DEBUT WIN FOR STRIJBOS AND RM-Z450
07 August 2005 - Suzuki Racing

Kevin Strijbos scored a fabulous first ever Grand Prix victory this afternoon at a cloudy and busy Loket circuit for the GP of Czech Republic; the 13th round in a long 17-race 2005 FIM MX1 World Championship.

The triumph, courtesy of a strong fourth place in the opening moto and then his third career moto win in the second heat, was the maiden MX1 silverware for Team Suzuki and the RM-Z 450 and their first garland in the premier class since 2003.

Infrequent heavy showers coated the loose Czech dirt and although the surface became rougher and more technical, it was still slippery and very difficult to pass. Decent starts were a crucial factor and Strijbos'' exit from the gate was effective on both occasions. The 19-year-old Belgian showed no signs of his recent injury troubles to capture fourth in the first moto after pulling through from seventh.

Strijbos avoided two big first corner crashes in both races -Joel Smets was not so lucky - and followed Josh Coppins in the second moto before thrilling the 19,000 watching spectators by seizing the lead and holding the advantage to the flag. Strijbos finished equal on points with Stefan Everts but sampled his first view from the top step of the overall podium thanks to his second moto standing.

His result was even more surprising considering the 14th overall he scored in similar weather conditions last week in Belgium; Strijbos became the fifth rider to enjoy an MX1 victory this season.

Joel Smets had a miserable weekend. The Belgian struggled to find his pace in practice and qualifying yesterday and was involved in the first moto opening turn pile-up leaving him on the floor and looking at a race-long chase through the pack. He eventually finished 13th. In the second outing he fell in an incident with Paul Cooper rounding turn two and pulled out of the race with leg pain.

Motovision Suzuki Racing''s Yoshitaka Atsuta had a difficult meeting after qualifying in a lowly 26th position. The sole representative of Japan in the World Championships was 17th in the first moto and then got slightly nearer the top ten in the second by crossing the finish line in 12th.

Smets still remains fourth in the World Championship standings and lies 41 points from Ben Townley with a gap of just 17 points over Mickael Pichon in fifth.

Kevin Strijbos has moved up from outside the top 20 to occupy 18h with four Grand Prix and a possible 200 points still up for grabs.

The schedule now enjoys a small pause before a final slew of four rounds in five weeks. The next event on the calendar will be the Grand Prix of Germany at Gaildorf on August 20th/21st. Both Strijbos and Smets will be competing in the Belgian Championships next Monday at Mol.

Kevin Strijbos:

''This has been a bad season for me, up until now! In Belgium I had bad starts and it was a difficult time but today was much better. I was watching Josh in the second moto and could see a few corners where I was faster. I pulled through on the inside and my first attack was enough to take control of the race. The track was slippery in places but nowhere near as bad as Nismes. I have been really motivated in the last couple of months and have been training hard to get back to this level; to win today is amazing. To be honest I still cannot believe it.''

Joel Smets:

''It all went wrong from first turn when I was bounced out by Barragan. I was then trying hard trying to pass people and I knew I was quicker but I could not show it. It was a frustrating moto. I got away better in the second heat and came around the first turn but Paul Cooper crashed in front of me and I actually went straight into his body. It was a mess because the whole track was blocked. Someone hit my leg from behind and the guys that had fallen on the first corner gained quite a fewpositions because the rest were held up. I felt pain right away on the knee that I had operated last year and now it has swollen. I hope there is not any ligament damage but I will get a scan to see tomorrow. I still want to race the Belgian Championship next week if possible because it is virtually my home track.''

Yoshitaka Atsuta:

''I had a good jump in the first race but somebody came around the outside of me and cut the line on the first corner so I lost a few seconds having to slow down. Afterwards it was really difficult to pass with one line and being very slippery. I thought that if I went off the line to see if I could increase my speed then someone would come through, so I rode safe; it wasn''t good enough. In the second race my riding was better but I was stuck behind Cooper when he crashed in the second corner. I was able to come back stronger and go full gas in the rain which was pretty good. Everts came through really aggressively and maybe that is what I should have been doing also. It was quite a fun race but for the GP overall it was not great; I should be aiming for the top ten in both motos.''

Jens Johansson - Team Manager:

''I thought we could get a decent result with both riders but I have to admit that Kevin surprised me yesterday in free practice and then again in qualifying. I did not expect him to win today that is for sure! He made a good solid first heat and then made the pass on Coppins pretty early in the second. If there is such a thing as an easy win then this was it. Taking nothing away from Kevin though, he rode awesome today and surprised us big time. Joel had some pain in his leg but I think the pride may have hurt more. A weekend like this is not good for his confidence and for sure is one to forget.''

MX1 Moto1: 1 Stefan Everts, (BEL) Yamaha 39:07.404. 2 Mickael Pichon, (FRA) Honda 39:08.506. 3 Joshua Coppins, (NZL) Honda 39:15.728. 4 Kevin Strijbos, (BEL) Suzuki 39:29.757. 5 Ben Townley, (NZL) KTM 39:37.707. 6 Ken de Dijcker, (BEL) Honda 39:44.690. 7 Pascal Leuret, (FRA) Honda 39:48.352. 8 Tanel Leok, (EST) Kawasaki 39:56.065. 9 Brian Jorgensen, (DEN) Yamaha 40:02.135. 10 Mark Hucklebridge, (GBR) Honda 40:02.392. 11 Danny Theybers, (BEL) Suzuki 40:06.113. 13 Joel Smets, (BEL) Suzuki 40:16.400. 17 Yoshitaka Atsuta, (JPN) Suzuki 40:33.529.

MX1 Moto2: 1 Kevin Strijbos, (BEL) Suzuki 39:27.132. 2 Joshua Coppins, (NZL) Honda 39:31.918. 3 Ben Townley, (NZL) KTM 39:36.520. 4 Stefan Everts, (BEL) Yamaha 40:00.962. 5 Ken de Dijcker, (BEL) Honda 40:05.679. 6 Luigi Seguy, (FRA) Yamaha 40:12.958. 7 Tanel Leok, (EST) Kawasaki 40:13.832. 8 Mark Hucklebridge, (GBR) Honda 40:32.281. 9 James Noble, (GBR) Honda 40:37.174. 10 Danny Theybers, (BEL) Suzuki 40:48.254. 12 Yoshitaka Atsuta, (JPN) Suzuki 41:04.511. 29 Joel Smets, BEL (Suzuki) 3:14.553

MX1 Overall Result: 1 Strijbos 43. 2 Everts 43. 3 Coppins 42. 4 Townley 36. 5 de Dijcker 31. 6 Leok 27. 7 Seguy 24. 8 Hucklebridge 24. 9 Leuret 24. 10 Pichon 22. 11 Theybers 21. 13 Atsuta 13. 18 Smets 8.

MX1 World Championship (standings after 13 rounds): 1 Stefan Everts, (BEL) 539. 2 Joshua Coppins, (NZL) 500. 3 Ben Townley, (NZL) 426. 4 Joel Smets, (BEL) 385. 5 Mickael Pichon, (FRA) 368. 6 Steve Ramon, (BEL) 342. 7 Pascal Leuret, (FRA) 267. 8 Ken de Dijcker, (BEL) 245. 9 James Noble, (GBR) 230. 10 B.Jorgensen, (DEN) 224. 11 Danny Theybers, (BEL) 223. 14 Yoshitaka Atsuta, (JPN) 184. 18 Kevin Styrijbos, (BEL) 114.

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