Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ SUPERCROSS Chesterfield Masters ofMotocross Series:Round 4 m J ean-Michel Bayle clinched the Masters titl e with his Monte Carlo Supercross victory. Bayle clinches title with Monte Carlo win By Alex Hodgkinson MONTE CARLO, MONACO, NOV. 9-10 espite two ro unds left in the series , Jea n -Miche l Ba yle ad ded yet another ti tle to his collection whe n he clinc hed th e Chesterfield Masters of Motocross Cha mpionshi p by wi nni ng th e Monte Car lo Supercross. The 22-year-old Frenchman's fourth overa ll victory of th e six-race series came on the Larvotto Beach in Monte Carlo. The cou rse was constr uc ted fro m dirt hau led to the beach and was the first-ever motorcycle race in the principality of Monaco. An estimated 8000 spectators wat ched the two days of raci ng. Just to pro ve that even he is not invincible, 'Bayle actua lly lost to Jeff Sta nton in the final on Sunday. Bayle, wh o beat G uy Cooper in Saturday's fin al , finis hed less than one second behind Sta nton after startin g fifth and bein g nearl y 10 seconds dow n wh en he rea ch ed second place h alfway through a race tha t lasted less than 10 minutes. Exci teme nt gre w through ou t the program on Sat ur day as racing took pl ace under blue skies. T he first heat, wo n by St anton, h ad bee n fa irl y processional apart from a late-race pass by Cooper o n Donny Schm it for second. Bayle did his regular disap- D 22 pearing act in heat two, bu t there was plenty of hect ic acti on behi nd th e Frenchman and the eq ually secure ru nner-up Mike Fisher. Dean Matson and Jeromy Buehl contin ua lly swapped thi rd p lace un til Buehl mad e a sli p, and the bauling . Dutch duo of Pedro Tragter and Dave Strijbos, who had been pushing the American du o hard , both w ent down hard and had to tran sfer throug h the second-cha nce races. . T he third heat saw Larry Ward lead from start to fin ish , bu t a rejuvenated J eff Ward pushed past Stefan Everts on lap three to pr essu re his Suzukimo unted nam esake to the chec kered flag. Everts couldn 't hold the pace and lost th ir d p lace to h ard- ch arging German Bern d Eckenbach for a lap before repa ssing and fin ishing third, 15 seconds behind the Wards. Sta nt on and Larry Ward ran away from the field in the first semi wh ere Stanton won by 10 seconds. T all on Vo h la n d a nd Sc hmi t con ti n ua lly swap ped third p lace until the last lap when Schmit went down and had to q uic kly scra mble to cross the line fifth beh ind Everts, who was 10 seconds beh ind Voh land, and jus t inches ahead of Buehl. . The 'second sem i saw th e closes t fin ish of the da y. Bayle passed Cooper after three of the 12 la ps and. th e two friend s put on an excellent show for the crowd wh ich took them 15 seconds clear of J eff Ward at the checkered £lag. There were no other sign ificant posi tion changes in the race. On a rela tively undemanding track, Bayle seem destined for a hard ride in the mai n event as he ga ted poorly and com pleted the first lap in fourth pl ace beh in d Stanton, Vohland and J eff Ward. Sta n ton mu scled past Vohl and quickly after the start, but the race was just four laps old when Sta nton lost control on the approach to the finish . line jump and cras hed hard. On e lap earlier Bayle had forced his way past J eff Ward, th en needed just two more laps before he set up Vohl and for a typica l Bayle pass wi th the th rottle nai led through the whoops. Vohland tried to stay wit h th e new leader. but a lap la ter he went dow n and though he'q uickly remounted, J eff Ward and Cooper go t by. T he ene rge tic Co oper took over second place af ter 10 of 18 laps , and seconds lat er Jeff Ward went down and even tua lly came to the finish 12th after losing a comp lete lap before he cou ld cont in ue. Cooper deligh ted th e fan s with h is spectac u lar jumps and crossed the fini sh line four seconds beh ind Bayle. Stanton, who had passed Vohland six laps from the en d, pus hed hard to fini sh third , dose behind Bayle. Vohland was fourth across the fin ish line, just ahead of Schmit who had to force hi s way up fro m a LOth -place start. Larry War d pushed J ohn Van den Berk out of six th pl ace on the last lap, while eighth- p lace Buehl was th e last rider not to be lapped by Bayle. Bayle's four -second winning margi n, an average race speed exceedi ng that allo wed on outdoo r GP tracks, and th e fact th at seven other riders remained on the same SO-second lap at the end of the 18-lap main, emphasized the undemanding na ture of the course. Sylvai n Geboers and Roger DeCoster worked hard on Su nday morning to improve the track. Bayle and Stanton again marched unb eaten through th e qua li fiers, th ou gh Larry Ward pu shed Sta nton all the way in heat two and J eff Ward was only three seconds do wn on Bayle in the first semi. J eff Ward had earl ier beaten Cooper and Everts in a dosefough t firs t heat. T he semi finals weren ' t as easy for severa l of the top rid ers. In _the first semi , won by Bayle, Pekka Veh konen cra shed ear ly wh ile cha llenging for a transfer pos ition and Bueh l failed to catch R ick Ryan for a transfer after first -lap probl em s left him 11th. While Stanton domin ated semi two, Schmit was put out on th e openi ng lap and Fisher never had a cha nce after he fell and went a lap down. Sch mit and Vehk onen were eli minat ed in th e five-lap Last Ch an ce Qualifier as German Bernd Ecken bach led the way to th e finish. Sta nton led at the end of the first lap of the main event, while Bayle was fifth behind Larry Ward, Axel Holvoet a nd J eff Ward. Th e wh oops had clai med Everts on the first lap, and Fisher cras hed on the second lap and was out with a bruised leg. Fo r th ree la p s Bayl e co u ld n ' t improve his position as Stanton raced clear of the pa ck. Bayle event ually sto rmed past the two Kawasaki s and set off after Larry Ward. It wasn ' t until h alf d istan ce , h ow ever, that the French ma n cou ld grab second pl ace from Larry Ward, and by then Stanton was well clear in front. Bu t as they thread ed th eir wa y through ba ck mark ers, Bayle caught up to the leader. The gritty Stanton wasn 't about to surrender wi tho ut a fight, and at the fin ish he was sti ll in front of Bayle by less than one second. The two Wards fi nished just thr ee seconds apart, with Larry maintaining third over J eff. Coo per cha rged up to finis h fifth desp ite a terr ibl e start whi ch left him in eigh th place on the opening lap. Vohland led Coo per for a few lap s in midrace as they both sough t a way pas t Van den Berk. They both passed th e Dutchman and Vohland couldn' t hold Cooper off and fini shed sixth ahead of Van den Berk. Eckenbach had also passed Van den Berk a t one point, bu t the n he fell and had to settle for eig ht h . Holvoet rode mag ni ficen tly in fifth for half the race before an error dropped him to 10th at the fini sh beh ind New Zealand's CN Darryl Atkin s. Resul ts SAT UR DAY HEAT 1: I. Jell Sta n to n (Han); 2. Gu y Cooper (Suz); 3. Donn y Sch m it (Suz); 4. John Va n den Berk (Suz);5. Mich ele Mon ti (Hon ); 6. Fab io Monti (Hon) ; 7. Max Gazzarata {Suz): 8. Ku rt Lj u ngq vist (Hon ); 9. Andrea Gan a ssi (H o n); 10. JeI j an ssen (Suz); 11. Ge rard Delepine (SUl); 12. Georges Jobe (Han); 13. Cb arrel Sweebe (Hon). HEAT 2: I. J ean .Mi chel Bayle (Han); 2. Mike Fisher (KT M); 3. Dean Malson (Suz); 4. jere my Bueh l (Ho n ): 5. Axel H olvoet ( Ka w ): 6. Ray Sommo (Kaw); 7. Dave S trijbos (SUl ); 8. Darryl Atkin. (Han); 9. Pedro T rag ter (SUl); 10. j a im y Scevena ls (Hon); II. Ru di Verstee~ (Han); 12. G iovan n i Ca vatorta ( Ho n); 13. Chri stian Burnha m (H on). , HEAT 3; 1. Larry Ward (SUl) ; 2. J ell Ward (Kaw); 3. Stefan Evert s (Suz); 4. Bernd Eckenbach (Yam); 5. T allo n Voh land (SUl); 6. Rob Moo re (KT M); 7. Pekk a Vehko nen (Yam); 8. R ick Ryan (SUl );9. Alwi n Va n Asten (Kaw); 10. RaJ( Piau (Han): II. Hara ld Van H eeswijk (H on ); 12. j ean -Ma rc Gaill ard (SUl ). REPECHARGE I : I. Da ve Stri jbo s; 2. Pekka Vehkonen : 3. Ped ro T rag ter: .1. Alwin Van Asten : 5. Ceorges j o be: 6. Jef janssen. • R EP ECHAR G E 2: 1. Max Gazzarata: 2. Ri ck Ryan; 5. Darryl Atkins; 4. Ralf Plan; 5. Andr ea Oanassi: 6. Ja imr Scevenals. SEMI 1: 1. Jef Stanton; 2. Larry Wa rd; 3_Tall on Voh land; 4. Stefan [verts ; 5. Don ny Schmit; 6. Jero my Buehl ; 7. Mich ele Monti; 8. Pedr o Tragter: 9. Rick Ryan : 10. Ralf Piau; I I. Ray Somma; 12. Dave Strijbos; IS. Mike Fish er. . SEMI 2: I. Jea n-Mich el Bayle; 2. G uy Cooper; 3. Jeff 'Wa rd; 4. Bernd Ecken bac h; 5. John Van den Berk: 6. Bob Moore; 7. Axel Holvoet; 8. Pekk a Vehkoncn ; 9. Dea n Ma tso n ; 10. Max Oazearara: 11. Darry l Atki ns; 12. Fabi o Mo nt i; 13. Alwin Van Asten. LCQ:. I. Max Gazzarata : 2. Michele Mo n ti: 3. Pedr o Tragter, MAIN : 1. Jea n-Mich el Bayle (Hon ); 2. G uy Cooper (SUl) ; 3. J eff Stanton (Han); 4. Tallo n Voh land (SUl ): 5. Do n n y Sch mi t (SUl); 6. Larry Ward (SUl); 7. John Van den Berk (SUl ); 8. J ero my Rueh l (Ha n ); 9. Max Ga zzara ta (SUl); 10. Stefan [verts (Suz): I I. Bob Moo re (KT M): 12. J ell Ward {Ka w) : 13. Mich ele Monti (H a n ): 14. Bernd Eckenbach (Ya m); 15. Pedro T rag ter (Sue). SUNDAY H EAT I: I. Jef f Ward: 2. G uy Cooper; 3. Stefan Everts; 4. Pedro Tragter: 5. Georges Jobe; 6. Kurt Ljungqvist ; 7. j el J anssen : 8. H aral d Van Heeswijk: 9. G iovanni Cavar ona: 10. Jean -Marc Gail lard . HEAT 2: I. Je ff Sta n to n: 2. La rry Ward; 5' loh n Van de n Berk : 4. J eromy Bueh l; 5. Tallo n Voh and ; 6. Ray Sommo; 7. R ick R yan; 8. Pekka Vehk o nen: 9. Cha rre l Sweebe: 10. Gerard Delep in e; II. Christian Bemham: 12. Alwin Van Asten . H EAT 5: I. J ean-Michel Bayle; 2. Mike Fisher ; 3. Axel H olvoet: 4. Do nn y Sc h m i t; 5. Bern d Ecke nbacb: 6. Ma x Gazzarata; 7. Danyl Atkin s: 8. And rea Ga na ssi ; 9. R ud i Vers teeg ; 10. Ja im y Scevanals; I I. Ra lf Pl at L llEP ECHARG E 1: 1. R ick Ryan ; 2. Darry l Atkins; 5. Charrel Sweebe: 4. Ch ris tia n Bemham. R EP ECHAR G E 2: I. Gerard Delep ine; 2. Pekka Vehkon en ; 5. G iovan ni Ca vatorta: 4. Alwin Van Asten . SEMI I: I. jean-Miche l Bayle; 2. Jeff ward: 3. Larry War d: 4. Stefa n Evens; 5. Axel Holvoet: 6. Rick Ryan ; 7. Jerom y Buehl; 8. Ray Somma; 9.. Charrel Sweebe: 10. Bern d Eckenbac h : I I. Geo rge> J ob e; 12. Pekka v ehkon en: U . Alwi n Van Asten. SEM I 2: I. Jeff Sta nton; 2. Ta llo n Vohlan d : 3. Guy Cooper: 4. Max Oaeza rata: 5. J ohn Van den Berk : 6. Darryl Atkins:7. Pedro Tragter: 8. Gerard Delep in e; 9. Christian Burnham ; 10. Kurt Ljungq vist; II. Mike Fis her; 12. Giovanni Cava torta : 15. Don ny Schmi t. LCQ: I. Bernd Eckenbach: 2. ] eromy Buehl; 3. Mike Fisher; 4. Pedro Tragter : 5. Donny Schmit. MAIN : I. J eff Stanton (H a n ); 2. J ean -Michel Bayle (H a n ); 3, Larry Wa n! (SUl); 1. I etl Wa n! (Kaw); 5. G uy Cooper (SUl); 6. Tallo n Vohla nd (SUl ); 7. Joh n Van de n Berk (SUl); 8. Bernd Ecken ba ch (Yam); 9, Darryl Atkin s (H on); 10. Axel H o lvoer (Kaw): I I. R ick R yan (Ha n ); 12. j ere my Buehl (Han); 13. Mike Fishe r (KT M); 14. Max Gazzarat.a (SUl ); 15. Stefa n Everts (SUl). 0 1A: I. J ea n-Michel Bayle (Han); 2. Je ff Sta nton (H a n ); ~ . G uy Cooper (SUl); 4. Larry Ward (SUl); 5. T allon Voh lan d (SUl ); 6. John Van den Berk (SUl) ; 7. JelfWa n! (Kaw); 8. J eromy Buehl (Han); 9. Don ny Sch mi t (SUl ); 10. Bernd Eckenbach (Yam ); I I. Darry l Atki ns (Ha n); 12. Ma x Gazzarala (SUl); 13. Axel H olvoet (Kaw ); 11. Stefan Everts (SUl) ; 15. Rick Ryan (Ha n); 16. Bob Moore (KT M); 17. Mich ele Mo nt i (Ha n). MASTERS OF MOTOCROSSS POINT STA NDtNG S; I. Jean- Miche l Bayle (40)° ; 2. Larry ward (15); 3. G uy Cooper ( 12); 1. (TIE)Jeff Stanton/Stefan Everts (7); 6. Do n ny Sch m it (6); 7. Tallo n Vohl and (5); 8. John Van den Berk (4); 9. J eremy McG rat h (3); 10. (T IE) Mike Kiedrow ski/Pekka Vehko nen (2).

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