Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.MOTOCROSS MotOCl'OSS Series Final Round: German GP World Chan,ionship SOOcc e eoeVD eo [ am ing started, that turn was soon going to settle the destiny of the title. '1' ve been telling them there will be a crash at that turn all weekend, but they don't want to listen," declared an angry GertJan van Doom. "I had the holeshot," insisted Johan Boonen, "Then Johansson didn't make the turn and 1 got pushed across the track, collecting van Doom and a host more." The Belgian did one slow lap at the tail of the pack but his bike was too badly bent. Johansson was not happy with his fellow Husky riders' accusations. "First of all, 1 got hit into from the inside myself from riders who were nearly a bike's length behind me," said Johansson. "Yes, Boonen was in front, but I got in an awful wobble too when we locked up. I was really lucky to stay on." The rider inside was Peter Hehmann, who of course had yet another version: 'The two Huskys turned really sharp and came straight across me." Only one rider was hurt - Chris Burn- By Alex Hodgkinson . REUTLlNGEl ,GERMANY, AUG. V oel Smets could afford the luxury of giving away both moto wins as a present at the German finale and still came away with his fifth overaII GP victory of the campaign - and the 500cc World Championship title! Rival Trampas Parker went to the start in ReutIingen as the favorite for the win on the day, if not in the final points chase, but ended up in the medical tent for treatment to his ribs after a second-moto crash. Parker was at least trying to salvage the manufacturers' title for KTM, as a first-corner collision in the opening moto had ended his challenge for the World Championship before the second moto. Both title candidates knew the score before racing. If Smets headed Parker once, he was champion as the moto placings tie breaker would work in his favor. But the Belgian was not going to be panicked into a first moto blitz, saying, "If the opportunity is there, then of course 1 will go for it, but if he gets away I'll settle for the points. Trampas still has to score 20 more than me today!" .J 16 turn before it happened. A split second later and 1 would have been gone. It took me so long to get away because my front wheel was trapped in a Kawasaki and my casings on top of Boonen's bike so the rear wheel was hanging in the air." Once under way, the American made good headway, but he was always going to rely on Smets making a mistake after the Belgian slipped through on the inside of the melee at turn one and completed the first lap fourth behind Rossi, Anstie and Martens. Up to 27th after a lap, Parker made it to 13th after 15 minutes as Smets inherited the lead when Martens crashed. '1 so much wanted to win another GP before the season is over," said Martens. '1 was railing it round the long fast rut at the far end of the track, but a backmarker must have ridden out of it and suddenly there was no berm anymore. The bike landed on my bad thigh and 1was in pain for the rest of the race." Martens remounted sixth and finished fourth. Parker's dwindling hopes .of pulling back Smets came to an end when he came up behind Geukens in eighth. '1 lost him the first time when my tearoffs broke and 1 had to slow to rip them off, but he did what he had to," said Parker. "He's a Belgian on a Husaberg and I knew he wouldn't make life easy for me; he needs a ride next year as welL But 1 got to hand it to Dirk. He did nothing dangerous." (Above)JoeISn>ets wrapped up his flmever SOOcc World Championship• denying Trempes Parker (right) a third World Championship. The track, littered with man-made jumps, seemed tailor-made for Parker even after the whoops were bypassed, a feeling ~hich was reinforced as Smets, headed only three times during qualifying in the previous 11 GPs, was pushed down to fourth in a group headed by Parker. Pedro Lacher went even quicker to top Group B, so Smets would only have eighth choice on a very uneven gate. In the end, this worked to Smets' advantage. "I wanted to choose my gate after him (parker) and go somewhere on the inside of him. 1 figured that if there was a crash at the start which took me out, then it would probably take him too." Out of the gate there was one of Parker's "short KTM start straights" and a horrendously sharp first turn. Once rac- ham had the stuffing knocked out of him for five minutes. Once on his feet, the Brit was in an angry mood and went looking for the FIM officials. '1 tore into them," said Burnham. "I asked if they were satisfied now. We ride every week and we know when something is dangerous. They took the whoops out because Smets and a few others cried that they couldn't do them, but left the turn. It's a miracle no one got mot more seriously hurt. That (Marilyn) Bastedo woman (an official from Canada) couldn't even look me in the face!" Half the field either went down or got blocked in the melee - including Parker: "No rider was at fault. It had to happen. I knew they were going to come from the inside, but I gambled on that middle gate in the hope that 1 could get round the By the time Parker got past with a rush pass at the end of the track, there were just 13 minutes and two laps remaining and it was 30 seconds to the leader. He rode brilliantly to finish fifth, but Smets had already been crowned. Once in the lead, Smets rode with the effortless grace which has become his hallmark most of the year and the only man who could stay with him was lacher. "I surprised even' myself how well 1 managed to maintain the pace for the entire moto after not racing for several weeks, but 1 couldn't find a way past," explained the German. But Lacher still won. Only 30 meters from the finish, Smets suddenly pulled up and let the home favorite through. '1

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