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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128097
(featuring a special kit from Rinaldi) as teammate of celebrities like Bervoets and Everts. Andrew proved to be an excellent starter, and also had very good speed in the sand. He had bad luck in the other two heats, going down before the first corner of the second (he crashed again before retiring) and falling twice in the last moto (both times hitting Bartolini) before pulling out with a broken brake disc. MacFarlane's cohorts - Bervoets and Everts - also faced some troubles through the day. Bervoets crashed at the beginning of moto one, recovered to finish a strong second in moto two, and then and fell again (harder) in the last outing. As for Everts, the four-time World Champion didn't really impress in the first two heats, but showed good speed and motivation in the last one (he got a third). "Joel is World Champion, and he is the first candidate to the title," Everts declared. "I'm two years out now, and I need a few races to get back at the top." The rumors started during the off-season reporting that the World Champion PAMO Honda Team was having troubles. The first outward sign was the unexpected departure from the team (and subsequent return to the States) of American Ryan Hughes, and World Champion Fred Bolley's no-show at the eariy winter races sparked more gossip. Nobody really wanted to conftrm the problems, as team manager Paul Kasper tried every option to continue managing the factory Honda machines, an.d to collaborate one more year with Solley. He was unsuccessful. "Everybody knows the situation," Bolley confessed, "And actually, I can't talk too extensively about that because that's our problem, and it's really private. So what can 1 say? Just that Paul [Kasper] lost a big sponsor, and it was difficult to get the necessary budgeL Paul waS really motivated to continue to work together, but the money wasn't enough for the project, so Honda decided to 'find another team that could provide the budget needed to start the operation." Once Kasper was out of the picture, Honda Europe was left to search for another solution, one which it found in Paolo .Martin (former 250cc World Champion manager in '92 with Trampas Parker). Martin was given a three-year contract to manage the official 125 and 250cc two-stroke and 450cc four-stroke (perhaps mounted by an American rider late in the OP season) bikes, as well as a one-year contract (with option, of course) with Bolley. "I had a lot of journalists calling me all the time and insisting to know what's so terrible ,going on," Bolley said. "To me, basically it's the same, as I'm still on Honda and I've been practicing and testing the same bike. Like I said before, I'm riding for Honda Japan, and for me, the most important thing is to ride the factory bike. Of course, I'm a little bit disappointed because I was really close with Paul, but you know, life is not easy. I'm a little bit angry of all the people asking and bothering me about that because it looks like that was just the big problem, but it wasn't a big problem actually. Sometimes in your life, you just can't have things turning out the way you would most like. So even though I'm World Champion, I don't think everybody has to know about my problems and only the negative things, if any." The team is supported by Italian plastic and apparel manufacturer UFO (though Bolley will wear Oxbow gear, thanks to a prior contract), and originally Included only Sheak as a 125cc rider. The potential UFO/Oxbow conflict doesn't appear to be a problem, as the emergency convinced both sides to find a compromise to make the project work. "To me, the most important thing is if I'm happy and if I ride good," Bolley said. "That's it, and I can tell you that I'm happy with the situation. Like today here [MantovaJ. I mean, today it was just the first race in a long time; it was a little difficult because I was a little nervous. I have not raced since the Motocross des Nations last September - not even any Supercross in the off-season. So I feel more relaxed now because the ice is broken, and in the last moto I was really relaxed even though I had a big crash. But that happened because my suspension was a little too soft, and it's a sandy race with a lot of Supercross sections, so we didn't have the best setup. It was bumpy, and I made a mistake. I think I'm ready for the OP season; it's going to be one race of about 40 minutes, and it's going to be a hard 40 minutes, believe me. But I'm ready for the long season." Defending 500cc World Champion Joel Sniets crashed and won a molo. There seems to be much potential for Swede Lindhe, Bartolini's teammate; he was contending for the win until the end, and with a little more experience should be quite strong in the future. The 2001 debut (om a UFO Martin Honda)of 250cc World Champion Fred Bolley wasn't really exciting, but even though he went down several times, he proved to be very fast (in Saturday's timing, he was second only to Smets). Bolley was very nervous, as it was his first race in almost six months. "The track was hard because of the deep lines, and I'm very happy about the second moto," Bartolini said. "Joel and I had very good speed together; he made a mistake, and I was able to win. In the last one, I Then I repeated it with MacFarlane, and I was tired, so I tried to finish in the top 10 and win the overall." CN Star Crass Mantova, Itslyl Results: Morch 11, 2001 MOTO 1: 1. Andrew McFllriene: 2. Andrea Bartolini; 3. Johnny Undhe; 4. Pit Beirer; 5. Frederic Bolley; 6. Joaquim Rodriguez; 7. Joel Smets; 8. Marniq Bervoets; 9. Fabrizio Dini; 10. Danny Theybers. MOTO 2: 1. Andree Bartolini; 2. M~Hniq Bervoets; 3. Frederic Bolley; 4. Joel Smets; 5. Joaquim Rodriguez; 6. Johnny Lindhe; 7. Fabrizio Dini; 8. Shayne King; 9. Danny Theybers; 10. Trampas Park.er. MOTO 3: I. Joel Smets; 2. Johnny Lindhe; 3. Stefan Everts; 4. Joaquim Rodriguez; 5. Danny Theybers; 6. Lauris Freibergs; 7. Shayne King; 8. Andrea Bartolini; 9. Christian Stevanini; 10. Fabrizio Dini. • O/A (OPEN): 1. Andrea Bartolini (52); 2. Joel Smets (45); 3. Johnny Lindhe (45): 4. Joaquim Rodriguez (31); 5. Mamiq Bervoets (27); 6. Frederic Bolley (26). O/A (125): 1. Erik Camerlengo (43); 2. Christian Stevanini (42): 3. Alessandro Cinelli (39); 4. Scott Sheak (37); 5. Ben Townley (34); 6. Stephen Sword (30). wanted to pass him immediately and I went down in the second corner. BRIEFLY••• FollOWing his win. Andrea Bartolini said he was very happy with his new Husqvarna. "II's the evolution of the one used by [Yves] Demaria in '99. as Everts' 2000 model was completely wrong. The engine is 570cc. and iI's so smooth. The frame and the weight are still parts where we need some progress. In one month, I'll try a new 450cc engine.The 125 class was dominated by the Italians. with Erik Camerlengo besting Christian Stevanini and Alessandro Cinelli. Fourth went to American Scott Sheak, who will take part in the 125cc World Championship under the same UFO Honda Martin tent as Bolley, on a works bike. Many riders expressed displeasure with the track. Joel Smets among them; "The track was not good." the Belgian said. "I'm sorry to say that because I know how important this race is for the promoter, but there is only one line... cue I e n e _ s MARCH 28, 2001 31