World Supermoto - Spa 2003

8000 spectators watched the World Supermoto action at the karting circuit that is part of the Spa Francorchamps complex.

Overnight changes in the weather meant that the riders faced a wet and slippery track during morning warm up for the penultimate round of the FIM S1 Supermoto World Championship.

The change in conditions meant a recalibration of machine set-up to cope with the conditions. At the end of the session Fabrice Guyot (FRA-Husqvarna) had registered the quickest time with a 1:09:552, ahead of Gerald Delepine (BEL-Vertemati) 1:10:364, Boris Chambon (FRA-KTM) 1:10:414 and S1 race one pole-sitter Eddy Seel (BEL-Husqvarna) 1:10:589.

With the weather conditions worsening, Eddy Seel (BEL-Husqvarna) used his pole position to good effect to lead from start to finish in S1 Race 1 and register a significant victory in the championship battle. Grabbing the holeshot, Seel immediately opened a gap back to the main pack with a series of quick laps early on in the race.

Behind him, the S1 series leader, Boris Chambon (FRA-KTM) and, the hard-charging, Max Manzo (ITA-Vertemati) were locked in a head to head battle for second throughout most of the twelve lap race. Jurgen Kunzel (GER-KTM), running in third position in the championship, was forced to retire from the race, after nine laps, due to machine problems.

During an incident strewn conclusion to the race the leading positions changed dramatically. On the eleventh lap, both Chambon and Manzo crashed out, dropping back down the field and out of contention for the race win. Significantly, Chambon finished outside the top ten, in twelfth, and failed to register any points.

Cruising home, Seel took the victory, over fifteen seconds ahead of the eventual second placed finisher, Eric Lambert (FRA-Yamaha). Massimo Beltrami (ITA-Husqvarna) grabbed third ahead of Ivan Lazzarini (ITA-Rigo Husaberg) and Fabrice Guyot (FRA-Husqvarna) in fifth.

With the rain still falling, Eddy Seel continued to show his mastery of the conditions in S1 race two. Grabbing the holeshot, Seel reeled off a string of consistently fast laps from the outset which quickly established him a comfortable advantage over the rest of the field.

Behind him a massive pileup on the opening lap, involving most of the second and third rows of the grid, decimated the field and gave a huge advantage to the riders that had managed to avoid it. With Seel showing outstanding form in the wet, Ivan Lazzarini was faced with the task of chasing down the race leader in the treacherous conditions. Despite the Italian riders best efforts he was never able to close the gap to the front-runner as Seel controlled the race pace throughout the twelve-lap race.

Boris Chambon, the series leader, held third position through the opening laps but, as the race reached its halfway point, he began to drop back down the field eventually finishing in sixth place. Dominating the race, Eddy Seel cruised home for his second win of the day. Ivan Lazzarini registered second after a fighting performance, some way ahead of the eventual third placed rider Max Manzo. Thierry Godfroid (BEL-Kawasaki) grabbed fourth ahead of series stalwart Pet Vorlicek (CZE-Tuning Sport KTM) in fifth.

SuperPole saw the top four riders with the best cumulative results from races 1 & 2 on a timed lap to decide the front row of the grid for the SuperFinal. As a result of his earlier outstanding performances, Christian Iddon (GBR-Team Iddon Husaberg UK) was the first rider to take to the track, recording a 1:15:578 in his S1 SuperPole debut. The next rider, Max Manzo (ITA-Vertemati) was not able to match this and he posted a 1:19:455. Next up, Ivan Lazzarini (ITA-Rigo Husaberg) set the mark to beat with a time of 1:14:058. However, the last man up, race 1&2 winner, Eddy Seel (BEL-Husqvarna) pulled out all the stops to post a stunning time of 1:13:028 and secure pole-position on the grid for the SuperFinal.

With the conditions contributing to longer lap times the SuperFinal was rescheduled to run for twenty laps instead of the usual twenty four. At the start of the SuperFinal the pole-sitter, Eddy Seel, once again quickly moved to the front of the field and reeled of a succession of fast laps through the early stages of the race. This time, Max Manzo provided a race long challenge to Seel's supremacy but the determined Italian was never able to break the Belgian riders masterful control of the race pace. Boris Chambon had a miserable time, early mistakes forcing him to battle through the pack to eventually finish in fourteenth.

Maintaining his advantage throughout the race, Seel was always able to respond to challenges from the spirited Manzo as the front two opened a gap back to the rest of the pack. Ivan Lazzarini ran most of the race in a lonely third position ahead of a charging Gerald Delepine (ITA-Vertemati) who was looking to make up for his disappointment in the earlier races. Having led the race from start to finish, Eddy Seel crossed the line to become the first man this year to register a perfect three wins in a day. Max Manzo trailed Seel home in second after a determined ride ahead of the third placed rider Ivan Lazzarini. Gerald Delepine finished in fourth ahead of Pet Vorlicek, who capped an excellent days performance by finishing in fifth.

The official debut of Aprilia also happened at Spa, with the young rider Alex De Angelis. Even though the final result was not high, due to the lack of experience of the young rider in this discipline, Aprilia was more than happy with the performance of their new twin cylinder. They have confirmed their presence at the final round in Spain.

With six wins in eight races Eddy Seel (BEL-Husqvarna) 401points has now moved into the lead of the FIM S1 Supermoto World Championship with one round remaining. Boris Chambon (FRA-KTM) 380points drops down into second after a miserable weekend. Jurgen Kunzel (GER-KTM) 372points maintains his slim championship challenge ahead of Max Manzo (ITA-Vertemati) 283points in fourth and Ivan Lazzarini (ITA-Rigo Husaberg) 280points in fifth.

With the title of 2003 FIM S1 Supermoto World Champion still up for grabs the final round of the series, the GP of Spain, takes place in Finestrat on the 29th & 30th November.

Classification SuperFinal
1 SEEL Eddy (BEL-Husqvarna) 1 :12.248
2 MANZO Max (ITA-Vertemati) 1 :11.941
3 LAZZARINI Ivan (ITA-Rigo Husaberg) 1 :12.468
4 DELEPINE Gerald (BEL-Vertemati) 1 :12.049
5 VORLICEK Pet (CZE-Tuning Sport KTM) 1 :13.256
6 KÜNZEL Jürgen (GER-KTM) 1 :12.108
7 FIORENTINO Frederic (BEL-KTM Team Bizar) 1 :13.007
8 BELTRAMI Massimo (ITA-Husqvarna) 1 :13.281
9 GODFROID Thierry (BEL-Kawasaki) 1 :13.017
10 CROSSET Danny (BEL-Factory Gas Gas) 1 :13.915

World Championship Classification :
1 Eddy Seel (BEL-Husqvarna) 401 points
2 Boris Chambon (FRA-KTM) 380 points
3 Jürgen Künzel (GER-KTM) 372 points
4 Max Manzo (ITA-Vertemati) 283 points
5 Ivan Lazzarini (ITA-Rigo Husaberg) 280 points
6 Gérald Delepine (BEL-Vertemati) 268 points
7 Frédéric Fiorentino (BEL-KTM Team Bizar) 216 points
8 Fabrice Guyot (FRA-Husqvarna) 210 points
9 Massimo Beltrami (ITA-Husqvarna) 198 points
10 William Rubio (FRA-Husqvarna) 155 points

Manufacturer’s Classification :
1 Husqvarna 459 points
2 KTM 454 points
3 Vertemati 381 points
4 Husaberg 284 points
5 Yamaha 99 points
6 Honda 99 points
7 TM 90 points
8 Kawasaki 30 points
9 VOR 24 points
10 Gas Gas 12 points
11 CCM 3 points