EVERTS RESCUES PODIUM AT LOKET
07 August 2005 - Yamaha Racing

Stefan Everts was able to salvage an excellent second position at an overcast Loket circuit for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic; the twelfth round of seventeen in the premier FIM MX1 series.

The Belgian convincingly owned the first moto in front of 19,000 spectators who braved the low temperatures and showers. Everts overtook hole-shotting team-mate Brian Jorgensen and proceeded to show Mickael Pichon (Honda) around the Czech slopes that were fast, slippery and allowed precious few passing possibilities.

The second moto began in explosive style as a first corner pile-up claimed a number of casualties including Steve Ramon (KTM), Pichon and Everts. The eight time world champ began a long haul through the pack from almost dead-last in a prolonged rainfall that caused the track to get rougher and more technical. His forty minute charge was rewarded with fourth position on the final lap as he dove past Ken de Dycker (Honda). Kevin Strijbos (Suzuki) won his first ever Grand Prix with success in the second sprint. Everts'' title rival Josh Coppins (Honda) who finished third in moto 1 was bumped back to third on the podium.

Jorgensen dropped back to sixth in the first moto after suffering with arm-pump and then fell in the closing stages to finally cross the line in ninth. Unable to make an impact in the second moto after a poor start and narrowly avoiding the chaos that caught Everts, the Dane could only manage fifteenth by the flag.

JK Racing Yamaha rider Luigi Seguy was running in third position during the formative stages of the second moto before slowly slipping back to sixth. The Frenchman was the second highest Yamaha rider with seventh overall; one of his best results of the season.

Everts has been watching Coppins chip away at his points lead in the World Championship for the last four races but has now managed to stop the rot, even if the reverse was only by a single point. The gap now stands at 39. Everts has won eight from twenty-six motos prior to Loket but had missed the podium only twice in thirteen Grand Prix.

The World Championships now have a free weekend before the last four races occur in a hectic five week period. The paddock next convenes at Gaildorf for the Grand Prix of Germany on August 20th/21st.

Stefan Everts (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - second overall ''Somebody was a little bit too fast in the first corner and took a few riders down; I think that in every GP I have to crash at least once and comeback through at the moment! It has been a tough season so far. I did my best today and finally I was able to pass Ken de Dycker on the last lap for fourth position. I think with the rain the track got a lot better, it was more slippery and the speed came down. I am really glad that I am still on the podium and the championship has more or less stayed the same so I am really happy for that.''

Brian Jorgensen (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - 12th overall
''In the first moto I felt like I was riding really good. I knew Stefan was right behind me at the beginning but I was holding the pace well for the first eight laps. He started to come closer so I tried to push harder and got arm-pump in one lap. It was difficult after that to control the bike and I dropped back to sixth. With a lap to go I got too aggressive in one corner and the back end spun around making me crash so I ended up ninth. In the second moto I don''t know how but I missed the start completely.. There were some massive crashes on the first lap and I got caught up in the first corner. I tried to get through that second moto and it was nothing special.''


Race classification MX1

Round: 13 - Grand Prix of Czech Republic
Circuit: Loket
Circuit Length: 1630

Race: 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 39'' 7.404
2 M. Pichon Honda FRA +1.102
3 J. Coppins Honda NZL +8.324
4 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +22.353
5 B. Townley KTM NZL +30.303
6 K. De Dijcker Honda BEL +37.286
7 P. Leuret Honda FRA +40.948
8 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +48.661
9 B. Jorgensen Yamaha DNK +54.731
10 M. Hucklebridge Honda GBR +54.988
11 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +58.709
12 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +1'' 0.435
13 J. Smets Suzuki BEL +1'' 8.996
14 P. Cooper Honda GBR +1'' 23.473
15 A. Meo Husqvarna FRA +1'' 25.025
16 S. Ramon KTM BEL +1'' 25.414
17 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1'' 26.125
18 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1'' 36.799
19 M. Kucirek Honda CZE +1'' 46.065
20 M. Zerava Yamaha CZE +1'' 50.076

Race 2: 19 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL 39'' 27.132
2 J. Coppins Honda NZL +4.786
3 B. Townley KTM NZL +9.388
4 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +33.830
5 K. De Dijcker Honda BEL +38.547
6 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +45.826
7 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +46.700
8 M. Hucklebridge Honda GBR +1'' 5.149
9 J. Noble Honda GBR +1'' 10.042
10 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1'' 21.122
11 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1'' 28.706
12 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1'' 37.379
13 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1'' 43.524
14 A. Salvini Suzuki ITA +1'' 45.000
15 B. Jorgensen Yamaha DNK +1'' 46.163
16 S. Ramon KTM BEL +1'' 48.878
17 M. Zerava Yamaha CZE +1'' 58.990
18 B. Verhoeven Honda NED +2'' 3.815
19 A. Meo Husqvarna FRA +2'' 27.014
20 L. Freibergs Suzuki LVA +1 lap(s)

Championship standings MX1
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 539
2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 500
3 Ben Townley KTM NZL 426
4 Joel Smets Suzuki BEL 385
5 Mickael Pichon Honda FRA 368
6 Steve Ramon KTM BEL 342
7 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 267
8 Ken De Dijcker Honda BEL 245
9 James Noble Honda GBR 230
10 Brian Jorgensen Yamaha DNK 224
11 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 223
12 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 219
13 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 203
14 Yoshitaka Atsuta Suzuki JPN 184
15 Antti Olavi Pyrhonen TM FIN 156
16 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 154
17 Paul Cooper Honda GBR 142
18 Nemeth Kornel Suzuki HUN 114
19 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 114
20 Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 112
25 Claudio Federici Yamaha ITA 39

Manufacturers standings MX1
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Honda 284
2 Yamaha 283
3 KTM 254
4 Suzuki 230
5 Kawasaki 115
6 TM 71
7 Husqvarna 27


MX2 : Cairoli makes it five in Loket

Round: 13 - Grand Prix of the Czech Republic
Circuit: Loket
Date: 7 August 2005
Crowd: 19000
Temp: 14ºC
Weather: Rain

Antonio Cairoli swept to his fifth victory of the season today at a cold, cloudy and rainy Loket circuit in front of 19,000 fans for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic, the thirteenth round of seventeen in the 2005 FIM MX2 World Chmpionship.

The Sicilian, who confirmed on Saturday that he will stay with the De Carli team for another two seasons, strode away with a typical holeshot and victory in the first moto and collected a safe runner-up spot behind Christophe Pourcel (Kawasaki) in the second chase to confirm his second consecutive overall triumph.

The Loket terrain was a far from easy prospect with the damp loose soil creating a slippery test largely pushed into one line; making overtaking difficult. Series leader Andrew McFarlane suffered a heavy fall during practice and qualification yesterday but completed a lonely ride to fourth in a staid first moto. A similar race awaited the Ricci Racing rider in the second outing and another fourth guaranteed the last podium step behind Cairoli and Pourcel.

Cédric Melotte showed good speed by winning his qualification heat on Saturday but two mediocre starts left the Belgian out of the hunt for podium places, even if his flights from outside the top ten to sixth and then from eleventh to fifth helped to give him fifth overall. Billy Mackenzie (Yamaha UK Racing Team) and Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) were unable to plough through the pack as effectively as the Belgian. Both claimed positions in the overall top ten but Chiodi saw his title aspirations take another dent by two ninth places and a lack of confidence in the conditions.

In terms of the World Championship prior to Loket McFarlane had been leading Cairoli and Chiodi by twelve and thirty-eight points respectively. The Australian now has a gap of just one point after losing eleven to his Yamaha compatriot this afternoon but has extended the margin over Chiodi to fifty. Four of the first current five riders are Yamaha mounted and blue bikes have now won 18 from 26 motos thanks to the efforts of five different riders (McFarlane, Cairoli, Mackenzie, Boissiere and Guarneri).

The schedule now enters a rare pause before embarking on a final four Grand Prix flourish in five weeks. The next test for the World Championship stars will take place at Gaildorf for the Grand Prix of Germany on August 20th/21st.

Antonio Cairoli (Team Yamaha De Carli) - first overall
''The start of the first heat was very good because I could make a gap very quickly over the next rider; to control the race and win was fairly easy. I again had another good start in the second moto but I ran a little wide in the first turn and Pourcel passed me. I could see that he was very fast and that we were using the same lines. He was quicker and deserved the moto win but I knew the overall was mine. The most important thing was to finish in front of Andrew today.''

Andrew McFarlane (Ricci Racing) - third overall
''Yesterday was pretty tough for me and I was struggling but I got two good starts today and found some good lines which allowed me to get on the podium again. It was a decent result because I did not have such a good feeling with the surface but the points were important for the championship. Antonio has come closer but there are four more Grand Prix and a lot of points to be won.''

Cédric Melotte (L&M Yamaha Team) -fifth overall
''Two bad starts today. I tried to ride as fast as I can and pass as many riders as possible. In the first race I was completely last in the first corner but making some good moves on the second and third corner to get up to ninth quickly. I was getting covered by people''s roost and it felt easy to fall down at any time. In the second race I pushed as hard as I could right from the start. I have the speed and the GP was not a disaster but this is not the result I want in the MX2 class.''

Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) - ninth overall
''This was not a good race for me. I did not start well in the first heat and found it really hard to pass riders. It was impossible for me to make forward progress on that track. In the second moto I slid out on the first few laps and was overtaken by several riders that put me down to tenth. I could only take ninth because Caps crashed at the end.''

Race classification MX2

Round: 13 - Grand Prix of the Czech Republic
Circuit: Loket
Circuit Length: 1630
Lap Record: 1'' 53.286 (Antonio Cairoli, 2004)

Race: 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA 40'' 21.047
2 M. De Reuver KTM NED +8.905
3 C. Nunn KTM GBR +14.669
4 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +17.317
5 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +17.854
6 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +29.363
7 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +30.769
8 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +31.579
9 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +42.441
10 N. Aubin Yamaha FRA +48.158
11 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +50.098
12 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +57.198
13 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +1'' 2.237
14 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +1'' 6.268
15 P. Caps Honda BEL +1'' 8.973
16 P.A.. Renet Yamaha FRA +1'' 24.306
17 A. Leok KTM EST +1'' 27.801
18 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1'' 29.955
19 A. Bartolini Yamaha ITA +1'' 30.971
20 C. Stevanini Honda ITA +1'' 50.817

Race 2: 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 40'' 54.679
2 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +10.906
3 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +14.453
4 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +24.112
5 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +28.336
6 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +30.010
7 C. Nunn KTM GBR +42.223
8 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +53.943
9 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +56.380
10 A. Leok KTM EST +58.759
11 A. Boissiere Yamaha FRA +59.808
12 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +1'' 5.627
13 M. De Reuver KTM NED +1'' 6.855
14 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +1'' 32.117
15 P. Caps Honda BEL +1'' 41.513
16 M. Bonini Honda ITA +1'' 45.939
17 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +1'' 51.228
18 C. Stevanini Honda ITA +1'' 52.844
19 F. Mossini Yamaha ITA +1'' 56.101
20 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1'' 57.249

Championship standings MX2
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Andrew McFarlane Yamaha AUS 452
2 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 451
3 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 402
4 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 368
5 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 352
6 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 285
7 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 270
8 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 256
9 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 251
10 Rui Goncalves Yamaha POR 231
11 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 230
12 Mickael Maschio Yamaha FRA 222
13 Anthony Boissiere Yamaha FRA 197
14 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 191
15 Matteo Bonini Honda ITA 146
16 Aigar Leok KTM EST 145
17 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 142
18 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 122
19 Wyatt Avis Honda RSA 99
20 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 99

Manufacturers standings MX2
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 316
2 KTM 236
3 Kawasaki 231
4 Honda 153
5 Suzuki 20

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