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"It was good in the first moto - I got a good start and stayed in second," Pichon said. "I made a small mistake near the end of the first moto and crashed. I have not been riding much, and I was surprised I was able to run with these guys." In the second moto, Pichon mixed it up with Everts, Coppins and Ramon before finishing third, behind Townley and Coppins. "Stefan [Everts] made a big mistake in the second moto, and I was able to pass him," Pichon said. "Josh [Coppins] was riding hard and passed me, but I got Steve [Ramon] near the end." In his first race since his knee injury, winner Rattray was far from dominant, but he did show his increased maturity, putting in good laps and going for consistency rather than moto wins. "For me, this is like a dream come true," Rattray said. "In the second moto, I had a crash in the back of the track. I knew I was in the position for the overall, so I just rode with my head for the overall and let [Christophe] Pourcel and [David] Philippaerts race for the moto win. I am so happy to come back and win. I have been working so hard. It even feels better than winning the opening round in Zolder earlier in the year." Christophe Pourcel of the Freeman Kawasaki team came home in second place with a solid 7-2. The French youngster is looking more and more like he'll be a star in the 2006 season, as many are now expecting him to be one of the favorites to win the MX2 title next year. England's Carl Nunn gave the home crowd something to scream about as he captured third overall. Having won a heat in the Grand Prix of Great Britain in May, he returned to his homeland for this round and - once again - showed he is much quicker on his home soil. The KTM rider had 10-4 results and can now look forward to riding in the sand at Lierop next weekend. Nunn is one of the best sand riders in the class and is seventh in the MX2 Championship points. eN GRAND PRIX OF ENGLAND ISLE OF WIGHT, ENGLAND RESULTS: AUGUST (ROUND 15 OF 28, 2005 17) MXI MOTO I: I. Steve Ramon (KTM); 2. Mickael Pichon (Hon); 3. Ben Townley (KTM); ... Josh Coppins (Hon); 5. Stefan Everts (Yam); 6. Brian Jorgensen (Yam); 7. Tanel Leok (Kaw); 8. Jonathan Barragan (KTM): 9. Jussi Vehvilainen (Hon); 10. Kevin Strijbos (5uz): I LAnni Pyrhonen (TM); 12. James Noble (Hon); 13. Pascal Leuret (Hon); 14. Danny Theybers (5uz); 15. Ken De Dijcker (Hon). MX I MOTO 2: I. Ben Townley (KTM); 2. Josh Coppins (Hon); 3. Mickael Pichon (Hon); 4. Steve Ramon (KTM); 5. Stefan Everts (Yam); 6. Jonathan Barragan (KTM); 7. Manuel Priem (Yam); 8. James Noble (Hon); 9. Jussi Vehvilainen (Hon); 10. Yoshi Atsuta (Suz); II. Pascal Leuret (Hon); 12. Danny Theybers (Suz); 13. Amtl Pyrhonen (TM); 14. Kevin Strijbos (Suz); IS. Luigi Seguy (Yam). FIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MXI POINTS STANDINGS (After 15 of 17 rounds): L Stefan Everts (621/6wins); 2. Josh Coppins (576/1); 3. Ben Townley (505/4); 4. Mkkael Pkhon (446/2); 5. Steve Ramon (423); 6. joel 5mets (385); 7. Pascal Leuret (296); 8. Ken De Dijcker (274); 9. James Nobles (274); 10. Tanel Leok (268); II. jonathan Barragan (256); 12. Brian jorgensen (249); 13. Danny Theybers (242); 14. Yoshi Atsuta (199); 15. Antti Pymooen (186). MX2 MOTO I: I. Bilty Mackenzie (Yarn); 2. Tyla Rattray (KTM); 3. Antonio Cairoli (Yam); 4. Matteo Bonini (Hon); 5. Davide Guarneri (Yam); 6. Mlckael Maschlo (Yam); 7. Christophe Pourcel (Kaw); 8. Anthony Boissiere (Yam); 9. Alessio Chiodi (Yam); 10. Carl Nunn (KTM); II. Patrick Caps (Hon); 12. Aigar Leok (KTM); 13. Gareth Swanepoel (Kaw); 14. Rui Goncalves (Yam); 15. Sebastien Pourcel (Kaw). MX2 MOTO 2: I. David Phltippaerts (KTM); 2. Christophe Pourcel (KTM); 3. Tyta Rattr.ly (KTM); 4. Carl Nunn (KTM); S. Anthony Boisstere (Yam); 6. Rui Goncatves (Yam); 7. Alessio Chiodi (Yam); 8. Gareth Swanepoel (Kaw); 9. Mlckael Maschio (Yam); 10. Pierre Renet (Yam); II. Wayne Smith (Hon); 12. Shaun Simpson (Hon); 13. Manuel Monni (KTM); 14. Matti Seistola (Hon); 15. Carlo Campano (KTM). FIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MX2 POINTS STANDINGS (After 15 of 17 rounds): I. Antonio Cairoli (522j6wins); 2. Andrew McFarlane (48212); J. Alessio Chiodi (-45311); 4. David Philippaerts (4 I'In); s. Cedric Melone (J52); 6. Christophe Pourcel (333); 7. Carl Nunn (318); 8. Stephen Sword (310); 9. Bilty Mackenzie (29411); 10. Mickael Maschio (277); I I. Davide Guameri (276); 12. Rui Goncalves (26]); I]. Pmkk Caps (227); 14. Anthony Boissiere (226); I5. Matt~ 80nini (184). The MX2 class featured cia•• racing in England. Briefly... The Red Bull KTM team lineup for the 2006 FIM Motocross World Championships has been bolstered by the addition of former double World Champions Sebastien Tortelli and Mickael Pichon, who both put pen to paper on a deal last week to race the MX 1 class next year. Pichon and Tortelli will ride alongside Spain's Jonathan Barragan and Holland's Marc de Reuver. "I'm happy with this new deal, because the last four or five months have been quite hard," Pichon said. "I did not know what to do with my career, and I said that I would be prepared to go another year if I could find something serious. With KTM, I believe I have what I want and need. It is a factory team and many people think like I think and want to give their best. They treat their riders like they should, and they have a lot of power and resources for developing the bike. I have a good feeling about the whole situation, and for sure, I will find that motivation I need for 2006. Sebastien and Iget along well, and we were teammates before in the United States. , think we will do good things for KTM." In the MX2 class, David Philippaerts has finally been confirmed as the second works rider as part of the Champ setup and will share the Dutch awning with Tyla Rattray. The Italian has impressed in his breakthrough term, with six podiums and a debut victory since inheriting the KTM 2S0 SX-F midway through the championship. "I'm really happy to be a factory rider next season," he said. "It took a while to sort out the details between the contracts, but everything is finally in place, and I am already looking forward to the challenge I will have in 2006. This year has been very positive for me, and Iam glad and grateful that KTM saw my potential." Team Suzuki has enlisted former 12Scc World Champion Steve Ramon for its 2006 MX I World Championship push after the 25-year-old signed a two-year deal. The Belgian will share the Team Suzuki awning with Kevin Strijbos. "I am really happy to join Suzuki," he said. '" needed some new motivation, and it is really practical for me that the team is based in Belgium. Kevin is a good rider, and I feel that we can learn a lot from each other through practicing together and working with the RM-Z. We will be a young team, but a strong one." After medical examinations, Team Suzuki's Joel Smets will have to wait until the end of the week to undergo surgery on his dislocated left knee. The 36-year-old Belgian damaged the knee capsule and fractured the top part of his tibia. The internal bleeding that caused the fIVe-time World Champion to remain in a German hospital Saturday night after painfully cracking the joint during free practice at Gaildorf last week has been stemmed. Smets, who was considering retirement after a g1orious career, is looking at a six-month recovery period before he can consider racing again. CYCLE NEWS • SEPTEMBER 7,2005 37