EVERTS SECOND IN SUN CITY
17 July 2005 - Yamaha Racing

Stefan Everts left Sun City and the Grand Prix of South Africa this afternoon a frustrated man as an error on the last lap of the second moto while leading cost him the chance of celebrating his 85th career success.

Everts'' mistake presented Coppins with a second successive GP victory. Yamaha L&M Motocross team rider Brian Jorgensen was seventh overall. Everts still leads the MX1 world championship with 455 points, Coppins is second with 416 points.

The eleventh round of the 2005 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship occurred under hot sunshine and in front of 18,000 fans. The newly renovated terrain at the Sun City circuit offered a technical test but the hard-pack supercross style layout was slippery in sections and caught out many of the GP stars.

Everts started reasonably brightly in the first moto from his first pole position in almost two years and moved into third on the first lap. He forced his way past Coppins (Honda) and then assumed control on the fifth circulation of twenty by passing the winner of the two last Grand Prix Ben Townley (KTM). Townley crashed and remounted to finish fourth shortly afterwards but Coppins embarked in a relentless pursuit of the eight time World Champion and instigated a thrilling chase to the chequered flag that saw several lead changes and various backmarker-dodging as the pair were barely separated by more than two seconds. Approaching the last two laps Coppins moved to the front once more and held off the Belgian to claim his third successive moto victory.

The second race was a less frantic affair but it was all about Everts and Coppins once more. The defending number one was in no mood for further frivolities and proceeded to pull away to a lead of over ten seconds. Incredibly while acknowledging the crowd on the last lap he lost control and crashed damaging the front brake lever in the process. Coppins was able to regain ground quickly and claim the Grand Prix. Everts was naturally very disappointed and is bound to be even more annoyed by the six points he gifted to Coppins, slimming his lead in the Championship to 39. KTM''s Steve Ramon completed the podium.

Brian Jorgensen had a smile on his face for the first time in three Grand Prix. The Dane was only satisfied with his result of seventh overall but was able to enjoy his race time. In the first moto he was twelfth after a crash relegated him from fourth spot and needed time to restart. In the second sprint he collected eighth position. It was his best points haul since the Grand Prix of Italy in June and he lies tenth in the Championship table.

The twelfth round of the series will take place in two weeks time at Nismes for the Grand Prix of Wallonie in Belgium.

Stefan Everts (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - 2nd overall
''I am really unhappy with this. I made a stupid crash on the last lap and had a problem with the front brake. I had beaten Josh and I deserved the victory today. In the first moto I had more problems with the lappers - they seem to be a hassle at every GP - but Josh rode really well. I hope that I can win in Belgium because I wanted it really badly here.''

Brian Jorgensen (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - seventh overall ''In the first race I started really well and was fourth. I was just trying to follow the guys and get a smooth rhythm. I felt really good and was watching their lines and hanging with them. There wasn''t really anyone close behind me so I could experiment with my lines and really focus on my speed. On the big double after the start I made a small crash and stalled the bike. It was really slippery and I wanted to jump on the inside but the bike cut out. It took me a while to restart and I was down in about 16th or 17th and I came back to twelfth. I really enjoyed the conditions here, the jumps were well prepared and the track was a pleasure to ride. In the second race I actually thought I had the holeshot but I shut off a little bit too early as I was close to crashing. I was 7th or 8th but was too conservative on the first lap. I went to the outside on the rhythm section because it was safer but some people headed up the inside, so that was little bit of an early mistake. I caught a better rhythm towards the end and overall it was not a fantastic result but an enjoyable day.''



Race classification MX1

Round: 11 - Grand Prix of South Africa
Circuit: Sun City

Race: 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 J. Coppins Honda NZL 39'' 35.801
2 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +1.223
3 S. Ramon KTM BEL +31.705
4 B. Townley KTM NZL +45.039
5 J. Smets Suzuki BEL +1'' 9.944
6 P. Cooper Honda GBR +1'' 14.565
7 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1'' 23.022
8 J. Noble Honda GBR +1'' 25.178
9 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1'' 26.915
10 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1'' 27.618
11 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1'' 28.040
12 B. Jorgensen Yamaha DNK +1'' 30.622
13 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1'' 31.551
14 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +1'' 33.686
15 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1'' 50.230
16 J. Dobes Kawasaki CZE +1 lap(s)
17 M. Hucklebridge Honda GBR +1 lap(s)
18 R. van der Westhuizen Honda RSA +1 lap(s)
19 K. De Dijcker Honda BEL +1 lap(s)
20 J. Umpleby Yamaha RSA +1 lap(s)

Race 2: 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 J. Coppins Honda NZL 39'' 59.683
2 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +19.909
3 S. Ramon KTM BEL +37.746
4 J. Barragan KTM ESP +45.815
5 P. Leuret Honda FRA +48.444
6 J. Smets Suzuki BEL +50.319
7 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +1'' 3.560
8 B. Jorgensen Yamaha DNK +1'' 7.125
9 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1'' 8.751
10 K. De Dijcker Honda BEL +1'' 21.929
11 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1'' 28.947
12 J. Noble Honda GBR +1'' 35.324
13 M. Hucklebridge Honda GBR +1'' 38.388
14 P. Cooper Honda GBR +1'' 39.004
15 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1 lap(s)
16 J. Dobes Kawasaki CZE +1 lap(s)
17 B. Townley KTM NZL +1 lap(s)
18 R. van der Westhuizen Honda RSA +1 lap(s)
19 J. Umpleby Yamaha RSA +1 lap(s)
20 C. van Niekerk Honda RSA +1 lap(s)

Championship standings MX1
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 455
2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 416
3 Ben Townley KTM NZL 368
4 Joel Smets Suzuki BEL 349
5 Steve Ramon KTM BEL 304
6 Mickael Pichon Honda FRA 299
7 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 211
8 James Noble Honda GBR 210
9 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 197
10 Brian Jorgensen Yamaha DNK 188
11 Ken De Dijcker Honda BEL 184
12 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 182
13 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 175
14 Yoshitaka Atsuta Suzuki JPN 155
15 Antti Olavi Pyrhonen TM FIN 152
16 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 148
17 Paul Cooper Honda GBR 135
18 Nemeth Kornel Suzuki HUN 114
19 Mark Hucklebridge Honda GBR 85
20 Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 74
25 Claudio Federici Yamaha ITA 39
46 Jarred Umpleby Yamaha RSA 3


Manufacturers standings MX1
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 241
2 Honda 239
3 KTM 222
4 Suzuki 190
5 Kawasaki 91
6 TM 71
7 Husqvarna 23


MX2 : Mackenzie and Cairoli on the podium

Round: 11 - Grand Prix of South Africa
Circuit: Sun City
Date: 17 July 2005
Crowd: 18000
Temp: 30ºC
Weather: Sunny

Yamaha took the second and third steps of the MX2 podium thanks to Billy Mackenzie and Antonio Cairoli respectively today at Sun City for a hot and sunny South African Grand Prix, the eleventh round of the 2005 FIM Motocross World Championship. McFarlane heads the series by 24 points with Cairoli in second and Chiodi in third desperately trying to catch-up.

The MX2 races were a jumbled mix of frenetic action. Positions changes throughout the top ten produced perhaps the most active Grand Prix of the season so far. 18,000 fans tried to keep track of proceedings as six different riders led the pack over the both motos and the contest for top five positions was equally as unpredictable with a first moto melee involving five combatants jostling for fourth place especially electrifying.

French youngster Anthony Boissierre rode his YZ250F to his second career moto victory (Yamaha''s 15th from 21 motos so far) in the first race after World Championship leader Andrew McFarlane crashed out of the lead on lap three. Alessio Chiodi took control but was passed by Boissiere before David Philippaerts (KTM) headed the pack. Boissiere studied the Italian''s lines to counter-attack in the final few laps. Early on the first circulation Cedric Melotte and Antonio Cairoli had collided while inside the top five and both riders crashed. Cairoli was able to come back more effectively (9th) as Melotte hurt his already weak wrist. Mackenzie would slot into fairly comfortable third positions in both motos and his ranking would give him an overall finish of second; his first podium since winning in Japan. The Ricci Racing team-mates of Chiodi, McFarlane and Davide Guarneri filled the fourth, fifth and sixth positions.

Guarneri was the lightening starter in a less hectic but equally captivating second race, however his stint at the front lasted only six laps before Philippaerts moved through once more. This time Boissiere was not able to challenge as a first lap crash effectively ruled him out of the running, he would finish fifteenth and take sixth overall. Guarneri faded back to tenth in the heat. Andrew McFarlane started badly but pulled through to safeguard his Championship lead (he would only concede one point to Cairoli) by taking fourth spot and fifth overall. Melotte, who had won his qualification heat, was out of the running due to his wrist and a poor jump from the gate.

The paddock now trek back to Europe but will have a free weekend before the twelfth round of the season takes place in Belgium at the Nismes circuit for the Grand Prix of Wallonie.

Antonio Cairoli (Team Yamaha De Carli) - third overall
''For me this wasn''t a great day. I had a lot of problems in the first heat in the crash with Melotte. He jumped from left to right and we collided. Afterwards I closed the gap to Philippaerts but when I arrived to Guarneri I lost a lot of time because as many people know it is not easy for me to overtake him! I was fighting with Pourcel and McFarlane and finished ninth. In the second race I started OK, in the top seven, and I was closing on Guarneri in the lead but I had some engine trouble and lost a lot of time in the early part of the race. When David passed me I watched his lines and picked up the speed. I struggled to get past Chicco but then pushed Philippaerts all the way when I got to second. I am happy enough with second because McFarlane was fourth and for the Championship it is not too bad.''

Andrew McFarlane (Ricci Racing) - fifth overall
''Today was a bit of a disappointment and I''m not so happy. In the first moto I felt really good and fast but then made a small mistake in the combination section and that put me on the ground. I got back up and fought really hard. I definitely have the speed and the fitness. I was closing on Chicco but we came up on a backmarker and he more or less took my line and the front end went away. I hurt my hand slightly and it bothered me in the second moto. I started badly and was nearly last in the next race. I tried really hard to fight back for the whole duration but got stuck behind Swanepoel. Once I overtook him I again felt good, my fitness was fine and the bike was working really well. In the first race I made three points on Cairoli but then lost it again in the second one. I feel strong and confident at the moment. We have a weekend off to recuperate and get some more training done.''

Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) - fourth overall
''I am not happy with the result. It wasn''t good for the Championship. I started well both times but the track was wet and very slippery in places and I did not want to take any risks. The second moto was great to watch and the bike worked well. This is not my favourite track.''

Cédric Melotte (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) -12th overall
''In the first heat I took a good start for the first time but Cairoli was stupid. Sometimes I don''t think that he knows how to ride the bike. He crashed into me on the jump and took us both down. It took me a long time to restart the bike. I had a lot of pain again on my wrist and I tried my best to come back. In the second moto I had a bad start but the wrist was pretty bad. The jumps are very high here and my hand slipped twice from the bars. I slowed down and tried to take as many points as possible but I am angry about this weekend because once again it should have been much better.''

Billy Mackenzie (Yamaha UK Race Team) - second overall
''They had done a good job to keep the track damp. In the first race Chiodi closed me out at the start and I was pretty lucky because quite a few people went down and it put me into a good position. I was pushing against Boissierre and Philippaerts but they were quite far ahead; I was hoping they would take each other out or make some mistakes! Third was good however and it was nice to get a solid result. In the second race I got a much better start and I moved over on the inside so that I wouldn''t get closed off. On the second lap I had spun out and lost positions to Chicco and Cairoli. I came around in about sixth and basically rode a hard race. Cairoli and I were having a close battle and I was just watching my lines and trying to pass the backmarkers as cleanly as I could. Chicco is so hard to pass and I think Cairoli was getting impatient and he made a mistake which let me through. From there on I fended off Cairoli and had a moment near the end when I hit neutral approaching a jump but managed to flick a gear and totally cased the table-top. After that I knew I had second overall so I took it easy.''

Race classification MX2

Round: 11 - Grand Prix of South Africa
Circuit: Sun City
Race: 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 A. Boissiere Yamaha FRA 40'' 50.655
2 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +1.731
3 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +7.883
4 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +8.710
5 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +13.973
6 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +14.807
7 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +15.742
8 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +16.234
9 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +17.004
10 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +17.979
11 M. Nagl KTM GER +23.709
12 C. Nunn KTM GBR +25.293
13 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +26.312
14 M. Bonini Honda ITA +42.981
15 M. Maschio Yamaha FRA +1'' 3.713
16 J. Dougan Honda GBR +1'' 16.515
17 W. Avis Honda RSA +1'' 52.164
18 L. O''Farrel Yamaha RSA +1'' 53.697
19 S. Kruger KTM RSA +1 lap(s)
20 S. Terreblanche KTM RSA +1 lap(s)

Race 2: 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA 40'' 33.993
2 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +0.540
3 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +9.023
4 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +12.364
5 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +13.816
6 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +15.170
7 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +24.535
8 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +29.366
9 M. Nagl KTM GER +44.983
10 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +49.801
11 J. Dougan Honda GBR +50.742
12 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +1'' 10.782
13 W. Avis Honda RSA +1'' 14.940
14 M. Maschio Yamaha FRA +1'' 16.662
15 A. Boissiere Yamaha FRA +1'' 16.977
16 C. Nunn KTM GBR +1'' 20.408
17 M. Bonini Honda ITA +1'' 46.146
18 S. Ford Honda RSA +1 lap(s)
19 S. Naude Honda RSA +1 lap(s)
20 S. Kruger KTM RSA +1 lap(s)

Championship standings MX2
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Andrew McFarlane Yamaha AUS 378
2 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 354
3 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 344
4 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 305
5 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 284
6 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 262
7 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 228
8 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 212
9 Rui Goncalves Yamaha POR 207
10 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 199
11 Mickael Maschio Yamaha FRA 198
12 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 190
13 Anthony Boissiere Yamaha FRA 165
14 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 153
15 Matteo Bonini Honda ITA 133
16 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 126
17 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 122
18 Aigar Leok KTM EST 105
19 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 99
20 Wyatt Avis Honda RSA 99
51 Liam O''Farrel Yamaha RSA 3


Manufacturers standings MX2
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 266
2 KTM 200
3 Kawasaki 194
4 Honda 133
5 Suzuki 13

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