Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

World Championship 500cc ItI -Series: Round JO lobe sweeps Belgian GPi points tighten By Alex Hodgkinson NAMUR, BELGIUM, AUG. 3 It was a day of celebration for the home supporters as their riders scored the first Belgian one-two-three in the Citadel since 1953, with Georges Jobe heading Erik Geboers and Andre Malherbe home in both motos '· l' h Just f 0':1 r POInt.s sp H t e Honc:Ia trIO-DaVId Thorpe, GeboC'I'S"ind Malherbe-and Kawasaki's J -'is now only 20 points off the pace. ut after a nerve-wracking battle in the cauldron of Namur, defending champ Thorpe still heads the point standings as the 500cc GP circus heads for Luxembourg with the most exciting finish ever to a World Championship MX Series title chase in prospect. In the hottest GP of the year nearly 90 degrees in the shade Thorpe, winner of the last two Belgian classics, fell victim to the claustrophobic dust which hung in the still air around the tree-lined circuit. Tenth to leave the relatively fresh air of the Esplanade in moto one after a less than wonderful start, Thorpe was already through on to the tail of the Belgians as they peered through the murk on the long climb back from the Chalet du Monument in the clouds thrown up by the rear wheel of runaway early leader Hakan Carlqvist when his front wheel found one of the innumerable holes. By the time Thorpe had remounted he was back in 23rd position and it was from this lowly place that he had to begin one of the greatest charges through the pack ever witnessed at the Citadel. Thorpe crossed the line fifth, just yards behind Leif Persson, after 50 hard fought minutesofridingworthy of a World Champion. Gating a little better in the second moto, Thorpe relentlessly closed on the trio of Belgian tront-runners at half distance but there was to be no change in the running order of the first four from the third lap on. "The· dust was even worse for the second race," gasped a sick Thorpe after the race. "I wanted to fight them so much, but I was choking as I breathed at half distance by the dust raised by Erik and Andre. It was awful. There was no air at all in the trees." His comments were echoed by Kurt Nicoll, whose sixth overall had lifted him to within striking distance of Carlqvist in the point standings: "It was just ridiculous. I have never ridden in such dusty conditions. Normally I would take the big climb back to the Esplanade in fourth gear, but for the first six laps of the first race I had togo up in second. Except around the finish you were riding totally blind." High drama had already come during the morning timed practice that saw elder statesmen Malherbe and Carlqvist hit the deck. Three-time World Champion Malherbe had to have 10 stitches in his forearm after a horrendous crash that he suffered while trying to set a time to match Thorpe, who was three seconds 4ui~kcmtb;m;pJy,oI)e: ebeOl ba " \ n, j,.. I ., Then in me closing minutes of me session me bolt at me top of the rear shock of Carlqvist's Yamaha sheared and the Swede suffered back injuries. "I was so pumped up to do well here," said Carlqvist, "but I can't sit down on the saddle at all and that means I have trouble controlling the bike in a turn." But in a full gas standing drift around the outside of the first two turns, Carlqvist snatched the lead at the start of moto one and had a full six seconds on the pack as mey jumped back onto the Esplanade to complete the opening lap. But it couldn't last, and after slipping off in the woods in lap twO it was a sad Carlqvist who pulled into the paddock the nexnime around. With Thorpe well back and Nicoll just starting to battle his way into the top 10, it was left to Persson to tackle the Belgians at the front and he was making a good job of holding off Malherbe despite the loss of me angled tip part of the shift lever in the hectic first lap. At the front, Geboers had inherited the lead from Carlqvist but he gave it up without tOO much of a struggle to the £lying jobe; a certain second place was a preferable choice for Geboers rather than an all-or-nothing battle for the win with the man who had won five of the last six GP mOlOS. As Andre Vromans toured in with an inoperative rear brake, American Mike Larson set about leading Brit Mervyn Anstie to snatch fifth as the pair set out closing down on Malherbe. Larson was in fact set to pounce when his bike's radiator bracket broke and his hopes went up in steam. By half distancejobe had 12 seconds on Geboers, but Malherbe was starting to trouble Persson and Anstie was a clear fifth in pursuit of them. Next along was jean-Claude Laquaye with icoll, Rob Andrews, Kees Van der Ven, Corrado Maddii and a closing Thorpe giving chase. The rest were nowhere in sight. Anstie had to slacken his pace in the final 15 minutes when a stone from Persson's rear wheel rendered his front brake ineffective and Van der Ven was dropping back to a very distant 10th when he got a flat front tire. Dutch KTM rider Van der Ven admitted to being less than keen on racing on the unique circuit which he was visiting for the first time since going there as a 12-year-old to watch! As Anstie dropped back from Persson, Nicoll took up the charge, but all the time Thorpe was picking off the pack one by one and with.a lap LO go he surged past Nicoll. Realizing the danger, Persson turned up the gas again for one final desparate lap to just retain his fourth as 21 shattered riders saw the checkered flag. Conditions were even worse and men and machines took even more of a battering in moto two; although 24 weary souls were to cross the finish 'I' {.; j p,alf of'f th'e ( . ') ~ & , ] bhe·.) Tap ne; " rr -at 'Ieas r I George. Jobe (4. above)uil. to victory at the 500cc MX GP in Belgium. Jobe won both moto•. Former World Champion Andre Malherbe (below) went 2-3 on the day and gained points on serie.leader Dave Thorpe. : behind winner jobe. One of those was the energetic young American Larson, but he had no chance of emulating his first moto performance after the first of several falls left him last man away from the third turn. He was eventually 19th. It was Geboers who took the start with Anstie, Malherbe and jobe in pursuit, but by the Chalet Anstie was down to fifth behind icoll while Thorpe had advanced three places to eighth. Again jobe swept his compatriots almost contemptuously aside and, with Persson struggling a little from a not so good start, the first five of last year were showing why they held those plates. In the reverse order of 4-3-2-1 number plates with Nicoll's fifth never coming into real danger from Persson, the race became a battle of survival from lap three, with the only hints of a change coming from Thorpe's charge onto Malherbe's tail at half diSfuhce and ~h~ u:illy unJ"'" I I' -. t' successful attempt by Malherbe to displace Geboers on the half hour. With the exception of Laquaye who had picked up a front puncture on the opening tour the leaderboard men were again the same once Vromans had succumbed to a recurrence of his knee troubles. Anstie temporarily lost out to Van der Ven before the Dutchman lost his front brake so Anstie's second seventh of the day was eventually a lonely affair. • Results MOTO ONE: 1. Georgea Jobe (!Caw); 2. Erik Geboer. (Hon); 3. Andro Melherbe (Han); 4. Lei! Pernon (Yam): 5. Olvld Thorpe (Hon): 6. Kurt Nicoli (Kaw); 7. Mervyn Anatle (Kaw); 8. Rob Andr.... (Kaw); 9. Corrado Madelil (Kaw); 10. Kee. Van der Ven (KTM); 11, Jean·Claude Loquoye (Hon); 12. Jean·Lue Fouch" (KTM); 13. Jean·Mere 810nehy (Kaw); 14. Johan Van Poppel (KTM); 15. Lourenee Spence (KTM). MOTO TWO: 1. Jobe; 2. Geboer.; 3. Malherbe; 4. Thorpe; 5. Nicoli: 6. Pe....,n; 7. Anatie: 8. Van de, Ven; 9. Madelli; 10. Werner Siegle (KTM); 11. UIc 8ursen. (Hon); 12. Van Poppet; 13. Spence; 14. Bert Von Zitzewitz (Mel); 15. Stephln Dea"""e (Kawl. POINT STANDINGS: 1. Thorpe (281); 2. G_. (278t 3. Mllherbe (277); 4. Jobe (2S1 t 5. Van der Ven (204t S. Persoon (191t 7. c.,lqviat (143); S. 'Nll!oll (' :MI..... AnatiII~ (5SI~ '" j

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