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/128319
By STEFAN "HE CHAMP'S CORNER EVERTS Getting Under Way had injured my thumb in Zolde r, torn some ligaments, and it was very painful the who le week. I didn't get a chance to ride the week between the two rounds and felt uncom fort able with that. I've just about had it w ith these little injuries that are keeping me from riding at my best. I know the rib injury is going to take a few months before it's 100 percent , and the t humb w ill also take a mo nth or so. he past month has not been a good one for me, at least not by last year's standards. The start of the Be lgian championship back in March didn't start too we ll. I crashed in practice, giving myself a bruised rib and some stiff muscles . The ninth rib on my right side received most of the battering. It was almost imposs ible to do anything the week prior to the opening Grand Prix due to the pain. I received laser treatment every day to help with the swe lling. This could no t have come at a worse moment, with the Wor ld Championship just aro und the corner. Let's just say that I didn't nee d to miss the first round, but I seriously thought about not riding. A couple of weeks before the World Motocross Championship began, we had the opening round of the Belgian motocross season in Lomme l. I could alrea dy feel the difference in my riding, and I was happy. W he n I arrived at Lommel in the morning, I thought that the race would be cance led. It had frozen on Saturday night, and the track was really treacherous. On ly after the first rays of sun hit it could we ride on the circuit. My teammate T Cedric Melotte made a great day of it. Afte r Valence it was his second overall win. I think that I'm going to have to watch this guy this year. Later, follow ed Hawkstone Park in England. The magnificent circuit always attracts a mass of spectators. I also have a great following of fans in England, and it always pleases me to go there. This year I was able to give away a small bike to a young fan who had won it in an Acerbis competition. The little girl who received the prize was rea lly excited, and that gives me a lot of pleasure; that is one of the nice things about dealing with the fans, when you see their emotions. At the first GP of the year in Zolder, Belgium, I rode for consiste ncy after my injury from the opening Belgian round was bot hering me . After one Grand Prix I was in fourth place in the championship, not what I am used to , but it was good enough . Had somebody to ld me a week earlier that I would be run ning fourth , I would have been very happy. I we nt into Zolder with no confidence and the idea to just go for as many points as I could get. I didn't have too much pain, I just lacked enough confide nce to race up fro nt, plus my starts were terrible. I was happy to see some of t he younger riders on the pod ium in Zolder, Ramon and Me lott e showed they are ready for the next step, and it's going to make th is year's cham pionship very interesting . Also Kevin Strijbos showed good speed, and for the first time in many years it was not Joel Smets or myself who he lped our count ry to GP success. I th ink it must be something like five or six years since neither of us sat on a podium at a Gra nd Prix. So many riders were quick in Zo lder, guys like Pichon or Jo rgensen will also be amongst the title contenders, so it' s going to be a tough season, maybe the toughest yet in terms of com petition. I was surprised when Melotte was asked to ride for the Rinaldi Yamaha team, but his place has been earned , and he is showing really good speed . He will be tough this year. It's not luck that won him the opening round ; we have to watch him this year. The second ro und of the Wo rld Championships we nt to Bellpuig, Spain, and I got my first win of the year, going I-I . I went to Spain feeling a little down. I www.cyclenews.com It's been a funny start to the GP season, so much bad weather and different riders up front . I have to say my motivation to beat the you nger riders is very good; it gives me anothe r goal. So many people said after Zolder that the new breed of riders are here, but this old guy was able to fight back in Spain, and that was nice for my confidence. I go to Portugal knowing I have won there tw ice before , back in the middle of the '90s. It's a track that is very similar to my home track in Belgium, the same track where they will run the Belgian Grand Prix in June. I guess I have an upper hand with these two tracks . Joe l [Smets] is having great trouble, but I think he will fight back. He 's always dangerous, and I will be keeping my eye on him and Pichon. Once the mud races are out of the way, we will see these two racing up front again. It' s diffi cult with so many riders o n the pace . We've had so many different winners in eac h class, I th ink something like six different winners fro m the opening eight races, plus the o lder guys are allcoming back from injury. I received an invitation from Gunther Bouwer to watch an ice-speedway Grand Prix at Assen in the Netherlands. I don 't have much time to spare, but I will certainly make time to watch ice-speedway o nce a year. It's a very spectacular sport, and I tha nk him greatly. Speaking of slippery ice, my new spon sor Mitsubishi had given me a car, and less than 24 hours later I had to call them to say that the bodywork was a litt le bit de formed . I misjudged my braking distance and hit another vehicle with my side. I was embarrassed but was able to get th ro ugh the neces sary formalities and eN get back on my way. C Y CLE N EWS • APRil 14, 2004 113