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MOTOCROSS' . . World Challlpionship 500Cc "ross Series Round 7: Czech GP t (Left) Shayne King (9) narrowed the polntagap between him"" and 500cc World Championship MX Series leader Joel Smetawlth the overall win at the Czech GP. (Below) German rider Dletmar Lacher put together a 2-3 day to finish second overall. By Alex Hodgkinson KRAMOLIN, CZECH REPUBUC, JUNE 30 ith his fourth GP win of the season, KTM's Shayne King checked the recent run of four-stroke supremo Joel Smets, halving his deficit on the defending 500cc MX World Champion in the standings to just eight points after round 7 of 12 at the spectacular hillside track at Kramolin in the Czech Republic. Each title candidate won a moto, but they were split on the podium by Dietmar Lacher. The German was desperate. Iy unlucky not to win his first GP since 1988 when his clutch went as he led race two, but his 32-point haul has made him a clear third in the standings, albeit 54 points down on Smets. MOTOONE Only two of the series top five gated well in the opener, but early fortunes were soon turned around. The KTM-mounted King was second to Mikkel Caprani leaving tum three, but Peter Johansson's fourth place was gone within a few hundred yards as Dirk Geukens' front wheel found soft dirt and the Swedish Husky ace had to tum into the ropes to avoid the riderless Husaberg. Darryll King was in an even worse plight. "Martens fell right in front of me at the first turn," he said. Smets and Lacher had started moderately, but the German got the breaks. "I picked up lots of places in those wide early turns and was soon past Walkner and closing down the front two," Lacher said. His early charges vehemently repulsed, King let Caprani go for a few laps. "I knew Joel (Smets) was some way back, so I decided to learn Mikkel's lines and rush him," King said. was too conscious of letting Smets past and settled down to Shayne's pace instead of going for the pass immediately." King saw it all differently. "1 was using high gears early on and burned the clutch out," King said. "That's how they caught me. But in the second half I said to myself, 'Heh, you want to be champ, then go for it!'" MOTOTWO Caprani again hit the first turn in &ont, but only just, and King leaned on the Dane hard enough to head the pack as they left it. Smets was also on a mission, pushing inside Van Doom and Johansson at tum three, but Eckenbach and Lacher still split the title rivals as they all demoted Caprani in rapid succession. Eckenbach had fallen several times in race one, but actually closed right in on King at one stage before arm-pump dropped him back to an eventual 11th. Lacher was having no such troubles. "1 didn't wait this time. 1 soon pulled out a lead over King, but the clutch went after half an hour," Lacher said. '1 had to be so careful in the slow turns not to stall." So King led again - and Smets, so close at one stage, was 10 seconds back. "It was at the same comer as in race one, but this was completely my fault," Smets said. '1 stalled!" The champ was not finished. "The next lap 1 got the signal that 1 was 10 seconds back with six or seven laps to go," Smets said. "1 knew I could pull back two seconds a lap, so that is the target 1 set myself." With a lap to go Smets was in &ont with a neat pass driving underneath exiting a turn after using the wide berm. King was not distraught. "1 roge my hardest and Joel was fas,test in that one, especially after he saw.my lines," King said. "But I won the GP and have pulled back eight points on the day." Elder brother Darryll was in pain. "The thumb I broke last month started to give me pain again and I had to go back to holding on by the fingertips," Darryll King said. He was 15th. Johansson lost ground in the battle for third in the standings. (Below) Smets (1) was forced to play catch-up all day efter two separate miscues In tum one. The reigning World Champion f1nlahed third overall. As it turned out, that would not have been necessary. The Dane could not believe his ill fortune. "On the downhill jump where King came to pass me, the front down tube of the &ame snapped," Caprani said. Smets had taken his time from an initial11th, but after 15 minutes was pushing Lacher for second. "King goes off like it is a supercross every week, and I've been making mistakes trying to follow him," Smets said. '1 know 1 have the speed and the stamina to catch him in the later stages, so I plan my race to do so. J had everything under control for 34 minutes, but then the chain got blocked with dirt and J lost drive on a steep rocky bank. My goggles steamed up and J couldn't charge again because fwas getting badly roosted." Joel finished seventh. Lacher also could not mount the final challenge for the win. '1 caught King." Lacher said. "But I

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