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/128169
World Motocross Championship Series Round 10: German Grand Prix (Left! Smets knows his championship chase is pretty much over, due to earlyseason injuries, but it hasn't stopped him from winning five races so far. (Above) Mickael Maschlo won his third 125cc GP of the year and moved back into the lead in the series standings· 182·181 over Patrick Caps. fall - at least that's the way Smets saw it. "We came together just after the start," Smets said. "I was really thrown from the track and a long way back in the first lap. I was so motivated because of what happened and n BRIEFLY••• The opening rounds of the World Supercross Championship are coming together nicely. It seems the European leg of the series is 70-percent certain of happening. and with many of the top American riders included in the lineup. Despite the AMA teams not being all that interested, it seems the Japanese factories are, making it nearly impossible for the teams to back out. With two rounds set for December 7 and 14, many of the top American riders will be in the middle of their preparation for the 2003 season, which gets under way in early January. Names expected to race in the two Europeans legs of the 2003 World Supercross Championship are Ricky Carmichael. Jeremy McGrath, Grant Langston, Chad Reed. Sebastien Tortelli and more. Kawasaki seems unlikely to back the series, so James Stewart won't be among the entries. Eric Peronnard. the International Business Development manager for Clear Channel, was in Gaildorf and. while he didn't give too much away, he was very busy working with the European-based teams and expects some news in the next week. 'It is looking promising," Peronnard said. "We have two stadiums, although I can't say which ones. It's going to be a very good series if we can finalize some details with the teams." Joel Smets and Yves Demaria might race the next Grand Prix in Loket, Czech Republic, on September 1 on the new KTM 4S0cc machine. Demaria rode the bike in qualification for the German Grand Prix, but he opted to race the older version of the SOOcc KTM. It is also understood that Smets will race both the 2S0cc and Soocc World Championships in 2003. 250cc GRAND PRIX er, looking for a home-race podium, followed Pichon through the field, although the German could not find a way around French rider Johnny Aubert, with Aubert splitting the two in second place. Pichon turned it up a notch and pulled away from the field, while Beir· er passed a crashed-out Aubert on the last lap of the race to take second place. Bolley finished third, with Cop- It was Italian Alessio Chiodi who took the holeshot in the 250cc race. However, back behind the former World 125cc Motocross Champion, riders were bumping each other a little. Series leader Pichon was one of those to suffer from the bar banging. "I didn't want to go into the turn with too much speed and drift out," Pichon said. "I stayed in third gear rather than hitting fourth. It was a small camber so I turned back, but I clipped the rear wheel of Coppins. It was nothing to worry about, he then hit Beirer's wheel at turn two and lost ground. I thought that I might not get the holeshot, but I would at least be in the top three or four. I was worse than I thought I'd be into the corner, but I went wide at the next turn, so I moved to fourth behind Chiodi, Aubert and Beirer." As Chiodi began to feel the pressure, Pichon moved into the lead, a lead he would never surrender. Beir- 38 AUGUST 28, 2002' .,. U .,. • pins coming home in fourth, followed by Jussi Vehvilainen, Chiodi, Carl Nunn, James Dobb, Kenneth Gundersen and Marko Kovalainen. 500cc ~RAND PRIX Joel Smets dominated, despite Everts holding the lead for the first 12 laps of the 21-lap event. The race proved, however, that Smets is without doubt at least on the same level as his fellow countryman. Everts gated brilliantly, although a start-straight coming together with Smets was eventually Everts' down- e n e _ s Gordon Crockard will return to the CAS Honda team for the 2003 season. Crockard had ridden for CAS in 1999, 2000 and 2001, but moved to KTM for this season. Having been the only rider who could match Mickael Pichon in 2001, the return to CAS looks like a good move for the Irish hero. Pit Beirer. meanwhile, is rumored to be replacing Crockard in the KTM lineup. Mickael Maschio has been asked by one of the top American Yamaha teams to move to America in 2003. Several of the top GP riders have in fact been offered good deals to make the move to AMA racing, although only two or three will go. Josh Coppins has been linked with Suzuki, although after being found not guilty for his drug offense, the New Zealander might now stay in Europe. Some of the Motocross des Nations teams are now finalized. France. the defending champions. will include Mickael Pichon, Sebastien Tortelli and Yves Demaria: Italy will line up with three former World Champions in Alessio Chiodi. Andrea Bartolini and Alex Puzar: Australia will have Andrew McFarlane, Chad Reed and Michael Byrne: England will run with Paul Cooper, James Dobb and James Noble: Japan will have Yoshi Atsuta, Akita Narita, and Kazuo Odagini: New Zealand and South Africa are yet to name their teams: and Belgium looks likely to have Stefan Everts. Joel Smets and Mamicq Bervoets .. or Patrick Caps. While Everts is not yet picked in the team, he is sure of one thing about his chances against Ricky Carmichael. "I would have liked to race the 2S0cc machine, although with little preparation I will take the SOCcc Yamaha. I am used to it now and I think I can be competitive. I know Carmichael is in good form: however, nothing is for sure in the des Nations. " While Everts was not about to give anything away about his chances of beating Carmichael. Mickael Pichon was aiso not about to get cocky. "If I get beaten by a lillie, that will also be a good result." Pichon said. "Carmichael has not a lot of competition this year. and I think I can race with him. I won't say I can beat him. and I know the pressure is not on me." The track for the des Nations is half sand/half clay. rather flat and it now seems the circuit will not include any Supercross sections - no whoops or big double jumps. A new Supercross series had been organized in Europe for riders aged 15-18. The series will be run in Barcelona, Spain: Lyon, France; Paris, France; Grenoble, Spain: Geneva, Switzerland; and Amneville. France. The series will run from October 27 until December 14.