The Grand Prix of Spain at Bellpuig has turned out to another positive meeting for the Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross team and the YZ450FM motorcycle. Stefan Everts won the second MX1 moto to claim his 89th career victory and also seize control of the current World Championship standings while Cedric Melotte produced a hard-earned seventh position overall without having too much luck. After a cold and blustery opening Grand Prix of the season two weeks ago at Zolder in Belgium the hot Spanish sunshine was a welcome sight for the teams and riders as they rolled into the paddock for the second round of fifteen in the 2006 MX1 World Championship. The good weather - combined with the Easter holidays - also drew out the fans as 26, 200 defied the plumes of dust that emanated from the dry, hard and rough terrain. Stefan Everts was denied his second pole position by just a tenth of a second on Saturday afternoon by Tanel Leok, and over the course of the two Grand Prix motos of 35 minutes and two laps today the Kawasaki rider again plagued the World Champion. Everts led for eight of the 21 circulations before a mistake coming out of the old whoops section at slow speed saw the Belgian drop to fifth place and give the race to Leok and his pursuer Kevin Strijbos who would prove superior to the flag. Everts composed himself to fight back to fourth, but committed several mistakes in his challenge to Jonathan Barragan and could only secure third place with less than two laps to go. Cedric Melotte rode a good race to tenth after getting stuck in the gate and entering the first corner in last position. The Belgian had a difficult time clawing his way through the field on a course that was not easy for overtaking. He moved past Antti Pyrhonen for tenth, three laps before the chequered flag. Everts blasted back in convincing fashion in the second moto. The 33 year old, wearing his distinctive blue Acerbis livery, led from the first lap until the last and withstood brief pressure from Leok to complete a vintage performance. Stefan has won 50% of the races so far this campaign and now heads the Championship standings by ten points from his Kawasaki-mounted rival. Melotte was fourth over the line in a truer showing of his abilities later in the afternoon. He had been holding third on the YZ450FM, but the energy expelled during his first come-back race began to tell and Steve Ramon was able to relegate him to fourth. The team now face a relatively short trip east across Spain and down to Agueda, some 100km south of Porto, for the Grand Prix of Portugal next weekend. Stefan Everts: "Every time I wear my white kit in the first moto I am riding tense! I felt more relaxed before the race than I did in Zolder and then had a good start so it seemed to be going well but I found that I wasn't comfortable out there. I made a stupid mistake but could then come back to third after a hard fight with Barragan; it was hard to pass him because there were not many lines on the track. Third was good because I knew it gave me more chance of taking the overall. The second moto was much better and the Yamaha worked really well this weekend. I was very satisfied with our performance and we didn't change anything apart from altering the gearing in practice. We tried another tyre also but I ended up using the same model." Cedric Melotte: "The weekend did not start well because I could not get a good lap-time yesterday. I was very disappointed with 22nd but I focussed on making a decent race today. I hit the gate at the start of the first moto and I don't know if it was my fault or the mechanism. Anyway I pushed and came back from last to tenth. In the second race I started better and was third for about half the race but then I slowed down as I got a little bit tired; the first heat was hard. Ramon came through but I kept my rhythm and it was not a bad moto." Carlo Rinaldi, Team Manager: "It is another win for us but as usual it is never that easy! Stefan struggled in the first moto and looked tense. Leok was putting on the pressure and Stefan made a silly crash. He came back well but was still making some mistakes. He eventually could pass Barragan for a very important third position and we were satisfied because his main rivals had been so-so. The second race was typical of Stefan. A good start and he made his own rhythm; nobody could catch him and it was perfect. Cedric was very unlucky with the gate. We asked to see the TV replay and it is hard to tell if the gate did not work or it was his mistake so we could not make a protest. Anyway he came back with a lot of determination to tenth. That was good for him because he needs to be in competition with the other guys and return to his true level. His speed was good in the last moto and he showed that he can run at the front. It is understandable that he faded a little because of the effort from the first heat." Race classification MX1 Round: 2 - 2006 GP of Bellpuig, Spain Circuit: Bellpuig Race 1: 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL 39' 17.220 2 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +9.438 3 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +12.955 4 J. Barragan KTM ESP +16.056 5 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +20.073 6 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +23.507 7 S. Tortelli KTM FRA +51.134 8 J. Bill Yamaha GBR +53.844 9 J. Noble Honda GBR +1' 5.714 10 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +1' 12.991 11 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1' 14.711 12 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1' 16.824 13 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1' 20.718 14 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1' 22.823 15 J. Lindhe KTM SWE +1' 28.458 16 J. Garcia Vico Honda ESP +1' 29.712 17 A. Salvini Suzuki ITA +1' 32.892 18 M. Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR +1' 34.596 19 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1' 47.099 20 A. Lozano KTM ESP +1 lap(s) Race 2: 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 40' 30.007 2 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +17.460 3 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +22.900 4 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +39.465 5 S. Tortelli KTM FRA +46.185 6 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +55.033 7 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1' 0.680 8 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1' 4.048 9 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1' 9.278 10 B. Jorgensen Honda DNK +1' 12.796 11 J. Garcia Vico Honda ESP +1' 28.469 12 J. Bill Yamaha GBR +1' 31.381 13 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1' 33.111 14 A. Bobkovs Honda LVA +1' 35.481 15 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1' 36.685 16 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1' 37.850 17 M. Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR +1' 39.607 18 J. Noble Honda GBR +1' 52.646 19 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s) 20 A. Lozano KTM ESP +1 lap(s) Championship standings MX1 Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 92 2 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 82 3 Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 77 4 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 69 5 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 61 6 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 60 7 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 59 8 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 54 9 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 47 10 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 30 11 James Noble Honda GBR 29 12 Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 28 13 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 26 14 Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 25 15 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 22 16 Julien Bill Yamaha GBR 22 17 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 19 18 Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 19 19 Bas Verhoeven Kawasaki NED 14 20 Mark Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR 12 Manufacturers standings MX1 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Yamaha 50 2 Kawasaki 42 3 KTM 40 4 Suzuki 38 5 Honda 31 6 TM 9 MX2 : Mackenzie walks the podium in Spain after dramatic Grand Prix Round: 2 - 2006 GP of Bellpuig, Spain Circuit: Bellpuig Date: 16 April 2006 Crowd: 26200 Temp: 22ºC Weather: Sunny Bike it Yamaha Dixon Racing's Billy Mackenzie gained his first podium of the season this afternoon at a warm and sun-kissed Bellpuig circuit in Cataluyna. The steep inclines of the hard and short track that despite constant watering proved to be dry, dusty and very rough with the formation of unforgiving ruts and numerous braking bumps. It was not easy to overtake. Excessive watering to help the terrain cope with all four motos meant that the initial race of the day, MX2 moto1, was a particularly slimy affair. The two MX2 motos of 35 minutes and 2 laps duration threw up two different sets of results. Yamaha managed to own the chequered flag in both races thanks to the resurgent Kenneth Gundersen and a flying Antonio Cairoli respectively but it was Mackenzie with an eighth place and a third position in the second sprint that got to spray the champagne and walk the rostrum. Ricci Racing's Gundersen was again a proactive force in the MX2 field after scoring an emotional top-three finish at Zolder two weeks ago in the wake of more than a year with injury problems. The Norwegian started in third place and soon moved past his team-mate Alessio Chiodi for his first moto victory since 2002, claiming the chequered flag by three seconds from 'Chicco'. Defending World Champion Cairoli was on impressive form during the first qualification heat yesterday as he holeshotted and escaped from the pursuing pack; earning Pole Position. The young Italian hoped for more of the same in the first race but a crash on a slow tight left hander and problems getting re-started meant he fell out of the top twenty and one lap behind the leaders. Mackenzie set his best time on the penultimate lap after earlier making a strong move on Luigi Seguy to take eighth position, however the Scot, who won his debut GP moto here in 2005, was too far behind Carl Nunn in seventh to scale the classification further. The 13 points he bagged would later prove vital in an exciting climax to the day's racing. Gundersen was immediately ruled out of the possibility of a double race win when he fell on the first lap of Moto2. De Carli Yamaha representative Cairoli had already taken the holeshot and proceeded to re-enact his Saturday performance, fuelled by the frustration of his opening race faux pas. Eventual winner Tyla Rattray gave chase but was not able to get within touching distance. Mackenzie meanwhile had held onto the back of the leaders after a better jump from the gate but soon had his hands full deflecting the attentions of Rui Goncalves. The 22 year old needed third place to confirm his podium while also requiring JK Racing's Luigi Seguy to keep Chiodi away from ninth position, which the Frenchman managed to accomplish. The outcome of the top three went down to a nail-biting last lap with both duels extremely close. Finally the race order did not change and Mackenzie was again able to celebrate in front of Spanish on-lookers thanks to his better race position although he was tied on points with Chiodi. Gundersen spent the entire race trying to catch the riders ahead and squeezed into 19th spot. He remains Yamaha's top rider in the young World Championship standings, holding third place, 19 points behind Rattray. Cairoli, Chiodi and Mackenzie are also in the top ten. His team-mate Davide Guarneri was 8th after having earlier retired after a crash. Cairoli's team-mate Mateo Bonini was unable to compete after breaking his right wrist in a Belgian Championship meeting last weekend. The Italian underwent surgery this week and the team will have a better idea in terms of his racing return once the cast is removed in a fortnight and his rehab begins. Billy Mackenzie, Bike it Dixon Yamaha: "To be honest I was expecting a little bit more from myself this weekend. I have been feeling comfortable riding but I know I am still not close to how fast I can go. The guys at the front are quick but there is a lot more to come and I will keep on improving. We have had a few problems at the start of the year but we must build from here. This is the start of the podiums and I want to try to get on the podium steps as much as I can for the rest of the season." Antonio Cairoli, De Carli Yamaha: "I crashed after five laps and I could not start again quickly because the bike was caught in the green fence and I lost one lap there and also many points. I was faster than De Reuver and Rattray but stopped after the crash because I was so far behind. For the second heat I really wanted to win and started very well. The battle between Tyla and I was nice and it was good to come back and win. I am happy with my condition and the speed." Alessio Chiodi, Ricci Racing: "I made a mistake at the start of the second moto and touched Philippaerts out of the gate. I think I was around 15th on the first lap but it was so difficult to pass and it wasn't a good race for me. I tried my best but there was only one line and it was hard to get Seguy at the end. The result is better than Zolder for sure because I was sick there. The first moto today was good because my riding, my condition and the bike were all working well." Kenneth Gundersen, Ricci Racing: "The first race was perfect. I had a good start, passed Chiodi and controlled it the whole way. It was a great feeling to finish first again. In the second race De Reuver cut my line at the start and I was down somewhere between 15th and 20th but then I crashed on the first lap and twisted my knee. After that I rode just to try and get as many points as I can. It is the same knee that I injured last year but it is not a big problem." Claudio De Carli, Team Manager De Carli Racing: "Matteo (Bonini) has been really unlucky. He was injured in the Italian Championship and went to Zolder just to get back on the bike and to start to find his speed again. After Zolder we decided to also compete at Neeroeteren because he was getting better and needed more race time. At the start of the third moto a rider crashed in front of him and he had nowhere to go. He hit the fallen bike very hard and broke his right wrist. He had an operation the day after and now is in a cast that has to remain there for two weeks. He will then have to start a period of rehabilitation to be back as soon as possible." Race classification MX2 Round: 2 - 2006 GP of Bellpuig, Spain Circuit: Bellpuig Race 1: 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 K. Gundersen Yamaha SWE 39' 37.723 2 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +2.922 3 M. De Reuver KTM NED +4.024 4 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +4.921 5 T. Rattray KTM RSA +27.297 6 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +40.304 7 C. Nunn KTM GBR +44.649 8 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +48.882 9 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +50.174 10 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +53.063 11 T. Searle Kawasaki GBR +1' 10.497 12 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1' 12.233 13 P. Caps Honda BEL +1' 14.934 14 M. Schiffer KTM GER +1' 17.817 15 J. Dougan Honda GBR +1' 20.836 16 A. Boissière Yamaha FRA +1' 21.367 17 X. Boog Yamaha FRA +1' 37.420 18 M. Monni KTM ITA +1' 38.361 19 A. Meo Honda FRA +1' 42.706 20 X. Hernandez Yamaha ESP +2' 4.111 Race 2: 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA 39' 3.713 2 T. Rattray KTM RSA +2.722 3 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +31.055 4 R. Goncalves KTM POR +31.665 5 M. De Reuver KTM NED +46.951 6 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +50.148 7 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +51.227 8 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +1' 0.608 9 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +1' 1.271 10 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +1' 3.247 11 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +1' 9.648 12 C. Nunn KTM GBR +1' 16.081 13 P. Caps Honda BEL +1' 24.348 14 P A. Renet Honda FRA +1' 32.019 15 N. Aubin Kawasaki FRA +1' 47.976 16 M. Monni KTM ITA +1' 55.744 17 X. Boog Yamaha FRA +2' 0.651 18 A. Boissière Yamaha FRA +1 lap(s) 19 K. Gundersen Yamaha SWE +1 lap(s) 20 X. Hernandez Yamaha ESP +1 lap(s) Championship standings MX2 Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 83 2 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 74 3 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 64 4 Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 64 5 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 59 6 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 53 7 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 48 8 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 47 9 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 45 10 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 44 11 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 42 12 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 32 13 Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 32 14 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 32 15 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 28 16 Antoine Meo Honda FRA 27 17 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 15 18 Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 14 19 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 13 20 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 13 23 Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 8 28 Xavier Hernandez Yamaha ESP 2 Manufacturers standings MX2 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 KTM 50 2 Yamaha 40 3 Kawasaki 32 4 Honda 22
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