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/127567
BMOTOCROSS~~~~_m~CID~~_rie_~R_~_d_l~~~~~~~_ I A-ert nto sseries 0 ener in Ita rl By Alex Hodgkinson CASI1GIIJONF, ITALY, MAlt 14 ben asked on the eve of the 0pening round of the World Otampiooship 250cc MX Series who he feels will be his main competition this season, American Donny Schmit. the defending champ, replied, ·Greg Albertyn. but he will probably need a rouple of GPs to get used to the 25Oa: class.· But just 24 hours laler, the 2O-yearold AIbertyn had proven that he needed even less time to adapt. For the JRK Honda rider from the outskirts of Johannesburg.. South Africa, one moto would be sufficient time to learn the ways of the premier GP division! After finishing fourth in the 6rst of three,3O-minute molDs, the 125cx World Olampion ran away from the pack in the serond and third outings to score the overall win in his 6rst-ever attempt in the 25Oa: class, just as Stefan Everts of Belgium had done at the start of the 1992 campaign. Ex-champions from the 125cc class 6lIed out the first four placEs overall at the Castigilione del Lago track. Team Bieffe Suzuki's Everts won the first mota and finished runner-up on the day ahead of OEStei6eld Yamaha's Schmit and FarioIi KlM's TLampas Parker, the Americans who clinched the 125cc World 0Iampi00ship titL.s in 1990 and 1989. The only other riders to match the lap times of the leaders were American Bieffe Suzuki teamsler Bob Moore and the UK CastroI Honda duo of Brits Rob Herring and Kurt NICOlL but each suffered crashes in first-tum mishaps throughout the COUIlle of the day. The start of the first race was a nightmare, as the gate dropped a few seconds early and many of the riders were left behind on the line, including Johnson Kawasaki team member, American Billy Ules. NJCOIL however, somehow timed the gate pe.tfa~. ~ had a clear track going into the first tum.. said NJCOIL who finished in serond place in the 5OOa: class last year. But NXD1l's joy unfortunately ended all too soon in a big pileup in tum one. ·1 don't know who it was, but a Yamaha came straight and never turned at all,· said NicolL ~oets was the next man outside me and then Bob Moore... ·1 had the holeshot,· said Moore, ·tben SiLWlleOlle came up the inside and wiped us all out.• German Ro1and Diepold, 1990 25Oa: champ Italian Alessandro Puzar, American Bader Manneh and Italian Massimiliano Gazzarata were also taken down. One rider who came away from the melee relatively unscathed was Englishman Paul Malin. ~ got out of the gate fine right alongside Rob Herring, .but two other riders tangled just oulside of me as we came to the first tum.. said Malin. ·One of them rammed me, but 1 didn't go down. so 1 got away again fairly quiddy.• Fortunately no one was hurt, but Puzar was shaken up the most, while Nicoll had to stop at the end of the lap to replace a damaged front wheel before n!joining the race. W South African Greg Albertyn, the USee MX World Otampion, won the opening round of the World Otampionship 25Oa: MX Series. Runner-up Donny Schmit (1), the defending dwnp from Minnesota, led Rob Herring (6), Stefan Everts (11) aDd Aknndro Puur (4). 14