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/126820
... ... ~ w '" « Ul V e :x: / u '" z >lZl en 0 I- 0 l.!') :x: Q. 00 0") ...... l.!') ...... >C'i:l ~ Danny Chandler 143) squares a turn as Dave Thorpe (3) . Hakdn Carlqvist (10) and Andre Malherbe(1) follow. Thorpe and Geboers hold the inside line on the start of mota two. Thorpe led start-to-finish with Chandler second ahead of Geboers. W orld Championship SOOcc MX Series: Round 2 Chandler rules in France By Neil Webster TH OUA RS . FRAN C E. AP R . 2 1 • American Danny Chandler took the first World Championship win of his career at the French 500cc Grand Prix via a 1-2 mota tally. Proving to the Europeans that he's a serio us threat, the red-headed KTM man won the first leg a fter run awa y leader Da ve T horpe went o u t with a br oken 14 gearbox o n ly two la p s lro rn ho me. Although Tho r pe agai n left th e pa ck Ior a sta rt-to -fi nis h mo to two win, Chandler showed the consisu-ncv many said he ta cked and cruised h om~ in second for th e o vera ll win . C ha nd ler now sta nds third in t he poi nt sta nd ings with H onda teammates Andre Malh erbe a nd T horpe a head . Onl y seven points separa te' the m after reign in g cham pion Mal herbe p ulled ou t or rnoto two wi th a Hat lire after ra ili ng on th e firs t lap. H o wever, it was Mal h er be wh o made C hand ler earn h is Iirs t moto rac e suc cess. W ith Thorpe way a head after an Erik Geboers turned 4-3 finishes into second overall. Thorpe lost a 17-second lead in mota one when his transmission broke, Laurence Spence (7) ran a strong fourth in mota one. .' early ba ttl e with C ha nd ler , Malherbe recovered Irorri a n ea rly rpistak e to pressu re Chandler for th e second half of th e race. The two ran wh eel-towh eel la p after lap, sh u ui ng each other o ut at every opportu ni lY up until th e Am erican got his big break. '" sa w Andre ta ke h is gogg les .o ff an d kn ew it wo uld be hard for h im 10 see h is way p ast , so , co nce nt ra ted on keeping the bike stra igh t," sa id Chan. dl er. " T'he n 1 had to rid e with a fla t tire for the last three la p s so it was rea lly hard. " L uck was wit h C ha nd ler as T horpe Ireewheeled back to th e pits with 'h i, str i, ken H onda a nd Chandler had till' w in handed 10 h im on a pl at e. T h or pe mad e. no m istak e with th e seco nd ra ce a nd Ch andler : soon o u t of touch w ith th'e 22·yea r-o ld British C ha m pi o n, had onl y third pl ace man, H onda's Erik Geb oers 10 worry'about a s he p ressed o n for his first' o vera ll G P win - h oldin g second from th e Iirst lap 10 the chec kered n ag, " I was n' t in teres ted in fig h ti ng David, so 1let him go," sai d Chandler, '" had m y eye o n Eri k and go t the ga p to II seco nds a nd kept it th ere ." H the winn er 's la urels went to C handler, th e m ora l vic tory we nt to Thorpe. '" was the fas tes t today," he sa id, "It's wicked whe n yo u go out wh en yo u 're 17 seconds ahead . You shou ld have seen th e smi le o n m v race whe n An dre pull ed o ut o r the s~cond rac e. It was o n ly justice." Kaw a sak i's num ber o ne, G eor ges j o be, still co u ld n 't p roduce-any results a fter a d isa p pointi n g open ing ro und i n Austria. Th is wee k a fro nt tire puncture pu t hi m o ut of moto o ne whil e he held fou r th a nd a flat rea r a fte r .Iive la p s meant he co u ld o n ly manage 10 th in th e seco nd leg. Former World Cha mpio n H akan Carlq vist was n ea rer h is o ld form, hol di ng third in mo to o ne u nt il h e a lso p unct ured h is fro nt tire. H e ra n a baufing six th in race two despite g rea t p ain from hi s recentl y brok en thumb. • Results r . Dannv Chandler (KTM) 1 -2; 2 . Erik Geboers IHon)4-3; 3.(TIE) Kurt Nicoll (KTMI 7 ·5 /Dave Thorp e (Hon) e , t : 5. (TIE) J ean -Ja cques Bruno (Kaw) 6 9 /Andre Malherbe (Han) 2 - · ; 7. Andre Vromans (KTM) 5 -11 ; 8 . (TIE) Dav e Watson (Kaw) 9-8/Lau renee Spence (Kaw ) 14 -4 1 J eremy Whatley (KawI3 -·; 11 . Jackv Martens (Hus)8-13; 12 . Hakan Carlqvist (Yam) " -6 ; 13. J eak Van Velthoven IKTM) " · 7; 14 . Graham No yce (Ho n) 12 ·12; 15 . Franco Pica (Yam) 11 -14; 16 . (TIE) J .P. M ingles (Yam) 10· /G . Jobe lKaw) · ·10; 18 . J . Sintonan (Hus) 13 -·; 19 . J . Pong ee (KawllS ·-; W . Simpson (Hus) - ·5. POINT STANDINGS: 1. M alh er be (57 ); 2. Thorp e 154); 3 . Chandler 150); 4 . Geboers (43 ); 5. N,coll (38) ; 6 . WhaUev (30 ); 7 . Spence (2 81; 6. Bru no (261; 9 . Michaele Maga rolto ' 241; 10 . Jobe 1111.