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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127667
(Above) Afte r finishing fourth In the first moto on the Emee track In France , Donny Schmit
came back to win the second mo to. (Right) Trampas Parker posted ~ moto finishes for
fourth overall . (Bel ow rig ht) Stefan Everts (2) failed to finish the first moto after tangling
with Tallon Vohland, which effectively droppad the Belgian from first to third In the 250cc
series point standings.
American Donny Schmit mo ved in to a
menacing second in the standings, eigh t
off the pace, with another r u naway
moto win and second on the d ay.
The French GP was a nightmare for
the en tire Kawasaki squad.
Watched for the firs t time this year
by Japanese rac e bo ss Pete Tsutsumi,
their big three of Stefan Everts, Rob Herring and [ocke Karlsson were all elimi nated on the opening lap of race one,
and even Everts' face- saving third in
race two saw him beaten from behind
by arch-rival Albertyn.
Trampas Parker was fourth overall
behind Frenchman Yves Demaria to
move into sixth in the standings, but his
hopes of the actual title appear slim as
he was passed by all of the top three in
the table after holeshotting race two.
Tallon Vohland stayed put in the
standings, holding onto his eighth after
7-15 mota finishes.
Everts' championship lead,-built up
so painstakingly over three CPs after his
zero score in Spain, lasted just half a lap .
Trying to move up from a lo w e r
lead erboard position, the Belgian went
for a pass on Tallon Vohland. According
to the Kawasaki team the American blatantly knocked th eir man off, but the
always-honest Vohland told a d ifferent
tale. "I heard they are saying that. All I
can remember from the first lap was
feeling someone touch my rear wheel. I
gues s that must have been Everts."
However the damage occurred,
Everts was out and the bike in a sorry
s ta te, needing a radiator, the exha us t
pipe and man y other parts replaced.
Much of the damage may well ha ve
been caused when teammate Joakim
Karlsson landed on the bike . "I had just
gone ' r ou nd the outside of Fanton. I
came over the jum p an d couldn't avoid
running stra igh t into Stefan's bike. I had
to quit, too - the fron t d isc was ben t by
the impact."
Already at the first comer , Herring
had gone down in a heap and been run
into by several other riders. Fanton was
to be Kawasaki's best man at the finish
in 13th.
Up front the race was enthralling, but
devoid of many passing moves on th e
single-grooved track.
Albertyn led all th e wa y, sha d owed
by Demaria. The defending cha mp ion
was alw ays in control and never let the
home hero close into a serious challenging position. He even escaped at 20 minutes, only to be pulled backin the last
two laps for an exciting finish before the
massive, enthusias tic crowd which
stood all day in ankle-deep mud follow ing heavy pre-race rainfaIL
Great Britain's Kurt Nicoll was third
throughout. '1 was never going to catch
those two in front, and I was pullin g
away from Donny (Sch m it), so I just
rode a nice, easy pace for 15 points." It
was his best ride back from injury.
Schmit was an equally lonely fourth,
clearly content to keep what he had on
this track.
Parker had raced seventh for most of
the race, but his late pressure paid dividends as mistakes by Paul Malin and
[oakin Eliasson helped him to ad vance
to fifth . Vohland shadowed hi s fello w
American for half the race; but lost him
late on and could only ad vanc e at th e
expense of Malin when the Brit sta lled
on the last lap .
It was Nicoll's tum to hi t the groun d
first in race two as Everts slewed across
the track in front of him. "I do n't know
wha t he was up to. He looked complete-
Iy out of control to me . I never had a
chance."
The Belg ian had already veered to
the left before go ing righ t to take out
Nicoll halfway d own th e s trai gh t, but
his refusal to close the throttle saw him
exit the first tum fourth.
All of the bi g guns were up fr on t
with Parker ta king the hol eshot, to be
joined in a five-man battle inv olving
Schmit, Everts, Demaria and Albertyn.
Schmi t ma de the decisi ve early move
to de mote Parker and run away with the
moto. Even though Everts would also
pass the KTM man fairly soon, he could
neither follo w Schmit nor draw away
from his followe rs.
The r ac e ca m e to life a t halfw a y
when Albertyn, still fifth, crashed at the
back of the track and came around 200
yards down.
The fall seemed to p u t ren ewed fire
into Albertyn's belly and he charged
back to flash past Demaria and Parker in
the space of a lap , then follow that up
with the sw eetest pass of all- on Everts!
Nicoll, riding furiously after his start-
err-, France
Results: May 8, 1994 (round 5 of 15)
MOTO 1: 1. Greg AIbenyn (Suz) ; 2. Yves Demario
(Han); 3. Kurt N"u:oII (Han); 4. Donny Sdunit (Yam) ; S.
Trampas Pa rker (KTM) ; 6. Joakim Eliasson (Yam); 7.
Tallo n Vo hland (Han); 8. Ma m icq Bervoets (Suz); 9.
Frederic Soll