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MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 500cc MOTOCROSS SERIES Round 5: Czech Grand Prix G o full throttle while, outside Bartoliru, Johan Boonen and Danny Theybers were among the victims. Others could have joined in, too. "I saw it starting to happen, backed off and slipped inside them," Bowen sajd. "It was a mess." Nicoll, meanwhile, completely unaware of the drama, was th.ird beh.ind Van Doorn and Jacky Martens, with Bernd Eckenbach and Johansson in ills wake, and the quintet moved relentlessly clear. "I wanted to pass and clear off, but I just couldn't find a gap and Gert Jan (Van Doorn) never made a mistake," Nicoll said. Martens had made way for him, crash.ing dramatically when the headstock snapped on takeoff over a big jump, while Eckenbach eased h.is pace from just after half-distance. "I could feel the motor starting to seize, so I tried to change gear h.igher, but it expired three Laps from the end," Eckenbach said. By then, Johansson was already ih front for hjs first win on the YZM400F. "I had no pressure from behind, so I ]1NIN, CZECH REPUBUC, JUNE 1 eter Johansson gave the Yamaha " four-stroke its second win in the four CPs run when he scored maximum points at the Czech 500cc MX GP to hand his team manager, Hannu Heinonen, a wonderful birthday present. "I'm 38 today, and now both of my riders have won a GP," Heinonen sajd. It was also a special day for the 31year-old Swedish rider, who is currently fifth in the championsh.ip point standings with a score of 87 points. "It's the fourth GP win of my career, but the first in 14 years of racing GPs when I have made a perfect score," Johansson said. The race at Jinill, a suburb of Strakonice (once the proud hometown of CZ), also opened up the champjonsh.ip. Just 18 points separate the top five, on four dilierent marques. Joel Smets still leads the champjonsh.ip, now with 105 points, despHe hjs ninth-overall showing, ahead of reigning champjon Shayne King and Kurt Nicoll, tied on 98 points. Behind them is Gert Jan Van Doorn, third on the day, with 89. M.ich.igan's Keith Bowen, the lone American starter, regjstered hjs best result of the year with a first-moto 10th. The first moto got off to a hazardous start as a dozen bikes went down on the approach to the sweeping uphill Hrst turn. It all began when Smets and Andrea BartoLinj tangled. '1 got a bad jump at the gate and was immedjately half a bike down on Nicoll and Bartolini, but all three of us were going up the hill full-gas," the championsh.ip leader admitted. "If none of us shut off, it might have gone okay; but they closed me down, I veered away from Nicoll and h.it Bartolini. He shot off to the right but must have bounced off someone else, because he then fell back across me and we went down." Husaberg teammate Hedman slammed into Smets' bike running at rr (Above) Peter Johansson took his VZM400 to·its second overall win of the season after he stormed to a doublemoto victory. (Right) Kurt Nicoll (91) chases Gert Jan Van Doorn (6) in moto one. Nicoll never caught him, but had a better moto-two finish to .garner second. overall. (Below) Darryll King braved pain from a dislocated collarbone he suffered Saturday to lake a 4-7 moto score and fifth overall. spent the first 20 minutes watching them and working .out my plan," Johansson said. "I passed all three at th~ same place. The surface was so polished, and on the sweeping downhill right-hander they were all going wid~ but I could turn tight with the fourstroke and dive inside." Eckenbach confirmed this. "I knew he was coming," Eckenbach sajd. '1 could hear that four-stroke, but if you tried to turn tigh t there with a two-stroke, you would have h.igh-sided. It was a clever move we could not resist." There was action aplenty in the pacK, as the other four-strokes marched for" ward. Smets got to fifth, with Bartolini despite a sore wrist and badly bent bars - in his wheel tracks. Both passed a detuned Shayne King, a third-lap craslr er when he ran into Jonte Engdahl in the closing stages. Darryll King was a brave fourth, hiS left shoulder strapped. up after dislocating h.is collarbone on Sa turday.