Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Motocross Round 10: Circuit um Kuelebierg • FIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP500cc MX SERIES By Ale x Hodgkins on EITELBRUCK,LUXEMBOURG, AUG. 8 amaha's Andrea Bartolini scored a 4D-point maximum to enha nce his ' chances of clin ching this year's World 500cc MX titl e, bu t it was no t a win of wh ich he could be trul y proud. "When I was in second place to (joel) Sm ets in the fir st race, I cou ld not see th e tra ck be cause o f t h e du st, " h e expl a ined of the terrible racing co nd itions a t Ettelbruck. "I am happy wit h th e 40 points be cau se of th e cha m p ions hip, parti cul arly as th is is th elast race on m y type of track, but that was not motocross tod ay." The track had not been prepped well for the GP. Y '" a» '" gj g' « 20 'There is one line ou t there abou t 3 inches wide," said Trampas Parke r, who sco red zero po in ts on th e d ay, of th e track . "That's bad eno ug h, but we can' t see it. They didn't water for us at all. I flew right off the track d uring the first rac e. Th e people I just missed looked terri fied , too, whe n I go t close enough to see them ." The en tire field told the same kin d of story. "We were on quarter throttle up the hills," Shayne Kin g s aid . "Spec ta tors were peering over the fence and nearly ge tting hit. Kurt (Nicoll) said it was up to me wh ether or no t I start race two." Siggi Bauer, in the top six the week before in Narnur, said, "In the pack you saw nothing . I actually s topped to see Yamaha's Andrea Bartolini increased his cha nces of winning the 500cc crown with a sweep at the 500cc GP in Luxembourg. what it w as like o n a clear tra ck bu t even then you couldn't see the lines . I'm no t racin g for the cha mpionship and I don 't hav e to put up with that." While the 250cc class was in search of grip on the bar e rock, ha lf of the 500cc cI;lSS could a t least rely on four-stroke power to help them find traction . It was just a pi ty they cou ld n' t see the track. The two-strokes were not having fun. "My 380 is most definitely not the bike for this track," KTM's Parker said. "I don' t think better than eigh th was possible. The power comes on so harshly wi th the 380." A typical Joel S mets assa u lt in the final turn of lap one gave the Belgian the lead in race one, a nd he led Bartolini u ntil tw o laps from the end . "You w on't beli eve it!" excla imed Husaberg chief mech an ic Ludo van der Vek en . "Th is tim e it was th e spa r k plug." So "Bartman" took th e win as even Peter Johansson cou ld only advan ce at th e ex p e nse of Yv es De ma ria , w h o" d ropped seve ral places late on with the ankle in jury from Narnu r, whi ch would prevent him com pleting race two . T h e d epa rtur e of Sme ts a nd th e injury-induced s lides o f Demaria and Sand ro Puz a r - h is groin st ra in aggravated w hen he cau ght his foo t in a hole we re the only cha nges on the top 15-lap cha rt for the la s t ha lf a n hou r, a pa r t fro m the advan ces of Rob Herring and Shayn e King from 14th and 17th to 10th and 12th in the final laps, respec tively. The d ay' s racin g was brought to a close wit h a no ther Ba rt ol in i w in, as Smets self-destructed ou t of second wit h a crash. Joh ansson just happened to tangle with Yam aha-mounted Gar cia Vico ou t of th e ga te and s pen t 45 m inutes negotiating a series of YZ400 chica nes o n h is w a y from a first lap 15th to fourth. Bartolin i now lead s the Swed e by 52 'p o in ts a n d is m o v in g re le n tl ess ly ell toward the tille. Circuit um Kuelebierg Ette lbruc k. Luxembourg Results: August 8,1 999 (Round 10 of 13) MOTO 1: 1. Andrea Ba r to lin i (Ya m ); 2. Bermd Ecke n bac h (H u s) : 3. Peter Joh an ss on (KT M) ; 4. Francisco Gar cia Vim (Yam): S. Yves Dema ria (Hus): 6. M a x Ba r to li ni (Ya m); 7. Ioc he n Jasi n s ki ( Ha n ); 8. Tram pas Par ker (KTM); 9. Miska Aaltonc n (Yam ); 10. Rob H err ing (Han); 11. C hr is Burnham (Hen): 12. Sha yn e King (KTM); 13. Fab rizio Dini (Hus): 14. Willie Van Wessel (H us): 15. Ma ts Andreassen (Hon). MOTO 2: 1. Andrea Bartoli ni (Yam); 2. Fra ncisco Ga rcia Vieo (Ya m); 3. Ioch en Jas insk i (Hen): 4. Peter Io hansson (K'fM ); 5. Bern d Eckcnb ach (Hu..); 6. Shayn e King (KTM); 7. Rob He rri ng (He n): 8. Willie Van Wt,S,;e1 ' < (H us) : 9. San d ra PUZ3r (Ya m ); 10. Erwin Mach tlin ger (Hen): 11. Chris Burnha m (Hen): 12. Mis ka Aa ltonen (Ya m); 13. Ma x Bartolini (Yam) ; 14. Ava Lee k (KTM); 15. Fabrizio Dini (H us).

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