Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ M OTOCROSS WorldChampionship250ccMXSeries:Round I ~ Italian Alessandro Puzar won both motos, but hi s Suzuki stirred con tro versy at the ope ning 250cc GP at Schwanenstadt. Puzar dominates Austrian GP By Alex Hodgkinson SCHW "\EN TADT, AUSTRIA, APR. 22 A.. ta lia n Alessandro Pu zar sco red a doub le moto win in the o pen ing round of the World Championship 250cc MX Ser ies in northern Aus tria, but ma ny felt that the Mic hele Rinal d i Chesterfi eld Suzuki team. for which Puzar rides, chea ted rig ht under the noses o f the preside n t and bot h vice presid~n~s of the FI M sanction ing co m rrussio n. Puza r was o ne o f four riders wh o were let off t he h o o k after t hei r ma chines had co ntin ua lly fai led th e no ise test d u ring Sa turday morn in g 's tech inspection, a nd after the seco nd moto Puzar 's bike didn 't arrive in the impound area until 17 minutes after th e finish of th e race. Wh en tested, th e bike regi stered a legal 103 decib els, but it was clea r by the mi sfir e that th e m echani cs had tight en ed up th e ex haus t valv e sp ring since th e finish of th e race. Puzar was given th e win and was joined on the rostrum by fellow Itali an Mich ele Fanton and American T ra mpas Parker , wh o is now an Ita lian resid en t. T hei r o nly cha lle nge was Du tchman Dave Strij bos who carded a 3-4 sco re. Puzar burst to th e front of th e first moto as o n ly Collin Dugm ore and Peter Iven went down in th e a lways tro ubleso me Schwa nenstadt first turn . T he Italian immediately began to I 16 esta blish a lead even tho ug h Strijbos, co nside red by many to be the co favorite a lo ng wi th P uza r for the tit le, had q u ick ly snatched second pl ace. Fanton and 125cc Wo rld Ch ampi on Pa rker com pleted th e top four, a nd with fifth -p lace Jerem y Wh a tley not q uite ab le to ma tch their pa ce th ey quickly esta blis hed a large ad van tage. Ismo Vehkon en cra shed out o n th e firs t la p wh en he hit some track-marker tir es whi le racing for a line with Soren Mortense n. Veh konen was sh ak en but u n h urt. Within 10 m in u tes of the 40 minu te pl u s t wo- la p mot o co u si n Pe kk a Veh konen also went down when he cl ipped Peter J oh an sson 's rear wheel, a nd th e sa me lap saw for mer 250cc World Ch ampion J ohn van den Berk also cras h ou t of th e top 15. Pa rker jumped up two places o n o ne la p when he passed a fading Fanton a nd then Stri jb os mad e a mistak e, but Parker was too fa r behind Puzar to offer a cha llenge. Puzar a nd Parker ma intain ed th eir positio ns to th e finish . Strijbos was also a lon ely third an d Fanton 's fo urth was never in da nge r despite hi s fatigue. It was a boring race a t th e front , bu t the lo wer leaderbo ard crea ted exci tement. Wha tley co nt in ued to hold a distant fifth unti l j ust before ha lfdis tance, despite th e in cessant pr essure from Germa ny 's Rol and Diep old a nd Eng land's J immy Dobb , wh o ca ug ht the pair q ui ck ly b u t faced a d ifficu lt tas k pass ing o n th e trac k. J ohansson rod e stro ngly alte r pa ssin g Ma rk Bennett to join them just as Diep old fin ally fo und a way arou nd Whatl ey. Whil e the German go t away , Jo han sson found himself ca ugh t behi nd Dobb for severa l la ps before th e English teenager started to fade ph ysicall y. "I made the mistak e o f not ta king risk s to get past Wh a tley when I ca ugh t up to him," sai d Dobb. " If I cou ld have got past, I know I had the speed to have gone after Fanton a nd I m ight hav e been far enoug h in front o f th e rest to ho ld fifth whe n I go t tired." Wh atl e y made a sma ll m istak e which d ro pped hi m back to th e grou p assemb led behind Bennett, a nd wi th Diepold and J ohansson now as lon ely in fift h a nd six th as th e fo ur riders a hea d of th em , thi s was th e grou p attracting the mo st a ttent io n. Ma rnicq Bervoet s was th e next rider to pass Bennett , a nd he chased hard after Dobb to drop him from sevent h a t 35 minutes. The final cha rge in th e to p 10 ca me wh en Pekka Vehkonen, h av ing co me ba ck stron gl y from arou nd 20th, made la te passes o n Bennett and Whatley to tak e ninth . Gert -Jan van Doorn never go t out o f th e pack and was II th in front of Rob Herring, the last man to pass Bennett, who would 've been much h igher except for a cras h early o n. Van den Berk never recovered well from his fall a nd was clea rly trou bled by his left knee a nd an kle, rid ing carefu lly in the co rn ers to finish 14th. After a n excellent ride Dugrnore, o ne o f th e first-turn crashers, just missed a GP po int af ter lat e passes o n Mar cu s H ansson and Mort en sen . After the mo to, the feel in g th a t th e Rin al di team had so me sort of hol d over the o fficia ls was in creased wh en the bik es chosen for th e ra ndom no ise test were th e Ya mahas o f J ohansson , Veh ko nen and Wh atl ev which had fin ished 6-9-10. T here was n't a single Suzuki in sig ht, a nd th e Ya rnahas all regi stered a lega I 102 deci bels. T he second moto was again Puzar a ll th e way . Team mate van den Berk ra n second for 15 minutes befor e hi s injuries forced him to slow to a n event ual six th- place fini sh . The main threat appea red to be Strijbos, but after a mid-ra ce fall he lost th e edge on his pa ce a nd was event ua lly passed by both Fanton and Parker o n his wa y to fourth in th e mot o. The Am eri can ' had start ed fifth but was passed by a rampant Dobb aft er 15 m in u tes. The Englishman tired, but .he kept it going until 35 minutes this time before fad in g back LO n inth. Pa rker go t back up to th ird behind Fanton a t th e fini sh . Peter J oh ansson sta rted well ' th is time a nd eventua lly brok e clear o f a ten se stru gg le w ith Bennett to pass van de n Ber k on th e last la p for fifth. Alt hough Bennett passed Dobb , he had to mak e way for Yannig Kervell a, Pekka Vehkonen agai n ma de thin gs difficult fo r himself a nd had to rid e hard for 10th after a second- lap crash left hi m outside the to p 20. The rea l drama came after th e finish . Vehkonen was agai n pi cked a t random for noise testing and hi s bik e registered 102 as did Diepold's Ka wasa ki. Seventeen mi nutes after th e finish P uzar's bi ke a rr ived a t impound a lo ng with th e o the r bik es of th e top five, even though the rul es state that the bikes must be tak en im media tely to the pare ferme following the race. Wh en tested Puzar 's Suzuki had clea rl y been tam pered with and registered 103 dba,legal with the post-race tol era nce. t:N Results QU ALIfYING G ROU P A: J. j oc hen j asinki (2 min.• 17.951 sec.]: 2. Alessa nd ro Pu zar (2: 18.125); 3. Ro b H err -i n g (2 : 18.58 2) ; 1. Yann ig Ker vell a (2: 18.6 12); 5. Co llin DUROlOl l" (2; 18.646 ); 6. Marn icq Bervoe ts (2; 19.022 ): 7. j eremy Wha tley (2;19.502): B. Jack y \'im ond (2:19.608 ); 9. Walter Banolini (2;19.709 ): 10. Axal Ho lvoet (2; 19.93'1): II. Rudi Va n L eeuwen (2:19.9'J 7); 12. Pencri Kytol a (2:20. 20 1); 13. Simo Heljanko (2:20.689); 14. Alw in Van AS ICIl (2:20.9 11); 15. WemeT Mu ller (2:2 1.0 1I}; 16. Mark Ben net t (2:2 1.466); 17. Rupert Wallner (2:2 1.718). Q U ALlfYI :-iG G R OU P S : I. J a m es Dobb (2: 19.029); 2. Dav e Strijbo s (2:19 .306); 3. Ismo Vehkon en (2:20.596); 4. Peter Ive n (2:20.7 14); 5. Rol an d Die pol d (2:2 1. 166); 6. Yann G ucda rd (2:2 1.292); 7. ~1a rcu s Hansson (2:2 1.623); 8. Pee Kovar (2:2 1.64 1); 9. Sor en Mor tensen (2:2 1.796); 10. Eri c Bern ard (2: 22 .095 ); 11. Di ck P e t te r sso n (2;22. 185): t 2. Peter Dirkx (2;22.3 78): 13. Bernd E ckenbach (2:22.52 1); 14.. Micke Fr i!'l k (2:22.546); 15. Arnold Irn igcr (2:22. 886); 16. J ulian Ra wso n (2:23.64 1); 17. Runny w eusren raed (2:23.876). MOTO 1: 1. Alessandro P uzar (S Ul); 2. Trampas Parker ( KT~I) : 3. Dave Slrijbos ( Ka w) : 4. Michele Fanton (SUl); 5. Ro la nd Diepold ( Ka w): 6. Peter j o hansson (Ya m) ; 7. Mam icq Bervoeu {Ka w): 8. james Dobb ( Ho n ): 9. Pekka Vehkonen (Yam): 10. j erem y wharlev (Yam); 11. Gat-jan van Doom (KT M): 12. Rob Herr in g (SUl): U . ~larL:. Benneu (SUI ' ; H . j ohn van d en Berk (S Ul) ; 15. Yan nig Kervel la ( Ka w ): 16. Co lli n Du gm or e ( Ha n ); 17. Mar cu s Ha m son [ Ka w) : 18. So ren Mort en sen ( Ka w ); 19. Bernd Eckenbach (Ya m); 20. Pet er lven (SUl ); 21. Er ic Bernard (Ya m ); 22. Alwin van Asten {Ka w ): 23. Pet er Dirk x (Ho n ); 24. Wern er Mu llc.-r (KT M ); 25. Arnold Irn iger (H o n ): 26. j u lian Ra wson (Yam ); 27. Rud i van Leeuwen ( Ka w) . MOTO 2: I. Alessandro Pu zar (Sua): 2. Michel e Fanton {Su zj: 3. Tra mpas Pa rker (KT M); ,1. Dav e Su-ijbos (Ka w ): 5. Pet er j ohan sson (Yam ): 6. John va n den Berk (SUl ); 7. Yann ig Kervell a (Ka w ); 8. Mar k Benneu (Sua): 9. j am es Dobb (Han ); 10. Pekka Veh ko nen (Yam ); 11. Yann G uedard ( Kaw ): 12. Co ll in Du gmore (Ha n ); 13. Marnicq Bervoe ts (Ka w ): 14. R oland Diepold ( Kaw): IS. Herod Eckenbac h (Yam): 16. Axal Hol voet (Ka w ); 17. Sor en Mor tensen (Kaw): lB. Ismc Vehkonen (Su z); 19. Peu Kovar (H o n ); 20. Mar cus Han sson {Ka w): 21. julian Ra wso n (Yam ); 22. Ronn y Weu stenr aed (Ka w); 23. j eremy Whall ey (Ya m); 24. Rupert Walkner (SUl); 25. Werner M ulh-r ( KT~f); 26. Peter Dirkx (Ho n); 27. Simn Helja n ko ( Ka w ): 28. Arn o ld leni ger (Ho n ); 29. Eri c Bern a rd (Yam); 30. Claus Nielsen (SU1); ~1. Pett er! Kytola (H a n) ; 32. Alwin van ASIf'n (Kaw]. POI~T ST A S DINGS: I. Alessandro Puza r (40); 2. T rampas Parker (52): 3. Mi ch d t' Fanton (30); 4. Dave Su -ijbos (2M); 5. Pet er J o ha nsson (2 1); 6. James Dobb ( 15 ): 7. (T t E) R oland Diepo ld / Pe k ka Veh konen ( 13): 9. Mark Benn ett ( II): 10. Yannig Kervell a ( 101.

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