Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128011
.Gaildorf, Germany GAILOORF, GERMANY, AUG. 29 hat was expected to be a ca ke walk for th e three American 80cc Motoc ross ride rs who competed in the World Championship 80 cc MX race in Caildorf, Ge rmanv, ;e instead turned into a tru dge through U m ud for the Yanks and a w hooping by the yo ung Europeans. The th ree Ame rica ns - James Stewart Jr ., Gav in G racyk a nd Sha ne Bess fou nd th em sel ves ou t of their eleme nt when th e rain s came and left the Gail d orf track a so u py mess of brown mud . Stewa rt, wh o man y thought wo u ld wi n th e event - in dry co nd itio ns - spen t more tim e sa m pling the German mud than racing, a nd Gracy k and Bess didn't fair mu ch bet ter. The win ner ended u p being 14-yearold Bel gi an ri d er Kev in Strijbos. Th e Su zuki-m ounted rid er looked right at home in th e wet co ndi tions, winn in g both motos goi ng away . After cras hing a number of tim es and finishing 13th in the first mota , Stewart saved face by coming back in the second moto and gi ving Strijbos a battl e ea rly in th e ra ce. Stewart ru bbed elbows with the Suz uki rider, giving the lar ge crowd s o me t h ing to c heer about while th e 250cc GP racers rested bet w een th e ir motos. In the end, thou gh , it was all Slrijbo s, with Gra cyk finish ing fifth overall with 6-7 resu lts, and Stewar t three pla ce s back after go ing 13-4 on the day. Bess finished out his day in 10th overa ll wit h an 8-9 tally. , The rai n sta rted falli ng Frid ay, last ing off and on th rou gh Saturd ay , and fin ally s to ppi ng by Sunday. Still, th e damage was d on e and the track was left in less-than -id eal cond itio ns for -Su n d ay' s racing. _ " I' ve ne ver seen a nything like it, " Stewa rt said. "I never raced in this type of cond itions befo re. I'll give it my best no m a tte r what. Man, the m ud's li ke glue." Gra cyk was also amazed by the conditions, bu t th e rider, who hails from Motocross (Abov e left) Kevin Strijbos was unaffe cted by th e mu ddy co nd it ions, wi nning both mot os at th e Worl d Champ ionship 80cc MX race in Gaildor! , Germ any. (Above) American James St ewart Jr . (55) was a favorite to win the race , but the mud got th e best of him. (Left) Of the t hree American riders who competed in Germany, Gavin Gracyk had the bes t overall fin ish . The Ohioan fin ished out the day fifth overall. (Right) Shane Bess and the mud did not get along. He st ill fin ished 10th overall. O hio, was su re of o ne th ing: "If this is all we .a re goi ng to see th is weekend, th en I'm co mi ng ba ck to Europe," he sa id . "I don't wa n t this bein g m y on ly ra ce in Eu ro pe. I wa nt to co me back her e. I' ll be out of the Juniors soo n, and th en I w ill try and get some races in over here. I w ill jus t look at this as an experience." GP regul ar Ryan Hu gh es sa t watching h is yo u ng co u n tryme n s tr uggle around the muddy track . "I really feel for these guys," Hughes said . "On a good track these Ame ricans are su per fas t. This place is a n enduro track; they are not end uro riders." In the first mot a, Slrijbos grabbed the ea rly lead , a n d Ste wa r t w a s qui ckl y down, remounting in near-last pla ce. He crashed again soo n after, and his clim b t hro ug h th e fi e ld wa s ju st abo ut to begi n. " I was ridi ng rea lly bad ," Stewart said . "I wa s slipp ing all over the place and cou ld not get going. Ride rs were all over the place because of the mud , and I did not feel good at all." He would eve ntu ally climb into the top 20, then the top 10, but an y chan ce he had of catching Strijbos was alrea dy long go ne. In the en d, Strijbos wo n by 25 seconds, ahea d of you ng Fren ch rid er Benjamin Coi sy, a nd a no the r 19 secon ds ahead of th ird-pl a ced Josef Ku lh avy fro m the Czech Repub lic. Gracyk was so me 4I seconds back in s ixth place an d was the top Ame rican finisher . Bess was eig hth and Stewart 13th. Stewart was not im p ressed with his disappo inting ride. "I messed up a lot," Stewa rt sai d . "I cras hed jus t befor e a ju mp, then again on a comer. Some guy ra n over me and I got stuc k in his wh eel. It was not a good race, but I'm no t too su rp rised, it was tou gh in this type of mud - so sticky." Th e seco n d moto w a s a different story, as Stewart blasted ou t of the sta rt and in to the lead, followed by Str ijbos and -Esto nia n rider Algar Leak. Gracyk held 10th and Bess 14th. For the first three laps, Stewart was br illiant, showing a sty le for which e very on e had b een waitin g . Strijbos, how ever, was not impressed . "He was taking too many cha nces," Strijbos said . "I backed o ff a nd let him go . We nearl y cras hed into each other a few tim es ." S tewa r t lead unt il he fi na lly did cras h. He we nt down on lap four, handing the lead to Strijbos, who never ga ve it back. He scored the wi n ahead of Kulhavy and Leak . Stewa rt go t up and finis he d fo u r th. G racy k adva nced to as high as sevent h, and Bess took 10th. CIII Gaildor! Circuit Gaildor!, Germany Resu~s:August29,1999 MOTO t : Kevin Strijbos (s uz) ; 2. Benjamin Co isy (Ya m); 3. Josef Kulha vy (Ho n); " . Alexander Pa-chin..kij (H un); 5. Tyta R.,UTdY (I-ton ); 6. Cavin Gracyk (K aw); 7. Ch ris tia n Go ld (Kaw) : 8. Sh.l m.. Bcs.. (5u z ); Q , Thomas Bergham mc r (Hun ); 10. D imitri Parschi n ( Ka w) : 11. Tho ma s Lhots kv (Hen): 12. Ale xander Heu (Y.1 m ); 13. Jarne... Stew art J~. (Kaw): 14. [cr cm y Tarroux O< . .'w); 15. Adrian Charey rc (Hun ). MOT O 2: l. Kevin Strijbos (5u7.); 2. Iosc f Kulha vy (H on) ; 3. Aig ar Leek (Y,lm); 4. J.lIllt.'S Stewa rt Jr. ( K.1W); 5. Tyl. R<1tfr.1 (Hun ]: 6. Chri stia n Go ld ( K,l W); 7. Gav in Y C racyk (Kaw); K Edi k Ku usk (Kaw }, 9. [ en-m y TilITllUX (K.,,,,ยท); 10. Shane Bess (Su z ): 11. Ale xander Pascbinskii (H o n ): 12 . Dimitr i Parschin ( K .1 W); 13. Gare th Swa nc poe l (I<.,W) ; 14. ThOm.. S Berghemmer (Hun); 15. 1 Marcus No rlcen (V.1m) . O/A: 1. Kevin Strijbos (Suz); 2. jose f Kulha vy (Hu n); 3. Tyla Rattray (Hen): 4. Christian (".old (1<.1 .....); S. Cavin Cra cyk (K aw) : '6. Alexand er Pasc hinskij (Hun ); 7. Benjamin Coisy (Y.lm); 8. J.lllll'S Ste wa rt Jr. (KA w) ; 9. Aig.u Leok (Yam); 10. Shant." Be s (Suz ). s 45