Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 125cc MOTOCROSS SERIES MARmoR, SLOVENIA, MAY 17 lessio "Chicco" Chiodi made no mistakes in round three of the World Championship 125cc MX Series at the rugged Orehova Vas circuit on the outskirts of Maribor in the- Republic of Slovenia (the northernmost part of the former Yugoslavia), taking the holeshot in both motos to take his factory Husqvama to a double win and establish a handsome 27-point lead in the standings while all of his major rivals ran into trouble in at least one moto. Yamaha's David Vuillemin finally started to show his true outdoor form and snatched second on the day, while James Dobb, the Brit who spent three years in America before returning to his homeland last year, rounded out the top three on the day after a nerve-jangling start to the proceedings, when he had to change a plug on the line as the starter readied the IS-second board. The first moto was a gift for Chiodi. While the champion led all the way, chief rival Alessandro puzar collided with Belgian Steve Ramon in a sweeping uphill turn halfway around the first lap as they disputed second place, bringing down Paul Malin and Marcel Van Drunen and causing chaos among the entire pack. The ex-champ had to wait for the entire pack to pass just to retrieve his 2l 32 3: SIovenian Grand Prix bike, and, after picking it up on the slippery camber, had to ride backward down the track before once again attacking the hill. So competitive is the 125cc GP category that he could only make it from 39th on lap one to 18th at the finish of the 45-minute raCi'. The Yamaha challenge was also dented at an early stage, with Vuillemin 21st on lap one after his usual disastrous start. Frederic Vialle was 11 places further back after collisions put him On the deck three times, while Claudio Federici, poised to make a charge from sev- enth on the track where he won the GP last year, did not last three laps befo;e he hurt his right hand in a crash and retired for the day. Even teenager Luca Cherubini, who was second early on, hit trouble, his silencer falling off as tpe result of a first-lap knock. Vuillemin at least got up to seventh, but he might have done better. "The start was all my fault as usual," Vuillemin said, "but I would have had at least top five if my gearbox hadn't dropped all of its oil." Luca Pretto, riding KTM in Chad Parker's team this year, fiiUshed a sensational third, easily his best-ever GP finish, while Dobb was a storming second. The Brit came through from eighth afrer an unsettLing time at the start gate. "We've been having problems with plugs during practice, and my team manager, David Thorpe, told us to take plugs to the line with us in case it happened again," explained Dobb. "It's a good job we did, because my bike stopped on the line and I had to change it." Exactly the same thing was to hap.- (Above) The first moto of the 125cc GP gets under way in Slovenia. Pictured ar~ Alessio Chiodi (1). Brian Jorgensen (18), Alessandro Puzar (2). Dave Strijbos (49) and Keith Bowen (109). "R (Below) Chiodi won both motos.