Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

became more rough and technical the door remained open to Vico for from the extended riding of the two- the lead. It didn't last too long for day race schedule. Vico, though, because de Reuver Moto one again went to Smets, as came up quickly and passed the he got a huge holeshot and became Spaniard and didn't slow down until untouchable until the end. De Reuver the checkered flag came out. Smets, and Vico followed. who remounted in sixth from the The second race started with Smets in the front again and Vico crash, kept himself away from danger and managed a good second place. right behind. Only three laps later, Vi co finished third and continued the Belgian lost the front wheel at the his good day by grabbing the end of the long starting straight, and holeshot in moto three. Smets also De Reuver surprised a lot of people with his day-two perfonnance on his KTM 250. He finished second overall. A group of Open-class machines leaves the start line in a hurry and speeds off after 125cc-mounted Stefy Bau, who got a one-minute head start In the loose sand. had a good start and let his teammate lead him in second for a short while before making his pass, Meanwhile, De Reuver grabbed the lead from Vico and set an impressive pace looking for another win. It became more possible after a few laps with another sudden loss of power in Smets' motor. Smets did well to finish up third and take the overall win, while De Reuver - who won the second day finished behind Smets in the overall, and Vico got a really good second place in the final heat and the fourth out of six motos in the standings. Still in good shape, especially when it comes to racing in the sand, the other Belgian, Johan Boonen, got third overall, even though he retired from GPs at end of 2001 - now he rides a lot as a KTM and WP suspension tester. Bau, who took this experience very seriously despite riding on a practically standard 125cc among the terrible machines of the Open class, was allowed to start with a oneminute advantage and got general applause for her courage in facing the scary sandhills. Smets himself had a lot of appreciation for her job. The Qatar MX Cup will be the traditional opener for the next four years, and after the surprise of the '02 edition (for the unusual location and ground), the riders have now found that this type of racing makes the idea of running a GP over here in the future more possible and acceptable - perhaps in 2004 if the Qatari Sheiks will want it and if the still confusing motocross GP atmosphere (that apparently prefigures the premature exit of Dorna from the dirtbike universe) will permit it. eN BRIEFLY••• The future of two-wheeled racing in Qatar could involve the pavement as well. One of the projects that Qatar Motorcycle Federation consultant Georges Job'; is involved in is the realization of a road·racing facility to get Superbike and even MotoGP rounds. Supenmoto and Supercross have been named in the press conference held by the former motocross World Champion as well. The entire Qatar MX Cup group was accommodated in the comfortable Seahne Beach Resort. located just a minute from the circuit. Nissan gave cars to every team for the five days stay in Qatar. and Alpinestars associated its name to the race especially in support of the Kids MX School nun by Job';. "Of course we can have a GP in Qatar," Smets said after he was asked if the circuit would be adequate for the series. "The circuit this year was shorter, and I'm not used to racing on short tracks, but that's not a major issue: for the rest. 1think, there is all we need. This race was important for me to start some serious training after the winter stop and the Dakar rally that I participated in as a co·driver. In the weeks to come. we'lI use the 450cc more to make our final decision on which GP class we'll be Involved in. My Wish is to do the MXGP class, but if our bike is not ready, I have the only choice of doing the 650cc events. - cue I e n e _ S • MARCH 5. 2003 33

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