EVERTS FOURTH AFTER TOUGH FRENCH GP
26 June 2005 - Yamaha Racing

Even more so after the recent overhaul the sun baked St. Jean d''Angely circuit proved to be a real test of rider and machine.

As if the combination of a soft top surface laced with rocks underneath and heavy rain showers during the night were not enough of a challenge, the menacing climbs and fearful drop offs pushed all competitors to the limit.

Repeating his Italian GP victory New-Zealand''s Ben Townley (KTM) proved the strongest claiming both heat wins. Fellow countryman Josh Coppins was second, Pichon completed the podium. Stefan Everts had a weekend of mixed feelings, not coming to terms with the track during Saturday''s qualifying session and finishing second and seventh on Sunday. Brian Jorgensen had an off-weekend as well, the Dane only scored a fifteenth place finish. Stefan Everts remains leader in the MX 1 class with 375 points, ahead of Coppins with 316 points and Townley with 304 points. Jorgensen is still eighth.

Race one saw the previous GP''s overall winner Ben Townley riding to another win. It was however another kiwi, Josh Coppins who claimed the holeshot, closely followed by Everts, Smets and local favourite Michaël Pichon. With Pichon quickly climbing up to second, a new battle between the French star and Everts seemed possible. For thirteen laps the positions remained deadlocked but Pichon could not close the gap sufficiently on Everts to make a successful pass. Townley on the other hand was putting in the fastest laps of the day and climbed up from sixth after the opening lap to overtake Pichon for second on lap 14. Townley started building the pressure on Everts and finally passed him with three laps to go. Everts crossed the finish line 7.094 seconds behind Townley, followed by Josh Coppins, Mickael Pichon in fourth and Steve Ramon (KTM) in fifth.

Over 28.000 spectators saw an hungry Townley dicing for the holeshot and the MX2 world champion made no mistake in race two leading from start to finish. Everts climbed up to second on the second lap, but the eight-fold world champion cased a table top jump and bent his handlebars in the crash. Stefan had to come in to get his handlebars fixed, but the legend did not give up and fought hard to recover from 28th to take seventh and the fourteen points who came with it. Coppins came home second, ahead of Pichon, Barragan and France''s Pascal Leuret.

The tenth round of the championship takes place at Uddevalla, in Sweden next weekend.

Stefan Everts (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - fourth overall
''I was completely empty of the end of the first race. When Townley came by I just had to let him go. I was not in my best shape here, but fair play to Townley he was the fastest and had some good lines. In between races I received intravenous food and I felt a little better for the start of the second race. Normally I would have managed two second places today, but it just happened that I cased this jump. Several times it had been a near crash, but now I could not save it. My position was pretty bad, but I never thought about giving up and I just kept going. Seventh is not brilliant but all points are important and my leading position in the championship is still intact.''

Brian Jorgensen (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - 17th overall
''I had two bad starts, but I just had myself to blame as my reaction from the gate was too slow. I got hit sideways from a jump and had quite a big crash in the first race, to preserve my energy for the second race and because I was in a very bad position I decided it was better to pull out. All weekend long I had been struggling to find the right set up for the engine and suspension and the second race did not go as I would loved to either. In the exact same place as my crash in the first race two riders crashed in front of me and I could not avoid them. I finished 15th in the end. With the Swedish GP next week I will take the opportunity to visit my family in Denmark and relax a little.''

If you would like to know how Yamaha has made the aluminum framed 2006 YZ450F the reference for the MX 1 class please click here: http://www.yamaha-racing.com/mx1/headline.asp?PressID=1166


Race classification MX1

Round: 9 - Grand Prix of France
Circuit: St Jean d''Angely
Race: 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 B. Townley KTM NZL 40'' 0.796
2 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +7.094
3 J. Coppins Honda NZL +17.444
4 M. Pichon Honda FRA +33.274
5 S. Ramon KTM BEL +43.161
6 J. Smets Suzuki BEL +1'' 13,149.000
7 A. Meo Husqvarna FRA +1'' 21.094
8 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1'' 31.146
9 N. Kornel Suzuki HUN +1'' 40.896
10 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1'' 55.232
11 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1 lap(s)
12 J. Vehvilainen Honda FIN +1 lap(s)
13 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1 lap(s)
14 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1 lap(s)
15 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +1 lap(s)
16 K. De Dijcker Honda BEL +1 lap(s)
17 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s)
18 V. Turpin Suzuki FRA +1 lap(s)
19 C. Martin KTM FRA +1 lap(s)
20 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s)

Race 2: 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 B. Townley KTM NZL 39'' 58.274
2 J. Coppins Honda NZL +7.398
3 M. Pichon Honda FRA +21.791
4 J. Barragan KTM ESP +53.036
5 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1'' 1.646
6 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1'' 24.217
7 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +1'' 31.345
8 S. Ramon KTM BEL +1'' 33.758
9 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1'' 39.763
10 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1'' 46.017
11 N. Kornel Suzuki HUN +2'' 1.414
12 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1 lap(s)
13 J. Vehvilainen Honda FIN +1 lap(s)
14 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1 lap(s)
15 B. Jorgensen Yamaha DNK +1 lap(s)
16 J. Smets Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s)
17 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s)
18 L. Freibergs Suzuki LVA +1 lap(s)
19 F. Dini KTM ITA +1 lap(s)
20 C. Martin KTM FRA +1 lap(s)

Championship standings MX1
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 375
2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 316
3 Ben Townley KTM NZL 304
4 Mickael Pichon Honda FRA 299
5 Joel Smets Suzuki BEL 296
6 Steve Ramon KTM BEL 232
7 Brian Jorgensen Yamaha DNK 164
8 James Noble Honda GBR 160
9 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 159
10 Ken De Dijcker Honda BEL 148
11 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 141
12 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 135
13 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 132
14 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 131
15 Antti Olavi Pyrhonen TM FIN 129
16 Yoshitaka Atsuta Suzuki JPN 114
17 Paul Cooper Honda GBR 109
18 Nemeth Kornel Suzuki HUN 95
19 Mark Hucklebridge Honda GBR 67
20 Jussi Vehvilainen Honda FIN 65
25 Claudio Federici Yamaha ITA 39


Manufacturers standings MX1
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 199
2 Honda 189
3 KTM 180
4 Suzuki 162
5 Kawasaki 70
6 TM 62
7 Husqvarna 23


MX2 : Local hero Boissiere takes second
Round: 9 - Grand Prix of France
Circuit: St Jean d''Angely
Date: 26 June 2005
Crowd: 28000
Temp: 36ºC
Weather: Very Hot

The Grand Prix of France witnessed some exciting racing in the MX2 class with the surprising David Philippaerts (KTM) topping the winner''s podium followed by home rider Anthony Boissiere (Yamaha PSM-Casola) and Carl Nunn (KTM). Andrew McFarlane (Ricci Racing) equaled third placed Nunn on points, gaining the provisional lead in the MX2 standings with 301 points, his team mate Alessio Chiodi trails by six points, Antonio Cairoli is third a further 25 points adrift.

In typical fashion a blue bike claimed the holeshot and this time it was Andrew McFarlane who made it ahead of Chiodi and Maschio. The heat and treacherous track with many ruts and technical sections gave riders a real challenge. Chiodi took control from the first lap but he could not resist his countryman Philippaerts. Philippaerts quickly ran off and won the race with a 25 second margin over second placed Alessio Chiodi. Former world champ Mickael Maschio seemed ''en route'' to a terrific third in front of his home crowd until he made a mistake in one of the many ruts. That was after Yamaha L&M Motocross Team rider had knocked himself out of contention clipping the rear wheel of Maschio in an attempt to overtake ''Mickey''. However the young Anthony Boissiere (Yamaha PSM Casola) gave the crowd something to cheer for with a strong fourth. The French crowd saw two other French youngsters reach the top ten with Nicolas Aubin (Yamaha JK Racing) coming home ninth and Christophe Pourcel (Kawasaki) finishing tenth. Andrew McFarlane bounced back from a first lap crash that saw him drop to seventh to claim third in the end.

It was a close call but Carl Nunn (KTM) just beat Romberto Lombrici for the holeshot of the second MX2 race, with Boissiere, Maschio and Chiodi close behind. Nunn''s lead was short lived as Boissiere quickly made his intentions clear passing Nunn in the third lap after a short fight. Boissiere, 19, regularly clocked the fastest times on the track confirming the speed he showed in the first race -and the strong results he scored at the Saint-Jean d''Angely track last year. Until two laps before the end Boissiere was even virtual Grand Prix winner with a better second race result giving him the edge over David Philippaerts. All this changed ultimately when Mackenzie- after an impressive comeback from eleventh to second- crashed out of the runner up position. Philippaerts moved up to third, enough to win the overall Grand Prix. Australia''s Mcfarlane rode his YZ250FM to fourth, ahead of Yamaha trio Melotte, Goncalves and Chiodi.

Previous championship leader Antonio Cairoli (Team Yamaha De Carli) got excluded from Sunday''s race and received a 4000 dollar fine after a special jury meeting on Saturday evening. During the second qualification race of the MX2 class Cairoli had instigated a disappointing and regrettable incident. The Team Yamaha De Carli rider reacted strongly against Davide Guarneri who accidentally had caused Cairoli to crash. Team Yamaha De Carli has offered their apologies to Davide Guarneri, the Team Ricci Racing and all who were offended by the incident, directly or indirectly, to the supporters and the sponsors of the team, to Yamaha and to the national and International Motorcycle Federations. Furthermore Team Yamaha De Carli has accepted the jury decision without appeal. Cairoli has personally apologized to Guarneri and expressed his regret about what has happened. Antonio''s reaction was not justifiable and certainly not a reflection of his everyday personality. This behavior is fitting with nor his personal beliefs or his view on the sport, and does not have any precedent in his career.

Anthony Boissiere (Yamaha PSM-Casola) - Second overall
''This was just a terrific surprise, I only came back from a broken shoulder bone in this very race. I had a little bit of luck on my side today, because things are so much easier with good starts! When I was leading in the second race I did not even think about the overall, I was just pushing and trying to hold on till the end. I was completely knackered by the end, but it felt great to have the support of my home crowd and they pulled me through. I''m very happy with the result, even if I was close to winning the Grand Prix my first race win is not bad either!''

Andrew McFarlane (Ricci Racing) - fourth overall
''With my holeshot in the first race I probably had my best start of the year so far, unfortunately I lost the front hitting a braking bump going into the second lap. Than I went from ninth to third but I crashed again four or five laps before the end. I needed sixteen stitches in my left arm in between races, and it was pretty tough in the second race with my arm injured. I was pretty happy with my riding, but when Maschio crashed I could not avoid him and went over the handlebars myself. It was a shame because I made some good passes and my speed was good as well.''

Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) - Fifth overall
''Not the best GP, but it could be worse as well. During the last chance qualifying race yesterday I touched the ground inconveniently and hurt my left knee. This certainly kept me back today with all the big jumps and the rough track out there. In the second heat I felt that I had been working so hard with my right leg to compensate for the other. That and the heat made it a really brutal race.''

Cédric Melotte (L&M Yamaha Team) - eleventh overall
''This was a very hard weekend and I felt completely drowned by the heat and humidity. I came back from a weak start in the first heat and I was behind Maschio just about to take third. I went for the pass and then I went down, I honestly can not remember what exactly happened. I hurt my neck again, after a crash during practice earlier this week. With my neck and my shoulder hurting I felt pretty worn out going into the second race. I did all I could and given the conditions it was not so bad to take fifth in the end.''

For more information on how Yamaha has translated its GP winning technology into the 2006 YZ250F please go to the following link: http://www.yamaha-racing.com/mx2/headline.asp?PressID=1165


Race classification MX2
Round: 9 - Grand Prix of France
Circuit: St Jean d''Angely

Race: 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA 40'' 48.844
2 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +25.168
3 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +32.463
4 A. Boissiere Yamaha FRA +40.475
5 C. Nunn KTM GBR +45.713
6 M. Nagl KTM GER +50.675
7 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +53.841
8 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +55.532
9 N. Aubin Yamaha FRA +58.118
10 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +1'' 8.400
11 A. Leok KTM EST +1'' 21.984
12 M. Bonini Honda ITA +1'' 47.161
13 P.A.. Renet Yamaha FRA +1'' 48.980
14 S. Simpson Honda GBR +1 lap(s)
15 M. Monni KTM ITA +1 lap(s)
16 T. Church Kawasaki GBR +1 lap(s)
17 T. De Belder Honda BEL +2 lap(s)
18 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +2 lap(s)
19 R.. Lombrici Yamaha ITA +2 lap(s)
20 M. Maschio Yamaha FRA +8 lap(s)

Race 2: 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 A. Boissiere Yamaha FRA 40'' 50.077
2 C. Nunn KTM GBR +2.336
3 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +26.427
4 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +37.952
5 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +56.706
6 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +1'' 8.490
7 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +1'' 14.682
8 W. Avis Honda RSA +1'' 23.661
9 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +1'' 28.320
10 M. Bonini Honda ITA +1'' 34.450
11 M. Nagl KTM GER +1'' 38.376
12 M. Maschio Yamaha FRA +1'' 44.039
13 E. Eggens Honda NED +2'' 1.122
14 J. Dougan Honda GBR +2'' 36.185
15 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +1 lap(s)
16 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1 lap(s)
17 M. Monni KTM ITA +1 lap(s)
18 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +1 lap(s)
19 R.. Lombrici Yamaha ITA +2 lap(s)
20 T. De Belder Honda BEL +3 lap(s)

Championship standings MX2
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Andrew McFarlane Yamaha AUS 301
2 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 295
3 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 270
4 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 262
5 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 237
6 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 218
7 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 188
8 Mickael Maschio Yamaha FRA 169
9 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 166
10 Rui Goncalves Yamaha POR 165
11 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 153
12 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 148
13 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 142
14 Anthony Boissiere Yamaha FRA 125
15 Matteo Bonini Honda ITA 108
16 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 104
17 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 99
18 Erik Eggens Honda NED 94
19 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 90
20 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 90


Manufacturers standings MX2
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 219
2 Kawasaki 165
3 KTM 155
4 Honda 114
5 Suzuki 4

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