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/128159
FIM World Championship Motocross Series Round 6: Karntenring Circuit NUMBER ONES FINISH FIRST IN AUSTRIA STORY AND PHOTOS BY GEOFF MEYER KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA, JUNE 9 1) acing in his 150th Grand Prix, I\.. Stefan Everts picked up win number 53 as he pulled off one of his sweetest victories ever in the 500cc class, robbing KTM of a victory at its home GP. The five-time World Champion had trailed KTM factory pilot Yves Demaria for the first 18 laps of the 19-1ap GP, but in the final corner of the race, the brilliant Belgian swept past the Frenchman and took the win. Many consider Everts to be past his prime, but his performance at the tough Austrian circuit showed that title number six is well within his reach. Part of the reason is that his constant rival, Joel Smets, only 56 ..JUNE 19, 2002' ... U ... I e picked up four points at the Karntenring Circuit, the result of a crash out of fourth place. The four-time champ now sits more than 50 points in arrears of Everts in the title chase. "I won the championship here iast year," Everts said, "so, to make a big move on the championship here is very good for me. I came here with a lot of confidence; I knew I had to make some chances to win here, and I waited maybe a little too long. The track was not easy to pass on, and Yves had already blocked a passing move earlier in the last lap, so that last corner was all or nothing." If Everts' win brought him closer to a World title, then the victory by Mickael Pichon in the 250cc class did exactly the same. The defending n e wv Sf champ gated poorly in his race but was swift in his assault on the frontrunners. Moving up from around 10th place at turn one, the Frenchman pushed his way past 125cc World Champion James Dobb and two-time 250cc champ Frederic Bolley, then hunted down Paul Cooper, Frederic Vialle, Andrew McFarlane, Pit Beirer and finally race-leader Josh Coppins. So seemingly easy was Pichon's path to the front that, with the series at its halfway mark, it now seems impossible for anyone to match him. "I didn't feel that comfortable," Pichon said. "I made some mistakes in the late stages of the race - nearly crashed big-time. f misjudged a jump and nearly went over the handlebars. From that moment on, I slowed Yves Demaria (41) got off to a s1rong start and appeared to have a secondstraight 500cc win in-hand, but Stefan Everts (1) pulled off a last-ditch pass to take the win. Here, the two vie with the rest of the pack on the start. down, and the others made some ground on me. It's tough not racing often with this championship; we only race twice a month, and I spent some time with friends Jet Skiing and having fun. Maybe I need to ride the bike a little more." So confident is the Frenchman that his rivals are now looking for the runner-up position as their main aim. Englishman Dobb returned to the 125cc class, and it was like he never left. The KTM rider took his lIth GP