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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127951
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Round 7: Montevarchi Motocross Park
By Geoff Meyer
MONTEVARCHt, ITALY, JUNE 28
a ving finished in seco nd place in
the American We st Coast 12Scc
Super cross Championship Seri es,
one would think th a t French rid er
Da vid Vuillem in w a s go ing for th e
number-one p lat e in th e World 12Scc
Motocro ss Championships this yea r.
Vuillernin, w ho has won the pa st three
ro unds of the 125cc Ch ampionship, is
looking like a cat about to pounce on a
poor, d efenseless mouse, yet the Yamaha-mounted rider is still talking second
or third place.
"At the start of the year. I wanted to
finish top three, so that is going okay - if
I g et top three, I' m happy, " sa id the
honest Vuillemi n.
When the 125cc Serie s entered Monte varchi fo r the seventh round ,
Vuillemin w as some 20 poin ts be hi nd
defendi ng cham p ion and se ries lea der
Ales sio Chi odi of the Husqvam a team;
n ow, a fter Montevarchi, it ' s just four
points.
In timed practice, it was Chiodi wh o
blasted around the Italian track wit h the
quickest time of 2:18.951, and the best
Vuillemin co u ld do was a 2:19 .122 ,
enough for second fastest, yet still one
second slower tha n Chiodi's time.
By the time the fi rs t moto wa s
ha lfway over, thou gh, Vuillemin was
looking at closing the points deficit, as
Chiodi sa t trackside with a blown Husqva rna .
"My bike ju st m ade a sou n d and
stopped ," said Chiod i.
.
As for VuiIlemin, a third place and 15
p oints left him jus t seven points back
from the series leader. It wa s Alessandro
Puzar who won the first moto, ahead of
H onda-mounted Luigi Seguy. Puzar
had also ma de up valuabl e points on the
sid elined Chiodi.
"By the time we ge t to the las t rou nd,
it will be anybody's gu ess who wins,"
said Puzar.
Mo to two, and th is tim e Vu illemin
won going away, with Chiodi second
and Puzar rou nding ou t the top three.
"I know if I ma ke one mist a ke, the
cha mpionship is over," said Vuillemi n.
"It's all abou t getting enough points on
the others, and if I keep ridi ng like this ,
then I can win. "
Chiodi had ano ther story.
"If I keep blowing my motors or los-
H
ing chai ns (the latter happened to him at
the p revious rou nd), then I will not
wi n," Chiodi reasoned.
l~
Montevarchi Motocross park
Montevarchl, Italy
Resu lts: June 28, 1998 (Round 7 of 11)
MOTO 1: 1. Alessandro Puzar (TM); 2. Luigi Seg uy
(Ho n); 3. David Vuillemin