Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128637
F IM G rand P r ix Cha llenge Abe n s b e rg S p e e d w a y ba ck befo re fina lly getti ng the better o f Poo le new b o y Wal a s e k . His pun ch e d s a lute at the e nd sig na lled an oth er re m ark a bl e c ha pte r from a m a n who just refuses to give up o n his Gra nd Prix dr e a ms . Th at co ncl uded the main busi ness o f th e a fte rn oo n , a n d th e last fo u r ra ce s , norm all y th e m ost im po rta nt, we re v e r y a n tic lima c t ic . F or t he rec or d , Peter Kar lss on too k th e ho n o rs to be c row ne d c h a m p io n of th e 20 00 GP Cha llenge, with Ca rl Ston e hew er runne r-u p. "T here wa s a lot of p re s sure o ut th e re toda y and it's jus t a big re lief whe n it comes off," Ka rlsson s aid . "I c o uld g o into the se m ifina l a nd t ry a nd e njo y the rid ing , whic h wo rked out. The tra ck condit ions wer e rea lly to o difficu lt for thi s type of m e eting . Th er e is so much riding o n it, whic h ma k e s it a b it risk y. On e ho le ca n s p o il it for a ny bo dy a n d yo u ca n ' t re a lly h e lp it. But I s up pose in the e n d, th e be s t go through , wh ich is what happen ed." Lo o k ing b a c k a t his p re viou s GP ca m pa ign , Karl ss o n be liev es it was a frus trating o ne. "Es pe cia lly th e la s t fou r ro u nds, b e c au s e I we n t h o m e from t he m kn owing I' d rid d en qu it e goo d a n d m ixi ng it with eve ry body, b ut I just go t k no cke d o u t a t h ea t 19 o r 2 0 every tim e , and yo u don't get re wa rded a lot of points for th at," Karlsson sai d . " I w as very n e a r to b ett er S TO RY AND PH OT OS By (Above) Sweden's M ikael Karlsson won the Grand Prix Challenge in Abensberg, Germany, thus ra cing his way back int o the 2001 Grand Prix line-up after suffering through a dismal GP season in 2000. (Right) Whoa fella!: Piotr Protasiewicz (right) has to put on th e brakes , figurative ly speaking of course , to avoid Ca rl Stonehewer, w hile Nic ky Ped e rson (pa rt ia lly hidde n) goes a ro und the outside . All three qualif ied for th e 2 00 1 GP series . J O HN H IPK ISS ABENSBERG,GERMANY,OCT.8 w e d e n ' s Pete r Kar ls s o n was a re lieved man a s he took victory in t he G ra nd Pr ix Ch all e nge at Ab e ns be rg , Ge rma ny, t o joi n t he wor ld c ha mp ions hip se ries for 2001. Karls so n ha s h a d a m ixe d yea r a nd has been inc ons istent in the GP its elf - bu t he made no m istake in Abensberg where he beat Carl Stonehewe r a nd Nick i Ped ersen in t h e final. Th ere were plenty of incidents - Sebastian Ulamek s uffered a broken colla rbo ne in a heat- 1 I c ra s h, while Wolv es col league Nicki Pedersen was luck y not to sustain a far mo re seriou s injury in a fl y in g fall in h e a t 13 whe n he b ou n c ed o ff t he to p of th e s a fe t y fe nce aft e r ta ng ling with Toni Kasper on a treacherous fo urt h tu rn . Hero icall y Ped ersen got up , s hook him s elf of f a nd pr o ceeded to fini sh th ird in th e meeting to bo ok a place in next ye a r' s Grand Prix. He did , however, take a hospital visit aft er the me eting for tre atm e nt on a damaged kn ee . Gary Ha ve lo c k a ls o came to grief o n th e fourth bend in the rerun of h e a t 13, the heartbreak ing s ignifi cance of wh ich c a m e two races lat e r when his machinery fa ile d the 19 9 2 World Ch a m p io n as he led at th e end of la p three . Joe S cre en , c a rrying a n S 50 NOVEMBER 1, 2000 ' cue injury fro m a F rida y-ni ght cras h at Oxford , was the ben eficia ry who finis hed se co n d , a n d he g ras pe d t he c h a nce to re ac h the semifi na ls by winnin g heat 20 . New wor ld unde r -21 champion Andrea s J onsson went o ut afte r a last a nd a third , a nd Jo rgense n wo u ld hav e a lso ta ken a n identica l early exit ha d Ja s on Lyons , wh o a ls o bit t he bullet to ride th ou gh not fully fit, not fa llen while leading o n the la st la p of he a t five . J or gens en loo ke d to have made the most of the repriev e when he shot out to head he at 10 , but he look ed un comfortable with the c ond itions a nd finished in la st pla ce . And e rs en wo n his first three , a nd Sm ith followed com ing from third to fi rst p as t Ped er s en and Grz eg o rz Walasek in heat th re e with two sec ond pla c e s , the first of th em beh ind And ers en in he at s e ven. Th ey m et I e nevvSi a gai n in th e me ltin g pot of he at 17, a nd a fir s t o r s e c on d woul d h a v e ta ken th em thr ou gh to both th e sem ifina ls a nd th e 200 1 series . But S m ith was left a t the ba c k wit h a s pluttering e ng ine, a nd Anders e n wa s passed by Peter Ka rls s on for se cond pla ce . An d e rs e n then n eeded to a voi d la st p la ce in he at 19 - wh ich he did th an ks partly to Hen ka Gu stafsson 's s ick b ike - a n d Sm ith re q u ire d the sa me outcom e in heat 20. But Smith ra re ly doe s th ings the ea sy wa y in GP Ch allen g es a nd he was tw ice a t the results , a nd I'll try to c hange that for eN next ye a r." Abensberg Speedway Abensberg.Gennany Resuhs:October8,2DOO Final s SEM I 1 (Top two to Main Fina l ) : 1. Ca rl Stonehewer: 2 . Nic ki Pedersen: 3 . Piotr Prot es lewlcz: 4 . J imm y Nilsen. SEM.I 2 (T op two t o Main Fin al) : 1. Peter Karlsson; 2. Rune Holte: 3. Mikael Karlsson; 4. Joe Sc reen. CON SOLAT ION FINAL: 1. Piotr Protaslewlcz: 2. Jimmy N ilsen; 3 . Mik ael Karlsson; 4 . Joe Screen. MAIN FINA L: 1 . Pete r Ka rlsso n; 2 . Ca rl Stc nehewer: 3. Nicky Pedersen: 4 . Rune Holt e. Qu al ifie rs fo r 2 0 01 G rand s Prix : I. Pet er Karlsson; 2. Carl Stonehewer; 3. Nicki Pedersen; 4 . Rune Holta; 5. Piotr Protasiewicz; 6. Jimmy Nilsen; 7. Mikael Karlsson: Joe Screen; 8. Brian Andersen; 9 . Andy Smith.