FIM World Championship Motocross Series
Round 5: Sevliero Circuit
By
Having started the 2003 season with
less than impressive results, Everts is
now just 11 points behind series
leader Mickael Pichon in the championship and is very much looking likely to pull back even more points on
the defending World Champion.
"I've said it all the time," Everts
said. "I never start strong - it's always
been a fight for me to come into a
season and fire straight off the bat. I
feel now I am at my best, and it's
going to take something extra from
[Mickael] Pichon and [Joel] Smets if
they want to fight for the title - I feel
that good."
While Everts has gone 1- 1 in the
last eight days, Pichon has gone 4-4
and is showing signs of burnout. Mr.
Consistent in the series is four-time
GEOFF MEYER
PHOTOS BY TUOMO SEPPERNAN
SEVUEVO, BULGARIA, JUNE 8
tefan Everts has often said that
he rides like a freight train. He
rolls along at a slow speed and slowly
builds up momentum until he is finally running at a full pace. When the
2003 season began in Spain, the sixtime World Champion opened with a
third-place finish and followed it up
with a miserable ninth place, before
claiming fourth place in round three in
Germany. To just about everyone in
the GP paddock, the Belgian looked a
beaten man, and his inner strength
seemed to be at an all-time low.
But you can never count out a
great champion, and Everts continued
his return to the top of the World
Motocross Championship by winning
round four in Italy, then backing it up
in round five this weekend in Bulgaria.
S
(Below) Joel Smets put in
another strong, consistent
ride, finishing second in
the MotocrossGP. He
again won the 650cc
class with ease.
(Top) Stefan Everts is getting stronger
as the series progresses. Everts won
his second MotocrossGP (250cc) in a
row. (Below) Mickael Maschio
captured the win in the 125cc class.
14 JUNE 18, 2003' c u e I
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