MXGP OF JAPAN
29 May 2005 - Yamaha Racing

Stefan Everts has won his fourth race of the season today at the Sugo circuit for the Grand Prix of Japan, the sixth round of the 2005 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship.

The reigning number one stretched his lead in the standings by two further points over main title rival Mickael Pichon and celebrated careers success number eighty-three.

Nearly 25,000 fans crowded the facility located 30km from the city of Sendai and owned by Yamaha, braving colder temperatures and grey skies compared to the summery conditions on Saturday. The organisation of the event was first class and the Sugo terrain was excellently prepared that permitted some exciting and creative racing. For the first MX1 moto Everts passed L&M team-mate Jorgensen in the second corner and led for half of the opening lap before engaging in a brief tussle with Mickael Pichon. The Frenchman was able to pull away at the front despite the best efforts of the World Champion and the Belgian completed a lonely ride in second spot ahead of KTM''s Ben Townley. Jorgensen dropped back to eighth fighting the debilitating effects of arm-pump but rallied to pass Suzuki''s Danny Theybers for seventh five laps before the flag.

The second moto was easily the best of the season and perhaps for the last few years. Everts was part of a five rider group that circulated within a three second ''blanket'' and had to fight for the lead with Pichon and Ben Townley. Fronting the jostling pack and doing his best to resist the desperate attention of Townley entering the last five laps, Everts was afforded a break when the KTM''s engine expired and he stretched his advantage over Pichon and Suzuki''s Joel Smets to several seconds. Coupled with his second place in race one it was enough for yet another Everts/Rinaldi overall winner''s trophy.

Jorgensen was only able to score eighteenth position after a crash entering the downhill right turn before the whoops on the first lap left him last. The Dane is trying to find his race speed in both a physical and mental sense after a series of health problems ranging from a concussion after a heavy crash in Portugal to a stomach illness and lately a kidney infection post-Teutschenthal, have taken their toll on his conditioning. In his quest for a record ninth World Championship Everts now leads the standings by eleven points from Pichon and forty-seven over Joel Smets in third. Jorgensen is eighth, eleven points from James Noble in seventh. Claudio Federici and Luigi Seguy did not travel to the race while Yamaha Uk Race Team rider Gordon Crockard is hopeful of a return to action late July.

The riders and teams now face a quick dash back to the west as round seven takes place in just seven days time at Matchams Park and the British Grand Prix.

Stefan Everts (L&M Yamaha Team) - Overall winner
''In one way I was a little bit relieved that Mickael won the first moto because I was ready to see what would happen in the second race. I tried really hard to turn things around in the first heat but I couldn''t catch Mickael who was riding really well and had some good lines, and I had to be satisfied with second place. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and that was the case in the first moto. I knew what I had to do later in the afternoon and kept the pressure on Mickael from the first lap and at one point managed to pass him. I won my first title in Japan and also the last GP here in 1995 at Suzuka and now I have won here. I am so happy for Yamaha because I think this is one of the most important days of the year for them and to win it in such a spectacular way is great. The fans won''t forget this Grand Prix in a hurry.''

Brian Jorgensen (L&M Yamaha Team) - Thirteenth overall
''I tried to push really hard and take good starts but I am not able to get it together at the moment. I don''t want to make excuses but perhaps after all the little injury and illness problems I have had my confidence and form is not quite right. I find it hard to change lines. It is frustrating me so much because I train so hard all winter and now I am struggling to get back my strength. In the first race made a really good start but I could not move forwards. I got arm-pump because I tried to push and ended up being too slow then panicking thinking ''What should I do?''. I had to take the race as it came. I started great in the second moto but then made that silly mistake next to the whoops defending the inside line. I need to work out something for myself quickly. The real shame is that there are not many people in the field who can take holeshots and I am confident that I can do it but at the moment I can''t stay with the guys.''

Race classification MX1

Round: 6 - Grand Prix of Japan
Circuit: Sugo
Circuit Length: 3737

Race: 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 M. Pichon Honda FRA 40'' 13.957
2 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +3.373
3 B. Townley KTM NZL +6.215
4 J. Coppins Honda NZL +38.283
5 S. Ramon KTM BEL +42.803
6 J. Smets Suzuki BEL +44.462
7 B. Jorgensen Yamaha DNK +55.152
8 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +56.185
9 J. Noble Honda GBR +57.110
10 K. De Dijcker Honda BEL +1'' 2.468
11 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1'' 9.972
12 P. Cooper Honda GBR +1'' 11.702
13 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +1'' 12.304
14 N. Kornel Suzuki HUN +1'' 13.202
15 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1'' 14.932
16 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1'' 25.559
17 K. Tsuji Honda JPN +1'' 42.269
18 M. Hucklebridge Honda GBR +1'' 42.614
19 S. Kaga Honda JPN +1'' 53.198
20 T. Koikeda Yamaha JPN +1 lap(s)

Race 2: 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 39'' 12.092
2 J. Smets Suzuki BEL +1.621
3 M. Pichon Honda FRA +2.500
4 J. Coppins Honda NZL +24.096
5 J. Noble Honda GBR +30.399
6 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +42.049
7 K. De Dijcker Honda BEL +54.987
8 S. Ramon KTM BEL +58.845
9 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1'' 6.182
10 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1'' 7.134
11 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1'' 8.103
12 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1'' 9.625
13 P. Cooper Honda GBR +1'' 17.460
14 N. Kornel Suzuki HUN +1'' 21.617
15 M. Hucklebridge Honda GBR +1'' 22.479
16 K. Tsuji Honda JPN +1'' 35.521
17 S. Kaga Honda JPN +1'' 53.835
18 B. Jorgensen Yamaha DNK +1'' 57.614
19 K. Takuma Yamaha JPN +2'' 1.007
20 I. Idehara Yamaha JPN +2'' 11.797

Championship standings MX1
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 251
2 Mickael Pichon Honda FRA 240
3 Joel Smets Suzuki BEL 204
4 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 203
5 Ben Townley KTM NZL 168
6 Steve Ramon KTM BEL 149
7 James Noble Honda GBR 132
8 Brian Jorgensen Yamaha DNK 121
9 Ken De Dijcker Honda BEL 112
10 Paul Cooper Honda GBR 98
11 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 94
12 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 87
13 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 83
14 Antti Olavi Pyrhonen TM FIN 83
15 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 80
16 Nemeth Kornel Suzuki HUN 63
17 Yoshitaka Atsuta Suzuki JPN 62
18 Mark Hucklebridge Honda GBR 52
19 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 48
20 Jussi Vehvilainen Honda FIN 48
26 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 28
30 Claudio Federici Yamaha ITA 24
36 Gordon Crockard Yamaha IRL 10


Manufacturers standings MX1
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 134
2 Honda 129
3 Suzuki 111
4 KTM 110
5 Kawasaki 50
6 TM 39
7 Husqvarna 17


MX2 : MacKenzie tops all Yamaha podium

Round: 6 - Grand Prix of Japan
Circuit: Sugo
Date: 29 May 2005
Crowd: 25000
Temp: 17ºC
Weather: Cloudy

Yamaha UK Race Team''s Billy Mackenzie has taken his first ever overall victory this afternoon at the Sugo motocross circuit for the sixth round of seventeen in the 2005 FIM Motocross World Championship; the Grand Prix of Japan.

The fifth different victor in six MX2 GPs, the fifth consecutive for Yamaha and another all-Yamaha podium rounded off a good day for the manufacturer at their home circuit. Yamaha riders also filled seven of the top eight positions at the impressively realised flyaway round; the first visit by the World series to Japan since 1995.

Grey skies and low temperatures greeted a total weekend crowd of almost 25,000 people at the venue reasonably close to the city of Sendai and the well-prepared and maintained terrain afforded opportunities for some entertaining racing. Similar to his disappearing act during the second moto in Spain, Mackenzie was clearly the fastest rider on the Japanese inclines, despite a heavy practice crash Saturday morning that left the Scot slightly dazed.

Mackenzie pushed past Mickael Maschio and Antonio Cairoli on the opening lap of the first moto to stretch out a five second margin over his Italian rival. A mistake ten minutes later when he caught the left side of the Yamaha on a bank allowed the Italian to close and swiftly pass the 21 year old on the following laps. Cairoli upped his speed to establish a gap of seven seconds by the chequered flag while Mackenzie fended off the closing Cedric Melotte. Andrew McFarlane was able to keep Kawasaki''s Stephen Sword at bay in fourth. Alessio Chiodi has been suffering from illness in the last week and his lack of fitness showed by taking the edge off his speed. A seventh in race one would be improved upon with a fifth in race two, giving a fifth overall, three places behind his countryman and title rival Cairoli. As he is prone to doing, ''number 3'' suffered a poor start in the second moto and had to work to pass Davide Guarneri and Chiodi. By the time he was up to fourth Melotte was a healthy distance adrift in third with Mackenzie having escaped and Sword a very weak shadow in second.

Winner of the last two Grand Prix in Namur and Teutschenthal, Andrew McFarlane was not able to stamp the same level of authority on proceedings and a second moto crash meant he was aiming for damage limitation with points, just breaking into the top ten. Mackenzie''s win, from Cairoli and Melotte overall, represents the first by a British rider in over a year. It also pushes him closer to the battle for the top five in the Championship standings which is headed by Cairoli with a further seven Yamaha riders in the top ten.

Round seven is barely a week away as the British Grand Prix at Matchams Park represents the second of three consecutive races.

Billy Mackenzie (Bike it Yamaha Racing) - Overall winner
''It is always a good thing to win here in Japan especially at Sugo which is owned by Yamaha. I am really happy. We had a lot of Japanese mechanics interested in the team this weekend and I am glad that I could repay that interest! I made some real quick lap-times at the start of the first moto and pulled away and had a six second lead after four or five laps. I was riding a bit tense and was struggling with my breathing. I made a mistake at the top of the circuit but pulled the clutch in and kept it running. Cairoli was right behind and put the pressure on. I had lost my rhythm and the inevitable happened, I couldn''t really do anything. I knew my speed was good and I felt great on the bike so in the second race I got the holeshot. I again went for those fast laps and concentrated on stringing them together. It was an awesome race. With ten minutes to go I started to get a bit of a sweat on! I had to tell myself to brief again but I am really happy to win. The weather did not help me in Namur and Teutschenthal but now I will be looking for more victories.''

Antonio Cairoli (Team Yamaha De carli) - Second overall
''Billy was really fast in the first part of the first moto. I stayed behind him to watch his lines but I could see that we were more or less using the same. I kept pushing until he made the mistake and I got near. I thought he might be a bit tired so it was time to take advantage and make a gap to win the race. In the second heat I lost positions in the first corner. I then used a lot of time to pass Chicco because he is very experienced and it is hard to overtake him. My goggles fogged up which did not help. I was too far from Melotte by the time I passed Chicco but this is a good result for the Championship!''

Cédric Melotte (L&M Yamaha Team) - Third overall
''I am still not satisfied with my starts, which are not good enough, but I am still quite happy with the GP because I was always around seventh or eighth at the start and could come back to the top three. I used a lot of energy in the first race and got tired in the second, I could not push anymore. My hand that I injured in Portugal is taking a long time to heal to 100%. The organisation here was really good and this was the best track of the season so far.''

Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) - Fifth overall
''Finally this race was not too bad as I have been sick all week. I was only able to ride a little bit after Teutschenthal and have not cycled or ran. I was poorly last weekend and with my low condition and jet-leg I was not well prepared for this GP. In the circumstances it could have been worse and I still took some points.''

Andrew McFarlane (Ricci Racing) - Sixth overall
''I felt good in the first moto but it was not an easy track. I suffered really badly with arm pump yesterday. I was coming back well in that race and just ran out of time basically, which was a shame as I was catching Melotte. In the second moto I started OK and Mackenzie pulled away from me as he was riding really well. I then just lost the back end coming out of the whoops. It put me off my rhythm and I struggled the whole race. I am disappointed because I had Chicco and Cairoli behind me. That''s the way it goes. Now I will go home and prepare to take a good result in England.''

Race classification MX2
Round: 6 - Grand Prix of Japan
Circuit: Sugo
Circuit Length: 3737

Race: 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA 40'' 14.858
2 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +6.919
3 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +8.212
4 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +13.857
5 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +21.832
6 M. Maschio Yamaha FRA +23.538
7 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +32.886
8 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +36.510
9 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +48.174
10 M. Bonini Honda ITA +48.527
11 P. Caps Honda BEL +51.571
12 M. Monni KTM ITA +53.485
13 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +54.099
14 T. Church Kawasaki GBR +1'' 3.529
15 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +1'' 7.739
16 E. Eggens Honda NED +1'' 9.933
17 T. Mizoguchi Kawasaki JPN +1'' 11.875
18 F. Izoird Suzuki FRA +1'' 13.523
19 W. Avis Honda RSA +1'' 16.198
20 M. Nagl KTM GER +1'' 31.491

Race 2: 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 39'' 35.772
2 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +10.779
3 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +15.383
4 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +21.254
5 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +22.973
6 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +24,655.000
7 E. Eggens Honda NED +28.280
8 A. Leok KTM EST +30.477
9 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +33.081
10 P. Caps Honda BEL +38.908
11 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +42.521
12 M. Monni KTM ITA +43.585
13 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +45.701
14 T. Katsuya Suzuki JPN +49.889
15 M. Maschio Yamaha FRA +53.608
16 M. Nagl KTM GER +1'' 1.291
17 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +1'' 4.531
18 T. Church Kawasaki GBR +1'' 10.651
19 W. Avis Honda RSA +1'' 18,703.000
20 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +1'' 23.924

Championship standings MX2
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 217
2 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 203
3 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 190
4 Andrew McFarlane Yamaha AUS 185
5 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 183
6 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 144
7 Mickael Maschio Yamaha FRA 119
8 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 111
9 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 109
10 Rui Goncalves Yamaha POR 108
11 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 95
12 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 90
13 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 85
14 Anthony Boissiere Yamaha FRA 82
15 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 80
16 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 76
17 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 74
18 Erik Eggens Honda NED 72
19 Matteo Bonini Honda ITA 64
20 Aigar Leok KTM EST 56
27 Johnny Aubert Yamaha FRA 19
29 Nicolas Aubin Yamaha FRA 18
37 Johan Carlsson Yamaha SWE 3


Manufacturers standings MX2
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 147
2 Kawasaki 112
3 KTM 88
4 Honda 74
5 Suzuki 2

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