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FIM World Championship Motocross Series Round 2: Circuit de Cats nya STORY AND PHOTOS BY GEOFF MEYER BEll.PUIG, SPAIN, APRIL 13-14 oel Smets simply dominated the 500cc Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya. It was his sixth 500cc Grand Prix win in a row (he won the last four rounds of the 2001 season) and, in winning, he showed defending champion Stefan Everts that his grip on the Open-class title is in great danger. Not only has Smets shown complete domination, he is also taking the safety-first approach to his season - something he lacked last season. "Last year, I was not mentally ready," Smets said. "I was making mistakes because 1 did not have a good feeling, due to my injuries or whatever. This year, I feel good, I am 100-percent better prepared and 1 don't have to take risks." Smets took the holeshot in the race and never had to worry about his fellow Belgian challenging. After 22 laps of high-speed racing, Smets pulled out the victory, and despite cruising for the last lap after nearly crashing with two laps remaining, he still finished 10 seconds ahead of Everts and another two seconds ahead of thirdplaced Andrea Bartolini. "I was coming down the last downhill jump and landed hard on the front wheel," Smets said. "I hit neutral and the bike nearly spit me off. From that moment on, I rode much slower." While Smets had shown his rivals that their season could be a long one, French rider Mickael Pichon did the same in the 250cc class. Pichon led out of the start and pushed hard in the opening laps, eventually winning over two former World Moto-cross Champions, Alessio Chiodi and Frederic Bolley. After one lap, the (Above) The 500Cc class heads for the first tum at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. Suzuki factory pilot had already made a small break on the second-placed rider James Dobb. So smooth was Pichon in the early going that his lap times were miles quicker than Dobb and third-placed Bolley. In fact, Pichon's opening lap time was 1:52.471, compared to Dobb's 1:55.258 and Bolley's 1:56.31 O. It was in those first two laps that Pichon won the race, putting so much pressure on Bolley that the French rider crashed while trying to get into second place. "I felt I had to get to Pichon," Bolley said. "Dobb was slowing me up and 1 could see Pichon getting away from me." Once again, Joel Smets dominated the 500cc class, leading from start to finish and taking the checkered flag 10 seconds ahead of Stefan Everts. 18 APRIL 24, 2002' c u e I • n _ VII' S Pichon then picked it up another notch, clocking a 1:47.552 on the second lap - the others were already some 10 seconds behind by lap three, and Pichon was smiling inside his helmet as their challenge faded. In the 125cc race, there was finally a surprise, as French Kawasaki rider Mickael Maschio won ahead of Switzerland's Phillipe Dupasquier and Erik Eggens. This was, without a doubt, the best race of the weekend, as Maschio and Dupasquier went to war. The two unlikely leaders swapped the lead three times, with Maschio finally taking the front spot on lap eight and, from there, never looking back. "I knew I had the pace of Dupasquier," Maschio said. "I was having some trouble with my lines in a part of the track, though, and making mistakes. I let him pass me and watched were he was making his time and