Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

FI M World Cha m p io n sh ip 1 25c c M X 5erie s R ou n d 1 2 : Auf d e r Wacht By M ike Bro w n finished off the 125cc GP se ries with a pa ir of moto w ins at Gaildort . A L E X H O D GK IN SO N GAILDORF, GERMANY, SEPT. 3 1IJI' ike Brown could not imp rov e on 1"• his bronze medal Wor ld ranking at Ga ildorf, bu t the 28 -year-old from T e n n e s s e e wa v ed goo d b ye to GP moto cross with his thi rd ov e rall GP win, as he slithered to victory in th e final single -class GP. Reg ular ra infall had left the track in p erfe c t co nd it io n b y n oo n on race da y , but a storm im mediate ly befor e racin g converte d it into a skating rink . "I ju s t got ou t in fro nt qu ic kly in both races and contro lled them fro m there," Brown said . "I guess th e se two yea rs riding in En gland ha s given me plenty of pr a ct ic e a t ridin g in th e s e cond itio ns ." He ha d seen his huge lea d deci mate d late in the first ra ce by fe llow Ameri can Tra m pas Par ke r. "I a lways ha d him un de r co ntrol," Bro wn s a id . "I' d backe d o ff a litt le when th e motor started to pin g ." Brown was abl e to pu sh even furth e r ah e ad for most of ra ce two on a dry in g track , whi c h a llo wed him to forc e th e pa ce m uc h m ore. Th e trac k su ited c ha m pio n Grant La ngston much m ore in ra ce two, as he ra c ed to his 25th pod iu m of the campa ig n, foll ow ing a ca tast rop h ic first moto. Th e Sout h Africa n ha d rid den hard un de r the ho les hotti ng Luig i S eg uy at turn two , so hard tha t the Frenc h gypsy ended in the fence and was furio us with the c hamp . "T hat wa s a tot all y c ra zy p a s s ," Seguy said . "He had no cha nce to go thro ugh witho ut knocking m e off." But within half a lap, Langston had be en mo ve d a sid e by Br own a n d Parker , and , after a suc ces sion o f falls , was a lrea dy' a lap down whe n he pulled out before ha lf distanc e . An d it 40 SEPTEMBER 20. 2000' eye rea lly wa s that s lippery, with a gr e a sy cove ring to a ro ck y ba s e jus t a fe w in ch e s d own a s witne sse d even on th e spectator ba nks whe re umbrella s were bein g us ed a s wa lking sticks by the few pe opl e who manag ed to stay o n th e ir fe et fo r mor e t ha n a few ya rds. British-ba s ed riders were in th eir element . Carl Nunn tore through th e pa ck in th e first moto to c hallenge Parker for second . "I got my fro nt wheel a head of him o nce, bu t he was a ble to re pass me immediately ," Nunn s a id. "And you had to be so ca reful that I dec ided it was wise r to settle for third . It's a long time s ince I ha d a podium ." Pas sing prov ed more difficult in ra ce two as a sing le d ry lin e s oon developed in the sunshi ne which had finall y re p laced the ever -r eturning showers, a nd Nunn ha d to settle for sixth, b u t it wa s goo d e nough t o clinch thi rd on the day . The sens atio n of th e ra ce , howev er , was Tom Church . Hav ing only qu a lified twice befor e in his GP career, he t o o k his firs t -ever points wit h 5 -9 moto finis hes for fifth overall aboard Ste ve Ramon 's s pare factory Kawasa ki. The ride had been fixed up m idwee k when it bec ame c lear th at th e Fre nc h harbor blo ckade wo u ld pr eve nt his ow n b ike from be ing trans po rte d to the race; but Church rode im m a c ula te ly, bei ng one of th e very few riders to stay onboard a ll day and displ ayin g matur ity wa y be yon d his ye ars to find th e right pa ce to do so . "This bik e is unreal co m pa re d to mine ," Church said . "It' s s o nic e to ride a nd has s uc h good pow er. Tha t I e ne'UVs helped me get th e s ta rts a nd the n to rid e sm ooth ly. S tev e Bon iface must have passed me five or s ix tim e s in the first ra ce , but he m ade a mi stake with in a few co rn e rs e ve ry time . He finall y c ra s hed o n th e last lap." At one poi nt Church was also chal lenging for to p s ix again in rac e two , bu t he ha d to s lacken his pace toward the e nd . "I didn 't get tired ," he said . "I had a wful sto mach c ramps ." The mos t frustra ted rid e r at th e tra c k, howev e r, wa s St e ph en Sw o rd . Ha vin g a lm ost to p p led Axo Hond a t e a mm at e Bro wn in t he ir q ua lifyi ng group, the Scot looked to be a serious c o nt e nd e r fo r a t le a st hi s first podium , bu t it a ll we nt ha ywire, "T he rea r brake peda l go t bro ken off when I got dragged down in the first corner pile -up in the first ra ce ," Sword sa id. "And the gea rbox brok e in race two after I was m o vin g forwa rd fro m e ighth. " Jam es Dobb , who ha s wo n every ot her m ud ra c e th is ye ar , had to be conte nt with e ight h ove ra ll. "I banged my ribs la st week in Finland a nd I c ou ld feel the m , but they weren 't a problem," Dobb s aid. "I ha d to th ro w m y g oggl e s a wa y e a rly in th e first race. The mud just cl ung to th e Roll-Offs and rip ped th e Ro ll-Off, a nd th e mud wa s g e tt ing m or e a nd more of a prob lem as the ra ce we nt o n , But 1d idn't ride we ll." Afte r m oving forw ard to fourth in race two , Dobb s a id, "I wa nte d that, j ust to p ro v e t o e ve ryo ne I was n 't s lacki ng be c aus e there is nothing left to ra c e for in th e series ." Wi t h Ke nne t h Gun d er s en a lso crashing at reg ula r inte rva ls , the first m oto was KT M's worst rac e of t h e ye a r, with Pa tr ick Caps the ir first finishe r in 10th . The Belg ian ha d been as high as fourth before h e cra shed. Caps w as in a dire ct ba t tle with S egu y for th e numbe r-fo ur pla te , and was furiou s with the way the French ma n settled the affair in ra ce two. Caps s aid, "I ha d passed him a nd was going after Steve Ramon , and Siggi just to ok me straight out. Th e bike was wrecked ." Th e first moto h a d also seen the first points for Chi cco Chiodi. " It s u ite d m e th at it rained , because that slowed do wn the race," Chiodi said . "If it had been dr y, then I wo u ld hav e h ad p ro ble ms wit h m y wrist lan ding on the big jum ps ," th e ex -c ha mp sa id a fte r t ak ing fourth in ra c e o n e . " But t h a t is e nou gh fo r today . That is th e first tim e 1 have finished a 45-m inute race th is year and 1 am tired . 1 a m ra cin g to help m e rec over a nd I d on ' t wa n t to r is k c ras hi ng b e c a us e 1 a m tired . I h a ve a lrea dy to ld th e fe d er ation I will no t ra c e the Nat ion s . 1 a m not re ady for two races yet. " Pa rker had initially rac ed top fou r in m ot o two , bu t wo uld d rop to sev ent h. "A la pped ride r ran me straight off eN th e track ," Parker sa id. Auf der Wacht G aildorf, Germany Results September 3, 2000 (Round 12 of 121 : MOTO 1: 1. Mik e Brown ( Hon) ; 2 . Tra mpa s Parker (TM); 3 . Carl Nunn (Yam); 4 . Chlc co Chiodi (Hus); 5. Tom Church (Ke w) : 6. Steve Ramon (K aw) : 7. Steve Boniface (Han); 8 . Luigi Seguy (Yam ); 9 . Brian Jorgensen (Yam) ; 10 . Patrick Caps (KTM); 11. Petri .Iervele (Han); 12. Marc Fraikin (KTM) ; 13. Jan Zaremba (SUI) ; 14 . Jam es Dobb (KTM ) ; 15. Ivan Lazzarini (Han) . MO TO 2 : I. M ik e Brown ( Han ); 2 . Philippe Dupa squier (T M ); 3 . Gr an t Langston (K TM ) ; 4 . James Dobb (KTM); 5. Steve Ramon (Ke w): 6. ClIrI N unn ( Yam ); 7 . T ramp as Parker (TM ) ; 8 . Petri Jarve la (Han); 9 . Tom Ch urch ( Kaw ); 10 . Luigi Seguy (Yam) ; 1 I. Daniele Bric ca (KTM) ; 12. Steve Boniface (Han); 13. Kenneth Gundersen (KTM ); 14. Johnny Aubert (Hus): 15. Marc Fraikin (KTM) . O/A : 1. Mike Brawn (Han); 2 . Trampa s Parker (TM); 3. Carl Nunn (Yam) ; 4. Steve Ramon (Kaw); 5. Tom Church (Kaw ); 6. Philippe Dupasquier (TM) ; 7. Gra nt Langston (KTM) ; 8 . J ames Dobb ( KTM) ; g . Luigi Seguy (Yam ); 10. Petri Jarvela (Han). FINAL STANDINGS: 1. Grant Langston (493 /5 wins); 2 . Jam es Dobb (4 19{3); 3 . Mi k e Brown (379/3 ) : 4 . Luigi Seg uy (282/1); 5 . Patri ck Caps (271) ; 6 . Thoma s Tra versini (236{ 2) ; 7. Kenneth Gunde rsen ( 20 5); 8. Tr amp as Parker ( 17 3); 9 . Philippe Dupasquier ( 172 ); 10. Carl Nunn ( 155/1); 11. Steve Ramon ( 145 ); 12. Sandra Puzar (126) ; 13. Brian Jorgensen (1 03 ); 14. Jeff Dement (83) ; 15. Stephen Sword (77); 16. Christian Stevanini (71 ); 17. Erik Camerlengo (65); 18. Scott Sheek (6 1); 19 . Cristian Ravaglia (6 1); 20. Erik Eggens (60 ). Held in conjunct ion with the 125cc GP was the World 85cc MX Championship, and despite being three seconds per lap faster than anyone else in qualification on the day previous to racing. James Stewart, once aga in, saw the title snatched from his grasp, as a deluge tumed the Gaildorf track into a skating rink. Adapting to the slippery track well in the first 15-minute-plus-two-lap moto, Stewart appe ared to lead throughout. After being flagged in as winner - he even topped the podium at a post-race award ceremony - before the Swedes protested that their boy, Marcus Norlen, had edged out Stewart at the fi nish line after chasing hard all moto. Sufficient witnesses could be found for the FIM officials, headed by the AMA's Bill Amick, to accept the truth of the claim. Having not received the checkered fl ag, the Swede had been allowed to complete an extra lap. But neither rider would be declared champion after both motos were played out. Instead , that honor went to Tanel Leok , the 14-yea r-old nephew of GP star Avo. The Estonian kid was a distant third in the first moto at Gaildorf, but ran away with the second moto to come out on top of a tie-break with Norlen. Norlen had to do the chasing under sunny skies in race two, but came up six-seconds short of the second place he needed to turn the overall in his favor. That second place was taken by Sebastien Pourcel, the French kid who won the European crown a few weeks ago. Stewart gated badly in race two, recovered to fifth by half distance, but then got stuck on a muddy climb and was unable to fini sh, He was credited with sixth overail. Fellow Americans Joshua Licktle and Davi Millsaps competed but faltered in the mud, Lichtle went 12-7 for seventh overall, while Millsaps went 20-15 for 19th overall. Results: 85 O/A: 1. Tanel Leok (Estonia - Hon) 3- 1; 2. Marcus Norlen (Sweden - Hon) 1-3; 3. Sebastien Pourcel (Fran ce - Kaw) 6-2; 4. Aigar Leok (Estonia - Yam) 5-4; 5. Sarno Kurnik (Slovenia - Suz) 8-6; 6. James Stewart (U.S. - Kaw) 2·DNF; 7. J oshua Lichtle (U.S. Suz) 12-7; 19. David Millsaps (U.S. - Suz) 20-15,

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