Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

FIM World MXI/MX2 Motocross Championship Stefan Everts blasted through the deep sand of Matchams Park to take his second win in a row. He now has a 40-point lead in the championship chase. Unstoppable Stefan Everts and Andrew McFarlane move ahead STORY AND PHOTOS BY GEOFF MEYER n front of 34,000 screaming British spectators, Stefan Everts rode like he was riding on his home circuit in Belgium - smooth and confident. His I-I moto results at the Grand Prix of Great Britain proved once and for all he is back on track for World title number nine. Everts looked off the pace at the Grand Prix of Europe a month ago, dropping several points to rival Mickael Pichon. He has quickly proven, however, that the German event was just a bump in the road. Since then, he has gone on to win in Japan last week, and now England. After seven of the I7 rounds, Everts holds down a 40-point lead over Pichon. "Next weekend is another GP. Lucky enough, it won't be as difficult as here at Matchams Park. It was a tough race here," Everts said. "The first start was good. Ben [Townley] didn't want to back off, and he went too fast into the first corner, and I had a good holeshot. In the second race, I had another good start and searched for the best lines on the track. I was looking for I-I results, and for the championship, I am doing a really good thing. I need to keep going and not make too many mistakes. As long as I am on the podium, I am happy." Holding down second position on the podium was CAS Honda rider Josh Coppins. It was another consistent effort from the 27-year-old New Zealander as I he raced to 4-2 moto finishes around the rough sand circuit. With his second, Coppins moved into third in the points, passing Suzuki rider Joel Smets. "I was not so happy with the first race," Coppins said. "I lost my goggles on lap four and I couldn't see, and this track was scary. I have many fans here, and after winning the Isle of Wight, it was good for me. I passed Joel [Smets] and moved into third in the points, but Stefan moved away a little, so that is not good." Coppins had some fun racing with a fellow countryman, young KTM rider Ben Townley. It no doubt helped to push him to his excellent finish. "Racing with Ben [Townley], it was just like training. Ienjoyed that," Coppins said. "It's really good here. I never expected so much sand. I have not ridden much sand this year, but I was good in the sand. Motocross in the UK is really strong, and it's good for the team to do well here. This track was maybe even better than Isle of Wight. I like the Italian track." Third in Matchams Park was Townley of the KTM factory team. The New Zealander looked strong enough to push Everts early on, clocking the quickest qualification time on Saturday and showing lightning speed on the Sunday. Once again, however, starts let him down terribly. In the opening moto, he made an inspired charge to the front after a crash in the first turn. He was probably the 38 JUNE 15, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS Andrew McFarlane went 2-1 to take the MX2 overall. He grabbed the holeshot in the second moto and never looked back. quickest rider in that first race. "It was a very, very difficult Grand Prix," Townley said. "The straight after the mechanics' area was really rough, one of the toughest I have ever seen. The layout up and down hills, I found it really tough. I did a good recovery in the first moto, but I used a lot of energy. Going into the second race, I knew it was going to be tough. Riding with Josh [Coppins] was cool, I never feel scared racing him. The people in New Zealand are really excited with the way we are racing together." In the MX2 class, it was Australian Andrew McFarlane who made his own piece of history. Riding his Yamaha YZ2S0F to 2-1 results, he showed it is going to take a good effort from his rivals to keep the Aussie from becoming a World Champion. McFarlane also became the first Australian to win four Grands Prix, and also the first Australian to lead a World Motocross Championship. "It is the first time I've led the World Championship," McFarlane said. "I have ridden here before, but the track has changed, and it was really difficult. It was not easy to ride, and many riders had problems. "The first race, Carl Nunn rode really well, and he was difficult to catch, also on the qualification race on Saturday," he continued. "In the first race, it was difficult with the rain, and I didn't want to push too hard and have to use too many roll-offs; then I went for it in the second moto. It's a long season. We have had seven Grands Prix, and many motos. I take one race at a time and try not to think about the end result. I am confident, and the team is working really hard." Youngster Christophe Pourcel made a great impression on the field at this Grand Prix. Since coming onto the Grand Prix scene last year, the French rider has quickly shown amazing speed. In England, he captured his first podium - the last thing the 16-year-old French kid expected when he arrived at the Matchams Park circuit. Pourcel, who races in the same team as his injured brother, Sebastien, has not been completely fit in the last few Grands Prix and missed his brother for some time after the older Sebastien crashed out in an earlier Grand Prix, breaking his arm. "When I came here, my goal was to finish top-10," Pourcel said. "I crashed in the first race and came back to 12th, but

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