Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ EVENTS m Back on track after a midseason injury, Belgium's Stefan Everts was unbeatable in Sweden. He topped his heat race and his semi before winning the main event. World Championship Supercross Series: Round 1 Everts shines in Sweden ~series opener By Alex Hodgkinson GOTEBORG, SWEDEN, AUG. 28 elgium's Stefan Everts got off to a winning start in the newly instigated FIM World Supercross Championship Series in front of approximately 18,000 spectators at Ullevi Stadium in the Swedish west coast city of GotE';borg. But it was a hollow victory for the Bieffe Suzuki teamster, as just six riders who had finished in the top 10 of any of the three outdoor World Championship Series entered the event, while American Mike Craig was the only competitor to have finished in the top 20 of the AMA Camel Supercross Series. At least the track was up to standard even though the obstacles wer.e not made too difficult in view of the limited supercross experience of the local riders. John Savitski was flown in from the U.S. as the track builder and, despite continual rain throughout the preparation period, the jumps did not rut out in B 36 two days of competition. The final. round of the Swedish National Championship Series was held the day after the World Championship Supercross Series opening round. The format was run the same as the regular European Supercross format, in which all competitors have to qualify through heats or "repecharge" races for the semi Jinals, where they must then qualify again for the main event. This means that every finalist must ride at least three times during the program, as there is no direct transfer to the feature. Jeff Glass holeshot the first heat but was passed before the finish by Marnicq Bervoets, the Belgian who so nearly won the first moto at the U.S. 250cc GP at Unadilla last July, and American Kyle Lewis. Everts led heat two all the way ahead of American Mike Jones, before Marcus Hansson, the Swedish outdoor National and Supercross Champion, ran away with the third heat from Pedro Tragter, who had returned to Europe . after winl1ing the 125cc class at the Japanese GP five days earlier before jetting back around the world to represent Holland in the Motocross des Nations in Australia. Riding a borrowed motorcycle, as one of his GP bikes was in transit back from Japan and the other already in Australia, England's Rob Herring stormed past Belgian Edwin Evertsen to win the final heat, as the two Europeans out-paced Americans Jimmy Button and Craig. 'Americans Jimmy Gaddis and Denny Stephenson had both failed to transfer from their heats but made no mistake in the "repecharge" races, joining the other semi finalists with victory in these second-chance races. Everts was again dominant in his semi, moving up without problem from a fifth place start to pass Jones for the win on lap five. A mistake two laps from home dropped Jones to fourth behind Lewis and Bervoets. The second semi saw many favored riders fail to transfer after crashes. Button crashed on the second lap, Herring on lap three and American Chris Young threw away seventh place a lap from the finish. Hansson had holeshot but was passed with two laps to go by Craig. Evertsen held off Stephenson for third. . Gaddis won his second race, the last chance qualifier, of the evening after having to race five times (including the feature) all together. Herring was second and American Ray Sommo was the runner-up. A multiple crash halfway around the first lap had ended Young's chances and he received a warning from the referee after trying to block the track to cause a restart. Craig, the winner of last year's Rodil Supercoss in the same stadium, led the final for 12 of the 20 laps before being passed by the 1991 125cc World Champion, Everts. But Craig was never threatened by third place Hansson, who was a lonely third throughout the race. Gaddis was initially fourth but was passed Ipidrace by Mats Nilsson and Evertsen, who went on to pass Nilsson on the final lap to finish fourth, while Kyle Lewis, hindered early on by an early crash, got back to sixth. Lewis was aided when Bervoets fell late in the race. • Pedro Tragter, the'1990 Ullevi winner, injured a foot early in the race and had to be content with 10th place. Only 16 riders were classified in the final; FIM rules require competitors to complete 75% of the race distance to be classified, while points are awarded to CN only the first 15. Results MAIN: 1. Stefan Everts (Suz); 2. Mike Craig (Kaw); 3. Marcus Hansson (Kaw); 4. Edwin Evertsen (Kaw); 5. Mats Nilsson (Kaw); 6. Kyle Lewis (Yam); 7. Marnicq Bervoels (Yam); 8. Ray Sommo (Kaw); 9. Peter Iven (Kaw); 10. Pedro Tragler (Suz); 11. Jorgen Nilsson (Hon); 12. Rob Herring (Hon); 13. Jimmy Gaddis (Suz); 14. Chris' Neal (Suz); 15. Jeff Qass (Hon); 16. Alessio Chiodi (KTM). HEAT 1: 1. Bervoels; 2. Lewis; 3. Glass HEAT 2: 1. Everts; 2. Jones; 3. Massimo Bartolini (KTM). HEAT 3: 1. Hansson; 2. Tragter; 3. Miska AaHonen (Hon). HEAT 4: 1. Herring; 2. Evertsen; 3. Jimmy Button (Hon); 4. Craig. REPECHARGE 1:1. Gaddis; 2. ChiodL REPECHARGE 1: 1. Stephenson; 2. Jorgen Nilsson. SEMI 1: 1. Everts; 2. Lewis; 3. Bervoets; 4. Jones SEMI 2: 1. Craig; 2. Hansson; 3. Everlsen; 4. Stephenson. LCQ: 1. Gaddis; 2. Herring; 3. Sommo; 4. Chiodi.

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