STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARIO MARINI
part of its co ntinual refinement process , the '-World 5upermoto has introduced this year the 52
(450cc) class along wit h the bigge r and traditional 5 I
division. The extensive GP format has bee n retained
ithou t any major modifications, as the two pre liminary heats of 12 laps and the Super Final of 24 laps remain part of
the sho w for both 5 I and 52. O nly the Supe r Pole has been sacrificed du e to the lack of t ime available fo r runn ing tw o classes
together.
Another retouch was planned for the third ed ition of the se ries,
and it regarded the starting grid. following a request of the manu facturers as re ported from the FIM and the se ries' prom oter. Th e
idea was to have a starting grid with six riders per row with no
staggering as before . But after a meeting that was strongly
urged by the riders, the FIM's representative we nt back to
the previous system.
The series opene r to ok place at the Spa-Francorcharnps
kart ing facility, right in the heart of the popular F I
A
car circuit .
SI
Local hero Eddy 5eel had planned to start off the season wit h a solid win right away in his mission to defend
his 2003 5 I World Title. Positive results in the many national events
he had raced all over Europe during the long layoff from the Wo rld
SO JULY 14,2004 • CYC LE N EW S
