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/128112
FIM Wo r-ld Championsh ip MX S e r-ies Chad Reed continues to ri de well, th is ti m e fi nishing third In the 250cc c la ss. BRIEFLY••• Former Worl d Motocross Champion Hakan Andersson presented the winner' s trophy to Stefan Everts in Sweden. He then posed for photos wit h Everts and Harry Evert s. Stefan Evert s has moved into his luxury home in Monaco . The Belgian rider now lives with the rich and famous of world motorcycle racing. The move, though, is not a full-time change for the Belgian. " It's great for training," Everts said. " I have a good gym, but fo r riding, I have to travel four hours to Italy, I only stay in Monaco for a couple of days at a time, It' s nice to relax there ." cla imed fifth place. Fo r Crockard, it was anothe r step in his quest for the 200 2 Wo rld Motoc ross Champ ionsh ip. "I was not going to come into th is season and win the c ha m pions hip," Crockard sa id. "I knew, though , that I could win races , and I was not happy with an ything , but at lea st a podium th is yea r. I've be en struggling without o ur British Champ ion ship races a nd no w with tha t ser ies beg inn ing I a m ge tt ing mo re tim e on the bike : For Pich on , th e month off from GP ra cing cost him . With no raci ng for the past th ree weeks , Pichon strugg led mid race , someth ing he sa id he will wo rk o n. "I th ink the m onth off really wa s not good for m e : Pich on sa id. "I go t tired . whic h was something I had not had trouble with this year. Just like in rou nd four in Belg ium he [Crocka rd] was just too good tod a y." Reed , who is ha ving talk s with severa l team s in Eu rope a nd Ame rica about the 20 02 seaso n , wa s finally enj oying h is time in the Grand Prix paddoc k. "Whe n I firs t ca m e to Europ e , I wa s so nervou s : Reed said. "Toda y, I cou ld have won this race. Next time I won 't be happy with s econd plac e a nd I'll got after the leader. I made a big m istake, the pace was easy, and I s hould have p ushed a little harder. I'll know next time we go out: 500cc J us t as he had done in the Be lgian Grand Prix a month earlier, Sweden's Peter Johansson grabbed the ho les hot in the 500cc moto. The co ol Swede look ed in brilliant form early as he led Australian Chad Reed was hounded by poss ible team managers for the 2002 season, Also looking for Reed was SF)(' s International Business Development Vice President Eric Peronnard. Peronnard wants to invite the Aussie to the U ,S, Open in Las Vegas : however , there could be problems with organizing a bike fo r Reed, "We want him in Las Vegas for sure," Peronnard said, " I have contacted Kawasaki in America about giving him a bike and so far they have not gotten back to me," Reed 's manager mentioned that the 19-year-old has been deluged with offers from America and Europe, What Reed wants is obvious - America - yet a clause in his contact could see him spend another year in Europe before racing in America. "I want to race in America. that' s what I have always wanted ," Reed said, " I have to wait and see, I will be giving it 100 percent no matter were I race next year. It' s all happening so quickly, but I am now getting comfortable wit h where I am at the moment. " The next round of the series in Eme e . France. looks likely to cause some surprises for the top riders , Several track changes have been done to the French circuit. and if Joel Smets had his way, he wo uld keep things the way they were, "W hy are they changing these tracks? " Smets said, "Again in Swede n they had whoops, I don't get it, this is motocross, not Supercross." Stefan Evert s is all for the changes , as is Chad Reed , Bot h are more than comfortable in the whoops sec tions and, in fact . that' s where both made ground on their rivals. "I love the whoo ps." Reed said. " Every time I got to them, I could see Croc kard struggling and it gave me some extra confidence, I wish they had them at every track ." Evert s agrees with Reed. " If it makes the track more tec hnical, then great. " Evert s said. " In Ernee, they have done some things which will help for sure. I look forward to the French GP," KTM's Kurt Nicoll caught up with the AMA National Motocross Championships on the Internet on Sunday evening, Aft er the Jamie Dobb injury and Joel Smet s' defeat , the win by Grant Langston in the seco nd mot a of the Red Bud event gave the British team manager something to smile about. "Afte r this week end, I finally can be a litt le happy," Nicoll said, " Grant is amazing, now if we can get Jamie back like that , KTM might be okay afte r all this year. " In one of the most bizarre seasons for KTM . both Langston and Dobb have been injured while leading their respec tive championships, and Smet s is carrying an injury in the defense of his W orld 500cc Championship, To add to the problems for KTM , Kennet h Gunder sen and Peter Johansson are also coming back from injury. Italian Thomas Traversini of the KTM fac tory 125cc effort failed to qualify in Sweden , Heavy rain ove r night in Sweden failed to damage the Swedish trac k too much, One thing, tho ugh, that did cause prob lems due to the rain was seve ral riders making the wro ng tire choice for the race, Many expected the track to be soft . yet when they went out. the track was, in fact . rather hard, Smets, Federici and Pi! Beirer we re three who had big problem s with the incorrect rubbe r. 28 JULY 1 1. 200 1 c ue I e neVIl's Josh Coppin s rounde d out th e top fi ve In the 250cc class. Everts and Cedric Melotte th rough the first laps . With a crowd of a ro u nd 20 ,000 scream ing loca ls urg ing him o n, it was ob vious Everts was go ing to have to fight for the lead , and that is ex a c t ly what he d id. Lap af te r la p, Johansson a nd Everts crossed paths, first Everts ducking up the inside of the Swede on a tight left-hand corner, then Johansson stuffing it ba ck under Everts o n a s weepi ng right-hander. For Everts , it was a ll becoming a little too mu c h. "He ma de it tou g h : Evert s sa id . "Eve ry time I would get him he would fight bac k. The n, on lap fou r, I got by a nd he co uld not re pa ss me." Smets was a lso in a fig ht of his o wn . Back in seve nt h pl ace on the firs t la p , the Be lgian had pa ssed a ll but Everts by lap six. an d this is when the ra ce re a lly be g an . With Everts pu shing a little too ha rd a nd making m istakes , Sm ets was a ble to pu ll up to th e ba c k wheel of his fe llow coun tryrnan . It looked for s ure that Smets h ad fina lly p icked u p his pa ce e no ug h to t ak e the lead . He firs t pa ssed Eve rts in a technic a l part of th e circuit; however , Eve rts was a ble to repass him s trai ght away. Smets , th ough , was im pa tie nt, go ing for the lead a gain soon after. He the n m ade a mistake an d slid out while trying to charge under Everts . "I thi nk I surprised him whe n I re passed him so qu ickl y: Everts sa id. "I knew I had to fight with him or he would just ride away' from me. Whe n he slid over, I cou ld back off and just e njo y the las t laps." Smets , tho ugh , was co m plain ing o f tir e problems , and a la c k of respect for his riva l.