Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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Eric Geboers (9) leads Andre Malherbe (2) in the first-mota start in Sweden. Geboers collapsed a wheel and Malherbe won. Dave Thorpe collected his first GP mota win and first overall GP win in Sweden. Thorpe's 3-1 day vaulted him to the top of the points tally. Dutchman Gert jan Van Doorn slipped LO third in the poimstandings. A hard crash in practice resulted in a di~located shoulder and Van Doorn didn't ride maLO two after a painful ninth place finish in mota one. Results 15t MOTO: 1. Andy Nicholls (Kaw); 2. Jem Wha~ tlay (Suzl: 3. Heinz Kinigadner (KTM): 4. Sven Berggren (Suzl: 5. Marc Velkeneers (Gil); 6. Mauri· zio Dolce (Hon); 7. Jorgen Nilsson (Hon); 8. Jeff Leisk (Hon); 9. Gen Jan Van Doorn (Hon); 10. Ari Viiri (KTM). 2nd MOTO: 1. Nilsson; 2. Jacky Martens (KTM); 3. Berggren; 4. Whatley; 5. Jacky Vimond (Yam); 6. Kinigadner; 7. Velkeneers: 8. Sima Taimi (Hust 9. Soren Mortensen (Yam); 10. Jean-Claude Laquaye (Han). WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS; 1. Kinigadner (135): 2, Whatley (103); 3. Van Doorn (100); 4. Velkeneers(87); 5..vimond(85); 6. Nilsson 169); 7. Martens (55); 8. Berggrens (54); 9. (TIE) Laquaye/Viiri (49). World Championship 500ce ",1 Series: Ilound 5 Thorpe scores in Sweden By Neil Webster STAFFENSTORP, SWEDEN, MAY 20 WorItI Championship 250ee ",1 Series: IlfUJd 5 British GP vidory to Whatley NEWBURY, ENGLAND, MAY 20 12 Jeremy Whatley, the top British contender in the 250cc World Championship title chase, took the overall win in the British GP in front of a partisan crowd. The 21-year-old Suzuki rider moved inLO second in the points tally via his 2-4 showing for the day. KTM's Heinz Kinigadner leads the championship chase by 32 p'oints, 135 to l03. Kinigadner finished third in the first maLO behind Whatley and Andy Nicholls. Kawasaki rider Nicholls scored his first GP points with his moLO win. The surprise winner of the second moLO was Swedish 250cc National Champion jorgen Nilsson. Nilsson and fellow Honda rider Al beno Barozzi had a dog-fight going for the lead until Barozzi crashed out in fine style. Whatley placed fourth with Kinigadner in sixth. Dave Thorpe shot to the top of the 500cc MX title chase with his first GP win for Honda at the Swedish GP. Not only was his second mota win Thorpe's fir t number one GP placing for Honda, it g-dve him the firsl overall GP win of his career and put him in the lead of the World Championsh.ip standings for the firsl lime ever. Third in the first race after losing out on a race-long battle with championship rival Georges jobe, Thorpe sailed LO a clear maLO two win, but only after (ate had intervened on his behalf. Holding lhe lead in the early stages after beating o(f Husqvarna rider Leif Persson, Thorpe had teammate Andre Malherbe chasing him hard. MaltJerbe was determined LO -- _. repeat his first maLO victory. At around one-third race distance when Thorpe's lead w"s starting to look lhreatened. Malherbe put his h"nd in the air and pulled into the mechanic's area wilh a nat rear tire. "The tire was cut by a sh"rp SLOne and I knew that if I didn't SLOp it would break up," said Malllerbe. A quick wheel change had him back in action in 25th spot. He fought back LO 10th, but the del"y wa enough to rob him of the series lead. Wheel problems had, however, worked in Malherbe's (avor in the first Leg. His fellow Belgian Honda works teammate Eric Geboers LOok the lead in front of 15,000 sun-baked fans lining the Sturup track near M"lmo. but had to drop out after only three laps when the I I high jumps per lap le(t him with a collapsed wheel and shattered hopes. In fact, Malherbe had only taken" spare wheel LO the line in race two afler seeing the problems urrered by Geboers in race one. The day belonged to Thorpe, who admitted afterward that his second race win hadn't been as easy as it looked. "First I caught the foot I injured in Spain" couple of weeks ago ina rut "nd that caused a lot of pain." said Thorpe, "then I'd settled into such a rhythm after Malherbe had gone out that when Geboers started to close in the closing stages I couldn't go any faster." In the end there were no problems for the 21year-old British champion. Anxious not to repe.at his first race disappointment Geboers said, "If I had chased harder I could have easily broken a wheel again so I decided to settle (or second LOward the end." • Results 1st MOTO; 1. Andre Malherbe (Han); 2. Georges Jobe (Kaw); 3. Dave Thorpe (Han); 4. Andre Vro· mans (Han); 5. Jukka Smtonen (Han); 6. Conny Carlsson (Yam): 7. Kurt Nicoll (KTM); 8. George Reller (KTM); 9. Leif Persson (Husl; 10. Laurence Spence (Kaw). 2nd MOTO: 1. Thorpe; 2. Eric Geboers (Han); 3. Jobe; 4. Sintonen; 5. Persson; 6. Vromans; 7. Carlsson; 8. Dave Watson IKaw); 9. Spence; 10. Malherbe. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS; 1. Thorpe (159); 2. Jobe (156); 3. Malherbe (155); 4. Goboers (136); 5. Vromans (99); 6. Sintonen (75); 7. Spence (74); 8. Hakan Carlqvist (69); 9. Persson (57); 10. Nicoll (54). ..