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Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Everts shut-out in Japan maintains dominant streak

Stefan Everts collected his fifth win in a row after pole position, two holeshots and two complete victories in front of 17,400 spectators this afternoon at a sun-bathed Sugo circuit for the Grand Prix of Japan and the fifth round of the 2006 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship. The Belgian guided his YZ450FM to both chequered flags to extend his 100% record this season and walked away with a 92nd career success. After his seventh consecutive moto triumph Everts is now controlling the series by 61 points at the top of the standings. The Sugo circuit had been meticulously prepared; the natural terrain was carefully mixed with sandy soil and wood chippings to maintain a soft texture. The surface created various racing lines but became rough and bumpy very quickly, meaning that the smallest of errors would prove costly. The 33 year old gained his second pole position of the season on Saturday with a lap-time a second faster than Kawasaki's Tanel Leok. Fine weather conditions blessed raceday for the fourth consecutive Grand Prix. Everts blasted out of the gate for the first moto of 35 minutes and two laps duration and the potency of the YZ450FM was again apparent as he gained the holeshot and had a lead of almost five seconds after three laps. The World Champion was on cruise control from that point and led the pack until the chequered flag for his second consecutive Japanese moto triumph after owning the second sprint last year. For nine circulations (from 21) the Yamaha Intur Sports team flew in formation as Cedric Melotte held second spot. The Belgian eventually fell back into a frantic scrap for podium positions with Ken De Dycker, Steve Ramon and Tanel Leok. A mistake on the final lap demoted the disappointed number '4' to sixth. Everts re-enacted his authoritative performance in race two for a clear victory ahead of Steve Ramon, who clinched second spot on the podium. A holeshot and rapid few opening laps was the main difference in one of the Champion's more straight-forward Grand Prix. He deservingly went on a lap of honour to acknowledge the support and cheers of the Japanese public. Former AMA competitor and now contesting the Japanese Championship, Akira Narita was 11th on his YZ450FM and finished in the top ten with ninth in the second moto after a decent race fighting with some of Europe's fastest riders. Reigning national champion Takeshi Koikeda was 22nd with the YZ250. Yamaha now hold a 41 point lead in the Constructors Championship. In two weeks time round six will take place at the Sevlievo circuit in Bulgaria. Stefan Everts, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "I won my first Championship in 1991 and to win here in Japan in my final year feels very nice. I have had a long career and a lot of support from many people and manufacturers so I must say thank you to the Japanese people for the memories. We have a lot of wins now but I am looking ahead, not behind, and I have to try and keep this form. I would like to win everything so we will keep on working hard and see what happens. It was special to win here for Yamaha. They have given us a lot of support and it has been great to be a part of the family; I hope we can do many things together in the future." Cedric Melotte, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "I always seem to start well but cannot carry the speed. It was better at the beginning of the season. Last week I made a blood test and I am missing some iron and vitamins. I took some tablets for this GP but after the first 15 minutes of each moto I felt empty. I was light-headed and my muscles were heavy. It is frustrating and I don't know what is wrong. This has been a bad weekend." Carlo Rinaldi, Team manager: "It has been another great victory; Stefan was just perfect and there is not much more that we can say. The bike was great and the rider was great so that is excellent for us. The distance over the others was big because Stefan was so strong. Cedric had the speed to compete with the top riders but not the physical condition and at this stage it is a bit of a mystery. He is working hard and has satisfied many physical tests but the results say that something is wrong. We are in Japan but there was not more pressure on us because the preparation and organisation was very good. It was like racing at home because the Japanese people helped us so much, they fulfilled all of our requests and then some more." Laurens Klein Koerkamp: "In 2005 we won both MX1 and MX2 in the first Japanese GP for ten years in Yamaha-land so we thought that it would not be easy to do it again this time. To win all four heats at this GP was amazing and very good for Yamaha. We have always said the standard of the motorcycles was already very high, obviously there are some small changes for top level racing but the decent base is there and this is the best thing we can give to the Yamaha guys." Race classification MX1 Round: 5 - 2006 GP of Sugo, Japan Circuit: Sugo Circuit Length: 3737 Race: 22 Laps  Pos.  Rider Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time  1   S. Everts Yamaha  BEL  40' 42.166  2   K. De Dycker Honda  BEL  +14.150  3   T. Leok Kawasaki  EST  +15.944  4   S. Ramon Suzuki  BEL  +23.606  5   B. Jorgensen Honda  DNK  +29.783  6   C. Melotte Yamaha  BEL  +42.607  7   J. Noble Honda  GBR  +48.686  8   J. Barragan KTM  ESP  +54.238  9   M. Priem Yamaha  BEL  +55.718  10   M. Van Daele Honda  BEL  +57.720  11   J. Bill Yamaha  GBR  +1' 9.842  12   K. Strijbos Suzuki  BEL  +1' 14.101  13   D. Theybers Suzuki  BEL  +1' 15.622  14   A. Narita Yamaha  JPN  +1' 30.186  15   A. Pyrhonen TM  FIN  +1' 34.744  16   J. Lindhe KTM  SWE  +1' 44.269  17   K. Masuda Honda  JPN  +1 lap(s)  18   J. Garcia Vico Honda  ESP  +1 lap(s)  19   K. Kaga Suzuki  JPN  +1 lap(s)  20   T. Koikeda Yamaha  JPN  +1 lap(s)  Race 2: 21 Laps  Pos.  Rider Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time  1   S. Everts Yamaha  BEL  39' 44.664  2   S. Ramon Suzuki  BEL  +23.136  3   J. Barragan KTM  ESP  +30.861  4   K. Strijbos Suzuki  BEL  +37.393  5   M. Van Daele Honda  BEL  +40.505  6   M. Priem Yamaha  BEL  +46.230  7   J. Noble Honda  GBR  +49.265  8   K. De Dycker Honda  BEL  +54.644  9   A. Narita Yamaha  JPN  +58.827  10   D. Theybers Suzuki  BEL  +1' 2.228  11   K. Kaga Suzuki  JPN  +1' 7.661  12   T. Leok Kawasaki  EST  +1' 14.840  13   A. Pyrhonen TM  FIN  +1' 20.349  14   K. Masuda Honda  JPN  +1' 21.317  15   C. Melotte Yamaha  BEL  +1' 39.598  16   S. Idehara Yamaha  JPN  +1' 44.791  17   J. Lindhe KTM  SWE  +1 lap(s)  18   K. Ohkawara Yamaha  JPN  +1 lap(s)  19   T. Koikeda Yamaha  JPN  +1 lap(s)  20   M. Hiratsuka Kawasaki  JPN  +1 lap(s)  Championship standings MX1 Pos.  Rider  Manufacturer  Nat. Points  1   Stefan Everts Yamaha  BEL 242  2   Tanel Leok Kawasaki  EST 181  3   Ken De Dycker Honda  BEL 168  4   Kevin Strijbos Suzuki  BEL 165  5   Steve Ramon Suzuki  BEL 151  6   Jonathan Barragan KTM  ESP 150  7   Cedric Melotte Yamaha  BEL 105  8   Manuel Priem Yamaha  BEL 99  9   Sebastien Tortelli KTM  FRA 99  10   Pascal Leuret  Honda  FRA 93  11   Julien Bill Yamaha  GBR 77  12   Marvin Van Daele Honda  BEL 77  13   James Noble Honda  GBR 77  14   Antti Pyrhonen TM  FIN 69  15   Brian Jorgensen Honda  DNK 68  16   Javier Garcia Vico Honda  ESP 60  17   Danny Theybers Suzuki  BEL 58  18   Stephen Sword Kawasaki  GBR 40  19   Johnny Lindhe KTM  SWE 23  20   Aigar Bobkovs Honda  LVA 21  Manufacturers standings MX1 Pos. Manufacturer Points  1  Yamaha 242  2  Suzuki 201  3  Kawasaki 181  4  KTM 180  5  Honda 171  6  TM 69  MX2 : Mackenzie repeats Japanese success at Sugo Round: 5 - 2006 GP of Sugo, Japan Circuit: Sugo Date: 21 May 2006 Crowd: 17400 Temp: 25ºC Weather: Sunny Bike it Yamaha UK Dixon Racing rider Billy Mackenzie remains undefeated at the Japanese Sugo circuit as the Scot went 1-3 on his YZ250FM in the two MX2 motos to claim his second career Grand Prix success and Yamaha's first of 2006. The second race was won by World Champion Antonio Cairoli to give manufacturer a perfect 4-from-4 score at their home event. The track was dry, bumpy and technical as the organisers at the Sugo circuit again excelled in presenting a tough and interesting layout for the riders. The warm conditions aided towards a hard day's work for the stars of the MX2 class as 17, 400 spectators looked on. 22 year old Mackenzie, who celebrated his maiden triumph at Sugo in 2005, passed Ricci Racing's Kenneth Gundersen on the second lap of the first race to control the rest of the pack. Kawasaki's Christophe Pourcel was closing at one stage but 'Mac' kept a steady three second advantage to notch his first 25 point haul of the season and the fourth of his career. Cairoli had ended the first lap in the lead but crashed in an incident that also involved Marc de Reuver. The Italian had to fight hard to gain fourth place while Gundersen was not content with the set-up on his machine and crossed the finish line in ninth, taking 11th later in the day for a lacklustre eigth overall. Cairoli was strong off the start in the second moto and his holeshot was swiftly converted into a sizzling series of laps that dragged him away from Mackenzie and the pursuing de Reuver. Mackenzie was demoted to third from that position he kept a small distance over Gareth Swanepoel to ensure overall victory. Cairoli was alone at the front and his win marked the third of the season and fifth from ten motos for Yamaha. Ricci Racing's Alessio Chiodi struggled through the weekend after crashing and injuring his right knee during the second practice session. The Italian was taken for a scan that revealed that nothing was broken but the former Champion was in a lot of pain. He manfully tried to complete the qualification heat but withdrew after a few laps. Thanks to only 30 riders contesting the MX2 class Chiodi was also able to discount the Last Chance session and took to the gate in last place to bravely aim for some points. He managed to score 5 for 16th in race one and repeated the position in race two despite a small spill just before the finish line. The World Championship picture now looks more interesting as series leader Tyla Rattray crashed and could not pick up any points from Moto2. Cairoli is currently fourth and 32 points behind new number one Christophe Pourcel while Mackenzie is only 12 points behind his Yamaha compatriot in fifth. The teams and riders now start the long journey back to Europe before beginning to prepare for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria, due to take place at the Sevlievo circuit in two weeks. Billy Mackenzie, Bike it Yamaha UK Dixon Racing: "I always like coming to Japan! To leave here with a win is incredible and everything that I could have asked for. We have been working hard on the bike and we had some new parts supplied by Rinaldi this weekend and they really helped. The bike had a little bit more bottom-end which is what I needed. The track was really nice. I have to get my starts sorted but when that happens I'm sure I will be upfront more often. Last year I had some good races but also some bad ones so I have been working on being more consistent this season. There are still many GP's left and I am confident that we can move up the championship standings still." Antonio Cairoli, De Carli Yamaha: "We changed the bike last week and I practiced my starts and it really helped today. I took the holeshot twice and the situation is better now off the line. In the first moto Marc passed me after the whoops for the lead but I stayed close to him and when he went down after hitting some wet mud I fell also. I was fast but I lost a lot of time because I crashed again and it meant that I was always fighting back. Now I must work a little bit more on my condition and hope for some more luck!" Alessio Chiodi, Ricci Racing: "I had some bad luck yesterday because I had a good feeling with the track in practice but I crashed in next session when I lost the rear end of the bike. I'm not sure if it was my mistake but right afterwards my knee was hurting so much I was sure something was broken. The doctor said the bone was OK but now I need to get the ligaments checked out. Ten points today is better than nothing and a big injury." Kenneth Gundersen, Ricci Racing: "It was a hard day. In the first race I had a good start and was leading for a lap or two but then I crashed and finished ninth. In the last race I had a really bad start and I was struggling. We had some set-up problems. It wasn't a good weekend for me and will hopefully be better next time."    Race classification MX2 Round: 5 - 2006 GP of Sugo, Japan Circuit: Sugo Circuit Length: 3737 Race: 22 Laps  Pos.  Rider Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time  1   B. MacKenzie Yamaha  GBR  40' 27.246  2   C. Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA  +12.249  3   M. De Reuver KTM  NED  +22.606  4   A. Cairoli Yamaha  ITA  +26.790  5   D. Philippaerts KTM  ITA  +28.677  6   T. Rattray KTM  RSA  +38.296  7   G. Swanepoel Kawasaki  RSA  +41.888  8   T. Searle Kawasaki  GBR  +52.492  9   K. Gundersen Yamaha  NOR  +54.515  10   S. Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA  +55.594  11   A. Boissière Yamaha  FRA  +57.845  12   C. Nunn KTM  GBR  +1' 0.655  13   R. Goncalves KTM  POR  +1' 2.793  14   M. Nagl KTM  GER  +1' 24.448  15   L. Seguy Yamaha  FRA  +1' 43.036  16   A. Chiodi Yamaha  ITA  +1' 51.859  17   Y. Kojima Suzuki  JPN  +1' 57.798  18   M. Monni KTM  ITA  +1 lap(s)  19   Y. Ozaki  Yamaha  JPN  +1 lap(s)  20   M. Watanabe Yamaha  JPN  +1 lap(s)  Race 2: 21 Laps  Pos.  Rider Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time  1   A. Cairoli Yamaha  ITA  40' 1.774  2   M. De Reuver KTM  NED  +5.927  3   B. MacKenzie Yamaha  GBR  +10.002  4   G. Swanepoel Kawasaki  RSA  +13.618  5   C. Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA  +33.536  6   C. Nunn KTM  GBR  +36.838  7   T. Searle Kawasaki  GBR  +41.246  8   A. Leok Yamaha  EST  +43.951  9   R. Goncalves KTM  POR  +44.995  10   D. Guarneri Yamaha  ITA  +54.406  11   K. Gundersen Yamaha  NOR  +54.586  12   M. Nagl KTM  GER  +1' 6.943  13   M. Monni KTM  ITA  +1' 26.580  14   S. Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA  +1' 42.911  15   L. Seguy Yamaha  FRA  +1' 44.950  16   A. Chiodi Yamaha  ITA  +1' 51.338  17   D. Philippaerts KTM  ITA  +2' 9.160  18   M. Watanabe Yamaha  JPN  +1 lap(s)  19   K. Fukaya Honda  JPN  +1 lap(s)  20   Y. Ozaki  Yamaha  JPN  +1 lap(s)  Championship standings MX2 Pos.  Rider  Manufacturer  Nat. Points  1   Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA 196  2   Marc De Reuver KTM  NED 194  3   Tyla Rattray KTM  RSA 181  4   Antonio Cairoli Yamaha  ITA 162  5   Billy MacKenzie Yamaha  GBR 150  6   David Philippaerts KTM  ITA 120  7   Carl Nunn KTM  GBR 119  8   Alessio Chiodi Yamaha  ITA 111  9   Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha  NOR 111  10   Tommy Searle Kawasaki  GBR 105  11   Rui Goncalves KTM  POR 90  12   Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki  RSA 87  13   Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA 70  14   Davide Guarneri Yamaha  ITA 64  15   Luigi Seguy Yamaha  FRA 63  16   Anthony Boissière Yamaha  FRA 50  17   Aigar Leok Yamaha  EST 46  18   Patrick Caps Honda  BEL 46  19   Maximilian Nagl KTM  GER 45  20   Manuel Monni KTM  ITA 42  Manufacturers standings MX2 Pos. Manufacturer Points  1  Yamaha 225  2  KTM 223  3  Kawasaki 200  4  Honda 81  5  Suzuki 6

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