One point more for Everts and a Namur dream
Yamaha Intur Sports rider Stefan Everts won his eleventh event in
succession at a hot and humid Loket circuit to own the Grand Prix of Czech
Republic today. The reigning MX1 World Champion now needs to score just
one point more than his nearest rival at the Belgian round next weekend
at Namur, his favourite circuit, to claim a record tenth title.
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Everts triumphed in both Czech motos in front of 23,000 spectators and
has now reached a total of 19 consecutive heat victories with the YZ
450 FM as well as a career tally of 98 overall Grand Prix wins; a
phenomenal amount.
The hillside circuit located 110km west of Prague had been slightly
altered over 2005 with a new pit-lane setting giving the riders more time
to see their pit-boards and a tight set of corners behind the technical
area. The terrain was loose and littered with small stones that made
the mud slippery in places and the layout tended to favour sheer speed
over technical ability.
Everts was denied his fifth consecutive pole position by just two
hundreds of a second by Kevin Strijbos but it mattered little as the Belgian
made a decent jump out of the gained and was just pipped to the
holeshot by Josh Coppins. By the end of the first lap Everts had placed his YZ
450FM ahead of the pack and proceeded to show the CAS Honda rider the
fastest route around the steep course. For two thirds of the duration
the pair were not separated by more than two seconds but approaching the
final ten minutes Everts broke his opponent's resistance and claimed
his eighteenth moto in succession.
The second race was a more curious affair as a bump on the first turn
meant the 33 year old had to chip away at a lead held first by Jonathan
Barragan and then Kevin Strijbos. As in previous Grand Prix this year
Everts soon hit the front and was able to remain aloof for further
domination.
Cedric Melotte was struck by more bad luck with a stone. After
partially swallowing a pebble in South Africa the Belgian this time had a rock
enter his boot and press against his shin. He had to pit and unfasten
the boot while holding sixth and dropped down to sixteenth. Melotte had
made some changes to the YZ's engine to suit the swirling track and got
into his stride late in the second moto after a bright start to capture
eighth and take eleventh overall.
Round twelve of fifteen will occur in just seven days time at the
'Enduro-esque' and special setting of Namur. With a 149 point lead and just
200 left to win Everts needs to leave his home race with just one point
more than Kevin Strijbos to be Champion for the tenth time and the
sixth successive occasion in a row with Yamaha since 2001 in 500cc, MXGP
and MX1 categories. He will also remain the sole winner of the MX1 class
since the series' inception in 2004.
Stefan Everts, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team:
"It has been a hard GP for me. The track was not that difficult in the
layout and you could see that by how fast everyone was going. The next
few tracks will be more technical and better for me. Josh was riding
well in that first moto. There were a few places on the track where I did
not have such good lines and he was closing the gap but it is hard to
know the full situation when you are in front. In the end I figured out
a few places where I could improve and I think he must have made a
mistake but it was quite easy to win that moto finally. My start wasn't
that good in the second race and for a few laps I was in third position
with Jonathan and Kevin having a small lead. I had to try hard to pass
them both and it was tough, but it was also nice not having to always be
working from first position. The new section around the back of the
pits was very difficult and it was a place where you could make or lose
some ground.
That is eleven races in a row now but I am not trying to focus on
records and take each weekend as it comes. It is the chance of a lifetime to
become Champion at the Citadelle; it is something that I never dared to
dream of and now it might come true. I have been working hard
throughout my career for a moment like that and I have many people to thank so
that I am in a position like this."
Cédric Melotte, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team:
"The weekend was not so bad. I had a good qualification yesterday and
we changed a few small things on the bike. I felt much better, and when
my wrist is in good condition I can suggest more things to the team to
improve the overall package for me. I was happy with the seventh best
time. In the first moto I made a good start and kept the rhythm of the
leaders for twenty minutes but then I had to let Ken and Strijbos go. I
then could not believe it when a stone got in between my brace and my
boot. It pushed hard against my shin. I gritted my teeth for ten minutes
but I could not go on any longer and had to pull into the pits to get
it sorted. In the second race I slid a bit wide on the first corner
otherwise I would have had the holeshot but in the first few laps I
struggled to find my pace and was hitting some bad lines. After 15 minutes
things got better and easier but I felt tired towards the end. I am happy
about this weekend. I have not had much luck this season but I am
keeping motivated and that is encouraging."
Carlo Rinaldi, Racing Manager, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team:
"It was perfect this weekend even though the win was far from easy this
time. In the first moto Stefan made a good start and took the lead but
Coppins was right there and pushed so hard for the whole moto, so
Stefan had to do his best to keep Josh behind him. In the second heat he had
a collision in the first corner and had to come through; that time it
was Strijbos who was the quickest. This was the 98th win and it is just
amazing. We made some small tweaks to the engine so it would suit
Cédric's riding style better. The track was tricky because it was slippery
so he had a different characteristic on the power to help him with
that."
Race 1 - 21 Laps
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Stefan Everts, Yamaha, BEL, 40'8.345
2, Joshua Coppins, Honda, NZL, 0'4.521
3, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'15.160
4, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'24.355
5, Ken De Dycker, Honda, BEL, 0'34.034
6, Kevin Strijbos, Suzuki, BEL, 0'38.930
7, James Noble, Honda, GBR, 0'46.271
8, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 1'5.258
9, Pascal Leuret, Honda, FRA, 1'11.872
10, Wyatt Avis, KTM, RSA, 1'18.916
11, Manuel Priem, Yamaha, BEL, 1'24.088
12, Clement Desalle , Suzuki, BEL, 1'28.349
13, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 1'29.152
14, Kornel Nemeth, Suzuki, HUN, 1'30.160
15, Lauris Freibergs, Suzuki, LVA, 1'33.605
16, Cedric Melotte, Yamaha, BEL, 1'34.833
17, Marko Kovalainen, Honda, FIN, 1'45.452
18, Bas Verhoeven, Kawasaki, NED, 1'47.520
19, Aaron Bernandez, Honda, ESP, -1 Laps
20, Gordon Crockard, Honda, GBR, -1 Laps
Race 2 - 21 Laps
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Stefan Everts, Yamaha, BEL, 40'35.004
2, Kevin Strijbos, Suzuki, BEL, 0'5.770
3, Joshua Coppins, Honda, NZL, 0'15.616
4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'25.449
5, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'35.807
6, Ken De Dycker, Honda, BEL, 0'39.903
7, Gordon Crockard, Honda, GBR, 0'45.960
8, Cedric Melotte, Yamaha, BEL, 0'55.615
9, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'58.644
10, Manuel Priem, Yamaha, BEL, 1'3.424
11, Wyatt Avis, KTM, RSA, 1'9.872
12, James Noble, Honda, GBR, 1'11.729
13, Kornel Nemeth, Suzuki, HUN, 1'17.070
14, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 1'45.936
15, Marko Kovalainen, Honda, FIN, 1'54.677
16, Aaron Bernandez, Honda, ESP, -1 Laps
17, Pascal Leuret, Honda, FRA, -1 Laps
18, Aigar Bobkovs, Honda, LVA, -1 Laps
19, Cyril Coulon, Suzuki, FRA, -1 Laps
20, Lauris Freibergs, Suzuki, LVA, -1 Laps
Best Lap
Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
Joshua Coppins, Honda, NZL, 1'51.735
Rider Standings 30/07/2006
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Stefan Everts, Yamaha, BEL, 542
2, Kevin Strijbos, Suzuki, BEL, 393
3, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 368
4, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 355
5, Ken De Dycker, Honda, BEL, 353
6, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 273
7, Pascal Leuret, Honda, FRA, 202
8, Cedric Melotte, Yamaha, BEL, 190
9, Manuel Priem, Yamaha, BEL, 189
10, Javier Garcia Vico, Honda, ESP, 172
11, Julien Bill, Yamaha, GBR, 167
12, James Noble, Honda, GBR, 161
13, Joshua Coppins, Honda, NZL, 158
14, Brian Jorgensen, Honda, DNK, 131
15, Antti Pyrhonen, TM, FIN, 128
16, Marvin Van Daele, Honda, BEL, 127
17, Gordon Crockard, Honda, GBR, 117
18, Sebastien Tortelli, KTM, FRA, 99
19, Wyatt Avis, KTM, RSA, 84
20, Danny Theybers, Suzuki, BEL, 84
Manufacturer Standings 30/07/2006
Pos., Manufacturer, Points
1, Yamaha, 542
2, Suzuki, 449
3, Honda, 403
4, Kawasaki, 359
5, KTM, 329
6, TM, 128
Cairoli takes seventh moto but finishes off the podium
Antonio Cairoli's excellent showing and defeat of Christophe Pourcel in
the second MX2 moto at Loket this afternoon gave the World Champion his
seventh success of the season and makes him outright the most
successful rider so far this term. The Italian missed out on the podium by one
point however after a first race crash relegated him to eleventh.
After rain during late afternoon and Saturday evening the track was at
its dampest for the first MX2 moto. Gaining traction on the corners was
a cause for concern for most of the riders and tyre choice became a
little more complicated than usual. Passing places were not prevalent and
the terrain became very rough.
Cairoli was luckless at the start of the first moto as he fell along
with Championship leader Pourcel and Kenneth Gundersen. Billy Mackenzie
was also held up. The Italian struggled to fight his way through the
lower pack without a rear brake and eventually finished eleventh while a
fully fit Gundersen had to retire on the first lap because of a damaged
front wheel.
In the second sprint Cairoli was ruthless in swerving his way up to
leader Pourcel from seventh place on the first lap. The duo, who are also
contesting the World Championship at the top of the standings, put on a
good show for the hefty crowd for several laps but the Team Yamaha De
Carli rider's speed eventually pulled him clear to win by eight seconds.
Alessio Chiodi had his best race finish since notching third at the
opening moto at Teutschenthal in May by taking a strong fourth place in
race one but was a victim of a first corner tangle later in the afternoon
and ploughed a path to thirteenth for a final slot of eighth. His
team-mate Gundersen hit the ground on the opening lap of race two and could
manage a highest position of sixteenth by the end of the 35 minutes and
2 laps.
The third member of the Yamaha Team Ricci, Davide Guarneri woke on
Saturday with a sore throat and a fever. The Italian was not fit enough to
ride.
With Pourcel walking the podium as overall runner-up Cairoli lost just
two points to the French teenager today. The Championship table now
shows the gap at 34 points between the pair with David Philippaerts eleven
behind in third. There are still 200 points remaining in the last four
GPs.
As with the MX1 class, the next MX2 meeting on the schedule will visit
the unique setting of Namur in seven days time.
Antonio Cairoli, Team Yamaha De Carli:
"The first race was so unlucky for me again. After the crash the tube
going into the rear brake came off and after five laps the brake faded
and did not work. I was riding well but it was difficult going down the
hills. I have not had much fortune this year; the guys in the Rinaldi
team said for a technical problem to happen like that was incredible! I
crashed with Sebastien Pourcel and lost a lot of time in that first
moto. The second race was great. I know that when I start in the top six
or seven I can win and have done that this year. I hope that Pourcel
might have some bad luck otherwise it is going to be difficult to catch
him in the Championship."
Kenneth Gundersen, Yamaha Team Ricci:
"In the first moto I crashed with Cairoli at the start and his footpeg
went through my front wheel. A few spokes were broken; I could not ride
like that and had to stop. In the second race I had a bad start and
crashed on the first lap. I was maybe half a lap behind and rode to get
some training! This was the first week in a long time that I felt OK with
my physical condition and my hand. Things were finally supposed to go
well but better luck next time."
Alessio Chiodi, Yamaha Team Ricci:
"My knee is good and my head is also getting better in terms of my
confidence. I am a bit disappointed about the second moto because today I
think it was possible to finish on the podium. I was fourth in the first
race but also quite close to Philippaerts and Nunn but I crashed at the
start of the second moto after hitting another rider. I re-started last
by more than ten seconds and I just tried my best. I was thirteenth and
I was sad for that but happy that things are getting better."
Race 1 - 20 Laps
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 38'56.828
2, David Philippaerts, KTM, ITA, 0'8.367
3, Carl Nunn, KTM, GBR, 0'9.715
4, Alessio Chiodi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'10.499
5, Tommy Searle, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'11.374
6, Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'11.982
7, Gareth Swanepoel, Kawasaki, RSA, 0'18.908
8, Patrick Caps, Honda, BEL, 0'22.267
9, Marc De Reuver, KTM, NED, 0'37.341
10, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, 0'38.527
11, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'39.616
12, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'43.508
13, Carlos Campano, KTM, ESP, 0'45.858
14, Manuel Monni, KTM, ITA, 0'48.154
15, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'5.207
16, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'19.549
17, Jason Dougan, Honda, GBR, 1'21.998
18, Billy MacKenzie, Yamaha, GBR, 1'24.114
19, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1'27.398
20, Jeremy Tarroux, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'28.324
Race 2 - 20 Laps
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 40'30.754
2, Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'8.146
3, David Philippaerts, KTM, ITA, 0'25.722
4, Marc De Reuver, KTM, NED, 0'35.106
5, Carl Nunn, KTM, GBR, 0'39.534
6, Billy MacKenzie, Yamaha, GBR, 0'43.070
7, Tommy Searle, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'45.350
8, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'48.750
9, Gareth Swanepoel, Kawasaki, RSA, 0'50.634
10, Manuel Monni, KTM, ITA, 1'3.639
11, Carlos Campano, KTM, ESP, 1'5.815
12, Patrick Caps, Honda, BEL, 1'7.347
13, Alessio Chiodi, Yamaha, ITA, 1'8.718
14, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 1'21.788
15, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 1'35.066
16, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, 1'38.263
17, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, Honda, FRA, 1'38.924
18, Kenneth Gundersen, Yamaha, SWE, 1'40.952
19, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1'54.933
20, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 2'7.497
Best Lap
Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 1'52.177
Rider Standings 30/07/2006
Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 416
2, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 382
3, David Philippaerts, KTM, ITA, 371
4, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 330
5, Marc De Reuver, KTM, NED, 314
6, Carl Nunn, KTM, GBR, 277
7, Tommy Searle, Kawasaki, GBR, 254
8, Billy MacKenzie, Yamaha, GBR, 246
9, Gareth Swanepoel, Kawasaki, RSA, 236
10, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 225
11, Alessio Chiodi, Yamaha, ITA, 211
12, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 209
13, Kenneth Gundersen, Yamaha, SWE, 197
14, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 153
15, Manuel Monni, KTM, ITA, 143
16, Luigi Seguy, Yamaha, FRA, 94
17, Anthony Boissière, Yamaha, FRA, 87
18, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, 85
19, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 77
20, Patrick Caps, Honda, BEL, 68
Manufacturer Standings 30/07/2006
Pos., Manufacturer, Points
1, KTM, 504
2, Yamaha, 476
3, Kawasaki, 441
4, Honda, 173
5, Suzuki, 22
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