Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 125cc MOTOCROSS SERIES Round 5: Italian Grand Prix (Lett) A highly partisan italian crowd went wild as Sandro Puzar recorded the 21 st GP win of his career on home soil. (Below) The Maggiora track In Italy - the site of Johnny O'Mara, Rick Johnson and David Bailey's total domination of the Motocross des Nations in 1986. only dream. It was Husqvarna's firstever 125cc GP moto success in the 23rd season of the class (though of course the firm won plenty with the Cagiva brand back in the '80s). Chiodi, too, made a vital pass on the half-hour, catching puzar by surprise to charge under in a turn, to extend his points lead temporarily to 25, but there were few' other actual passes even though racing was tigh t right down to last place. One of the rare e«ceptions was England's Carl Nunn. Riding with a gash in his chin from a Sa turday crash but with a determination not evident in the earlier GPs, he advanced from a first-lap 21st ' to an eventual 10th, "1 got my head together at last," he said. '1've been going backwards in the races earlier this year so 1 was particularly pleased not only that 1 didn't get tired but that 1 was passing other riders. Vuillemin was the only one to pass me all race and 1 got him back." By Alex Hodgkinson MAGGIORA, ITALY, MAY 11 first-ever 125cc Grand Prix moto win for Husqvama and an ' almost total eclipse of the visit" .. ing riders made it a truly momentous occasion for the home fans at the Italian GP, but the icing on the cake for the thousands who packed the hillsides at Maggiora on Sunday was the 21st GP win of Sandro Puzar's career, his first on horne soil since 1990, But despite his second GP win in eight days, the 28-year- old TM rider has only gained one point on series leader Chicco Chiodi, who passed his great rival to finish second to runaway winner Claudio Federici in the opener, but could not catch him in the second, The only non-Italian in the first seven of the opener was French gypsy Luigi Seguy - and he rides a semi-factory TM while only Bader Manneh, an Italian resident for seven summers, and Mickael Maschio interrupted a straight eight in race two, As announcer Giulio Gori worked the crowd to fever pitch before the gate dropped for the start of the first moto, each of the home stars was greeted with cheers, but the whole track erupted at the mention of Puzar's name, But that was as nothing to the roar w'hich went up as he grabbed the holeshot With Federici and Chiodi in his wheel tracks, the nationality of the winner was as good as settled. Passing was difficult as Dane Brian Jorgensen eloquently explained: "The fast line through the turns is to sweep in from the outside, but you can't settle down to ~ riding it if someone is on your rear wheel or they will dive inside and make a block-pass," As a consequence the competitors hung to the inside in crocodile formation, Federici had been devastatingly fast in qualification and found a gap on lap five of 19 to move into the lead and away. It was not a total surprise. He has been as wild as ever on Saturdays this year, but, responding to the calming influence of Husky team boss Corrado Maddii, he had been uncharacteristically reserved during racing at the first four GPs as he finally got into the habit of finishing motos. But the fifth of 12 rounds, particularly on horne soil (he won the Italian GP two years ago), was the scenario to put that qualifying pace into action over 45 minutes. And Federici did just that, winning as he pleased with speed through the turns of which the opposition could Fellow Brit Paul Malin didn't last long. "1 overshot the first turn and was about 10th," he said. "1 saw a gap on the inside of turn four but it got closed down at the last minute and 1 ended up on the tires and Michele Fanton slainmed into my bike." The impact knocked the carburetor out of the manifold. Manneh, 27th on lap one, got to 19t1 at the checkered flag, one behind Jam~ Dobb who had also started badly.

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