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/128107
(Above) James Dobb continues to rule the 125cc class. Like Pichon, the Brit posted his fifth win of the year. (Below right) Nineteen-year-old Chad Reed, from Australia, put his Kawasaki on the podium for the fi rst time in the 250cc c lass. "I knew Fr ed w o u ld be tough to day ," Pich on sa id. "His spe ed ha s risen at ev ery GP a n d h e is a tw o t im e Wo rld Mo t o cr o s s C h a m p io n. Today , I was abl e to find some nic e lines th rou gh ou t the race , for sure I am exp ecting Fred to fight for the last h alf of the season." Finis hing in third pla ce in the 250cc race was 19-year-old Australian Chad Reed . Racing for the Jan de Groot Kawasaki team , Reed sh ow ed all th e talent of a young Jeff Leisk , moving into third plac e with two laps rem ain ing . Fo r th e yo ung Aussie , it wa s a sweet po dium debut and the first Aus tralian o n a GP pod ium in Europe sin ce Le isk ba ck in 1990 . "I forg ot about th e record books ," Reed said. "Th is is something I ha ve dreamed sin ce I wa s a little bo y. I sat on the start g ate [after qualify ing in th ird plac e ] and looked to each side. I wa s n erv o us sta rti ng with a ll those gu ys . One of m y he ros wa s Jeff Le is k, so to be able to a chieve this for Australi a and m ys e lf is just awesome." KTM-m oun t ed J am ie Dobb t oo k his fifth Grand Prix overall of the season with his victory in Spa. Finishing in second pla ce wa s another KTM rider , Eri k Eggen s , with Kaw a s aki rider Steve Ramon in th ird place . Dobb was quick to point out his ra ce stra te gy. " I' m ta k in g th ose firs t few la p s rea lly serio usly," Do bb said. "That's whe n I'm sh owing tho se g uys wh a t I have , then just settling into a good rhythm . I know the others can 't race with m e when I'm as co nfiden t as I a m now ." 125cc GP KTM ride rs ca m e ou t firing in th e opening m inutes of th e 12 5cc Grand Prix. While J a me s Dobb was th e prerace fa vorit e , it was Ken ne th Gunderse n a n d Er ik E g g e n s that le d t h e ora nge c ha rge . Gundersen , who ha s bee n o u t injur ed for some we e k s , re turned in Spa and quickly took the lead pos ition. "I felt good," Gundersen said . "I knew because I ha ve not been racing that m y condit ion wo uld not be per fect , and I hav e often been slow out of th e start, so I wa s a little s ur p rised to be in front ea rly." For th e first four laps of the ra c e , the No rweg ia n held h is own a g a inst Egg ens a nd Dobb ; ho wev er, on c e Dobb forged his wa y past Eggens, it was on ly a matter of time before he passed the tiring Gundersen . "Ken neth was really qu ic k early ," Dobb said. "I was having trouble with Ram on and we ne a rly h it in th e open ing lap , in fact , I thou ght I was going to take Egg ens do wn . Fort una te ly, I stayed up right a nd foun d a wa y past Eggen s , and th en Kenneth wa s mi ne for th e taking . Once in the lead, I fe lt good. Marc Peter s has done a g re at job with th is track and it was a lot of fun. The jumps are shaped nicely s o yo u can en jo y ra cin g. " As for Egge ns , the Dutchma n has now finis hed secon d to Dobb o n th e last two occasions , yet is taking things as they come. "O n this track, 1 am ha p py wi th second ," Eggens sa id. "I trie d to keep James [Do b b ] at b a y ea rly in t he ra ce , and didn 't fe e l comforta ble with the speed, and ha d to s lo w a little. Do b b t he n got past m e a nd started rid in g fas te r th an I cou ld . I d id not wa nt to c ra s h , s o I ba ck ed off a nd rode my own pa c e for second p lace." T h ird - pla c ed S t ev e Ram o n was mo re t ha n h app y with h is se co ndconsecutive podium p lace , yet whe n asked abou t h is chance s against the KTMs, the Kaw asa ki ride r stop ped in his tracks . "I'm not sure ," Ra m on said . "We are wo rki ng hard to make t he bike q uicke r, and I a m ve ry grateful to Jan De Groot for giving m e th e c hance in the team. I do n 't know if the KTMs are quicker th an m y bike. " Ales sio C h iod i claimed fourt h p la c e a nd is now start ing to look at what h e c a n d o t o s t o p the KT M ass ault. "I had a te rrible start a g ai n, " Chio di sai d. "I was a long w ay beh in d G un ders en. I was able to get p a s t m a n y ride rs in th e fir st la p wh en everyone was rid ing like ma niacs. I th e n had trouble with my arms pumping u p a nd had to settle fo r fourt h pl a c e . I wa nt t o win ra c e s, but t he wa y Dobb a nd the other KTM riders are at the moment, it's ve ry diffic ult. " 250cc GP Th e 2 5 0cc ra c e lo o k ed lik e a rep ea t o f the 2000 -season t ussle betwee n Fred e ric Bolle y and Micka eJ cycle Pichon , with the two Fren c h riders bolting o ut of the start gate a nd lea ving eve ryone for dead . F irs t it was Pic ho n who led with Bolley in tow , then on la p five Bolley closed in on the Cor o na Suzuki rider and made a c lean pa ss . "My speed was much better in the first 10 m inu t e s , " Bo lle y sai d. "I th ou gh t I could match his s peed a nd wh e n I pass ed I was ex pe c ti n g to mak e s ome t im e on h im. I got ba d cram ps in my a r m s , a n d a t this mo me nt I deci ded t o slow u p a n d the n he go t m e bac k. Whe n my co nd ition is bette r I can win a ga in." Picho n returned to the lead position on la p e ight a nd from th en on it wa s all Pich on , as he c locked his quickest times of th e ra ce and pushed to a 20seco nd lead over Bolley. "I wa s a little nervous when h e pas s e d m e ," Pic hon s a id . "He is a two-ti me Wo rld Cham pio n, and I ma de some mistakes when h e was behind m e . Th e first two la ps I ha d to work re a lly hard to keep with h im. I d id not wa nt to m a ke a ny m istakes a nd let him go at first, a nd th en I put some pressure on a nd wa s able to get ba c k into th e lead. I knew Fred would b e fas t an d I ha d to fig h t aga inst wa nti ng to pu s h ha rde r tha n I cou ld earlyon." W hi le Pic h on a nd Bo ll e y we re exch a ngi ng p a int , t he rac in g actio n for the third , fou rth a nd fifth pos itions was inte ns e . Ge rman Pit Be irer had mo ve d into third pla c e a nd was being pu rsued by th e Austral a si a n pair of Jos h C op p ins a n d Ch a d Re ed . For Be irer, it was a no- win s ituation. "I was ho ld in g m y pos it io n a nd th ose two beh ind m e we re riding real- n e _ so • JUNE 6 .2001 23