Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eMoroCROSS~ili~~p_~_cr_~_s_m_'~_:R_~_d_5~~~~~~~ e Minnesota's Donny Schmit (1), the defending champ, recorded his second win of the season at the rain-shortened French 250cc GP. Schmit scores rain-shortened French GP win By Alex Hodgkinson BEAUCAIRE, FRANCE, APR. 25 onny Schmit, the defending 250cc MX World Champion, recorded his second overall win of the series at the Beaucaire track in the south of Prance. But despite gaining 14 points on Greg Albertyn, the series points leader from South Africa, Schmit, from Bloomington, Minnesota, is still third in the standings, 48 points behind Albertyn. Sandwiched in between Albertyn and Schmit is Belgian Stefan Everts with 194 points. This year's GP at Beaucaire was cut short due to rain. Because of extremely muddy track conditions, the race was cancelled 21 minutes into the second of three motos. Schmit brought his Chesterfield Yamaha home 52 seconds behind Albertyn's Honda at the end of the first 35-minute moto, and was chasing Bieffe Suzuki team rider Everts after 21 minutes of race two. At that point, lap scorers finally admitted defeat to the task of identifying the slimy figures who were still circulating, and the clerk of the course hung out the red flag. Pull points were awarded for the positions on the previous lap as half of the race distance had been completed, and most of the 4000 sodden enthusiasts who had braved the elements were already on their way home long before the official announcement that the third moto would not be run. The morning timed practice had seen a single dry groove formed all the way around the track and, despite the efforts of the officials, the only chance of positional changes would clearly be the result of falls if the track stayed dry. D 28 But as the mechanics pushed the bikes into the staging area, the everdarkening sky began to release itS moisture once more and it soon became clear that survival was now the key to suc- cess. Of the series top 10, Americans Bob Moore and Trampas Parker, and Belgian Werner De Wit and Italian Michele Fanton all went down in a heap at the bottom of the first long downhill, with Parker the only one to remount and chase after the pack with a vengeance. Belgian Marnicq Bervoets was mired in the middle of the pack, and the remaining four leading points scorers Albertyn, Schmit, Englishman Kurt Nicoll and Everts - led the race ahead of Italian Alessandro Puzar and American Tallon Vohland. Only these six were still in the race for the podium at the end of lap one, as they outdistanced the rest of the field. Albertyn moved further and further way to prove that he could master mud just as well as hard-pack, sand and grassland tracks. "I took the holeshot and that was vital," said Albertyn. "After that I just rode my own race." Half a minute in front after 20 minutes, his final winning margin was 52 seconds. Schmit was second for most of the moto. "I crashed hard and my bike and me were covered in mud when I got back up," said Schmi t. Nicoll chased Schmit over the line. "Stefan (Everts) was riding some risky lines to pass us. I caught up to Donny (Schmit) at one point, but 1 lost him again when I made a mistake. It would've been difficult to pass him an)"" way." puzar could not match the pace of the leading four, but his fourth-place finish, courtesy of an Everts' fall, was just what he needed to at least restore some of his confidence. Vohland's dramatic ride in sixth was brought to a close when he lost nearly a lap extricating himself from the mud on the same lap Everts had gone down. Parker forced his way past half the field within two laps and the fourth lap saw him move past five rivals in the series points chase. Progress was then more difficult but a last lap pass on Swede Peter Johansson earned him 11th, one behind American Billy Liles. The Georgian had hovered at the bottom of the top 10 all race, surrendering ninth to Bervoets after a midrace mistake. American Bader Manneh had crashed out of 15th on lap four. A momentary glimpse of sunshine during the interval was merely the prelude to a harder downpour as race two got away. Nicoll got hooked up with Holland's Gert-Jan Van Doorn coming out of the gate and went down, while Albertyn was 28th to complete the opening lap. "I gated badly and got filled in (with mud)," said Albertyn. "I must've gone down five times that first lap, then I had to stop to clean out the throttle which was sticking. I was so far back that I decided to stop for fresh goggles at the end of lap two." Puzar had edged out teammate Schmit on the left side of the pack, but both Yamahas had surrendered to a charging Everts soon after, the Belgian taking over the lead by diving inside the Italian at the turn which claimed Moore and Parker in race one. Everts' lead was 10 seconds after three laps, as Schmit moved in to attack his teammate for second, while Bervoets, looking stronger by the lap, was hauling in fourth-placed Moore, and Parker had already demoted Johansson from sixth. By lap four Schmit was second, while a lap la ter Bervoets had no sooner passed Moore than he was on the rear wheel of Puzar. And those were the official finishing positions. Vohland and Liles completed the top 10, while Albertyn was classified 25th. m Results MOTO 1: 1. Grog AIbertyn (Hon); 2. Donny Schmit (Yam); 3. Kurt Nicoll (Hon); 4. Alessandro Puzar (Yam); 5. Stefan Everts (Suz); 6. Paul Malin (Yam); 7. Jeronie Belval (Vam); 8. Azel Holvoet (Yam); 9. Mamicq Bervoets (Kaw); 10. Bmy Liles (Kaw); n. Trampa. Parker (KTM); 12. 'PeleT Joh.nsson (Yam); 13. Miska Aallonen (Hon); 14. lvel Peter (](aw); 15. Michele Monti (Kaw); 16. Mark Eastwood (Suz); 17. Colin Dugmo~ (Suz); 18. Tallon Vohland (Suz); 19. Tatsuyulci MotoIci (Hon); 20. Vann Guedard (Kaw); 21. CharreI Sweebe (Hon); 22. Peter Nina (Yam); 23. Daniel 0beUsc0 (Hon); 24. Jesper Jorgensen (KlM); 25. Tony Broberg (](aw); 26. Nicolas Cailly (Yam); 17. Paul Cooper (Yam); 28. Jaiby Sc2venels (Hon); 29. Peter DW:x (Hon). MOTO 20 1. Everts; 2. Schmi~ 3. Puzar; 4. Bervoets; 5. Moore; 6. Parlcer; 7. Johansson; 8. Holvoet; 9. Vohland; 10. Liles; 11. Rob Herring (Hon); 12. De Wi~ 13. Craig Prat1ey (Hon); 14. Belval; 15. Takamasa Takagi (Hon); 16. Nicoll; 17. Dirkx; 18. Malin; 19. lven; 20. Monti; 21. Molold; 22. Aallo~en; 23. JOrgensen; 24. Eastwood; 25. Albertyn; 26. VannIg Kervella (Kaw); V. Scevenels. 0/1.; 1. Donny Schmit (Yam); 2. Stefan Everts (Suz); 3. Alessandro Puzar (Yam); 4. Grog Albertyn (Hon); 5. Mamicq 8ervoetS (Kaw); 6. Axel Holvoet (Yam)~ 7. Kurt Nicoll (Hon); 8. Trampas Parker (KTM); 9. Peter Johansson (Yam); 10. Bi!ly Liles (Kaw); 11. Bob Moore (Suz); 12. Jerome Belval (Yam); 13. Paul Malin (Yam); 14. TaUon Vohland (Suz); 15. Rob Herring (Hon); 16. Werner De Wit (Suz); 17. Craig Prat1ey (Hon); 18. Miska Aaltonen (Hon); 19. Peter Iven (Kaw); 20. Takarnasa Takgi (Hon). WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 250 MX SERJES POINT STANDINGS /After 5 oIlS round.): 1. G"'l\ Albertyn (229); 2. Stefan Everts (194); 3. Donny Schmit (181); 4. Trampas Parker (139); 5. Mami"'l Bervoets (133); 6. Bob Moore (122); 7. Rob Herring (102); 8. Kurt Nicoll (62); 9. Werner De Wit (86); 10. Mkhele Fanton (65).

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