Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 500cc MOTOCROSS SERIES (Left) Jacky Martens won the first 500cc MX moto of the season at the Belgian GP. His Husqvama four-stroke seized in the second moto. (Above) Defending champ Shayne King suffered poor starts and left Belgium earning just 14 points on the day. Overall winner Avo Leok and second-place finisher are tied for the points leads with 30 points each. (Below) After struggling at the 250cc GP series opener in Spain, defending champ Stefan Everts came back and won round two in Portugal. By Alex Hodgkinson LOMMEL, BELGIUM, MAR. 23 here was no fairy-tale comeback to the 500cc World MX Series for Yamaha, but the combined forces o Disney and the Brothers Grimm could not have written a better screenplay at Lommel in northern Belgium. Ninety-nine percent of the onlookers were left reaching for their programs to find out just who Kawasaki number 59 was. It was 25-year-old Estonian Avo Leok - and he beat them all. Leok, living in Belgium and riding for the private PSM team, h9leshot and simply fled into the distance in race one. By the third lap he was out of sight of the rest with a 13-second lead and he continued to extend his advantage for another three laps, as Jacky Martens sought a way past Dietmar Lacher for second. After 15 minutes the Belgian veteran was second, and at half di tance started to attack Leak's lead. In two laps.he had wiped it out and a fall by the Estonian a lap later left the 1993 champion nearly half a minute ahead and still pulling away. Leak's fall dropped him back into the clutches of Kurt Nicoll, though the Brit never realized he was in the hunt. "1 thought he was a backmarker," Nicoll said. "We nearly crashed together after 1 went round the outside of him at the end of the start straight." Completing the "pensioners' podium" as Leok's brave challenge faded in the final laps was Gert Jan Van Doorn. Martens is 33, the other two, Nicoll and Van Doorn, 32. Pre-race favorite Joel Smets had already gone over the bars on the second lap but was recovering fast by midrace when he tried to follow Van Doorn past Jonte Engdahl in a space which didn't exist, fell and had to recover once again from 13th to pass Andrea Bartolini for seventh on the final lap. The Italian had given the factory Yamaha a superb GP debut after a terrible start had left him 17th on the opening lap. "1 am very happy," Bartolini said. "I am not a sand rider and 1 was able to move forward from 12th place in the second half of the race. Our bike is so light compared to the rest." Teammate Peter Johansson was less happy. '1 got stuck behind the (Frederick) Hedman (Gerald) Delepine collision in the first tum and was 37th. My first three laps were really good and I was already 12th, but then I completely lost my rhythm in the second half of the race." Defending champ Shayne King rode a wonderful recovery race from 35th On lap one. "We fitted a new clutch and I didn't warm it up enough before the start," King said. "I was so slow out of the gate." But the Kiwi was lOth at the fini h. Fastest qualifier Peter Dirkx was even further back after stalling at the gate. He crossed the line 15th after starting 30 seconds behind everyone, but it was a wasted effort. Jury president Albert Hoihuis, said, "He could not start hi bike and'Toon Kar makers kicked it for him. 1 had no alternative but to disqualify him." The second moto was no less dramatic. Lacher led on the first lap before Leak took over again. :'1 was trying too hard to stay at the front and tensed up," Lacher said. '1 settled down again after 1 had dropped back to eighth, but then the front wheel washed out and put me even further back. 1 quit when [ came over a bank and smashed into Martens' Husky." The first-moto winner had gone down in the first tum with Bartolini but was chasing through hard behind firstrace runner-up Nicoll, who had crashed alone on lap one. They were through to 15th and 17th, split by Shayne King, when Martens' Husky seized. Nicoll forged on toward the top 10 but had to reduce his pace in the closing laps. The defending champ had paced himself better to eventually finish eighth. "1 just slept at the gate this time," Nicoll said. "After about six laps [ saw that I had blown a seal on the forks and had to ease my pace a little and then, in the final two laps, 1 had to work hard to defend that eighth place. 1 start- ed to suffer fuel starvation; 1 actually ran out as I crossed the line." The man chasing him w.as Johansson, sixth at half distance until carburetion problems slowed the Yamaha. Teammate Bartolini had been no higher than 22nd when he quit "before I hurt myself," he explained. Smets had been another brought down in the first tum bu} despite pain from his midweek thigh mjury, he rode a hard, strategic race without further mistakes for fourth. The problems' of the big names opened the way for Leok again. He withstood everything Van Doom could throw at him, but finally had to bow to Boonen two laps from the end. But second was enough to win the GP. Darryl! King's Husky debut brought just three points from 13th in race one, a similar finish in race two being denied him when a sticking front brake sent him over the bars. Keith Bowen's European career brought no points but he battled to the finish twice. Sand races often produce atypical results but none of the favorites made a big score and the series effectively starts in earnest at round two in Italy, but noone can ever take away the win from Leok nor deny that he fully deserved the honor. ~ Belgian 500cc GP Lommel, Belgium Results: March 23, 1997 (Round 1 of 12) MOTO 1: 1. Jacky Martens (Hus); 2. Kurt Nicoll (KTM); 3. Gert Jan Van Doorn (Han): 4, Avo leak (Kaw); 5. lont< Engdo>h1 {Hon); 6. [);_ar Lacher (Hon~ 7. Joel Smcts (Hbg): 8, Andrea Bartolini (yam); 9. Willie Van Wessel (Hon); 10. Shayne King (KTM); II. lohan Boonen (KTM); 12. Peter Johansson (Yam); 13. Oarryll King (Hus); 14. Danny Theybers (KTM); 15. Peler Nijs (KTM). MOTO 2: 1. JOhaJl Boone" (KTM); 2. Avo Leak (Kaw); 3. Gert Jan Van Doorn (Han); 4. Joel Smets (Hbg); S. Jonte E~gdahl (Hon); 6. Peter Dirkx {Hon); 7. Bengt Laeremans (Hon); 8. Shayne King (KTM); 9. Peter Johansson (Ynm); 10. Danny Theyber... (Hon); 11. Kurt Nicoll (KTM); 12. Hans Koenen (Hon); 13. M.Hel Caprani (Hus); 14. WilUe Va.n Wessel (Hon); 15. Ern'in Machtlinger {Hon). O/A: 1. Avo Leak (Kaw); 2. Gert Jan Van Doom {Hon); 3. JOOm Boonen (KTM); 4. Kurt NicoU (KTM); S. Joel Sme" {Hbg); 6. Jonte Engdahl (Hon); 7. lacky Martens (Hus); 8. Shayne King (KTM); 9. Peter Johansson (Yam); 10. Peler [);r1", (Hon). WORLD CHAMPIONSHlJ' 500<:c MX SERIES POINT

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