Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

MOTOCROSS Round 9: Montevarchi Motocross Park FlM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 250cc M XSER IES MONTEYARCHI. ITALY, JUNE 28 ust like a World Heavyweight boxing championship, this y e a r ' s World 250cc Motocross Championship is about scoring more points in every ro und and not letting your competition get that all-important knockout punch . In Montevarchi, Italy, during the latest round of Europe's most important motocross series, the lead ing riders Sebastien Tortelli and Stefan Everts th rew just enough punches to damage the ot her's solid chin, yet the knockou t pu nch looks a long way off. Wha t tra nsp ired in the 100-degree heat on the hills of Montev archi once again proved that th is year's cha m pions hi p can go in any d irection. At the . pr esen t moment, Everts leads Tortelli by seven points, 323 to 316, yet it is Tor telli w ho has sco red 187 points in the past five rounds to Everts' 176 poi nts, af ter Everts started off the series by winning three of the firs t four ro unds. The tide has certainly turned. Sa turday' s qualifica tion once again showed Everts and Tortelli to be the only riders capable of taking the Italian tral!!< by the horns: Everts claimed the top spot with a time of two minutes and 17.148 seconds, and Tortelli came in with a 2:17.470. Third-placed Frederic Bolley was one second slower than Tortelli, and fourth place went to another Honda rider - Pit Beirer. While Europe has experienced one of its worst June months, with almost tropical ra instorms, it was a ny thi ng bu t a we t track that gree ted the riders on the Sunday of the Italian GP . A su n-ba ked track tha t had not seen water for w ha t loo ked like mon ths was finally getti ng a wa tering , a nd while th e timing of the track preparati on by the Italian orga nizers w as anythi ng but poor, th e rid er s had other things to worry abo ut. . "It is very hot, but it's the sa me for everyone and yo u can no t let it ge t to you or yo u' re al re a dy ra cin g agains t yo u rse lf," sai d Am erican Tall on Voh land. Wh ile rid ers wo re wet towels around their heads, and the spectators looked for any type of cove r, it was the cool and calm Sebas tien To rtelli w ho bo lted out of the s tart straight in mot o one with one thing in mind. Going into the slight uphill first tu m , the French wo nder had already taken a slig ht lead over Everts, Be lley, Vohland and Be ir er. Everts , though, turned his machine into a wet area on the first comer and pinned the throttle open. "I t ried the diffe rent line and it worked out okay," Everts said. "I was able to get by Sebastien and take the lead." French riders were all over Everts like a pack of wild animals, as Tortelli held second going in to the first lap , followed by Mickael Maschio and Yves Demaria. Further back was Vohland in sixth place a nd a fallen Pit Beirer in 30th. "I just crashed," Beire r said. "I had abo ut sixth place goi ng in to the firs t corner, but by the time I got u p, I was last." Wit hin t h e fi rst fe w laps , Ever ts looked to have the goods to keep Tortelli in second p lace, bu t Tortelli has bee n th e mas ter of making even the great Everts look vulnerable; however, on this occasion the Belgia n rider was up to dealing with the antics of th e young rid er. "I did not feel good, okay," Everts said. "I got the lead in the second co rner, but my arms were pum ping . 1 think J 30 that Sebastien was on my back wheel, which ma de it very difficult for me." Yet it wo uld soo n be all over for the Kawasaki-mounted Tortelli. "I tried to pass Stefan twice, but he passed me back," he said, "a nd then 1 was look in g for a good rhythm, some good lines, but I made a mistake." Th e m istak e w ou ld cos t To rtelli 30 seconds a n d, o nce again, Everts was looking like "Mr. Cool." "O n ce h e fell , th en it was easy," Everts said. '1 just cruised to the w in." Fourth -pl a ced Vohlan d was a lso more than a littl e chi pper in the Yam aha pit enclos u re. "Hey, for my first race back from my injuries, I am ve ry plea sed ," Vohla nd sai d , "a nd m y hand is still h u rti ng . I .took so me pain killers before the start , but in the last part of the moto, the pain came ba ck , but I fought through th e pain and finished great." Bierer had also d on e a great job. "1 fought through from las t an d finished seventh, so tha t was pleasi ng," he said. "But to fall so early in the moto was no t a good move." O th er top finis hers were Ma rn icq Bervoets in fifth and Maschio in sixth. The second moto was ano ther s tory , as Kawasaki riders Demaria and Tortelli led Ever ts int o the first lap. "I wanted to prove to everyo ne tha t sa id 1 was finished that 1 still ha ve it," sai d Dem aria of his sud de n lead . Everts, however, was feeling the heat as he cras hed and lost second place. " I jus t fell on a slippe ry comer, lost the fro nt w hee l and lost several p laces," Everts said . To rt ell i was mu ch lu ck ier th a n Everts, thoug h. "I was following Stefan into the corne r and also slipped a littl e," Tortelli sai d . "I ran over his fallen bike and just man aged to hold my bike up." Th rou gh the heat, the top two riders breezed away from everyone, with Frederic Bolley ending his midfiel d charge with an inju red arm. "I crashed on lap five and limped back to the pits," frowned the Honda rid er. "It's nothing serious - just lost points." ! By lap seven,' s ta r te d De maria look in g o v e r his shou lde r, and a hardriding Tortelli ma de a move on h is team mat e. "Yves was very fas t early," Tortelli sa id, "bu t I felt good an d was able to pass Yves and take a nice lead ." Everts, w ho ha d picked himself up in fifth place, was now having trouble with Vohla nd. "It too k me a long time to ge t past Vohland," Everts sai d . "He was mu ch slower, and so metimes he can be a little wide open, an d 1 did not want to fall again." Vohland, on the other hand, had his side of the story. "If he wan ts to pass me, he had better be read y to figh t," Vohland said . "He's knocked me off a few times this year, so he sho uld not talk abou t me." A s th e r a ce e n te re d th e clos in g stag es , To rtelli moved to an easy w in, leading hom e a hard -char gin g Everts by 15 seconds , while Demaria was another 10 seco nds fu r t he r be h ind . D ra in ed fro m the heat , Demaria was tot all y off his feet a nd had to be carried from his ma chine, w hile To r telli look ed lik e a fresh kid on the podiu m. The French wonder expects the battle fo r t h e cha mpions hi p to o nly get tou gh er. . I "Stefan is a great rid er, but 1am looking forwa rd to the next races.T sai d the Ita lian GP winner. "T he n we will see w ho has the cha mpionship." ~ Montevarchi Motocross Park Montevarchl, Italy Results: June 28, 1998 (Round 9 of 16) M OT O ] : 1. Ste fan Eve rts (Honl . 2. Sebas tien To rtelli (Kaw) : 3. Yves De maria (Kaw) : 4 . Tallon Vohtand (Yam); 5. Marnicq Bervoets (Suz); 6. Mich el Ma sch io (Yam); 7. Pit Beirer (Han); 8. Fred eri c Belley (Han); 9. Joakim Karlsson (Han); 10. Peter lven (Kaw); 11. Leon Ce isbers {)(TM); 12. Ju. .tin Morri s (Han); 13. . Josh ua Coppins (Suz); 14. Pau l Cooper (Kaw): 15. Mark Eastwood(Hon). M OT O 2: 1. Sebastien Tor tc lli (Ka w): 2. Stefa n Eve rt s (Han ); 3. Yves Demaria (Ka w): 4. Pit Bei te r (Han); 5. Tallo n VohLand (Yam ); 6. Marnicq Bervoets (Suz); 7. Mickael Maschio (Yam); 8. Peter lven (Ka w); 9. Paul Cooper (Kaw); 10. Jos h ua Co ppins (Suz): 11. C hris tian Steva ni ni (TM); 12. Vico Ga rcia (Ya m) ; 13. Serge Guidetty (Han); 14. Saso Kragelj (SU2) 15. Miska ; Aa lto nen (KTM). (Top) Series rivals Sebastien Tort elll (4) and Stefan Everts (1) get off the li ne together at the ita lian 250cc MX GP. The tw o trade d moto wi ns , with Tortelll being cred ited for the overall victory. (Above) Tortelll Is just seven po ints behind Evert s for the series tit le. O /A: 1. Sebas tie n To rte lli (K.1W); 2. Stefan Everts (H an) ; 3. Yves Dem ari a (Kaw) : 4. Tallon Vo h la nd (Yam); 5. Pit Bierer (Hon): b. Mamicq Bcrvoct s (Suz); 7. Mick acl Masch io (Y41 m); 8. Pete r Iven (Ka w); 9. Paul Coo per (Ka w) : 10 . JOShUd Co ppins (5U7.); 11. Frederic Belley (He n): 12. Joakim Karlsson (Hen) : 13. Christian Steva n ini (TM ); 14. Le on Ge is be rs (KT M); 15. Vieo Garcia (Yam). FIM WOR LD CHA MP IONSH IP 250« MX SERIES POI NT STANDINGS (After 9 of 16 rounds): 1. Stefan Everts (323/ 4 wins) ; 2. Sebastien TorteUi (316/ 4); 3. Pit Bie re r (23 4 /1) ; 4. Fre der!c Boll e y (172); 5. Tall on Vohla nd ( 40); 6. Mickael Masch io (30); 7. Ma rnicq Bervoets (129); 8. Joa ld m Karlsso n (1 24); 9. l e on Geisbers (91); 10. Werner Dt..>wit (86); 11. Yves Demaria (75); 12. Paul Coo per (71); 13. Ja imy Sceven els ($9); 14. Jus tin Morris (55); 1S.Joshua Co ppi ns (53).

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