Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

MOTOCROSS . World Championship SOOcc M~ocross Series Round 6: Dutch GP • • t" 't' 0" MIt (Left) KTM's Leon GlellbenI, a 250 GP regular, decided to miss the Finnish 250cc GP and Ill8de II payoff at ~ home track In LJerop by taking wins In both motos for the overall win on a KTM 380. (Below) Belgian Joel Smets played It safe In both motps and scored a 2-2, which was good enough to wrestle the polnta lead away from Shayne King. Smata leads King by 12 points, 178 to 162. By Alex Hodgkinson LIEROP, HOLLAND, JUNE 16 eon Giesbers' decision to miss the Finnish 250 GP to ride a 360 KTM at his local Lierop track in the Dutch GP paid dividends as he scored the first victory by a wild-card rider, heading Joel Smets home in both motos. The defending champion, Smets, had every reason to be happy, however, as his 34-point haul moved him into a 16point lead in the standings over Shayne King at the halfway stage of the season. Peter Johansson had the holeshot nailed for once as the pack stormed into the first tum, but the Swede braked a little too late, slued wide and Smets was through with Peter Dirkx in second. While the champion stormed dear, the home crowd had their eyes on Giesbers. Fifth behind Eckenbach by the end of the first lap, he took just two more laps to make second, and then he pulled backSmets. Twice in lapped traffic the champion got away again, but he didn't resist when the Dutchman came a third time. "Okay, I could gain another three points on the opposition if I beat him, but it wasn't worth the risk," Smets said. "It wasn't only the points I could have thrown away with a fall in this moto. I also had to think about the second race. If I get a bad start and have to come through the pack I will need all the energy I have in this heat. And if I start well, the second moto will decide the L 20 overa.Il." . Second place gave Smets the championship lead back as Shayne King came home 10th. "It should've been much more," King said."Who the hell does Jacky Martens think he is? It was on the fourth lap. I had moved forward a couple of places, to eighth, and was riding nice. I had the line in the turn, and he just slammed into the back of me, completely out of control" After taking ninth from Lacher with a lap to go, King threw away one point himself. "Just a momentary lack of concentration and the front wheel washed out," he said. The German was another man angry with Martens. "He is driving like a maniac," said Lacher. "There was no space for him to pass and he just slammed into my foot. I completely lost my rhythm after that for a couple of laps. The first half of the race had gone. so well. I was keeping pretty much on the pace of Van Doorn and Theybers, just trying to stay calm and avoid mistakes." The Swede had ridden like a demon for half an hour to race into a clear third. "I felt sure I could keep it, but three lapped runners - Pignotti and two Dutchmen - nearly ran me off the track, and it completely ruined my rhythm. I got sand in my mouth, too, and had difficulty breathing towards the end." Martens was fifth, riding as though his job was on the line, but he had a host of enemies apart from Shayne King and Lacher because of other race incidences. "He (Martens) just cannoned into me and put me over the fence," Christian Burnham said. "There was no way he could have passed me fairly there." "I've just been to see him," Darryll King said. "He can think himself lucky I didn't punch him. I've got enough problems without him using me as a berm:' The Kiwi had been a hero on his way to 14th as he bravely battled against the pain of his broken right thumb. ''I'm having to hold on with my fingers," he said. "If it hadn't been my throttle hand it would've been easier. It was pure determination which got me to the finish." The second moto was a battle of attri- tion with just 22 riders still circulating at the finish. Van Doorn led initially before Martens bustled his way past to run away from the pad at a speed he would clearly not be able to maintain. Giesbers, who had slipped past Smets early on, was soon up to second as Van Doom toured slowly back to the pits. "He (Giesbers) jumped into me midair and his footrest ripped an enormous hole in the dutch casings," said Giesbers. . Giesbers and Smets were both content to let Martens lead until he tired, but such was the ex-champ's advantage over the rest that no one else was to catch him even though he was obviouslyexhausted. A repeat of the first-moto result looked a certainty - until the last lap. "I was undecided for several laps whether or not I should go for him and risk a mistake," said Smets. "It's been so tight this year that if they had offered me yesterday a 16-point lead this evening, I would've grabbed it. J knew my best chance was to catch him by surprise, so I had to leave it until Giesbers' pit crew could not warn him." In a fantastic last lap reminiscent of Dave Thorpe at his peak, Smets pulled back nearly 10 seconds in just over a lap, but, despite a fan- tastic broad-sliding final tum, missed the win by the length of a bike. The happy winner claimed he was handicapped by a blocked air filter, but the official records showed that he maintained his lap times throughout the final stages. Shayne King cut his losses with a marvelous fifth. "That's what the first race would've been like but for Martens," said King. "In two weeks we're back on my tracks. I'm not finished yet." Elder brother Darryll had only lasted a lap, saying, '1 gave it all J had in that first race. I just couldn't hold on anymore.'" A mixed day for the family was completed when younges.t brother Damian lost 11th on the last lap when he ran out of fuel. Lacher rode the best sand race of his career for sixth. "I had to come from dead last," said Lacher. "I got a bad start and then I stalled the motor at the third comer." Johansson's second ride was soon over when he cracked his jewels on the gas tank. Mike Healey, still affected by the injury sustained when he punctured a lung, was twice eliminated by the claus- trophobic conditions in the long wooded section: "I could exhale okay, but I just couldn't inhale in the dust," Healey a said. Dutch 500cc GP Llerop, Holland Results: June 16, 1996 (Round 6 of 12) MOTO 1, I. Leon Giesbers (KTM); 2. Joel Smet> (Hbg~ 3. Danny Theybers (Hon); 4. Peter Dirloc (ICThl~ 5. Jacky Martens (Hus~ 6. Ronny Weustenraed (Hon~ 7. Peter Johansson (Hus~ S. Gert Jan Van Doom (Han); 9. Oietmar Lacher (Hon); 10. Shayne King (KTM); 11. Mikkel Caprani (Hus~ 12. O>ri. Jacobs (Hon~ 13. Gaus Manne Nielsen (KTM); 14. DarrylllGng (Hon~ 15. More Vor.ltenbosch (Hon) MOTO ~ 1. Leon Giesbe.. (KTM); 2. Joel Sme" (Hbg); 3. Jacky Marlen. (Hus); 4. Danny Theybers (Hon); 5. Shayne IGng (ICThl); 6. Oietmar Lacher (Hon); 7. MikkeJ Caprani (Hus~ 8. Christian Burnham (Hon~ 9. aaus Manne Nielsen (KIM); 10. Jason ffiggs (Hon); 11. Hans Koenen (Hon); 12. Ton Van Grinsven (Han); 13. . Rupert WaIkner (KTM); 14. O>ristophe Bertrand (Hon); 15. Stefan Van Asten (Han) Olk 1. Leon GIesber5 (ICThl); 2. Joel Smet> (Hbg); 3. Danny Theybers (Hon); 4. Jacky Martens (Has); S. Shayne IGng (ICThl); 6. Dietmar Lacher (Hon); 7. Mikkel Caprani (Hus); 8. Peter Dirkx (KTM); 9. Ronny Weustenraed (Hon); 10. aau. Manne Nielsen (KTM). WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 500cc MX SERIES. POINTS STANDINGS (Afler 6 of 12 rounds), I. Joel Sme" (178/1 win); 2. Shayne King (J62/3); 3. Peter Johansson (125); 4. Dietmar Lacher (121); 5. DarrylJ IGng (114/1~ 6. Rupert WaJkner (85); 7. Gert Jan Van Doom (79); 8. Danny Theybers (78); 9. Franco Rossi (48); 10. Jacky Martens (47); 11. Bemd Eekenb.ch (46); 12. M;kkeJ Caprani (46); 13. Attllio Pi8'lotti (44~ 14. Leon Giesbers (40/1); IS. Peter Dirkx (36); 16. Tramp Parker (36); 17. Jonle Engdahl (32); 18. Dirk Geuken. (29); 19. Ronny Weuslenraed (24); 20. Erwin Machtlinger (22). Upcoming Rounds: Round 7 . Kramolin. Czech Republic, June 30 Round 8· Vernon Mount, Ireland, July 21

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