Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Round 9: Belgian GP difficulty in passing on the narrow, treelined track, King was well aware that he could easily defend even a relatively smal! lead - and he did. "I just went as fast as I needed to without taking risks," said Shayne. "I could check out my lead on Peter every lap as we rode the loops on the Esplanade and the crowd would soon have told me if he had closed in the woods." Boonen passed Martens for third mid-race as the Huskys finished 2-3-4. Feeling sick from half distance again, Lacher had a lonely ride a few seconds behind teammate Van Doorn, while Darryl! King was a disappointed 17th. "I was nearly last after stalling at the third turn," Darryl! said, "then I had twO' more crashes, including one where I hit a tree wide open." Belgian 500 GP Namur, Bel.glum Resuhs: August 4, 1996 (Round 9 of 12) By Alex Hodgkinson NAMUR, BELGIUM, AUG. 4 hayne King took a monumental step toward giving the Austrian KTM factory its first World Championship SOOcc Motocross title when he scored his sixth Grand Prix win of the season to extend his points lead to 26 with only three rounds remaining. The New Zealander's latest success was a humiliating defeat for defending champion Joel Smets, who could do no better than fourth overall after crashes during both motos at the infamous Citadel track at Namur. . Coming to his home Grand Prix 13 points down in the championship, Smets needed to win. He got a dream start, rounding the first tum clear of the pack, while points leader King tried to recover from a slow launch by dumping a host of riders on the .deck - including Johan Boonen - to set off in pursuit of the leaders. King was running fifth. Smets had already established a foursecond lead on the first lap, but could never pull away. "There was a problem with my front forks," Smets said. "I was just doing enough to stay in front, but 20 minutes from the end I lost control on the main climb and went through the tapes." By the time he rejoined the race, Smets was a distant fourth. While Smets was leading, his first challenger had been Johansson, but a mistake in the woods section dropped him off the leader's pace. "I was pulling Smets back," Johansson said, "but then I missed a berm in the woods on the third lap and crashed." Johansson would finish third. Lacher inherited second as a result of Johansson's off-course run, but had been sick since Ireland and had a tough time even riding at a race pace. "I have an infection in my stomach," Lacher said. "It got so bad on Thursday that I had to go to the hospital to have my stomach pumped. When I am riding alone, it is not so bad, but I am on the point of throwing up when I am in the pack." He slipped gradually back to sixth. The first man past the fading Lacher was ack Martens who then found (Left) Jacky Martens (5) took tha firstmoto victory over Shayne King (9). Uhlmataly King took tha overall whh a moto-two win, thus extending his lead in the championship. Martens finished aecond overall. himself leading when Smets crashed. Martens went on to win the first moto for a second successive round. "Getting a decent start makes all the difference," Martens said. "My season has finally turned around." The ex-champion had been under pressure right to the finish, however, from Shayne King, who had worked his way right to the front of the pack. "Four times I got alongside him up the main hill, but Jacky was riding the inside line and I had to give way at the top," King said. "The last time I might have just squeezed across him, but the risk of a collision was too great - 17 points to the 13 of Joel was enough. He's 17 back now and must be really starting to panic!" _ After his poor start, Shayne's elder brother Darryll could only blame himself for not getting better than fifth place. "I wheelied out of the gate so I could be pretty happy that I was 10th leaving the Esplanade," Darryll said. The cards were stacked against Smets from the start of race two. A poor start left him struggling in the pack and a collision in the first turn damaged the front brake.. Running 10th leaving the Esplanade, he was up to sixth at the end of the lap but crashed down to IBth on lap two. "I knew King was in front and had to try to move up quickly, but I went too hard into a tum and couldn't stop without the front brake," Smets said. A slow recovery finally came to life in the final laps as he reeled in the Sarholz Hondas of Lacher and Gert Van Doom to take fifth, but even a desperately tired Martens could defend a 15second gap in the final two laps. King, meanwhile, was coasting after a first-lap pass on holeshot man Johansson. "He got me at the table top," Johansson said. "He was jumping it and I wasn't." Havin ex erienced firsthand the MOTO 1, 1. Jacky Martens (Hus); 2. Shayne King (KTM); 3. Peter Johansson (Hus); 4. Joel Smels (Hbg); 5. DarryU King (Hon); 6. Dietmar Lacher (Hon); 7. Franco Rossi (KTM); B. Gert Jan Van Doom (Hon); 9. Bernd Eckenbach (Kaw); 10. Erwin Machtlinger (Hon); 11. Danny Theybers (Hon); 12. Jason Hlggs (Hon); 13. Gerald Delepine (Hon); 14. Chris Burn.nam (Hon); 15. james MlllSh (KTM). MOTO:z, 1. Shayne King (KTM); 2. Peler Johansson (Hus); 3. johan Boonen (Hus); 4. Jacky Martens (Hus); 5. Joel Smets (Hbg); 6. Gert Jan Van 'Doorn (Hon); 7. Dietmar Lacher (Hon); 8. James Marsh (KTM); 9. Danny Theybers (Hon); 10. Chris Bumham (Hon); 11. Peter DUkx (K1M); 12. Erwin Machtlinger (Hon); 13. Franco Rossi (KTM); 14. Chrls Jacobs (Hon); 15. Ronny Weustenraed (Hon). O/A, 1. Shayne King (KTM); 2: jacky Martens (Hus); 3. Peter Johansson (Hus); 4. Joel Smets CHbg); 5. Dietmar Lacher (Hon); 6.. Cert fan Van Doom (Hon); 7. Johan Boonen (Hu.s.); '8. Franco Rossi (KTM); 9. Danny Theybers (Hon); 10. DarryU King (Hon). WORLD C'SHIP 500« MX SERIES POINT STANDINGS (After 9 of 12 round,), 1. Shayne King (268/6 w;ns); 2. joel Smels (242/1); 3. Peter Johansson (184); 4. o;etma, Lacher (182); S. DarryU King (151/1); 6. Gert Jan Van Ooom (144); 7. Jacky Marlens (122); 8, Danny Theybers (119); 9. Rupert WaJkne, (117); 10. Johan Boonen (66); U. Franco Rossi (60); 12. Bernd Eckenbach (S8); 13. Erwin Machtlinger (56); 14. Mikel Caprani (55); 15. Attilio Pignotti (50); 16. Chris Burnham (46); 17. Ronny Weustenraed (45); 18. Peter Dirkx (41); 19. Leon Giesbers (4ll/I); 20. Dirk Geukens (39). Upcoming Rounds: Round 10 - Reil, Germany, Augusl11 Round 11 - Saxtorp, Sweden, August 25 World Championship 250cc MX series Update Rounds ~ 0/11 •Brazilian, San Marino & French GPs no, where the Yamaha duo of Yves Demaria and Andrea Bartolini dominated the mud race, Everts is 45 points behind Bervoets with two GPs remaining, but would trail by just one if his British GP points are reinstated. VohJand, meanwhile, has continued to be consistent and trails Bervoets by 22 with none of his points in doubt. Crashes cost him dearly in San Marino after the American had been the only rider capable of running with the Yamahas. In San Marino, Remy Van Rees was allowed to head his team leader home by a single place, while in France Bolley and Tortelli took six points from their team leader even though none of them was involved in tight finishes, which could have let others through. Eight-liter champ Sebastien Tortelli charged quickly from seventh to third in the first moto before crashing, but tooI, a solid third in race two on his 250cc Grand Prix debut as a wild card entry. Brazilian 250 GP Belo Horizonte, Brazil Results: July 14, 1996 (Round 9 of 13) MOTO 1: 1. Stefan Everts (Hon); 2. Tallon VohlQIld (Kaw); 3. Marni,cq Bervoets (Suz); 4. Yves Demaria (Yam); 5. Pit Be.irer (Hon); 6. Andrea Bartolini (Yam); 7. jocke Karlsson (Hon); 8. Rob Herring (Hon); 9. Frederic Bolley (Kaw); 10. Werner Dewit (Suz); 11. Pedro Tragter (Suz); 12. Peter Iven (Kaw); 13. l.uis Serra (Hon); 14. Rafael Ferreira (Suz); IS. Adrian Robert (Kaw). MOTO 2: 1. Stefan Everts (Hon); 2. Tallon Vohland (Kaw); 3. Marnicq Bervoets (Suz); 4. locke Karlsson (Hon); S. Frederic Bolley (Kaw); 6. Pit Be;re, (Hon); 7. Sandro Puzar (Hon); 8. Andrea BartoUni (Yam); 9. Werner Dewit (Suz); 10. Yves Demaria (Yam); ] 1. Pedro Tragter (Suz); 12. Rob Herring (Hon); 13. Peter Iven (Kaw); 14. Adrian Robert (Kaw); 15. Milton Becker (Hon). O/A: 1. Stefan Everts (Hon); 2. Tallon Vohland (Kaw); 3. Marnicq Bervoets (Suz); 4. Jocke Karlsson (Ho(l); 5. Pit Beirer (Hon); 6. Yves Demaria (Yam); 7. Frederic Bolley (Kaw); 8. Andrea Bartolini (Yam); 9. Werner Dewit (Suz); 10. Rob Herring (Hon). SBn Marino 250 GP Baldasaerona, SBn Marl'no Reauhs: July 28,1996 (Round 10 of 13) MOTO 1: 1. Andrea Bartolini (Yam); 2. Yves Demaria (Yam); 3. Rob Herring (Hon); 4. Stefan Everts (Hon); 5. Remy Van Rees (Kaw); 6. Tallon Vohland (Kaw); 7. Frederic Bolley (Kaw); 8. Jocke Karlsson (Hon); 9. Mark Eastwood (Hon); 10. Peter Iven (!

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