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
- Round 3 MOTOCROSS ' Apr. 3 , 2004 FIM World MXI/MX2 Motocross Championship Stephen Sword won the second MX2 mota, had [josh] Coppins, Pichon and Gundersen around me , but I was able to get my own pace, which was important on this track. It's very difficult to run a smooth lap time here. The hardest thing was the lappers . I didn't see any blue flags . Some of the lappers understand, but many of them just race with you. They really messed up my rhyth m, and when you have Pichon coming behind you, it's difficult to concentrate on lappers." Around the ro ugh and technical circuit of Aguenda , Pichon rode with precisio n, settling into a comfortable second place to Everts, and then he walked away with the second heat after blasting out of the start and into first place. In that second race, Pichon got away early, never giving Everts or Joel Smets a chance to run with him. He just controlled every aspect of the mota and won easily. "ln the first mota, I tried to push to Everts," Pichon said. "He kept the gap the same . I didn't feel good , then I made a mistake , and he had some lappers in front 38 of him. I want ed to save some energy for the second race and stayed in second behind Everts. " In the second race," Pichon said, "I had a good start and took the lead in the second tum . I had an 18-second lead over Everts and tried to stay safe. I wanted to APRil 14 , 2004 • CYCLE NEWS enjoy the victory and took my time near the end ." For Everts, the two motos revealed that his speed is perhaps not as good as last season , although he remains confide nt that it will come. He also admitted that he's ready for a break in the series . 40th Anniversa ry "In the second mo to, my start was not so good ," Everts said. "I co uldn't find my rhythm. I pushed to kee p with Pichon, but I could n't . I backed off and took a safe second. I feel okay wit h my thumb, althoug h on the hard landings, my thumb really hurts , but I am a mo toc ross rider, and I have to acce pt the pain. After about six or seven weekends in a row of racing, I need to take some time off. I'm tired and feel mentally wasted." The opening mota of the MX2 class saw Townley rocket out of the start and lead Italian Andrea Bartolini, Marc de Reuver, Sebastie n Po urcel and Alessio Chiod i around the opening lap. The race ended up being a cakewalk for the New Zea lande r, as de Reuver began to make mistakes, and Bartol ini we nt out with engine trou ble. "I had a good start and more or less just took it easy," Townley said. "I didn't have to push or anything. I knew de Reuver would make a mistake, and I just had to watc h where Sword was. As it turned out, they didn't both e r me at all." Turning a lot of hea ds with his third-place finish in the first mota was the Kawasaki rider, Scotland's Stephen Sword . "The teams is great, and I have abetter bike," Sword said. "I am so confident. I want to win a Grand Prix and a World Championship. I want to sho w some people that I can do that. I wan t to see what happens in the com ing wee ks. I didn't