MOTOCROSS
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
500cc MOTOCROSS SERIES
Round 6: Dutch Grand Prix
By Alex Hodgkinson
HALLE, HOLLAND, JUNE 8
reak weather conditions continue to haunt the World 500 MX
Series. Joel Smets extended his
lead in the standings with a first·
moto win on his Husaberg in the
Dutch sand at Halle before a torrential
thunderstorm left the track waterlogged, causing the cancellation of race
two.
The KTM duo of Kurt Nicoll and
Shayne King retain second and third in
the standings, despite finishing only
eighth and 13th, respectively, in the
first moto, after the champion from
New Zealand ran into the Brit on the
first lap of racing.
American Keith Bowen continues to
raise his profile each week, ahd again
scored his best GP result to date with a
seventh, while Trampas Parker, having
his first .ride back on KTM for nearly
two years, was 10th. It was a great day
for the Austrian marque, which, even
with their champion King down in
13th, provided six of the first 10.
. After storms on Saturday evening
and rain all morning, the first moto
should have belonged to Husqvarna's
Darryll King.
"I felt so good out there," King said.
'1 gated well, passed James Marsh for
the lead through the whoops, and was
going away until the bike just died on
me in the tum after the finish line. My
mechanic must have forgotten to fix
the fuel line back on properly at the
(Right) Joel
Smets won the
rain·shortened
Dutch GP.
(Below) For
obvious reasons,
the second mota
was cancelled
due to a before
the start
downpour.
tank."
Next man past Marsh was that
sandman, Avo Leok. For nearly half an
hour, the Estonian, winner of the series
opener, who had only even qualified
once since then on hard tracks and has
reverted from Kawasaki to Honda,
rode the opposition into the ground .until he got tired.
.
"That crazy Leok," Smets said, back
in the paddock. "r had to take so many
risks through the whoops to move up
the leader board and not let him get
too far away. r guessed he would get
tired before the end, and he did."
By the finish, the Estonian was'
down to fourth, behind Johan Boonen
and Andrea Bartolini, The Italian, riding with his spare engine after blowing
Brieflv..·.
Sugge'ilions that KTM would try fa fit'a ~ur-.
. stroke engine into a 360 frame were disHollbacher. "It won't fit: lie said.
missed
"The.Husaberg engine fits,'bu.t the chain drive
Park"~ was bac~.in action at the
Dutch GP On basically a pr
