Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

World 500cc. Champion Joel Smets, who has finished 2-2-3-2-2 in the opening five rounds and - despite not taking a victory in the MotocrossGP class this year - could be a factor as the series enters the halfway stage in two weeks. Smets has also clawed his way into championship contention and is now just three points off the series lead. For Everts, though, it's clear sailing, and a newfound confidence has moved him into position for a seventh title. "It's too early to say what I can do," Everts said. "Again, today I felt good under pressure. I didn't have anything to worry about, just passing Brian Jorgensen early in the race and then making my own pace. Smets was always going to be a problem, although he never really put enough pressure on to make me sweat. I am not back to my best form, and I am confident that I can win another World title." Earlier in the day, Everts had finished a consistent fourth in the 125cc moto, although his aim was never to win the small liter class. "I didn't want to risk anything," Everts said. "I made a small mistake in the 125cc race and slid off. I decided to take it easy and not do anything that would jeopardize my chances in the MotocrossGP race. Once again, though, the time I spent on the track this weekend [in the two motos] helped me learn the track. It was a big advantage and gave me so much confidence. " As for Smets, he had to deal with the early lap speed of Pichon, the Corona Suzuki rider pushing Smets for three or four laps before Pichon made another mistake. "I hit a piece of the track and slid off," Pichon said. "To be honest, I am not very happy with the circuit - it's too flat and too easy to make a mistake. I need to get myself better prepared to race on these type of tracks. It's really no fun, and Smets and Everts are making up too much ground on me." In the ] 25cc class it was defending champion Mickael Maschio who produced a timely victory. Having finished off the top level of the podium in the last four GPs, Maschio rode to an easy win, topping Andrea Bartolini and Marc De Reuver. "Every win is important this year," Maschio said. "It's been a tough period for me - my condition is not the best, and my injured wrist has continued to give me problems. Although today I was able to get a good start and make sure the others could not follow me. I like this track, and racing close to De Reuver and Bartolini was great racing." In the 650cc class, Smets captured his 52nd Grand Prix victory, leading home fellow Belgian Cedric Melotte and Spanish KTM rider Javier Vico Garcia. As has been the case in the first four GPs of the year, Smets won easily, finishing some 24 seconds ahead of Melotte and a further 23 for good lines, which will help me in the 250cc race." As for Ramon, he made up for a shocking start to move into sixth place on the last lap, leaving him in the championship points lead and showing his fighting qualities. "That was a tough race," Ramon sa id. "1 never expected to get into sixth place when I was back in the pack. It really made me work hard. I could see riders ahead and just pushed as hard as I could. Last year I lost the championship by four points - this year I want to push for everything I can get." Brian Jorgensen was right in the thick of things in the MotocrossGP. He ended up third. MOTOCROSSGP seconds ahead of third-placed finisher Garcia. 125cc GP Maschio took the early lead in the opening moto of the day, leading Dutchman Marc De Reuver, Spanish TM rider Joan Barreda, Andrea Bartolini and Erik Eggens. Everts sat in seventh place, while Steve Ramon was back in 26th place. Maschio was quickly relegated to second as De Reuver took the lead and began to show the other 125cc riders the quickest way around the fast, wide-open Sevlievo circuit. De Reuver led until lap eight when he succumbed to Maschio, who was now showing that his condition is improving. "I didn't feel comfortable in the early laps," Maschio said. "When De Reuver went past for the lead, I just settled down and thought about saving my condition. Then in the last part of the race J was able to push a little harder. [Andrea] Bartolini had some better lines than me in some places, but I was able to hold on." Italian veteran Bartolini suffered again from not being able to compete with the younger De Reuver in the early laps, and while he was strong in the later stage of the race, his firstlap charge was not enough to see Denmark's Brian Jorgensen continued his brilliant season by taking the early lead ahead of German rider Pit Beirer, Claudio Federici, Smets and Everts. New Zealand's Josh Coppins, who was making only his second GP of the season after coming back from a broken back, crashed on lap one and was back in 29th place. By the end of lap two Jorgensen continued to lead, although things were heating up behind; Everts had passed Smets, and Federici was getting some serious hurry up from the Belgian. Pichon, meanwhile, was looking for a way around Smets, having come up from ] Oth place on the first lap. Everts slipped past Jorgensen for the lead on lap four, while Pichon moved into Fifth place and began to put pressure on Smets for fourth. Everts looked to be in brilliant form, and he began to break away from Jorgensen, who was now coming under heavy fire from Italian Federici. The Smets/Pichon battle really began to heat up, although Pichon made a small mistake and slid from his machine, dropping back to sixth. "I come into a corner after an uphill, and the bike just slipped over," Pichon said. "I didn't have anything to grip - The surface of the track was so slippery and so smooth. I'm pretty angry that we are riding on tracks like this. Why don't we have some rough areas? It's like road racing." With Pichon out of the picture, Smets clawed his way to the back wheel of Jorgensen, and they began to race for third place - Smets taking the lead, then Jorgensen moving back in second place with one lap to go. Smets, however, was able to repass the Honda rider on the last lap to claim second, some seven seconds behind Everts. "Racing the 125cc class again worked out great for me," Everts said. "I didn't want to kill myself in that race, just get the blood flowing and find some lines, and it really made a difference for me when the 250cc race began. I felt so confident and also ready to race. It's, of course, important to win races because as in any sport it's all in the head, and my head is feeling pretty good at the moment." Jorgensen was elated with his result. him take victory. "I was again the strongest at the end of the GP," Bartolini said. "I lost the race during the early laps. I always struggle to find my best speed early on, but this week I had an additional handicap. Light rain began to fall after the second lap, and the rolloffs on my goggles stuck. I lost about five or six seconds there. When the rain stopped, I could use my hand to clear my goggles occasionally and charged hard in the final laps, but it was not quite enough for the race win. I am right up there in the points, though, and that is so important." After a nice race, De Reuver was happy to finish on the podium and enjoyed his battle with Bartolini. "It was fun racing with Bartolini," De Reuver said. "I am not thinking about the championship; I just want consistent results at each Grand Prix." Everts held out for fourth place, not taking any risks and not willing to get in the way of his fellow Yamaha rider Bartolini. "I wanted to have energy for the 250cc race," Everts said. "So I didn't push too hard. I also have no chance of winning the ] 25cc title, so taking points from Bartolini would not have been a good thing for Yamaha. I spent the last part of the race looking cue I e n e _ S • JUNE 18, 2003 15

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