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/127261
Despite ri ding with a broken ankle, Belgian Eric Geboers tallied a 2-4 score to earn second overall and move into second in the points standings behind Liles. Defending World Champion David Thorpe put a stop to Bill y Liles' win streak by scoring his firs t victory of the season with a double-m o te win at Sittendorf. Thorpe rains on Liles' parade in Austria By Alex Hodgkinson SlTITNDORF, AUSTRIA, MAY 6 ngla nd 's David T horpe celebrated h is first victory of the season as defending Worl d Ch ampion a nd since h is off-season switch from Honda to Kawasaki wit h an overw helmi ng double-mot e win at the Ausm an G P in Sittend orf. Also, Thorpe put the skids to American Billy Liles' win streak of the openi ng two ro unds of the series. It was o n the very same track that T horpe had scored hi s first-ever GP mot o win in 1982. and he ha s now won here for the past three years. Thorpe's 40 points move him to third in the cham p io nship standings behind leader Liles a nd runner -up Eri c C eboers, Kawasaki -mounted Lil es was fourth and sixth on the day, wh ile Belgi an Geboers clinched second overa ll with 2-4 fini shes over J acky Martens, who posted a 7-2 tall y. Thorpe won both moios at an average speed of 31.83 mph. After hi s bad start in Switzerland o ne E 22 week ea rlier. Austral ia n J eff Leisk was back to his nor mal form from the gate a nd led the start of the first mot o wh ile Belgi an Dirk Geukens kept o n the gas in the first turn a nd brough t dow n Englishma-n Pa ul Mal in a nd Ho lland 's Leo Combee. Eng la nd's Mervyn Anstie was second beh in d Leisk but a m in or slip just before the complet io n of th e first lap dropped hi m to fifth behind Kurt Ni coll , Th orpe a n d Mart ens. Geb oer s a n d Lil es wer e looking for a way past Ansti e as well a nd soo n found it. On the third la p Thor pe found a way past Nicoll , and after a sho rt battle with Leisk, he sim ply di sap peared int o the distan ce to win his fifth consecu tive mot o in Austri a. " Th er e's far too much d u st ," sai d T horpe between motos, "So me th ing must be don e before th e seco nd race. We a re racin g a t suc h h igh speeds a n d yo u just ca n' t see t he tr ack if yo u go into a co rne r b ehind so meone ." Leisk agreed: " O nce David went pas t, 1 started rid in g reall y badl y. I just couldn 't find the lin es a nymore. It was partly down .to me, bu t it was really difficult to see and that destroys your co n fide nce when yo u' re struggling a nyway ." The Australian event ua lly dropped back to a di stant fifth , unabl e to offer an y resistan ce to the assa ults of Martens, Geboers and Lil es. Nicoll also had a difficult tim e with dust afier Thorpe and Mart ens passed him in quick succession. " I got going again when Geboers pa ssed me. and 1 was determined not to let Lil es get me on the last lap aga in," said Nicoll. who Lil es passed on the last lap to win the Swiss GP on e week earl ier. Liles just failed to catch Nicoll . as they finished in Geboers' wheeltracks, but the Belgian cruised the final lap after a stro ng ride to second, whi ch also lifted him to second in the sta ndin gs behind Lil es. Mart ens had held on to Thorpe until he had a nasty cras h o n the ma in hill in the swirling dust fro m Thorpe's rear wheel. Martens remo unted ninth and came back stro ng ly to pass Kees Van der Ven, but he cou ldn't quite catch Fran co Rossi for sixth. Desp ite losin g out to both Rossi a nd Mar tens o n the fina l two laps, Van der Ven was satis fied wit h his eighth-place finis h. " At least 1am 'riding better than I have been for some time," said Van der Yen. " I a m gett ing used ( 0 ridi ng more wi thout puttin g my foo t down." Anstie had been sixth until two laps from th e fin ish wh en hi s H onda expired, wh ile Karl Sulzer crossed the lin e 10th behind Mark Banks. T he second moto started with Kawasaki rid er Malin in front, and for near ly seven laps nobody was go ing to catch him. Then the Kawasaki's rear suspen sion broke w hile he was still well ahead of the pack and a possib le fairy tale win was not to be. Malin's departure left Mart ens with a com ma nding lead, as Thorpe so ught a way past first Geboers and then Geukens. After 20 minutes the defending cham p was second and. secu re in his knowledge that he could win , left his charge o n Mart ens until two laps rem ained, passing him o n an uphilL In Thorpe's wake, Leisk had also shown more decisive form this time and passed Geboers 10 chase after Geu kens and Thorpe. But the Australian 's fate was already decided. " I took a stone on the front forks while I was foll ow in g Ceboers," said Leisk. " I didn't realize ther e was a problem at first but the oil was pouring ou t a nd I lost all th e damping. " Under pressure from Geboers, Leisk fell and remounted ninth just ahead of Sulzer. To the delight of the partisan crowd. Sulzer took full advantage of Leisk 's problems to pass him and claim eighth when Banks retired on the last lap with a broken rod. A rejuvenated Gehoers passed Ceukens in the clo sing stages, but both Belgians had been passed by Rossi, who even got close to Thorpe before the champ began' hi s late charge. Lil es also caug ht up to Geukens from a bad start but couldn 't pass him, and Nicoll was a fairl y distant seventh at the fini sh after a second-lap cras h. Georges Jobe was one of many firstlap crashers and event ua lly pulled out after a half-hearted att empt 10 follow the leaders altho ugh he was a lap down. a Anstie also cras hed on lap one. Resul ts MOTO I: I. David Thorpe {Ka w): 2. Eric Oeboers (Ho n); 3. Kurt Nicoll (KTM); 4. Bill y Liles (Kaw]: 5. Jdl Leisk (Honj ): 6. Fran co ROMi (KThI); 7. Jacky Martens (KTM) : 8. K= Van der Vm ( KT M): 9. Marie Bank. (Ka w): 10. Karl Sulzer (KThI); II. Jo Martens (Ka w ): 12. Giovan ni Cavatona (KThI); 13. Brian .wh...ler (KTM); t4. Dirk Ceukens (Ho n); 15. Paul Mal in (Ka w); 16. J o ha n Boonm (KTM); 17. Kurt Lju ngqvisr (Hon); 18. Stefan Larsson (Kaw ); 19. Romano Nan ni ni (Ho n ); 20. Siegfried Bauer {Kaw}; 21. {art"d Smith (Ho n); 22. Robert Scull (Hon); 23. Ani io Pignotti (He n]: 24. Marro Faussone {Kaw); 25. joel Smets (Hon); 26. Christian Vimond (Hon]: 27. Roberto Costa (Ho n); 28. G iuseppe Oaspardone (Ka w); 29. Leo Co mbee (Ho n). MOTO 2: I. David Thorpe (Ka w) : 2. Jacky Mane", (KTM ): 3. Fran co Rossi (KT M); 4. EricGeboers (l Ion): 5. Dir k Gu ekens (Ho n); 6. Billy Liles ( Ka w); 7. Kun Nicoll (KTM ); 8. Karl Su ber (KT M): 9. Jell Leisk (Ho n); 10. Siegfri ed Bauer (Kaw ); 11. Kurt Ljungqvisl (H on ); 12. Jo Mancos (Kaw); IS. Romano Nann ini (H on ]: 14. Robert Scou (H o n) ; 15. Marc Velkeneers (Ka w) : 16. Stua n Coy le ( Ho n); 17. Stefan Lamon (Kaw): 18. Au ilio Pi gn oui (Ho n): 19. Christian Vimo nd (He n): 20. Leo Co mbee (Hon]: 21. Eric Delannoy (Ho n ); 22. j oel Smets (Hon) ; 23. JeanMichel Midey (Kaw): 24. Roberto Cos", (Hon). . 500 WORLD GHAMPIOSSHIP POL'. STANDNG S: I. Billy l.il es (96); 2. Eric GdJoen (78); 3. IlJ vid Tho rpe (74); .1. Dirk Ceu ken s (62); 5. (TIE) Kun Nicol l/Jacky Marten, (60); 7. Jdl Leisk (45): 8. j c Mart en s (41); 9. Kees Va n del Vm (31); 10. Mervyn Ansli e (30).