Jake
August 23rd, 2003, 06:22 PM
Team Suzuki this weekend approach a Grand Prix that has been virtually talismanic for the small Belgian based factory outfit and the defending World Champions are in need of a lift at a crucial stage in the season if they are to hold onto their crown.
Round ten of the 2003 Motocross GP World Championship occurs at Gaildorf in southern Germany; the scene of Mickael Pichon’s title winning celebrations in both 2001 and 2002. Team owner Sylvain Geboers also tasted champagne with Greg Albertyn at the circuit back in 1994 so the venue’s historical significance will not be lost on the squad as they enter arguably one of the most important races in the 12 GP calendar.
After winning the opening three rounds on the works RM 250 Suzuki Mickael Pichon has faced a stronger and more potent threat from the 450cc four-strokes. Stefan Everts on the Yamaha has triumphed in every GP since round four with Joel Smets, steering the four-stroke KTM, missing the podium on just one occasion the whole season; the pressure has been slowly increasing on Pichon at every GP as he single-handedly fronts the two-stroke brigade.
The 27 year old from Le Mans suffered his worst race of 2003 two weeks ago at Lierop when a costly mistake and a race crash meant he could only pick up 15 points for sixth position, his lowest result for over a year. The Frenchman had lost the lead in the standings at the GP prior (in Belgium) and thanks to the sandy disaster in Holland has now dropped to third in the table; trailing Everts by 12 points and Smets by 10.
Pichon is now facing the prospect of a Grand Prix where he has shed tears for the last two consecutive seasons and where Stefan Everts has not won since 1999. The Suzuki man clinched his first title, and matched the achievement with a term of sheer dominance in 2002, by claiming victory on both occasions the GP circus wheeled into the paddock at Gaildorf.
Smets has been drawing nearer to the possibility of giving the KTM a debut GP win and like Pichon the Belgian boasts a double set of victories at Gaildorf (500cc).
“Of course Gaildorf brings back some good memories,” reflected Team manager Jens Johansson. “For sure we really need some good luck now. The last race or two have not been so great by Mickael’s standards and to be honest the Championship is not looking good. We can only do our best this weekend and see where we finish. Joel Smets is still very much in the hunt and his consistency is keeping Stefan and Mickael on their toes, which is good for the title chase and means that it isn’t quite over yet.
Last week Mickael took part in a small race in France and it was important for him to enjoy some time and relax on the bike. Kevin was also racing again in a national championship, so both riders should be ready to go for it when we get to Germany.”
18 year old Kevin Strijbos beat his team-mate for the first time two weeks ago at Leirop with fifth position, his second highest result of the season. The Belgian is nearing the end of his first campaign as a factory rider and stands ninth in the World Championships.
The eagerly awaited RM-Z250cc four-stroke Suzuki will be seen in action for the first time this weekend. Suzuki Germany have obtained two machines especially for their home GP and have enlisted the services of Marco Dorsch as a wild-card to give the bike its World Championship bow. The model will be present in the separate hospitality unit of the factory team for press and industry personnel to view.
The weather forecast for the weekend is partly cloudy with a temperature nudging 30º.
Dorna
The 2003 Motocross World Championships enter its final three week period this weekend with the first of three Grand Prix remaining in the 12 round campaign for the Motocross GP, 125 and 650 classifications.
Gaildorf is the host for the fifth consecutive year of the GP of Deutschland and has been the scene of numerous title winning celebrations in the last few years but will not witness such jubilations on Sunday thanks to the relatively close nature of the three categories and with 75 points still up for grabs.
Round nine in Lierop proved to be a decisive race in the inaugural MXGP contest. Yamaha’s Stefan Everts may have recorded his sixth win in a row and KTM’s Joel Smets his eighth podium of the season but a crash by the winner of the opening three GPs Mickael Pichon shoved the Frenchman down to sixth position his lowest finish of the year. The 27 year old had led the standings up until round eight at Namur where another victory by Everts and a third place that day for the 250cc Suzuki man saw him toppled from the number one position in a points table for the first time in over a year and a half.
Pichon now lies third and 12 points adrift from Everts (half of what the Yamaha man faced just before round four in Italy) and 10 points away from Smets who has muscled his way into second but has yet to give KTM a debut win in the class.
Mickael Pichon will be all too aware that he returns to a venue and occasion this weekend that captured the spirit of his strength and domination of the old 250cc class for the last two years. In both 2001 and 2002 the Suzuki man was unstoppable around the grassy German slopes and clinched both of his world titles at the circuit with a brace of comprehensive victories.
Smets comes to Gaildorf confident in the fact that he has also taken the winners trophy in the last two years (old 500cc category) and this makes him joint favourite with Pichon who will be summoning all the good vibes of those Championship memories to guide him back to highest step of the podium.
While the majority of the attention is focused on the chase for the first ever MXGP crown the rest of the field are busy trying to sort out the rest of the ranking as the curtain begins to rustle on the 2003 season.
Less than 20 points separates Brian Jorgensen in fourth place (who in turn is seventy six behind Pichon and can rise no further) and Yo****aka Atsuta in eighth position. In between the two Honda 450 men is the two-stroke Kawasaki pair Kenneth Gundersen and Andrew McFarlane and Yamaha’s Claudio Federici. KTM’s Jamie Dobb is set to miss out after a hefty crash at Leirop left him with a dislocated shoulder and fractured ribs. His team-mate Pit Beirer, who was seriously injured at the GP of Bulgaria in June is attending his first motocross meeting since the career-ending accident.
The 125 series has been a hot bed of activity this season. Four riders have taken GP wins from nine races and the top three remain within 30 points of each other. Factory KTM representative Steve Ramon leads the way by 23 points ahead of Andrea Bartolini on the 250cc four-stroke Yamaha. The recurring headline over the last few races has once again been hogged by Stefan Everts who has completed four double moto successes (consecutively) and has claimed five wins from the six 125 races he has contested, pushing his way to fourth in the points table.
Defending number one Mickael Maschio, who has signed on again with Kawasaki to ride their new 250cc four-stroke in 2004, stands in third position overall and with a slim chance of holding onto his title. The Frenchman triumphed at Gaildorf twelve months ago while his countryman Luigi Seguy was a deserving victor back in 2001.
Suzuki are set to unveil their new 250cc four-stroke in the hands of local rider Marco Dorsch. The German branch of the company have secured the use of the machinery yet to be seen on the World Championship stage and Dorsch’s progress is sure to be followed closely.
The 650 category resumed normal service in Lierop with Joel Smets guiding the KTM to his eighth win from nine races after Cedric Melotte’s brief ‘interruption’ in Namur. The Honda man crashed twice and then suffered a mechanical breakdown two weeks ago, which dented his aspirations of the number two plate or even a unlikely World Championship; he now faces a 29 point deficit to Javier Garcia Vico who has been on the podium all season and has missed the runner-up berth in only two GPs. Thanks to the Spaniard’s consistency Smets is not running away with the World Championship and heads the pack by 26 points.
The weather for the weekend is predicted to be warm and cloudy.
MA Preview
Brisbane rider Andrew McFarlane (Kawasaki) goes into this Sunday’s 10th round of the Motocross World Championship in sixth position – but he could leave in fourth position if he maintains his current form.
That’s because the multiple Australian champion is currently on 1o5pts with three rounds remaining, only seven behind fourth-placed Dane Brian Jorgensen (Honda, 112). However, the 26-year-old has consistently got the better of Jorgensen – and fourth-placed teammate Kenneth Gundersen (Kawasaki, 111) – in recent times, which he hopes will hold him in good stead on the expansive Gaildorf layout in Germany. In other words, McFarlane has done all the chipping – now for the charge.
But to make good on his master plan at Gaildorf – located between Munich and Frankfurt -- McFarlane will have to improve his qualifying performances, which have proved to be his bugbear all year. Even though he bucked the trend in the last round -- he qualified in a lowly 22th before getting as high as third in the opening laps – the Australian is fully aware that he cannot be a dove in the preliminaries and a hawk on race day – his fellow competitors won’t let him get away with it.
Round ten of the 2003 Motocross GP World Championship occurs at Gaildorf in southern Germany; the scene of Mickael Pichon’s title winning celebrations in both 2001 and 2002. Team owner Sylvain Geboers also tasted champagne with Greg Albertyn at the circuit back in 1994 so the venue’s historical significance will not be lost on the squad as they enter arguably one of the most important races in the 12 GP calendar.
After winning the opening three rounds on the works RM 250 Suzuki Mickael Pichon has faced a stronger and more potent threat from the 450cc four-strokes. Stefan Everts on the Yamaha has triumphed in every GP since round four with Joel Smets, steering the four-stroke KTM, missing the podium on just one occasion the whole season; the pressure has been slowly increasing on Pichon at every GP as he single-handedly fronts the two-stroke brigade.
The 27 year old from Le Mans suffered his worst race of 2003 two weeks ago at Lierop when a costly mistake and a race crash meant he could only pick up 15 points for sixth position, his lowest result for over a year. The Frenchman had lost the lead in the standings at the GP prior (in Belgium) and thanks to the sandy disaster in Holland has now dropped to third in the table; trailing Everts by 12 points and Smets by 10.
Pichon is now facing the prospect of a Grand Prix where he has shed tears for the last two consecutive seasons and where Stefan Everts has not won since 1999. The Suzuki man clinched his first title, and matched the achievement with a term of sheer dominance in 2002, by claiming victory on both occasions the GP circus wheeled into the paddock at Gaildorf.
Smets has been drawing nearer to the possibility of giving the KTM a debut GP win and like Pichon the Belgian boasts a double set of victories at Gaildorf (500cc).
“Of course Gaildorf brings back some good memories,” reflected Team manager Jens Johansson. “For sure we really need some good luck now. The last race or two have not been so great by Mickael’s standards and to be honest the Championship is not looking good. We can only do our best this weekend and see where we finish. Joel Smets is still very much in the hunt and his consistency is keeping Stefan and Mickael on their toes, which is good for the title chase and means that it isn’t quite over yet.
Last week Mickael took part in a small race in France and it was important for him to enjoy some time and relax on the bike. Kevin was also racing again in a national championship, so both riders should be ready to go for it when we get to Germany.”
18 year old Kevin Strijbos beat his team-mate for the first time two weeks ago at Leirop with fifth position, his second highest result of the season. The Belgian is nearing the end of his first campaign as a factory rider and stands ninth in the World Championships.
The eagerly awaited RM-Z250cc four-stroke Suzuki will be seen in action for the first time this weekend. Suzuki Germany have obtained two machines especially for their home GP and have enlisted the services of Marco Dorsch as a wild-card to give the bike its World Championship bow. The model will be present in the separate hospitality unit of the factory team for press and industry personnel to view.
The weather forecast for the weekend is partly cloudy with a temperature nudging 30º.
Dorna
The 2003 Motocross World Championships enter its final three week period this weekend with the first of three Grand Prix remaining in the 12 round campaign for the Motocross GP, 125 and 650 classifications.
Gaildorf is the host for the fifth consecutive year of the GP of Deutschland and has been the scene of numerous title winning celebrations in the last few years but will not witness such jubilations on Sunday thanks to the relatively close nature of the three categories and with 75 points still up for grabs.
Round nine in Lierop proved to be a decisive race in the inaugural MXGP contest. Yamaha’s Stefan Everts may have recorded his sixth win in a row and KTM’s Joel Smets his eighth podium of the season but a crash by the winner of the opening three GPs Mickael Pichon shoved the Frenchman down to sixth position his lowest finish of the year. The 27 year old had led the standings up until round eight at Namur where another victory by Everts and a third place that day for the 250cc Suzuki man saw him toppled from the number one position in a points table for the first time in over a year and a half.
Pichon now lies third and 12 points adrift from Everts (half of what the Yamaha man faced just before round four in Italy) and 10 points away from Smets who has muscled his way into second but has yet to give KTM a debut win in the class.
Mickael Pichon will be all too aware that he returns to a venue and occasion this weekend that captured the spirit of his strength and domination of the old 250cc class for the last two years. In both 2001 and 2002 the Suzuki man was unstoppable around the grassy German slopes and clinched both of his world titles at the circuit with a brace of comprehensive victories.
Smets comes to Gaildorf confident in the fact that he has also taken the winners trophy in the last two years (old 500cc category) and this makes him joint favourite with Pichon who will be summoning all the good vibes of those Championship memories to guide him back to highest step of the podium.
While the majority of the attention is focused on the chase for the first ever MXGP crown the rest of the field are busy trying to sort out the rest of the ranking as the curtain begins to rustle on the 2003 season.
Less than 20 points separates Brian Jorgensen in fourth place (who in turn is seventy six behind Pichon and can rise no further) and Yo****aka Atsuta in eighth position. In between the two Honda 450 men is the two-stroke Kawasaki pair Kenneth Gundersen and Andrew McFarlane and Yamaha’s Claudio Federici. KTM’s Jamie Dobb is set to miss out after a hefty crash at Leirop left him with a dislocated shoulder and fractured ribs. His team-mate Pit Beirer, who was seriously injured at the GP of Bulgaria in June is attending his first motocross meeting since the career-ending accident.
The 125 series has been a hot bed of activity this season. Four riders have taken GP wins from nine races and the top three remain within 30 points of each other. Factory KTM representative Steve Ramon leads the way by 23 points ahead of Andrea Bartolini on the 250cc four-stroke Yamaha. The recurring headline over the last few races has once again been hogged by Stefan Everts who has completed four double moto successes (consecutively) and has claimed five wins from the six 125 races he has contested, pushing his way to fourth in the points table.
Defending number one Mickael Maschio, who has signed on again with Kawasaki to ride their new 250cc four-stroke in 2004, stands in third position overall and with a slim chance of holding onto his title. The Frenchman triumphed at Gaildorf twelve months ago while his countryman Luigi Seguy was a deserving victor back in 2001.
Suzuki are set to unveil their new 250cc four-stroke in the hands of local rider Marco Dorsch. The German branch of the company have secured the use of the machinery yet to be seen on the World Championship stage and Dorsch’s progress is sure to be followed closely.
The 650 category resumed normal service in Lierop with Joel Smets guiding the KTM to his eighth win from nine races after Cedric Melotte’s brief ‘interruption’ in Namur. The Honda man crashed twice and then suffered a mechanical breakdown two weeks ago, which dented his aspirations of the number two plate or even a unlikely World Championship; he now faces a 29 point deficit to Javier Garcia Vico who has been on the podium all season and has missed the runner-up berth in only two GPs. Thanks to the Spaniard’s consistency Smets is not running away with the World Championship and heads the pack by 26 points.
The weather for the weekend is predicted to be warm and cloudy.
MA Preview
Brisbane rider Andrew McFarlane (Kawasaki) goes into this Sunday’s 10th round of the Motocross World Championship in sixth position – but he could leave in fourth position if he maintains his current form.
That’s because the multiple Australian champion is currently on 1o5pts with three rounds remaining, only seven behind fourth-placed Dane Brian Jorgensen (Honda, 112). However, the 26-year-old has consistently got the better of Jorgensen – and fourth-placed teammate Kenneth Gundersen (Kawasaki, 111) – in recent times, which he hopes will hold him in good stead on the expansive Gaildorf layout in Germany. In other words, McFarlane has done all the chipping – now for the charge.
But to make good on his master plan at Gaildorf – located between Munich and Frankfurt -- McFarlane will have to improve his qualifying performances, which have proved to be his bugbear all year. Even though he bucked the trend in the last round -- he qualified in a lowly 22th before getting as high as third in the opening laps – the Australian is fully aware that he cannot be a dove in the preliminaries and a hawk on race day – his fellow competitors won’t let him get away with it.