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/127939
MOTOCROSS ~'Round 1: ltarIan G dP· ran TIl 500cc WORLD MOTOCROSS . CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES By Alex Hodgkinson MANTOVA, ITALY, APR. 5. talian Andrea Bartolini put Yamaha on top of the SOOcc World Motocross Championship by winning his home Grand Prix for the econd consecutive year, but the competitiveness of the bigbore class was emphasized as six different riders on four different brand of motorcycles - including all three fourstroke contender - shared the podium in the two 45-minute motos at Mantova. After topping the qualifiying charts on Saturday, Bartolini admitted that he had surprised even himself by his pace on this unusual track. "It is very strange ground here," he said. "One half of the track is typically Italian, with a hard base, although the loose sand on top builds into berms in the corners, bu t the other half is very rough with big holes in the sand, just . like in Holland and Belgium." Most of the leading contenders followed Bartolini down to the inside when the time came to cl100se spots on the starti.ng gate - all except Gert Jan Van Doom. .' "I watched the support races and they all holeshot from the middle," Van Doorn said. "But then I got bad drive out of the gate and got pushed out in the tum." Later, in race two, Van Doorn would join his fellow contenders on the inside gates. "The guy who holeshot moto one started two gates-away from me, so it's a good choice, but at I~ast if I'm inside, I can bang bars with my rivals for. the win," he said later. "We're not racing those guys dowofield." The Dutchman had a point. Scot David Campbell had taken that holeshot and showed plenty of gu ts in putting his Honda CR500 sideways in front of 2400 horsepower of the fastest big-bore racers in the world, but he would cross the line 16th - only to be given a point after all when Swede Mats Nilsson was penalized for viola ting noise regula tions after losing his muffler three laps from the end. It took Johan Boonen, back on a factory 630 Husky after a ingle season on a 368 KTM, just three corners to snatch· the lead, while Bartolini eased into second a lap later. On lap three he switd1ed lines through the finish area to dive past, but Boonen showed aggression and retalia ted two corners la ter. In his next attack two laps later, ''Bartman'' threw caution to the wind and immediately opened up a cushion, and that was the last the opposition saw of him. ot that the win was comfortable. "I had problems with the clutch in the closing laps," Bartolini said. "There were times when I didn't think I would be able to finish." Boonen's bike showed evidence of the ferocity of the early struggles as the clutch lever hung down, but after settling d.own after the opening laps, he finished fourth. The two men who got around Boonen were Husky team leader Darryll King and class newcomer Rob Herring. The Kiwi had won three of the final four GPs of 1997 and warned that he would again be the man to beat. ...... ...... s.. -< 26 (Above left) Andrea Bartolini and his Yamaha won the opening round of the World Championship 500c MX Series in itaLy, finishing first and fourth in the two motos in Mantova. (left) New Zealander Darryl King ended up second overall in Italy on his factory Husqvarna.