Everts' slip still unable to halt victory number 95

Stefan Everts' assault on the World Championship record books weathered its toughest test in weeks but came through unscathed at the eighth round of the 2006 series. At a hot and packed Matterley Basin circuit for the British Grand Prix the World Champion won both motos to stretch his unbeaten run to thirteen races and eight perfect rounds so far. Everts had claimed his second pole position in a row on Saturday on a very dry track that was hard and dusty. The long layout gave the impression of high speed but the riders were struggling to break the two minute barrier as they bobbed and weaved through the course situated in the middle of a natural bowl and among some picturesque scenery. Everts owned his twelfth consecutive moto in usual untouchable fashion. The 33 year old came close to crashing in a busy first corner but cut through from fourth position in the opening turns to be leading the pack by the end of the first lap. A more unconventional race lay in store later in the afternoon as a spill while leading on the fifth lap required some swift surgery to his standing and nine circulations later he had recouped four positions and passed Steve Ramon to again be the pace-setter. It was another dominant display from the Yamaha Intur Sports rider who also recorded the fastest lap of the sprint. Cédric Melotte continues to improve both his physical condition and his confidence. The Belgian was part of a tasty dice for second and third positions in the opening moto - at one stage the YZ450FMs were flying tandem - and eventually he defended fifth spot from Tanel Leok. In the second outing he gained another top ten placing with eighth for his best pair of results this year. Bike it Yamaha UK Dixon Racing's Julien Bill posted the seventh quickest lap-time in qualification and was running in the mid top ten for sections of the opening race until being relegated to tenth with an engine glitch. He was 13th in the final moto after a problem with his goggles. Everts leads the Championship by 99 points which gives him an advantage of almost two Grand Prix with only seven left to run. The Belgian is still firmly on course to reach 100 career victories and presently has 95. Cédric Melotte is eighth but only twelve points from seventh with the next round due to take place at Sweden in two weeks. Stefan Everts, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "I hit a rock with my frame, the back wheel came out of the rut and I slid out. Josh passed me immediately but I was aggressive and got him back quickly. I was chasing Tanel but I was having a hard time around the first part of the track because it was so fast and the roosts coming up from all the dust made it difficult to see the lines. I made my way through one by one and then pushed quite hard to have a small gap after a few laps. I managed to bring my Yamaha to the chequered flag first and again I am very happy. After the small crash it made a good show for the fans and I was pleased with how I could still take the race." Cédric Melotte, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "Finally I felt more like my old self. I had a long talk with Michele during the week about my life and not just motocross. His encouragement was unbelievable and he is very positive. I had a small problem with my back today and had a lot of pain. I needed an injection to race but I did not want to give up because I was feeling mentally much better. I am still physically not 100% and my riding style needs a high level of fitness. I needed a bit of time to come back but I am still confident for the rest of the season. It will be good to have a small break now and I can take my training step by step." Michele Rinaldi, Team co-ordinator, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "It has been a difficult and delicate time for Cédric. He needed a long time to recover from his wrist and still wasn't fit to push for forty minutes. It was not the best situation for Cédric, Yamaha or for us. Today he proved he was fast and could ride at the front for half of the race but could not go to the end. I hope this will change soon because Stefan is giving us perfect results in one half of the team. Both riders really appreciate the new Yamaha and we can see that it is strong everywhere and in all kinds of conditions. We are taking many holeshots which shows the performance of the engine and we are all satisfied." Race classification MX1 Round: 8 - 2006 GP of Matterley Basin, UK Circuit: Matterley Basin Race 1: 20 Laps  Pos.  Rider Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time  1   S. Everts Yamaha  BEL  41' 8.529  2   K. De Dycker Honda  BEL  +4.816  3   J. Coppins Honda  NZL  +5.293  4   K. Strijbos Suzuki  BEL  +6.436  5   C. Melotte Yamaha  BEL  +16.789  6   T. Leok Kawasaki  EST  +20.713  7   G. Crockard Honda  GBR  +26.176  8   J. Garcia Vico Honda  ESP  +28.827  9   P. Leuret  Honda  FRA  +37.045  10   J. Bill Yamaha  GBR  +43.021  11   J. Noble Honda  GBR  +50.363  12   J. Barragan KTM  ESP  +1' 9.842  13   M. Jones Honda  GBR  +1' 12.970  14   S. Ramon Suzuki  BEL  +1' 18.796  15   M. Priem Yamaha  BEL  +1' 20.067  16   D. Theybers Suzuki  BEL  +1' 22.208  17   L. Freibergs Suzuki  LVA  +1' 22.777  18   A. Pyrhonen TM  FIN  +1' 28.109  19   C. Federici Kawasaki  ITA  +1' 31.970  20   N. Bradshaw Suzuki  GBR  +1' 36.825  Race 2: 19 Laps  Pos.  Rider Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time  1   S. Everts Yamaha  BEL  39' 21.708  2   K. Strijbos Suzuki  BEL  +3.372  3   S. Ramon Suzuki  BEL  +15.875  4   T. Leok Kawasaki  EST  +37.671  5   J. Coppins Honda  NZL  +45.447  6   J. Barragan KTM  ESP  +50.676  7   K. De Dycker Honda  BEL  +56.471  8   C. Melotte Yamaha  BEL  +59.626  9   M. Van Daele Honda  BEL  +1' 3.592  10   J. Garcia Vico Honda  ESP  +1' 8.873  11   M. Priem Yamaha  BEL  +1' 11.660  12   J. Noble Honda  GBR  +1' 21.470  13   J. Bill Yamaha  GBR  +1' 23.626  14   C. Federici Kawasaki  ITA  +1' 28.325  15   N. Bradshaw Suzuki  GBR  +1' 36.628  16   M. Jones Honda  GBR  +1' 41.671  17   J. Lindhe KTM  SWE  +1' 46.492  18   A. Salvini Suzuki  ITA  +1' 54.806  19   A. Bobkovs Honda  LVA  +2' 1.915  20   B. Verhoeven Kawasaki  NED  +2' 3.758  Championship standings MX1 Pos.  Rider  Manufacturer  Nat. Points  1   Stefan Everts Yamaha  BEL 392  2   Kevin Strijbos Suzuki  BEL 293  3   Tanel Leok Kawasaki  EST 278  4   Ken De Dycker Honda  BEL 267  5   Steve Ramon Suzuki  BEL 254  6   Jonathan Barragan KTM  ESP 190  7   Pascal Leuret  Honda  FRA 159  8   Cedric Melotte Yamaha  BEL 147  9   Javier Garcia Vico Honda  ESP 139  10   Manuel Priem Yamaha  BEL 136  11   Julien Bill Yamaha  GBR 126  12   Marvin Van Daele Honda  BEL 120  13   Brian Jorgensen Honda  DNK 120  14   James Noble Honda  GBR 108  15   Sebastien Tortelli KTM  FRA 99  16   Antti Pyrhonen TM  FIN 94  17   Danny Theybers Suzuki  BEL 78  18   Gordon Crockard Honda  GBR 54  19   Alex Salvini Suzuki  ITA 50  20   Wyatt Avis KTM  RSA 46  Manufacturers standings MX1 Pos. Manufacturer Points  1  Yamaha 392  2  Suzuki 329  3  Honda 279  4  Kawasaki 278  5  KTM 245  6  TM 94  MX2 : Another runner-up place for Cairoli Round: 8 - 2006 GP of Matterley Basin, UK Circuit: Matterley Basin Date: 18 June 2006 Crowd: 39000 Temp: 28ºC Weather: Hot Antonio Cairoli repeated his Italian Grand Prix runner-up position at Matterley Basin as the top two steps of the MX2 podium were again filled by David Philippaerts and the De Carli representative. The World Champion had started badly in the first race on a track that proved difficult for passing simply because the high speed and simple layout meant that the distances between riders remained constant and tricky to breach. He was able to improve his ranking by one digit to sixth after Nicolas Aubin faded back through the top ten. In the second moto he harried Philippaerts for the better part of the 35 minute and 2 lap distance before pulling away for his fifth race triumph of the season. Bike it Yamaha UK Dixon Racing's Billy Mackenzie was fourth after tying on points for the lower step of the podium but losing his third silverware of the term after finishing eighth in race two. The Scot was the first Yamaha home with third position in the first contest of the day in what was a decent performance in front of a very vocal supporting crowd. The 22 year old had several injections into a broken left hand and fought off the close attentions of Championship leader Christophe Pourcel for the runner-up place behind David Philippaerts until the last lap. The local resident was back to his aggressive best after two indifferent and troublesome Grand Prix but his impetuousness cost him in the afternoon after a mistake while third saw him run off the track and he struggled to rise higher up the classification. Mackenzie was briefly on the podium when Sebastien Pourcel overtook Tommy Searle for third but then almost crashed giving the British teenager his first ever top three and leaving the Yamaha man disappointed. Kenneth Gundersen was leading the moto1 until he lost the front end of the Ricci Racing Yamaha on a banked right hander and crashed down to sixth, finally able to rise to fifth. In the second outing he fought off Billy Mackenzie and passed Anthony Boisierre for sixth that gave him fifth overall. Davide Guarneri gained his best race result of the year in fourth position after leaving behind the tussle between his Yamaha compatriots Gundersen and Cairoli but collided with Gareth Swanepoel and did not finish race two. His team-mate Alessio Chiodi had small crashes in both motos and was eleventh. After two second positions and a victory in the last four motos Cairoli has moved up to second in the Championship 34 points behind Christophe Pourcel. Mackenzie is sixth and Gundersen seventh. After a heavy three week spell of consecutive races the World Championships have now earned a well deserved break. The Grand Prix of Sweden at the Uddevalla circuit will draw the teams and riders together on the first weekend of July. Antonio Cairoli, Team Yamaha De Carli: "I didn't start well and I was trying to come back through but I hit a wall with Gundersen because he was so hard to pass. I lost a lot of time. I rode with my head and I liked the track. I was thinking about the Championship in that first heat because I passed Tyla and de Reuver although I lost the race because of that start." Kenneth Gundersen, Yamaha Team Ricci: "Again my own mistake cost me, just like Montevarchi. I tried to be smooth too early and should have attacked for a few more laps before trying to set a rhythm but I came into the corner and the front slid out. I came from eighth to fifth in the first one and it wasn't a bad race. I struggled in the second moto and was fighting the bike." Alessio Chiodi, Yamaha Team Ricci: "Today was not so good because I had some decent positions but I crashed in both motos however my knee is getting better and that is one positive thing. The track was fast and the dry but it wasn't so bad." Billy Mackenzie, Bike it Yamaha UK Dixon Racing: "I'm gutted to be honest. Hearing the crowd cheering for twenty minutes after the race for someone else when I knew I should have been up there was hard to take and a bit of a downer. I tried my hardest. I made a small mistake after the whoops when I was third because I saw Cairoli and Philippaerts ahead of me and thought 'I can get them'. My hand has been getting better for three weeks now but it still forced me to have two bad Grand Prix. The medication I had today was great. I need to pick my head up now; fourth overall was fine and the points make it good."    Race classification MX2 Round: 8 - 2006 GP of Matterley Basin, UK Circuit: Matterley Basin Race 1: 19 Laps  Pos.  Rider Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time  1   D. Philippaerts KTM  ITA  39' 22.087  2   C. Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA  +5.443  3   B. MacKenzie Yamaha  GBR  +9.460  4   D. Guarneri Yamaha  ITA  +13.068  5   K. Gundersen Yamaha  NOR  +14.894  6   A. Cairoli Yamaha  ITA  +17.540  7   G. Swanepoel Kawasaki  RSA  +18.911  8   T. Searle Kawasaki  GBR  +19.706  9   N. Aubin Kawasaki  FRA  +21.875  10   S. Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA  +49.922  11   C. Nunn KTM  GBR  +52.163  12   R. Goncalves KTM  POR  +53.868  13   A. Chiodi Yamaha  ITA  +57.138  14   A. Boissière Yamaha  FRA  +1' 2.097  15   M. Monni KTM  ITA  +1' 10.702  16   P A. Renet Honda  FRA  +1' 17.198  17   T. Rattray KTM  RSA  +1' 23.172  18   R. Rowson Kawasaki  GBR  +1' 24.485  19   S. Simpson Honda  GBR  +1' 27.681  20   J. Dougan Honda  GBR  +1' 41.747  Race 2: 19 Laps  Pos.  Rider Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time  1   A. Cairoli Yamaha  ITA  39' 56.266  2   D. Philippaerts KTM  ITA  +11.233  3   T. Searle Kawasaki  GBR  +13.689  4   S. Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA  +14.190  5   R. Goncalves KTM  POR  +26.994  6   K. Gundersen Yamaha  NOR  +36.890  7   A. Boissière Yamaha  FRA  +40.631  8   B. MacKenzie Yamaha  GBR  +45.117  9   C. Nunn KTM  GBR  +49.390  10   A. Chiodi Yamaha  ITA  +50.918  11   M. Monni KTM  ITA  +51.632  12   C. Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA  +53.183  13   M. Seistola Honda  FIN  +1' 0.827  14   P A. Renet Honda  FRA  +1' 5.203  15   T. Rattray KTM  RSA  +1' 6.533  16   B. Anderson Yamaha  GBR  +1' 7.906  17   M. De Reuver KTM  NED  +1' 22.806  18   X. Boog Yamaha  FRA  +1' 27.227  19   S. Simpson Honda  GBR  +1' 30.413  20   J. Wing KTM  SWE  +1' 32.179  Championship standings MX2 Pos.  Rider  Manufacturer  Nat. Points  1   Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA 305  2   Antonio Cairoli Yamaha  ITA 271  3   David Philippaerts KTM  ITA 257  4   Marc De Reuver KTM  NED 250  5   Tyla Rattray KTM  RSA 245  6   Billy MacKenzie Yamaha  GBR 201  7   Carl Nunn KTM  GBR 181  8   Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha  NOR 170  9   Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki  FRA 169  10   Tommy Searle Kawasaki  GBR 162  11   Rui Goncalves KTM  POR 157  12   Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki  RSA 148  13   Alessio Chiodi Yamaha  ITA 143  14   Davide Guarneri Yamaha  ITA 112  15   Luigi Seguy Yamaha  FRA 94  16   Manuel Monni KTM  ITA 89  17   Anthony Boissière Yamaha  FRA 87  18   Matti Seistola Honda  FIN 69  19   Aigar Leok Yamaha  EST 64  20   Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda  FRA 50  Manufacturers standings MX2 Pos. Manufacturer Points  1  KTM 365  2  Yamaha 351  3  Kawasaki 322  4  Honda 127  5  Suzuki 13