overnight conditions were ideal for Sunday’s racing too.

Twenty-two year old Jason Dougan made his first visit to the podium this season, with an excellent third place overall at round three of the 2009 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship. Phoenix Tools teamster Dougan displayed the kind of form that has eluded him thus far this year, with two solid fourth spots over two tough motos at the undulating Brampton circuit, which is set high on a Cumbrian hillside close to the city of Carlisle.

The deep Dutch sand of the unforgiving Valkenswaard circuit proved a tough test for the Buildbase CCM Racing team, with neither Tom Church or Jason Dougan showing their real potential throughout the weekend. Church particularly struggled at the fourth round of the 2009 FIM Motocross World Championship after having just returned to racing following a virus that had forced him to miss the previous Grand Prix in Turkey.