KTM Report

KTM enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2004 FIM Motocross World Championships at Zolder in Belgium today.
Despite very windy conditions and the occasional strong shower World Champion Steve Ramon won the opening MX1 moto after a strong performance onboard his 450 four-stroke. The Belgian gained second overall with fourth position. Ben Townley took the second MX2 moto and the overall victory in the class thanks to a race win and a runner-up spot to Marc De Reuver in the first event. Kenneth Gundersen gained some solid results on the 450 (8th and 6th) and Tyla Rattray guided the 125cc two-stroke to sixth after a DNF earlier in the day.

Steve Ramon: “The first moto was great. I had some good lines and the track was very rough so I was happy with my speed and able to take my first win in the MX1 class. The 2nd heat the track was more difficult and I made a mistake in the sand and this lost me some time. The KTM is working really well now.”

Kenneth Gundersen: “The weekend started in a good way but today from the first heat I suffered some stomach cramps and could not ride very well; I saw the doctor and he said maybe this was from something I ate yesterday. The second race I started well but still felt uncomfortable and had to slow down. Otherwise I am very happy with the team and I am looking forward to Spain.”

Marc De Reuver: “I am disappointed because I proved on Saturday that I was fast enough and in the first moto I was half a lap ahead despite the back brake being broken. Then for the second race Leuret crashed in front of me and then was nowhere to go. I got back to fourth but then crashed again. I think our bike is the most competitive on the track. We have done a lot of testing and it is the most powerful.”

Ben Townley: “I have learnt a lot over the three years and today I was patient after seeing Marc far ahead in the first moto. In the second race I got a good start and went for it. I enjoyed the two motos and was happy with the improvement on my start later in the day. It’s been a brilliant GP.”

Tyla Rattray: “The first race was OK but then ruined by the crash and I could not continue. The second moto was much better but I was feeling quite down after the fall and this was the best I could do.”

Honda Report

CAS Honda’s Josh Coppins gained 3rd place today at the Zolder circuit in Belgium for the first round of the sixteen race 2004 FIM MX1 World Championships. The 27 year old New Zealander posted results of 7th and 2nd in the two 35 minute and 2 lap motos to stand on the bottom step of the podium.

Very windy conditions and occasional showers with hail lashed the demanding Zolder racetrack 85 kilometres east of Brussels making the opening Grand Prix of the year a tough test for the riders of both the MX1 and MX2 categories. Coppins, manning the Honda CRF450R four-stroke, was leading the second moto and swapped positions with home favourite, Cedric Melotte(Yamaha) before passing the chequered flag second, less than three seconds behind the Belgian. It was Coppins’ best ever start to a GP season, the previous highest position being a fifth place.

Mickael Pichon the two times former World Champion made his Honda GP debut in Zolder, he was leading the first race on his Tiscali Honda CR450f until a small crash inside the first three laps dented his aspirations of making an impressive comeback after six months out of action with a knee ligament injury. The Frenchman still earned third place and his chance of an overall podium result was ruined inside the first 10 seconds of the second moto when he was knocked to the ground negotiating the first corner. Fighting back from dead-last Pichon finished a creditable 11th and his final standing of fourth, with 30 Championship points was a reasonable start to the lengthy campaign.

KTM’s Steve Ramon and Yamaha’s Cedric Melotte were the victorious riders with Melotte heading the top three in his first race for the works L&M squad.

Due to the knee injury sustained at Canada Heights for the first British Championship round Gordon Crockard was unable to ride this afternoon, the Irishman qualified in 25th position in timed qualification practice, he now look likely to miss next weekend’s race in Spain. Former Japanese Champion, Yoshitaka Atsuta got his season off to a good start and was lying inside of the top ten before running off the track, he crossed the line 19th in the second moto after being taken out at the first turn by Frenchman Mickael Pichon. With his previous result of 15th on the tricky sandy surface placed 18th on the final classification.

In the MX2 category the factory four stroke KTMs of Ben Townley and Marc De Reuver claimed both moto wins with the former taking the overall. Jamie Dobb of the British based RWJ Honda squad managed to score a 4th and a 12th on the CRF250R placing sixth by the end of the day while his countryman Carl Nunn, also on the little Honda four-stroke, was lower down the order in 12th.

Josh Coppins: “In the first moto I was riding OK but not relaxed enough to make any progression. I felt stiff and my rhythm would not come. The second race was much better; I felt in tune with the track and was able to save energy. It has taken me longer than I thought to adjust to the four-stroke. My build-up was not too impressive but I am up to speed now.”

Mickael Pichon: “My riding was not good in the first moto and I felt tense and was making stupid mistakes. I felt confident because right away I could see that my speed and physical condition was OK. Starting the second race Marko Kovalianen slammed into me and for a moment I was afraid as all the bikes ran over us. I got back up and banged the front mudguard back into shape and although I was down in 20th my performance in that moto was much better. I was more relaxed and making better times. I had taken some antibiotics before the race because I had a cold a few days ago and was feeling slightly weak.
The bike has almost too much power! I cannot be too disappointed with my first GP back because I took some points and there are still a lot of races left.”

Atsuta : “ I was happy with my riding here, my starts were both ok, the track became very rough and after I passed Josh (Coppins) I ran off the track and found it very hard to get momentum after that and the best I could manage was 15th position. Mickael Pichon crashed into me just before the first turn of race two, I went down in a big heap and the really struggled to get going again. I was looking forward to some good results here, but in the end I just tried not to make any mistakes and just finish the race the best I could.”

Dobb : “This wasn’t the best start to the season that I expected, I struggled with my goggles and could see with the flying sand made worse by the high winds. The bike worked very well, the suspension coped well with the circuit which was deeply rutted and choppy. The winning bikes were both KTM’s but I know that this type of going is exactly the same as they train in week in week out, I think that next week at Bellpuig in Spain it will be a different story.”

Suzuki Report

The first Grand Prix of the 2004 FIM MX1 World Championship at the Zolder circuit in Belgium was a bittersweet affair for factory Suzuki rider Kevin Strijbos. The 18 year old was leading the first of two motos until a crash and subsequent mechanical problem forced him to trudge back to the pits. The second race was a more positive affair and saw the Belgian continually run within the top five and gain his first ever podium GP result with third place behind Yamaha’s Cedric Melotte and Honda’s Josh Coppins. The overall classification placed Strijbos down in 11th but it was a bright showing by both rider and the debuting RM-Z 450 machine.

Joel Smets faired less well and a first corner collision swiftly followed by a stalled engine in the opening moto meant the 34 year old had to fight back to13th, reaching a peak of 11th, after being some way behind the rest of the pack. The second event witnessed the World Champion negotiate the initial turn as one of the leaders and was placed fourth before being the victim of a mechanical glitch that caused him to slip out of the top ten. He restarted and fought back to 7th.

The rain had mostly disappeared at Zolder but the high winds were still present and the track became an extremely tough and technical test as the day wore on.

Strijbos was leading the world for two laps then hit the deck in the whoops and was relegated to 6th. Four circulations later and he dropped out of the running after experiencing some engine trouble. He was fighting for third for the majority of the second moto after making an excellent start for the second consecutive time.

“After I made the mistake in the whoops I was back in sixth but making some ground on the group ahead when the bike cut out,” he reflected. “I couldn’t restart and was pretty angry. It was a moto to forget. The second race I got the holeshot and the first 10 to 15 minutes were not great and a few riders passed me. The gap increased to the leaders but then I relaxed and started to get quicker even set the fastest lap of the race at one point. I was pleased that I could stay full-on for 40 minutes at the same speed. The riding was good today and apart from the first moto I am happy enough.”

“I entered the first corner a bit too tense,” said Smets. “I should have been stronger and I may have come through. My riding was good in the first moto and I made a lot of positions. I may have finished 7th second time out but the day was not very rewarding. We still have to fix a few mechanical problems.”

“I felt that it was a good day overall,” said Team Manager Jens Johansson. “The first race should have been a lot better for us but the second was OK. The potential of the bike was a very positive sign, Kevin managed to holeshot twice and the problems we had is something that we will have to look at this week.”

The team now make preparations for the Grand Prix of Spain in six days time.

Yamaha Report

Cédric Melotte (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) took a surprising overall victory on the opening round of the Motocross Grand Prix World Championship at Zolder, Belgium today. The 25-year old displayed a strong race strategy and came home second in the first race and won the second. Seven-time world champion Stefan Everts fought hard to overcome his injuries and scored two solid fifth places. Melotte leads the provisional standings with 47 points, Everts is fourth with 32 points.

Home rider Joël Smets (Suzuki) grabbed the holeshot, but Mickael Pichon took the lead on the opening lap. However Pichon could not pull away with Strijbos, Jorgensen, Cooper and Melotte on his tail. Stefan Everts was closing in on the leading five after a mediocre start. However Everts’ comeback abruptly ended when he crashed in the rhythm section.

“After the crash I noticed my handlebars being bent, so I had to be even more careful because the track was so rough,” said Everts. The YZ450FM mounted rider bounced back from eighteenth after his crash to finish fifth. Team mate Cédric Melotte went down after 10 minutes into the race, lying fourth. “I was riding tensed and suffered some arm pump, picking up after my crash was actually a good thing. I regained my breath and I had the time to choose my lines and build up my pace.” Melotte closed in on Jorgensen and Pichon and managed to pass them both to claim second behind Steve Ramon.

Stefan Everts had another bad start in the second race hurting his right thumb in a first corner pile-up. Cédric Melotte was fifth after the opening lap, and quickly moved into second behind Joshua Coppins. Coppins’ lead of almost 7 seconds dropped dramatically lap after lap and the battle went in favour of Melotte, who easily made the pass on the outside of a right-hander. The winner of last year’s 650 GP in Namur kept his cool and controlled the race to claim a convincing first GP win in the MX1 class. Coppins finished second, in front of Strijbos and Ramon. Everts showed his determination to add another fifth to his day-scoreboard after a strong back from eighteenth position.

Cédric Melotte (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) – first “I used a lot of energy in the first race to pass Jorgensen and Pichon, but I was happy with second after I made a small crash. The second race was just perfect. I thought I had moved into the lead too early when I passed Coppins but I resisted the pressure. Winning here was a big surprise for me. I had a little bit of luck on my side but this is the best possible motivation for the rest of the season. My ambitions of finishing top seven or top five every race have not changed. Of course I will not hesitate if I can produce some more surprises!”

Stefan Everts (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) – fourth ”I am quite happy with my performance today considering my condition. Two fifth places at the opening GP are more than I hoped for with my rib injury sustained last week. Actually I felt no pain when riding, and I messed up my chances today with two bad starts. I’m very happy for the team that Cédric had such a good ride. His result was not exactly a surprise to me, he had been riding well in all pre-season races.”

The Belgian MX2 Grand Prix proved to be one of mixed feelings for Yamaha. MX2 newcomer McFarlane made a remarkable debut in the class finishing just outside the podium. Claudio Federici didn’t come to terms with the track and finished 15th. Scottish contender Billy MacKenzie had a disappointing weekend and came home 19th overall. Team Yamaha RZ had a disaster-struck weekend with both Alessio Chiodi and Andrea Bartolini not riding on Sunday due to injury. Ben Townley leads provisional standings with 47 points, Mark De Reuver is second with 43 points. Australia's Andrew McFarlane has 36 points after the first GP.

Team Yamaha De Carli youngster Antonio Cairoli grabbed the holeshot, but Mark De Reuver (KTM) quickly made the pass and led the race from start to finish. Australian Andrew McFarlane ended his first lap first in fourth position, passed Cairoli for third early on and pushed to close e the gap with third-placed Ben Townley. “Ben was a little too far and I decided to play it safe and go for the championship points rather than risking a crash,” said McFarlane.

The 18-year old Cairoli scored his second holeshot of the day in front of Claudio Federici. The YZ250FM mounted McFarlane was forced to go wide by Mickael Maschio in the start. Ben Townley (KTM) made a carbon copy of De Reuver’s first race run-away win, with Sword taking second and Leok finishing third. McFarlane had an interesting battle with fellow title contender De Reuver and ‘Skippy’ claimed fourth going into the last lap but a small crash gave De Reuver the advantage. Claudio Federici came home eighth, Billy MacKenzie finished 13th.

Andrew McFarlane (Yamaha UK Race Team) – 4th - “Going into the weekend I was a bit nervous with all the changes for this season: for the first time I had to ride a qualifying race and of course the format changed to two races as well. Being consistent today was my main goal and I think I scored important points for the championship. I was not completely happy with my performance, but I was very pleased with my bike this weekend. I just consider Zolder as a solid base to build my season on.”

Claudio Federici (Team Yamaha De Carli) – 15th - ”The sandy and tough track was really hard for me. I had a good start in the first race but I went off the track and had difficulties to get going again. My start in the second race was strong again, but I rode without confidence after my crash in the first race. This is really a race to forget quickly.”

Billy Mackenzie (Team Yamaha De Carli) – 19th - ”I had a lot off arm pump in the first race, and I was absolutely not happy with my riding. We made a different set-up for the front suspension for the second race and I felt a lot more comfortable. Scoring a 13th place in the second race was not great either, but I know I can do a lot better. My shape is just coming back to GP level after all the injuries I had last week, and I know I’ll grow stronger as the season goes on.”

Andrea Bartolini (Team Yamaha RZ) – DNQ - “I tore my ligaments in my right index finger and I just did not have the power to ride. During the qualifying I could not hold the bike and crashed two times. It’s a very disappointing start of the season, but I hope my finger will heal during the week.”

Alessio Chiodi (Team Yamaha RZ) – DNQ - “I had a small accident at home during the week and I hurt my right hand, but I thought it was all right. I tried to qualify and started quite good but I had a lot of pain and I had to go into the last chance. Because of the pain I decided not to start and got some X-rays on Sunday morning. The examinations showed that I had a small bone broken.”