UNSTOPPABLE EVERTS SCORES GP WIN 91
07 May 2006 - Yamaha Racing

MX1 : Round: 4 - Grand Prix of Germany

Circuit: Teutschenthal
Date: 7 May 2006
Crowd: 31000
Temp: 27ºC
Weather: Hot and Sunny

Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross team''s Stefan Everts extended his run of victories at a hot and hard day of racing at the Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany. The reigning number one boasts a perfect record this season and has now accumulated 91 career GP wins.

Everts had qualified in second position, only three tenths of a second away from pole position and used his decent pick in the start gate to make an effective start in moto1 and seized the lead on the opening lap. For the next 37 minutes the Belgian was unflinching and ignored pressure from Kevin Strijbos and his team-mate Cedric Melotte to record his fourth successive moto win.
The Talkessel mud was dry and dusty after a long and sunny weekend. Overtaking opportunities were limited away from the main fast line but Everts had little need to worry as he showed his rivals the quickest route in front of 31,000 spectators.

The second moto was a similar affair and this time Tanel Leok was the challenger but Everts proved resolute. The 33 year old has now achieved four heat wins in a row and six Grands Prix.

Cedric Melotte was unlucky not to confirm third position in the first race after holding the slot for eighteen of nineteen laps. The Belgian, who is still not 100% fit after a pre-season wrist injury, crumbled under pressure from Jonathan Barrgan and his gesture of frustration over the finish line, after losing his first top three finish five corners from the flag, aptly told the story. In the second moto he crashed on the second turn and another fall signalled the end of his afternoon.

Special mention must go to Bike it Yamaha Dixon racing''s Julien Bill who scored his best ever MX1 result after only four Grands Prix in the class with seventh position. Everts has extended his lead in the Championship by thirteen points and now heads Leok by forty. Melotte is currently 12th but only ten points away from fifth place.

The Grand Prix also represented the opening round of the FIM Women''s World Cup. Yamaha''s Livia Lancelot claimed second position overall after winning the first race and then taking the runner-up spot in race two.

The French teenager claimed an exciting first moto of 20 minutes and 2 laps duration from main rivals Katherine Prumm and reigning Champion Stephanie Laier. Lancelot led the race from start to finish but endured bouts of sustained pressure from Laier and then Prumm. The 18 year old picked her way through backmarkers more efficiently on the last lap and took the chequered flag. Later in the day she had to follow a more ruthless Prumm but equalled the Kiwi''s points total, only losing the top step due to the second race ranking.

The second and final stage of the Women''s competition will take place at the Grand Prix of Sweden on July 2nd. The World Championships meanwhile will travel to Japan, Bulgaria, Italy and Great Britain before arriving in Scandinavia. The fifth round of the series will take place in two weeks time at the Sugo circuit in Sendai.

Stefan Everts:
''I rode really fast today and I had to because Kevin chased me in the first moto and Tanel was right there in the second. It is better for me when I have some pressure and quick riders around. The young guys are getting better and physically stronger. They want to beat me for sure so I have to keep on working hard during the week. I am doing my best. It is good for the racing that we have these guys at the front and it makes it more interesting. The new Yamaha is so strong, not only for riding but also on the starts; I am making a lot of holeshots and this makes it so much easier to win the race.''

Cedric Melotte:
''The first moto was pretty good for me in comparison to the second. I took a good start and could keep the rhythm with Strijbos and Stefan. In the next race I crashed on the second corner and I tried to come back but the track was really fast. I fell again and hurt my neck. I stopped because I was not feeling too good. It is a pity because for the second GP I have made one decent moto and one bad. I am disappointed about this but I tried my best. I have to be more focussed for the next GP.''

Carlo Rinadli, Team manager:
''After the first moto we were optimistic of a good result for Cedric because we saw that he had the speed, even from Saturday''s sessions. He was feeling good and proved it in that first moto so we were hoping for a strong result from both riders but unfortunately he crashed twice in the next race and he had to pull out. It is a pity for him because he needs some good results to get back his confidence.

On the other hand, Stefan did very well again and established his pace over the other riders. It was difficult for him because the youngsters are pushing hard. He made two good starts and was very consistent with his speed; there is not much more to say! We made hardly any changes to the bike this weekend; just a few tweaks to the suspension and carburetion but nothing major.''

Race classification MX1

Round: 4 - Grand Prix of Germany
Circuit: Teutschenthal
Circuit Length: 1780
Race: 19 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 40'' 4.435
2 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +3.297
3 J. Barragan KTM ESP +5.447
4 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +8.265
5 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +29.957
6 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +44.754
7 J. Bill Yamaha GBR +54.680
8 P. Leuret Honda FRA +58.258
9 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +1'' 12.770
10 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1'' 3.067
11 B. Jorgensen Honda DNK +1'' 6.442
12 A. Bobkovs Honda LVA +1'' 13.075
13 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1'' 13.900
14 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1'' 18,577.000
15 A. Salvini Suzuki ITA +1'' 19.695
16 C. Federici Kawasaki ITA +1'' 21.026
17 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1'' 25.243
18 M. Kovalainen Honda FIN +1'' 36,921.000
19 J. Lindhe KTM SWE +1'' 58.788
20 C. Desalle Suzuki BEL +2'' 6.909

Race 2: 19 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 40'' 35.718
2 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +3.997
3 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +5.922
4 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +6.665
5 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +28.530
6 B. Jorgensen Honda DNK +39.062
7 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1'' 3.084
8 J. Bill Yamaha GBR +1'' 7.604
9 J. Garcia Vico Honda ESP +1'' 11.102
10 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1'' 14.060
11 C. Dugmore Kawasaki RSA +1'' 16.850
12 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1'' 19.063
13 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1'' 19.320
14 J. Noble Honda GBR +1'' 36.682
15 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1'' 46.334
16 A. Bobkovs Honda LVA +1'' 48.750
17 R. Jelen Suzuki SVN +1'' 52.121
18 M. Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR +1'' 56.204
19 W. Avis KTM RSA +2'' 2.686
20 J. Lindhe KTM SWE +2'' 7.645

Championship standings MX1

Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 192
2 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 152
3 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 138
4 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 133
5 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 117
6 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 111
7 Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 99
8 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 92
9 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 84
10 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 72
11 Julien Bill Yamaha GBR 67
12 Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 57
13 Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 55
14 Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 52
15 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 49
16 James Noble Honda GBR 49
17 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 40
18 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 39
19 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 21
20 Aigar Bobkovs Honda LVA 20

Manufacturers standings MX1
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 192
2 Suzuki 161
3 Kawasaki 152
4 KTM 147
5 Honda 133
6 TM 54

MX2 : Mackenzie top finisher with fourth in Germany
Round: 4 - Grand Prix of Germany
Circuit: Teutschenthal
Date: 7 May 2006
Crowd: 31000
Temp: 27ºC
Weather: Hot and Sunny

The MX2 class of the Karcher Grand Prix of Germany was dominated by Christophe Pourcel who achieved his maiden overall success and Bike it Yamaha Dixon Racing''s Billy Mackenzie was the top YZ250F pilot with fourth place after two hot and demanding motos.

The sunken-bowl landscape of the Talkessel circuit just outside of Teutschenthal presented a bumpy, sunshine baked and fast prospect for the Grand Prix stars. The track was typically rough and quick meaning that the starts largely determined the ranking and Pourcel enjoyed two holeshots that carried a significant advantage.
22 year old Mackenzie, from Edinburgh in Scotland, took results of sixth and fifth in the two 35 minute and two lap motos after battling with fellow Yamaha representatives Antonio Cairoli and Davide Guarneri in both heats.

World Champion Antonio Cairoli was fifth overall but his finishes of fifth and seventh hid a strong vein of courage. The Sicilian crashed in the warm-up and needed treatment for a sore back and neck. He could not maintain his usual pace and was effective only in fits and spurts. A poor start in the second moto prevented a better classification.

The Ricci Racing team were left lamenting their poor luck. Alessio Chiodi had taken his best finish of the year so far with a solid third in the first moto (after Tyla Rattray had crashed) and used all of his experience to make life hard for the works KTMs, who would eventually scale the podium. However a mechanical problem ten minutes from the chequered flag later in the afternoon meant a second DNF from eight motos run so far this season.
His team-mate Kenneth Gundersen was seventh in race one. The Norwegian had recovered from the virus that affected him in Portugal but, like Cairoli, was restricted by bad starts. In the second race he was manfully diverting the attentions of Mackenzie from fifth position before a crash near the end of the moto, followed by another tangle one lap later, relegated him to 15th.
The third member of the team, Guarneri - competing at the venue where he scored his first ever moto victory last year - was sixth in the same race where his compatriots foundered after an earlier DNF.

Mackenzie has finished in the top eight for the last six motos and this consistency has seen him rise to fifth in the World Championship standings just 14 points behind Cairoli.

The fifth round of fifteen in the 2006 FIM World Championship will take place at the Sugo circuit in two weeks time for the Yamaha-backed Grand Prix of Japan.

Billy Mackenzie, Bike it Yamaha Dixon Racing:
''This is such a big improvement over Portugal and I am pleased to be the first Yamaha rider home. We have been testing a lot over the last few months and now we are at a place with the suspension whereby the bike is working really well. I have steadily moved up in the Championship and I really want to win a couple of races now; some of my favourite tracks are coming up.''

Antonio Cairoli, De Carli Yamaha:
''I had a lot of pain out there, especially in the second heat. My vision was also affected so I was taking a lot of risks. My neck and arms really hurt after a big crash this morning. Luckily for me nothing is broken and to take some points today was good.''

Alessio Chiodi, Ricci Racing: ''The bike started to make a funny noise with ten minutes to go and I suspected something was wrong. Three laps before the end it lost power and stopped. It is very disappointing to lose the podium because I was having a good race in that second moto. I also threw away some good points.''

Kenneth Gundersen, Ricci Racing:
''Today was crap. I was fifth in the second moto and made a stupid crash two laps before the end; it was bad luck again. In the first race I had a bad start and came back from 20th to seventh. At least my body feels better and I can only improve from here.''

Race classification MX2

Round: 4 - Grand Prix of Germany
Circuit: Teutschenthal
Circuit Length: 1780
Race: 19 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 40'' 9.872
2 M. De Reuver KTM NED +10.382
3 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +13.659
4 T. Rattray KTM RSA +15.355
5 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +17.445
6 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +23.488
7 K. Gundersen Yamaha SWE +42.133
8 A. Leok Yamaha EST +44.952
9 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +46.595
10 A. Boissière Yamaha FRA +48.349
11 T. Searle Kawasaki GBR +50.102
12 C. Nunn KTM GBR +51.076
13 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +51.400
14 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1'' 3.641
15 J. Dougan Honda GBR +1'' 5.265
16 M. Monni KTM ITA +1'' 5.868
17 R. Goncalves KTM POR +1'' 6.299
18 M. Nagl KTM GER +1'' 17.581
19 F. Mossini Suzuki ITA +1'' 23.857
20 J. Wing KTM SWE +1'' 27.265

Race 2: 19 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 40'' 44.965
2 M. De Reuver KTM NED +10.106
3 T. Rattray KTM RSA +20.066
4 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +25.692
5 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +29.066
6 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +39.056
7 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +42.429
8 M. Nagl KTM GER +44.303
9 R. Goncalves KTM POR +45.746
10 T. Searle Kawasaki GBR +47.524
11 C. Nunn KTM GBR +48.643
12 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +49.964
13 M. Monni KTM ITA +57.826
14 A. Leok Yamaha EST +1'' 0.389
15 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +1'' 0.852
16 A. Boissière Yamaha FRA +1'' 8.958
17 P A. Renet Honda FRA +1'' 12.299
18 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1'' 18.220
19 K. Gundersen Yamaha SWE +1'' 30.418
20 J. Wing KTM SWE +1'' 44.824

Championship standings MX2
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 166
2 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 158
3 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 152
4 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 119
5 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 105
6 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 101
7 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 100
8 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 95
9 Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 89
10 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 78
11 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 70
12 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 55
13 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 53
14 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 52
15 Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 51
16 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 46
17 Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 40
18 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 36
19 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 33
20 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 31

Manufacturers standings MX2
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 KTM 181
2 Yamaha 175
3 Kawasaki 160
4 Honda 79
5 Suzuki 2

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