Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126415
World Championship 125cc MX Series: Round 3 Dutch championship thriller to Everts By Jaek Burniele MILL, HOLLAND, MAY 15 Harry Everts, former 250cc MX World Champion, consolidated his grip on his leading point standings position' in th~ 125cc series with double mota wins in the Dutch round. However, it was not easy and Everts electrified the crowd with a pulsating first mota duel with reigning champton and Suzuki teammate Akira Watanabe. This heroically contested encounter ended sadly, with Watanabe reluctantly lodging an unsuccessful token protest. Everts had snatched the lead as they entered the final lap by diving inside the yellow flags protecting his fallen and .badly hurt compatriot Gilbert de Ropver, while Akira took the slower, wider line as directed and could not regain the time lost. The action had commenced with Everts ducking inside the Japanese ace into the fast first tum, while exchampion Gaston Rahier, racing for the first time in five weeks since dislocating his elbow in- Austria, found himself deep in midfield after a bad start. Watanabe scorched into the lead on lap three, but Everts grabbed the advantage back on the fourth as an epic duel began to develop. Third place was being hotly disputed by Honda rider Peter Groeneveld and Matti Autio on the aircooled 1978 Suzuki. Rahier, meantime, had fought his way up into eighth place and was challenging CZ's Jiri Churavy with his factory Yamaha. Watanabe was to regain the lead three times more as both men survived 'lurid moments in a rousing, no-holdsbarred battle which the Belgian finally took by less than a second. Groeneveld held fiercely on to third place until, with just two laps to go, he was brought down by a wayward backmarker and remounted to finish an unlucky sixth behind Autio and a hard-working Rahier, who had gradually worn down Dutch 125cc Number One Dinant Zijlstra on a Kawasaki·engined Beta. Everts again outgunned Watanabe as the second moto was unleashed, but Rahier surged quickly into second place and began to attack Everts. He failed on ~eral occasions to snatch the lead until a violent moment after 20 minutes racing, entwined ten feet of trackside ta pe round his rear sprocket. The back brake began to jam on and the g;.lIant, exhausted little Belgian had to quit with six laps to go. Watanabe crashed on the halfhour, recovering just in front of Groeneveld and spent the rest of the race calmly resisting the efforts of the determined young Dutchman to close the gap. Austrian champion Sigi Lerner, aboard a KTM, fought his way through to finish a brave sixth, handicapped by a heavily' strapped and painful knee. • Results . 1. H. Everto ISuz) 1-1; 2. A. w • . . - . ISuzl 2· 2; 3. M. Autio (Suzl 3-4; 4. P. Groeneveld IHanl 6,3; 5. D. Zijl.... (Bel) ~; 6. G. R.hi« (Suz) 4-'; 7. S. Lerner IKTM) '-6; 8. J. Churvey (CZ) 7-'; 9. 0. Svendeon IKTMI··7; 10. V. KOfneev (Cll6-'; 11. H. Peuw (Han) '-8; 12. T. - . . . . . ISuzl9-'; 13. R. Gr1Iioc:h (Puc) '·9; 14. G. Uljegren (Apt) 10-'; 15. R. Zocchi (CegI·-10. IAbove) Harry Everts takes the holeshot on his way to the Dutch 125cc MXGP win.IBelow) Peter Groeneveld (2) battled with Matti Autio for third. • Donot.. placing 0UlIIide top 10. World Championship 12Scc MX Series: Round 4 Watanabe bounces back in Italy By Jack Burnicle ESAMORTOGLIA, ITALY, MAY20 Suzuki's Akira Watanabe smashed teammate Harry Everts domination of the championship chase with a perfect doub~ moto win in the Italian roU" at Esamortoglia on the Adriatic coast to move within 12 points of Everts and the points lead. Defending champion Watanabe led .' the first moto off the line from Gilera's Dario Nani and Suzuki rider Matti Autio . leaving Everts and Yamaha'sGaston Rahier back In seventh and eighth positions. Watanabe pulled away to win, while Everts broke clear of Rahier, who was still suffering problems with his elbow injury, and battled through the pack to snatch second place from Nani on the final lap. • The excitable 25,000 strong crowd saw Everts gate the second mota ahead of Autio, Rahier and Watanabe, but the latter hit the front after only twO laps and quickly established an impregnable lead. Behind him. Everts fell, leaving Autio a safe second while the little Belgian fought back into third spot, aided by Rahier's unlucky retirement with a rear wheel puncture at twothirds distance. A commendable tenth slot in this moto went to the 18'year,0Id New Zealander Craig Coleman, who thus scored his first championship points in only his fourth GP. The son of ex· Isle of Man TT winner Rod Coleman, he is over for a full season of European GPs. Results 1~ A. Watanabe (Sull '-'; 2. H. Everts ISuz12 3; 3. M. Autio (Suzl4-2; 4. D. Nani IGiIl3··; 5. M. Rinaldi ITGM) 7-4; 6. R. Zocchi ICagl 6-6; 7. C. Maddii IAp,18·S; 8. G. Ashier IYam) So-; 9. P. Pippola IHusl -·7; 10. G. Liljegren lA'pr) • -8; 11. F. Perfini (Gil) 9-.: 12. C. Coleman ISuzl '·9; 13. Y. Khudiakov IClllo-·; 14. R. Greisch (Puc) •-, O. • Denotes placing outside top 10. World Championship Point Standings: 1. Everts 4 11121; 2. w.tan8be11 (0); 3. Autio 1491; 4. Zocchi (28); 5. Rahi« 1261; 6. Groeneveld IZ2J; 7. Rinaldi/liljegrenl L.",,,,, 1211; 10. Jiri Churavy 120). World Championship 2SOCC MX Series: RoundS· Hudson takes third straight in Yugoslavia By Chris Myers KARLOVAC, YUGOSLAVIA, MAY 20 Britain's Neil Hudson took his works Maico to his third straight GP victory and closed dramatically on current championship leader Hakan Carlqvist. Hudson's win closed the gap between him and the Swedish Husqvarna works rider to 11 points, 118 to 107. American Jim Pomeroy turned in a fourth place ride in the opening moto on his works Bultaco following Carlqvist, Hudson and SWM's JeanClaude Laquaye to the finish. Pomeroy did not finish in the top ten in moto two. He was the only American in the entry. The event was postponed one day, the first time ever in GP racing, because of a dust problem at the track. The ride" boycotted the meeting and the organizers, rather than cancel the event, spent the night preparing the track, Hudson easily took the overall win with a second in the opening moto behind Carlqvist and a win in the final moto. Carlqvist had a bad start in moto two and could only manage a sixth place finish. Reigning World Champion Russian Gennady Moiseev failed to score any points at Karlovac - he failed to finish either race because of mechanical problems with his works KTM. Third place overall at- Karlovac went to Belgian works SWM man Jean-Claude Laquaye who scored with third and seventh places - his best· result so far this year on the new machine. The only other Briton at Karlovac was Maico man .Rob Hoo~r who scored his first point of the year; with a 10th place in the first race. • Results 1. N. Hudson (Mai) 2·'; 2. H. Carlqvist (Huall.5; 3. JC. lequeye (SWMl 3-6; 4. V. K.vinov (KTMI &-4; 5. H. Maioch IM.il '·2; 6. R. Dieffenbach (KIwi '-3; 7. G. Jobe ISuz) 6-6; 8. J. Pomeroy (Bull 4-'; 9. T. Suzuki (Ap'19-7; 10. J. F.lla (Cll 7-'; 11. I. Alborghetti IKTM) 6-'; 12. R. Boven IHusl '·9; 13. R. Hooper (Moi) 10-'; 14. K. Van De< V.n IM.iI·-10. -Denotes placing outside top 10. World Chempionship Point Slandinge; 1. Corlqvill (1181; 2. Hudeon 1107); 3. G. Moiseev 161); 4. Dietfen· bachlKevinov 149); 6. F.ltalMaioch (341; 8. J. V.n Velthoven 1291; 9. V.n De< Ven 1251; 10. B. Wilken (24). 13