Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

FIM World C h a m p io n s h ip 1 2 5cc MX S e r ie s R o u n d 5: Mladina . C r o a t ia p Wh a t t u rne d out in C roa tia was La ng sto n ' s worst d ay so fa r in t he series , A poor 13th in th e first mota cost h im hi s 19 -p o int lead and his second mota second pla c e c oul d not stop Brow n from taki ng ov er as th e man of the moment. Q ualificati o n d id no t t urn o ut fo r Brown . In fac t, it was GP vet era n Alex Puza r who la p ped the qu ickest, a head of Lan gst on , Thomas Trave rs inl a nd Luigi Sequy . Brown was back in s ixth in Group B and 14th ove ra ll, not the start he wanted. Wh e n it ca m e time t o race , th oug h, Brow n wa s on it like ne ver befo re . While it was Grant La ng ston who to o k his seventh holeshot in nine rac es , Brown lingered in the shadows, ready to pounce on the uns us pec ting yo ungs te r. " I got a go od start," Brown said. "I knew if I cou ld run with La n g sto n early I cou ld beat him. He's been getting rea lly go od sta rts a nd , until the las t two GPs , I have not. " Anothe r American, Jeff De m e nt, though was past Langston in a flash and in t o the lead , ta king some cha nc es on the Mladina track worked for Dement a s he le ad the wild field over the hillsid e and onto th e back of the tra c k. "I was rea lly on th e gas, " Dement said. " I could see Brown was coming at me and I jus t held m y lines and raced at a pace I wa s co mfo rtab le with." ith th e sound of the Star S pa ngl ed Banner ec oing t l'irough the Croatian hills , Mike Brown st ood at the highest le ve l of a Grand Prix pod ium . Noddin g h is h ead w ith approval a nd looking into the e yes of a ll that had questioned his de sire and c h a mp io n s h ip hopes, he knew his time had come; this was his moment. On a war m and s teamy d a y in war-torn Croatia, Brown put to res t all not io ns tha t he is not a winner. Ta king I -I results on the hillside cir cuit in Mladina, Brown did what so ma ny had b e en waiting for h im to d o for three ye ars on th e Eu ropean scene, he won 'a Wo rld Moto cross Grand Prix and he d id it In such d omi n a t ing fas h ion that even South Africa n won - der Grant Langston , who had led th e World Cha mpionship points race un til Croatia, could not match the amazing speed of the Tenllessee tornado . " I' v e b e e n a litt le frustrate d, " Brown sa id after his win. "So me ba d starts have cost me some points a nd the past two Gra n d s Pr ix I'v e been able to get gOo d starts. That's be en th e d iffe rence , I kn e w whe n I'm up front, I' m ha rd to ca tch ." With good starts , Bro wn ha s g one 1-2-1 -1 and his confiden ce is a t a n all-ti me high. "The championship IS as much about head games as anY!fiing else," Brown sa id. "Today I scored big time with the confidence thing , I'm read y for Fox hill or the othe r grands prix for sure." Amaz ing ly , desp ite th e fa c t th at ma ny o nly see Brown a nd Langston '1s title candidates, Brown 's win was the fifth different rider to take a 125cc 36 nevvs STORY A N D PH OT OS B y GEOFF MEYER MLADINA, CROATIA, MAY 14 W M AY 31,2000 · cu e I e It was bound.to happen soon er or lat er, but Tenne ssee's M ike Bro wn finally got his first GP w in, an d he did it in styl e by winning both m otos in Croatia. GP victo ry th is year: It was J a m ie Dob b in ro und one , Car l Nun n in round two , La ng ston in round th ree , Seguy in round fou r and now Brow n. And wha t ab out Lang st on in Croatia? Alre ad y th e Eu ro pe a n p re ss was pla cing the FIM crown on his head , a s he ha s led the points ra ce from t he se cond round in France a nd , in g en era l, h as be e n th e m ost cons istent ride r in th e com peti tion. "I've finish ed on th e po d ium seven of eight ra ce s ," Langston pointed out prior to the Croatian Grand Pr ix. "I to ld m ys elf I ca n finish top five. My aim is top three now, although in my head , I want th e cha mpionship fo r su re. " Brown saw it differently, as the two Ameri cans fought fo r the t o p two places. It was starti ng to look like a war could break out a t any moment. "Dem ent was moving all over the track ," Brown sa id . "I cou ld not get past at so m e poi nts th at I want e d , th e n on lap five I fo und a s po t and got by." Also on the scene was French ride r Luigi Seguy . The Brazilian GP winner was lo ok ing for a wa y past De m e nt through eve ry corner and pushing a s ha rd a s he could . "I like th is track ," Seguy said. "It' s fast and m y Yamah a is one of th e qu ick est bike s tod a y. Dement slow ed me up a little on lap one . He made a mista ke and I wa s a b le to get pa st him ." Both America ns then suffere d bike prob lems , as firs t De ment s lowed a little . "My b ik e started making some funny n ois es , " Dem ent s a id . " I thought it was go ing to seize , so I s lowed up a li ttl e and n ursed it hom e ."

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