Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

a when 1 got up 1 wa s little tired. It wa s very d ifficult out ther e," said Everts. Tortelli, who had held the lead fo r one lap , wa s also looking like a novice and he too hit the deck. "It w as not m e out there. 1 was riding so nerv ous, my rh ythm w as nothing, " Tortelli sa id . He would drop ba ck to third, beh ind Beirer and Vohland . Voh la nd was again looking for a place to hid e. " I was riding okay, bu t I w anted to get out of th ere," he sa id . "I d id n't want to send one of those two crashing out of the champions hip pi cture - they were fighting for the n umber-o ne plate. " Beirer, who was ridi ng better tha n ever, was a little m iffed by the sit ua tion. "O n ce Stefa n a n d Se b a stien came o nto me again, th ey were still rid ing, like, reall y bad," he sai d . " I started feeling nervous. It was a stra nge race - then I started riding like them." In the end, Tortelli blasted past bo th Beirer and Vohland for the wi n. Beirer, doing his best to cu t Ev erts fr om the championship, fini shed seco n d, with Everts third. "Th a nks," Tortell i said to Beirer, "you have done me a big favor." . It was true - Tor telli had m ade up four points on his rival and now only three points sepa rated the top two in the ch a m p io ns h ip . Beirer, w ho rid es for Honda, found little in th e wa y of team orders to prevent this result. " I rid e for a n o th e r team ," Be irer explained. "All year long we have asked Honda for parts and they gave us not a lot compared to what Stefan go t. 1 ow e . Honda nothin g." With the victory, TorteIli stood atop the podium to the applau se of the 20,000 in attendance. Everts, on the other hand, wasn't abo ut to let his rival witness his dejection. The defending cham p ru shed Brieflv... '. b a ck to hi s m otorhome and didn 't return to the podium. After a s ho r t interval , th e rid er s returned to the s ta r ting ga te. Everts appeared to have recovered and TortelIi' s face now featured a sm ile th at had been missing be fore the first mo to. Par t tw o of th e fin al wa r looked like it w as goi ng to th e Fren chman . Everts , however, timed his start with brilliant precision, en tering the first tu rn wi th a s lig h t lead w hi le Tortelli hel d dow n second place . With the winne r 01 this m o to going on to beco me Wo rl d Champion, the ne rvousness seemed to di sapp ea r and the t w o co m menced sho w ing the world w hat championship motocross is all abou t. By lap five, thirdpla ced VohI an d was m iles behind. "It seems they go t thei r act together," Vohland said. "When th at ' s th e case, I' m not in th eir level, and p ro bably never have been." Beirer held d own four th a n d was d oing his bes t to give his Honda team a final thank-you. "I wanted to win the last rnoto, bu t you could see the other two were on the gas," Beirer said. "I could not rid e with them ." For 12 laps, Everts held off the charging Tortelli. It appeared as though the Frenchman was waiting for his chance an d it came on lap 13. "I was rid ing on the limit; it wa s not a ma tter of waiting," Tortelli sa id la ter. "But I needed to find a good place to ge t ~~ . Tortelli m oved o nto the back wheel of Everts . Th en, a s the two entered a sweeping right-hand tum, he rod e into Everts, sending th e cham p ion into th e trackside bunting and taking th e lead. "It wa s not a dirty move , he just did a good pass," Everts sa id . It would be the last Everts would see of Tortelli. (Ab ov e left) American Tall o n Vo hland ended up third o verall on the day on his factory Yamaha. (Ab ove) Tortelli gives thanks to Pit Beirer, t he Honda rider who m an aged to fin ish ahead of Everts i n the fi r st moto - thus g iv ing To rt elli the opportunity to w in the t itle. (Ri ght) Everts was the picture of deje ct ion after losing his World Championship. "O nce he passed m e, I lost all my energy," Eve rts ad mitted . "I ha d no thing. I even thought abou t stopping ." La p afte r lap, t he ri der many consider to be the bes t iri th e world lost pl aces - first to Bcirer , th e n Vo h la n d, th en Bervoets, then Joa kim Karlsson and fina lly Peter Iven . It w as a sa d sight. Tortelli sho t out to a 50-second lead over Bierer, ye t with a few laps to go the French rid er wave d at his pit a nd nearl y dropped his bike. " It w as scary - my hea rt s kip ped a beat , that's for sure;" Tor telli said. Still, he ha d d one e no u g h a nd he crossed th e finish line wi th his a rms held high. Everts, back in seven th place, w ent unnoticed as th e crowd swarmed aro und Tor telli. Ev erts again returned to hi s & motorhome, then made the long walk to the po di um . It w asn't a p retty sight - the man wh o ha s held W orld Champio nsh ip M otocros s in the palm of h is hand fo r th e p ast three years walking with his head held low, crying. Everts ' fa th er, Harry (a fo u r- ti me Wo rld Ch ampion ), crad led his so n. (The Bercy Supercross) to not compete - it isa shame io r M cG rath. - said . Luongo. It seems that the Bercy Supercross promoters. who will run the annual three-nig ht 'affair N ove mbe r 14- 16 . are also giving other riders moneyto not ride in the World Championship opener. . .Ryan Hughes ;"as in a talki ng mode in G reece. The 'Californian had talks w ith Dave Grant' s Honda team and also the Pamo Honda team . - I It now appears certain that a round of the 1oog W orld S u percros s have talked to Dave' and it sounds interesti ng ." Hughes said. " I am also · C hampionships will be run in Am erica. The ve nue for the eve nt is not having talks with Magic Bike next week. so maybe some thing will come yet known , though it is expec ted to feature live television . " W e had talked .from that. " . . to Pace Promotion s about the event. 'but while they' do a great jo b with their serie s. I think we can do it better." Act ion Group manager Giuseppe Several form er W orld Champions had their own ideas as to why Stefan Luongo said. "O ur plan is to make S upercross a majo r series thro ughout Evert s suddenly slumped . Five-time W orld Champion Eric G e b oe'rs had · the wo rld - not just in Europ.e arid America. ' . some goo d andsome bad to say about Everts. " He is a bett er rider than I . . w as. .and to be hon est he sho uld wi n many W orld Ch am pion sh ips: " . M ike Brown may end up competinq in the 125 cc W orld Ch ampionship Geboers said.· " but he is not stron g in the head: Look wtiat happeried . Series. 'riding for Dave Tho rpe' s Ho nda team; Brown will race in place of here today . I could not believe it . he got knocked out by Torteill. " Harry Jame s Dobb. w ho is at pre sent looking for a new rid e. The fact that Everts backed up Geboers' claimebovt his so n's ability . " Heis the best; Sebas tien Tortelli isset to move from his championship-winning Kawasaki ' not even Roger (DeCoste r) was as goo'd'as Stefan. If he does not get · team to the American Honda team in 199 9 cr eated a funny situation in 'inju: ed ..h,e will many mor~ c~a mpions~i ps . ". ·G reece. First of all. Stefa n Everts wo n the .1995 W orld C hampionship' nding 'for Kawasaki; then 'moved to Honda ITortelli has done it In reverse). The 1998'Wo~ld Su'percro~s C·ha....pio~shi~ will'still begin in Pa·ris. Tallon Vohland. who' will move to Honda in 199 9. battl ed all weekend with France. on October 24 . although the follow ing round wiU.now be .one Pit Beirer, who will move from Honda to ~wasaki. Adding to the conf u- . w eek later in Brazil - and not tWo weeks later as was first thought. Jeremy sion of the Kawasaki/ Honda situation. Ryan Hughes - w ho tried to race in McGrath-. who was expec ted to' race ' in Paris •.looks likely to bea nonG reece for the Kawasaki team (to try to help Kawasaki beat Honda) - 'is starter. according to Giu seppe Luongo . w ho is the boss of Ac tion G roup. now talking to Dave Grant' s Honda team for next year. . the even t's pro moter . " He has been given 'money fro m another promoter "Th is will make yo u stronger, so n," he told him, w ords that the older Eve rts had heard some 20 years ea rlie r when he a lso lost the World title in a final round shootou t. Tortelli was in another world, receiving t ha nks from h is team membe rs. Th en , as he was raised into the air, Beirer arrived to share the moment. As the two embraced, Tortclli th anked his competitor. " Pit, you're the best," To rte lli sa id . "Thanks to you , my job was a little eas ier ." With the FIM trophy pa cked away in his luggage, Tortelli will next a ttem p t to win the 1999 AMA 25 0cc ational Championship. l~ Megalopolis MX Par k Megalopolis, Greece Results: Se pt ember 13, 1998 MOTO 1: 1. Sebastien To rtelli (Ka w); 2 Pit Bierer (He n); 3. Stefan Everts (Hon): 4. Tallon Vohtand (Yam ); S. Marn icq Bervoets(5u:d; 6. Mickael Masch io (Yam); 1. Io akim Karlsson (Ho n); 8. Paul Coo per (Ka w): 9. Peter lven ( Ka w) : to. Leo n Gies be rs ( KT M ); 11. Jo shu a Co p p ins (Su z ): 12. Ale sandro Zann i (H en): 13. Peter s Nijs (H en ): 14. Miska Aal toue n (KTM); 15. Ch risti a n Seevanini (TM). MOTO 2: 1. Sebastien Tort l'lIi (Ka w); 2. Pit Biere r . (Ha n ); 3. Ta llo n Vohl and (Ya m); 4. Marnicq Bervoets (Suz); 5. joa kim Karlsso n (Hon): 6. Peter lven (Ka w): 7. Stefan Eve rts (He n): 8. Paul Coo pe r (Ka w): 9. JOShU.l . Coppins (Suz); 10. Leon Git.....be rs (KTM); 11. Alessandro Za nni (Ha n ); 12. Remy Van Rees (Ka w ): 13. C histia n Stcva nini ITM); 14. Miska Aaltonen (KTM); 15. Stravos Cco rgakopc ulos (Hu n). O /A: 1. Sebastien Tort elli (K.1W); 2. Pit Beirvr (He n): 3. Tallon Vohland (Yam); 4. Marnicq Bervoets (Suz); 5. Stefan Everts (Hon): 6. [onkim Kar lsso n (Ho n ): 7. Pet er lven (Kaw ): 8. Pa ul Cooper (Kaw ): 9. Josh ua Cop pins (Suz ): 10. Leon Ceisbers (KTM); 11. Mickael Maschlo (Yam); 12. Alessa ndro Zan ni (Ha n); 13. Rem y Van RI. 'S >t. . (Ka w): 14. Chri .tian Stevanini (TM); 15. Miska Aaltone n (KTMl . RNAL WO RLD CHAMPION SHIP 250cc MX SERIES POINT STANDINGS (After 16 of 16 rounds) : 1. Sebas tien Tortelli (563/7 wins); 2. Stefa n Everts (555/8) ; 3. Pit Bier er (40 2 /1); 4 . Marn icq Berv oe ts (288 ); 5. Frederic Bolley (27'9); 6. Tallon Vohla nd (275); 7. Joa kim Ka rl ss o n (245) ; 8. Mic kae l Masch io (2 13 ); 9. Leon Cei sbers (174); to . Pa ul Cooper (135); 11. Yves Dema ria (117); 12. Peter Iven (114); 13. Jos hu a Coppins (113); 14. Werner Dewit (86); 15. Miska Aalto nen (76). 19

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