Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127857
MOTOCROSS W RLD CHAMPIONSHIP O 125cc MOTOCR S O SSERIES Round 12: DutchGP (RighI) Chicco Chiodi wrapped up Ihe 125cc World Motocross Champions hip with style, riding to the overall win on the sand y Lierop track . (Below) Italian Chlodl ls mobbed by his supporters after taki ng the overall and the title . den Berg, then alone, and finall y, when trailing abso lu tely last , ou t of the race. Fed erici only needed an eighth place to secure the bron ze med al, but he wa s racing for more. Van Drunen, ridi ng so strongly of late ยท " 1 am traini ng so much more and don't fade at 25 minut es like 1 used to" scorched past to take the lead after 15 minutes, but Federici hit back two lap s from the end for the win. Afte r his bes tever GP result on his KUTz Yamah a, Van Drunen said, "I had actually been pacing myself and started to go faster in the finaTIaps, but he increased his pace even m ore!" By Alex Hodgkinson UEROP, HOLLAND, AUG. 31 I was game, set and match to Chi cco Chiodi on Sunday, as the 24-year -old Italian, a runner-up twice in the last three yea rs, fin all y w on th e 125cc world MX title - and in style, wi th a sec- 42 o nd-rnoto vic tory also giving him his fifth overall GP win of the season. The De Carli Yama ha teamster ha d clinc hed the crown wit h a.la te pa ss for th ird in the o pening race after a ru n throug h the pack, and his seco nd -mote win confirmed his cha mpions hip class. It w as a race he d id n't e ven need to start, yet Chiodi putthuughts of celebration to one side for three-quarters of an hour to complete the task with an overwhelming half-minute w in in hot, humid cond itions in the grueling U erop sa nd which e lim inated ha lf th e fie ld . Only 15 rid ers com pleted both mot os, and many o f those were on the verge of phys ical collapse. Bob Moure's GP career en ded wi th two DNFs but the new FMF Honda te am man ag er re ta in ed hi s seventh place in the standings. Ne ithe r of the title candidates had a good choice of ga le and bot h we re buried in the pack on the ftrstlap of racing as Cla udio Fed eri ci holes hot fro m wil d card Osca r Vro man s, Frederic Vialie, Marcel Van Drunen a nd Heikki Van den Berg . For the Italia n an d the Fre nc hma n, the series br onze med al was at sta ke , but the situation was soo n resolved, as Vialie first crash ed together with Vall It was soo n clear that Chiodi was in control of the title battle, and the main question was merely whether or not he could settle it in the first moto. Chasi ng thr ough the pack in pursu it of Sand ro Pu za r, Chiodi pa ssed his rival on la p five to hold seventh, an d in the next quarter of an hour ad ded Ma rco Stallmann and James Dobb tu his list of victims . Whe n Van den Berg crashed w hile running third, Chiodi was fourth - and if Puzar remained in seventh, he would be champ. . But Puzar was nol giving up yet and with three laps to go had himself moved to fif th . Chlo d i reac ted im me d iately, however, to pass the tiring Vromans for thi r d. The fo u r-point di ff e ren ce increased his lead to 20 an d, w ith th e most motu wins, secured the title. "I was always confident that I wo uld be champion toda y, Chiod i said . "I just let the others riders settle in the fir st four lap s and then moved forwa rd with.ou t a ny probl em s. After I had passed Sandro, I realized that I might alread y be cham pio n, and my st rength helped me to take th ird near the end." Pre-race favo rite Erik Eggens simply wilted under the pressure . A poor start behi nd Chiod i - was followed hy a big crash on lap two, which left him trailing in 37th position. Back to 13th after 25 minutes, he crashed again and pulled out. In the "battle" for fifth in the series, David Vu illemin wa s coming da ngerously close to ove rcoming Mickael Maschic 's 13-p oint advan tage a t one stage as he raced eighth to the Honda's 16th, but the Yamaha man slowed in the closing laps to cruss the line 11th and thus not endanger his participation in next yea r's 125ee U.s. Supercross series . Bob Moore's fina l GP started inau spiciously with a first -la p collision w ith Kenneth Gundersen, and ended la te in the race when the Yamaha gave up the ghost. The seco nd race was only of academic interest to many. Pu zar pu lled o ut after a few laps , while Vialle qui t after a crash, but for others there was a GP win at stake. Federici s tar ted third b ehind Van Drunen and Eggens and was head ed for the overa ll wi n once Egg ens took over the lead . Bul then the Itali a n' s mot or started to stu tter and he went backward throu gh th e field , and then wen t ou t completely. ,