EVERTS FORCED TO SETTLE FOR FIFTH IN ENGLAND
29 August 2005 - Yamaha Racing

Stefan Everts could rise no higher than fifth this afternoon at a hot and sunny Gore-Basin circuit on the Isle of Wight for the Grand Prix of England, the fifteenth round of the FIM 2005 World Championship.

The Belgian has however drawn closer to a ninth title with just two rounds remaining in the MX1 series.

Even though he surrendered eight points to Coppins to make a new lead of forty-five, a ninth World Championship is now realistically within reach for Everts with only a hundred points left to win and trips to Holland next week (Lierop) and Northern Ireland (Desertmartin) in a fortnight''s time.

Finally some decent summer weather greeted the Grand Prix paddock after a month of three races dampened by rain and affected by heavy muddy conditions. 25,000 spectators turned out to watch the World Championship campaign enter its final stages. The track, scenic, spectacular -with a lot of jumps- and challenging, is popular with the fans and also the riders. The soft dirt quickly became rough and technical with several lines on offer around the course allowing some interesting racing as the gaps between the riders fluctuated.

Everts, who clocked the fourth quickest lap in timed practice, confessed that he did not feel in-tune with the circuit over the weekend and although he started within the top ten during both motos was unable to challenge the Steve Ramon and Ben Townley who broke free in each respective race. The 32-year old took part in an electric five rider dice for fourth position in the first moto and lost time to the front three when he struggled to find a way past team-mate Brian Jorgensen. Everts'' fifth place was almost improved on during the second moto when he moved into third but a mistake coming out of the whoops meant that he became entangled in a battle with Pichon and Coppins and could not pip a fading Ramon for fourth approaching the chequered flag.

Brian Jorgensen was not pleased with his Saturday effort of nineteenth fastest but started brightly in the first moto and was part of the same thrilling battle for fourth position, finally taking sixth behind Everts. In the second race three crashes saw the Dane end up outside of the points.

The Yamaha L&M Motocross team have won six Grand Prix (from fifteen) and eleven motos (from thirty) so far this season.

Stefan Everts (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - fifth overall ''Today was not my best day. I had a real battle with the track. In the first moto I had trouble passing my team-mate, after that I had a few good laps but finally took fifth. In the second moto I was third for a while but Coppins had started to push and I made a big mistake in the whoops and went off the track. From that moment I turned the gas back and stayed in fifth. When Ramon was slowing down at the end I tried to catch him but it was too late.''

Brian Jorgensen (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - 13th overall
''In the first race I made a pretty good start but wasn''t quick enough to follow Ben or Steve and when Stefan was behind he was also a bit faster. There was no point being stupid and trying to keep with them when I couldn''t. When Stefan passed me I wanted to look at his, and the other''s, lines and I settled into a rhythm. Ben found some extra speed and pulled away but I could stay with Stefan for sixth and I was happy with that because the fight for positions was really nice. In the second race I did not get a good start and was really far back. I was trying to catch up and I struggled because I was in a lot of traffic and it was really difficult to pass in some places. It was tricky to experiment with lines when people are right behind you. I made three mistakes and they led to three crashes.''

Race classification MX1
Round: 15 - Grand Prix of England
Circuit: Isle of Wight

Race: 18 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Ramon KTM BEL 39'' 49.678
2 M. Pichon Honda FRA +1.983
3 B. Townley KTM NZL +2.897
4 J. Coppins Honda NZL +13.196
5 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +26.275
6 B. Jorgensen Yamaha DNK +28.593
7 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +32.315
8 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1'' 1.082
9 J. Vehvilainen Honda FIN +1'' 7.777
10 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1'' 10.620
11 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1'' 13.353
12 J. Noble Honda GBR +1'' 15.689
13 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1'' 27.598
14 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1'' 35.121
15 K. De Dijcker Honda BEL +1'' 49.977
16 P. Cooper Honda GBR +1'' 52.502
17 G. Crockard Yamaha IRL +1'' 56.461
18 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1 lap(s)
19 G. Phillips Yamaha GBR +1 lap(s)
20 F. Dini KTM ITA +1 lap(s)

Race 2: 18 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 B. Townley KTM NZL 39'' 52.981
2 J. Coppins Honda NZL +3.648
3 M. Pichon Honda FRA +10.274
4 S. Ramon KTM BEL +17.448
5 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +20.729
6 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1'' 0.072
7 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1'' 5.185
8 J. Noble Honda GBR +1'' 8.558
9 J. Vehvilainen Honda FIN +1'' 10.636
10 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1'' 11.168
11 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1'' 12.078
12 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1'' 13.630
13 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1'' 31.180
14 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1'' 54.924
15 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +1'' 58.627
16 J. Dobes Kawasaki CZE +2'' 6.953
17 M. Kovalainen Aprilia FIN +2'' 29.442
18 L. Freibergs Suzuki LVA +1 lap(s)
19 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1 lap(s)
20 G. Phillips Yamaha GBR +1 lap(s)

Championship standings MX1
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 621
2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 576
3 Ben Townley KTM NZL 505
4 Mickael Pichon Honda FRA 446
5 Steve Ramon KTM BEL 423
6 Joel Smets Suzuki BEL 385
7 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 296
8 Ken De Dijcker Honda BEL 274
9 James Noble Honda GBR 274
10 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 268
11 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 256
12 Brian Jorgensen Yamaha DNK 249
13 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 242
14 Yoshitaka Atsuta Suzuki JPN 199
15 Antti Olavi Pyrhonen TM FIN 186
16 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 158
17 Paul Cooper Honda GBR 156
18 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 144
19 Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 133
20 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 120
26 Claudio Federici Yamaha ITA 39


Manufacturers standings MX1
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 324
1 Honda 324
2 KTM 301
3 Suzuki 251
4 Kawasaki 136
5 TM 90
6 Husqvarna 27


MX2 : MX2 World Title goes in Yamaha''s favour

Round: 15 - Grand Prix of England
Circuit: Isle of Wight
Date: 28 August 2005
Crowd: 25000
Temp: 24ºC
Weather: Sunny

Antonio Cairoli wasn''t able to add to his recent winning streak but extended his MX2 World Championship lead by twenty-one points today at Gore-Basin on the Isle of Wight for the Grand Prix of England. The fifteenth round of seventeen in the long 2005 campaign took place in warm and sunny conditions for the first time this month and after three races affected by rain and deep mud. Billy Mackenzie, fifth overall, won the first race but France''s Anthony Boissiere (Team PSM Casola)was best placed Yamaha rider with fourth overall. Boissiere, equal on points with Carl Nunn only missed out on a podium after a better second race result for the Brit. Mickael Maschio (Team Yamaha Evolution), Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) and Rui Goncalves (Van Beers-Yamaha)were other blue riders to finish in the top ten, finishing respectively sixth, seventh and ninth.

25,000 spectators travelled to the technical and spectacular circuit situated high in the Arreton downs with a splendid view across the eastern side of the Island. The terrain was excellent for racing with riders able to choose from numerous lines around the course. With two of the seventeen rounds remaining it is confirmed that a Yamaha rider will take the title. The MX2 title chase is now a two-horse race but McFarlane has had his wings clipped in recent weeks by Cairoli''s splendid late season form. With one hundred points left to win, Cairoli only needs to take ten over the Australian for Yamaha''s first crown with the 250F.

Cairoli comfortably won his qualification heat yesterday (his eighth of the season) but was clipped coming out of the gate starting the first moto and had to work his way through to an eventual third position from the lower reaches of the top ten. The Sicilian to make matters worse, sprained his right ankle within the first five laps. Yamaha UK Racing''s Billy Mackenzie was a dominant force at his team''s home Grand Prix and after passing early leader Ricci Racing''s Davide Guarneri disappeared with the race to the delight of the crowd.

Cairoli produced his customary holeshot and winning margin in the second moto but could only lead two thirds of the distance before his machine expired and forced his retirement. The nineteen-year old Italian picked the right meeting to sample some bad luck as main title rival Andrew McFarlane failed to score in both outings due to mechanical failure. Billy Mackenzie hit the ground twice (the second in a tangle with the fading Guarneri outside of the top ten) and although he was close to a podium, even while circulating down in sixteenth position, a damaged radiator meant that he could not gain the extra two points needed to bump KTM''s Carl Nunn from the bottom step.

Ricci Racing''s Alessio Chiodi was also the victim of some on-track bad luck when he was hit in the first moto and ran into some green fencing in the second. He completed two active motos with a ninth and seventh giving him seventh overall.

Cédric Melotte was absent after breaking his right wrist at Gaildorf for the Grand Prix of Germany last weekend. The penultimate round of the World Championship takes place next week for the third Grand Prix in three weeks when the series visits the Lierop circuit in Holland, scene of the 2004 Motocross of Nations.

Billy Mackenzie (Yamaha UK Racing) - fifth overall
''The first race was cool. I was prepared to get a good start and forced my way around the inside on the first turn. I was charging on the first couple of corners and wanted to get in the lead as soon as possible. I got McFarlane on the rhythm section and it took me another two laps to pass Guarneri. I knew my pace was there and I controlled the race. I felt smooth towards the end and was watching my pit-board. It was wild to win again and I was going to do a victory lap but the crowd just homed-in on me. They got me so fired up! The second race was disappointing with the two crashes and I did not know that I was close to the podium until I came into the pits!''

Antonio Cairoli (Team Yamaha De Carli) - eleventh overall
''In the first heat I did not start so well but afterwards I came back OK and finished third. The track was not easy and I spent a lot of energy to get back to third. In the second heat I went for the win and made a good gap over Tyla but after about twenty-five minutes the bike started to make some noise and stopped. For sure it is not good but this is the first time the bike has broken in the World Championship. McFarlane did not take any points so it could have been worse today!''

Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) - 7th overall
''I felt good on the track today but the result is really bad. I had a lot of bad luck and I think someone wanted me out of the GP! In the first moto I was fifth in the second turn but I had some contact with Tyla and ran off the track. I was down in fifteenth by the end of the lap. The track was so rough and muddy and it was difficult to change the line and pass another rider so I finished ninth. In the second moto I was third or fourth but at the top of the track Pourcel made a mistake in front of me, I changed my line and caught a rut that took me wide and into the green fencing that got mixed in my rear brake. I had no brake for the first fifteen minutes but it came back so I could catch other riders. I think I lost a good opportunity today to close the gap in the points, although I feel sorry for Andrew and his bad luck.''

Andrew McFarlane (Ricci Racing) - 28th overall
''In the first moto I got a really good start and tried to put in some fast lap-times. I was running third behind Davide and Billy when I had an engine problem and had to pull out. It was pretty much the same in the second moto from the second or third lap with another glitch. It was a disastrous day and there was not much we can do about it. There is still a chance of the championship. Cairoli DNF-ed the second moto and everything is still possible and we will fight to the end.''

Race classification MX2
Round: 15 - Grand Prix of England
Circuit: Isle of Wight

Race: 18 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 40'' 30.091
2 T. Rattray KTM RSA +4.660
3 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +32.476
4 M. Bonini Honda ITA +37.012
5 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +47.236
6 M. Maschio Yamaha FRA +48.261
7 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +48.937
8 A. Boissiere Yamaha FRA +49.791
9 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +50.500
10 C. Nunn KTM GBR +53.425
11 P. Caps Honda BEL +55.258
12 A. Leok KTM EST +59.738
13 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +1'' 1.470
14 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +1'' 2.620
15 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +1'' 8.736
16 W. Smith Honda GBR +1'' 10.205
17 P.A. Renet Yamaha FRA +1'' 11.898
18 S. Simpson Honda GBR +1'' 18.553
19 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +1'' 39.353
20 C. Campano KTM ESP +1'' 44.475

Race 2: 18 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA 40'' 19.780
2 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +1.173
3 T. Rattray KTM RSA +36.463
4 C. Nunn KTM GBR +38.612
5 A. Boissiere Yamaha FRA +41.385
6 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +1'' 3.997
7 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +1'' 11.173
8 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +1'' 12.452
9 M. Maschio Yamaha FRA +1'' 13.041
10 P.A.. Renet Yamaha FRA +1'' 50.875
11 W. Smith Honda GBR +1'' 55.231
12 S. Simpson Honda GBR +1'' 58.679
13 M. Monni KTM ITA +2'' 0.086
14 M. Seistola Honda FIN +2'' 1.411
15 C. Campano KTM ESP +1 lap(s)
16 N. Aubin Yamaha FRA +1 lap(s)
17 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +1 lap(s)
18 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +1 lap(s)
19 M. Bonini Honda ITA +1 lap(s)
20 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +1 lap(s)

Championship standings MX2
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 522
2 Andrew McFarlane Yamaha AUS 482
3 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 453
4 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 414
5 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 352
6 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 333
7 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 318
8 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 310
9 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 294
10 Mickael Maschio Yamaha FRA 277
11 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 276
12 Rui Goncalves Yamaha POR 263
13 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 227
14 Anthony Boissiere Yamaha FRA 226
15 Matteo Bonini Honda ITA 184
16 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 161
17 Aigar Leok KTM EST 154
18 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 139
19 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 132
20 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 122

Manufacturers standings MX2
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 359
2 KTM 283
3 Kawasaki 267
4 Honda 175
5 Suzuki 20

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