Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

SMOTOCROSS 250cc MX Series:Round 11 m The 4D-rider pack files into the firs t tum in one of the three motos. The event was the bes t match-u p of tal en t in recen t memory. Everts con uers world at Budds Creek By Chris Jonnum Photos b y Kinney Jones BUDDS CREEK, MD, JULY 18 n what was essentially the"All-Star Game" of professional motocross racing, Belgian Stefan "Ev erts scored the overall win via consistent 1-3-2 moto finish es a t Budds Creek Motocross Park 's inaugural United States 2S0cc MX Grand Pri x. Li ke Major Leagu e Baseball's All-Star Game, which took place just a few days earlier in Oriole Park at Camden Yards in nearby Baltimore, the event combined the best riders from the two top "leagues" of the I 6 sport - the World Championship 2SOcc MX Series and the AMA National Championship MX Series. In past years, the top riders in both field s have been split between the 250 a nd 500cc U.S . GPs, bu t with the top 500cc GP rid ers switching to the 2S0cc division and Motolink's dropping of the 500cc U.S. GP at Glen Helen Cycle Park, this year's lineu p was the most talentladen in recent history. Not even "the Motocross des Nations compares as a head-to-head match-up, as riders compete aboard machines of varying displacements at that event. Oddly enough, the only top names missing from either side were all Americans - Bob Moore an d Trampas Park er from the GP circuit and Jeft Stanton and Damon Bradshaw from the National tour; all four riders had planned on riding but were sidelined by injuries. Bieffe Suzuki's Everts, who currently sits second to South African Greg Albertyn in the point standings, utilized three decent starts to best reigning 500cc National champ and runner-up finisher Mike Kiedrowski. Kiedrowski's chances at the win looked good after convincing 2-1 finishes in the first two motos, but the factory Kawasaki rider suffered a mediocre gate in moto three and was able to advance no higher than fourth. JHK Honda's Albertyn, in his first-ever race in the States, finished third overall via 6-2-1 placings. The reigning 12Sec World Champion, who hails from South Africa, holds a commanding 104-point lea d over Everts in the series poin t standings, 567-463. Fourth overall was defending World Champion Donny Schmidt, while fifth went the way of Ho nda's Jerem y McGrath. Com pleting the top 10 were Ka w asa ki' s Mike LaRocco, Italian Alessandro Puzar, Brit Ku rt Nicoll, Californian Tallon Vohland and Frenchman Frederic Bolley. "It feels good to win in the Sta tes," said Everts. "This is my first U.S. GP because I hurt my spleen last year. I would like to race here (in the U.S.) full time, but I want to win a (2SOcc) World Championship first, so I will most likely wait a year." This marked the first time for track owner Jonathan Beasley to host the 2SOcc U.S. GP, which has traditionally been held at the Unadilla Valley Sports Center. Unadilla pulled out this year after money hassles with the FlM, the world motorcycle competition sanctioning body. Beasley, however, filled the void, spending what was rumored to be over a quarter of a million dollars and making extensive rennovations to the facility. . "This place was a forest when I first got it," said Beasley, who has promoted several Nationals at the track. "I used to watch the race at Unadilla and dream about putting on a GP. The FlM stuck to their word with me, but it was s till a very expensive event to put on . I think it went well overall, but our specta tor coun t (a claimed 10,000) was down and we got a low tum-out for the amateur races; I'll be hap py if I break even." Des pit e some techn ical p robl e ms during the mo rning's timed p ractice, w hich determined sta rt positions, most racers - both Europeans an d Americans - seemed happy with the event, and Beasley has a tentative date to host it again next year. For his win, Everts earned $1080 from the $11,325 purse, while Kiedrowski took home $1040. Albertyn pocketed $1000. The entire weekend was a race fan's dream, with amateur motocross, stadium MX and hare scrambles events taking place Friday and Saturday, and a 125cc support class running between GP mo tos on Sunday. In the 12Scc cla ss, Team Honda's Doug Henry earned the overall win with a 1-3 sco re, while Yamaha's defending 125cc National cha mp Jeff Emig nabbed second and Kawasaki's Mike Craig placed third in his first race back from a broken ankle. 250cc GP The entry list contained just 40 riders, so no qualifying practice was required on Saturday. In Sunday's timed practice, Albertyn turned in the fastest la p around the 1.I-mile-long course - two minutes, 17.54 seconds. McGrath was just four-tenths s lo we r, with Everts, Puzar and Belgian Werner DeWit completing the top five. McGrath, the newly crowned Camel Supercross - Champion, snared the holeshot in the first of three 25-minute, . p lus two-lap motes, with Everts; Chesterfield Yamaha ' s Schmit and Kiedrowski following . Albertyn was fifth. By the completion of the first lap,

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