Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

could in ra c e o ne, bu t in the e nd it was just to o dangerous. " O th e r th a n th e win ners , the se n sation of the race was La tvia n Lauris Freibe rgs . No t only had h e never s c o r e d points previously, he had ra rely even qual if ied , but his unorthodoxed style brought him 16 poin ts. After t rying in vai n to pa ss h im for th e entire second half of race one, Paul Cooper sa id , "He was not afraid to jump across me when he heard me coming . In the end I d ecided it wasn' t wo rt h t he risk fo r one ex tra poi nt. He won't be t h er e in ra c e two. " But he was , actually passing other rid e rs fo r a n e ventu al n inth . eN Cros.odromo Tazio Nuvolari Mantova. Italy Results: April 3D. 2000 [Round 4 of 161 MOTO t : 1. M ick ael Pich on (Suz); 2 . Fr ederi c Ba iley ( Han ); 3. Claud io Federi ci (Yam); 4 . Rya n Hug he s ( Ho n); 5 . J o sh Coppi ns ( Suz); 6 . A lex BeJ ome tti (K aw) ; 7. Laur is Freibe rgs (Hon); 8. Paul Coo pe r ( Hus); 9 . Dann y They bers (KTM) ; 10 . Pit Beirer (Kaw) ; 11. Gord on Crockard (Hon); 12. Justin Morris (Yam ); 13. Nicolas Cha rlier (Kaw) ; 14. J oakim Eliassen (Yam); 15. Serge Guidett y (Hon). MOTO 2 : 1. Mick ael Pichon (Suz); 2. Fred Bolley (Hon ); 3. Pit Beite r (Kaw) ; 4. Cla udio Federici (Yam) : 5 . Paul Cooper (Hus); 6. Gordo n Crockard (Hon); 7. Ryan Hughes (Hon) ; 8. Josh Copp ins (SUI ); 9. Leuri s Fre ibergs ( Hon ) ; 10. Collin Dugmore ( KTM) ; 11. Joakim Eliassen (Yam) ; 12. Juss i Vehvilainen (Hon ): 13 . Danny T heyb ers ( KTM); 14 . Mi chal Kadlecek (5 02); 15. Nicolas Chart ier (Kaw ). O /A : 1. Mi c ka el Pich on (Suz); 2 . Fred Bailey (Han); 3 . Claudio Federici (Yam) ; 4 . Ryan Hughes (Han); 5. Pit Beirer {Kaw): 6. Paul Coo per (Hus); 7. Jo sh Coppins (Suz); 8. Lauris Freibe rgs ( Hon) ; 9 . Gordon Crockard (Hon) ; to. Danny Theybers (KTM) . FIM WO RLD CHAMPIO NSHIP 250cc MX SERIES POINTS STA NDINGS (A ft er 4 of 16 rounds ) : I. M ickael Pi chon (14 5 / 2 wi ns) ; 2. Fre de ri c Bolley ( 106/1 ): 3. Pit Beire r (92): 4. J osh Copp ins (7 1): 5. Gordon Crocka rd (69 /1 ); 6 . Mickael Masch io (67 ); 7 . Claudi o Federic i (6 2); 8 . Paul Coope r (59 ); 9 . Ryan Hug hes ( 42 ) ; 10. Yves Dema ria (4 0) ; J 1. J ustin Morris (34); 12. Peter Iven (31 ); 13. A lex Belornettl (25); 14. Remy Van Rees (23); ] 5. Colli n Dugmore (22): 16 . Dann y Theybe rs (22); 17. A lex Zanni (2 0); 18 . M arko Ko v alainen ( 17) ; 19 . Leuri s Fr eib erg s ( 16): 20. J osep Alo nso ( 15). Upcoming Rounds: Round 5 - Loket, Czech Republic, May 14 Round 6 - Foxhills , England , May 28 BRIEFLY• •• Bot h of Ryan Hughes fact ory Hondas were stolen from the Pamo team base in north ern Italy two weeks before the Mantova GP. Two new bikes were built up from the spares department for the Am erican to make his return to GP actio n. Pamo team own er Paul Kaspe r suspected industrial esp ionage. M imm ed iate ly engaged priva te detectives to investigate . but there is no trace of I either bike.- Kasper said. "We have even contacte d the leaders of the gypsy community but they assure us that they have no knowledge of the bikes. The thieves who took t hem knew what they were looking for. They left laptop computers and other items of value. They even had to put things like the seat units back onto the two bikes they took. even though other bikes were sitti ng there com plete . I am convinced that the bikes are wit h the opposition." Back in the 1gaOs a facto ry RC500 Honda was sto len in Italy. W ithin month s tuning kits fo r Hondas were on the market. Ryan H ughes and his crew of techni cians all tu med up at M ant ova w ith thei r hair sho ved o ff. Asked if it was penance for losing the bikes. Hughes quipped . " No . when I was operated on. they tho ugh t at first it wa s for a brain scan. Seri ou sly. I ju st decided to do it wh en I w as bac k in the States. and when I got back to Europe. the guys thought It was cool and went straight out to ge t theirs done . " Although FIM officials still insist that no decision on the 2 0 0 1 GP ra ce format will be finalized before Congress in October. it is already clear that there will be three mot os. This is the package which iSG Ontemationai Sport s Group), responsible for the marketing. is putt ing before potential sponsors. According to FIM M X president W olfgang Srb. " lf there are three races. there are two o ptio ns : On e is for one mat o in each class - 125 cc . 25 0cc . 50 0cc . The other is to co mbine the 250cc and 500cc GP classes into a single World Championship and to run two motes. augmented by one moto on Sunday for the 125s in a "W orld Cup " after supercros s-style qualifying races on Saturday fro m an initial entry of betwee n 50 and 56 riders." The latter solution is also unlikely as Suzuki and MiAG boss Sylvain Geboers is vehemen tly against it. "W e we re criticized already wh en we reduced the 250s to 30 starters. Should we now halve the starters by combining the (Above) Ryan Hughes returned to a ction in Italy, f inishing a conservative 4-7 for fourth overall. two cla sse s? " O r is he just afr aid M ick ael Picho n w ou ld have no chance against J oel S mets? Geboers confirmed that Suzuki has not yet even started a project for the producti on of a fo urstro ke M Xer. (Right) Defending champ Frederic Bolley d id the best he cou ld to keep pace w ith Pichon by taking runner-up honors i n both m ot os . Stef a n Everts has been operated on again. A piece of bone was taken from his thigh and graft ed onto his broken wri st w here the bo ne has not been heali ng properly. He is now expected to be o ut for ano ther two months. When examined close-up it can be seen that the l ev e rs on the fact ory Kawasakis of that crashhappy pair Pit Beirer and Mickael Ma schio have their names on them in indelible ink. When asked the reason . the happy-go-lucky Frenchman was quick to retort. " If the names weren 't there. we wo uld have to look at the front of the bikes to see whose is whose when we crash together ." The 250cc M X GP motorcycles now only carry a number on the fron t plate. Socal Hesqvamas Paul Cooper discovered on arrival in Italy that his two new race helmets. sent off for a stylish paint jo b. had not been returned as promis ed . Fort unately he had brought a hel met used in midweek pract ice w ith him . as had main spo nsor Trevo r Avery. w ho just happe ns to wear the same size . Team Millenium. the only squad in the 250cc GPs not using Japanese machinery . apart from Paul Coo per's lone Husky. had fitted Ohlin USO front forks and rear shock to their KTMs for the first lime . and all four riders qualified . The Swedish firm. a division of Yamaha. had actually built the first POS rear suspension syste m fo r KTM back in 1996 bef ore the holding company. which ow ns KTM. also acquired W hite Pow er and start ed to manufac ture the unit s themselves. If Mickael P ich o n can maintain his 250cc GP series lead to the end of the season. it wo uld make 2000 the third consecutive year in which France has won the 250c c M X world title - wit h three different riders. Sebastien Tortelli wo n in 1998 and Frederic Bolley last year. A first? In the 250cc class. yes, but in the 500c c class, no. Swedes Bill Nilsson. Sten Lundin and Rolf Tibblin won the tit le in 1960. 1961 and 1962. respectively. Betw een them they also won it in 1957. 1959 and 1963 . Looking for another potential omen. In 1962. the final year of the unique triple, t he Sw ed ish trio were part of the national team which whitewashed the oppo sition in the Motocross des Nations when four of the five team riders cros sed the finish line with bars touching, way ahead of the first non-Swede . Ironically the only member of that Swe dish team who did - .. ;t not playa part in the win ning formation wa s Lundin . one of the cha mpion s. who had crashed out (L eft) Pichon now owns a 39-point l e ad in the series p oint standings. of the qualifier . France will be looking for their first -ever des Nations win on home soil at S t Jean 0 'Angely in September. cue ' e ne'UVs MAY 17. 2 0 0 0 45

• Cover