eMOTOCROSS
(Suz); S. Billy Liles (!oIo F _ (65).
Wodd OIampionship l2Xc MX Series: Round 2
Strijbos explodes in
Belgium
By Alex Hodgkinson
MON, BELGIUM, APR 18
American Bob Moore won a moto and
finished second overall.
Greg AIbertyn padded his points lead by collecting his thiid overall win of the series.
Albertyn shines at Swiss GP
By Alex Hodgkinson
COMBREMONT I.E PElIT, SWITZERLAND, APR 18
reg Albertyn, the 1992 12Scc MX
World ClIampion, sc;ored an impressive victory in the Swiss GP on the
natural hillside track on the edge of the
village of Combremont-le-Petit in the Jura
mountains of French-speaking Switzerland.
Before practice the 20-year-old South
African was outspoken in his views of the
demanding track. '1 don't like it," said the
Honda rider. "There are too many offcambers:' After registering his third overall win of the four-race young season,
Albertyn was unrepentant, "I still don't
like it, but I have to prove to my competitors that I'm the best."
Albertyn has now won on a variety of
track conditions - the hard-packed track at
the Italian GP, on the sand of Holland,
and now the tacky grassland of
Switzerland. His only defeat since moving
to the 250cc class was in Spain where he
lost out to the defending champ from
America, Donny Schmit.
Yamaha-mounted Schmit had his second straight troubled GP. "I was a little
sore after I got crashed out in the fust turn
of race one, but that's no excuse. I felt
fatigued today. I was enjoying myself in
practice yesterday and I think I just rode
too much."
Schmit, who is third in the series points
standings, 62 points behind the leader
Albertyn, added, "Hey, it's a tough championship this year!"
The 1l\ift\ who splits the 1992 title holders is Belgian Stefan Everts, now 46 points
behind the championship pace-setters. The
only three riders on the day who grabbed
points from Albertyn were former champ
Trampas Parker and follow American Bob
Moore, and Belgian Marnicq Bervoets.
Bervoets and Parker finished 1-2 in the
first moto, Moore won the second, and
Albertyn won the third moto.
The first moto started badly for Schmit.
"Someone just came straight up the
inside, didn't turn and wiped a whole lot
of us out."
The pack was gone when Schmit
G
42
rejoined the race, and the best he could
manage was 17th at the end of the 30minute race. Less fortunate were Italian
Michele Fanton and Swede Peter
Johansson, whose bikes were too badly
damaged for them to continue.
Albertyn, the fastest qualifier by a full
second, despite a major get-off on
Saturday, holeshot and was racing his
Honda clear for a lap until he came to the
first turn again on lap two.
''It was still a little slick from the prerace watering and the front wheel went
away," said Albertyn.
He quickly remounted but was down
to fifth behind Parker, Moore, Bervoets
and American Tallon Vohland. He got
back up just before Everts arrived on the
scene while being chased by another
American, Billy Ules.
Parker, whose most recent GP win in
Europe had been at the same track 12
months earlier, looked comfortable in
front for IS minutes on his KTM, but then
his forearms pumped up and Bervoets
took charge with four laps to go.
uI would've had him anyway," said
Bervoets. '1 could see that my lines were
much better and I wanted to wait until the
last few laps."
Moore had dropped off the leaderboard on lap four when he fell on an
uphill step and rejQined the race behind
the Honda duo of Kurt Nicoll and Rob
Herring, both advancing from bad starts.
AIbertyn moved up quickly and had
taken control of third place by the late
stages and eventually gave up the chase
on the leader Bervoets and Parker. Everts
finished fourth and Ules fifth.
Moore led the entire way in the second
moto, but little more than 10 seconds separated the first six riders at the checkered
flag. Although they were close, there was
very little passing. Everts had been the
first to move with a pass on Schmit for
second place after 18 minutes, while
Bervoets could not repeat his earlier show
after track-marker tape rendered his rear
brake ineffective.
The race sprang to life in the last eight
minutes, as AIbertyn went on the charge.
"I was making lots of mistakes early in the
race and dropped back to fifth," said
Albertyn.
Four laps from the end, Albertyn
moved past Parker and Schmit in rapid
~ and set his sights on the leading Suzukis.
Still third entering the final lap,
AIbertyn was to cross the line in Moore's
wheel tracks after a hard pass on Everts.
'1 took him out," said Albertyn. "It's not
every race you get a chance to make a
move like that on your closest rival in the
points. I'm going to be champion and 1
want him to know it! One more lap and
I'd have had Moore as welL"
Liles had moved forward to ninth until
a big downhill crash on the penultimate
lap, that left him needing five stitches
above his left eye. Vohland had been back
to 20th from a second tum collision before
he snapped off the rear brake pedal on
tires that marked the track.
Albertyn simply ran away with the
final moto from the word go and there
was, again, little movement behind the
leader.
Schmit had gone from fourth to second
on the first long climb. "I was almost
alongside Moore and Parker through the
first two turns, and when I saw the chance
I knew I had to go for it. I needed the
points after those first two races:'
Everts also moved through to third but
threw it away midrace and had to fight off
a spirited attack by Bervoets to salvage
fifth. Moore was third to the flag but
could never relax, as Parker chased hard.
Englishman. Kurt Nicoll, a former winner at this track, had a bad day. "I need to
do some engine testing," said Nicoll. "It
wasn't a problem on the slick tracks, but
on a grippy track like this, I'm down on
horsepower. I was 20th leaving turn one
in the opening race, but I was lucky there
was the pile-up, or I would've been 3Oth!"
After two charges through the pack. his
final race carne to an end halfway around
the opening lap, when Liles landed on his
back. "I was in the air and committed,"
said Liles. '1 thought he would take a different line. It was either him or the ropes."
As a result, both riders failed to finish,
with Nicoll being knocked out cold for
several minutes befOre touring back to the
pi~
m
Results
MOTO 1: 1. Marnicq Borvools (JC.ow); 2. Trompu
Parbr (ICIM); 3. Greg A-.yn (Hon); 4. Slofan Ewrls
Utch sand experts almost completely
dominated racing at the Belgian GP,
as Holland's neighboring country
hosted its round of the series in the sandy
Brule forest just outside the city of Mons.
The 1986 champ from Holland, Dave
Strijbos simply ran away with all three
motos, winning by 36, 28 and 24 seconds,
D
respectively.
Second place in the first moto and
overall went to series points leader Pedro
Tragter, who was followed by 17-year-old
Frenchman Mikael Pichon, who pushed
Tragter the whole way. Fourth went to
Remy Van Rees, while Jacob Barth rounded out the top five. Other than Pichon,
home country riders Dany Theybers and
Jimmy Verburgh were the only other nonDutchmen in the first 10. Theybers finished sixth and Verburgh 10th.
Dutch riders took the first seven places
in race two, and Pichon went out on lap
three. The runner-up was, again Tragter,
followed by Van Rees. Fourth was Van
den Beck and fifth Biesbers.
In the final race, the Frenchman Pichon
followed five Dutchmen home, a freight
train that was led by Strijbos. He was followed across the finish line by Van de
Beck, Van Rees and Tragter, in that order.
The challenge of several other title
hopefuls floundered in the sand.
German Peter Beirer was eliminated
for the day halfway through race one, but
France's Yves Demaria at least grabbed 14
consolation points from the later races
after his early elimination in the opener.
]oakim Karlsson, the Swede who won
the opening moto of the series in Italy,
could only break into the top 10 in the
third moto where he placed seventh.
No Americans are contesting the
series, but non-European interest is maintained by New Zealanders Darryl Atkins
and Shane King, who both qualified and
posted 14-0-0 and 22-28-30 moto finl!;hes,
respectively.
m
Results
MOTO 1: 1. Dov. Strijboo (Hon); 2. Podro T~
(Suz); 3. MiboI PichorI (Iion~ 4. Romy Van _
(Kaw); s.
Donny Thoybon (Suz); 7. john Van
don BorIt (Hon); 8. Loon Cioobors (Suz); 9. )01 Jansoen
(Suz); 10. Jimmy V.rburgh (Suz); 11. Frodrik Womer
Jocob Borth (lion); 6.
(H..,).
Mora 2: 1. Dove ~ 2. Podro Tragtor; 3. Romy
Van Rooo; 4. John Von elm BorIc; S. leon GioIllon; 6. Joo; 2. john Von elm BorIc; 3.
Romy Van Roos; 4. Pod", Trop; S. Loon Giosbors; 6.
MiboI Pichon; 7. )ooIdm KartooOn (Suz); 8. V... Demario;
9. DonnyTheyt>on; 10. MarorI Drunm.
_ 01"" 1. o.ve Strijboo (Hon); 2. John Van don Ilork
(Hon); 3. Romy Von _
(Kaw); 4. Podro Tngter (Suz); 5.
Loon Gioobon (Suz); 6. Milcaol Pichon (Hon); 7. Danny
Theyben (Suz); 8. J-cob Barth (Hon); 9. Marcol Van
Drunm (Suz); 10.)onM ErwdahI (Suz).
WORLD CHAMPlONSIliP 125a: MX SERIES (Aflft 2
of U roundlo): 1. Podro Trag10r (77); 2. Dove Slrijboo (75); 3.
Mibol Pichon (55); 4. Romy Van Roos (52); S. John Van
elm Ilor\c (39); 6. V... Demaria (31); 7. leon GoIben (31~
8. joaldm KartooOn (29~ 9. Ftodrik Womer (28); 10. o...y
Thoybon (24).
