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/146681
Despite Jean-Michel Bayle winning a moto, the French team fini~hed fourth. :Belgian Marnicq :Bervoets was perfect in the 250cc class by winning both motos. Mike LaRocco came from dead last to finish second in the final 250cc moto. Bervoets and Jobe could win their respective classes in the third and final 2S0/S00cc moto, their team would earn the overall even if either Liles or LaRocco placed second in class. If that was the case, both teams would tie the day with nine points, but the overall would go to Belgium because of more class wins. And of course, the Americans had to beat the Belgians to keep their win streak intact. Race 3 - 250/500cc 16 The start of the third and final moto saw yet another pile-up in tum one, and again an American rider was at the bottom of the melee. LaRocco had gotten caught up in a first-turn incident involving four bikes, and in the process was hit by another machine in the rib cage area under his right arm. "It hun right away. Whoever nailed me hit me pretty hard," said LaRocco about the crash, which left his right side badly bruised. . LaRocco remounted his Kawasaki dead last, under the watchful eyes of Kawasaki boss Roy Turner, who was standing inside tum one and was in radio contact with the other American team members back at the pit-signal area. As LaRocco began his desperate chase of the field, Nicoll had grabbed the holeshot and set about shifting some Manjimup sand on his big KTM as he led Dutchman Edwin Evertsen's Kawasaki through the opening lap. Liles and Bayle followed.in third a!1d fourth place, respectively. On lap two, Bayle dropped well back through the pack when his Honda stalled coming into a tum. The French ace lost any chance of a double-mota sweep when he had trouble refiring his machine. Bayle's Honda finally barked to life, just as LaRocco charged by near the back of the pack. Together the American and Frenchman would tum in an impressive performance, blazing through the field. Liles passed Evensen for second on lap two, but crashed on the very next circuit in a sandy section, and allowed Evensen and Herring past. After passing Herring, Liles had yet another stumble, allowing both Herring and Bervoets back by him. Liles fought back however, and when Herring almost crashed in a sand pit, Liles took advantage of the bobble ta nab fourth position. Soon after, Liles ovenook Bervoets to move up ta thirq place behind Nicoll and Evensen. "It was getting pretty tough out there; the track was hard," Liles said. "After I fell over the second time, I got going again and pushed really hard to catch Kurt." At the 22-minute mark, Evensen spun out in tum one and dropped back to fifth. He then crashed again soon after and dropped to ninth, his eventual finishing position. Liles took over second after Evensen's mistakes, some five seconds behind Nicoll. "The team gave me the (pit) board that second was okay, so I just settled in and got the race over, knowing that we had won," said Liles. Nicoll won the third and final mota, wrapping up his season on a high note, after finishing runner-up in the SOOcc