One point more for Everts and a Namur dream

Yamaha Intur Sports rider Stefan Everts won his eleventh event in succession at a hot and humid Loket circuit to own the Grand Prix of Czech Republic today. The reigning MX1 World Champion now needs to score just one point more than his nearest rival at the Belgian round next weekend at Namur, his favourite circuit, to claim a record tenth title.

Everts triumphed in both Czech motos in front of 23,000 spectators and has now reached a total of 19 consecutive heat victories with the YZ 450 FM as well as a career tally of 98 overall Grand Prix wins; a phenomenal amount.

The hillside circuit located 110km west of Prague had been slightly altered over 2005 with a new pit-lane setting giving the riders more time to see their pit-boards and a tight set of corners behind the technical area. The terrain was loose and littered with small stones that made the mud slippery in places and the layout tended to favour sheer speed over technical ability.

Everts' 98th win 

Everts was denied his fifth consecutive pole position by just two hundreds of a second by Kevin Strijbos but it mattered little as the Belgian made a decent jump out of the gained and was just pipped to the holeshot by Josh Coppins. By the end of the first lap Everts had placed his YZ 450FM ahead of the pack and proceeded to show the CAS Honda rider the fastest route around the steep course. For two thirds of the duration the pair were not separated by more than two seconds but approaching the final ten minutes Everts broke his opponent's resistance and claimed his eighteenth moto in succession.

The second race was a more curious affair as a bump on the first turn meant the 33 year old had to chip away at a lead held first by Jonathan Barragan and then Kevin Strijbos. As in previous Grand Prix this year Everts soon hit the front and was able to remain aloof for further domination.

Stefan Everts    

Cedric Melotte was struck by more bad luck with a stone. After partially swallowing a pebble in South Africa the Belgian this time had a rock enter his boot and press against his shin. He had to pit and unfasten the boot while holding sixth and dropped down to sixteenth. Melotte had made some changes to the YZ's engine to suit the swirling track and got into his stride late in the second moto after a bright start to capture eighth and take eleventh overall.

Round twelve of fifteen will occur in just seven days time at the 'Enduro-esque' and special setting of Namur. With a 149 point lead and just 200 left to win Everts needs to leave his home race with just one point more than Kevin Strijbos to be Champion for the tenth time and the sixth successive occasion in a row with Yamaha since 2001 in 500cc, MXGP and MX1 categories. He will also remain the sole winner of the MX1 class since the series' inception in 2004.

Stefan Everts, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "It has been a hard GP for me. The track was not that difficult in the layout and you could see that by how fast everyone was going. The next few tracks will be more technical and better for me. Josh was riding well in that first moto. There were a few places on the track where I did not have such good lines and he was closing the gap but it is hard to know the full situation when you are in front. In the end I figured out a few places where I could improve and I think he must have made a mistake but it was quite easy to win that moto finally. My start wasn't that good in the second race and for a few laps I was in third position with Jonathan and Kevin having a small lead. I had to try hard to pass them both and it was tough, but it was also nice not having to always be working from first position. The new section around the back of the pits was very difficult and it was a place where you could make or lose some ground. That is eleven races in a row now but I am not trying to focus on records and take each weekend as it comes. It is the chance of a lifetime to become Champion at the Citadelle; it is something that I never dared to dream of and now it might come true. I have been working hard throughout my career for a moment like that and I have many people to thank so that I am in a position like this."

Cedric Melotte   

Cédric Melotte, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "The weekend was not so bad. I had a good qualification yesterday and we changed a few small things on the bike. I felt much better, and when my wrist is in good condition I can suggest more things to the team to improve the overall package for me. I was happy with the seventh best time. In the first moto I made a good start and kept the rhythm of the leaders for twenty minutes but then I had to let Ken and Strijbos go. I then could not believe it when a stone got in between my brace and my boot. It pushed hard against my shin. I gritted my teeth for ten minutes but I could not go on any longer and had to pull into the pits to get it sorted. In the second race I slid a bit wide on the first corner otherwise I would have had the holeshot but in the first few laps I struggled to find my pace and was hitting some bad lines. After 15 minutes things got better and easier but I felt tired towards the end. I am happy about this weekend. I have not had much luck this season but I am keeping motivated and that is encouraging."

Carlo Rinaldi, Racing Manager, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "It was perfect this weekend even though the win was far from easy this time. In the first moto Stefan made a good start and took the lead but Coppins was right there and pushed so hard for the whole moto, so Stefan had to do his best to keep Josh behind him. In the second heat he had a collision in the first corner and had to come through; that time it was Strijbos who was the quickest. This was the 98th win and it is just amazing. We made some small tweaks to the engine so it would suit Cédric's riding style better. The track was tricky because it was slippery so he had a different characteristic on the power to help him with that."

Circuit Length: 1630 Temp: 27 Crowd: 23000 Weather: Humid     2006 GP Loket, Czech Republic 30/07/2006 Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 40'8.345 2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 0'4.521 3 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'15.160 4 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'24.355 5 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 0'34.034 6 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 0'38.930 7 James Noble Honda GBR 0'46.271 8 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 1'5.258 9 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 1'11.872 10 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 1'18.916 11 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 1'24.088 12 Clement Desalle  Suzuki BEL 1'28.349 13 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 1'29.152 14 Kornel Nemeth Suzuki HUN 1'30.160 15 Lauris Freibergs Suzuki LVA 1'33.605 16 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 1'34.833 17 Marko Kovalainen Honda FIN 1'45.452 18 Bas Verhoeven Kawasaki NED 1'47.520 19 Aaron Bernandez Honda ESP -1 Laps 20 Gordon Crockard Honda GBR -1 Laps

Race 2 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 40'35.004 2 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 0'5.770 3 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 0'15.616 4 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'25.449 5 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'35.807 6 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 0'39.903 7 Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 0'45.960 8 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 0'55.615 9 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 0'58.644 10 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 1'3.424 11 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 1'9.872 12 James Noble Honda GBR 1'11.729 13 Kornel Nemeth Suzuki HUN 1'17.070 14 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 1'45.936 15 Marko Kovalainen Honda FIN 1'54.677 16 Aaron Bernandez Honda ESP -1 Laps 17 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA -1 Laps 18 Aigar Bobkovs Honda LVA -1 Laps 19 Cyril Coulon Suzuki FRA -1 Laps 20 Lauris Freibergs Suzuki LVA -1 Laps

Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 1'51.735

 Rider Standings 30/07/2006

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 542 2. Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 393 3. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 368 4. Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 355 5. Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 353 6. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 273 7. Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 202 8. Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 190 9. Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 189 10. Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 172 11. Julien Bill Yamaha GBR 167 12. James Noble Honda GBR 161 13. Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 158 14. Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 131 15. Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 128 16. Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 127 17. Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 117 18. Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 99 19. Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 84 20. Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 84

Manufacturer Standings 30/07/2006

Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 542 2. Suzuki 449 3. Honda 403 4. Kawasaki 359 5. KTM 329 6. TM 128

RACE REPORT 30/07/2006 Cairoli takes seventh moto but finishes off the podium   Antonio Cairoli   

Antonio Cairoli's excellent showing and defeat of Christophe Pourcel in the second MX2 moto at Loket this afternoon gave the World Champion his seventh success of the season and makes him outright the most successful rider so far this term. The Italian missed out on the podium by one point however after a first race crash relegated him to eleventh.

After rain during late afternoon and Saturday evening the track was at its dampest for the first MX2 moto. Gaining traction on the corners was a cause for concern for most of the riders and tyre choice became a little more complicated than usual. Passing places were not prevalent and the terrain became very rough.

Antonio Cairoli   

Cairoli was luckless at the start of the first moto as he fell along with Championship leader Pourcel and Kenneth Gundersen. Billy Mackenzie was also held up. The Italian struggled to fight his way through the lower pack without a rear brake and eventually finished eleventh while a fully fit Gundersen had to retire on the first lap because of a damaged front wheel.

In the second sprint Cairoli was ruthless in swerving his way up to leader Pourcel from seventh place on the first lap. The duo, who are also contesting the World Championship at the top of the standings, put on a good show for the hefty crowd for several laps but the Team Yamaha De Carli rider's speed eventually pulled him clear to win by eight seconds.

Alessio Chiodi had his best race finish since notching third at the opening moto at Teutschenthal in May by taking a strong fourth place in race one but was a victim of a first corner tangle later in the afternoon and ploughed a path to thirteenth for a final slot of eighth. His team-mate Gundersen hit the ground on the opening lap of race two and could manage a highest position of sixteenth by the end of the 35 minutes and 2 laps.

The third member of the Yamaha Team Ricci, Davide Guarneri woke on Saturday with a sore throat and a fever. The Italian was not fit enough to ride.

Alessio Chiodi   

With Pourcel walking the podium as overall runner-up Cairoli lost just two points to the French teenager today. The Championship table now shows the gap at 34 points between the pair with David Philippaerts eleven behind in third. There are still 200 points remaining in the last four GPs.

As with the MX1 class, the next MX2 meeting on the schedule will visit the unique setting of Namur in seven days time.

Antonio Cairoli, Team Yamaha De Carli: "The first race was so unlucky for me again. After the crash the tube going into the rear brake came off and after five laps the brake faded and did not work. I was riding well but it was difficult going down the hills. I have not had much fortune this year; the guys in the Rinaldi team said for a technical problem to happen like that was incredible! I crashed with Sebastien Pourcel and lost a lot of time in that first moto. The second race was great. I know that when I start in the top six or seven I can win and have done that this year. I hope that Pourcel might have some bad luck otherwise it is going to be difficult to catch him in the Championship."

Kenneth Gundersen   

Kenneth Gundersen, Yamaha Team Ricci: "In the first moto I crashed with Cairoli at the start and his footpeg went through my front wheel. A few spokes were broken; I could not ride like that and had to stop. In the second race I had a bad start and crashed on the first lap. I was maybe half a lap behind and rode to get some training! This was the first week in a long time that I felt OK with my physical condition and my hand. Things were finally supposed to go well but better luck next time."

Alessio Chiodi, Yamaha Team Ricci: "My knee is good and my head is also getting better in terms of my confidence. I am a bit disappointed about the second moto because today I think it was possible to finish on the podium. I was fourth in the first race but also quite close to Philippaerts and Nunn but I crashed at the start of the second moto after hitting another rider. I re-started last by more than ten seconds and I just tried my best. I was thirteenth and I was sad for that but happy that things are getting better."

Circuit Length: 1630 Temp: 27 Crowd: 23000 Weather: Humid     2006 GP Loket, Czech Republic 30/07/2006 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 38'56.828 2 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 0'8.367 3 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 0'9.715 4 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 0'10.499 5 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 0'11.374 6 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'11.982 7 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'18.908 8 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 0'22.267 9 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 0'37.341 10 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 0'38.527 11 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 0'39.616 12 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 0'43.508 13 Carlos Campano KTM ESP 0'45.858 14 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 0'48.154 15 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 1'5.207 16 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 1'19.549 17 Jason Dougan Honda GBR 1'21.998 18 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 1'24.114 19 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 1'27.398 20 Jeremy Tarroux Kawasaki FRA 1'28.324

Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 40'30.754 2 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'8.146 3 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 0'25.722 4 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 0'35.106 5 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 0'39.534 6 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 0'43.070 7 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 0'45.350 8 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'48.750 9 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'50.634 10 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 1'3.639 11 Carlos Campano KTM ESP 1'5.815 12 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 1'7.347 13 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 1'8.718 14 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 1'21.788 15 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 1'35.066 16 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 1'38.263 17 Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 1'38.924 18 Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 1'40.952 19 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 1'54.933 20 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 2'7.497

Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 1'52.177

 Rider Standings 30/07/2006

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 416 2. Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 382 3. David Philippaerts KTM ITA 371 4. Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 330 5. Marc De Reuver KTM NED 314 6. Carl Nunn KTM GBR 277 7. Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 254 8. Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 246 9. Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 236 10. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 225 11. Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 211 12. Rui Goncalves KTM POR 209 13. Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 197 14. Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 153 15. Manuel Monni KTM ITA 143 16. Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 94 17. Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 87 18. Matti Seistola Honda FIN 85 19. Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 77 20. Patrick Caps Honda BEL 68

Manufacturer Standings 30/07/2006

Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 504 2. Yamaha 476 3. Kawasaki 441 4. Honda 173 5. Suzuki 22