TOP SIX FOR STRIJBOS IN HOLLAND
04 September 2005 - Suzuki Racing

Team Suzuki''s Kevin Strijbos steered the RM-Z 450 to 6th position today at Lierop for a very hot and sunny Grand Prix of the Netherlands; the 16th and penultimate round of the 2005 FIM MX1 World Championships.

The deep sand of the Lierop circuit combined with temperatures touching 30 degrees provided one of the toughest physical tests of the season.

Strijbos made a decent jump from the grassy gate in the first moto and was holding third behind Stefan Everts and Steve Ramon. Struggling with some back pain the Belgian wasn''t able to offer resistance to Josh Coppins and Ben Townley but harried the latter in the closing laps just failing to grasp fourth spot.

The second outing was equally as tough. A top ten start saw the 20 year old hovering in seventh position and sharing the track with Manuel Priem and Jussi Vehvilainen. A better rhythm meant that he could confirm eighth and an overall standing of sixth.

Strijbos has inched up to 16th in the World Championship table, 33 points behind Antti Pyrhonen with the possibility of rising to 14th before the end of the year.

Yoshitaka Atsuta finished 16th overall with moto results of 20th and 12th .The Motovision Suzuki Racing rider experienced some engine trouble in the first race and despairingly coasted to a halt on the last lap while pushing for a place inside the top 12. Despite the disappointment he was able to secure the last point. An engine change later and the former Japanese Champion fought a strong second sprint with factory KTM rider Kenneth Gundersen and passed the Norwegian on the final circulation for 12th.

Thanks to the efforts of Danny Theybers, Lauris Freibergs, Tom de Belder and Marcus Nolen (Suzuki) had a strong presence on the leaderboard in the first moto with six machines taking points.

Yamaha''s Stefan Everts celebrated a record ninth World Championship with victory in both races.

The final meeting of the longest ever World Championship in the history of the sport will take place in two weeks time at Desertmartin for the Grand Prix of Ireland.

Kevin Strijbos:

''In the first race I got a good start and my riding in the first three laps was so easy and I was following Stefan without a problem. After four laps I must have twisted my back slightly because it felt really sore and I had to slow down. It was really difficult and I was almost cruising. I could not stand on the bike and people went past and I thought ''I might see you later!'' Towards the end of the race I still wasn''t doing the jumps but I felt a bit stronger and took a couple of positions which was a good way to finish. The second race was a similar story; it was very tough for me out there but then it was also really physical for everyone. I have to be happy with sixth; it was better than the last GP. I will now have a few free days and then there is another race in Belgium next weekend.''

Yoshitaka Atsuta:

''I had a good start in the first moto but I hit somebody on the first lap and got blocked. After a few laps I saw smoke coming from the bike when I gave it some gas, so I rode easy on the machine for a while until the engine seemed to be ok. I saw that it was possible to finish but I was too slow. I was 16th coming into the last lap and I saw three riders just in front of me so I went wide-open and the bike stopped! The second start was not so good, maybe top 15, but the bike felt really strong with the other engine. I tried to pass one rider but I was hit in the same line and slipped over. I was dead last but pushed hard to get as many points as possible; I was quite pleased with the second race but overall it was another unlucky GP for me.''

MX1 Moto1: 1 Stefan Everts, BEL (Yamaha) 40:30.657. 2 Steve Ramon, BEL (KTM) 40:43.811. 3 Joshua Coppins, NZL (Honda) 41:10.522. 4 Ben Townley, NZL (KTM) 41:30.562. 5 Kevin Strijbos, BEL (Suzuki) 41:32.790. 6 Jussi Vehvilainen, FIN (Honda) 41:35.193. 7 Danny Theybers, BEL (Suzuki) 41:36.938. 8 Brian Jorgensen, DEN (Yamaha) 41:46.983. 9 Jonathan Barragan, SPA (KTM) 42:33.876. 10 Ken de Dijcker, BEL (Honda) 40:33.888. 12 Lauris Freibergs, LAT (Suzuki) 40:47.848. 14 Marcus Norlen, SWE (Suzuki) 41:13.415. 19 Tom de Belder, BEL (Suzuki) 42:48.391. 20 Yoshitaka Atsuta, JPN (Suzuki) 38:50.451.

MX1 Moto2: 1 Stefan Everts, BEL (Yamaha) 41:35.060. 2 Ben Townley, NZL (KTM) 42:12.886. 3 Steve Ramon, BEL (KTM) 42:16.389. 4 Joshua Coppins, NZL (Honda) 42:20.885. 5 Jonathan Barragan, SPA (KTM) 43:18.048. 6 Manuel Priem, BEL (Yamaha) 43:47.771. 7 Jussi Vehvilainen, FIN (Honda) 43:58.648. 8 Kevin Strijbos, BEL (Suzuki) 41:37.798. 9 Bas Verhoeven, NED (Honda) 41:48.585. 10 Danny Theybers, BEL (Suzuki) 41:50.866. 12 Yoshitaka Atsuta, JPN (Suzuki) 42:20.723.

MX1 Overall Result: 1 Stefan Everts, BEL (Yamaha) 50. 2 Steve Ramon, BEL (KTM) 42. 3 Ben Townley, NZL (KTM) 40. 4 Joshua Coppins, NZL (Honda) 38. 5 Jussi Vehvilainen, FIN (Honda) 29. 6 Kevin Strijbos, BEL (Suzuki) 29. 7 Jonathan Barragan, SPA (KTM) 28. 8 Danny Theybers, BEL (Suzuki) 25. 9 Manuel Priem, BEL (Yamaha) 23. 10 Antti Pyrhonen, FIN (TM) 20. 12 Lauris Freibergs, LAT (Suzuki) 15. 15 Marcus Norlen, SWE (Suzuki) 12. 16 Yoshitaka Atsuta, JPN (Suzuki) 10.

MX1 World Championship (standings after 16 rounds): 1 Stefan Everts, BEL 671. 2 Joshua Coppins, NZL 614. 3 Ben Townley, NZL 545. 4 Steve Ramon, BEL 465. 5 Mickael Pichon, FRA 446. 6 Joel Smets, BEL 385. 7 Pascal Leuret, FRA 296. 8 Ken de Dijcker, BEL 292. 9 Jonathan Barragan, SPA 284. 10 James Noble, GBR 282. 12 Danny Theybers, BEL 267. 14 Yoshitaka Atsuta, JPN 209. 16 Kevin Strijbos, BEL 173.

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