MXGP #100 December 2021

#100 DECEMBER 2021

L A I R ITO

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Giuseppe Luongo President of Youthstream Group

2021 WAS A YEAR FULL OF EMOTIONS! THE SEASON HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY EXCITING AND EVERYBODY WILL REMEMBER FOR DECADES THE LAST RACE OF THE YEAR AND THE TITLE OF JEFFREY HERLINGS. All of our champions have been honored during the last GP of the year in Mantova.

great pleasure to have a full weekend with all our organizers at the same place to exchange on the experience

Just a few days after the end of the championship, we officialized the 2022 season calendar. We will organize 20 Grand Prix and the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations in the USA at Red Bud.

“WITHOUT

This upcoming year should bring us back to a better situation as the vaccination campaigns are going on.

But it will certainly be again a year of challenges for everybody.

We are more than happy to plan our come back to Argentina and Indonesia, two overseas Grand Prix that were missing from our calendar for two years. It is the same for the Scandinavian rounds with Sweden and Finland, two countries of motocross enthusiast! The French passionate fans will have the pleasure to enjoy two GP’s in Ernee and Saint Jean D’Angely. Most of the ticketing are already open on www.MXGP.com and we can see a very big demand from the fans! The pre-sale for Red Bud has doubled, for example. People were really missing to attend their favorite sport!

In December, we hosted the Organizer Meeting seminar at the occasion of the FIM Gala in Monaco. It was also a 3

THE FANS, WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE TWO SEASONS” of the last two years’ and to discuss about innovation and novelties for the upcoming Grand Prix. I can tell you that everybody is very motivated for next season!

Last week, we also released the Officially Approved Teams that entered for 2022. In MXGP, 23 teams entered for the full season and 22 in MX2 with more than 60 riders.

Maxime Renaux will compete in the MXGP class after his triumph in MX2 during 2021 and it will bring one more competitor to fight for the title.

I cannot write this editorial without having a big thought on Rene Hofer and his family. All the MXGP world has been shocked by his loss. He was

a fantastic kid and a great ambassador of our sport, always smiling and spreading a positive attitude. This year, he was also the first Austrian rider after Kinigadner to win a Grand Prix.

He will remain forever in our hearts, and it was important for us to retire his racing number from the FIM Motocross World Championship.

As we are approaching the last days of the year, this month of December will also correspond to the 100th Edition of the MXGP Mag! Our team re-edited the Classic bikes and the Hall of fame chapters of our sport.

We hope you will enjoy the reading during the festivities.

I would like to thank FIM, FIM Europe, the organizers, all the MXGP partners, the teams, the riders, for the great season we were able to deliver.

Finally, I would like to thank all of you, because without the fans, we would not have been able to accomplish those two seasons. You were millions to follow the MXGP in front of your TV, and thousands to attend the Grand Prix’s again. I would like to wish you all the best for next year and to see you again during this upcoming season!

Seasons greetings!

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BRAD LACKEY

1982 SUZUKI RN500 16

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FTER TEN YEARS ON THE WORLD CIRCUIT, BRAD LACKEY MADE HISTORY WHEN HE BECAME THE FIRST AMERICAN TO WIN A WORLD MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP WHEN HE CLINCHED THE 500CC TITLE IN 1982 RACING FOR SUZUKI, A TITLE THAT WOULD MARK THE END OF AN ERA FOR BOTH HE AND THE JAPANESE MANUFACTURER. AND GUESS WHAT? IT’S LACKEY’S 1982 SUZUKI RN500 THAT WE ARE FEATURING IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE.

Suzuki first entered the motocross world championship in 1967 with a Japanese rider by the name of Matsuhisa Kojima, and by 1969 Suzuki committed to a full season of 250cc racing with Sweden’s Olle Petterson in what was an impressive debut; he finished the year in third behind CZ mounted Joel Robert and Sylvain Geboers. The following year, 1970, the two Belgians went 1-2 again, but this time they were riding yellow; Roger De Coster came home third on his CZ. De Coster switched from CZ to Suzuki at the end of 1970 and promptly won the 500cc world championship at the very first attempt in 1971, and between 19701976 Suzuki won eight world titles in both 250cc and 500cc with De Coster winning five times in six years. He was beaten just once in that time by Heikki Mikkola in 1974. At the same time, Suzuki had entered the 125cc class, and from 1975-1984 won ten consecutive titles. Things were looking good.

However, despite De Coster winning the 500cc title five times in six years, Suzuki started to make cutbacks but continued to fight for the title, although it was clear to see that it was not the dominant force it once was. In 1976 when De Coster won his last title, he and his teammate Gerrit Wolsink ran riot, winning ten of the twelve GP’s between them as they went 1-2 in the final classification.

In 1977, there were just two victories and in ’78 and ’79 Suzuki won just five times collectively; by 1980 the wins had dried up completely. After placing second for Kawasaki in 1980, Suzuki hired Brad Lackey to rekindle the spark, but despite winning a GP for his new paymasters in his first season, he only managed sixth overall in 1981, but that was all about to change.

To say Lackey’s time at Suzuki was eventful would be something of an understatement and the first thing he was faced with was the bike itself.

At Honda he’d ridden a 450cc and at Kawasaki he rode a 500cc but his 1981 Suzuki was a modified 370cc bored to around 400cc, something that came as a shock, as Lackey explains:

‘I was used to riding 500’s so the bike needed a lot of work; they needed to do a complete new motor; I was way down on power. I had a different riding style to Roger and I needed a lot of horsepower, so immediately I was trying to tell them that we needed more power and a bigger motor and they were telling me ‘no, that’s what we’re going to use’ so we immediately had problems with our opinions on what we needed to go and win a championship, and so I wasn’t really happy with the ‘81 bike so therefore I wasn’t feeling good on the bike and then I broke my foot early in the season in one of the national races at home just before the GP’s started.’

Lackey finished the ’81 season in sixth and picked up just one GP victory. It was also the first time he’d gone backwards in the overall championship standings. 1981 was also the first year that Suzuki introduced their own single shock bike to racing, known as the Full Floater but despite that, Lackey recalls that whilst there were one or two problems ‘the suspension was better off than the motor, that’s for sure!’

Fast forward to 1982, Lackey had spent the winter of ‘81 testing at home in the USA with his mechanic Steve Stasiefski and the bigger 500cc motor that was so badly needed in 1981 had finally arrived. But that wasn’t all.

Whilst Lackey and Stasiefski were busy testing engines away from the prying eyes of Europe they were also experimenting with suspension.

An American by the name of Steve Simons had developed the first ever upside down forks for motocross in 1980 and by ’82 it was as good as ready to go and Brad was the perfect test pilot. After multiple tests, the Simons upside down UDX-60 forks became a permanent fixture at the front of Lackeys Suzuki RN500.

According to Brad, ‘the Simons UDX60 had no flex and was much more stable in ruts or mud; they were soft with more control over big jumps, a big advantage in these areas,’ but not everybody was happy about the new addition, particularly the technicians at Suzuki.

Someone in management at Suzuki formerly asked Brad to remove the forks but when he refused, attention

was then aimed at Simons himself who was told in no uncertain terms that Brad should not be using those forks; he was also told to stop interfering in their business!’

Brad’s response was simple: ‘I said, do you want to go win the world championship or do you want to lose?

The engineer responded with: ‘we lose’ to which Lackey’s response was, ‘well I’m sorry, but I’m winning. I don’t care what you guys are doing but I’m gonna go win!’ (Source: The Motocross Files).

The rear shock was ÖHLINS and during the winter tests proved to be a cause for concern and this would later cause one or two problems later in the season. The bike itself was the last generation of air-cooled Suzuki’s before the introduction of watercooled bikes in ’83 and was built to a very high standard as generally around this time, better materials and equipment, was starting to become the norm. The exhaust was factory along with the clutch and ignition; so too was the 4-speed gearbox. The aluminium swingarm was made to factory requirements and the engine cases were Magnesium. Reed valves were also factory with the carburettor of choice being a Mikuni flat-slide 38-40mm item. The piston was also factory. Tyres were provided by Metzeler and there was a selection of Titanium nuts and bolts throughout.

However, Lackey’s handlebar of choice was that of Graham Noyce’s factory Honda’s bars. Disc brakes had not yet found their way to the factory bikes and so the team were still using drum brakes. With the extra capacity of the 500cc engine, Brad’s 1982 Suzuki was able to push out around 60bhp and in terms of the power distribution, ‘we changed the cylinder and pipe to get maximum bottom end power.’

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With all testing complete there was no doubt in Brad’s mind about how good his new bike was: ‘When we left California for Belgium, the forks were perfect, as was our motor. The rear suspension was our only concern but it was hard to gauge having not been on the European tracks yet.’ Brad and Steve had also raced the Golden State Series in California to get some race-test miles under their belts that allowed them to fine-tune the set-up ahead of the first GP on April 25th at Villars sous Ecot in France. Despite not winning a moto in the first three rounds, Lackey found himself leading the 500cc world championship and he was keen not to slip up.

Consistency was the key, and he was proving to be the most consistent out of everybody. He took his first race and GP victory at Sittendorf in Austria but just after the midpoint of the season his closest rival, André Malherbe, was starting to gain ground; but then the Belgian broke his leg in the USA. The title race almost looked assured but then in Canada the following weekend, Round 9, Lackey suffered his own misfortune in the form of a blown rear shock whilst leading the first race. His teammate André Vromans took the win and collected the maximum fifteen points on offer and was suddenly a contender for the title.

Lackey then won at Farleigh Castle in England whilst Vromans won at Namur in Belgium at the penultimate round which set the scene for a grandstand finale in Luxembourg at Ettlebrück, where the gap was now down to just four points, with Lackey still leading. But the American was not concerned: ‘Luxembourg is the kind of track that I like and conditions were slightly wet, almost perfect and it wasn’t dry or dusty or anything, so the track was wonderful, just the way I like it. I’d won one of my first GP moto’s there and I loved the grass tracks and I knew I could be faster there than Vromans no matter what the situation was, as long as the spectators stayed away from me and didn’t try to kill me, and that was a big possibility in those days at that track in particular.’

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The first race was epic; Hakan Carlqvist took off up front with the two Suzuki riders hovering around third and fourth with Vromans being the lead Suzuki rider. As the race went on, Lackey continued to fall further behind his teammate; but he had a plan. He knew he was faster than Vromans but he also knew that if he was in front of him then the Belgian fans might take Brad out of the race, as had happened in the past. So, he sat back and waited until five laps to go before he made his move: ‘With five laps to go my team was gonna give me a sign and then I was gonna just turn on the gas and start catching him, and he had over a 25-seconds lead on me with five laps to go, but I caught him and passed him on the last lap; he didn’t know that I was coming. We beat him in the first moto and his brain was blown after that because he thought he had it won so easily.’

In Race Two Vromans messed up on the start and after that, with Brad up front, the Belgian was unable to get close and Lackey was able to control his own race. When Lackey crossed the line, he became America’s first ever world champion, and shortly afterwards he announced his retirement from racing; his contract was not renewed. Suzuki continued for one more season in the 500cc class with Harry Everts and André Vromans on the new water-cooled bike but neither would win another GP for Suzuki and in August of that year Suzuki announced that they were pulling out of the premier class altogether.

The last Suzuki 500cc rolled off the production line in 1985 and there wouldn’t be another ‘big capacity’ bike from Hamamatsu until the launch of the RM-Z450 in 2004 which would go on to win the MX1 title in 2007 in the hands of Steve Ramon.

In 1982 Suzuki won six (50%) of the 500cc GP’s with André Vromans winning three, Lackey twice and their teammate Jean Jacques Bruno won one. Lackey won the 500cc world championship ahead of his teammate Vromans for a Suzuki 1-2 which also secured Suzuki the Manufacturers World Championship.

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ME A F OF

DUTCH LEGEND PEDRO TRAGTER

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HE DUTCH RIDERS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE SMALLEST CLASS OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND PEDRO TRAGTER IS ONE OF THE FOUR WORLD CHAMPIONS – ALONGSIDE STRIJBOS, VAN DEN BERK AND HERLINGS – THAT THE NETHERLANDS CELEBRATES. RACING THE 125CC GRAND PRIX DURING MORE THAN A DECADE, PEDRO HAD TO WAIT FOR HIS EIGHTH ATTEMPT TO SUCCEED, FOLLOWING DAVE STRIJBOS AND JOHN VAN DEN BERK IN THE HISTORY OF THE DUTCH MOTOCROSS MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS AGO. Born in 1968 on July 10th in Zutphen, Pedro started racing when he turned twelve on an 80cc. That was a great period for the Dutch Motocross as John Van Den Berk and Dave Strijbos also animated the races for the kids.

Racing for a podium in the 250cc series there was Kees Van der Ven, who was also a hero for all the Dutch kids, along with Van Den Berk and Strijbos. In fact, two years later, it was Pedro who also entered the 125cc World Championship with the Honda Venko Team in 1986. Runner up in the series one year earlier with Strijbos, the Venko team of Jan de Groot was already a reference in the 125cc class and Pedro had some pressure as he replaced the vice World Champion who just moved to the Cagiva factory team.

The muddy opening round of the series in Castelnau de Levis (France) was not a good one for the teenager, who didn’t score any point, but the second one which took place in the Dutch sand was much better for Pedro, who scored his first ever points in both races. In that learning year Pedro got points in thirteen heats with a top five

in Sweden as best result, and after missing the last GP’s in America, he finished fourteenth in the series while Strijbos won the World Championship.

The following year Van Den Berk took his revenge and beat Strijbos to collect his first World title, while Pedro made huge progress; in the opening GP at Valkenswaard the podium was 100% Dutch with Pedro in second position between Dave and John, and by finishing twenty heats in the points Tragter was sixth overall by the end of the season.

Slowly but steadily Pedro improved his results each season, and in 1988 he won his first GP heat in the penultimate round in Finland. The Dutch rider ended third in the series, position which let him follow the battle for the title between Jean Michel Bayle and Dave Strijbos!

In 1989 Pedro Tragter moved to Suzuki, but he was not able to bring in any good result to his new team as his season was interrupted due to an injury he got in Great Britain. In 1990 he won the first GP of his career in the Netherlands of course, but he 21

was forced to miss a few rounds due to another injury and he lost all the chances to finish on the podium.

It was during his sixth season taking part in the World Championship when he achieved his second overall podium.

During that year Tragter won two heats, he was the Dutch champion and he finished third with the National team at the Motocross of Nations. 1991 was one of his best ever seasons and he entered the 1992 championship as a title contender.

That year the GP format had changed with three shorter heats, and Pedro Tragter fought for the title against Greg Albertijn and Dave Strijbos until the last round in Japan, where Pedro ended tight in points with his fellow countryman. That year Tragter was third, as his rival had won one more heat! Never giving up Pedro would finally reach his goal in 1993, fighting all season long with Yves Demaria.

Tragter won three GP’s and he had a major asset with his consistency, as he only missed points in one of the thirtythree races!

Defending his title in 1994, he was never able to stop the domination of Bobby Moore. Tragter was only able to win two heats and he finished again third in the series – for the fourth time – behind Moore and Chiodi.

Riding a 250cc Suzuki in the national championship, Pedro won his fourth Dutch title and he jumped in the 250cc class the following year. Sixth in the 1995 World Championship and tenth in 1996 on a Suzuki, scoring a few heat podiums, he went back on a Honda for his penultimate GP season in 1997.

He ended thirteenth overall, but he would be more successful in the Netherlands as he got two other titles in the 500cc classes – in 1996 and 1997 – to remain one of the smartest Dutch rider. Just racing a few 125cc rounds in 1998, he retired after thirteen seasons at the highest level claiming a World title, four overall podiums in the 125cc Championship, seven Grand Prix wins and a Motocross of Nations podium.

1988 15th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda) 1987:

6th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

1988:

3rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

1989: 13th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1990:

7th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki). Winner of 1 GP

1991:

3rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

3rd at the MX of Nations with team Netherlands

1992:

3rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki). Winner of 3 GP

1993: 125 Motocross World Champion (Suzuki). Winner of 3 GP 1994:

3rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

1995: 6th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1996: 10th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1997: 13th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert 22

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CORRADO MADDII’S

1982 FACTORY 125CC GILERA 24

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ORRADO MADDII IS AN ITALIAN LEGEND AND ONE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN ITALY’S FIRST EVER WORLD MOTOCROSS CHAMPION IN 1984. INSTEAD OF A TITLE CELEBRATION AND DESPITE A HANDSOME LEAD GOING INTO THE FINAL ROUND, A BROKEN LEG SUFFERED THROUGH NO FAULT OF HIS OWN ROBBED HIM OF THAT DISTINCTION.

The rider that took the 125cc title that day from him was fellow Italian Michele Rinaldi and the two countrymen were teammates two years earlier in 1982 whilst racing for the factory Gilera team; Maddii placed second overall, Rinaldi was third, but it’s Corrado Maddii’s Factory Gilera 125cc from that 1982 season that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Corrado Maddii’s first appearance in the FIM 125cc Motocross World Championship was in 1977 riding aboard an Italian Aspes motorcycle, but the brand itself was in decline towards the end of the decade, which meant that anyone who was serious about racing at a high level needed to look elsewhere in order to be competitive. By 1981 Maddii was competing on Aprilia machinery and placed eighth overall before switching to Gilera for the 1982 season. His brand-new teammate, Michele Rinaldi, had placed third overall in 1981 riding the all-new water-cooled Gilera but for Maddii, it was his first year with the team.

As is normal practice from one year to the next, race bikes benefit from one or two upgrades here and there, but generally speaking, between the ’81 and ’82 models there were not so many major changes according to Maddii, at least in the engine department. However, there were changes to the suspension, linkage and swingarm mainly because, according to his teammate Michele Rinaldi, the twin shock system had been replaced with the new MonoLink system, so from the outside, they would appear to be quite major changes, especially if the overall balance and handling of the bike was improved.

As you’d expect, both riders took part in off-season winter tests which went pretty much according to plan; there were no major reliability issues and a vast array of parts were tested well in advance of the first GP of the year. Both bikes would have started out the same but as is often the case, no two riders are the same and the two Gilera factory riders were no different. Maddii favoured a better bottom end compared to his teammate Rinaldi, and whilst

both bikes started out with Fox suspension all-round, Maddii wasn’t a fan and switched to 42mm conventional Marzocchi forks up front with an Öhlins shock at the rear married to the Pro-Link system.

Michele stayed with the original Fox units that he’d used from the 1981 season but also had an option with WP at the rear.

The rest of the bike was a pretty impressive piece of kit for its era; the engine was a full factory unit and pushed out around 37bhp compared to the 30bhp of the production model, making it one of the strongest bikes on the grid. Water-cooled technology had made its way on to the Gilera in 1981 and this remained in 1982. There was a serious amount of bling attached as well and the team ran Titanium and Magnesium parts wherever they could, and it goes without saying that the weight gain over standard production was huge. Even the swingarm was a handmade Magnesium item.

The frame was full factory, the exhaust was handmade by Colombo who actually worked in the Gilera factory and it was married to a SEM silencer. The piston was produced in Germany by Mahle whilst the ignition system came via Spain produced by Motoplat. The bore and stroke measured in at 54mm x 54mm, the carburettor was a 36mm Dellorto and the clutch was produced as a factory item from the Italianbased company Adige. The six-speed gearbox was also a factory item and the brakes were a combination of old and new; up front Maddii and Rinaldi ran a Brembo disc brake whilst at the rear the stopping power was also provided by Brembo, but had not yet been upgraded to disc.

Instead, it was the tried and trusted drum system.

When it came to success though, the Gilera, despite its high specification and raw speed fell short! In 1981 Michele Rinaldi took one race win and two grand prix overall victories on his way to third in the championship and it was a similar story in 1982; Rinaldi took just one race win compared to Maddii’s two, but Rinaldi did take one more GP victory, winning in Finland.

Perhaps there should have been more wins, certainly for Rinaldi who experienced SEVEN DNF’s compared to the one of Maddii, as he recalls: ‘Unfortunately, I scored many DNF’s and this was so bad for the championship’s title. Corrado was smoother with the bike and this helped him a lot in terms of reliability; without any doubt, I was tougher with my bike and this style cost me many points. The main failures were flat tyres (7 times) and quite a lot of broken front wheels and transmission.’

Despite not being the fastest bikes on track, what Gilera did in terms of results was pretty outstanding; in 1981 Rinaldi was third overall in the 125cc world championship and both Maddii and Rinaldi finished on the podium in ’82, with Maddii second and Rinaldi third. However, despite their efforts, Team Gilera may have suffered from not having enough racing experience. They had two great riders and some fantastic members of staff, it’s just that Gilera was not ready or anywhere near perfect to go and win the championship.

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MARCUS HANSSON THE LAST VIKING

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WEDEN WAS THE MOST PROLIFIC NATION IN MOTOCROSS WHEN THE FIM LAUNCHED THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS THANKS TO THEIR ATHLETES WHO OBTAINED MANY WORLD TITLES IN THE 60’S. LAST SWEDISH TO GET A WORLD TITLE WAS MARCUS HANSSON IN 1994, BUT UNFORTUNATELY HE WAS FORCED TO STOP RACING VERY SOON.

Born on the 18th of October 1969 in Gothenburg, Marcus started racing when he turned seventeen, a few years after the second and last World Title of Swedish Ice Hakan Carlqvist, who was a model for many young riders. Less than two years after his racing debut, Marcus entered his first Grand Prix at the Swedish round of the series and scored his first points during that final round of the World Championship. Two years later he participated in all the 250cc series, scoring points in eight races with a fifth position in Belgium as best result.

He confirmed his potential in 1991; he only raced a few rounds, but impressed everyone when he scored a top result at his home GP as he narrowly missed the GP win, tight in the points with Pekka Vehkonen.

With his big size Marcus moved to the 500cc class in 1992 and entered for the first time in his career the top ten of a World Championship despite missing several rounds due to an injury.

Not always consistent he did his best performance at the Belgian GP, winning the second of the three heats to finish second overall. Kurt Nicoll won that Belgian GP and Georges Jobe topped the podium. Moving from Kawasaki to Honda in 1993 the tall Swedish confirmed his potential winning five heats and celebrating his first ever GP win in Portugal when he beat Belgians Jacky Martens and Joel Smets, two icons of that 500cc class. Marcus finished fourth overall at the end of the season behind Martens, his countryman Jorgen Nilsson and Smets. Hansson had a good winter to prepare his final assault.

Back to two heats instead of three the 1994 championship was a three men affair between Hansson and his private Honda, Martens on his factory

Husqvarna and Smets on his factory Vertemati. The first half of the season was really open as six different riders won the first six rounds, and by mid season Hansson was leading the championship from Smets by 10 points and Martens by 14 points. In the second part of the season Smets lost his chances with two DNF and going to the penultimate round in Belgium there was only four points between Marcus and Jacky.

Marcus scored his fourth GP win of the season and increased his leadership, but in the first race of the final round in Germany he crashed with Van Doorn and lost his advantage! The last heat of the season was decisive for the championship, as both riders were tight with 315 points. Neither Marcus nor Jacky were able to fight for the win, but with a fourth position Hansson defeated Martens who crashed and finished only tenth. It was the last time that a two-stroke machine won the 500cc championship and also the last time that a Swedish rider claimed a World title, eleven years after Carlqvist.

Although Hansson had signed for the Belgacom team of Georges Jobe, he never had the possibility to defend his title as he got injured during a Supercross event and was forced to retire after a brief but brilliant career.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1988 33rd in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1990: 17th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1991: 21th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1992: 10th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1993:

4th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda). Winner of 1 GP

1994: 500 Motocross World Champion (Honda). Winner of 4 GP

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HÅKAN CARLQVIST

1983 YAMAHA 500 OW64 30

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ÅKAN CARLQVIST WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL HARD MEN OF WORLD MOTOCROSS AND HIS NEVER GIVE UP ATTITUDE WON HIM AN ARMY OF FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD. THE WINNER OF TWO WORLD TITLES, HIS FIRST CAME IN THE 250CC CLASS IN 1979 RACING FOR HUSQVARNA.

His second was probably his most memorable though as it was clinched at the final round of the season in the premier 500cc class aboard a Yamaha, and it’s his 1983 Yamaha 500 OW64 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

1981 saw the last year of production for the YZ465 as the new YZ490 hit the showrooms in 1982 as an all-new model. Despite its allnew design, it originally weighed in around 3kg heavier than its predecessor! Not only was it heavy, but also it suffered badly with vibration and it was also difficult to turn. The 5-speed gearbox had been replaced with a 4-speed and whilst the engine was very powerful, it was evident that major changes needed to be made in order to keep its fan base on side. For 1983 some of those major changes included modifications to the clutch, the frame, the wheels and some suspension components which resulted in the bike weighing in at around 8kg lighter. And this was just the production bike.

After finishing third in the 500cc world championship in 1981, Carla’s form dipped the following season where he placed seventh. However, after a successful winter season of testing where according to Lin Jarvis, the eventual off-road racing boss, there were ‘no more than usual’ concerns in terms of reliability, with the first tests being completed in Japan at the end of the previous season, followed by the rest of the tests in southern France and Italy in the new year.’ Carla’s teammate was the Finn Jukka Sintonen with Minoru Tanaka as the front man in charge of racing activities, and the man also responsible for hiring Lin Jarvis to work alongside him in 1983, before the Brit took over fulltime in 1986.

But how different was the production Yamaha to the Factory OW64 that Carlqvist raced? Put simply, the difference was vast and according to Gary Benn, who at that time was Neil Hudson’s mechanic, ‘the Factory bikes of the ‘80’s were completely different from production and I would say that not

one thing was the same or would fit!’

Exotica The Factory bikes of the 80’s were truly a work of art and things of absolute beauty and the Yamaha 500 OW64 was no different.

Despite its air-cooled engine, where Honda and Suzuki had switched to liquid-cooled ones, everything else was pure exotic.

With a bore and stroke measurement of 92mm x 75mm the overall cubic capacity of the engine was 498.5cc and was a YPVS reed valve unit, and it goes without saying that it was a full Factory bit of kit. The carburettor was a magnesium Mikuni 40mm unit compared to the standard YZ490 which was 38mm. The ignition, piston, 4-speed gearbox and clutch were also full Factory.

The frame was totally Factory spec and there was no direct comparison with production whatsoever and the same applied to the swingarm in terms of material used, dimensions and weight. Everything was hand-crafted. Other Factory items that ‘money could not buy’ were the exhaust pipe and silencer, which were also made in-house at YMC in Japan. The front forks were conventional 43mm KYB and these were married to an ÖHLINS rear shock which Carla had been instrumental in developing from the very beginning.

Handlebar technology was on the rise around this time so it was no surprise to see Renthal ‘bars sitting in the clamps. The rims were supplied by Takasago Excel and were married to Factory hubs.

Disc brake technology was not far off but the ’83 bike came with drum brakes, although even these were given a factory makeover with the lever brackets made from magnesium and carbon.

Of course, no Factory bike from that era would not be complete unless it glistened with ‘bling tastic’ metal parts and the OW64 oozed Titanium and Magnesium where possible. According to Gary Benn,

‘the 500cc class weight limit was 102kg and I think the bike was very close to that limit due to the amount of Titanium and Magnesium parts that were used.’ Given the fact that no productions parts would fit the Factory OW64 and that the filter was the only standard item, the Yamaha 500 OW64 was about as Factory as it got.

The only thing we don’t know about the OW64 is how much horsepower it kicked out as that kind of information was reserved for the privileged few back in Japan … or privileged one it seems. Even today, team managers, assistant managers and race technicians associated with this project have no knowledge of the ‘bhp’ thirty-five years on. It seems that some things were on a ‘need to know basis’ and this was one of them. What we do know though from speaking to Gary Benn is that ‘Carla always wanted a lot of brutal horsepower which is why in the early years he had quite a few bike problems; he was very aggressive and strong but I also think he was a very technical rider and one that understood the technical part of the bike as well. He was also very methodical with his approach to his racing.’

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We also know from speaking to Lin Jarvis, who took over the running of the motocross effort full-time in 1986, that ‘Carla was a very demanding rider; demanding to his Japanese engineers and also to the suspension technicians. He wanted things the way he had requested.

That said, when he was on the bike in the races he gave it 100% no matter what.’

In the 1983 season, Håkan Carlqvist took eight race wins and won six of the twelve GP’s on offer. He also took one second and one third overall, meaning a total of nine podiums during the campaign.

As the 500cc class entered the final round at St Anthonis in The Netherlands on August 21st 1983 Carlqvist led André Malherbe by seventeen points. He just needed to stay out of trouble and ride smart and that’s exactly what he did.

Malherbe won the GP with a 4-1 but Carla’s 6-4 for fifth overall meant the title was his by seven points.

With Håkan’s renowned temperament and his no compromising approach to perfection, it’s a wonder that ‘The Super Swede’ could find a rider/ mechanic relationship that would last long enough for them to be successful, but according to Lin Jarvis, in Tommi Jansson he found the perfect partner: ‘Where Carla was hot tempered and very aggressive on the track, Tommi was quiet and reserved, the perfect antidote for his fiery rider.’ And this is something that Gary Benn also reflected on when he also stated, ‘To me Håkan was a good friend and a gentleman, but had a short fuse if something went wrong; but give him his space for couple of minutes and he was calm again. I think that is why him and Tommi got on so well; Tommi was very quiet and calm and spoke very few words, but he understood Carla and how he worked.’

Carla’s win was the first Yamaha world title in the 500cc class since Heikki Mikkola in 1978 five years earlier, but in the two-stroke era Yamaha won just three 500cc titles: 32

Mikkola won two, back to back in 1977/78 with Carla’s being the last Yamaha 500cc 2-stroke title.

At the end of 1983 Yamaha stopped its Factory effort in the 500cc class but because Carla had won in ‘83 they still built bikes for him to race as he was world champion. The last real factory Yamaha 500cc was the YZM in 1988 and 1989, and even though Yamaha fielded some great riders like Jacky Vimond, Kurt Ljunqvist and Leif Persson, there would be no more world titles in the two-stroke era and Yamaha would have to wait until 1999 when Andrea Bartolini claimed the 500cc title on the all-new evolutionary YZ400F sixteen years later in 1999.

As a tribute to the late, great champion, Gary Benn also shared a couple of stories that help to sum up Håkan’s character: ‘One funny story after he picked up a pre-season injury to his hand which resulted in pins protruding from his hand, I think it was ’82.

There was a lot of swearing in Swedish coming from the machine room where he was trying to grind the pins down in the hope that he could put on his glove and try to ride, but he didn’t realise at the time that the pins got hot and transferred heat to his hand! We all thought it was funny but at the time, he didn’t!’

‘Even later when I was Team Manager in the early ‘90s we employed Håkan as a rider mentor/ trainer but I think he was very frustrated at times: ‘We were testing in the south of France with the young riders and Håkan wanted the riders to get to the inside rut after a steep drop off but they said it was too hard to do.

So, he grabbed one of their bikes, turned his peaked hat around so it was facing backwards and only wearing shorts, a T-shirt and shoes, got the inside rut after the steep drop off and railed the inside rut before giving the bike back to make them try again.’ *Many thanks to Lin Jarvis and Gary Benn for the extra information relating to this article.

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L L A H

34

ME A F OF

BOBBY MOORE

THE LAST US RIDER TO BECOME WORLD CHAMPION

W

ITHOUT ANY DOUBTS BOBBY MOORE HAS BEEN THE MOST EUROPEAN OF THE AMERICAN RIDERS WHO CROSSED THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO ENTER THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. THE ENTHUSIAST CALIFORNIAN RIDER HAD TO WAIT NINE SEASONS TO FINALLY CLINCH A WORLD TITLE IN 1994, AND HE REMAINS THE LAST US RIDER TO HAVE BEEN CROWNED. Born in July 1969 in Santa Rosa (California) Bob Moore started riding mini-bikes as a child, tossing his bike in the back of his father’s truck. Riding his bike after school until sunset nearly every day, Bobby had a very successful career in the mini bikes, but wasn’t as comfortable when he had to move up to larger bikes due to his small size. However, in 1984 he moved successfully to the 125cc class, winning the 125cc West Supercross Championship on a Suzuki.

While most of the riders would have signed for a factory team in the US, Moore surprised everyone when he came in Europe to race the Cup de l’Avenir in Arsago Seprio (Italy) and signed for an Italian team to compete in the 125cc World championship! “Don’t ask me why, but since a very early age I wanted nothing more than to be a World Champion. It was just something deep down in my heart that I wanted to be a World Champion and to do that I had to go to Europe and race there,” he always explained. The first seasons were not really easy for him as he got injured twice in 1987 and 1988, but

his determination offered him a KTM ride and in 1989 he was able to show his real potential.

Moore became German motocross champion and he reached the podium at four rounds of the 125cc World Championship but he was still missing consistency to be a title contender. Based in Italy, he became very popular thanks to his friendly attitude with everyone. In 1990 he showed some improvements when he won his first heats in the Czech Republic, Germany and Ireland, and won his first Grand’s Prix also in Germany and Ireland. Runner up behind fellow countryman Danny Schmit, he raced for the world title against Stefan Everts during the ‘91 season, finally missing the World title by only nine points after winning five heats and two more GP’s!

Moving to Yamaha Rinaldi and the 250cc class in 1992, he had another great season but once more he found Donny Schmit on 35

his way! Both were teammates in the Yamaha team, and for the third year in a row he finished second.

The factory Suzuki team hired him for 1993, but he never felt really comfortable on that bike and finally got injured in Great Britain.

Back to Yamaha Rinaldi and the 125cc class in 1994, Bobby finally reached his old dream after a nearly perfect season. It was not an easy one, as Italian Alessio Chiodi was a strong rival! Winning half of the first six rounds of the season, Moore was leading Chiodi by ten points at mid season and both had equal chances to get the title; none of them was really performing at the Dutch round, got the same results in San Marino (1/2 for Bobby, 2/1 for Alessio) and before the tenth of twelve rounds our American rider was leading the Italian by only seven points!

Stronger than ever, Bobby was outstanding in the last rounds winning both heats in Germany and scoring his fifth GP win of the season in Foxhill, Great Britain, just one year after being seriously injured on this track. Going to the final round in Belgium with a strong advantage of 36 points, he only needed to score five points to be champion. But that was not at all his idea to just secure some points, and he ended the season with the perfect score (1/1) to finally get the title he was looking for since nine long seasons!

1986: 9th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1987:

7th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

1988:

8th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

1989:

4th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

1990:

2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM).

Winner of 2 GP

1991:

2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM).

Winner of 2 GP

1992:

2nd in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

1993: 11th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1994: 125 Motocross World Champion (Yamaha). Winner of 6 GP 1995: 8th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1996: 8th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1997:

7th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

Moving then in the 250cc class, he would never be as successful due to another injury even if he won three heats. Back in the 125cc class in 1996 he had an up and down season due to some other injuries, but never gave up and ended his career in 1997 with another GP win – the twelfth one – and another top ten result for his twelfth and last season in a World Championship.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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E M A N N O I T C E S

S E K I EB

G A T IN

V

A HEINZ KINIGADNER

1984 KTM 250CC 38

USTRIAN MOTOCROSS LEGEND HEINZ KINIGADNER BECAME A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN HIS NATIVE COUNTRY OVERNIGHT WHEN HE CLINCHED THE FIRST OF HIS TWO FIM 250CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 1984. WHAT MADE IT EXTRA SPECIAL WAS THAT HE WON RACING AN AUSTRIAN MOTORCYCLE AS WELL, AND IT’S HIS 1984 KTM 250CC THAT WE WILL FEATURE IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE.

‘Kini’ originally trained as a baker and confectioner but thankfully, the lure of racing got the better of him. His first GP was in 1978 but it wasn’t until 1980 that he scored his first world championship points riding a Puch to finish the 250cc GP season in 37th.

The following year, 1981, he rocketed to 5th before switching to Yamaha for the ’82 season where he placed 9th.

A little bit ‘hit-and-miss’ Kini signed with KTM but not for the 250cc class, as he recalls: ‘I signed with KTM for the 500cc class in ’83 and then I went to the States for the Golden State series and the air-cooled KTM, that was much more like a tractor; three gears, impossible! After the first race at Saddleback Park I phoned Trunkenpolz and said ‘Erich, please let me go 250cc, forget all my contract money, everything, let me go 250cc.’

The season didn’t quite go according to plan though, as the tall Austrian suffered a broken arm towards the end of the year, as well as a ‘smashed kidney’ at Unadilla. He finished the season 11th overall. As a result, it was decided that Kini needed a teammate, ‘… and KTM said ‘ok, we need a good one, and Arno Dreschel was from Honda Factory and had finished 4th in ’83 and the top three – Georges Jobé, Danny Laporte and Kees Van der Ven - all moved out of 250cc, so he was the clear favourite and this always helped me a lot, you know?’

However, the 1984 campaign also hit a few problems with engine issues and suspension problems right at the top of the tree. ‘Sigi Stuhlberger was the man for the two-stroke engines; he made the engines for Vladimir Kavinov, Guennady Moissev, all the Russian guys, and he had one engine in his box from them. The ‘83/’84 was the same engine, and we knew that that engine had at least 4bhp more than our best one. My engine engineer was one who came from the university and I had the first digital ignition but he was not working on the exhaust and all those things like all the old guys; Sigi was only exhaust, 2-stroke, and we were really praying to Sigi, ‘please give us your engine and he was saying ‘no, I’m responsible for this and I don’t want to interfere … and then Arno and me, we got three

weeks before the first GP in Saint Jean d’Angely, we got ten cylinders, Nikasil cylinders, good ones and then we raced a race in Austria and practiced until Monday before Saint Jean, and of these ten engines only two were left; one for him and one for me! All the Nikasil came off; bad quality, and we said ‘shit!’

With the first 250cc GP of the season just days away, Kinigadner was in real danger of not even making it to the start line, but he came up with a plan: ‘In those days, the whole department was different than today, and on Thursday night before the GP I was in Mattighofen with my mechanic until midnight, because he said we had to leave at midnight otherwise we would not be there in time for the first GP and at 12:00 midnight I said ‘hey, I will not finish that race, let’s go – all the doors were open at KTM – we went straight to the production line, took one production bike complete, from the production line to have as a spare bike, and then went to France.’

On paper at least, the idea to ‘borrow’ a production bike sounded like a great plan, but the reality was so much different as Kini points out: ‘When we were at Saint Jean d’Angely with the long up and down hills; after first practice we checked the bike, and saw on the bottom, some of the Nikasil had come off a bit, so my mechanic said ‘I’m afraid we will not race with this engine.’ So, I said ‘Okay, let’s take the production bike,’ which was brand new, not one minute running before. Anyway, there was an Austrian journalist Gunther Vissinger, who was going with me to the race, and when I came back he was in my tent and this was when I came back from those first few laps with that production bike; I told my mechanic ‘Hey, I need some bicycle pedals because I will not make it up those hills, it’s terrible, so f*****g slow!’

‘The frame was completely the same,’ Kini remembers, ‘we had standard frames back then but the engine was different and unfortunately he wrote an article that I won the GP (4-1) at Saint Jean with already a little bit broken Nikasil cylinder. When I came

back home I got the blue letter from Mr. Trunkenpolz, the owner of KTM and he said, I ‘put the dirt in the nest’ because Vissinger had written an article where he said ‘I needed pedals for this shit machine!’ The beginning of the season was really horrible!’

Suspended Today in MXGP KTM is linked to WP suspension and always has been, but back then it was known as White Power, but Kini wasn’t a fan of the USD (upside down forks) even though they were improving, so he decided to do his own thing: ‘We started with Marzocchi conventional forks and this was then the moment when I was leading from the first GP. The second race was at Sittendorf in Austria and I remember the White Power guys, they came and they said ‘Hey, in Austria in front of KTM we need to have our fork in – it was even more critical the year after in ‘85 because that race was in Schwannenstadt close to Mattighofen – and they came with really crazy offers at that time and they were pushing hard that I had to use WP. At that time, the USD was much more stable but on some tracks like real hard pack like in Spain with 39

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was much too high all the time, on the limiter, so I liked to go high.’

hard ruts, it was not so good, so I used both but mostly the Marzocchi. It was funny; Dami the toy company from Japan, they made my bike and I have a few still at home, and you could make it with WP or with Marzocchi; two versions.’

For the GP in Austria, Kini had a new cylinder and new exhaust and other than that, the rest of the bike was standard. He tested quite a few different linkage set-ups and because he was so tall, ran a higher Tecnosel seat and slightly higher handlebars.

But it was fine balance between being too high where it would upset the overall geometry of the bike. As for power, it was about top end speed for the tough Austrian: ‘My mechanics, my engineers they always complained to me because all the time they said I

“QUOTE.”

As for the season itself, Kini raced to three GP victories; the calamitous opening round in France (4-1), Holice in Czech Republic where he went 1-1 (round four) and round six in Italy at Laveno Mombello where he once again went 1-1. In total, he claimed six race victories compared to the rider who finished runner up to him, Jacky Vimond, who won five moto’s and two GP’s. Kini won the title by thirty points.

‘In ’84 we had a lot of races in the rain, I won all of them – the only problem we had was the Nikasil at the beginning of the season; sometimes we had a problem with the brakes overheating like in Belgium in Race Two after I crashed in the first race … but otherwise I don’t remember any major problems.’

A front wheel puncture in the second race in Austria robbed him

of a 1-1, and in Switzerland in the mud, having chosen to race without ‘face protection’, he lost one of his teeth to a flying stone and was ‘too busy thinking about the pain at the dentist on the Monday after the GP’.

He still went 6-2 though!

And at the final round in Finland, the pace in the sand was just too high for him and despite taking the holeshot in Race One, decided to let the faster rider’s past, including his rival Vimond, but third place was enough to clinch the title and in typical Kini style, the champagne flowed between the moto’s. With the title in his pocket, Kini lined up at the start for the final race of the year, pulled a holeshot and led for the first ten minutes or so, but then ‘I crashed and could not finish the race. I believe it was because I wasn’t completely concentrated on the race anymore.’

His teammate Arno Dreschel finished ninth overall but took a race win in Belgium at Nismes to add to the tally of KTM race wins.

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L L A H

42

ME A F OF

JOEL SMETS

THE FLEMISH LION

A

S A RIDER FROM 1990 TO 2005 AND THEN AS A MANAGER, JOEL SMETS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PEOPLE IN THE MOTOCROSS FAMILY. COMING LATE TO THIS SPORT SO POPULAR IN HIS NATIVE COUNTRY, JOEL HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BELGIAN RIDERS AS HE CLAIMED 5 WORLD TITLES AND 57 GRAND PRIX WINS. Born on 6 April 1969 in Mol, a Belgian city located not far from Lommel, Joel Smets was a motocross fan but had to wait his 17th birthday to start his career and to enter his first race in a local championship thanks to his uncle who gave him his bike. Even if he wasn’t so experimented, Joel won his first local title that year, moved to a national series in 1987 and then to the Belgian championship. He was 21 years old when he entered his first GP in the Netherlands on a private bike, he qualified and scored his first points. Within three seasons he moved from the 46th to the 4th position in the series, always as a privateer, and finally signed his first contract with the Husaberg factory in 1993.

Moving from 2 strokes machinery to 4 strokes Joel had a strong season, winning his first GP in Germany to finish third in the series. He did even better in 1994, winning two GP’s and six heats to contest the World title against Marcus Hansson and Jacky Martens, but with five DNF’s he missed the title by less than thirty points. 1995 was finally his

season, as he claimed the first of his five World titles; winner of five GP’s and nine heats, he beat Trampas Parker in a very open championship, as seven riders won motos that year. It was a perfect season for Joel, who won the Belgian title and was also part of the Belgian team who won the first MX of Nations since 1980!

In 1996 Joel fought all season long with Shayne King, who finally defeated the reigning champion after winning six rounds of the series while the Husaberg rider enjoyed only one win. Coming back stronger in 1997 Joel had another very good season, winning four GP’s and six races to beat Darryl King and get his second world title. Just a few weeks later he enjoyed his second MXoN victory alongside Stefan Everts and Marnicq Bervoets.

1998 was another good year for Smets, as he again dominated his rivals to get his third World title.

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That year, when the MX season was over, he entered the famous ISDE in Australia and claimed another success in enduro!

Officially back in the series since 1997, Yamaha and Andrea Bartolini dominated the 1999 championship and with eight DNF’s during the season Joel could only save a podium result for his last season on the Husaberg, as he moved to KTM the following seasons; the new millennium was a good one for him as he got his fourth World title on the orange bike, winning twelve of the sixteen rounds!

At that period Belgium was a leading country in Motocross, and in 2001 Joel found Stefan Everts on his way. Their battles were always tough but fair, but even if he won six GP’s each year, Joel was defeated by his fellow countryman. In 2003, as it was still the single heat race format (from 2001 to 2003), Joel and KTM decided to enter two classes, the 650cc and the new Motocross GP class. Winning ten of the twelve rounds in the 650cc, he claimed his fifth World title, and in the Motocross GP series he finished runner up between Everts and Mickael Pichon.

Recruited by Suzuki to develop their new four-stroke bike, Joel never enjoyed anymore the winning feeling, as injuries stopped him in 2004 and 2005.

He stopped racing Motocross in 2006, went back in Enduro later to develop a new project with BMW and when he retired definitively from racing, he couldn’t leave the sport. Joel started working alongside young Belgian talents and later he joined Suzuki and recently KTM to offer his long racing experience to the factory teams.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1986: 46th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda) 1991: 17th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda) 1992: 4th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda) 1993:

3rd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Husaberg). Winner of 1 GP

1994:

3rd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Vertemati). Winner of 2 GP

1995:

500 Motocross World Champion (Husaberg). Winner of 5 GP

1996:

2nd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Husaberg). Winner of 1 GP

1997:

500 Motocross World Champion (Husaberg). Winner of 4 GP

1998:

500 Motocross World Champion (Husaberg). Winner of 6 GP

1999:

3rd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Husaberg). Winner of 4 GP

2000: 500 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 12 GP 2001:

2nd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (KTM).

Winner of 6 GP

2002:

2nd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (KTM).

Winner of 6 GP

2003:

2nd in the Motocross GP World Championship (KTM).

650 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 10 GP 2004: 16th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 2005: 6th in the 500 World Championship (Suzuki)

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S E K I EB

G A T IN

V

DAVE THORPE’S

1986 HONDA RC500 46

D

AVE THORPE IS A THREE-TIME FIM 500CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION AND GREAT BRITAIN’S MOST SUCCESSFUL MOTOCROSS RACER IN THE HISTORY OF THE SPORT. WITH TWENTY-TWO GP WINS, HIS THREE TITLES WERE WON IN 1985, 1986 AND 1989 AND IT’S HIS CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING RC HONDA FROM 1986 THAT WE WILL FEATURE IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE.

The eighties have often been referred to as the ‘golden era’ of world motocross and the time when the evolution of the factory bike set a precedent in the future of motorcycle manufacturing. Whilst the ‘sixties’ was down to bravery and who could go the fastest and the seventies saw the innovation of lightweight materials and the introduction of single-shock technology, the eighties saw real progress and the first real factory bikes. Take Brad Lackey’s 1982 Suzuki for instance; this bike came equipped with ‘Simons’ upsidedown forks, but for HRC this type of technology wasn’t used until 1987 and this was the team that re-wrote all the rules during the eighties.

Britain’s Graham Noyce made history when he became 500cc world champion in 1979 as it was the first ever world motocross title won by a Honda, and from that moment the focus on winning and maintaining that stance never dwindled. In fact, from 1979 – 1992 the mighty Japanese firm claimed the 500cc title TWELVE times, losing just twice in 1982 and 1983 to Suzuki and Yamaha respectively. Of course, it helped that Honda had possibly the best racers of that era riding its machines, but its dominance was also down to the bikes themselves; chassis, handling, power output, ride ability, and much of this was down to evolving technology. And it wasn’t just in the world championship that this was happening but also on the other side of The Atlantic in the US as well. Whatever Honda was doing, they were doing it right!

At the end of the 1982 season Dave Thorpe switched from Kawasaki to Honda and by 1984 had won his first GP. The following year in 1985 he was world champion; his teammates André Malherbe and Eric Geboers followed him home for a historic Honda 1-2-3. For 1986, there didn’t appear to be too many significant changes to Thorpe’s bike but from an aesthetics point of view, HRC had just upped its game. But there was more to this bike than met the eye: ‘It was pretty much the same bike, but the main change for me was the seat that went all the way up the tank; it was the first year I used it. I

think André and Eric may have had it in ’85. It was the first time I used it, with the fuel pump off the bottom of the tank so it enabled us to run a smaller tank and allow the seat to be pushed up much higher. When you pushed the kickstart in (after starting the bike) the fuel tank went down behind the kickstart.’

That oversized fuel tank design not only held around 13 litres of fuel, it also changed the look of those supertrick Honda’s as well as the 500cc class for a generation.

As well as some changes to the chassis, cooling efficiency had also been scrutinised and as a result – and let’s not forget that water-cooling was still very much in its infancy at this time – the size of the radiators had been increased, as Thorpe recalls: ‘Yeah, it had a larger rad on one side, so a tall one and a short one. The geometry was also slightly changed but if they hadn’t have told me, I wouldn’t have known. It also had a rear disc brake. Thorpe also used a 4-speed gearbox as opposed to the 5-speed of his teammates’ In short, Honda and HRC were pushing new boundaries, but after occupying all three steps of the podium in the final standings in ’85, you wouldn’t have expected anything less.

As it is always the case, a team is made up of more than rider; in the case of HRC there were three guys all capable of winning the title.

Thorpe’s teammates were André Malherbe and Eric Geboers and whilst all three bikes looked the same, they were all very different: ‘I preferred a torquey, yet soother engine whereas André always wanted something with low-end power; it was really aggressive off the bottom, and Eric was always similar to André. I also chose to ride with what we called the ‘sand’ bike because it was wider, and because I’m really big, I used to like the feeling of a wide tank. With the sand one, when we tested with it, I asked if I could run it all the time because I liked the feeling of having a bigger tank in front of me, especially on the ’85 bike.’

Having said that though, when the new bikes and parts were introduced at the end of each season, the riders all had the option to run with the same set-up, and whilst there was ‘some stuff that was universal for us to try’ once they’d made their decisions as to which way they wanted to go, that was it. Take exhaust pipes for instance: ‘We had quite a lot of options with the pipes; we tested them all and each rider chose two types and you went down the road that you chose. From my side, I used just one; the one that I really liked is what I stayed with; I didn’t change, whereas I think that André and Eric tended to change.

Mine was really torquey, mid-top!’

On the left side of the handlebars the eagle eyed amongst us at that time would have noticed a small lever just above the clutch lever. This was a decompressor which allowed you start the bike a bit easier; remember, these things had a heck of a kick on them, but it was used mainly if you were on un-even ground where it was even more difficult to kick the bike back into life.

The foot pegs, whilst the same size as standard, were made of a lightweight 47

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material and were much stronger and the swingarm was made of Alloy; it was lighter, stronger and in Thorpe’s case longer to improve stability.

With Thorpe and Malherbe being similar heights and weight, and with Geboers being much smaller, the only real differences with the frames was that Eric used a lower sub-frame, but it’s not something that ‘DT’ rarely gave much thought to: ‘To be honest, with Eric’s frame and his set-up, I didn’t really get involved; whilst we were a team, we were a team within a team and obviously I wanted to beat Eric, so as long as I was happy, I wasn’t too worried about what they were doing, so I couldn’t tell you how much different their chassis was to ours.’

As for the ride ability of the RC500, it was probably one of the easiest bikes out there to ride: ‘I think it’s safe to say that those engines were way, way, ahead of their time; they were exceptionally strong engines, they were like a tractor. The chassis on the Honda was always amazing; incredibly good on the rough and incredibly good at turning. Really good.’

my knee and coincidentally since that day, they’ve made the rad covers higher so you can’t get at it.’

But for all the trickery and bling that the 1986 RCHonda 500 offered up, it wasn’t a vintage year for Thorpe; he may have claimed the title and that’s all that matters, but on paper, the stats told a different story. In 1985, Thorpe won a total of eight moto’s and three GP victories, but in ’86 he won just five races and one GP, and that win at Markelo in Holland was gifted to him when Georges Jobé suffered a major DNF whilst leading.

But sometimes winning a title can come down to ‘character’ and DT showed he had it in abundance.

Thorpe went into the final GP of the season in Luxembourg with a fourpoint advantage over Malherbe. On Saturday, Dave’s father Keith, who was his mechanic, was modifying something with a Stanley Knife, slipped and took his finger off which resulted in him being rushed to hospital for emergency surgery to save his finger: ‘Obviously I didn’t sleep so well on the Saturday night, worrying about my dad, worrying about the race, only a few points between us.’

One of the things that stood out the most during this period though was how reliable the Honda’s were; even now, people refer to them as being ‘bullet proof’. And 1985/’86 were no exception, and although there were never any issues during winter tests, you can never replicate a race and there were one or two occasions where the technicians were left with faces as red as their motorcycles.

At 5.00/5:30am the next morning Dave woke at first light and saw his young brother-in-law was also awake, so he offered to take him to the park. After pushing him on the swings, Dave noticed a huge slide, the kind with bumps on the way down, and after they marched to the top, DT placed his mat onto the slide, but hadn’t realised it was slightly damp from the morning dew. It almost cost him the title:

In ’85 DT suffered a DNF in Race One in France whilst leading with a lap and a half to go before his bike came to a halt due to a broken gearbox shaft behind the gearbox sprocket, and in Italy, Malherbe failed to finish because of a piston ring location pin fault. In 1986, after winning the first race in Austria, Thorpe experienced another DNF when ‘my knee hit the radiator cap and flicked it off … the front end slipped, my foot went down and when the bike came up it just caught

‘When I went off the first lump I realised it wasn’t gonna end well, I was going too fast, and by the time I went off the second one I was airborne and when I hit the third one I banged my head on the side and luckily I got to the bottom without falling off. But I got a black eye and when I went to the room I had like a (blind) spot in my eye because obviously I’d banged my head really bad, so I had to lie down for an hour until my vision came back. So, then I get to the race, dad’s got his hand all

plastered up with one of those big splints on his finger, I’ve got a black eye; it wasn’t the best start to the Sunday really, it was all going a bit wrong but fortunately I really liked that track.’

As for the title showdown, the fans, who were more than likely unbeknown to what had happened in the past 24 hours, did not go home disappointed, and Race One was an epic encounter from start to finish: ‘The first race was really, really hot and really, really dry and André and I had an amazing race considering what was at stake; it was remarkably fair for which I managed to pip him (for the race win), and then about an hour before the second race, the biggest thunderstorm you’ve ever seen hit, so the track went from being near-on perfect and a little bit hard to an ice-rink, so in theory all I had to do was try and follow André home, it’s all I tried to do. Eric Geboers took the holeshot and I was second. Eric fell off. Georges Jobé won the race but he didn’t have anything to lose; I was quite surprised actually that he passed André because they were really close friends, I thought he may have followed him home. But when he passed me and then André, I was quite happy with that.’

The race finished Jobé, Malherbe, Thorpe which was enough for the Englishman to claim his second 500cc world title, a year after winning his first by five points. rider and one that understood the technical part of the bike as well. He was also very methodical with his approach to his racing.’

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L L A H

50

ME A F OF

JEFF STANTON

J

EFF STANTON DID NOT HAVE A VERY LONG PROFESSIONAL CAREER AS A RIDER, BUT THANKS TO HIS GREAT DETERMINATION HE COLLECTED WINS AND TITLES ALL OVER THE WORLD IN HIS LESS THAN 10 SEASONS AS RACER. AMONG HIS ACHIEVEMENTS WE CAN STAND OUT HIS SIX US TITLES, THE THREE WINS AT THE MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS, A COUPLE OF GP VICTORIES AND A SUPERCROSS WORLD TITLE. Born in the community of Coldwater, Michigan, on the 18th of June 1968, Jeff Stanton grew up in a farm and didn’t wait too long to get his first motorcycle as everyone in the family – even his mother had a bike. At the age of 4 he started riding around the farm and one year later he entered just for fun a local race with the family. Having so many tracks around his native Michigan, Jeff had a lot of opportunities to compete and as soon as he got some good results, he obtained some support from Yamaha in the amateur ranks.

He claimed his first AMA title at Loretta Lynn in 1983, racing the 100 class, and one year later, as Yamaha stopped to support the smallest classes, he had to move to the 250cc and 500cc classes at the early age of 16. Claiming many wins and titles in the Amateur ranks in 1985 and 1986, Stanton made his professional debut late in 1986 and impressed everyone when he finished 6th at his first ever outdoor race.

His Supercross debut was also

impressive, as he finished second at Daytona in what was only his second Pro SX! Named AMA rookie of the year at the end of the 1987 season, he got even better results in 1988 and he finally signed a factory contract with Honda America. Moving to California to train in wintertime with his teammate Ricky Johnson, Jeff won his first ever Supercross race a few weeks later in Atlanta.

Stanton managed to win four other ‘main events’ to finally get the SX title at the end of the season! Known as a very hard worker and determinate rider, he also proved to be able to hold the pressure when he became Honda’s number one rider for the outdoor championship after Johnson got injured. Winning five of the seven rounds of the 250cc outdoor series, he got another title before winning the Motocross of Nations with team USA!

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Working even harder than usual, Jeff became ‘the man to beat’ in 1990.

In fact, no matter how tough the races were, Stanton was stronger than ever, winning for example five times in a row the Daytona Supercross. Defending successfully his MX and SX titles in 1990, Stanton also won the Motocross of Nations and the Masters of Motocross, winning races all over the world!

The following season, even if he won again the Motocross of Nations, a race he entered only three times but he always won it, and claimed two GP wins in the USA and Japan, it was not his best year. Jeff Stanton lost both US titles against his teammate Jean Michel Bayle. However, he took his revenge one year later, claiming his third Supercross title during the final race in Los Angeles Coliseum where he beat previous series leader Damon Bradshaw. Again winner of the 250cc Motocross championship, Stanton had an incredible season that year, entering 57 events all over the world, racing in US, Japan and all over Europe!

Jeff Stanton would never win again titles, as in 1993 he found on his way Jeremy Mc Grath. He was Stanton’s teammate and he became the new star of the US scene. Jeff won his last US race at Millville in 1993 and he announced his retirement at the end of 1994. Working during a few seasons for Honda America as mentor, Jeff would later focus on his family farming business in Michigan.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1987: 10th in the US Supercross championship (Yamaha)

5th in the US 250 Motocross championship

2nd in the US 500 Motocross championship

1988:

10th in the US Supercross championship (Yamaha)

3rd in the US 500 Motocross championship

4th in the US 250 Motocross championship

1989:

US Supercross Champion (Honda)

US 250 Motocross champion

2nd in the US 500 Motocross championship

Member of the US Team winner at the MX of Nations

1990:

US Supercross Champion (Honda)

US 250 Motocross champion

2nd in the US 500 Motocross championship

Member of the US Team winner at the MX of Nations

Winner of the Masters of Motocross

Winner of the US 250 Grand Prix

1991:

3rd in the US Supercross Championship (Honda)

3rd in the US 250 Motocross championship

3rd in the US 500 Motocross championship

Member of the US Team winner at the MX of Nations

Winner of the US 250 Grand Prix and the Japan 250 Grand Prix

1992:

US Supercross Champion (Honda)

US 250 Motocross champion

2nd in the US 500 Motocross championship

Champion du Monde Supercross

Winner of the US 250 Grand Prix

1993:

3rd in the US Supercross Championship (Honda)

7th in the US 250 Motocross championship

2nd in the US 500 Motocross championship

1994:

6th in the US Supercross Championship (Honda)

6th in the US 250 Motocross championship

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E M A N N O I T C E S

S E K I EB

G A T IN

V

KURT NICOLL’S

1987 KAWASAKI SR500 54

T

HE EIGHTIES WILL POSSIBLY GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE DECADE WHERE FACTORY MOTOCROSS BIKES WERE AT THEIR MOST EXOTIC, PARTICULARLY IN THE 500CC CATEGORY.

New lightweight materials, innovative design and just pure, outright power was where it was at and probably the most powerful, the most difficult to tame was the 1987 Kawasaki SR500 of Kurt Nicoll, which was possibly one of the last true factory Kawasaki’s ever built, and it’s his bike that we will feature in this month’s issue of MXGP Magazine.

Backstory Behind every event or happening there is also a backstory of how that particular thing came to be, and the story of the 1987 SR500 is no different. First of all we need to go back to 1983; Belgium’s Georges Jobé had just been crowned world champion in the 250cc class riding for Suzuki and was planning a move into the 500cc class and Kawasaki believed he was the man to win the title for them.

In his first season in the premier class he placed 2nd behind fellow Belgium André Malherbe and with that result was looking to become world champion the following year. However, the following two seasons did not go according to plan and after finishing 4th on both occasions Jobé found himself at a career crossroads.

Despite testing the 1987 SR500 during the winter months, Jobé sensationally quit Kawasaki in late December and with all rides taken, he set up his own private team racing factory Honda machinery.

Luckily for Kawasaki they already had a rider waiting in the wings, ready to pick up the pieces. That rider was Kurt Nicoll.

After a brief spell racing for KTM where he’d placed 5th in 1985 Nicoll returned to Kawasaki as teammate to Jobé for the 1986 season, who had just taken delivery of the allnew SR500, although it was only the Belgian who got to race the latest full factory offering from Kawasaki. When Jobé left at the end of the year, his 1987 bike was passed down to Nicoll and it needed some tailoring in order to suit the new recipient, as Kurt’s mechanic and brother, Arran recalls:

‘Jobé went to Japan to try the new bike and it was basically built for him, but then he left Kawasaki very late in December ’86 and that’s when the bike was given to Kurt.

We got the bike in January ’87 to Jobé’s specification and started from there.’

‘The biggest difference was the riding position as Kurt was a much bigger guy physically compared to Georges, so we had different triple clamps manufactured, the top clamp, with the handlebar position 25mm further forward to give Kurt more space on the bike because it was quite a compact bike; it gave Kurt a little bit more room to sit on it and move around on it. We also changed the seat height by making it flatter, lowered the position of the 10 litre handmade Aluminium fuel tank and lowered the footpegs.’

Because the 1987 SR500 was an upgrade of the ’86 version it was supposed to have been modified to correct some of the problems encountered from the ’86 version, mostly the overheating issues, which only occurred on the SR. The triple clamps were made from Magnesium but when Jobé broke them, Kawasaki switched back to Aluminium for ’87.

As for the bike itself though, it was virtually all handmade; the frame, sub-frame and swing-arm were all hand tig-welded and given that this bike was first designed in 1985 and raced in ’86, the actual design specification was such that it was an eventual base for the ‘88/’89 production models.

In terms of power, the 1987 SR500 produced more than 60bhp and at that time the production bike was around 55bhp, but according to Arran Nicoll ‘… our main focus with the engine was to try and produce more linear power because those Kawasakis were very hard-hitting at the bottom and at that time it had the power valve which I think was the only 500cc to do so, so it was difficult to get the power very smooth with that power valve.

To achieve that we re-weighted the crankshafts, weighted the flywheels and again it was all just

to try and make it smoother at the bottom and extend it because Kurt always seemed to be changing gear a lot more than the factory Honda’s needed to.’

Aside from the handmade frame, sub-fame and swingarm, everything else was completely factory and unique to Kurt. The factory exhausts pipes were all handmade in-house at KHI in Japan, so too were the piston, clutch and the sand-cast engine cases.

There were three different exhausts to choose from but Kurt preferred the one with the most top end, the one that revved out further because his riding style meant he carried a lot of corner speed, so in order to maintain a seamless transition from corner to straight, the aim was to minimise gear changes. The factory 4-speed gearbox also helped to achieve this.

The 1987 SR500 was suspended by factory Kayaba conventional front forks and ÖHLINS rear shock; the reason for ÖHLINS was it was smoother in the first quarter of the stroke compared to the Kayaba unit, which had a problem with sagging when trying to soften it off.

Various linkage arms were tested 55

but in the end Kurt favoured one that was fractionally shorter which raised the bike slightly at the back, which also improved cornering.

Handlebars were Renthal and brakes were factory Nissin with discs at both ends.

Race to the title With Eric Geboers dropping down to the 250cc class and André Malherbe no longer racing, the ‘smart money’ was on David Thorpe, the winner of the last two championship campaigns to retain his title, and indeed it was he who took the first three victories of the season. Former world champ Häkan Carlqvist was lying in 2nd but was already thirty-five points adrift of the Brit. Jobé was in 3rd ahead of Yamaha’s Kurt Ljunqvist with Nicoll in 5th. But as the season went on, Thorpe crashed out of contention to an eventual 5th in the series and with the favourite out, the focus was on the rider who left Kawasaki to set up his own team and the rider who replaced him.

After five rounds Jobé had moved to the top of the leader board with the same number of points as Thorpe, whilst Nicoll sat in 5th just twenty points adrift. But in Germany, Round Six, the gremlins from the ’86 SR500 hit Nicoll hard and despite the bigger radiators the Brit DNF’d both moto’s due to overheating in the mud! From there, Jobé took control of the championship but Nicoll managed to clinch 2nd overall, his best championship finish at that point, despite a late charge from Kees Van der Ven. The highlights of Nicoll’s season as a full-time factory rider was his first ever 500cc race win at the British GP at Farleigh Castle on July 12th followed by his first GP win one week later at Heerlen, The Netherlands, something that Kurt remembers fondly: ‘The highlights for sure was winning my first GP moto at Farleigh Castle and winning my first GP overall in Heerlen, Holland, a week or 2 later. I also fondly remember winning the first British Championship round at Matchams 56

Park because I had spent the entire winter in Belgium riding the new bike in the sand over there, and had not been in the UK for any preseason, so to come out that strong was a huge boost. For me it was a completely new bike. Georges had developed it for himself through 1986 and in Japan during the winter. I then inherited the bike and it was vastly better than my 1986 bike.’

‘Second place in the World Championship, the first of many, was a big improvement over 7th in 1986, and really launched the rest of my career.’

‘In terms of design, it was not a whole new bike for ‘87, but Jobé and his mechanic Johan Luytens had modified many parts including the suspension, crankshafts and cylinder etcetera, but it was superior in every department to my 1986 bike; the power was smoother and easier to control, the suspension was plush and worked much better. The only things that I had to modify a little were the riding position as I was taller and I liked my bike to be flat and spacious.’

‘However, as improved as the bike was, it was still difficult to get consistently good starts with. The power valve motor was aggressive off the bottom and didn’t rev out through the gears. I got some good starts on the bike, but way too many average ones though!’

‘The strangest thing in all of this though was the fact that I had no teammate because Georges quit the team in December 1986, right before Christmas. He felt that the Kawasaki was not able to beat the factory Hondas - he won the title in 1987, so I guess that he was proved right! He got out of his twoyear contract and set up his own team on factory Hondas. The bike that he spent over twelve months developing may not have been as good as he wanted, but it was better than any bike I had ridden before, and it propelled me to my first GP victories.’

Photos: P. Haudiquert/Kawasaki

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L L A H

58

ME A F OF

SHAYNE KING

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EW ZEALAND IS FAR FROM EUROPE, BUT SINCE THE 90’S THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ATTRACTS MANY MOTOCROSS RIDERS WHO DO A VERY LONG TRIP TO ENTER THE WORLD SERIES. SHAYNE KING WILL REMAIN FOREVER AS THE FIRST NEW ZEALANDER TO CONQUER A WORLD TITLE IN 1996, A FEW YEARS PRIOR TO BEN TOWNLEY, AND HE IS ALSO THE SINGLE NEW ZEALANDER WHO HAS ENJOYED TWICE THE PODIUM OF THE MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS WITH HIS NATIONAL TEAM. Born in New Plymouth in 1975, Shayne King has always been close to motorcycles as his father Ash was a motorcycle dealer and also a motocross competitor! On the footsteps of his older brother Darryl, several times National champion before moving to Europe in 1991, Shayne also made his debut in the national series before jumping in a plane to race a few GP’s in 1993.

Shayne was only eleven years old when he won his first New Zealand title in the Junior 125cc class, showing his ability on a bike. Just one year later he got the Senior 125cc title and showed that not only Darryl was good on an MX track! When he headed to Europe for the first time in 1993, Shayne had already five national titles in his pocket and entered some 125cc GP’s alongside international events.

He performed pretty well in those races, but had some troubles on the smallest bike and only scored one point in San Marino. His first experience at the Motocross of

Nations was pretty good as the team made up by Darryl Atkins, Darryl King and himself scored his best ever result with a fifth position.

Back to New Zealand in wintertime he grabbed two other titles and went back to Europe even stronger to compete in the 500cc class as a privateer.

Nobody really knew him when the riders lined up behind the gate of the opening 1994 season in Payerne, but on Sunday evening his name was known by everybody.

Shayne King finished second overall of the 500cc GP behind Gert Jan Van Doorn after winning the second moto! However, the second round in Austria was a disaster for the New Zealander as he hit a rock and broke his foot.

He managed to be back for the last GP’s, and although he could only score a few points, his talent was recognized and he signed a deal with a KTM supported team for 1995. It was an up and down season

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with some great performances, such as a second overall place in Czech Republic, but his consistency was not good enough to finish higher than ninth in the series.

Working hard and winning some more races during wintertime in New Zealand, Shayne was the leading rider of the Austrian factory in the 500cc class as Trampas Parker, runner up in 1995, had moved to another brand. Riding the new 360cc KTM Shayne dominated the opening round in Italy, struggled in Austria but won again in France and Portugal. All season long the battle was intense with reigning World Champion Joel Smets, but after winning six Grand’s Prix that season, Shayne went to the final round in Germany in a good position as he just needed a ninth place in one race to be champion. Fifth in the opening moto, he claimed the title before the final race and became the first New Zealander to get an MX World title. He also offered to KTM the fictitious “875cc world championship” that the brand was looking for after winning the 250cc and 125cc classes in 1984 and 1989.

In 1997 Shayne defended his title but could only finish third behind Smets and his brother; fifth the following season, he was one of the heroes of the muddy MX of Nations in Foxhill, as he helped Josh Coppins and his brother Darryl to place New Zealand on the podium for the first time in the history of the MXoN!

1986: 58th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1994: 24th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda) 1995:

9th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

1996: 500 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 6 GP 1997:

3rd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

1998:

8th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

3rd at the Motocross of Nations

1999:

5th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

2000:

14th in the US 250 Motocross Championship (KTM)

2001:

7th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

3rd at the Motocross of Nations

He reached another dream by moving to US in 2000, but it was a tough season for Shayne who went back to Europe to race for the last time the 500cc class. He scored a seventh position in the 500cc class and enjoyed another podium at the Motocross of Nations. Then he focused on racing in his native country, winning some other titles and establishing a motorcycle accessory business before he retired in 2007.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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S E K I EB

G A T IN

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1978 MONTESA CAPPRA 250 62

W

HEN YOU LOOK BACK THROUGH THE REALMS OF TIME, THE DIFFERENT ERA’S OF MOTOCROSS ARE VAST AND THERE FOR ALL TO SEE. FROM THE NINETEENFIFTIES, RIGHT THROUGH TO THE SIXTIES AND EARLY SEVENTIES THE EUROPEAN AND WORLD SCENE WAS DOMINATED BY AN ARRAY OF EUROPEAN MANUFACTURED MOTORCYCLES.

BSA, Saroléa, Matchless, FN, Crescent, Maico, CZ, Puch, Husqvarna and KTM were just a few of those that featured regularly on the overall podium, and if you look closely, Montesa was in there too, but the Spanish marque never placed inside the top three in any of the world championships. However, there was one particular model that did put the brand; the Montesa Cappra, and it’s this bike that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

The Cappra was built between the years of 1967 – 1982 and its sole purpose was to race in the discipline of motocross, but with other proven brands already well and truly established it was often difficult for Montesa to get a foothold in what was a very tough racing sector. But in 1977, a Belgian by the name of Raymond Boven shocked the motocross world when he took the overall victory in the Spanish GP at Sabadell on his 250cc Cappra. Even more impressive was the fact he won the first race to put himself in a position to be able to take the overall, and he did it against the likes of Guennady Moisseev and Harry Everts.

Sadly, Boven’s victory would prove to be the only GP win for Montesa, but it didn’t stop them from continuing their journey into the unknown.

1978 Towards the end of the nineteenseventies, Japan was starting to make its mark and stamp its authority on the GP scene which in many ways led to the demise of many of the leading European brands. In fact, only Husqvarna, KTM and Maico were able to continue to fight head-on with the new kids on the block. The Montesa though was on borrowed time.

Outdated and heavy, the Cappra was nearing its end, but it didn’t go quietly.

The specification was actually quite high; the duplex frame housed an alloy cylinder, complete with six fins to aid cooling and this was aided by the ‘Bing’ type 54 carburettor which helped to enhance the power. In fact, the increase in power was so vast that Montesa chose not release any ‘bhp’ figures.

The spread of power was said to pretty wide with mid-to-top being particularly impressive. The 5-speed gearbox proved easy to navigate, although, with the gearing/sprockets coming in at 11x50 there was a lot of ‘paddock chatter’ suggesting that the gearbox may have been better served as a 4-speed.

The bike came with a Silentbloc swingarm whilst up front, the chassis was suspended by 38mm Marzocchi conventional front forks; the rear end was held up by Corte & Cosso twin shocks. Whilst other

Montesa models opted for 17” rear wheels, the Cappra utilised a much more commonly used 18” for better stability.

Starting it though was often a problem as the kickstart was way too short, often resulting in many attempts to get the girl fired up.

Where many manufacturers were still using metal/aluminium fuel tanks, the Cappra opted for plastic (6.9 litres) and its square design meant that the design of the seat could be much more, how should we put it, ‘luxurious’ in the fact that it was quite high, quite deep and fairly soft.

The front and rear mud guards were also made of plastic, but the front was too short and during muddy or wet races, dirt and water would generally flick up in to the eyes and faces of the riders who had the difficult task of piloting the bike. Not ideal, but at least it looked good.

Sadly, with the increased interest of the Japanese bikes that were now flooding the market, the Cappra eventually died a death and by the end of 1982, the marque disappeared, no doubt helped along by an industrial strike in 1978 which lasted for around three months. But at least Montesa was able to say ‘we won a GP’ and there aren’t many other brands who could have said that at that moment in time.

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64

ME A F OF

SÉBASTIEN “DINO” TORTELLI

S

ÉBASTIEN TORTELLI HAD A SHORT CAREER IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AS HE MOVED RACING IN THE USA AFTER ONLY FIVE SEASONS IN EUROPE, BUT HIS NAME REMAINS IN ALL THE MEMORIES AS HE CLAIMED TWO WORLD TITLES AND TWENTY GP WINS. HIS LAST FULL SEASON IN EUROPE WAS FOR SURE THE PINNACLE OF HIS CAREER, WITH AN AMAZING DUEL AGAINST STEFAN EVERTS! Born on the 19th of August 1978 In Agen, a French city renowned for its prunes, Sébastien got his first motorcycle by chance, when the old bike that his father used to gather the animals from the farm broke down. Instead of buying a new one, his father came back from the dealer with a QR50 for Sébastien, who started playing in the meadows around the farm and later entered his first local race when he was six years old.

Racing mainly local races as his parents had no time to travel all around France, Sébastien was thirteen years old when he finished runner up in the French 80cc championship. It was the first important step in his career, as after this good result he was selected by the French Federation in the French Hopeful Team. In 1992 he claimed his first titles (French 80cc and minivert champion), and worked more and more closely with Jacky Vimond, who was in charge of the French team.

“I was only fourteen when I decided to move to Paris at the Insep – the National Institute of Sport, expertise, and performance – as we knew with my parents that it was the only way to become a pro rider. My parents had no knowledge in the sport and were busy with their activities, so it was the best way to combine school and sport,” reminds Sébastien who entered successfully the 125cc European championship in 1994.

Vice champion he confirmed his potential during the last round of the 125cc World Championship when he scored points in both races. It was then when he met Jan de

Groot, the manager of the Kawasaki Racing Team, with whom he signed an agreement for the following season.

Involved in the 250cc World Championship with his team Jan, who was a famous tuner, had developed a 125cc for Sébastien during winter and the French young rider had a great season winning one GP and finishing his first GP season in third position. It was in the same year that Seb could experience for the first time representing his country at the Motocross of Nations and he could also show his skills in Supercross by winning the French and European titles. His riding style started to be famous with aggression, incredible cornering speed and legendary fighting spirit, and that’s how he got his nickname ‘Dino’ as he was sometimes charging as a dinosaur!

He was so dominant in 1996 that he won ten of the twelve rounds of the season; he struggled with bike problems at the opening round of the series in Italy, but then won all the races to collect in Slovenia (round 10 of 12) his first world title. A few months later, after another podium at the MXoN with the French team, he switched to the 250cc class and had a strong learning season against famous riders such as Everts, Bervoets, Beirer or Vohland. Winning his first 250

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GP during the fourth round of the season in Cingoli (Italy) he missed the last four round of the series due to an injury but came back stronger in 1998.

That year was one of the most exciting seasons we have ever seen, as Sébastien and Stefan Everts had an incredible battle all season long; winning fourteen of the fifteen previous rounds they arrived to Greece for another battle during the last round of the season. Stefan was leading Seb by eight points so everything was possible for both of them, but the final winner was Seb, who won both heats and defeated Stefan who was the reigning champ.

Champion or not, Sébastien had already signed since summer a deal with American Honda, as his dream was to compete the US championships; the Americans already knew him as he made a successful appearance in January ‘98 winning the opening round of the Supercross series in the Coliseum of Los Angeles! He raced during five seasons in the US, winning Motocross races and scoring regularly top five results in Supercross but due to injuries he was never able to complete entire seasons. 2000 was his best overall season in USA with a second position in motocross and a sixth place in supercross.

He signed with KTM to comeback racing in Europe for 2006 and 2007 and made brilliant debuts on the orange bike as member of the French team finishing second at the 2005 Motocross of Nations in Ernée. At the opening round of the 2006 MX1 World Championship in Zolder Sébastien shared the honours with Stefan Everts, both winning one heat and scoring a second position in the other one. The battle was promising, but during the third round in Portugal Seb crashed heavily and lost all his chances with a hip and knee injury. He would never be back racing and later that year he announced his retirement from racing to focus on coaching young riders in the US, and since last year also in Europe.

1986: 2nd in the 125 European Championship (Yamaha)

25th in the 125 Motocross World Championship

1995:

3rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki).

Winner of 1 GP

3rd at the MX of Nations with the French team

Supercross French and European Champion

1996:

125 Motocross World Champion (Kawasaki). Winner of 10 GP

2nd at the MX of Nations with the French team

1997:

4th in the 250 Motocross World Championship.

Winner of 2 GP

1998:

250 Motocross World Champion (Kawasaki). Winner of 7 GP

1999:

12th in the US Supercross Championship (Honda)

2nd at the MX of Nations with the French team

2000:

6th in the US Supercross Championship (Honda)

2nd in the US Motocross Championship

2001:

6th in the US Motocross Championship (Honda)

2002:

4th in the US Supercross Championship (Honda)

2004:

8th in the US Motocross Championship (Suzuki)

2005:

7th in the US Supercross Championship (Suzuki)

2nd at the MX of Nations with the French team (KTM)

2006:

21st in the MX1 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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JIM POMEROY

1973 BULTACO PURSANG 250 MK6 68

A

MERICAN MOTOCROSS LEGEND JIM POMEROY ROCKED THE GP WORLD WHEN IN 1973 HE ENTERED HIS FIRST FIM 250CC GRAND PRIX AND WON FIRST TIME OUT. IN DOING SO, HE BECAME THE FIRST AMERICAN TO WIN ON HIS DEBUT AND THEREFORE THE FIRST AMERICAN TO WIN A GRAND PRIX RACE.

He followed that up with a solid result in race two that also saw him claim the overall, to become the first ever American to win a GP. Pomeroy raced for Bultaco and it’s his 250cc Pursang MK6 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

The American Dream Jim Pomeroy was born into a motocross family; his father Don was a successful racer in the 50’s and 60’s and owned a motorcycle shop in Washington so it almost a given that ‘Jimbo’ would ride dirt bikes in some kind of capacity.

As a talented amateur though he wasn’t able to race in the Pro ranks of the AMA so he spent time racing in Canada, something that gave him time and space to hone his craft.

When he turned eighteen he entered the AMA 250cc national championship series and won the opening round of the year at the legendary Saddleback Park circuit, but decided to switch to the 500cc class for the reminder of the season. A run of solid performances saw the Bultaco privateer catch the eye of the Factory team and he was offered for the 1973 season that included a handful of grand prix.

which included the slender tank, mudguards, air-box and side panels. The chrome moly frame was a factory item given that the stock bikes came with steel, and the forged Mahle pistons from Germany were a thing of beauty.

The engine was a single-cylinder 2-stroke 250 measured at 249.29cc with a bore and stroke of 72x60mm. An Amal 32mm carburettor and Femsa ignition finished it off, along with a 5-speed gearbox; the gearbox by all accounts was as sturdy as they come and as a result were much less prone to breaking than those of its rivals, where Husqvarna were still the leading European bike and Yamaha were making history with the MonoShock bike of Hakan Andersson; the wheels were made by Akront.

As for the power delivery, the Bultaco may not have been as strong or as hard-hitting as other contenders but its strength was the top end which allowed the rider to carry more corner speed, something that Pomeroy loved to do and knew how to do it better than most. It also handled impeccably well. Oh, and the gear shifter was on the right with the rear brake lever on the left.

The History maker

His first race in the world championship took place on April 8th 1973 at Sabadell in Spain and Jim arrived one week before the event to find that none of his race bikes were ready, but after some help from some kindhearted fellow racers the bikes were ready just in time for Friday practice. In his first outing he was a disappointing fifth but after some changes to tyres and suspension found himself at the sharp end in second to the disbelief of the entire paddock who at that time looked down on the American scene.

When the first race got underway Pomeroy was inside the top five but quickly worked his way to the front, passing title favourites and soon to be world champions Heikki Mikkola and Hakan Andersson, and when the chequered flag fell, the American was still there at the head of the field. He had just won the first race to become America’s first ever GP race winner and the Spanish fans were all over him like he was one of their own.

To celebrate his win he crossed the line on the back wheel, with a one-handed wheelie whilst giving the ‘peace’ sign.

The Spanish-built Bultaco Pursang 250 that he raced was a pre-production machine that was well in advance of its production sibling. The body parts were lightweight fibreglass,

In the second race Pomeroy fell whilst in third but managed to salvage fourth which was good enough to take the overall victory. However, the Spanish federation awarded the win to a

German by the name of Hans Maisch whose family owned Maico saying there was a tie on points and that Maisch had won on corrected time in the second outing. However, at the end of the 1972 season the FIM had revised its scoring system, so instead of one point for a win, two for second, three for third and so-on, the system was changed to 15 points for the win, 12 for second, 10 for third and 8 for fourth. This meant that Pomeroy was the actual winner with 23 points to the 22 of Maisch but it was two days before the FIM issued an update to the results.

Maisch kept the winners trophy and refused to hand it to the rightful owner and it would be THIRTY YEARS before Pomeroy would finally get his hands on it after a group of friends clubbed together to have a true copy of the original made in the same factory that produced it in 1973.

Jim’s other success of the year was a second overall in Italy at Serramazzoni one week later and he went on to finish seventh overall in the championship.

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ME A F OF

ALESSIO ‘CHICCO’ CHIODI

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LESSIO CHIODI IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL RIDERS WHO HAS EVER ENTERED THE SMALLEST CLASS OF THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. HE RETIRED WHEN HE WAS 35 YEARS OLD WITH THREE 125CC WORLD TITLES AND TWENTY-SEVEN GP WINS UNDER HIS BELT, AND REMAINS ON THE OVERALL PODIUM OF THE CLASS NEXT TO JEFFREY HERLINGS AND GASTON RAHIER. Born on 17th March 1973, Alessio Chiodi was really young when he jumped on his first minibike. It was not really his bike, it was his sister’s, but when she got it for Christmas he jumped on it and had his first sensations on two wheels. When he entered his first local races in Lombardia Alessio was just six years old, and one year later he celebrated his first wins. He claimed his first title in a regional championship when he was eleven and then never stopped training and working, winning his first important title in 1988 with the 125cc Italian cadet. Three years later he entered the 125cc European Championship and dominated all his rivals, winning twelve of the fifteen races of the season to conquer the 1991 European title.

Moving to the World Championship in 1992 he discovered another competition, but he managed to score points in most of the rounds and he even won one of the three motos at the Italian GP in Ponte Egola. Team mate of Andrea Bartolini the following season he missed the first GP’s due to a broken collarbone but won the second heat later in San Marino and finished eighth in the series. After two learning years in the 125cc class he fought for the title in 1994 against American veteran Bobby Moore and Dutch Pedro Tragter. Very close with Moore in the standings after eight rounds and his first GP win in San

Marino, Alessio lost many points when he got a DNF at the following round in Germany and finished runner up in the series.

Moving to team Yamaha Rinaldi in 1995, he won four GP that season and fought until the last race with fellow countryman Alessandro Puzar, who finally beat him by three points on a total of 340!

In 1996 Alessio lined up in the 250cc World Championship but it was one of his most disappointing experience as he got injured at mid season. Back in the 125cc class the following year with team De Carli he finally claimed his first world title and took his revenge as he beat Puzar. It was a dreaming season for the tiny Italian who had won five GP’s and finished runner up with the Italian team at the 1997 Motocross of Nations.

Signing with Husqvarna in wintertime he won two World titles and conquered the Motocross des Nations in Brazil in 1999.

King of the 125cc class with 14 GP wins during those two seasons, he achieved another dream when he convinced Husqvarna to send him racing in the US in 2000. However, it was a disastrous experience, as he injured his back in

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Europe on December ‘99 and later had a wrist injury when he finally raced in the US. Back in Europe and back to Yamaha for the 125cc World Championship in 2001, he could only finish sixth of the series and did another attempt in the 250cc class one year later. He started the season pretty well with a podium in Spain – at that time there was only one heat per class – but got injured later and missed several rounds. He finished the season in a high note as he won for the second time the Motocross of Nations in Spain, an event that most of the top riders skipped except the Italians.

Back again in the 125cc class in 2003, Alessio would never be able to race for the title, even if he managed to finish on the top three in the 2005 MX2 World Championship behind Cairoli and McFarlane. That season he also won his 27th and last GP in Spain to become the second all time 125MX2 GP winner behind Gaston Rahier (later Jeffrey Herlings would break this record).

1988: 125 Italian Cadet Champion (KTM) 1991: 125 European Champion (KTM) 1992: 11th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM) 1993:

8th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

1994:

2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda). Winner of 3 GP

1995:

2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 4 GP

1996: 16th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1997: GP

125 Motocross World Champion (Yamaha). Winner of 5

2nd at the MX of Nations with the Italian team

1998:

125 Motocross World Champion (Husqvarna). Winner of 6 GP

1999:

125 Motocross World Champion (Husqvarna). Winner of 8 GP

After one more season in the MX2 class at the age of 33, Alessio joined again an Italian factory to race in the MX1 class on the Aprilia in 2007 and on a TM in 2008, his last seasons in the World Championship. Afterwards he stopped racing the GP, but for a couple of seasons he continued racing in Italy where he remains a popular rider, as people never forget how dedicate he was for his sport.

Winner of the MX of Nations with the Italian team

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

2005:

2001: 6th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 2002: 10th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

Winner of the MX of Nations with the Italian team

2003: 8th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 2004: 5th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 3rd in the MX2 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

2006: 12th in the MX2 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 2007: 27th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship (Aprilia) 2008:

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27th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship (TM)

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G A T IN

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JOSH COPPINS

2010 TWIN CYLINDER APRILIA MXV450 74

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T’S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, 4-STROKE MOTOCROSS BIKES WERE RUNNING CARBURETTORS JUST LIKE THE WELL-TRODDEN PATH OF THE 2-STROKE. HOWEVER, THAT ALL CHANGED IN 2003 WHEN APRILIA, THE WELL KNOWN ROAD BIKE BRAND ENTERED THE FRAY WITH A RADICAL NEW MACHINE THAT LEFT THE ESTABLISHED OFF-ROAD MANUFACTURERS SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS.

That bike was the Aprilia MXV450 and it was fuel injected. Furthermore, it also came with a revolutionary twin cylinder engine. In 2010, Josh Coppins was hired by the factory to race it in the MX1 Class and it’s this bike that we will feature this month in MXGP Magazine.

Aprilia is one of the world’s bestknown road bike manufacturers.

Owned by Piaggio its core market is scooters and commuters but it never stopped them from entering the FIM road racing world championship, more commonly known as MotoGP in the 125cc and 250cc classes and with great success. However, in a bold and daring move, the factory decided to enter the off-road market with the aim of entering the FIM Motocross World Championship and in 2004 the company hired the services of the Spanish rider Javier Garcia Vico, who had just finished runner up to Joel Smets in the 650cc world championship.

The bike was revolutionary and came with a twin cylinder engine and fuel injection, which Aprilia was able to adapt to off-road from its on-road knowledge. Twin cylinders meant twin exhausts, which was a complex system in itself. The frame was a hybrid mix of steel trellis and aluminium. It was heavy, and it sounded wonderful but despite its wow factor, the bike wasn’t as race-ready as everyone hoped; Vico didn’t gel with it and completed the rest of the season on a Honda.

Undeterred, Aprilia refused to throw in the towel and continued to develop this exotic piece of elaborate machinery, and along the way they acquired the services of riders like Alessio Chiodi in 2007, Cedric Melotte in 2008, Julien Bill and Manuel Priem in 2009 where the latter ended the season 11th overall, with a best-race finish of 5th at Lommel, Belgium.

Keen to advance further, Aprilia started talks with Josh Coppins, who had openly talked about retiring from MX1 to head back to New Zealand and race the Australian championship.

He’d also had another solid season finishing 6th overall, and could still rattle out podium rides. After a private test at Honda Park in Belgium the Kiwi followed it up with a second test

and shortly afterwards, the deal was announced; Coppins would race the 2010 season for Aprilia: ‘When I first rode it, I was impressed with how well it turned and the top end power; however, I was disappointed with the bottom end power, but when I went to the test I wasn’t expecting a dream ride either.

I knew roughly what I was in for!

Having said I was actually pleasantly surprised but they did happen to pick a track that the bike was suited to!’

With the deal done, work commenced on getting the MXV450 set up to Coppins’ own specifications, although it soon became obvious that it wasn’t going to happen that way. Aprilia pulled something of a U-Turn and whilst he wasn’t aware of it immediately, it soon became apparent that this was going to be a ‘one-yearonly’ deal, which was fine for Josh as he was heading home at the end of 2010 anyway. The bike he was about to race was the same bike that Manuel Priem had just raced to 11th overall and as both riders had different riding styles J ‘ C’ needed to adapt it to his own style; not easy when the team already had other ideas: ‘I didn’t get the option to change the power. I signed in September and not long after that they scrapped the project, therefore what I had was what I had! The guys tried hard but from a power point of view I just had to get used to it. They didn’t tell me they canned it straight away but there were some staff restructures early on and I soon heard through the grapevine that it was the last season; eventually they sat me down and told me.’

With that in mind, the team cracked on as best as they could and hoped for the best. The bike itself was quite compact in terms of its ergonomics and slim riding position. However, the wide radiators gave it a much bigger feel at the front end whilst the twin pipes out the back gave it a much wider feel there as well. The twin cylinder concept meant a very elaborate exhaust system from Arrow where it just wrapped itself around everything and anything, accumulating in a big expansion chamber of sorts under the rear mudguard before tapering out the back in the form of two tailpipes.

Twin cylinders also meant two throttle bodies which were housed in the airbox towards the front of the bike behind the headstock.

The brakes were a combination of a Honda Nissin front brake and a Brembo rear, married to 270mm and 240mm discs and where the stock bike came with 50mm Marzocchi forks and Sachs rear shock, Coppins opted to use factory KYB from Technical Touch as it was a brand he knew well and his relationship with Gunter Geerts who was his suspension guy at Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha was second to none. Renthal Fat Bar’s and Pirelli tyres finished off the look, along with a carbon fibre fuel tank and carbon air scoops. The trellis frame was still unique but by now the Japanese and KTM had caught up with technology by introducing EFi of their own and with bikes that were lighter, they continued to dominate the world championship.

Having ridden only Japanese bikes Coppins needed to adapt to pretty much everything; the power, the engine, the weight of the bike, how it handled: ‘Coming from Yamaha the biggest thing I had to adjust to was the fact it 75

had less torque feeling and the weight of the bike was the biggest adjustment I had to make. The bike was very heavy at the front end, which helped it turn but in the sand it made it feel heavy and the bike was already heavy, but it was a huge difference.’

‘Some tracks it was nice, some it was tough; it turned very well but then in the sand this made the front want to tuck a lot, but once we got the hang of it, it really wasn’t too bad. Some tracks I enjoyed it. The top end power was super strong; it just kept building.

It was completely different to the Yamaha I had come from.’

Another thing he had to adapt to was the gearbox; the standard gearbox was 4-speed but Aprilia experimented here as well: A ‘ t one point we had a 3-speed box so it went from neutral to first, but I found that weird so I asked to have the 4-speed back. I also liked that ratio spread better.’

Despite these issues, there were still a couple of areas where the Aprilia was far more superior: ‘The top-end power was so strong, no Japanese bike I ever rode came close to the top end power of the Aprilia, including the KTM and it also turned on a dime.’

Reliability was also very good particularly where the engine was concerned; Josh never broke an engine during the whole year but other small issues ‘like the main wiring loom or ECU or the chain derailing; things I wasn’t used to coming from Yamaha. But the engine and frame was fine!’

The start of the season was fairly positive with a 9-10 at the opening round of the championship in Bulgaria for 9th overall. From there though, there were a couple of wobbles with a DNF in Valkenswaard, in the USA (broken radiator and lost the coolant), Germany (wiring loom) and Latvia (derailed the chain)! Despite these set backs, Josh rounded out the season 12th overall with two best race finishes of 7th at Lommel and Fermo in Italy, with 7th overall at both rounds.

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‘My goal was top ten’s and I had quiet a few of them. I’m not sure what the team’s goals were, but they were probably the same. If we hadn’t had so many DNF’s we could have made the top ten overall.’

‘They were pumped with those sevenths; I was satisfied, obviously coming from GP wins it was hard to get pumped with a seventh but their excitement made it pretty cool.

I personally think my best race was Race Two at Lommel. I crashed at the start and came from last to 7th, I had great lap times and without the crash I could have made the top three! The team were in tears; when I came in the bike was falling to pieces, no front mudguard, radiator grills or front number plate, it was steaming everywhere. The rear brake was bent inside out and honestly you would have thought I’d just won the GP! They were over the moon and that’s the memory that sticks with me from Aprilia. They were so passionate!’

Sadly, at the end of the season, the team disbanded as the project came to an end. In 2003 it all looked so promising especially with the introduction of fuel injection, which was new at that time. But as you’d expect, Japan and Austria had followed suit by introducing their own EFi systems and by 2010 they were already moving on to data and launch control. In short, the Aprilia needed upgrading but it had taken so long to get the current bike close to competitive and sales were not great for the production bike either, so from the outside looking in it just didn’t make commercial sense.

As for Josh, his parting words are nothing but genuine and kind: ‘I have to say I enjoyed my time at Aprilia, they were a fantastic bunch to race for and always gave 100%. I knew it was going to be hard at times and I knew I had to accept things weren’t always going to be easy but I adjusted my mind set and enjoyed the racing and set small goals that became really satisfying when we achieved them.

Finally, when we all parted ways I’d like to think they respected me for my effort and performances and it was mutual from my side.’

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L L A H

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ME A F OF

ANDREA BARTOLINI

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HEN YOU HAVE THE PASSION NOTHING CAN STOP YOU, AND ANDREA BARTOLINI PROVED IT WHEN HE WAS CROWNED WORLD CHAMPION AT THE AGE OF 31, GETTING THIS TITLE DURING HIS THIRTEENTH ATTEMPT! THE ITALIAN VETERAN RETIRED WHEN HE TURNED 38, BUT REMAINS IN OUR WORLD AS TEST RIDER AND TECHNICAL ADVISOR. Born on the 4th of November 1968 in Imola, Andrea never had the opportunity to see a Motocross GP on one of the oldest Italian track, as Imola hosted its last GP in 1964. While most of his colleagues got a bike as present when they were kids, Andrea had to wait for his fourteenth birthday to have enough money to buy a bike and start racing. Four years later he clinched the Italian Junior championship title, and then entered a few GP’s in 1987 where he immediately scored points.

After another learning season in 1988, Andrea became one of the main protagonist in the 125cc class; scoring several top five results in ‘89 he finished fifth of the championship on a private Honda and fourth in 1990, winning his first round during the GP of Czechoslovakia and just missing the final podium by six points. Andrea finished among the top six in the 1991 and 1992 campaigns and he did his best one in 1993 winning three GP’s after missing the first rounds due to an injury.

After being the fastest rider during the last rounds in Brazil and Australia, he switched to the 250cc class in 1994, but never really got the results he was expecting in that class. His second attempt in 1995 was the best one as he won three of the fifteen rounds, but he never entered the final top five during his three seasons in that class.

Considered as one of the best test riders and also well known for his

dedication, Andrea was selected by Yamaha when the Japanese manufacturer built a new project for the 500cc class. Alongside Swedish Peter Johansson, Andrea spent hours and hours to test and develop the revolutionary YZM400F, which was introduced during the 1997 preseason races. Andrea succeeded in winning the second round of the World Championship in Italy, but he had a couple of DNF that season. However, the Italian ended the series on a high note with a heat win in each one of the last three rounds of the series.

Finally, Andrea Bartolini ended fifth of the championship that season and he obtained a well-deserved second position with Team Italy at the Motocross of Nations a few weeks later.

After those amazing performances, the Italian became a clear contender for the 1998 title together with Joel Smets and Darryl King. In fact, Bartolini won the opening round in Italy and he got his first ever double win in Slovakia during summer. Unfortunately for the Italian, he broke his thighbone in August while he was tied on points with Smets.

At 30 years old many riders would have retired after such a bad injury,

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but not Andrea; after four months of recovery he was back on his bike in January, and showed to Yamaha and Rinaldi what he was definitively capable of when he took the leadership of the series at mid season. With eight podium results during the first twelve heats, he was more consistent than ever in his career, and thanks to two other GP wins he finally got his first world title during the penultimate round of the series in Finland. It was a great reward for him as he had never given up, but also for Yamaha who introduced a new technology in motocross; 1999 was definitively a year to remember for the likeable Italian, who also won with his fellow countrymen the Motocross of Nations in Brazil.

Andrea would never have again the winner’s feeling, even if he scored a couple of podiums in the 500cc and 125cc class. Winner of the 2002 Motocross of Nations, he enjoyed his last GP podium at the 125cc Swedish Grand Prix in 2003 when he was 34 years old, helping some young riders to become more professional. After he retired in 2006 he continues to visit the Motocross tracks, helping Husqvarna to develop new products, working with the Italian Federation during a few years, and now being involved as technical chief of team Assomotor.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1986:

Italian Junior Champion

1987: 30th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Benelli) 1988: 26th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1989:

5th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

1990:

4th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda).

Winner of 1 GP

125 Italian Champion

1991:

5th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

1992:

6th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

Open Italian Champion

1993:

6th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda).

Winner of 3 GP

1994: 11th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha).

1995:

7th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 3 GP

1996: 6th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1997:

5th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

2nd at the MX of Nations with the Italian team

1998:

5th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 3 GP

1999:

500 Motocross World Champion (Yamaha). Winner of 4 GP

Winner of the MX of Nations with the Italian team

2000: 4th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 2001: 21st in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Husqvarna) 2002: 5th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

Winner of the MX of Nations with the Italian team

2003: 3rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

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1987-1988

FACTORY YAMAHA YZM500 OW83 82

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HERE AREN’T MANY MOTORCYCLES THAT COMMAND THAT ‘WOW’ FACTOR BUT EVERY NOW AND THEN, ONE SUCH BIKE MIGHT COME ALONG WHERE YOU ARE LEFT ASTOUNDED

BY ITS PRESENCE, IN AWE OF ITS BEAUTY, ITS AURA. THAT HAPPENED IN THE MOTOCROSS FRATERNITY IN 1987 WHEN YAMAHA UNLEASHED THE REVOLUTIONARY YZM500 – OW83.

At the time it was pure exotica, 101% full factory and we had never seen anything like it before, or since. With its aluminium frame it did more than stand out from the crowd, and it’s this very special motorcycle that we will feature in this months issue of MXGP Magazine.

Ever since the FIM upgraded the 500cc European Championship to world championship status in 1957 it was always seen as the premier class of motocross racing.

Quite simply put, if you won this championship, you were world champion, the best rider in the world. The 250cc class eventually followed suit in 1962, with the 125cc class being introduced to world status in 1975. Despite the other two classes though, the 500cc class always ruled supreme, with European built bikes initially leading the way.

But that all changed when the Japanese figured out a way to compete with the euro brands, and after Joel Robert clinched the 250cc world championship for Suzuki in 1970, his compatriot Roger De Coster did the same for Suzuki in 1971. From there it was Japan all the way. Other than Heikki Mikkola’s win in 1974 for Husqvarna, which was the last for a European manufacturer until 1993, Japan dominated.

Yamaha took back-to-back titles in 1974/1975 at the hands of Mikkola but would not win again in the premier class until Hakan Carlqvist in 1983. Around about the same time, Yamaha had already started work on the blueprint to create something special but it was so radical that it was delayed from breaking cover for another FIVE years, and that was partly due to the new world champion himself, Hakan Carlqvist, but more on that later.

Fast forward to 1987 when it finally made its appearance, the two riders who Yamaha entrusted with this work of art were Finland’s Kurt Ljungqvist and Sweden’s Leif Persson. Ljunqvist was moving up from the 250cc class where he’d

placed 9th overall whilst Persson had already guided his YZ490 to a race win at the Swedish GP in the ’86 season on his way to sixth in the championship, so from that side they were the natural choices. It also helped that they were both Yamaha riders. Crucially, for Persson, he beat Carlqvist who finished the season in eighth before the Super Swede left Yamaha at the end of the season. With ‘Carla’ no longer on the scene the YZM500 was given the go ahead.

The first race could not have gone any better for the new bike and in front of more than 100,000 spectators in northern France, Leif Persson took the YZM500 to victory in one of the toughest beach races on the planet, the 1987 Le Touquet Beach Race. Disguised to look like a Dakar Rally bike the white plastics were switched for Yamaha France blue, but there was no mistaking the new aluminium frame, but to win first time out was an achievement and an historic victory to boot. It was Yamaha’s second win in the history up to that point and the first since 1981, and the first on a wter-cooled Yamaha.

During the ’87 season both riders registered a race win, coincidentally at their home GP’s; Ljungqvist at Ruskeasanta in Finland, on his way to fourth in the overall standings, Persson at Kristianstad in Sweden; Persson ended the year sixth overall and would switch to KTM for the following season. That meant that Jacky Vimond, Yamaha’s 250cc world champion from 1986 was enlisted for the 1988 season, after pretty much a year out of action due to a back injury. And this is a bike he remembers fondly: ‘I rode it the first time after my accident in September ’87 at the last GP in Switzerland at Roggenburg; I finished one time second and one time I had a problem with the electrics there, ignition problem, but I did one time second. It was a big surprise because I was one year with no riding. It was a good memory.’

Work was swift and at the end of the 1986 season, the newly crowned world champion headed to Sweden for a fifteen-day test programme which sounds every bit as tough as it reads: ‘Leif and me made the tests in Sweden close to Stockholm airport and close to OHLINS. After every test we had a debriefing session.

We had just fifteen days to develop our custom-made bike; it was September 1986. With the frame we tested the caster angle, the position of the footpegs, the height and length of the swingarm, handelbar position, position of the engine within the frame and the OHLINS front and rear suspension. With the engine we tested the cylinder, cylinder head, carburettor’s ignitions and flywheels.

But for Vimond the test came to an end after just six days. He had just won the world championship and went back to France after six days of testing to celebrate his victory in Paris with three hundred friends and media guests. He was due to return two days later. The plan was to lower him into the packed hall by suspended cables from above, but when the cables broke he was sent 83

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crashing to the floor and sustained career ending back injuries. The fact he was able to recover in less than twelve months and return to the track in 1987 at the highest level was a real test of his character, but it could have been much, much worse.

The YZM500 was revolutionary with its aluminium frame design, but there was more to it than that.

The sub-frame also housed the airbox and so in one adjustment you could remove that whole rear section of the bike, so that was a revolution in itself. It was also the first ever water cooled bike that Yamaha produced, and from that side, liquid-cooling was overdue, as Vimond recalls: ‘Of course the bike was a revolution, but I think it was more than that you know, because the Yamaha was so late with water cooling compared to their rivals. I heard it was because Hakan Carlqvist didn’t really want water-cooled, because he thought the 490 was already a really strong bike; but for that they lost so much time and so after that they really wanted to make a factory bike right on the top, and that’s when they came with the water-cooled bike with aluminium frame, the first one.’

To say the bike was unique is an understatement; just EIGHT of these bikes were ever produced, six in 1987 and two more in 1988 so from that side they were like gold dust, but that also meant that these things, in some ways, had to be handled with kid gloves. According to Vimond, ‘we got two bikes and we got four frames and at that time we did the tests from September, and they built the bike for the season, including the spare parts which were limited and it was impossible to have more.

‘It was a case of “this is what you get, and if you run out, that’s it, it’s finished”. We had a choice of a different frame with a different angle and Yamaha told me, “don’t make a mistake, because otherwise you can use the frame from Persson. We’ve got four for you and four for him and then there are no

more, so if you make a mistake then you have to ride with his, the other one”; not mine all year. There will be no more frames.’

As far as factory bikes went, it didn’t get any more factory than the YZM. In fact, the only parts that were not factory were the front and rear fenders, and they were straight off the YZ490. As for everything else, nothing from the 490 was used as the frame was different, the sub-frame was new, the suspension was only for this bike, the side panels, linkage, exhaust, silencer; everything was specially made to create this unique motorcycle. Even the hubs were Magnesium! Even the radiator shrouds were specially made as it was the only watercooled Yamaha in existence. On top of that, not one bolt was the same as the 490 so they couldn’t even use those. All of this added to the overall cost and it would probably not come as a surprise to suggest that these were possibly the most expensive bikes on the planet at that time.

Clearly, from the outside the YZM500 was a revolution but that doesn’t mean to say it didn’t come without its problems: ‘Yamaha made one step higher, but we still had some problems with the geometry of the frame and that’s why we could not use the upside down forks (which were now commonplace, ever since Brad Lackey rolled out the Simons Forks on his ’82 title winning Suzuki). So, we had to use conventional forks, but I think also, because upside down were still not good enough at that time to put on that bike because they were too heavy on the front. With the upside down forks it was impossible to ride, so we used traditional OHLINS (conventional) on the front, and on the rear we had OHLINS mono shock.’

So, what about that all-important power plant? What was it like to ride and how was the power?

‘It was really soft power but really good and really strong and if I remember well, I think it was about 60bhp which for a 2-stroke was

quite a lot. Compared to the Honda, it was much smoother power but the difference between the 490 and the 500? Simple; the 490 was a ‘ring-a-ting-ting-ting-ting-ting’ coming into the corners! It was terrible, but anyway the power was clear between the two bikes. Way different. It was a good bike at the start, because the power was so good and I always had a good start.

When it came to cornering though the YZM500 was probably about as good as it got, as Jacky was keen to point out: ‘I can tell you a story! One time in Switzerland I dislocated my right knee just before that race in ’88, and I felt that it was not possible to ride because my knee was so big, so swollen. But I said, ok, I will try the qualification. I knew in the right corners I had to turn with both feet on the pegs because I didn’t want to put my foot down. In both races I was maybe 15 seconds in front, leading, and then Thorpe passed me in the first heat, I finished second, and the second heat two guys passed me on the last two or three laps but I was leading until the end. So I can say that even with my knee, I could turn with two feet on the pegs easily, and I finished second overall that day.’

The Best Ever With the aluminium frame and removable sub-frame the YZM came with certain benefits; the frame meant it was much more rigid but the sub-frame created more flex at the rear which was better for Vimond. “It’s funny, because at that time, we were never happy with the suspension, never!

But understand, the year after when you change the bike, you’d say ‘shit, the bike was way better last year, even the suspension!’

Unfortunately I had to change the bike the year after because the project with YZM stopped, and when I changed I realised how good that YZM really was. It was so good.”

In 1987 Kurt Ljungqvist and Leif Persson both brought race wins to the table but unfortunately were 85

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the budgets went more in that direction than the 500cc.’

unable to bring the YZM500 to the top step of the podium.

Jacky Vimond went one better by taking two race wins; the first was in Sweden at Limhamn in Race One, the second was in Italy at Lombardore.

After winning the opening race in Sweden, Vimond was halfway to taking the overall victory, something which had never previously been achieved with the YZM, and when he crossed the line at the end of Race Two it was if he had just won the world championship, and for the usually sedated, shy and retiring Japanese it was a chance to really let loose:

“QUOTE.”

‘In Sweden, I won a race and the GP and I was the only one to do this on the YZM500 in two years, ’87/’88. It was the only GP won with me on this bike and the Japanese got completely drunk and kissed me.’

Vimond and Ljungqvist ended the year fifth and sixth overall respectively but sadly, neither rider would return on white for the 1989 season. The YZM500 project came to an end after just two years due to a combination of the costs involved in producing such a radical motorcycle and demand; the demand was just not there for such a bike. But as Jacky says, ‘the championship was also changing. They started to invest more in the 250cc and at that time everybody was on the 500cc and from ’89 everybody moved to the 250cc class and

This was evident with the riders that were in the 250cc class at that time; John van den Berk, JMB, Alex Puzar, Trampas Parker … the big hitters were on the move, the 250cc class was the new premier class and within a few years, Yamaha were not the only ones pulling out of the 500cc class.

The last word goes to Jacky Vimond though on what was an exciting, but brief spell for the Yamaha YZM500: ‘If I want to really talk about a weakness point on that bike it was the front fork. It made the bike feel heavy with the conventional fork because with the upside down fork you ride more on the back, but with the conventional forks, sometimes when you land off the jumps it would twitch, feel nervous, twist when I landed.’

‘The 490 wasn’t heavy and it was fun to ride but the engine was a little bit different; it was old and you could feel it was old as well. But the YZM500, I realise now it was the best bike I ever rode, the best one in my memory, but I can only realise that now! I could never complain about the engine but the suspension I always wanted something better but overall it was my best bike.’

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FREDERIC ‘BOBOL’ BOLLEY

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INNING EVERYTHING IN FRANCE IN THE 50CC AND 80CC CLASSES WHEN HE WAS A KID, FRED ‘BOBOL’ BOLLEY HAD TO WAIT TEN LONG SEASONS AFTER HIS GP DEBUT TO CLINCH HIS FIRST WORLD TITLE IN 1999. AFTER A SECOND ONE IN 2000, HE JUST DID TWO OTHER CAMPAIGNS BEFORE MOVING TO ROAD RACING AND LATER SUPERMOTO. Born on the 17th of February 1974 in Marseille, Frederic was always surrounded by bikes and bicycles as his father was a Honda dealer in Southern France. He was only nine years old when he entered for the first time a local race, and a few weeks later he won on his 50cc Honda a round of the Minivert series. It was the first act of a long story, as Fred won three Minivert titles between 1983 and 1986 and then claimed his first ‘main title’ when he dominated the 80cc French Cadet Championship. Then the ‘Little Prince’ struggled when he moved to the 125cc class due to his small size, but finally finished runner up in 1989 in the French Junior championship.

Fred was just sixteen when he entered the GP’s in a private team, on a standard KTM; he scored his first points during the French GP in Ernée, he was selected in the French team at the 1990 Motocross of Nations in Sweden and ended his season dominating the French Supercross series. Signing with Yamaha France he became a pro rider and improved his GP results in the 125cc class with a seventeenth and a thirteenth position, before moving to the 250cc class in 1993.

It was a learning season for him, who claimed his first GP podium in

Finland but also missed some races due to an injury.

Bolley became the motocross French champion that year and he improved his results in 1994 with a top ten finish and a podium result at the Motocross of Nations. Although 1995 was one of his worst seasons with a fourteenth position after missing a five GP’s, he showed enough potential to become a factory rider in the Kawasaki team of Jan de Groot the following year.

The French rider finished fifth in the 1996 campaign with a strong end of the season including his first GP win in Switzerland and another podium at the Motocross of Nations. In fact, Bolley became one of the favourites for the title in 1997. However, a broken foot before the Spanish GP and another mid-season injury ruined his chances and forced him to change team at the end of the season.

Joining Stefan Everts in the official Honda L&M team the Frenchman delivered a consistent season until he broke an arm during the Polish round of the series! Working closely with Yannig Kervella - a former French GP rider – he had some extra

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pressure on his shoulders when his teammate got injured in a pre season race! Leader of the team supported by the HRC ‘Bobol’ had a perfect season and won six GP’s to finally beat Pit Beirer during the final round of the series. Again second at the MX of Nations with the French Team, he was again one of the main title protagonist in 2000; his main rival was Mickael Pichon and both were fighting for the title until his rival got injured in Belgium.

Fred secured his second consecutive crown with six GP wins, the last ones of his Motocross career; in 2001 the racing format changed with only one heat per class, and after two more seasons in the MX World Championship and a couple of podiums Bolley entered another challenge in road racing. He was not really successful on asphalt, but then he ended his career with some success in Supermoto on the revolutionary twin Aprilia SXV. Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1986:

French Minivert Champion (50)

1985:

French Minivert Champion (80)

1986:

French Minivert Champion (80)

1987:

French Cadet Champion (80)

1989:

Runner up in the Junior French Championship (125)

1990:

32nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

French Supercross Champion (125)

1991: 17th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1992: 13th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1993: 14th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

French Elite Champion

1994: 9th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

2nd at the MX of Nations with the French team

1995: 14th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1996:

5th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki). Winner of 1 GP

2nd at the MX of Nations with the French team

1997: 8th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1998:

5th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

1999: 250 Motocross World Champion (Honda). Winner of 6 GP

2nd at the MX of Nations with the French team

2000: 250 Motocross World Champion (Honda). Winner of 6 GP 2001: 7th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Honda) 2002: 6th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

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ALESSANDRO PUZAR’S

1990 SUZUKI RM250 / RH90 92

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S FAR AS WORLD CHAMM NPIONS GO, NONE HAVE EVER BEEN AS FLAMBOYANT AS ALESSANDRO PUZAR. THE ITALIAN WHOSE AGGRESSIVE, DYNAMIC RIDING STYLE WHICH WON HIM LEGIONS OF FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD WAS RENOWNED FOR BEING IN ATTACK MODE AT ALL TIMES; ARSE BACK, ELBOWS OUT AND HEAD BEHIND THE BAR PAD WAS UNIQUE TO HIM.

In 1989 he was second overall in the 125cc world championship and it was widely anticipated that he would remain in the class to hopefully win it in 1990, but a shock move to the 250cc class saw him dominate in his rookie season, and it’s his Suzuki RH90/ RM250 that we will showcase in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Puzar’s rise through the ranks was pretty swift and after finishing eighteenth and twenty-third overall in successive season’s in 1986/’87, by 1988 he had elevated himself to fourth but despite not winning any races that year, he was still regarded as a genuine title contender for 1989.

With ten race wins and four overall victories he came away with second in the championship behind Trampas Parker, who took eight race wins and six GP victories, and with his eye on the big prize for the following year, he was shocked to learn that he would be moving up to the 250cc class, something that was orchestrated by his boss, Michele Rinaldi: A ‘ lready at the time in ’89 I was already pushing for the 250cc because I saw that three classes were not existing any longer, so it was personally for me, to push for 250cc as the main class.

It also made everything more simple; instead of two riders in two trucks in different places, have everything in one place. To have two riders in one truck was better and I thought that 250cc was going to be the future. I thought Alex could perform really well in 250cc because he was riding well, really good, and to me he was ready to go 250cc – and then I told him and then he accepted. It was not easy for him to accept at first but finally he accepted at the end of ’89 to race 250cc in 1990.’

In 1988 Michele ran just one rider, the American Rodney Smith in the 250cc class and with Puzar joining the team in ’89 in the 125cc class, you could understand why Rinaldi was pushing for one premier class. However, despite Michele’s confidence that Puzar could compete in the 250cc class, the first test in the sand two months before the season did not go to plan, certainly not for Alessandro at least: ‘Sandro’s teammate John van den Berk was way faster than Alex, I don’t know,

four or five seconds faster because he was a sand rider. Then I saw Alex stop in the track, in the middle of the field and I thought he had broke the bike or maybe got injured or something, and so I ran over to him and saw he was crying; crying on his bike saying ‘Michele, why did you push me to go 250cc, it’s too difficult, I cannot race 250cc this year,’ so with that in mind, what happened next was nothing short of amazing, but let’s start with the bike.

Whilst Puzar was racing in the 125cc class his teammate Rodney Smith was riding in the 250cc class but how different were the bikes from one year to the next? For a start, according to chief mechanic A ‘ ldo’ Aldini, ‘the ’89 bike was a complete factory prototype.

The cases were sandcast. The ’90 was more production based apart from certain parts, but it was still a full factory bike.

‘The wheels were Magnesium on the rear hub only, the front was standard aluminium, the forks were Showa Factory, USD 47mm and the rear shock was also Factory Showa. The frame was factory, similar to production but different in places – with spars. It was like a production shape but handmade.

There was an extra tube/spar to make it more rigid, close to the shock.

As for the power delivery, Puzar preferred something substantial, hard hitting and even though the bike was factory, there was still some room to improve the overall feel of the engine, as Aldo points out: ‘I was able to develop the motor because Sandro wanted as much power as possible; Van den Berk did not like that kind of power because it was too aggressive for him, but for Puzar it was perfect. And then we worked a lot on the setting of the bike, especially the suspension. Sandro liked to ride with the shock very low on the back, like 130-135mm sag with him on the bike.

‘I remember Poletti suspension telling me that the bike was too low, and then Puzar won the GP in Maggiora. Then we stayed for two days after Maggiora, the second GP, with the Japanese to make the final set-up of the bike and they came with some different parts.’

How the title was won

A ‘ ll the bolts were Titanium. The linkage was different which made it to production years later, but 1990 was a special one. The ignition was full factory Kokusan but the carburettor was nothing special, not factory, from Mikuni.’

Just two months after he broke down in tears at the side of the track, the Puzar that showed up in Austria for the first GP was a different animal altogether and the Italian went 1-1 for the overall. He won again in Italy, Sweden and Finland, losing just one race from eight starts. Alex then won two of the next three GP’s with four more race wins which meant he had won six of the first seven GP’s, and despite not winning any races over the next three rounds, Puzar claimed the 250cc world championship in the USA at Unadilla with two rounds remaining. After picking up a slight knee injury at the penultimate round in Venezuela, the new world champ took one month off from riding before returning to action in emphatic style at the final round in Bielstein, Germany with another 1-1 for the sixth time in the season. He won the championship by 106 points from Pekka Vehkonen whilst his teammate John van den Berk picked up third overall.

‘The gearbox was five speed and the brakes and pump were also completely factory from Nissin. The pump was sandcast. Alex used standard footrests and the clutch was like production based but with different springs and the plates were also made from a different material.’

For Rinaldi it was his second world title as team manager after he won the 125cc title in 1984 as a rider-manager and whilst he finished the year with both riders on the overall podium, it would be his last season with Suzuki before switching to Yamaha for 1992, where he has remained ever since.

With the motor there was a different crankshaft, and the cylinder and cylinder head were special, not production. Only the cases were production. The clutch cover was Magnesium. We didn’t use any carbon parts but the pipe and silencer were factory from Suzuki; we never made any parts in Italy.’

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GRANT ‘ZULU’ LANGSTON

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RANT LANGSTON ONLY SPENT THREE SEASONS RACING THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BECAUSE AFTER BEING CROWNED 125CC WORLD CHAMPION IN 2000, HE DECIDED TO FOLLOW HIS DREAM AND MOVED FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN THE USA. Like several other young riders coming from different continents, he learned the job in the World Championship and then got the opportunity to continue his career in different series.

Born on 17th June 1982 in Durban, South Africa, Grant had a first opportunity to get a bike when his dad brought one at home, a gift from one of his father’s friend who owed him some money! Grant started riding in the garden, then entered his first race when he was 6 years old and started a successful career in South Africa as he won three Junior and two 80cc championships in his native country.

With his father Gerald, who has always been behind him, Grant flew to Europe at the end of 1997 and entered the last round of the 125cc European Championship in Italy. He only scored a single point, but showed his determination and met several people including Harry Everts, who was running a private team at that period.

Both parties reached a deal, and Grant moved to live in Belgium with his father to really start his worldwide career.

It was not an easy period for the 15-years-old kid who moved with his father to live in Belgium in a small apartment in what it was another world for him! However, his determination and the pieces of advice given by Harry helped him to grown up, even if he didn’t really get the

results he was expecting. In fact, he didn’t qualify for his first ever GP in Brazil, but then slowly but surely improved his speed, scoring finally his first points with a 9th position in the penultimate round of the series in France. Only 35th of the World Championship with ten points at his credit, he showed some potential and got a ride with the factory Champ KTM Team. It was an important step for Grant who had all the necessary support to focus only on training and racing.

Alongside Kees Van der Ven, who was the manager of the team, Grant was able to confirm his potential during the 1999 campaign. He only scored a few points during the first rounds, then missed several GP’s due to a broken wrist but came back stronger to score his first top eight result in Portugal and later got his first heat podium in Slovenia. After eighteen months in Europe he finally showed what he was able to do during the German GP when he won the event with two heat wins!

Grant Langston re-signed a contract with the KTM factory and entered 2000 as a true contender for the

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World title. Scoring some good points during the first two GP’s, he dominated the third round in Valkenswaard and showed to James Dobb and Mike Brown, his main rivals, how strong he was. The key point of the season was in July, when Grant won two GP’s in a row in Slovenia and Austria to increase his leadership in the series. Langston was very consistent all season long – he had only one DNF at the last GP – and performed very well scoring no less than twenty-four heat podiums – on a total of 32 races – and won six GP’s including the penultimate one in Finland. It was at Heinola, Finland, that Grant was crowned World Champion, obtaining enough points to secure the title against James Dobb.

For Grant it was time to move to the USA and enter another successful challenge, as he won three US titles – two in Supercross and one in Motocross – before retiring a few years later after another important win against a cancerous tumour.

1995:

South African 80cc Champion

1996:

South African 80cc Champion

1997:

40th in the 125 Motocross European Championship (score 1 point last race Italy)

1998: 33rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1999:

10th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM).

Winner of 1 GP

2000: 125 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 6 GP 2003:

125 US Motocross Champion (KTM)

2005:

125 East Coast US Supercross Champion (Kawasaki)

2006:

125 West Coast US Supercross Champion (Kawasaki)

2007:

450 US Motocross Champion (Yamaha)

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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TRAMPAS PARKER’S

1991 HRC HONDA 250 98

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HEN AMERICAN RACER TRAMPAS PARKER WON THE FIM 125CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1989, NOBODY HAD REALLY HEARD OF HIM. HIS PREVIOUS ‘BEST’ FINISHES HAD BEEN A THIRTEENTH PLACE FINISH IN RACE ONE IN SPAIN IN 1987 IN THE 500CC CLASS FOR 52ND OVERALL IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP, FOLLOWED BY A TENTH PLACE FINISH IN THE FIRST RACES IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND SWEDEN FOR THIRTY-FOURTH OVERALL IN THE FINAL STANDINGS IN THE 250CC CLASS IN 1988.

So, it goes without saying that from thirty-fourth to world champion the following year was something of a major shock to the 125cc class and motocross in general. A move back to the 250cc class followed in 1990, however, it was a season marred by injury but a move to Honda machinery from KTM put him back on the map once again in 1991 where he became the first American to win two world titles, and it’s his 1991 Honda 250cc that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

After winning the 125cc world championship on a non-factory KTM in 1989 Trampas Parker was promoted to the 250cc class as KTM’s factory rider for the 1990 season. However, injuries and certain mechanical ‘restrictions’ prevented him from becoming a back-to-back world champion.

‘In ’89 my mechanic Bruno ‘Ferro’ Ferrari and I could do pretty much anything I wanted to the bike to make it better but with the 250cc, when I became the full factory 250cc rider, there were things that we weren’t allowed to change on the bike and that was my biggest complaint. That KTM was capable of winning the world championship, no problems, and if they’d have just let us to do what we wanted with the bike, that would have been a winning bike too! While I was injured, I was offered the ride with Honda for ‘91; they said we would have the factory bikes and stuff and it was something that I jumped on!’

Eye opener At a time when HRC were scaling back its race programme in the 500cc class – Eric Geboers had just won the 1990 500cc world championship which was the last official title for HRC in the then premier class; Georges Jobe leased bikes from HRC in 1991 – efforts were still being made in the 250cc class, where Honda had not won since Jean-Michel Bayle in 1989, and even though it was not a full-blown HRC effort, the bikes still came from Japan but would sit under the awning of a new team known as Emmepi/MP Honda Racing Team, run by Paolo Martin and Pier Angelo Platini, but going from a full factory

effort to a semi-factory team didn’t bother ‘Chad’ in the slightest: ‘The bike had a different frame, the engine was really, really good, it had quite a bit of different stuff in the motor and when it came in it was just a completely different experience from working with other companies. KTM trust me, was a great company and ‘Ferro’ my KTM mechanic, I’d probably rate him as THE top guy in the world.

He wasn’t just a mechanic; he could actually build things. He was what I would call a true mechanic, not one of these guys today that just bolt on stuff.

He was more like an engineer and we could do things together, whereas with Martin, it was more of a bolt on deal and when the stuff came in from Honda, there was so much stuff and then it was a deal of elimination.’

‘When Honda sent the stuff, you had so many different clamps, brake levers … everything was custom and then you customised the bike to fit you! So it was just a deal of trial and error and a lot of testing and then eliminating stuff, and that worked good for me because I was good at setting up the bike the way I wanted it. We would run through the stuff and if I didn’t like something I would tell them to ‘put it back in the crate, that’s not for me.’ And we eliminated it down to where I was comfortable with the bike and that’s the way we used it the entire year.’

In typical HRC fashion, the bike was still way ahead of its time. The frame was welded in different areas, ten sets of different triple-clamps where the off-set and rake could all be set-up in multiple different ways were narrowed down to give him the set-up he preferred the most, along with whatever shape and thickness of brake and clutch levers he wanted or the length and shape of the rear brake lever. Nothing was left to chance, everything was tested and eliminated and as a rider, Parker had never experienced anything like it before and nor had he ever seen so many factory parts in one place at one time.

Once he had his set-up though, that was it, and ‘once I had it customised for myself, my deal was to get rid of everything that we didn’t need so we didn’t accidentally put it back on the motorcycle, because I knew what I wanted, I knew what fit my riding

style and my main worry was the mechanics starting to re-experiment with stuff halfway through the year and we’d just confuse ourselves. Once I had the bike set up the way I liked it I didn’t want to change anything.’

Testing times The first test though didn’t quite go according to plan, as Parker recalls: ‘The first time I tested, I wanted to test it on something I was familiar with and I could compare it, and I had my KTM up there and I had the Honda and when I went out, it was kinda funny because I’d ride the KTM and then I’d jump on the Honda, they’d put the ‘bars on and everything I wanted, and there was a section that I was doing and I could do it fast but it was super rough; I did it on the KTM and then I’d jump on the Honda. Then I started getting more and more comfortable with the Honda and I come through this section and I crashed my brains out in front of everybody, so big that I was like ‘oh my god! That definitely didn’t look good!’

As for the bike itself you’d think that with it being ‘full factory’ that it would have somehow felt overwhelming or head and shoulders above anything he’d ridden before, but that wasn’t entirely the case: 99

‘It was different; it wasn’t that deal where you’d jump on it and go, ‘oh, there’s no way I’m gonna lose on this bike,’ because it wasn’t! The bike was good but it needed a lot of work to fit me, and I knew that was before I agreed to ride with them. That was one of the things that I wanted to make sure, that we was gonna be able to get the bike to suit my riding style.’

‘It had good bottom, it had mid and it had top. It was a really easy, electric motorcycle, something that was easy to ride but had the power to run with anybody down the straight-away’s. It was a bike that when we got through with it you could ride it without a clutch in the corner, because I didn’t use the clutch a lot; I tried to use the motor more and I considered my right hand my traction control, so I tried to ride the bike smoother and with that bike I had the power anywhere I wanted it, to roll it on and for me, I couldn’t have asked for more out of a 250cc!’

The engine was of course a full HRC unit, including cylinder, cylinder head and piston; the Keihin carburettor looked standard from the outside but was anything but stock on the inside. The exhaust pipe and silencer were straight out of Japan and so too were the gearbox, gears and clutch. The rims had different rimlocks, which later turned out to be quite problematic and the bike was suspended at both ends by factory Showa USD forks and shock.

In what turned out to be one of the most hotly contested campaigns where there were seven different overall winners from the eleven contested rounds, Parker emerged from the opening GP with an 8-6 in Holland, followed by 7-2 in Czechoslovakia. His only two GP wins of the season came in rounds three and four in Austria and Italy where he also took two of his three race wins. But untypically for Honda, there were some races where Parker did not score, including a DNF in France: ‘The only trouble we had that year wasn’t the bike; we ended up having eleven flat tyres that year. It’s when Dunlop had that little half-mousse (crescent mousse) with that tube inside. Well, the rim locks that HRC 100

had built were different than the stock rim locks and somehow that thing would cut that little tube, so there were several times where I was winning the race and would drop back in the race because of a flat tyre, but luckily with that being a half mousse, unless it knocked off the bead of the rim, I was still able to finish the moto. In France, the tyre came off the rim!’

There were two other no-scores; one was as a result of one of the mechanics putting the wrong fuel in the bike, fuel that came from the generator can as opposed to the can to fill the bikes so there was no oil mixed in and the bike seized. The other was a self-inflicted injury whilst messing about before the San Marino GP that left Parker in a lot of pain and missing several layers of skin from all over his body.

In the end, Parker won the title by four points over fellow American Mike Healey but according to Parker, ‘there wouldn’t have been a challenge if it wasn’t for my tyre issues because in Sweden I was leading and had the race won easily and went from first right back to ninth and you lose a bunch of points when you start dropping back and unfortunately, you can only go so fast on a flat tyre. But I ended up winning the championship and if it was by one point or a hundred points, it doesn’t matter.’

He almost lost the title at the final round in Japan though; after third in Race One he crashed at the start of the final race in a huge pile-up and ‘when I jumped up and grabbed the bike and got on it, I actually had the wrong bike and I had to throw it back down and get my bike. I’d picked up one of the factory Japanese bikes that was in the pile up also. My goggles got broken on the start so I had to come through the pack without a pair of goggles that moto.’

With Healey in second, Parker methodically worked his way back to sixth, which was enough to clinch the title in Japan, at home in front of the HRC hierarchy. Parker’s success was the third world title for Honda in the 250cc class after Eric Geboers (’87) and Jean-Michel Bayle (’89).

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MICKAEL ‘ROCKET’ PICHON

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ICKAEL PICHON HAS ONE OF THE LONGEST RACING CAREERS, AS HE STARTED RACING AT THE AGE OF SEVEN AND WAS STILL INVOLVED IN THE 2018 VETERAN’S WORLD CUP THIS SUMMER! RIDING OFF-ROAD BIKES HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PASSION FOR HIM AND HE HAD A SUCCESSFUL CAREER WINNING TWO US SUPERCROSS TITLES AND TWO MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CROWNS DURING HIS CAREER. Born on 13th February 1976 near Le Mans, a worldwide famous racing city, Mickael got a Pee Wee as present for Christmas when he was only five years old. His father Alain was racing himself motocross, so Mickael enjoyed running in the paddocks since he was born, in fact he entered his first ever race when he was seven years old. First race and first win, and a first French title a few months later as he dominated the ‘minivert’ series with his 50cc Pee Wee. Mickael Pichon dominated the 50cc class in 1984, but his career stopped in ‘85 due to a broken arm … at school! Again he won the Minivert in 1986 (60cc class), he later grabbed two 80cc cadet titles in 1988 and 1989 and then joined the 125cc class. He did not have a good first season in this class because he suffered from another broken arm, but in 1991 he impressed everyone as he won the Junior title and also the 125cc Supercross title ahead of Fred Vialle and Cyril Porte.

Racing in his father’s team Mickael entered the World Championship at the age of 16 in 1992 and got a couple of top ten results. In January 1993 the French rider moved to USA to prepare the GP season but also to race some Supercross race; in fact he immediately showed his great abilities as he won the San Diego SX! Back in Europe he claimed several heat podiums in the GP’s to end the season in fifth position. Considered as one of the

favourites for the ‘94 campaign he didn’t score any points in Italy at the first GP, but dominated the second round in the French mud of Sourdeval with an easy double win; Pichon managed to be on the podium regularly but he unfortunately broke his arm at mid season. By the end of the season he achieved one of his dreams when he signed an agreement with Pro Circuit Kawasaki to race the US Supercross.

Mickael Pichon became 125cc Supercross champion in 1995 and 1996 and he signed with team Suzuki to enter the main class.

However, he missed most of the 1997 after breaking his leg at the opening round of the SX series in Los Angeles. Back racing for the outdoor series, he entered the Supercross World Championship and finished runner up behind Damon Huffman and in front of Jeff Emig and Jeremy McGrath.

In 1998 the French rider finished sixth of the US Supercross series and fourth in Motocross, and he signed with Honda America for the ’99 season, but after a decent performance in Supercross (4th), he put an end to the agreement he had with his team at mid season and suddenly he came back in Europe to join

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the Suzuki team of Sylvain Geboers.

They entered the last five GP’s of the season working hard to prepare the 2000 campaign and in fact, it was a successful one as Mikael won several GPs and was fighting for the title with reigning champion Frederic Bolley until he crashed during the Belgian GP and injured his shoulder losing all his chances to get the title.

Never giving up he would finally succeed in 2001 winning ten out of the fourteen rounds of the series to get his first Motocross World title.

He claimed back his title in 2002 with eleven GP wins and in 2003 he became the main opponent of Stefan Everts in the new Motocross GP class. Pichon was racing on a 250cc two stroke against the 450cc four stroke and he was a title contender until he twisted his knee in Gaildorf and missed the last three GP’s. In 2004 he moved to Honda Martin and discovered the four stoke machines and he was again the main rival of Everts, winning six GP’s to finish runner up. That year Pichon was selected for the second time of his career to represent France at the Motocross of Nations and he could enjoy being on the third step of the podium.

The 2005 season would be his last one as a title contender scoring four podiums during the first six GP’s, he lost many points with a double DNF in Italy and later damaged his knee ligaments and missed two others GP’s. Fifth of the series and runner up at the MXoN, he missed the 2006 Championship due to a mononucleosis and stopped his international career to focus on French racing. Twice Enduro champion, winner of le Touquet Beach Race and also winner of the MX3 French Grand Prix in 2010, he stopped racing at the end of 2010 to focus on his family.

While his son Zach is now racing the GP’s, Mickael keeps on enjoying riding bikes and last summer he proved that he is still a talented rider when he finished runner up in the Veterans World Cup on his 250cc KTM at Matterley Basin.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1988:

French 80cc Champion (Honda)

1989:

French 80cc Champion (Honda)

1991:

French 125 Junior Champion (Honda)

French 125 Supercross Champion

1992:

19th in the 125 MX World Championship (Honda)

French 125 Supercross Champion

1993:

5th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

French 250 Supercross Champion

1994:

6th in the 125 MX World Championship (Honda).

French 125 Motocross Champion

1995:

125 East Coast Supercross Champion (Kawasaki)

1996:

125 East Coast Supercross Champion (Kawasaki)

1997:

4th in the US 125 Motocross Championship (Suzuki)

2nd in the Word Supercross Championship

1998:

4th in the US 250 Motocross Championship (Suzuki)

6th in the US 250 Supercross Championship

1999:

4th in the US 250 Supercross Championship (Honda)

5th in the 250 MXWorld Championship (Suzuki)

2000:

2nd in the 250 MX World Championship (Suzuki).

2001:

250 MXWorld Champion (Suzuki). Winner of 10 GP

2002:

250 Motocross World Champion (Suzuki).

French Elite Motocross Champion

2003:

3rd in the Motocross World Championship (Suzuki).

2004:

2nd in the MX1 MX World Championship (Honda). W

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team France

French Elite Motocross Champion

2005:

5th in the MX1 MXWorld Championship (Honda).

2nd at the MX of Nations with Team France

French Elite Motocross Champion

2007:

24th in the MX3 MX World Championship (KTM).

French E2 Enduro Champion

2008:

French E2 Enduro Champion

Winner of the E2 French Enduro Grand Prix

2009:

21st in the MX1 MX World Championship (Honda)

2010:

18th in the MX3 MX World Championship (Honda).

Winner of the Enduro du Touquet

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E M A N N O I T C E S

S E K I EB

G A T IN

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JEAN-MICHEL BAYLE’S

1988 HRC HONDA CR125 106

J

EAN-MICHEL BAYLE WILL ALWAYS BE REGARDED AS A RIDER WHO CHANGED THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AND HIS METEORIC RISE TO THE TOP WAS NOTHING SHORT OF SENSATIONAL. AT SIXTEEN HE EXPERIENCED HIS FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL EVENT IN 1985 WHEN HE RACED THE PARIS BERCY SUPERCROSS. THE FOLLOWING YEAR (1986) HE ENTERED THE 125CC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WHERE HE FINISHED 23RD OVERALL RIDING A KAWASAKI, BUT AFTER A SWITCH TO HONDA IN 1987 HIS CAREER REALLY TOOK OFF.

As a privateer, J ‘ MB’ took his first ever race win in front of his home fans at Arbis (round six) before rounding out the season by winning two of the final three GP’s in Germany and Austria, which helped secure third overall in the final classification behind the factory Yamaha and Cagiva of John van den Berk and Dave Strijbos!

Suddenly, this 19 year-old French kid was considered a title threat and armed with a factory contract and HRC machinery in 1988, JMB won his first world championship by three points over Dave Strijbos, and it’s this HRC Honda CR125 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

As far as title races go, the 125cc world championship season in 1988 was about as close as you would want it to be. It was also a season of ‘two halves’ and from the very beginning it was clear that it was going to be a twohorse race between Bayle and Strijbos.

Bayle won the first two rounds in Italy and Belgium while Strijbos bounced back with the next two wins in Holland and Austria. Spain belonged to Bayle and the one-moto round in Portugal went to Strijbos and after six rounds, Bayle led Strijbos by five points and had yet to finish outside the top three places. He had also taken six race wins to Strijbos’ five.

However, the second half saw Bayle pick up his first DNF of the season in Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile, Strijbos was in his element and raced to five wins from six starts and took control of the championship by twenty-nine points over Bayle. But then France happened, and as JMB pocketed a home GP win with a 1-1 in the mud of Blargies, Strijbos went 3-DNF and his lead was slashed to four points with just two rounds remaining. At the penultimate round in Finland, Bayle went 2-3 to Strijbos’ 3-1 and the gap was back out to seven points with one round remaining in Switzerland and as the riders lined up for the final race of the year they were tied on points!

When all was said and done, it was Bayle who took an emphatic 1-1 to the 4-2 of Strijbos to steal the title by three points. Between them, JMB and Strijbos took all but two race wins during the whole season but it was the Honda of JMB who took the victory,

the first for the red corner of Japan since the 125cc class was formed in 1975, so it was a massive day for Bayle and for Honda. Prior to Bayle’s win in 1988, Honda had only featured inside the top three twice; with Strijbos in 1985 and with Bayle in 1987. What was especially sweet was that third place in the final standings went to Pedro Tragter who was also Honda mounted.

But what about the bike itself?

After placing third in 1987 on board a stock Michel Moreau Honda with a Mugen kit and with dad alongside him as his mechanic, the difference between that bike and his factory bike of ’88 was everything, and whilst the Mugen kit had always proved to be pretty special, the upgrade to HRC was a good as it got, although JMB’s first impressions at his home track in Manosque were not overly enthusiastic, as he recalls.

‘The first test was at my home track in the south of France in December ‘87 and David Thorpe and Eric Geboers were also there, testing their HRC 500’s. I was surprised that the bike was not as fast as I was waiting for, but my mechanic Jean Marie Hacking, who had a lot of experience with HRC bikes, told me that it was always like that with an HRC motocross bike. He also told me that the bike will get faster and faster, and he was right.’

‘The suspension was much better though and more easy to ride and I was able to push it to the limit, but in the beginning the engine was not so much faster than my Mugen kit bike, but before the first race in Italy the engine improved a lot and continued to improve all year long with new parts coming every two weeks.’

for hard pack Bayle would change the off-set of his triple clamps to make for easier turning and run a different linkage and swingarm to maximise traction at the rear wheel. Of course, it goes without saying that the clamps were unique to HRC. Married to the clamps were Bayle’s choice of Renthal handlebar, which was the standard 1987 ‘Honda bend’ which he felt was more rigid for his style of riding. The brake and clutch levers may have looked standard to the naked eye but the reality was that even these got the factory treatment for Bayle, as he recalls:

‘The frame was full HRC and I tested maybe four or five frames in all, but I was happy with the chassis so instead I asked them to work more on the engine power, engine delivery and grip on hard pack tracks.’

‘We tested many different shapes at first test and after we found the perfect one we did not change again. I always liked a very thin lever for the brake and clutch so it took some time for them to make the one that I liked. Also we tested many different rear brake pedals because of the low position I preferred for my rear brake. I also liked to use the rear brake to control grip and suspension of the bike. The brakes were factory Nissin.’

For optimal gains, HRC utilised an array of parts to get the best out of the bike in all conditions and in the sand it was mainly suspension settings and linkage that were changed but

The engine was full HRC specification and the cases were all Magnesium with the carburettor being a factory Keihin unit which was bigger than standard. The ignition, exhaust pipe 107

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‘I pulled back seven points before the first moto when I won and Dave got fourth, so we were exactly the same points before the last moto; so the guy who finished in front of the other one was going to be world champion.’

and silencer were all created in-house within the walls of HRC as well with Showa providing the very best in factory suspension to get the very best handling possible. The main difference here was the fact that JMB chose to run more of an American set up with his suspension compared to the typical European set-up of his rivals.

The gearbox was factory HRC and came equipped with six gears and because of the unique material of the clutch, this had to be changed ‘after every moto’ otherwise they would run the risk of a DNF, speaking of which, the only non-finish of the season was due to another crucial hard part that needed the same after moto care; the piston.

“QUOTE.”

‘With this bike we had to change the piston for every moto and in muddy conditions the time was very short to do it in time for the next race. The DNF was due to a mistake during work on the bike between the first and second moto.’

The power delivery of the HRC125 was initially quite deceptive which Bayle describes as being ‘normal in the beginning but unbelievable at the end and with a lot of RPM. The key with this bike was to keep high corner speed to be in the right power bend at the exit of turn.’

With one DNF apiece for both Bayle and Strijbos, the championship went down to the final race of the season in Switzerland after Bayle had pulled back a seven point deficit in Race One and after both riders started inside places, the showdown was on:

‘Last moto, we started first and second but in the second corner, Massimo Contini, who was his teammate passed me so then I was third.

When I saw the pace of Dave I was sure to be able to win the race easy, the only difficulty was passing the two Cagiva’s without any trouble. I spent two laps watching their lines and when I decided to go for the win I tried to do it fast to avoid any trouble with them and in half a lap I was already two seconds in front. I eventually won the race by more than thirty-five seconds.’

When Bayle crossed the line as world champion, it was also Honda’s first success in the quarter litre class so there was a double celebration on Sunday night after the GP. Honda would only win the 125cc title again on two more occasions before it was rebranded as MX2 in 2004, with Greg Albertijn in 1992 and Alessandro Puzar in 1995.

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L L A H

110

ME A F OF

JAMES ‘JAMIE’ DOBB

S

OME RIDERS ARE SUCCESSFUL IMMEDIATELY, SOME OTHERS HAVE TO WAIT LONGER AND CHOOSE A DIFFERENT WAY TO FINALLY REACH THEIR DREAM AND BECOME WORLD CHAMPION. JAMES DOBB HAD TO ENTER A LONG PROCESS AND MOVE DURING A FEW YEARS TO US TO GET MORE EXPERIENCE AND COME BACK STRONGER IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TO FINALLY GET A WORLD TITLE WHEN HE WAS 29 YEARS OLD. Born on 2nd January 1972 in a family who loves motocross, James Dobb entered his first ever race in Chesterfield when he was just five years old! He immediately excelled at youth level, winning a host of domestic youth motocross races and turned professional in 1987 when he signed a contract with Cagiva at the age of 15!

Scoring his first points the following year at the 125cc Finnish Grand Prix, he entered his first full season in 1989. Twelfth in the 125cc World Championship, that year he claimed his first British title and enjoyed the podium ceremony at the Motocross of Nations in Germany with the British Team. The following year James moved to the 250cc class and obtained another British title and entered the top ten of the World Championship, a performance he repeated two years later on his first season on a Kawasaki.

In 1992 James was again on the podium of the Motocross of Nations, which was celebrated in Australia, and he signed a contract with Mitch Payton to enter the US Championships the following season. He would stay four seasons in America racing successfully for Kawasaki Pro Circuit, Honda of Troy

and Suzuki. The British rider won one outdoor championship during that period and scored his best results during his fourth and last season in the US. Runner up in the 125cc West Coast series, he was then forced to go back to Europe at the end of 1996 as he didn’t find a good deal to pursuit his career in the States.

Back in the 125cc class with a strong experience of eight years of racing pro series, he got his best ever final result in the World Championship with a seventh position and claimed his third podium at the Motocross of Nations in Belgium. In 1998 he became British champion and he finally had his best season in 1999 with a fifth position in the 125cc World Championship, showing enough qualities to sign a factory contract with the KTM team.

James Dobb started the 2000 campaign obtaining his first ever GP win in Spain and he became a strong contender for the title after winning two other rounds. However, he finally finished runner up behind Grant Langston. Considered as the favourite of the 2001 campaign,

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Dobb did his best ever season, winning seven heats and rounds of the series - there was only one race per class at that period – to finally clinch the 125cc World Title far ahead of his rivals.

Moving to the 250cc class the following season he had another great year, winning one GP and scoring five podiums to finish fourth of the series behind Mickael Pichon, Joshua Coppins and Pit Beirer. In fact, it was his last season without troubles or injuries. After another year in the main MXGP class mixing for the first time 250cc two strokes and 450cc four strokes, he went back on the 125cc class in 2004.

He did not obtain good results that season and after fifteen years as a professional rider he finally retired from motocross midway through the 2004 season.

Since retiring from racing James has pursued a successful business career in sports management, taking care of many riders and also giving time to charity auctions such as Road to Recovery.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1988: 36th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Cagiva) 1989:

British 125cc Champion (Honda)

12th in the 125 Motocross World Championship

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team GB

1990:

British 250cc Champion (Honda)

9th in the 250 Motocross World Championship

1991: 23rd in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1992: 10th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki)

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team GB

1993:

10th in the US 125 West Coast Supercross Championship (Kawasaki)

10th in the 125 US Motocross Championship

1994:

6th in the US 125 West Coast Supercross Championship (Kawasaki)

6th in the 125 US Motocross Championship

1995: 6th the US 125 East Coast Supercross Championship (Honda)

9th in the US 250 Motocross Championship

1996:

2nd in the US 125 West Coast Supercross Championship (Suzuki)

10th in the 125 US Motocross Championship

1997:

7th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team GB

1998:

9th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

British 125cc Champion

1999:

5th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

British 125cc Champion

2000:

2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM).

Winner of 3 GP

2001:

125 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 7 GP

2002:

4th in the 250 Motocross World Champion (KTM).

Winner of 1 GP

2003: 14th in the MXGP Motocross World Championship (KTM).

2004: 17th in the MX2 Motocross World Championship (Honda).

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E M A N N O I T C E S

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G A T IN

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W ANDREA BARTOLINI’S

1999 YAMAHA YZM400F 114

HEN ANDREA BARTOLINI WON THE 500CC FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1999 HE BECAME ONLY THE FOURTH ITALIAN TO DO SO AFTER A SHORT LIST THAT COMPRISED OF MICHELE RINALDI (1984) ALESSANDRO PUZAR (1990 / ’95) AND ALESSIO CHIODI (1997, ‘98’, ’99) AND IN AN EVOLVING PADDOCK THAT STARTED TO SEE THE EMERGENCE OF THE 4-STROKE REVOLUTION.

Bartolini’s win – the fifth 4-stroke victory in seven years after Jacky Martens (1993 Husqvarna and Joel Smets ’95, ’97, ’98 all on Husaberg) – was the first from all of the Japanese manufacturer’s and something that had a major influence over the sport of motocross as we know it today.

Bartolini’s title was also Yamaha’s first ever 4-stroke world championship win in any class and the first of the modern-era 4-strokes to do so and yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s his 1999 YZM400F that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Background noise The first motocross championship of any worth was created back in 1952 and was known as the 500cc European Championship and it ran as a series until 1956. In 1957, the European Championship was promoted to world championship status and alongside it, a 250cc European championship was created and all bikes in both categories were 4-strokes. By 1962, both classes were now being run as a world championship and three manufacturer’s had taken over to the point where Husqvarna, CZ and BSA could be found in the top three places consistently from 1962 – 1969 inclusively.

However, that all changed in 1970 when Belgium’s Joel Robert won the 250cc world championship on a Suzuki. This win was historic in that it was the first ever world title won by a Japanese manufacturer, but even bigger than that was that it was the first ever 2-stroke win as well. To rub salt into the wounds of the 4-stroke brigade, Robert’s teammate, Sylvain Geboers came home second overall, and the following year 1971, Suzuki also claimed the 500cc title in the hands of Roger De Coster and the 2-stroke revolution had well and truly begun.

Yamaha joined the party soon afterwards and was rewarded with its first title in 1973 under the guidance of Hakan Andersson (250cc) before Heikki Mikkola

did the double in the 500cc class with back-to-back wins in 1977/’78.

Yamaha would not win the title again in the premier class (500cc) until Hakan Carlqvist in 1983 and the wait would go on for another sixteen years before they would win it after that.

Hold this for me, will you?

Aaaaah! The FIM Motocross World Championship. Such bliss!

Since 1975 when the 125cc class was added, there were then three categories where riders had the opportunity to win a world title but the 500cc class had always been considered the premier class, followed by the 250cc and 125cc categories, and everything was going along swimmingly, just perfect even. However, after 1990, teams, team owners and manufacturer’s started to see a shift in the sands and it was becoming apparent that the 250cc class was starting to take over. All of a sudden there was uncertainty over the 500cc class and as a result we started to see some experimenting with the rules.

When Jacky Martens took to the line in 1992 aboard a 498cc Husqvarna 4-stroke the motocross fraternity laughed out loud, almost as loud as the bellowing noise produced from the back of the bike’s ‘silencer’ and after a difficult campaign where he failed to score points as often as he scored them, Martens placed eleventh overall.

When he won the championship the following year in 1993 it was nothing short of sensational, but it also coincided with an FIM rule change that allowed the 4-stroke to run at a higher displacement to the 2-stroke 500’s, and even though Martens could run up to 650cc his Husky was actually a 633cc. With the bigger displacement ruling the 4-sroke movement was gaining momentum in the same way that 2-strokes did around twenty-two years earlier which eventually led to the demise of the 4-strokes.

All of a sudden, the ‘boomer’ was back and ‘thumpers’ were back in fashion. Joel Smets took three titles in 1995, 1997 and 1998 riding a 600cc Husaberg, but for all of their

power and glory, the thumpers were still seen as heavy and cumbersome and needed a different style of rider to get the best out of them.

Game changer Whilst the European brands were once again enjoying some of the limelight of years gone by, Yamaha was quietly working away in the background in complete secrecy and in similar fashion to the YZM500 some ten years earlier, except this time there would be more of an end goal where they could create an opportunity for a production bike at the very least. Keen to make its mark on the championship, Yamaha’s interpretation of a 4-stroke needed to be very much in the same guise as a 2-stroke, in that the bike needed to be light, powerful, manoeuvrable and easy to ride.

And what Yamaha actually created was as jaw-dropping, if not more so than what it did with the YZM500 a decade earlier.

Yamaha’s ‘400’ project came to fruition in 1997 after months of speculation and when it finally broke cover it looked like the trickiest bike out there. An 115

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aluminium frame set the tone, the exhaust was a work of art and there was not one standard part on the YZM400F, and for a 4-stroke it broke the mould as well as all the rules of design. The original design concept came from a Yamaha engineer by the name of Yoshiharu Nakayama who took advantage of Yamaha’s YZF 4-stoke road bike technology, and modified it suit the off-road sector.

Andrea Bartolini was The Chosen One and from the moment he took it to the track at the French International at Beaucaire in February of 1997, one thing was clear, that bike was fast, it was light, it was powerful and unlike the ‘Berg or the Husky where the noise they produced was regarded as ‘tractor-like’, the YZM400F had a raspy sound to it. Yes, it was still loud, but no matter where Bart’ was on the track, the eyes of the fans followed him every step of the way.

Of course, a bike like this does not come without its problems and after an eighth in Race One at the 1997 season opener at Lommel in Belgium, he followed that up with a DNF in Race Two. By the second round on home soil though at Castiglione del Lago, Bartolini made a piece of history when he went 1-2 to win the Italian GP. Over the course of the season Bart’ and Yamaha claimed four race wins for an eventual fifth overall in the championship. The season high points were his win in Italy and two third overall’s in Holland (Halle) and Belgium (Namur). But it was clear there was still work to be done.

1998 saw Bartolini place fifth overall again, this time taking five podiums, three of those were overall wins in Mantova, Italy, (1-4), and Osuna, Spain, (1-2) with the icing on the cake being Sverepec, Slovakia, where he raced to a double-moto win, the first for this ever-evolving bike. Had he not broken his leg after France with three rounds remaining he might have finished top three in the final standings.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic Yamaha’s progress

continued and the marque made history when Doug Henry became the first 4-stroke rider to win a championship when guided his YZ400F to the AMA 250cc Outdoor title as well as a supercross win in Las Vegas at the final round to become the first ever 4-stroke to win a supercross race in the USA, thus more than proving it’s potential.

All the pieces of the puzzle If ’98 was seen as an improvement, what happened next was what Andrea and the whole of the Rinaldi Yamaha team were working towards from Day One and it could not have gone any better; but more on that in a moment.

The bike in ’98 was not so much of a prototype as the year before in ’97 but it was still a factory machine, and in Europe the bike was now already in production-form and sold as a YZ400F. However, in the USA, production was one year behind and so when Doug Henry rolled out on his for the outdoor nationals, he did so with a modified production version in order to satisfy the homologation rules to allow the production bike to go on sale for competition in 1999.

When testing began for the ’99 world championship season, it was Henry’s US spec bike that was the starting point, with Alex Puzar the lead test rider whilst Bartolini recovered from his broken leg.

Aldo ‘Aldini’ oversaw the tests and recalls that particular period in time: ‘In ’98, Bartolini and Peter Johansson rode with the complete factory bike and in the USA Doug Henry rode with a modified production bike and at the end of the year we received the bike from him and we used it all winter in Italy to develop and change it a little bit, and this was the bike we raced with Bartolini and Puzar in ’99. It was complete production but modified. Actually, Puzar did a really good job with the winter testing. We started the test with Puzar at the last race of the Italian Championship at Odolo in October ’98 but the problem was the

noise. We raced and we won but we were disqualified from both moto’s because the exhaust was too loud.’

‘The frame was production and so too was the motor. The cylinder head was completely different inside, the bore was a little bit bigger and the stroke was a little bit longer and we also changed the valves. The piston was also a little bit bigger because the 2000 production was going to be 426cc and our bike was almost 440cc.

We removed the double-pump; usually on that production bike the oil goes directly into the frame, but on our bike we had the oil only in the motor. The crankshaft was different, made by me. Many parts were different but it was mainly complete production. It had to be because they used this bike for the supercross in the US where they have the production bike rule.’

Originally the frame was supposed to be aluminium as it was on the prototype in ’97, but there were some reliability issues as Aldo remembers: ‘We started with the aluminium frame but then in Beaucaire we broke it so we went back to the steel frame, a production one; but also the cost was too expensive. We also used many carbon fibre parts, which 117

were made in the USA; the skidplate, filter box. The silencer was Titanium made in the USA, but we broke the pipe almost every race. Actually, the pipe was special because we also used a valve in the exhaust pipe; it came from the Yamaha FZR road bike known as the EXUP. Basically this was a 4-stroke power valve designed to give more power at around 8,000 rpm. It was very trick.’

In the early nineties the Rinaldi Yamaha’s were suspended by conventional Ohlins forks and shocks but the ’99 YZM400F benefitted from factory 48mm KYB upside down units at the front and KYB factory rear shock. The bottom clamps were in Magnesium and the top clamp was aluminium and also came directly from Yamaha. Various types of linkage were also depending on the track, and came direct from the factory.

As for the brakes, Aldo recalls that ‘on the front we ran a special type of Brembo brake with a 260mm front disc with a special calliper, and a pump that was made from a special material; I remember the cost was unbelievably high.

The rear brake was production, including the size of the disc.

‘The swingarm was factory and was a little bit longer than production for better stability. We modified this ourselves. We also used Excel rims and the hubs were magnesium direct from the Yamaha factory.’

The bike also came with a 5-speed gearbox and factory clutch, with the clutch cover being made from Magnesium. It also had bigger radiators, again direct from Japan.

The engine cases were aluminium.

The ignition was factory but one of the biggest gains came from the carburettor, which was a Keihin FCR unit, a real revolution at that time.

Despite all of this technology, power and trickery, there was still one thing that was difficult to overcome though and that was

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the riders inability to start the bike once it was hot or after it had been on its side. From its inception, Yamaha decided to equip the 400F with a de-compressor, which was a finger-pull lever on the handlebar, but even this wasn’t fool proof and took some getting used to, especially in the heat of the battle when all a rider wanted to do was get the bike fired up as quickly as possible; that was the old way, the 2-stroke way, but it would not work on the 4-stroke. However, there was a solution but you still had to air on the side of caution, according to Aldo: ‘We tried in the middle of the season to run with a batteryassisted electric start but we could only start it, maybe three or four times maximum. It was not so good.

But we could use it just in case of a crash, you know because that bike was almost impossible to start after you stopped or made a crash.’

With eight podiums in the season – more than any other rider – Bartolini won four GP’s, including seven race wins, threesecond places and one third overall position and ‘clinched’ the title with two rounds to go in Sweden. He eventually won the title by seventythree points. The YZM400F had achieved what it been designed to do, to win at the highest level.

Yamaha had made another piece of history by not only creating such a beautiful bike but they took it to victory as well to become the first new-generation 4-stroke to win a world championship.

Whether you want to refer the YZ400F as a factory bike or as a production bike, it was way ahead of its time for where dirt bike racing was at the particular moment. This Yamaha win in the 500cc class was also the first since Hakan Carlqvist in 1993, but it would not be the last as Yamaha enjoyed a run of six consecutive titles in the following millennium in the hands of Stefan Everts. But that, as they say, is a different story altogether.

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MICKAËL ‘MICKEY’ MASCHIO

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ND FINALLY HIS TENTH ATTEMPT WAS THE GOOD ONE! DOING HIS FIRST EVER GP IN 1993, MICHAEL MASCHIO HAD A LONG CAREER AND NEVER GAVE UP TO FINALLY OBTAIN THE 125CC WORLD TITLE IN 2002 WHEN HE WAS TWENTY-NINE YEARS OLD! HE STARTED HIS CAREER IN THE 125CC CLASS BEFORE MOVING TO THE 250CC, BUT HE MADE A SUCCESSFUL COME BACK IN THE SMALL CLASS WITH JAN DE GROOT AND KAWASAKI. Born on 19th May 1973, Michael was only ten years old when he started playing on two wheels; his toy was not a motorcycle but a bicycle and he was so good at it that he claimed a BMX French junior title in 1984 and the following year he won the European Cup before jumping on a Motocross bike in 1987. It took him several seasons to finish on the podium, but after a first season in the 125cc European championship he revealed his potential in 1992 by winning the first round of the European Championship in Italy.

After two rounds he became a title contender but he was forced to miss the rest of the season due to injuries.

Maschio moved to the GP class and he finished in a promising tenth position during his first ever GP in Italy, but he had to wait until 1994 to enter the full series. That year he had a consistent season being a fourth position in Italy his best result, but he scored points in seventeen heats to finish twelfth of the championship.

The French rider went back to Honda the following season and he continued to impress winning his first GP in Spain and finishing fifth at the end of the year. Before the 1996 season started Maschio was

considered a title contender and he confirmed his potential with four podiums during the first five heats of the season.

However, Michael was forced to miss the last four rounds due to an injury after the British GP and finished twelfth overall.

In 1997 he managed to finish fifth before moving to the 250cc class on a Yamaha. Eighth in his rookie season, he won his first 250cc heat one year later during the French GP, finish seven heats in the top three and then signed with Jan de Groot to join the Kawasaki Racing Team in 2000. Alongside the Dutch charismatic manager he started the championship on a high note with top five results in the first races, but then missed four rounds due to injuries. Maschio ended the season with a heat win during the final GP in Switzerland and again he struggled with injuries in 2001 when he missed eight rounds.

Back in the 125cc class with his jockey jib (1,73m, 65 kilos) he had his best ever season in 2002, a period when the GP’s were run with a single race format. Winning four

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GP’s and being very consistent that season, he arrived to the final round in Russia leading the series ten and eleven points ahead of Belgians Patrick Caps and Steve Ramon. The race was incredibly exciting with a long fight between Ramon, Townley, Seguy and Michael, who secured his title with a fourth position and joined fellow countryman Mickael Pichon on the FIM standings as both were crowned that year. Winning heats and GP’s during the following seasons, Michael was never again a title contender, scoring a 4th, a 6th and a 12th position in his favourite class.

1990:

3rd in the 125 French Junior Championship (Honda)

1991: 29th in the 125 Motocross European Championship (Honda) 1992: 11th in the 125 Motocross European Championship (Suzuki) 1993: 27th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

Maschio got injured again in 2006 and he finally decided to retire that season to join his older brother in a family business. He worked in real estate and later went back to the tracks on a pit bike. Once again his ability helped him to collect some more trophies!

1994:

12th in the 125 Motocross World Championship Championship (Yamaha)

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team France

125 French Supercross Champion

1995:

5th in the 125 Motocross World Championship Championship (Honda). Winner of 1GP

1996:

12th in the 125 Motocross World Championship Championship (Honda)

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1997:

5th in the 125 Motocross World Championship Championship (Honda)

250 French Supercross Champion

1998: 8th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1999: 6th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 2000: 9th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 2001: 15th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 2002: 125 Motocross World Champion (Kawasaki). Winner of 4GP

125 French Elite Champion

2003:

4th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki). Winner of 2GP

125 French Elite Champion

2004:

6th in the MX2 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki). Winner of 1GP

2005: 12th in the MX2 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

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DONNY SCHMIT’S

1990 SUZUKI RM125 124

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MERICAN RACER DONNY SCHMIT LEFT THE COMFORT OF HIS HOMELAND AT THE END OF 1989 AFTER RECEIVING AN OFFER TO RACE THE FIM MOTOCROSS 125CC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, DESPITE ONLY FINISHING FOURTH OVERALL IN THE AMA OUTDOOR NATIONALS.

The team he raced for was Bieffe Suzuki and he was an instant success and became a household name overnight on both sides of The Atlantic when he won the world championship at his first attempt, and it’s this bike that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

The benchmark for the 1990 Suzuki was the previous model which in 1989 was ridden by Alessandro Puzar, who claimed second overall with Michele Rinaldi, with Dave Strijbos and Stefan Everts, a 125cc rookie who raced for Sylvain Geboers, placing 15th overall. In ’89, Strijbos never placed outside the top three in eight races but suffered a knee injury which ruled him out of the series.

Trampas Parker may have won the title for KTM but Puzar took more race wins, taking ten to Parker’s eight, so the bike already had good pedigree. For 1990, Schmit was paired alongside the young Everts and the two claimed first and third overall in the final standings.

There were no major changes from ’89 to ’90 just a few revisions to enhance performance, but the chassis and the engine was production based, which meant the engine cases and the transmission were production but the crankcases were factory thus lending a works flavour to the motorcycle. Other items that came directly from Japan were the crankshaft, piston, cylinder, cylinder head, exhaust pipe, silencer and power-valve were all works items. The gearbox came equipped with six gears and whilst it was production-based, the gears were stronger with a smoother selection process which back then, this technology would have made its way into the following years production bikes. The ignition was Factory PIA. Holding everything up was factory Showa suspension; upside down units at the front with a stroke of 310mm whilst the rear stroke was 325mm and with a factory linkage.

The swingarm was also a factory

item. As for the wheels, Excel rims were married to production aluminium hubs. The carburettor was a 35mm Mikuni and the reed valves were works, straight out of the factory. The stopping power was provided by Nissin, with standard discs front and rear.

As for the power of the bike, according to Sylvain Geboers, the team manager at that time, ‘we had good power at that time, we knew at that time we had excellent bikes and both Donny and Stefan used the same characteristics, the same engine. I can’t tell you the amount of horsepower because at that time we were new to Suzuki and we were never told; we needed to gain that trust and confidence with the factory.’

Bizarrely, the championship was decided over nine rounds as opposed to the twelve originally scheduled. The first two rounds in Brazil and Argentina were both cancelled in advance which meant the opening round was Montevarchi in Italy where Donny went 1-1 to take the overall win at his first ever GP. The cancellation of those rounds might have been a blessing in disguise for Schmit as Sylvain recalls: ‘Donny hurt his wrist in a pre-season international race and for the first two rounds he used a brace to race.’

As the season went on it was clear that Schmit was the man to beat, and both he and machine proved to be a reliable combination. There was just one DNF and it was because Donny over-jumped at Laubus-Esbach and the rear brake pedal got bent underneath the footpeg, something Geboers remembers well as it happened right in front of him: ‘We couldn’t get it free but when he did, Donny re-joined the race but we had to pull him out because he was riding a little crazy with too many risks. We took him out to protect himself because he was going to hurt himself.’

Going into the final GP in Portugal at Agueda, Schmit

held a 31-point lead over fellow American Bob Moore and the title was won in the first race with a win; Moore did not score in either race and the title was sealed with a 1-1 and Schmit’s fourth GP win.

In total, Donny Schmit won eleven races from eighteen starts with his overall victories coming in Montevarchi (Italy), Ernee (France), Wohlen (Switzerland) and Agueda (Portugal). All of those victories were with double-race wins.

His three other race wins came in Germany at Laubus Esbach, Hatherton (England) and Killinchy (Northern Ireland), and he was by far the most dominant rider of the season.

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SVEN ‘MX3’ BREUGELMANS

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ELGIAN SVEN BREUGELMANS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL RIDERS IN THE SHORT HISTORY OF THE MX3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, AS HE CLAIMED TWO WORLD TITLES AND TWO SILVER MEDALS IN THIS CLASS AFTER SEVERAL SEASONS RACING THE 125CC AND MOTOCROSS GP CATEGORIES. Born on the 12 of August 1979 in Turnhout, Belgium, Sven Breugelmans entered for the first time a World Championship event when he was 19 years old, scoring his first points at Indaiatuba, Brazil, in 1999. He managed to obtain several points during that first season, and slowly but surely improved his classification during the following years with a first “highlight” in 2000 when he crossed the finish line of the first 125cc race at Grobbendonk in second position!

He claimed his first podium finish in 2001 when he finished second at Genk – again in his native country – behind Grant Langston. That year Sven finished twelfth in the 125cc World Championship, which was his best ever result so far, and got his first professional contract with Suzuki for the following season to race the new Motocross GP class, former 250cc class, with Mickael Pichon as teammate. However, the Belgian rider broke his leg during a pre season event and he missed the entire season due to several surgeries.

His 2003 campaign was also ruined by injuries, but luckily for him he got a call from former World Champion Jacky Martens to join his team for 2004, representing KTM in the new MX3 World Championship.

Scoring points in nine of the twelve

races and finishing on the podium twice in Slovenia and Austria, in 2005 he became the main rival for the reigning World Champion Yves Demaria. However, neither Sven or Yves scored any points in the first three heats in France and Italy, but then they dominated eighteen of the twentyfour motos!

Sven obtained his maiden Grand Prix victory in Rhenen, the Netherlands, and he finished on the top of the box in three other occasions that year.

By the end of the season the Belgian rider eventually beat Demaria by a little margin of sixteen points to claim his first ever world title.

The following seasons were highlighted once again by the duel between Breugelmans and Demaria.

In 2006 they won eight of the fourteen GP’s and Sven lost the title when he was forced to retire in one race in Slovenia, and the French rider got the title with a thirteenpoints-margin.

The scenario was similar the following season but they were not racing anymore for the same team.

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Sven was leading the series after his double win in Markelo, but he could not stop the Frenchman to obtain the title that year.

Demaria announced his retirement after that successful campaign, so Sven became the favourite rider to claim the 2008 title after having finished runner up twice behind the French rider. However, he had to fight hard against Christian Beggi and he also had to cope with a wrist injury. Sven had to wait until the penultimate heat in Germany to secure his second World title; If fact, can we say that he was lucky very that year, as he could not take part in the last moto due to a technical failure during the sighting lap?

In 2009 Sven moved to a private team after KTM decided to move out from the MX3 class. The Belgian rider started the season with a win in Great Britain, but he had to undergo another wrist surgery and he would never be back in the series to defend the title. Sven was forced to retire from professional racing, but he continues to ‘race for fun’ and he has actually won twice the Vintage Enduropale at le Touquet in 2017 and 2018.

1999: 32nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 2000: 23rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 2001: 12th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 2003: 33rd in the Motocross GP World Championship (Suzuki) 2004:

4th in the MX3 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM)

28th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM)

2005: MX3 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 4 GP 2006:

2nd in the MX3 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM). Winner of 2 GP

2007: 2nd in the MX3 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM). Winner of 4 GP 2008: MX3 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 5 GP 2009:

29th in the MX3 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM)

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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ANDRE MALHERBE’S

1973/1974 ZUNDAPP MC125 130

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NDRE MALHERBE IS A THREE-TIME FIM 500CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION AND ONE OF BELGIUM’S FINEST ATHLETES TO HAVE EVER THROWN A LEG OVER A MOTOCROSS BIKE.

He took delivery of his first bike aged ten and had his first race shortly afterwards but his racing activities were restricted to his native Belgium until 1973 when he collected his license to race the European 125cc Championship, which he won, first time out before repeating the feat the following year in 1974. Ironically, it is this Zundapp MC125 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

In 1972 whilst competing in Belgium, Malherbe was racing production CZ machinery but when he entered the 125cc European Championship the following year, he did so armed with factory bikes from Zundapp, which were produced in Munich, Germany. His teammate was Fritz Schneider and both riders had identical machinery. In 1973, the championship was run as an eight-round qualifying series; the riders were split into two groups, A and B, raced on different tracks on different weekends and the title was decided in a winnertakes-all, one-race final at the end of the year which featured the top twenty riders from both groups. Tarao Suzuki from Japan won Group A; Malherbe won Group B. At the final in Yugoslavia, Malherbe was victorious with a 1-2 to claim his first European title with Tarao Suzuki taking second ahead of Fritz Schneider.

Rule changes in 1974 though meant that the two-group system was replaced with a one-group format, with riders competing over fifteen rounds, in a title chase that could not have been closer. Malherbe was victorious to claim back-to-back titles, only this time it was his teammate Fritz Schneider who placed second, by a single point. Third went to Gilbert de Roover of Belgium, just two points further back.

Hello Moto …

When Malherbe switched from CZ to Zundapp in 1973 he immediately noticed the

benefits, remembering that ‘it was a big difference. The Zundapp bike was much faster, the engine much stronger, the handling was also better even though the fork was not so good.’

The conventional forks were made in-house by Zundapp but as Malherbe has already pointed out, ‘it was the worst part of the bike; too soft and always bottoming.’ The rear twin-shock absorbers were made by Koni of The Netherlands.

Everything about the bike was different compared to the production version, and in actual fact, the only changes between the ’73 and ’74 models was a slight revision to the rear shock, but the troublesome front end remained the same.

The MC125 came with a 5-speed gearbox and renowned Bing carburettor from Germany with fellow German-brand Magura providing handlebars and controls – namely the throttle housing, brake and clutch levers.

Everything else was produced in-house, including the low-boy side-pipe exhaust. The tyres however were Metzeler.

As for testing, there was none of that, as Malherbe recalls.

‘We didn’t have a lot of testing to make the setting; instead we made the tests at the race. The team was based in Germany but I was living in Belgium and travelled to the races by car. I would meet my mechanic ‘Schmiddy’ at the track on Friday, practice Saturday, start testing and race on Sunday. ‘The power was good everywhere and the bike was easy to ride except for the front fork. Cornering was good and I could also start in 2nd gear. Overall, the Zundapp was very reliable.

With Fritz as Malherbe’s teammate it was clear that from the very first gate drop of the 1974 season that the two Zundapp riders were the guys to beat and between them they won the first eight rounds of the season, taking fifteen out of sixteen race wins. When the

championship was decided at the final round at Lady’s Mile in Portsmouth, England, Malherbe clinched the title by a single point over Schneider, despite not scoring and Schneider going 1-1, and had nothing but praise for his German teammate. ‘It was a very long championship, I always battled with Fritz; He was very fast, consistent and a very strong driver. He was very strong in the first heat and in the second heat he was less consistent and it was easy for me to beat him in the second heat and to win the overall because my fitness was better.’

Between 1973 and 1974 the Zundapp’s of Malherbe and Schneider took 36 race wins, with Malherbe taking 21 of those. And in the 1974 European championship, Zundapp picked up an impressive 11 out of 15 overall victories with these two riders at the helm, with Malherbe collecting 6 in total!

With 20 race wins during the season, Zundapp completely dominated the last ever 125cc European Championship season before it was upgraded to world championship status in 1975.

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DONNIE ‘HOLESHOT’ HANSEN

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MERICAN DONNIE HANSEN HAD A SUCCESSFUL BUT VERY BRIEF CAREER, AS HE COULD ONLY SHOW HIS REAL POTENTIAL DURING TWO SEASONS. REVOLUTIONARY OF THE 1981 AMERICAN TEAM INVOLVED AT THE MOTOCROSS NATIONS, THE CALIFORNIAN RIDER WON EVERYTHING THE FOLLOWING YEAR BUT HAD TO STOP HIS CAREER AFTER A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. Born on 10th March 1959 in Simi Valley, a famous location for motocross fans as Honda America had his private training track in that area, Donnie Hansen had a first interest in motorcycle racing when he was a student at the Royal High School. He discovered TT and motocross on a Maico and later on he moved to the pro series on a Can Am. Moving in 1980 from the Canadian bike to a Honda, Donnie got his first top ten result in both the Trans USA and the US Supercross championships. Very fast starter, smooth rider with a technically advanced style, he joined the factory team and improved his results with a final podium in the 250cc Motocross championship and a top six in the Supercross series. When Roger De Coster convinced Honda America, with the support of sponsors, to send a Team USA at the Motocross and Trophy of Nations, Donnie was of course selected alongside his team mates Danny Laporte, Chuck Sun and Johnny O’Mara to fly to Europe for an historical trip.

Team USA had sat out of the event in 1979 and 1980, but thanks to Roger De Coster, who became the team manager after his retirement, they finally came back stronger for this 1981 assault. No one gave them a

chance to win in Lommel (for the Trophy, class 250cc) or Bielstein (Motocross, class 500cc), as the team didn’t bring the best American riders all contracted with other brands not interested in flying overseas.

When he landed with the team in Belgium, Donnie Hansen had no win to his credit in Motocross or Supercross, compared to his prestigious team mates. However, all of them did the job in Lommel, scoring a second (Johnny), a third (Danny) and a fourth (Donnie) position in the first race, and another top six with Danny, Johnny and Chuck in the second moto. Even if Andre Vromans won both races, the Belgian Team had to be happy with a second position behind the Americans, who travelled to Germany one week later for another ‘hold up’.

For his first ride on a 500cc Donnie had an impressive ride in the first heat, scoring a second position behind Hakan Carlqvist; forced to ride safely the second moto as Chuck Sun couldn’t enter this one, he secured a thirteenth position

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just enough for the US Team to beat the Brits by a single point!

It is hard to affirm that these performances changed Donnie Hansen’s life, but we must say that the following season he was the man to beat in the US! Hansen won both the Motocross and Supercross titles and was of course called by Roger de Coster to join again the team to defend their victories at the Motocross of Nations. He flew to Sweden to enter the final 250cc GP which Donnie won easily, but a few days later while practicing in Germany he had a horrible crash and suffered a severe concussion that forced him to retire from racing. Donnie Hansen is still involved in the sport with the Donnie Hansen Motocross Academy and he was also the coach of his son Josh, who also had a pro career in the US. Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1979:

33rd in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Can-am)

1980:

8th in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Honda)

8th in the Trans USA

1981:

6th in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Honda)

3rd in the 250 US Motocross Championship

6th in the Trans USA

19th in the 250 Motocross World Championship

Winner at the Trophee of Nations with Team USA

Winner at the Motocross of Nations with Team USA

1982:

250 US Supercross Champion (Honda)

250 US Motocross Champion

11th in the 250 Motocross World Championship.

Winner of 1 GP

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AKIRA WATANABE’S

125CC SUZUKI RA78 136

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KIRA WATANABE WAS THE FIRST JAPANESE RIDER TO WIN A MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BACK IN 1978 AND FORTY-ONE YEARS ON, HE REMAINS AS THE ONLY JAPANESE WORLD CHAMPION. HE STARTED WORKING FOR SUZUKI AS A DEVELOPMENT TEST RIDER IN 1974 BUT DESPITE WINNING AT LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL, WATANABE WENT RACING

BY HIMSELF AT HIS OWN EXPENSE.

That all changed when he caught the attention of Suzuki’s top brass and was offered the chance to race in the newly created FIM 125cc Motocross World Championship in 1975. Three years later, Watanabe won the title and it’s his Suzuki RA78 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

When the 125cc European Championship was upgraded to world championship status in 1975 nobody really knew what to expect, but when all was said and done, it was Gaston Rahier who emerged as the clear winner, picking up fourteen race wins; he also won nine of the twelve GP’s on board his factory Suzuki RA75. It’s worth pointing out here that in 1973 and 1974, there were less than a handful of Suzuki’s that lined up behind the gate in what was previously known as the European championship, and they were also denoted as TM125. The RA75 was Suzuki’s factory bike in 1975 but its production version was known as the allnew RM125.

Anyway, in that inaugural year, Akira Watanabe was the teammate to Rahier who went on to win the first ever 125cc world championship, so from that perspective he was in good company. Watanabe placed 4th overall, winning his first GP at the penultimate round at Montgai in Spain with a 1-1.

Usually he would have been considered a favourite for the ’76 title the following year but the president of Suzuki told him that because he had no ProClass experience in Japan, he would have to spend the season racing at home instead. When Watanabe returned in 1977, he would only last two rounds.

After tying for the overall win at the opening round in France with Rahier, Watanabe won the second round in Italy one week later, but at round three he broke his knee in three places and was ruled out of the series.

By the time the 1978 season came around and after a prolonged winter period testing the latest factory bike, his teammate Gaston Rahier was then a threetime world champion and the only rider to have won a 125cc world championship, but it was clear to everyone that the Suzuki was the bike to beat. During the season, Watanabe never placed outside of the top three positions but it wasn’t until the seventh round in Germany at LaubusEschbach that the Japanese rider was able to claim his first overall victory of the season, once again tying his teammate Rahier for the win. He won again in Poland and Spain before wrapping up the title at the final round in Czechoslovakia with a third place finish in the first race.

Four in a row The RA78 that took him to the title was a full factory 125cc as they had been right from the getgo in 1975. The hand-built factory frames were usually built to each rider’s own specification but here the frame was the same for both Watanabe and Rahier. The only difference was they would run one particular chassis for hard packed tracks and another for when they raced in the sand.

Whilst a production RM125 kicked out around 23bhp, the factory bike was considerably more powerful although there are no official records of this, but the difference would have been significant to say the least.

Watanabe preferred something harder hitting off the bottom end, which was good for starts and for getting out of the slower, tighter turns.

The swingarm dimensions were the same as standard, but the factory version was a combination of aluminium and iron. The engine was made from a ‘different material’ to standard but could utilise a standard piston, and it also came equipped with magnesium cases.

Magnesium was also used for the

hubs. Rims were Takasago with the front measuring 1.25 x 21” and the rear 1.85 x 18”. Sprockets were standard and chains were from D.I.D. The exhaust pipe was built in-house in Japan by SMC, the ignition was Nippon Denso and the carburettor varied between 30mm and 32mm. As for suspension it was Kayaba who supplied the conventional forks at the front and the twin shocks at the rear.

Watanabe’s world championship win was significant for a number of reasons: he was the first and remains the only Japanese rider to win a world championship. It was also the fourth straight title win for Suzuki in the 125cc class but the days were numbered in terms of this particular bike.

Whilst Watanabe and his new teammate Harry Everts would start the 1979 season with an air-cooled twin shock motorcycle, they would end it with the new Full-Floater, single suspension system as well as switch from air-cooled to water-cooled at the same time, so this 1978 victory would be Suzuki’s last air-cooled and twin shock win in the 125cc class before evolution took over.

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ME A F OF

STEVE ‘SMOOTH’ RAMON

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ELGIAN STEVE RAMON HAS BEEN ONE OF THE SMARTEST RIDERS OF THE LAST DECADE, WINNING MOTOS NEARLY EVERY YEAR AND CLAIMING TWO WORLD TITLES AND TWO MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS TROPHIES WITH THE BELGIAN TEAM. AFTER RETIRING FROM THE MXGP SCENE, HE STILL GOT SOME MORE VICTORIES AT THE BEACH RACES. Born on the 29th of December 1979 in Bruges, Belgium, Steve Ramon got his first bike when he was only four years old, but even if his first appearance on a GP came just when he was eighteen, many had already seen his potential.

Hard pack tracks are not really the favourites for Belgian riders, but thanks to Ramon’s smooth riding style it was at the fast Crossodromo Baldasserona at Borgo Maggiore, San Marino, where he scored his first points with a sixth overall in the 125cc class. Later in the season he scored a few more points in Austria and he ended 26th in his first appearance in the FIM standings in 1998.

Even if Steve started pretty late racing GP, he had a lot of experience behind him when he entered the full series in 1999. In fact, he immediately showed his potential with a heat win in Mill during the Dutch round with a final sixth position. Although he claimed his first Belgian title in 1999, he could not reaffirm his talent in the 2000 GP campaign due to several injuries, but he received the support of Jan de Groot and he rebounded in 2001 when he became vice world champion on his 125cc Kawasaki.

In 2002 Steve Ramon moved to KTM and he was very close to claim the title. The Belgian had a long and intense battle with Mickael

Maschio and he obtained three GP wins and a total of seven podiums – five of them in the last five rounds of the championship.

In the end Ramon missed the title just by four points!

Moving to the factory KTM team in 2003 Steve saw himself again fighting with Maschio, Marc de Reuver and Andrea Bartolini during the first rounds, winning the second GP in Valkenswaard. During the fourth round in Cingoli Stefan Everts joined the group and won all the rounds of the series except Bulgaria to finish runner up behind Steve!

Ramon had been very consistent all the season with seven podiums; that year he did not only clinch his first World Title, but he also won the Motocross of Nations with team Belgium. After such successful season, Steve Ramon decided to move to the MX1 class the following year.

Everts, Pichon, Coppins and Strijbos were some of his new rivals, and Steve made a sensational first appearance in the ‘major class’ when he scored a second overall at the opening MX1 GP in Zolder! He ended his rookie season fourth overall,

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scoring another podium in the final round in South Africa and he added another trophy when he won the Motocross of Nations with the Belgian team.

In 2005 Steve Ramon finished again fourth of the MX1 series and he signed with Suzuki for 2006 to ride the 450 RMZ developed by Joel Smets. He felt very comfortable, scoring eight GP podiums to be back on the final box after fifteen GP’s with a third position behind countrymen Everts and Strijbos.

When 2007 series leader Joshua Coppins got injured in Czech Republic, Kevin and Steve became the two contenders for the world title. Kevin had won more races than Steve but he hadn’t been as consistent through the season, even if he won the last three rounds of the championship. The fifteenth and final round of the series took place in Lierop, the Netherlands, and Steve could celebrate his second World Title with Sylvain Geboers and the Suzuki team already after the first heat.

Ramon defended his title in 2008 against David Philippaerts and Ken De Dycker, winning one GP and two heats to finish runner up only fourteen points behind his Italian rival. His 2009 season was ruined by a neck injury in Valkenswaard, and after a fifth overall in 2010 his career was stopped in August 2011 in Lommel after a dramatic crash losing feeling in his legs after breaking vertebras. Steve entered a tough and long battle to recover and to be able to comeback racing. His GP career was over, but not his racing career as he entered Beach races and won several ones in France including le Touquet, Berck and Loon. Still racing these series last winter, he remains involved in the GP’s as coach of promising talent Jago Geerts, who is also renowned for his smooth riding style.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1998: 26th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1999: 6th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 2000: 11th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 2001: 2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 2002:

2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM).

Winner of 3 GP

2003:

125 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 1 GP

Winner at the MX of Nations with Team Belgium

2004:

4th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM)

Winner at the MX of Nations with Team Belgium

2005:

4th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM)

2006:

3rd in the MX1 Motocross World Championship Championship (Suzuki)

2007:

MX1 MX World Champion (Suzuki). Winner of 5 GP

2008:

2nd in the MX1 Motocross World Championship Championship (Suzuki)

2009:

10th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship Championship (Suzuki)

2010:

5th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship Championship (Suzuki)

2011:

14th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship Championship (Suzuki)

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S E K I EB

G A T IN

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ALESSIO CHIODI

1999 HUSQVARNA CR125

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LESSIO ‘CHICCO’ CHIODI BECAME ITALY’S MOST SUCCESSFUL MOTOCROSS RACER WHEN HE CLAIMED HIS THIRD 125CC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN 1999. SINCE THEN OF COURSE, HIS ACHIEVEMENTS HAVE BEEN ECLIPSED BY ANTONIO CAIROLI BUT CHICCO STILL REMAINS AS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL RIDERS OF ALL TIME WITH THOSE THREE TITLES, TWENTY-SEVEN GP WINS AND TWO MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS GOLD MEDALS.

The bike that took him to his third successive title was a 1999 Husqvarna CR125 and it’s this bike that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Alessio Chiodi’s teammate was Thomas Traversini, a young up and coming Italian who had won the 1996 125cc European Championship, and if the truth be known, a lot of how this 1999 bike turned out what was because of the work that Traversini had put in since 1996. However, their bikes could not have been any more different. Whilst the base model for the bike was the same, in that they were derived from a production Husqvarna CR125, that is where those similarities ended.

Traversini was tall and slight whereas ‘Chicco’ was short and stocky which meant Chicco preferred a bike which was much smaller, in order to fit his physique and riding style. How did they do this? The Maddii Racing Team started by lowering the seat, usually by producing a lower foam base. The titanium sub-frame was also made specifically for him and was also lower. Finally, the ‘Poggipolini’ foot pegs were lifted from their standard position in order to help him through the turns. He also preferred a shorter handlebar width, preferring to cut them down from 81cm to 77cm. The bar mounts were also lower.

The front forks were upside down Marzocchi 45mm, however the rear shock was Sachs. Two years earlier the team, with Traversini and Claudio Federici, was running factory Showa units front and rear but Husqvarna decided they wanted to push as many standard parts as possible to help promote the standard bike in a good way. Around 1999, Marzocchi forks and Sachs shock came standard on the Husky, so they really had to develop this to maximise performance.

The main difference was with the fork; whereas the Showa forks were already closed cartridge, the Marzocchi was open cartridge thus offering a different feel for the rider.

In terms of set-up, Chicco preferred his forks to be much harder than his teammate but much softer at the rear. From a performance aspect this is where the main differences

were created, in order to give Chicco the perfect bike for him to go racing.

The stock bike came equipped with a 6-speed gearbox and this is what Traversini raced with. He preferred a more rounded performance, pulling from the bottom through to the top, which meant a lot of gear changes.

Chicco on the other hand opted for a 4-speed ‘box, where he felt he could maximise the bike’s mid-top power. As a result of the two rider’s individual set-up, Traversini’s gearing was much shorter to Chicco’s, who preferred a longer ratio. The result of this meant he would always run 3rd and 4th everywhere; less gear changes and longer power proved to be the better option.

As far as weight, the legal FIM weight limit was and still is 88kg. The factory Husky from Maddii Racing in 1999 weighted in at 92kg. By comparison the competitive Yamaha’s weighted in at around 96kg. These were racegoing weights; 4kg doesn’t sound much but it makes a difference. In fact, out on the track the bike was lighter, it had a nice light feel through the turns and Chicco could pretty much put it where he wanted. His corner speed was always high and coupled with the 37.5 horsepower which was being kicked out, all of this made for a great combination.

With Chiodi at the ‘bars he made winning look easy, but he could not have done this without the support of those around him. His mechanic Roberto Manucci put in countless hours and during an eighteen-month period the two worked well to develop the kind of bike that dominated the 1999 season. But it hadn’t always been like that, certainly in the beginning when Maddii started with Husky in 1996.

With the tuning ability of Corrado Maddii and the fact he was the one that always applied the pressure to the Husqvarna bosses to get stuff done, had it not been for Maddii, maybe the team wouldn’t have been half as successful. One thing that worked in their favour was that Husky was owned by the Castiglione family who owned Cagiva, so you had a bunch of passionate Italian’s, fiery at times,

always intense and all wanting the same thing. Success! With Maddii pushing for changes, for new parts, to get parts to fit that didn’t fit perfectly well, was not an easy task but in the end it paid off. Had Maddii not been so forthright and upfront and had Husky remained firm and stoic and refused to be lenient, this project would never have worked.

In 1999 Chiodi lined up looking to defend his world title for a second straight season. He won the first five GP’s in devastating fashion, taking six race wins and four second places. His only DNF came at the following round in Great Britain after placing second in race one. He went on to win three more rounds, taking his tally to eight for the season. He also managed one 2nd and one 3rd overall, and he missed the podium on two occasions. With 10 race wins, seven 2nd places and three 3rd places Chiodi dominated the season. His third title in a row meant that he became just the ninth person in history to achieve that feat. More than that though is the fact that Chiodi’s win was the last ever for Husqvarna in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

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L L A H

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ME A F OF

HAKAN ANDERSSON

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HEN THE FIM LAUNCHED THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, SWEDEN WAS ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC COUNTRIES IN THE 60’S, CLAIMING TITLES IN BOTH THE 500CC AND THE 250CC CLASSES. HAKAN ANDERSSON WAS THE PENULTIMATE SWEDISH WORLD CHAMPION AND THE FIRST ONE TO HAND A MOTOCROSS WORLD TITLE TO YAMAHA IN 1973.

Born on 29th June 1945 in Uddevalla, Hakan Andersson was always interested in bikes and cars and he actually studied mechanics. When he was 14 years old he started to practice on a 98 Rex and at the end of the 1962 season he did his first race on a 250cc Husqvarna. One year later he entered the Swedish Junior Championship and in 1964 he nearly won all the races that he entered.

Moving into the experts class in 1965 he slowly but surely improved his results and impressed the world when he finished on the podium at his first ever GP; a flat tyre stopped him from winning the second heat of the 1966 Swedish GP, but he got a stronger support to line up in the full series the following year. Sixth in 1967 he became the main rival of Joel Robert the following season. The Swedish rider won the GP in Holice and was the runner up in France, but unfortunately Andersson broke his leg during the 1968 Dutch GP when he was only two points behind the Robert in the standings. The season was over for the Swedish rider and in fact it took him nearly two seasons to recover from such bad injury. In 1969 he went back racing and Husqvarna gave him the opportunity to take part in the Trans AMA in the US in winter and his road to recovery continued through the 1970 season after finishing thirteenth in the 250cc world championship.

Finally, all his efforts to recover paid off and in 1971 he grabbed the national title on his factory Husqvarna and was on the podium six times to finish the season runner up behind Joel Robert. Hakan Andersson had been racing on a Husqvarna since his debut when he had to take a crucial decision after receiving an offer from Yamaha to develop their new 250cc. He finally joined the Japanese manufacturer that at that time did not have so much experience, but even if he did not score any points during the first GP’s, he succeeded in winning the Swedish and Swiss rounds later in the season to finish again runner up behind Joel Robert.

Working closely with the Japanese engineers to develop a new concept with the famous Yamaha’s monoshock suspension, he tested the new technology during winter time in the Trans Ama and started the 1973 season with strong results winning his first GP on the Yamaha during the third round of the series in Belgium. Hankan Andersson obtained five GP victories and won eleven heats out of the twenty-two that season. The Swedish rider was nearly unbeatable that year and obtained the first ever Motocross

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title for Yamaha in what was only his second attempt in the series, beating Adolf Weil and Heikki Mikkola. 1973 was a great season for Hakan, who also finished runner up at the Motocross of Nations with the Swedish team.

Unfortunately, Hakan Andersson was unable to defend his title in 1974 due to a serious back injury early in the season, but he was back racing for the second part of the World Championship and he finished six times on the podium.

In September he was in perfect conditions to race the national team races. On the podium at the Trophy of Nations in France with Bengt Aberg, Arne Kring and Ake Jonsson, Hakan was treated as a hero by the Swedish fans when the team won the MX of Nations on a Husqvarna!

Runner up in the 250cc World Championship behind Harry Everts in 1975, Andersson did his last races with Yamaha as the company retired from the GP’s and joined Montesa. In 1976 the Swedish rider entered the 250cc championship and the following year he finished 5th in the 500cc class. It’s at the Trophy of Nations that he enjoyed his last podium appearances, scoring a second overall with team Sweden in 1977, 1978 and 1979! Hakan retired from racing in 1980, but he stays involved in racing as he is one of the staff members at the MXGP of Sweden in Uddevalla.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1967:

6th in the 250 World Championship (Husqvarna)

1968:

7th in the 250 World Championship (Husqvarna).

Winner of 1 GP

1970:

13th in the 250 World Championship (Husqvarna)

1971:

2nd in the 250 World Championship (Husqvarna)

2nd at the Trophy of Nations

1972:

2nd in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 2 GP

1973:

250 World Champion (Yamaha). Winner of 5 GP

2nd at the Motocross of Nations

3rd at the Trophy of Nations

1974:

5th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha)

1975:

2nd in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

1976:

11th in the 250 World Championship (Montesa)

1977:

5th in the 500 World Championship (Montesa)

2nd at the Trophy of Nations

1978:

12th in the 500 World Championship (Husqvarna)

2nd at the Trophy of Nations

1979:

15th in the 500 World Championship (Husqvarna)

2nd at the Trophy of Nations

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S E K I EB

G A T IN

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DANNY LAPORTE

1982 YAMAHA OW57

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ANNY LAPORTE WAS AN AMERICAN RACER WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING HE KNEW IN THE USA IN THE HOPE OF ONE DAY WINNING A MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. HAVING BEEN DENIED VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE OF OTHER TEAM COMMITMENTS, LAPORTE’S CHANCE FINALLY CAME IN 1982, BUT IN ORDER TO DO THIS HE NEEDED TO SWITCH FROM AMERICAN HONDA TO A FULL FACTORY YAMAHA RIDE IN EUROPE, AND AFTER HELPING TEAM USA TO ITS FIRST EVER MXON WIN IN 1981 THINGS STARTED TO FALL INTO PLACE.

When all was said and done, the rider from Los Angeles, California, was crowned the 1982 FIM Motocross World Champion and it’s his 250cc Yamaha OW57 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

As a racer in the USA, Danny Laporte had just won one AMA title before his move across ‘the pond’ winning the 500cc motocross championship in 1979 whilst racing for Suzuki, and after a handful of wildcard appearances at the USGP at Carlsbad between 1978 and 1981, including a 2nd overall in ‘81 whilst Honda mounted under the gaze of Roger De Coster, Laporte put in one last request to try his hand overseas.

De Coster knew of Danny’s desire to race the world championship and after the 1981 season came to a successful end at The Nations, ironically, Laporte was told there were no vacancies at Honda for the world championship for the following season, but after a chat with former Yamaha world champion Heikki Mikkola, Danny Laporte was signed up for a spot in the 250cc class, as a replacement for world champion Neil Hudson, who vacated the class for the 500cc category.

With the first tests carried in the autumn of 1981, Laporte went to work with his Yamaha: ‘I had never raced a Yamaha prior to joining at the end of ’81 and I never tested Neil Hudson’s (world championship) bike either. The first time I tested the Yamaha OW was in La-Fares-les-Oliviers in the south of France. In the beginning I had a few issues with the steering but in no time at all we got it dialled in, and I felt like I could do anything with that bike. It was lighter than the Honda, not as much horsepower but it was a better, controllable power; not as powerful on top as the Honda, but it produced more bottom and mid which I like for the sand tracks!’

In its production form as a YZ250, the Yamaha had been upgraded from air-cooled to water-cooled but it wasn’t the only manufacturer playing around with this new technology at that time. Honda was already racing water-cooled bikes

in 1981 and Suzuki had been racing with water-cooled engines since midway through 1979 with Harry Everts in the 125cc class. So it was strange that Yamaha opted for older technology over new; or was it?

Lars Isaksson was entrusted as Laporte’s mechanic and he acknowledged the challenge that his rider had in adapting to the OW57: ‘For Danny, coming from the watercooled Honda to an air-cooled Yamaha was quite a step, but the bike was very, very light because it didn’t have the water-cooling; it was really trimmed up and a really good bike to ride. We did very few changes to it as well because he was happy with it right from the beginning, but mainly it was the carburettor settings that we had to change quite regularly because it was air-cooled. It was very sensitive on the carburettor because the compression was high to get the maximum power out of it.’

As for the rest of the bike, it was as factory as you could get, right from the ground up as Lars Isaksson explains: ‘The factory magnesium hubs were married to Excel Takasago rims and the chassis was a factory, hand made steel frame so nothing from production would fit it. The swingarm was factory and made from aluminium. The whole engine was full factory, including the piston and the ignition and the carburettor was a magnesium Mikuni 38mm with factory reed valves. The cases were also magnesium. The clutch and 5-speed gearbox were also factory.

The exhaust pipe and silencer were factory Yamaha and the front fork was 43mm Kayaba conventional type. The rear shock was Ohlins.

The forks were factory (production was 41mm) and were much lighter in weight than the production forks; the triple clamps were Aluminium.

Overall the factory bike was maybe 5kg lighter than production, but we were always right on the legal FIM limit back then.’

With the new season on the horizon Danny and his teammate, Britain’s Dave Watson, entered the usual preseason events, such as Beaucaire for

the final shakedown tests, and the more he rode it, the more ‘The Door’ liked what he was riding: ‘Getting closer to the season, the bike just kept fitting my style more and more; I could launch the bike off a jump on a rutted sand track and not worry how or where I landed. I could head into a turn so fast and pitch the bike into a berm and leap out of it with ease; I think the air-cooled OW bike was so light compared to the water-cooled bikes like Jobe’s, which was a big advantage. The water-cooled bikes had a bit more power and maintained that power but it was not worth the difference in weight savings over air-cooled bikes.’

When the first GP finally came around at Payerne in Switzerland, it was understandable that the newcomer to the world championship was nervous and as a result he failed to score points in the first race – points in 1982 were only awarded down to 10th, and he was already doubting his ability and the faith that Yamaha put in him: ‘This is where I felt that the team was worried they made a bad investment!

I had a bad start in the first moto, with too many fast guys to pass; I 149

was stuck, not relaxed, and let all the fast guys get away. I was a little psyched out! I had no confidence, yet.’

He rectified that by placing 2nd in Race Two. The second GP in Spain wasn’t much better and the best he could do was post 9-10. However, Round Three was a different story, and after placing 2nd again in the first race, he was struck down with his first, and only technical issue of the season in Race Two, as his mechanic Lars explains: ‘The only technical problem we had was at the GP in Belgium at Borgloon; the reed valve broke, and it was the only technical failure we had that year. Danny can confirm that; he was pissed off. I will never forget it; it was really stupid! On the way out to the start line the reed valve broke so he never even started the second heat.’

Danny was shorter with his response: Borgloon was a nice track but difficult. My reed cage screws holding the reeds came loose; actually I was feeling like I could win one moto that day.’

Everything changed at Round Four at Holice, Czechoslovakia, and he made the podium for the first time, finishing 2nd overall; he even sealed it with a race win in the second outing, and from there Laporte never finished off the podium during the rest of the twelve-round season. The highlights came when he won three GP’s in a row in France, Great Britain and The Netherlands, and lost out for a fourth straight win in a tie-break with Georges Jobe in Russia, but by then he was already leading the world championship.

Going into the final race of the season at Vimmerby, Sweden, on August 29th Laporte held an eleven point lead over Jobe and faced the biggest test of his career, and of course he was nervous: ‘I thought of every scenario all week long as you can imagine! But in the end I knew my speed and it was just up to me not to screw it up.’

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Lars Isaksson could see Danny was nervous and it didn’t help that his Japanese engineer, Mr. Sakurada, was also just as nervous, so the Swede stepped in to calm the situation: ‘Danny was so nervous and our Japanese engineer, Mr. Sakurada, was even worse, so I had to ask him to leave our tent because they were both like really, really nervous. So, I said to myself ‘I have to separate these two guys, because otherwise it doesn’t work!’

But not wanting to take any chances, Isaksson also called on the help of a friend, just in case: ‘Torleif Hansen was a Yamaha rider then and I knew him a long time, we grew up together, and I said ‘Torleif, whatever we do, we’ve got to help Danny today to become world champion’ and he said ‘yes, no problem.’

In the final race, Laporte took 2nd to Jobe’s 3rd and the title was his, and unlike Brad Lackey, who took ten years to become the first American to win a world motocross championship just 3 weeks earlier, Laporte achieved this feat in his first season. He had taken the challenge to Jobe and won, and the two shared a fantastic rivalry and respect for each other the whole way through: ‘I had so much respect for Georges; I learned a lot quickly from him and how he operated, which raised my level. For him the GP’s were his world; it encompassed everything. Winning the title was what I wanted my entire life and honestly, I remember being back home in Ketchum, Idaho at the time alone, saying to myself, ‘am I living in a dream? Was I really world champion? It was an amazing feeling!’

In that 1982 season, Danny Laporte won a total of seven races, took seven 2nd place finishes and two 3rd places on his way to the title. He also took three GP wins as well as two-seconds and two-thirds and beat Georges Jobe by 13 points.

Photos: Laporte , RacerX, Miller

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152

ME A F OF

JULIEN BILL, THE SWISS PRIDE

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HEN THE FIM LAUNCHED THE FIRST EVER MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1957, SWITZERLAND WAS ONE OF THE HOSTS OF THE SERIES. HOWEVER, THE COUNTRY HAD TO WAIT FIFTY-FOUR MORE YEARS BEFORE CELEBRATING ITS FIRST EVER – AND STILL UNIQUE – WORLD CHAMPION WHEN JULIEN BILL CLINCHED THE MX3 WORLD TITLE IN 2011.

Born on 2nd May 1983, Julien Bill had no connexion in his family with the sport when he received a little bike as a present when he was four years old. Two years later, even if he couldn’t touch the ground on his bike, ‘Little Bill’ entered his first race on a 60cc and went back home happy enough as he didn’t finish last! He never gave up and he collected the first one of many Swiss titles when he turned 10; later in the 80cc class he proved that he was one of the most promising kids in the country when he claimed two titles in a row and a third position in the 1997 European championship.

He had a first taste of GP’s when he tried to qualify for the 1999 French GP and scored his first points two years later at the prestigious Belgian GP in Namur while competing also in the European series. He learned the tracks and the job that had to be done during two more seasons before moving to the MX1 class in 2004 and showed such a promising potential that he joined the KTM team to compete in the MX3 World Championship. After a tough and busy winter alongside Yves Demaria in the team of Jacky Martens, he fought all season long for podiums and finally ended the championship in third.

Back in the MX1 class in 2006 he regularly scored top ten results, but got injured in Loket and didn’t finish the season. In 2007 Bill joined the Honda Martin team and although he struggled during the first part of the season, he obtained a couple of top six finishes later and got his first MX1 moto podium in Namur, definitively one of his favourite tracks!

The 2008 season was his best one in the main class with a final thirteenth position and several top eight finishes. However, at the end of the campaign he had to take a tough decision when he got an offer from the Aprilia factory. He jumped on the revolutionary RXV450 and received the “factory status” but he never got the results he was expecting during the following two seasons on the Italian prototype machine.

In fact, Julien Bill had no options for 2011 when he decided to race the last round of the 2010 MX3 World Championship in his native Switzerland. Bill decided to be back on a KTM for that race in Geneva and he won both heats. The Swiss rider could finally enjoy his first

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ever GP win in front of his friends, fans and family. That experience made him click and after spending all winter to find partners and sponsors, together with his father he built a private program to enter the 2011 season.

1993:

Swiss 65 Champion (Kawasaki)

Julien Bill was the winner of the first GP in Greece, but Milko Potisek won the following round in Bulgaria. The French Honda rider became a strong opponent, but thanks to the two consecutive double wins in Finland and Italy, Bill took an advantage over his rivals and continued his winning streak, winning all the rounds except the one in Bulgaria!

1996:

Swiss 80 Champion (Honda)

1997:

Swiss 80 Champion (Honda)

3rd in the 80 European Championship

1998:

Swiss 125 National Champion (Honda)

1999:

Swiss 125 National Champion (Honda)

2001:

Swiss 125 Elite Champion (KTM)

27th in the 125 European Championship

28th in the 125 World Championship

2002:

30th in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

Coming to the last round of the series in France with a little gap – twenty four points – over his main rivals, Julien Bill secured the title with another heat win in the first moto and concludes the season with his seventh GP win. Being the first ever Swiss rider to clinch a Motocross World title, Julien chose another challenge for what it would be his last racing season in 2012, riding two classes in his national championship. In fact, it was another successful year as he won both the MX2 and MX1 Swiss series! It was his last season, as a bad hand injury forced him to retire from racing.

2003:

41th in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

2004:

23rd in the MX1 World Championship (KTM)

35th in the MX3 World Championship

2005:

3rd in the MX3 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

Swiss Elite Champion

2006:

15th in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha)

2007:

15th in the MX1 World Championship (Honda)

2008:

13th in the MX1 World Championship (Honda)

2009:

17th in the MX1 World Championship (Aprilia)

2010:

34th in the MX1 World Championship (Aprilia).

19th in the MX3 World Championship (KTM).

2011:

MX3 World Champion (Honda). Winner of 7GP

2012:

MX2 and MX1 Swiss Champion

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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G A T IN

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A ERIC GEBOERS

1983 SUZUKI RA83 156

S WE ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON THE MXGP OF BELGIUM WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FITTING TO FEATURE A BIKE FROM A BELGIAN RIDER WHO DID SO MUCH TO ELEVATE THE SPORT OF MOTOCROSS; NOT JUST IN BELGIUM BUT ALSO IN THE WIDER WORLD.

Eric Geboers was a five-time world champion and also a promoter of the Belgian GP in his later years. His first title came in 1982 racing for Suzuki aboard the RA82, but it’s his 1983 title-winning RA83 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Despite the 500cc category being considered as the premier class in the FIM Motocross World Championship, Suzuki’s testing ground was actually the 125cc class, and anything from R&D that could be seen as a benefit to either the 250cc or 500cc classes was developed there; not just in the factory but more crucially, out on track. And whilst the 1970’s heralded the arrival of newer technologies and the introduction of the 125cc class in 1975, a major shift was starting to occur; Japan had not only entered the world of motocross but dominated almost from the off!

It was 1969 when Suzuki finished 3rd in the 250cc class at it’s first real attempt with Olle Petterson, but just one year later, Belgium’s Joel Robert became the first rider to win a title on a Japanese bike when he won the 250cc class for the fourth time. Fellow Belgian Roger De Coster took the 500cc title in 1971 at the first attempt on a Suzuki and by the end of the 1980 season, Suzuki had won no less than fifteen world championship titles across all three classes.

For Suzuki, 1981 marked another major landmark shift when it introduced the first water-cooled bike in the 125cc class. Harry Everts had won the 125cc title in 1980 on the air-cooled machine and followed this up by winning again in 1981 on the all-new water-cooled RA81. Not only that, the RA81 came equipped with the radical ‘Full Floater’ suspension system, a single-shock system which used a floating linkage at both the bottom and the top of the shock with a set of pull-rods connecting the system to the swingarm. To say it was a complicated system was a

massive understatement, but as far as suspension goes, it was a huge improvement to the overall handling of the bike.

As the defending champion in the class the focus was on Eric to do well, but in case of any problems or injuries, Suzuki hired an Italian by the name of Michele Rinaldi to be his teammate.

Rinaldi had just come from Gilera where he’d finished 3rd behind Eric and Corrado Maddii, his teammate. Both Eric’s and Michele’s bikes started out the same but in November ’82, both riders had the chance to fine-tune their machines for the following season with a test programme carried out in Japan.

According to Team Manager Sylvain Geboers, the RA82 and RA83 were very similar in that they were water-cooled with reed valves and ran the Full Floater suspension system, but there had been many improvements to finetune the handling and other areas that may have been ‘weak’ during the ’82 season. Areas that could have been improved by each rider included the power, by altering the timing of the exhaust port, the exhaust chamber, compression ratio or crankshaft inertia. From the chassis side they could adjust the front and rear suspension, alter the off-set of the steering bracket or maybe even the rear tyre, which could be changed from 17” to 18” for better stability.

Of course, it goes without saying that the RA83 was a complete factory bike like any RA, RH or RN bikes that were raced in the world championship at that time.

The RM125cc Suzuki was still not massively produced and so trying to compare the RA with the RM was pointless. All internal engine parts were factory; the piston was machined, the cylinder was steel-lined, the exhaust and silencer were created in-house.

Even the Nippondenso ignition was made specifically for this bike.

The carburettor was a Mikuni 36mm with the flath cut away. The gearbox contained six gears but the ratio and material was ‘special’.

The engine cases and wheel hubs were crafted from Magnesium for weight saving purposes.

Handlebars were also made inhouse from steel and for the 45-minute races, the fuel tank was larger and made from aluminium.

The frame was chrome molybdenum but the swingarm and Full Floater system was produced from aluminuim. The swingarm in particular was longer than the production version for better stability. At the rear, the Full Floater system operated with an Ohlins RCU spring whilst the front was suspended by 43mm conventional KYB forks.

As for performance numbers, Sylvain Geboers says there are no official numbers for output but according to Michele Rinaldi, he recalled that the Suzuki was maybe not as powerful as his ‘82 Gilera for instance. So, if that was the case, then how come the Suzuki was so good? With both riders using very similar settings, Rinaldi offered up this snippet of information: ‘The Gilera chassis was not as good as the Suzuki but the Suzuki 157

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Sylvain echoed some of those thoughts:

chassis, handling and bottom-mid power was really smooth, although the power was much less than Gilera; we were not even 30bhp and the Gilera was more than 3233bhp, the year before. But, with Suzuki, it was the whole package, because probably, with a little bit less power for the engine at that time, with those frames, with the linkage, it was helping the bike to go smoother and quicker. I remember the traction was very good, suspension was very good so it really was a great bike and great package, resulting from engine combination character, with big inertia which was helping a lot for traction, and on the bumps always making you in control.’

“QUOTE.”

‘With power delivery, the option was available and to be decided by both riders, race-by-race. The power band was very useable from bottom to top and compared to their rivals, our riders used a lot less clutch out of the corners because the ‘pick-up’ was easier.

The RA was a better bike; it was powerful, reliable and handled well. The clutch and gearshift was smooth and the brake performance was strong and the suspension never failed in any of the 45-minute races.’

During the 1983 season, Suzuki won 20/24 races that year with Eric winning 15 of them. And of the 12 GP’s, Suzuki won 9, with Eric winning 6. He also won five of the first six GP’s with a 1-1 score and he won the title with one round remaining at

Salo in Finland with two 4th place finishes. He won the final round at Holice in style with another 1-1, the perfect way to leave his 125cc chapter behind.

Having won the title in 1982 it was a successful title defence and from there he never looked back, winning three more titles along the way. Perhaps the final words should go to his teammate Michele though.

‘Eric was great! As a teammate he was faster, not everywhere but almost everywhere, and there was never one fight, never one problem, nothing to say. He was a great rider. From 1983, I learned to look at someone coming up from behind, being faster, especially in the sand, so I was really curious and I was looking at his way of training, what to do and where, because I knew he was the new generation after me. I think he was 4 years younger. But the way for him to live in Belgium, living in the sand, started riding with the bigger machine; I started on a 50cc, so it was completely different when I was 14, so then I learned a lot. He was a great champion, and he won many times,’ Michele Rinaldi remembers.

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L L A H

160

ME A F OF

DAVID “DP19” PHILIPPAERTS

I

N THE LONG AND RICH HISTORY OF MOTOCROSS, DAVID PHILIPPAERTS IS THE THIRD ITALIAN TO EVER WIN A WORLD TITLE AFTER ALESSANDRO PUZAR (250CC WORLD CHAMPION IN 1990) AND ANDREA BARTOLINI (500CC WORLD CHAMPION IN 1999). BUT HE HAS BEEN THE FIRST ONE TO CONQUER THE TITLE IN THE ‘MAIN CLASS’ AS THE MX1 WAS THE PINNACLE OF THE SPORT IN 2008.

David Philippaerts was born on 7th December 1983 in Italy, as his father moved from Belgium to Toscana when he was younger. Motorsports have always been part of David’s family; his grandfather was Belgian champion twice and his father was a motocross racer and later a professional motocross mechanic! David was only three years old when he received his first bike, but it was just for fun at that time. In fact, he was already ten years old when he entered his first races in Romagna, Italy.

Minicross vice champion in 1995 and fourth two years later in the Cadet championship, he reached the podium of the 125cc European championship in 2002 and joined the KTM Errevi team to enter the World Championship.

During three consecutive seasons he was the Italian champion and he gradually improved his GP results until he got a factory ride during the 2005 season when KTM was looking for a rider to replace injured Tyla Rattray.

It was a kind of dream for David, who won his first GP’s that season (France and South Africa) and finished fourth in the champinoship standings.

Confirmed by KTM for 2006 as factory rider, he won four GP’s that season and battled for the title with Christophe Pourcel and Antonio Cairoli; he finished third in the standings and he decided to move to the MX1 class when he turned twenty-three.

Following the pieces of advice of Georges Jobe, he made an astonishing debut in the main class in 2007 wining one heat in Portugal and his first 450cc GP in Germany on his factory KTM. That year he finished sixth in the series and he was again approached by Michele Rinaldi and signed for Yamaha and reached his dream to race in an Italian team with factory bikes!

David missed the podium in the opening round of the series in the Netherlands, but he was second in the one-race GP in Spain and tight in the points with Seb Pourcel in Portugal, so he left Agueda with the red plate in his luggage, just a few points ahead of Steve Ramon. The Belgian, his team mate Ken De Dycker and Josh Coppins were his main rivals that season but thanks to his consistency DP19 was always in the battle for the title. The Italian led most of the season, just giving temporary the red plate to Ramon after the Belgian GP in Lommel.

However, David reacted successfully as he won the following round in Loket and got back the series leadership. That season he showed how strong he was mentally when he beat his Belgian rivals in Lierop, one of the toughest

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sandy tracks of the series! In fact, he arrived in Lierop five points ahead of Ramon in the standings and he left the penultimate round of the series with a fourteen points advantage before the final round in Faenza. Racing a home GP is not always the easiest thing, but the support of the tifosis gave wings to David to claim the MX1 World title on his native soil!

David Philippaerts would never have again the possibility to fight for a world title, as several injuries (broken finger in 2009, twisted knee in 2010, broken wrists in 2011 and again in 2012) affected his potential, but as always he never gave up and kept the confidence of his team during those seasons. Winner of a GP every year from 2009 to 2011, he finally joined a Honda team in 2013 and got his best result that season at the Motocross of Nations where team Italy finished third behind Belgium and USA. With no other strong options for 2014 than racing as a privateer, David created his own ‘Team DP19’ with the support of Yamaha and learned a new job while he continued to race during three seasons. Helping young riders inside his team to become more professional, he finally retired from racing GP’s at the end of 2016, but continued his involvement with young riders, as his team became the official Yamaha squad for the European 250 class.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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2002:

3rd in the 125 European Championship (Suzuki)

2003:

22nd in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

2004:

19th in the MX2 World Championship (KTM)

2005:

4th in the MX2 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 2 GP’s

2006:

3rd in the MX2 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 4 GP’s

2007:

6th in the MX1 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 1 GP

2008:

MX1 World Champion (Yamaha). Winner of 2 GP’s

2009:

4th in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha).

Winner of 1 GP

2010:

3rd in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha).

Winner of 1 GP

2011:

9th in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha).

Winner of 1 GP

2012:

15th in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha)

2013:

11th in the MX1 World Championship (Honda)

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team Italia

2014:

10th in the MXGP World Championship (Yamaha)

2015:

15th in the MXGP World Championship (Yamaha)

2016:

33rd in the MXGP World Championship (Yamaha)

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S E K I EB

G A T IN

V

SEBASTIEN TORTELLI’S

1996 KAWASAKI KX125 164

S

EBASTIEN TORTELLI IS A RIDER WHO REALLY NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION, HAVING WON TWO FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, THE FIRST OF WHICH CAME IN 1996 JUST 36 DAYS BEFORE HIS EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY MAKING HIM THE YOUNGEST WORLD CHAMPION IN HISTORY AT THAT TIME.

‘Seb’ raced for the renowned team of JHK Kawasaki, owned and run by the late, great tuning maestro, Jan de Groot and whilst it was thought the bike that took Tortelli to the 125cc world championship was a full factory SR125, the reality was it started life purely as a ‘stocker’, and it’s this 1996 Kawasaki KX125 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Right from the very beginning Sebastien Tortelli was a Kawasaki rider, but after a few years of riding green from 65cc and 85cc, he switched to Yamaha for one season in 1994, his first venture into the 125cc class. However, that all changed in 1995 when he was taken under the wing of Jan de Groot, albeit as a satellite rider, with his own race truck, parents and trainer, a man by the name of Jacky Vimond.

The 1995 season proved to be a great success, in what was his first full season in the 125cc world championship where he finished 3rd overall. He took his first race win at Round Three at Cosquin, Argentina; his first podium (3rd overall) came at Norg, Holland at Round Five, but he had to wait until the penultimate round in Indonesia for his first GP win. In total he took seven podiums and 5 race wins. Prior to ’95, his only other previous experience was in 1994, just nine days after his sixteenth birthday that Tortelli raced the Belgian GP at Borgloon; he went 8-4!

During the off-season, there were not many changes to the bike, but the ones that were introduced certainly helped: ‘From ’95 to ’96 there was a bit of evolution on the chassis, they made the bike a little bit more stable, changed the swing arm a little bit, the foot pegs were a little bit bigger than stock, the engine was still tuned

by Jan de Groot and SPES was the one making the pipe. The bike was not a full SR Kawasaki from Japan, it was a bike that Jan de Groot made, but then we

had some parts from Kawasaki; not many because the 125cc class was not a class where they were making a lot of evolution at that time. So, the fact is, I was riding for them to do a little bit more evolution on the 125cc and that was really reflected on the production bike the year after.’

Seb’s mechanic was Petri Peuranpää from Finland, whose previous GP experience as a mechanic was with riders such as Kurt Ljungqvist in the 500cc class from 1991-1993, Marco Kovalainen in 1994 and Miska Aaltonen in ’95, and usually when a rider or mechanic switches from one team to another, it’s normal practice to start the new working relationship during the offseason in order to gel with each other, in order to gain a better understanding of one another ahead of the first race of the year.

However, this was not the case with this particular partnership, as Petri recalls: ‘Sebastien was in the USA during the winter and he came straight from there to Beaucaire in France for the pre-season International race. That was actually the first time I met Sebastien, at the race, with the 250cc bike (age 17). After that race we started to test with the 125cc, but working with him was really easy; I liked working with him. He was nice to me and there were never any problems.’

Whilst the bike may not have been a full factory SR125, the chassis was strengthened, the swing arm modified and the engine tuned by Jan de Groot.

There was one element though that was factory, and according to Seb, it was the suspension: ‘The chassis was really good and I loved the suspension; I think the suspension was a big part of the success that year with the setting from the factory Kayaba’s. The Kawi’ is a little bit longer bike so you have to know the bike to ride it well and it probably takes a little bit

more commitment than some others. For me, I liked the way the chassis was, even if it was a little bit longer bike, I knew how to handle it so it was natural for me.

I didn’t have much issue with it and because it was longer it gave me a bit more stability; I really like the way it handled.’

As for the rest of the bike, we need to turn to the knowledge of Petri Peuranpää.

‘The suspension was Factory Kayaba, with the front forks being 47mm USD, but the triple clamps from Kawasaki were Factory. The front brake disc was bigger but the rear disc was standard measurement; brakes were by Braking. The rear brake cylinder was also bigger.’

‘The frame was not standard but it was much stronger and was strengthened in some places. The swing arm was not standard, but it was modified. We also used bigger radiators and wider foot pegs, which were also stronger.

Of course, the engine was tuned

by Jan de Groot but we used a Factory ignition, a 36mm Keihin carburettor and a Factory clutch 165

with Magnesium cases. The exhaust pipe and silencer came from SPES in Belgium. The hubs were Factory and were much lighter than standard.’

Race to the Title Coming into the first GP of the season in Italy Tortelli was considered by many as a title candidate, but that all changed after two problematic races that resulted in 8-0 finishes: ‘The first race I broke the front brake calliper and I had to come into the pits where the mechanic cut the brake line so I could finish the race; the thing just snapped off. There was a problem in the making of it, there was a little defect. Then, the second race the water hose came off and the bike seized. I was really disappointed after the first GP because I felt after that it was gonna be a hard season, a long season especially with what happened, but we went back and did quite a bit of testing after that and we made some good evolution on the bike and that was enough to make it work for the rest of the season.

Even if I didn’t make a good start with the bike, I was able to have good speed which was the main thing.’

If anything, Tortelli’s starts were his weak point and this was down to a couple of reasons: ‘Hmm, I was a little bit heavy for that bike and I believe I was already 78 kilo’s at the time, so I was a pretty big baby for the bike, and the bike didn’t have that much bottom end so we pushed for more middle and top for it to get some speed with it; but it was a trade-off and really hard to get the starts with it.’

With engine tuning, some if it is down to mechanical know-how but sometimes you just get plain lucky, and there was one such incident that kind of fell into the laps of de Groot and the guys at SPES after a ‘get-off’ that resulted in a damaged pipe: ‘Jan was going over to Pierrot Slegers place at SPES quite a bit and actually we gained a little bit of evolution in the winter, which was good and during the season, actually there 166

was something funny; in Cussac, the French GP (Round 7) I crashed and bent my pipe and actually it was better power! And this happened in the first moto. When we put the new pipe on for the second race, and they asked ‘how was it?’ I said, ‘actually, it wasn’t as good’ so they took the old, bent pipe and brought it back to SPES to get a diagram on it from the Dyno, and they found I had more horsepower with it like that.’

Despite his problems at the first GP in Italy, Tortelli took control of the series after Switzerland, Round Two, and from there he was never headed. With a total of 16 race wins, the French ace won 10 of the 12 GP’s on offer and was crowned world champion in Slovenia with two rounds remaining, becoming the youngest ever world champion in the process. And for the man who guided him to it, Seb has nothing but praise: ‘Jan was like family, like my grandfather almost; very protective, very nice, never said a bad world about anyone and always very positive. Even when things weren’t going good, he was the one that started to pull everyone together to make things go forward. He was a real father figure in the team where he was the one taking care of the mechanics and riders and trying to get the best out of us so, very family oriented.’

And, during such a dominant season there were just two standout moments: ‘A ctually, it was the race with Paul Malin in Belgium; it’s the one where the most memories are at, when we battled in Nismes. That was a really good race. I really loved that one.

The other one was the MXoN at Jerez. That track with big up and downhills I really appreciated it.’

After his success in 1996 Sebastien Tortelli moved into the 250cc class, but injury curtailed his season whilst he sat 2nd in the standings with five rounds to go. However, he did go on to win the title in 1998, but that, as they say is a story for another day.

Photos: Haudiquert/Kawasaki

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L L A H

168

ME A F OF

CHRISTOPHE ‘CP377’ POURCEL

S

INCE HIS YOUNGEST AGE, CHRISTOPHE POURCEL HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN A MOTOCROSS ENVIRONMENT AND LOGICALLY HE STARTS RACING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF OLDER BROTHER SÉBASTIEN. CROWNED MX2 WORLD CHAMPION IN 2006 BUT SERIOUSLY INJURED ONE YEAR LATER, HE RECOVERS FROM INJURIES TO GRAB TWO US TITLES AND LATER CAME BACK IN EUROPE TO WIN SOME MORE GP’S IN THE MX1 CLASS. Borne on the 16th of August 1988 in Marseille, Christophe got his first bike very early as the family was already involved in the sport with his older brother Sébastien. After promising debut in the French minivert where he collected his first trophies and got his first title, Christophe entered for the first time the 80 European championship when he was twelve years old, and after two podiums in the series he finally got the title in 2003, winning five of the six races that season! Moving to the 125 in 2004, always with Kawasaki, he did his first Grand Prix appearance during the French GP in Saint Jean d’Angely and scores his first points with his 125 against the 250 four stroke; scoring other points in some of the last GP’s of the season, including a to twelve at Loket, he got some more experience before his first full campaign in 2005.

Even if he didn’t score any points during the opening round in Zolder, this season was successful for Christophe who enjoyed his first podium during the British round on Isle of Wight and later won his first heat at Loket, where his smooth riding style suits perfectly with the little grip of the Czech track. Fourth of the series he enters the 2006 season as the main opponent to Antonio Cairoli and both riders dominate their rival all season long; they came to the final round of the

series in Ernée close in the points, but Antonio who had two DNF’s that season couldn’t catch Christophe who triumphs in the last race of the season at his home GP. Antonio got his revenge the following year when he won ten of the fifteen rounds of the series; winning two of them, Christophe was runner up in the championship when they arrived to the thirteenth round in Ireland. It was a dramatic event for the Frenchie who lands on another bike during the warm up and seriously damaged his back and broke his sacrum.

After spending nearly one year to recover from a partial paralysis, Christophe made his racing come back in the United States of America inside the Pro Circuit squad. Winner of a US Supercross race early in 2007, he was immediately competitive and dominates the 2009 East Coast Supercross championship. With his smooth riding style he also did a strong Motocross season, just missing the title due to a technical problem after a long battle with Ryan Dungey. He repeats his domination in the 250 Supercross the following year, and got a back to back title; third of the outdoors as he was injured in the last part of the

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season, Christophe was looking for a 450 ride for the 2011 outdoors but just did two races before coming back in Europe to replace injured Ben Townley in the CLS Team. Racing the last four GP’s he won one heat in each of the last three rounds of the series, and got his first and unique podium at the MX of Nations with Team France.

After a busy winter preparation he had a strong 2012 season, fighting all year long for a final podium until being injured in Great Britain. With two GP wins and a total of eight podium finishes, he ends the championship in fourth position and decides to go back to the States to race the outdoors in 2015. Fifth of the championship on the factory Husqvarna he enters for the first time the 450 Supercross Championship in 2016 but contracted another cervical fracture and didn’t finished the SX series; sixth of the Motocross championship he will not race any more Supercross due to his injuries, and will finally retire at the end of 2017 after a last appearance in the Canadian Motocross Championship. Back in France last year, he’s now doing a few selected races and share his experience with young riders during training camps.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1999:

French minivert 60 champion

2000:

2nd in the 80 French championship (Kawasaki)

2001:

3rd in the Junior 80 FIM Cup (Kawasaki)

5th in the 80 European Championship

French 80 champion (Kawasaki)

2002:

2nd in the Junior 80 FIM Cup (Kawasaki)

2nd in the 80 European Championship

French 80 champion and French minivert 80 champion

2003:

2nd in the Junior 85 FIM Cup (Kawasaki)

85 European Champion

French 85 champion

2004:

34th in the MX2 World Championship (Kawasaki)

6th of the 125 European Championship

2005:

5th in the MX2 World Championship (Kawasaki)

French 125 Elite champion

2006:

MX2 World Champion (Kawasaki). Winner of 2 GP’s

2007:

3rd in the MX2 World Championship (Kawasaki).

Winner of 2 GP’s

2008: Injured 2009:

250 US Supercross Champion East Coast (Kawasaki)

2nd in the US Motocross championship

2010:

250 US Supercross Champion East Coast (Kawasaki)

3rd in the US Motocross championship

2011:

17th in the MX1 World Championship (Kawasaki).

2nd at the MX of Nations with Team France

2012:

4th in the MX1 World Championship (Kawasaki).

Winner of 2 GP’s

2015:

5th in the US Motocross Championship (Husqvarna)

2016:

6th in the US Motocross Championship (Husqvarna)

15th in the 450 US Supercross Championship

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L L A H

172

ME A F OF

TYLA ‘RATTERS’ RATTRAY

T

YLA RATTRAY IS ONE OF THESE SOUTH AFRICAN KIDS WHO REACHED THEIR DREAM AFTER LEAVING HOME TO JOIN EUROPE AND THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. INJURIES NEVER DIVERTED HIM FROM HIS GOAL, AND HIS SEVENTH ATTEMPT WAS THE GOOD ONE FOR THIS HARD WORKER GUY WHO CLAIMED THE MX2 WORLD TITLE IN 2008 BEFORE MOVING TO THE US FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF SOME OTHER FAMOUS COUNTRYMEN. Born on 12th November 1985 in Durban, Tyla was not at all involved in motorcycles when he was a kid, in fact it was his mum that gave him his first bike when he turned five. He entered a local race and immediately enjoyed racing, but the financial situation was tough as his parents split when he was young and the family had to make a lot of sacrifices so that Tyla could continue racing.

Tyla had the chance to join Tinus Neil’s team when he was thirteen years old, and the South African manager provided him all the facilities to race in decent conditions.

He became South African champion in 1999 and had the opportunity to travel to Europe to enter the first ever 85cc World Cup in Gaildorf, where he scored his first International podium with a third overall.

Tyla was only twelve years old when he left his friends to move to Europe as a member of the Vangani Team run by Tinus Neil.

In 2000 he mainly raced national championship events in Germany and the Netherlands, and joined the European championship in 2001. One year later he was racing the 125cc World Championship alongside Ben Townley and Tanel Leok, and got his

first ever podium in Genk during the Belgian GP when he was only sixteen years old. After two seasons and two top seven places (7th in 2002 and 6th in 2003), Tyla was ready to join the factory KTM team with whom he won his first Grand Prix in Spain during the second round of the season. With three GP wins and thirteen podiums, Tyla finished runner up in the series between his teammate Ben Townley, who won the World Title that year, and Antonio Cairoli.

Starting the 2005 season with a win in the opening round at Zolder, Tyla dislocated his shoulder in Portugal and missed most of the season. He was back racing for the last three rounds of the season and he won all of them showing that he was ready to be a title contender, but a series of injuries kept him away from challenging his rivals.

2008 was finally Tyla’s year and claimed the MX2 World Title, but it was a tough season as Tommy Searle never gave up, but thanks to his determination and twelve heat wins the South African clinched the title during the final round in Italy.

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KTM offered him the possibility to join the MX1 factory team, but Tyla was dreaming to race in the US and for the second time in his life he left behind all his friends to enter another challenge.

174

Once again he had to fight against injuries and he had to wait until 2010 to enter his first full series in the outdoors, where he was on the top of the podium twice and finished runner up of the championship. He was definitively more successful in Motocross than in Supercross, as he finished once more vice MX champion in 2011 while he only got four podium finishes during two supercross campaigns.

1999:

South Africa 80 champion (Honda)

3rd in the FIM Junior World Championship

2001:

15th in the 125 European Championship (KTM)

2002:

7th in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

2003:

6th in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

Dutch 125 champion

2004:

2nd in the MX2 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 3 GP’s

2005:

15th in the MX2 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 4 GP’s

Tyla went back to Europe in 2014 and race the MXGP championship for two more seasons before he retired when he turned thirty. Afterwards, he moved back to the USA and put all his experience and knowledge to train young riders.

Renowned for his work ethic and dedication to the sport, he remains involved in the sport with the Troy Lee KTM team and who knows? Maybe one day one of his three children will follow his footsteps!

2006:

4th in the MX2 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 4 GP’s

2007:

4th in the MX2 World Championship (KTM)

2008:

MX2 World Champion (KTM). Winner of 4 GP’s

2009:

9th in the US 250 Motocross championship (Kawasaki)

2010:

2nd in the US 250 Motocross championship (Kawasaki)

2011:

2nd in the US 250 Motocross championship (Kawasaki)

7th in the US 250 Supercross championship West coast

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

2014:

17th in the MXGP World Championship (Husqvarna)

2015:

13th in the MXGP World Championship (Kawasaki)

2012: 10th in the US 450 Motocross championship (Kawasaki) 2013: 8th in the US 250 Supercross championship West coast (Kawasaki)

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S E K I EB

G A T IN

V

GEORGES JOBÉ

1980 SUZUKI RH80 250

176

B

ELGIUM HAS ALWAYS BEEN REGARDED AS THE POWERHOUSE OF THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, AMASSING NO FEWER THAN 52 WORLD TITLES SINCE THE CHAMPIONSHIP BEGAN IN 1957, WHICH IS 29 MORE THAN THE NEXT BEST NATION.

And during a twenty-year period from 1968-1988 the tiny European country was responsible for winning 27 titles from a possible 53, or just over 50% to be exact. Riders such as Joel Robert (4), Roger De Coster (5), Harry Everts (4), Gaston Rahier (3), André Malherbe (3), Eric Geboers (4) and Georges Jobé (3) were responsible for that prolific win-rate during those two decades. Jobé won his first of five titles aged nineteen in 1980 in the 250cc category and it’s his 1980 Suzuki RH80 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Born in Retinne in 1961, Georges Jobé was just 17 years-old when he won his first 250cc Belgian national championship in 1978 and clearly had his eyes on a much bigger prize, and being Belgian meant he was already on the radar of some quite prolific racers, many of whom have already been mentioned above. However, it was Roger De Coster who gave him the leg-up he really needed in 1979, Jobé’s first full season the FIM 250cc Motocross World Championship, where he placed 7th overall.

‘I had noticed Georges upcoming talent while practicing on his family track in Retinne. In 1979 I was also the main Suzuki distributor through my shop in Louvain that was managed by Johnny Strijbos. Suzuki always gave me a works 250 for local events or the Motocross des Nations, but since I did not have much planned for ‘79 on the 250 I thought it would get better use loaning it to Jobé,’ recalled De Coster.

Loaning him the bike was as close as the Belgian legend got to helping out his young Belgian counterpart but it was enough for Jobé to catch the eye of Japan, and for the 1980 season Georges was armed with factory bikes direct from Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC).

Having ridden De Coster’s loaned RH79 to 7th overall in his rookie season, Jobé was already familiar with the overall set-up of the factory bike, but pre-season tests of the RH80 were still carried out in Japan during the winter, with the main difference being a new chassis for the latest offering. World titles had dried up somewhat for Suzuki in the 250cc class since Joel Robert raced to his sixth and final crown in 1972 and with Jobé at the ‘bars, Suzuki felt like

they finally had the man to bring them more success in the quarter litre category, especially since all of its efforts had been placed in the 500cc class with the likes of De Coster.

However, with De Coster slipping out of the top three in 1979, and moving to Honda in 1980, the focus was now on Jobé in the 250 class to come up with the goods, and he would have to do it alone, with no teammate to depend on as well; just his mechanic, Rayond Rebull, brother Claude and Johnny Strijbos.

As was the case in this era of racing, a factory bike was exactly that, unlike today where even the best factory bikes start life in production form. The handmade frame was a prototype, as was the aluminium swingarm.

The rear suspension units were twin shock whilst the front KYB fork was conventional 36mm. The wheels came with Magnesium hubs and D.I.D rims and the engine and clutch cases were also prototype, made from Magnesium. The fuel tank was aluminium and the exhaust system was made in-house at SMC. Nippon Denso provided the ignition whilst the carburettor was a 36mm unit from Mikuni. The factory gearbox came with five gears and the clutch was also a factory item. The drum brakes were made by Nissin but were twin-cam for extra stopping power. As for the engine, the bore and stroke was 68x68mm and with all the lightweight parts on the RH80, the weight came in at the FIM minimum allowed. In short, this bike was a combination of either works or prototype and would have been the strongest bike out there at the time.

Jobé’s season got off to a steady start with 3rd overall in Spain at Sabadell, courtesy of a 4-4 scorecard, but by the time he arrived at Marche en Famenne in Belgium and Round 4, Jobé powered to his first race wins and maiden career GP win in perfect fashion, going 1-1 and taking over the championship lead in the process.

From there, he was never headed. Two more GP wins came at Hawkstone Park, Great Britain (2-1) and Brou, France (3-3) as he dominated the championship, winning by an eventual margin of 86 points.

with two rounds still remaining, but had to play second fiddle to Kent Howerton of the USA, who was also mounted on a RH80 Suzuki. The only significance was that Howerton was already racing the Full Floater version as opposed to the Twin Shock bike of Jobé, who chose not to switch midway through the season; this despite Harry Everts switching to both watercooled and Full Floater technology mid-way through the 1979 season in the 125cc class.

The USGP at Unadilla turned out to be a memorable day for Suzuki as they not only won the championship for the first time in 8 years in the class, but also rounded out all three steps of the podium, with Howerton winning, Jobé 2nd and Darrel Schultz 3rd, taking the top three places in both races and the overall.

On his way to his first world championship, Georges Jobé claimed three race wins, six 2nd and five 3rd places. He won three of the twelve GP’s overall, finished 2nd once and 3rd on four occasions. He became Belgium’s sixth motocross world champion as a result of his title win.

Photos: Haudiquert

Jobé wrapped up his first world title at Unadilla in America in Race One 177

L L A H

178

ME A F OF

BEN TOWNLEY

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EW ZEALAND ALWAYS PROVIDED SOME FIERCE COMPETITORS IN THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT ONLY TWO OF THEM BECAME WORLD CHAMPIONS. A FEW YEARS AFTER SHANE KING BECAME MX3 WORLD CHAMPION IN 1996, BEN TOWNLEY CLAIMED A WORLD TITLE IN THE VERY COMPETITIVE MX2 CLASS AND JUST RACED ONE SEASON IN THE MX1 SERIES BEFORE MOVING TO AMERICA. Born on 9th December 1984 in Taupo, Ben Townley claimed multiple National championships in his native New Zealand before moving to Europe when he was just sixteen years old! Townley left his family and friends to join a German team involved in the 125cc World Championship. He started his first GP campaign on a Suzuki and he immediately showed some great ability on the bike and that season joined Tyla Rattray in the Vangani team managed by Tinus Neil, an enthusiast business man fan of motocross who was famous to invest on young talents.

After a strong winter training alongside teammates Tyla Rattray and Tanel Leok, Ben was the revelation of the 2002 season. The Kiwi rider was on the podium of the opening GP in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands, and he visited the rostrum regularly until he finally won his first ever GP in Sweden. He finished sixth that season and moved to the Champ KTM team of Kees Van der Ven in 2003, but he wasn’t able to fight for the title or even the podium as he struggled with injuries during the whole year.

In 2004 Ben Townley jumped on the brand-new prototype KTM 250 four stroke and he was “the man to beat”, winning nine GP’s on a total of sixteen and twenty-one heats! He became the leader of the series after the opening round in Zolder, and he dominated all his rivals beating Rattray by more than a

hundred points!

Ben Townley moved up to the MX1 class a few weeks after celebrating his twentieth birthday, and he was immediately a podium contender and fought with Stefan Everts, Mickael Pichon and Josh Coppins. He won the Spanish GP, which was only his second race in the main class, won three other rounds of the series including a double win in Castiglione del Lago and Saint Jean d’Angely, and later surprised his fans when he announced that he would cross the Atlantic Ocean at the end of the season to enter the US championships.

His first season was a tough one as he got injured before the opening round of the SX series but came back stronger at the Motocross of Nations where he got a podium result with team New Zealand.

His second season in the US was a better one, as he clinched the East Coast Supercross title in his first full SX season.

Fighting in the Motocross championship with teammate Ryan Villopoto, Ben finished runner up and offered a 1-2 to Mitch Payton, the Kawasaki Pro Circuit team owner.

He moved to the 450cc class as a factory rider inside the Honda team, but he got

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injured and missed the SX series, he was only able to race the last motocross events of that season.

In 2010 he finished fourth of the MX series and he again surprised everyone when he announced his comeback to the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Joining the CLS Kawasaki team he struggled again with injuries and officially retired at the end of the season. However, he made a surprising come back with team New Zealand at the 2015 Motocross of Nations, where he showed again how competitive and determinate he was! Third overall in his class with a second position in one race, he signed with Stefan Everts to comeback in the MXGP class on a factory Suzuki.

Working hard to prepare the season alongside Stefan, he scored a race podium in Thailand during the second round of the series, missed two of them due to a terrible flu and finally only raced eight rounds of the championship before announcing his final retirement.

Back in his native New Zealand, he remains involved in motorsport as he organizes trips and training camps in New Zealand.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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2001::

33rd in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

2002:

6th in the 125 World Championship (KTM). Winner of one GP

2003:

11th in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

2004:

MX2 World Champion (KTM). Winner of 9 GP’s

2005:

3rd in the MX1 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 4 GP’s

2006: 23rd in the US 250 Motocross Championship (Kawasaki)

3rd at the Motocross of Nations with Team New Zealand 2007:

US 250 Supercross Champion, East Coast (Kawasaki)

2nd in the US 250 Motocross Championship

2008:

27th in the US 450 Motocross Championship (Honda)

2010:

4th in the US 450 Motocross Championship (Honda)

32nd in the MX1 World Championship

2011:

33rd in the MX1 World Championship (Kawasaki)

2016:

18th in the MXGP World Championship (Suzuki)

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G A T IN

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STEVE RAMON

2003 FACTORY KTM 125 182

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TEVE RAMON FIRST ENTERED THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1997 WHERE HE FINISHED 28TH OVERALL IN THE 125CC CLASS. THE FOLLOWING YEAR HE IMPROVED TWO PLACES BEFORE PROGRESSING RAPIDLY TO 6TH IN 1999, A YEAR WHICH ALSO CULMINATED WITH HIS FIRST RACE WIN AND FIRST PODIUM APPEARANCE.

Eleventh in the year 2000 was followed up with 2nd overall in 2001 but after five years racing with Kawasaki equipment, the tall Belgian switched to the Champ KTM Team where he again placed 2nd overall in 2002.

However, in his final year in the 125cc class Steve Ramon won the title and it’s his 2003 KTM 125 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

When we think of KTM and the factory race team as it is today it is a pretty impressive set up to say the least, but it wasn’t always so corporate with both MX2 and MXGP operating as one. In 2003, Champ KTM was considered as the factory 125cc team and it was run by Kees van der Ven, a former racer with 18 GP wins across all three classes (125cc, 250cc and 500cc). He was 2nd overall in the 250cc class in 1980, before placing 3rd overall on five occasions between 1981 and 1987.

As a team owner, he experienced his first world title with Grant Langston in 2000 in the 125cc class but he would only have to wait three more years before his team would win again.

Steve Ramon moved from the Jan De Groot Kawasaki team in 2002 to join the Champ KTM team having just placed 2nd overall in the 125cc class and if he was looking for improvements, then he found them. He may have still placed 2nd overall in the championship and finished with the same number of podiums, but the difference was that in 2002 he added three race wins to his tally; back then of course, GP’s were run under a one race format, so a race win was also classed as a GP win.

Going into the 2003 season Ramon was considered as the favourite to lift the title and when the gate dropped for the season opener, 5th at Bellpuig, Spain, was not what he or the team were after, but a win next time out at Valkenswaard saw him rocket to the top of the

championship table, and from there he was never headed, although there would be no more wins from the next ten rounds.

But, before we go any further, let’s take a look at the bike in a bit more detail.

As a newcomer to the team in 2002, Ramon was more than used to the set-up of his machine and there were no significant changes to the 2003 bike other than a bit of fine tuning to the suspension and carburation settings. The chassis and swingarm were standard items and apart from the standard clutch, that is pretty much where the ‘off-the-shelf’ parts list ended.

The engine was a full factory unit straight out of Austria and came equipped with sandcast aluminium cases, not only for strength but also because the intake valve was at a straighter angle compared to standard. The cylinder head was provided by VHM and if any further engine modifications were required then the team were at liberty to add their own touch, on the basis that KTM were aware of the situation.

This would be via a post-event race report which was sent back to Austria every Monday. But in 2003, there were little or no such modifications required.

The bore and stroke were 54.0mm x 54.5mm, the reed block was factory and the carburettor was a 39mm Keihin PWK, which also came standard at that time. The team ran a factory spec piston for better reliability and the 6-speed gearbox gave the riders different options when it came to the start.

The clutch was hydraulic. The exhaust system was provided by DOMA and the CDI was factory.

As for the radiators, only the left side was bigger because on the right side there was not enough space due to the shape of the exhaust pipe.

As for the suspension, factory triple clamps housed the ‘special’ WP front fork; we say special

because the diameter was 52mm and came with a bigger axle.

As for the rear, the new linkage was still a few years away and so all KTM’s still ran with the PDS system, where the shock was directly attached to the swingarm. Haan wheels were married to Excel rims and the brakes were factory Brembo, complete with a larger 260mm disc at the front and a 240mm disc at the rear.

To help keep the weight as low as possible, there were a multitude of titanium parts, from inside the engine to the usual nuts and bolts, and the only carbon fibre that was on display was the skid plate, so you only got to see that if it was dry and/or there were a 183

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were different between the riders’ bikes was how they tailored the bike to suit them, whether it be different gearing, gearbox, jetting or suspension set-up. lot of jumps! But it still did what it was supposed to.

There were four riders on the team in 2003 with Ben Townley, Erik Eggens and Marc De Reuver, all going for the same goal as Ramon, and from that side at least, all bikes were the same spec in terms of engine set-up, they all had the same power curve, which was ‘really good off the bottom and strong all the way through and with a really wide power curve for a 2-stroke’ according to the chief mechanic, Harry Nolte. As for the power output, the bike produced somewhere in the region of 40-41 bhp which for a 125cc in 2003 was pretty impressive. The only things that

“QUOTE.”

The season itself was run over twelve rounds and it really was a season of two halves for Ramon. The first half was a little inconsistent, if you can call 5-1-4-2-6-2 inconsistent, but if he was to win the title, he needed to up his game due to the addition of Stefan Everts joining the championship from Round Four. Maybe that was the shot in the arm that Ramon needed because he went and delivered five podiums from the next five races. After placing 8th at the penultimate round at Loket, Ramon only needed an 18th from the final round at Ernée to secure the title, and when he crossed the line in 5th, Ramon was home and dry. As far as

weekends go, it doesn’t get any better than winning a world title, but if there was another weekend that stood out for the team then it had to be Round Two at Valkenswaard where the Champ KTM Team rounded out the first four places in the race.

Impressive!

That Ernée weekend has always been remembered as the round where Everts won all three races in the same day, in three different classes, but the 14th September 2003 will also be remembered for something else as well. It was the day that Steve Ramon became the last ever 125cc world champion and with it, the last ever 2-stroke world champion as well. It truly was the end of an era, because from 2004 there was no longer a 125cc or 250cc 2-stroke class; instead the dawn of the new era that is MXGP and MX2 was about to begin.

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L L A H

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ME A F OF

BROC ‘GOLDEN BOY’ GLOVER

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VEN IF HE RACED MAINLY IN THE USA, BROC GLOVER IS ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC ATHLETES IN THE MX HISTORY. WINNING SIX AMA MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ALL CLASSES, A RECORD WHICH STAYS DURING 20 YEARS, HE ALSO WON SEVERAL US GRAND PRIX AND WAS THREE TIMES MEMBER OF THE US WINNING TEAM AT THE TROPHY AND MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS. HE ENDED HIS CAREER IN EUROPE, RACING THE 250CC GP’S IN 1989.

Born on 16th May 1960 in San Diego, Broc was a busy teenager playing baseball and football when he got a little bike as present. His family were big fans of motorcycles, and when his older brother started racing, Broc had more interest in Motocross and entered his first race when he turned thirteen. It took him a few more years to join the Pro’s, but after some successful races, he entered the AMA nationals just a week after he turned sixteen. In his first race as a Pro he confirmed his potential as he was running second at Red Bud, until his chain fell off the bike! Later in the season Broc won his first moto at Houston and ended fifth of the series, results that helped him sign his first contract with Yamaha in 1977.

1981 and was immediately successful, winning his fourth title within five seasons! He also won the famous Trans AMA, but he wasn’t as successful when he moved to the 250cc class, so in 1983 went back on a 500cc and he experience what it might have been his best ever season.

For the first time Broc finished on the podium of the Supercross series, and he also dominated the 500cc Motocross championship and joined for the first time the US Team at the Nations. Broc won one heat at the Trophy of Nations in Sverepec and at the Motocross of Nations in Angreau, becoming the best individual US rider.

His first season as factory rider was a great one, as Broc won his first US title in the 125cc class; it was the first one of a long and unusual series, as he won again the championship in 1978 and 1979! He had a first Grand Prix experience in 1978 when he dominated the USGP in Lexington, and then became a regular contender at the American round of the World Championship.

Runner up in the 1984 AMA Motocross championship and winner of the USGP in Carlsbad, Broc was called in September to replace injured David Bailey in the US team at the Trophy of Nations.

It was another exciting experience for Broc, who finished twice runner up behind teammate Jeff Ward to secure another overall win for team USA. 1985 was another great season for Broc, who got his best overall result in Supercross – runner up only two points behind Ward – and won

In 1980 Broc lost the 125cc title and decided to move to the 500cc class in

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another 500cc motocross title to secure his sixth national title! It was the last successful season for Broc who injured his wrist towards the end of the campaign and spent nearly one year to recover.

He was again in good shape when he broke his leg and spent most of his time in hospital and re-education centres. In 1988 was back in the top five of both the SX and MX championship when he announced his retirement from Pro racing at the end of the season but finally came back racing in Europe when KTM hired him to enter the 250cc World Championship.

Broc has always declared himself a super fan of the Motocross World Championship, and although he wasn’t that successful, he enjoyed his last racing experience at the Grand Prix and ended his career with a moto win during the last Grand Prix of the season!

After his retirement Broc has remained very active in the sport and visits regularly the Motocross of Nations, as he has been Dunlop’s senior manager of Off Road in the USA for several years.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1976::

5th in the US 125 Motocross championship

1977:

US 125 Motocross champion (Yamaha)

1978:

US 125 Motocross champion (Yamaha)

13th in the 125 Motocross World Championship.

Winner of 1 GP

1979:

US 125 Motocross champion (Yamaha)

16th in the 125 Motocross World Championship

1980:

2nd in the US 125 Motocross championship (Yamaha)

4th in the US 250 Supercross championship

1981:

US 500 Motocross champion (Yamaha)

8th in the US 250 Supercross championship

1982:

3rd in the US 250 Motocross championship (Yamaha)

5th in the US 250 Supercross championship

1983:

US 500 Motocross champion (Yamaha)

3rd in the US 250 Supercross championship

15th in the 500 Motocross World Championship

Winner at the Motocross of Nations with team USA

Winner at the Trophy of Nations with team USA

1984:

2nd in the US 500 Motocross championship (Yamaha)

17th in the 500 Motocross World Championship.

Winner of 1 GP

Winner at the Trophy of Nations with team USA

1985:

US 500 Motocross champion (Yamaha)

2nd in the US 25O Supercross championship

1988:

5th in the US 250 Motocross championship (Yamaha)

4th in the US 250 Supercross championship

1989:

8th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

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JOEL SMETS

1995 HUSABERG 600

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ITH FIVE MOTOCROSS WORLD TITLES AND FIFTY-SEVEN GRAND PRIX VICTORIES UNDER HIS BELT, BELGIUM LEGEND JOEL SMETS SITS AMONGST THE TOP FIVE RIDERS ON THE ALL-TIME WIN-LIST, MAKING HIM ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL RIDERS THIS SPORT HAS EVER SEEN. A LATE STARTER TO RACING, SMETS LINED UP FOR HIS FIRST RACE AGED 17 IN 1986 BUT IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE HE WAS MIXING WITH THE WORLD’S ELITE.

After placing 3rd overall in the 500cc world championship class in 1993 with a GP win in Germany, he followed this up with his first GP race win in 1994 en-route to back-to-back bronze medals, before clinching his first world title in 1995, aged 26. And, as luck would have it, it’s Joel’s 1995 Husaberg 600 that we will be taking a closer look at in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

COMPLICATED HISTORY When ‘The Flemish Lion’ clinched his first world championship in 1995 he became Belgium’s eleventh different world champion, but what was special about this win was the fact that he did it on the littleknown brand of motorcycle called a Husaberg; but before we talk in depth about Smets’ title winning bike, let’s talk about how this bike first came to fruition.

As avid motorcycle fans we have all heard of Husqvarna, and whilst the brand has seen an upturn in its fortunes over the past few years, it wasn’t always the case. The 1980’s times were hard for the then Swedish brand, and at the end of 1987, Husqvarna was sold to the Italian motorcycle company Cagiva. However, when production was shifted from Sweden to Italy, not everybody was on board and as a result, a whole host of Husqvarna engineers, designers and test personnel decided to remain up north. Heading this group of ‘Husky’ die-hards was a man by the name of Thomas Gustavsson, who was Husqvarna through-and-through, and in January 1988 he registered Husaberg Motor AB as an official motorcycle brand, and from a woodshed on the shores of Lake Vättern in a town called Husabergs Udde, the first motorcycles were eventually rolled out.

Originally, the idea was to build enduro bikes but Gustavsson

also realised he needed to expand in other areas, and after Joel Smets placed 4th overall in the FIM 500cc Motocross World Championship in 1992 on a private Honda, the proud Swede knew he’d found his man to help put Husaberg on the map. With little budget upfront, the lure of riding a 600cc four-stroke had Smets all fired up and in 1993, the Belgian raced to 3rd overall in the championship, and whilst there were no race wins during the season, Smets was able to claim the first podium places of his blossoming career, including a maiden GP win in Germany at Teutschenthal.

To be honest, it was a great bike; the crankcases, crankshaft, cylinder … I think the cylinder might have been a Husaberg standard thing but then the cam shafts and stuff like that were really artisan, a real piece of work, like homemade, like real old school; real artists with a real passion for engines and stuff, and yeah, that bike was a real nice handling bike with really good power.’

However, by the time the 1994 season came around, Smets took to the grid on a Vertemati, another unknown brand out of Italy, but what was this bike and how did this deal come about?

BACK TO BASICS

According to Smets, ‘Vertemati was the Italian Husaberg importer and in 1993 Vertemati was already running the team, but my bike was still a Husaberg. And then at the end of ‘93 Vertemati were a little bit upset with the lack of support from Sweden, so they decided to build their own bike, based on the Husaberg but re-named Vertemati. Essentially it was the same team as 1993 where I rode a Husaberg, which was a full Swedish bike prepared by Vertemati, but the ’94 Vertemati was a handmade, hand-welded frame; the cranks cases and stuff were all hand-made, the swingarm was handmade from one massive piece of aluminium.

Actually the hand-welded frame was based on the same geometric measurements as a Honda CR500, because the CR500 was a nice handling bike; okay, suspension was not always easy to set up but the handling was great, so these brothers they just took the measurements off the CR500 and made their frames, swingarm and even the linkage, with a way more progressive link than the Husaberg had and yeah, I won my first moto’s on the Vertemati.

As a result of this prototype bike, Smets still managed 3rd overall in the championship but it was a relationship that would last for just one year.

For 1995, Smets was back on a Husaberg; a real one, and not a genetically modified one at that: ‘In ‘95 we split with Vertemati because me and Ludo Van der Veken, my tall mechanic, we wanted to stick more with the factory; for the future we thought it was the better choice to make. So, for ‘95, we were running our team from Belgium with full support from Sweden.

From the geometry side, the ’95 bike was the same as the standard bikes from Husaberg, we only had to make them stronger because the frames were a little bit weak; Vertemati would always say ‘Joel, this is no steel, this is chocolate!’ but somehow they were right because those frames were not prepared to take the obstacles we used in racing, like the big tabletops and stuff like that. The bikes were originally designed for enduro. But from that side, we already had to work hard in ’93, so we had some experience from ‘93 because that was again based on a standard Husaberg bike.’

‘But, that standard geometry from the Husaberg always suited me really, really well but, as I already said, we really had to make the frame a lot stronger and we had to work on the filter; it was bit of an issue because the top of the frame was a steel 191

tube with the filter let’s say on the top of the tube, and the air was going through the frame to the carburettor and it was a small filter. In Lommel after 15 minutes the bike would be struggling to breathe. So, we had to find a solution for that and also for the linkage we had to work on that to get it ready to race – already that race slogan for KTM actually comes from Husaberg; Husaberg was ready to race, but actually it wasn’t really.’

With the handling set-up dialled in, the engine needed a bit of work to make it easier to race and one of the things that did not feature on the ’95 Husaberg was the hydraulic clutch that Vertemati managed to incorporate on to the ’94 bike, something that was a real cause of concern for Smets: ‘I was often struggling with the starts in ‘94, with the feel and the release; it was not like a KTM is now let’s say – now the KTM clutch feels like a cable clutch – so I messed up quite some races or sometimes stalled the bike …’ which inevitably cost him championship points, so as a result the team decided to revert back to what they knew, and a cable clutch was reinstalled.’

As for the power delivery, Smets’ mechanic Ludo went to work on the engine to make it more rideable as the ’94 (Vertemati) had quite a brutal power delivery, it was more aggressive with a lot more torque, something that Smets actually quite liked; ‘The 600cc didn’t rev to 15,000 rpm but it didn’t need to for me because I really liked that torquey, low-down feel about it, and so the ’94 and ‘95 were both very similar. Ludo managed to smoothen out the ’95 bike, he made the power curve less aggressive and more linear and I could really put the power to the ground.’

IN SHORT

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In a nutshell then, the bike underwent some transformations to turn it from a Vertemati and back to a Husaberg and whilst there were some standard elements, there was still a bit of trickery attached as well: ‘We had a normal cable clutch in ‘95 which was pretty much standard, and standard crankcases. The only thing different was the body work, because of the filter; we had to make a bigger filter, we had a handmade, custom-made aluminium fuel tank, kevlar radiator shrouds and carbon fibre rear fender but as soon as it was a bit muddy … BOOM! Fender gone, because it was cracking. But it was really nice, and really light. Apart from that, it was pretty standard, even the geometry measurements.

I think it was something still left over from Husqvarna and Thomas Gustavsson, like even for the special tests in Enduro it was handling really well. I was always really surprised when people asked ‘how could you turn that quick with that tractor?’ but I always felt like it was … ok, it was 600cc and it was a big bike but because of the sound; it ‘sounds’ heavy but that bike was not much more heavy than a 450, let’s say between 110-115kg and they are not much less than that now. How I could play with the torque of the bike, it was exactly that which made the handling easy for me. I used that torque both ways, on acceleration and on braking and I used it to my advantage. Like off-camber corners, you can ask Harry Everts when we went to the ‘95 MXdN at Sverpec; that was a track with off-cambers.

I could jump down those hills, on the gas and then shut it off, maybe a bit of rear brake – but not much – shift down, and then I could just play with the throttle holding a nice tight, inside line and then suddenly just open up the throttle and go! Harry was like ‘ooh! How do you do that?’ but for me it was just standard.’

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According to Joel’s mechanic Ludo Van der Veken, the 1995 Husaberg was actually quite radical, as he recalls: ‘This was the most unique project with Joel. The bike was completely different from the standard version and was fully adapted for motocross by us because at that time, Husaberg concentrated mostly on enduro. The big difference compared to now is that we had the freedom from the factory to build this bike ourselves, with the cooperation of Husaberg, of course, but 80% of the bike was built in Belgium. For instance, I made the moulds to produce the radiator scoops which were made from Kevlar, and the seatbase mould so we could make this part from carbon fibre. We are very proud of this bike.’

FIRST TIMER As for the season itself, things couldn’t have started any better as Smets recorded a double-race win at the opening round in Portugal and it was clear from the get-go that the title would be between two riders; Joel Smets and Trampas ‘Chad’ Parker.

After a DNF in the first race at round two, Smets had to flex his muscles to let his pursuers know that he was ‘in it to win it’ this time around, and if one race in particular stood out for the Belgian, it came as early as the third round at Wohlen in Switzerland where he and Parker went head-to-head: ‘I had a really good fight with ‘Chad’ in Wohlen, where I won the second moto after a real good, race-long fight with him.

It was still the first half of the season so it wasn’t like it was a title-winning moment let’s say, but I had shown my strength and he knew he would have to fight hard if he was to win the title, so of course, I took a little mental advantage.’

By the time the final round came around at Reutlingen, Germany, Smets had a slender 19-point

lead over Parker, but there were still 40 points on the table (back then, first place was awarded 20 points for the race win, 17 for 2nd 15 for 3rd and so-on with only 15 riders collecting points in each race). And if he didn’t need already reminding of Parker’s presence in the title fight, at the penultimate round in Holland, it was Parker who won an epic second race thriller that would see the title race go to the final round of the season which left Smets feeling a little nervy throughout the final week of the season: ‘In Rhenen, Chad was winning; he beat me on the finish line, but you already knew from the beginning of the season I was not gonna win it two races before the end, and it was my first championship, so it was the first time I was really in the running all year long, and leading the championship, or sometimes not leading the championship; I’d never had that experience before. It was an exciting year and a stressful year; I can tell you, that last week going into Reutlingen, I didn’t sleep a lot, eh? Ok, it’s not affecting you too much because the adrenaline and stuff, you have so much energy but I hadn’t slept a lot, because you’re on the edge of winning your first world championship, something which you’ve always dreamed of your whole life, and 19 points is a lot and not a lot; there were still 40 on the table.’

As it turned out, Smets was able to wrap up the title in the first race, but not in the way you would usually expect: ‘The funny thing about this, and it’s not about the bike and not a lot of people know this, but Didi Lacher, and you should ask him about this one day, but there was always a little bit of an ‘unwritten law’ that when it was the championship decider, you were not gonna mix it up with those guys going for the championship; you would just let them get on with it. In

Reutlingen, Didi was always really strong in Germany, I took a decent start in the first moto, I got into the lead but I could feel Didi behind me, and I thought, man! Didi is behind me, and yeah, there was no need to take risks at this point because Chad was back in 5th place and then suddenly I felt like Didi wasn’t pushing anymore. He was following, and I wasn’t pulling away from him, nobody else was really pushing and I said ‘wow! That’s a pretty fair kid, not really making me nervous, and when I went into the final lap and I knew that Chad was still far behind in 5th or 6th or something, the last corner before the finish line I stopped and let Didi win the moto, in front of his fans!’

‘A lso, he didn’t expect it because I was about to win the championship; to see all my fans there, there were thousands of people from Belgium there waiting for me at the finish line and then suddenly, one corner before the finish line I stopped?

Even now, I still have a hard time to realise how I did that actually, how I came up with the idea to do that because everything you’ve been dreaming of for so long, to cross the line as world champion (with a win) … and actually, in the second moto I did the same thing with Dirk Geukens because he was riding for Husaberg Germany. Again, I was leading and also one corner before the end, Didi was a bit further back and couldn’t win the overall, because if it had been about the overall it would have been different probably. But, one corner before the end, Dirk was in 2nd and I had to wait a little bit because I had pulled away a bit, but I let him go and win the moto. I still won the overall, I think Didi and Dirk were still 2nd and 3rd in the overall on the day, but I gave away two moto wins on that day, on that ‘95 bike, with good brakes … to let them by!’

CROWNING GLORY

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Two weeks after his first world championship Smets lined up for Belgium at the Motocross des Nations at Sverpec in Slovakia, where he helped his team to its first victory in fifteen years, but something happened that day that has never happened to him since, and it had something to do with a faulty start gate, as he explains: ‘The fastest I have ever gone on a motorcycle was at the MXdN in Sverpec. There was a problem with the gate; in the first moto my gate didn’t drop, it only dropped halfway, and so by the time I had gone around the gate, 39 riders had gone. I was mad, so I flicked the throttle and halfway

“QUOTE.”

through the start straight I signalled to everybody to go look at the gate because I felt so setup, mad, pissed off, because it was not fair. We were there to win that thing and we felt strong and we really thought that this was not fair to start the day like that.’

‘When the race director went to the gate and saw that the chain that connects to the pin was broken, and my pin was still in, they could see that this was not the riders fault but a mechanical failure of the gate. And do you remember where the finish line was before you go up the big uphill? Well, from the start, starting 40th, in that half a lap, three quarters of a lap, I had caught up to 11th. I was passing riders inside, outside, no matter where! That was the fastest I have ever been on a motorcycle, to be honest. So, then the race was red-flagged, and then on

the re-start, and after half a lap, I came around 12th, one place lower than when I started last!

Anyway, I didn’t win a moto but Belgium won the Nations; on the old school tracks, with off-cambers, or when the track had the right kind of moisture, it was so good. Maybe you should ask Gert Jan van Doorn, he was normally already quite good on those types of tracks but I nailed it around the outside of him and he said ‘how is it possible, I thought you were going into the fence …’ and that was the fastest I have ever been on a bike, but I couldn’t do it afterwards.’

On his way to the world championship in 1995, Joel Smets took nine race wins and won five GP’s, the most he had ever accomplished in a season at that point of his career.

Adding the Nations win was a bonus. During his time with Husaberg, the Belgian claimed three world title in four years in 1995, ’97 and ’98 making this his most successful period with the same brand of motorcycle.

He would go on to win twice more for KTM in 2000 and 2003.

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ME A F OF

JOHN BANKS

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WICE RUNNER UP IN THE 500CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, JOHN BANKS WAS ONE OF THE BEST BRITISH RIDERS IN THE 60’S AND 70’S. HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC AMBASSADORS OF THE BRITISH MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY, DOING MOST OF HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER ON BSA AND CCM. Born on 16th April 1944 and son of a successful builder, John Banks started racing after buying a Greeves to Dave Bickers, the European champion, and showed enough potential to get some support from the DOT motorcycle company. He was only nineteen years old when he entered his first GP and impressed everyone as he finished third at the 1963 Swiss Grand Prix. However, he had to wait three more years to get a ride in the BSA factory team, alongside Jeff Smith, the reigning 500cc World Champion. Racing only a few rounds of the championship in 1967, he was the revelation of the 1968 season.

With a strong physical condition, John was successful on the heavy four-stroke machinery against the light CZ and Husqvarna. He won his first individual moto in Finland when he beat Pauls Friedrichs and was the most successful rider during the second part of the season as he claimed five podium results during the last five rounds including his first GP wins in France and Netherlands!

At that period only seven of the thirteen rounds were selected for the final classification, and even if he scored more points than all his rivals, he would finish runner up only one point behind Paul Friedrichs.

British champion for the first time in his career, he was the best ‘four stroke’ representative in the World

Championship as he placed his BSA in the top six between two CZ and three Husqvarna. He began the 1969 season with podium results in the opening GP in Austria and at round 3 in the Netherlands, and won the fifth and sixth round in Czech Republic and Russia to take the leadership of the championship with a little advantage over Bengt Aberg and his Husqvarna. However, to compete against the powerful two strokes, BSA had to take some risks and John suffered technical issues during four of the last six rounds and missed again the World title.

Forced to miss the 1970 GP’s due to a knee injury, Banks came back racing later and won his third consecutive title in UK. To prepare the following season he went to USA and raced the Trans AMA, where he finished runner up behind teammate Dave Nicoll. In 1971, still loyal to BSA factory, he would not be rewarded for his loyalty, as the factory ceased operations at mid season and forced him to find a Husqvarna to finish the season in Europe, and a CZ for the Trans AMA and the 1972 GP campaign. His riding style suited more the four stroke engines, so

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he accepted an offer from Eric Cheney who provided him a BSA B50, becoming the only rider using such engine in the 1973 World Championship. He scored several top five results and impressed everyone during the USGP after finishing third and fourth.

John Banks joined Alan Clews, who developed a CCM (Clews Competition Motorcycles) on a BSA base, but success eluded him, often because his punishing riding style simply broke the bike! He got his last significant results in 1974 and 1977, including a second position behind Heikki Mikkola during the second moto of the British Grand Prix and a podium result at the Motocross of Nations with the British team in Cognac (France). After this last great performance, he retired with four British titles, four Grand Prix wins, several British distinctions (East Anglian Sports Personality of the tear, four BBC Grandstand Trophy titles) and last but not least two “vice champion’ titles in the prestigious 500cc World Championship. Before retiring from racing in 1973 he opened a garage in his native town of Bury St Edmunds and became a Honda dealer and developed a multi franchise dealer group that is still very active in Suffolk.

Text: Pascal Haudiquert

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1966::

15th in the 250 World Championship (DOT)

1967:

12th in the 500 World Championship (BSA)

1968:

2nd in the 500 World Championship (BSA). Winner of 2 GPs

500 British Champion

1969:

2nd in the 500 World Championship (BSA). Winner of 2 GPs

500 British Champion

1970:

2nd in the Trans AMA (BSA)

500 British Champion

1971:

7th in the 500 World Championship (BSA-Husqvarna)

11th in the Trans AMA (CZ)

1972:

13th in the 500 World Championship (CZ)

1973:

11th in the 500 World Championship (BSA Cheney)

500 British Champion

1974:

15th in the 500 World Championship (CCM)

1976:

27th in the 500 World Championship (CCM)

1977:

11th in the 500 World Championship (CCM)

3rd at the MX of Nations with team Great Britain

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G A T IN

V

DAVE STRIJBOS

CAGIVA 1986 WMX125

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HEN DAVE STRIJBOS WON THE FIM 125CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1986 HE BECAME THE FIRST RIDER FROM THE NETHERLANDS TO BE CROWNED WORLD CHAMPION, AND AT EIGHTEEN YEARS, NINE MONTHS AND SIXTEEN DAYS, HE ALSO BECAME THE YOUNGEST EVER WORLD CHAMPION AS WELL, A RECORD WHICH WOULD REMAIN INTACT FOR ANOTHER TEN YEARS.

The bike that took him there was a Cagiva WMX125 and it’s his title-winning machine that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Davy’s rise to the top was pretty meteoric to say the least; his first GP was in 1984 at Vittorio Veneto, Italy, where his 6-4 netted him a very credible 5th overall. However, just one week later at Stevensbeek, The Netherlands, the Dutch teenager stole the show in front of his home fans to claim his first GP victory with a 2-1; and at sixteen years, five months and seven days, he also became the youngest GP winner in history at that time. His debut season would see him finish 6th overall in the final standings.

The following year the Venko Honda rider claimed 2nd overall in the final standings, losing the championship by just 9 points to Finland’s Pekka Vehkonen, but that does not tell the whole story. At a muddy Holzgerlingen in Germany, Strijbos led the championship by 13 points over Corrado Maddii, with Vehkonen 28 points off the pace, but a rueful error by Strijbos would prove expensive, as he recalls: ‘Yeah, that was my very bad story from that year because in ’85 it was not allowed to make practice with two bikes, so I made a mistake on Saturday because it was raining a lot and I couldn’t move anymore with my first bike. So, I made a big mistake there to take the second bike; I was thinking, okay, nobody see it because there was so much mud, but there was one man who did see it – Jan Witteveen (Cagiva Team Manager) – and he made a protest to me and then the Jury decided that I needed to start on Sunday from the last position on the gate.’

Despite taking 2-5 in the races, Witteveen intervened again and eventually Strijbos would lose his (28) points altogether and lost the championship lead to Vehkonen in the process. Strijbos ended the season 2nd but with eight race wins and four GP victories, he had shown he was, on paper at least, the fastest rider in the class.

With the 1986 season on the horizon, Strijbos then announced he was leaving Honda for Cagiva, teaming up with the man who (probably) cost him the championship the year before, Jan Witteveen. It was purely business; Cagiva knew Strijbos was the fastest rider in the class and wanted him on the team, and Davy just wanted to win the title, but initially, it was not an easy decision for the young starlet to make: ‘First of all, I wanted to stay with Venko Honda because those people were good for me, and Jan de Groot of course was a very good tuner, and everything was well. But then Jan asked Honda for the support for ’86 and also for my contract … and with my good results and everything, Honda didn’t want to do anything in that way for ’86 and honestly, Cagiva gave me a good contract and I also believed in that bike. I wanted to stay with Honda but the contract is also important, plus also the management at Cagiva was very good, so that’s why I decided to go there. I also had a very, very good contract, much better than Honda and in the end, it was an easy decision.’

So, who was Jan Witteveen and how was that relationship?

‘Jan was the team manager at Cagiva at that time and I think he was there already for four, five, six years. For me it was quite easy to work with him because we both spoke Dutch and it was good to work with him because it was easy to explain what I wanted and he understood me in a good way; also I think that Cagiva was the first factory who understood, and Jan also, that when you want to change something on the bike, it was easier to make it quicker than the Japanese factory in my opinion, because we were very close to the factory and they could prepare new parts very fast.’

As for the bike itself, first impressions left a lot to be desired and when Strijbos first tested the WMX125 at the end of the 1985 season in Italy, it wasn’t quite what he was hoping for:

‘My first impression was, and okay, I started with the standard bike, and so my Honda bike at that time was quite a bit better, much better, but then I tested later with the factory Cagiva from ’85 and it was quite a lot better, and then you start to work. I can say that my ‘85 Honda, the handling of the bike and the suspension was quite good and on a good high level, so for ’86 we needed to work hard to get the same with the Cagiva, but also I needed to change a little bit my riding style.’

With the team workshop in Varese, Italy, Strijbos remained up north in Holland with his practice mechanic but when it came to testing and racing, he was pairedup with an Italian by the name of Massimo Castelli whose previous riders at Cagiva included Alain Lejeune of Belgium in 1983 and Corrado Maddii in ’84 and ’85, so Strijbos was in good hands.

According to Castelli, the Cagiva WMX125 was completely factory and was vastly different to the standard version: ‘The frame was a different material and was lighter 203

compared to standard; the diameter of the tubes were also smaller and thinner. The steering angle was also different, so it was a completely different frame.

The linkage was also completely different compared to standard.

The swingarm was modified to accommodate the different linkage at the bracket where it fits the linkage, which was also different.

‘The engine was also factory, with a different cylinder and cylinder head with the bore and stroke being 54x56mm. We used a Dell’Orto carburettor, mostly 36mm but sometimes we changed to 38mm - with the big carburettor you lose some rpm but you have a little bit more torque, so it depended on the condition of the track, so maybe in the sand for example we used the 38mm.’

‘The exhaust was made in-house by one guy inside the factory at Cagiva but the silencer was produced by a small company called SEM close to Varese. The ignition was Motoplat from Spain.

The bike produced around 3435bhp at that time.’

Possibly the most innovative change was to the cooling system, so where the standard bike was cooled by water passing through the engine, the factory bike utilised a system where the water was re-routed outside, without passing through the engine cases. The twin radiators were standard, made from aluminium. The wheels were made by Cagiva but unlike the standard bike, Davy and teammate Pekka Vhekonen’s bikes came equipped with Magnesium hubs. From the outside, both bikes looked identical, but Davy preferred WP suspension compared to Vehkonen who favoured Ohlins.

As for power delivery, Davy’s bike was more bottom to mid whereas his teammate preferred mid to top end power due to their differing riding styles.

When the 1986 season kicked off at Castelnau de Levis in France, all eyes were on the vice world champion from the year before, 204

but the hillside circuit became a victim of the weather god’s and as a result, the opening GP was a real mud-bath and the title favourite failed to impress his new bosses: ‘It was muddy – I don’t think I had any bike problems but maybe just some problems to come up some hills there; I had a very bad weekend. No bike problems, just mud and I fell down many times, a destroyed weekend. Too much stress maybe … ‘ If Strijbos was stressed at the first GP then all nerves had left his system by the time the next GP came around just one week later, and on home soil at Mill, Davy went 1-1 for his first win of the season. By round four he was leading the championship, only to be pushed back to second by his teammate Vehkonen, albeit for one round. From round six though, Strijbos was never headed, and as he went into the final GP of the year in Brazil, he held a commanding 27-point lead over his nearest rival, John van den Berk. The title was wrapped up after Race One, with a solid 2nd place behind America’s Micky Dymond, and a childhood ambition had finally been achieved: ‘It was a dream; when I was young, I looked up to riders like Eric Geboers and Georges Jobé.

I was a kid of eight or nine who would visit some nice races near my home and yeah, I had a dream; I wanted to be world champion!’

After the double no-score in France at the opening round, Strijbos went on to take six race wins, ten second places and one third, and finished on the podium ten times, registering four wins, four seconds and two third places. He won the title by sixtyone points. It was also Cagiva’s second consecutive world title after Pekka Vehkonen’s success a year earlier, but Strijbos’ win for the Italian brand would be Cagiva’s last.

Photos: Massimo Castelli

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MARNICQ “POULIDOR” BERVOETS

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ARNICQ BERVOETS IS ONE OF THE TOP BELGIAN MOTOCROSS RIDERS, BUT HE WAS UNFORTUNATE TO RACE AT THE SAME PERIOD OF SOME OTHER FAMOUS COUNTRYMEN SUCH AS STEFAN EVERTS AND JOEL SMETS. WINNER OF NINETEEN GP’S, MARNICQ WAS ON THE PODIUM OF THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ON FIVE OCCASIONS AND HE WON THREE TIMES THE MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS WITH TEAM BELGIUM. Born on 21st June 1969 in Diest, Marnicq was the son of a national rider but he did his first race only when he turned twelve in 1982. It didn’t take him too much time to enjoy podium celebrations, and in 1983 he won 33 of the 44 races he entered in the amateur class! When he was fourteen he moved to the official Belgian Federation and he immediately claimed the 125cc title, and after two more successful years in his native country he entered for the first time the Motocross World Championship in 1986.

Supported by Yamaha Belgium, Marnicq struggled to get good results in the 125cc class but he improved every year; in 1987 he finished in the top five at the Dutch GP and a year later he was on the podium in the second heat at his home GP. The Belgian rider moved to the 250cc class in 1989 and he got his first ever GP podium one year later in Venezuela, and won his first Grand Prix during the opening round of the 1991 Motocross World Championship in Mill, the Netherlands.

By the end of the season he was fifth in the standings and it showed that he wasn’t that successful with the three races format. In fact, his second GP win was in 1993 at the Belgian GP in

Lommel, twenty-six months after his first one! Joining the factory Suzuki team in 1994 he became more consistent, claimed nine podiums including his first heat win and got his best ever result with a fourth overall.

Winner of the opening round of the 1995 series in Spain, he was the main rival of Stefan Everts that season, and the two Belgians won nine of the fifteen rounds; before flying to the penultimate round of the series in Japan they were close in the points but Stefan was stronger during the last two events and finally claimed his first 250cc title ahead of Marnicq.

Both lined up alongside Joel Smets at the Motocross of Nations and the trio brought the Chamberlain trophy back home fifteen years after the last Belgian win!

Following this excellent season, Marnicq was even stronger in 1996 and was leading the championship at mid-season after winning five GP’s in a row! However, Everts reacted and Marnicq lost a couple of points with two DNF’s to finally miss the title by nine points! It was the closest finish for him, and even if he

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finished runner up for the third consecutive season in 1997, he only added one GP win to his score board. He won again the Motocross of Nations in 1997 and 1998 and Marnicq finally moved to the 500cc class at the new millennium as he joined the Yamaha Rinaldi team.

After the battles he had had with Stefan Everts the previous years, he found Joel Smets on his way as he was ‘the man to beat’ in this class; despite being very consistent with twenty-three race podiums, including three GP wins, he finished once more runner up for the fourth time in his career! And in 2001 he finished third of championship behind Everts and Smets, but Marnicq won the last GP of his career in Switzerland.

He would keep on riding at some 500cc/MXGP/MX1 events during three more seasons before retiring in 2005 at the age of 35.

The likeable and friendly Belgian remains involved in racing, as he’s the manager of the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team who will enter the 2020 series with high expectations as his countryman Jago Geerts is one of the favourites for the World title.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1986: 24th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1987: 13th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1988: 12th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1989: 9th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1990: 6th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1991:

5th in the 250 Motocross World Champion (Kawasaki).

Winner of 1 GP

1992: 7th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1993:

5th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki). Winner of 1 GP

1994: 4th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1995:

2nd in the 250 Motocross World Champion (Suzuki).

Winner of 4 GP

Winner at the MX of Nations with Team Belgium

1996:

2nd in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki). Winner of 5 GP

1997:

2nd in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki). Winner of 1 GP

Winner at the MX of Nations with Team Belgium

1998: 4th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

Winner at the MX of Nations with Team Belgium

1999:

5th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki). Winner of 3 GP

2000:

2nd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 3 GP

2001:

3rd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

2002: 4th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 2003: 7th in the Motocross GP World Championship (Yamaha) 2004: 7th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

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G A T IN

V

NEIL HUDSON

1981 YAMAHA 0W50 / 250CC 210

O

VER THE YEARS, THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HAS CONTINUED TO EVOLVE, AND ONCE UPON A TIME THE 500CC CLASS WAS CONSIDERED THE ‘BLUE RIBBAND’ CATEGORY FOLLOWED BY 250CC AND EVENTUALLY, THE 125CC CLASS WHEN IT WAS INTRODUCED IN 1975.

But, with the demise of the 500cc motorcycle due to a lack of demand, the premier class status shifted to the quarter-litre category, which eventually became MX1 in 2004 and MXGP from 2014. During that 63-year history, Great Britain has only ever produced one 250cc world champion, now known as MXGP and Neil Hudson was the rider who achieved what is now considered a historic achievement, and with the MXGP of Great Britain kicking off the 2020 season, we thought it would be very appropriate to feature the bike that took Hudson to victory.

So, in this month’s issue of MXGP Magazine we will feature Neil Hudson’s 1981 Yamaha OW50.

Neil Hudson started his grand prix career racing Maico machinery in 1977 and in his debut season finished a very respectable 13th overall. He followed this up with 5th a year later, a campaign which also saw him take his maiden GP overall victory. By 1979, and his third year as a world championship racer, he elevated himself to 2nd overall and by now he was already racing factory machinery from the German manufacturer. However, things were not as they appeared and despite having just had his best season, Neil expressed his desire to leave Maico due to its inability to honour certain aspects of their contract. Yamaha was keen to sign Hudson up to be its sole factory racer for the following season (1980) and the two parties entered into a racing partnership.

After testing the 1980 air-cooled Yamaha at the end of ‘79, the Brit was clearly looking forward to representing his new team, and after his first test he was more than impressed but a contractual dispute between him and his former team reared its ugly head, and after just three races on Yamaha, Hudson was legally bound to represent Maico for the rest of the season.

‘The bike I tested was Heikki Mikkola’s factory 250cc which he rode at the ’79 des Nations; it wasn’t the ’80 bike, but the mechanics that bought it over said ‘we can change anything you want; you can change the footrests, if you want them in the same position as the Maico,

we can do it …’ But, I’d just lapped quicker on the Yamaha than I had on my Maico and thought it’s got to be the way to go, you know? So, that was it, the decision was made, but obviously, it never materialised in the end.’

Anyway, long story short; 1980 did not end well as a badly broken ankle and concussion in a first turn crash at the German GP, the third round on the calendar, meant he missed almost the entire season, but after winning the first race at that illfeted German GP, Hudson had done enough to convince the Japanese bosses, who were in attendance, that he was still the right man for the job, and so he re-joined Yamaha for the 1981 campaign.

Having previously tested Heikki Mikkola’s factory air-cooled 1979 bike, by the time 1981 came around Yamaha had shifted from air to water-cooled bikes for its factory effort, and back then, factory meant factory.

‘It was all handmade; there was nothing standard about it. The only thing from standard that would fit the factory bike were the mudguards. There was a team of 35 engineers from Japan who worked solely on factory bikes and it was estimated that the bikes were worth £25,000 each in man-hours and materials. There were carbon fibre chain guides and engine plates, titanium nuts and bolts and shock spring, no expense spared … it was like something you’d never seen befre.

‘We had Magnesium hubs to start with but they were very big so we went back to the more standard aluminium hubs, as far as I can remember, but it was close to the legal weight limit, whatever that was back then.’

Initial tests went extremely well, and this included a pre-season international race in France, but by the time the first GP came around at Cognac, it was soon clear that there was a massive problem with Yamaha’s new water-cooled technology, and it would come at a huge detrimental cost:

‘I remember the bike originally came over as a water-cooled bike, we used it an international race; it was okay there but of course, the races were only 25 minutes, but then we went to the first GP in France which was muddy and it wouldn’t survive 45 minutes in those conditions.’

The main design fault there was due to the size and location of the radiator, which was nestled at the bottom of the front number plate, and so when it became blocked there was no way to keep the bike cool, and as a result, both his and his teammate Dave Watson’s bikes seized solid.

With the second round in a week’s time in Spain, Yamaha had to think and think fast: ‘After France, this obviously called for drastic measures, and within about three days we had air-cooled cylinders from Japan, they were flown in to Sonauto Yamaha France; we had to go to Paris and use their workshops so we could convert them back to air-cooled for the next GP in Spain that coming weekend. It was the same bike; we just swapped the cylinder over. We just took off all the water-cooling system; after what 211

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had happened, it was no coincidence that the water-cooled engines were abandoned for the rest of the season, we never played with them again; it was shelved, basically. It was just too risky.’

‘It probably would have been okay in the dry, but you couldn’t go from one bike for dry and another for wet conditions, because there was a massive difference in performance between the two. The water-cooled bike never lost power whereas any air-cooled engine would ‘go offsong’ a little bit after about twenty minutes, but it was the same for everyone in those days. But if we could have started with the watercooled engine it would have been a massive advantage, but that was the way it was.’

Whilst the water-cooled bikes had a bit more power and maintained that power, it was not worth the difference in weight savings over air-cooled bikes; it would therefore come down to how much the loss of power would cost the air-cooled bike in comparison to the water-cooled bikes, but as always, there was even a way to overcome that, as Neil recalls: ‘We had a different header-pipe on the exhaust which was better; it’s not that we needed more power, but we were able to modify our exhaust system which worked really well. We had a free hand to make the necessary changes, we weren’t necessarily governed by the Japanese where we had to do this or we had to do that. They would ask us, ‘what do you think you need to do to be able to get more power ...? for instance.’

‘If anything, the only thing the bike was lacking in the beginning was top end, this is why we changed the exhaust which gave it more top.

Even as an air-cooled engine it still had a power valve engine with a Nikasil bore, but when we sorted the exhaust to give us the top end, it was much better. The exhaust was factory, made in Japan, a one-off.’

As for the rest of the bike, the chassis was a factory, handmade steel frame which was married

to a factory aluminium swingarm and despite having to switch from water-cooled to air-cooled, the engine was still a full factory item, including the piston and ignition; and with magnesium cases, the bike definitely looked the part at the time.

The engine also came with Yamaha’s exclusive ‘YPVS’ or Yamaha Power Valve System which was a variable exhaust valve to prevent exhaust gas blow-by.

The Mikuni carburettor was produced from magnesium and measured in at 38mm and came equipped with factory reed valves and of course, it goes without saying that the exhaust pipe and silencer were also produced in-house and were ‘money-couldn’t-buy’ items.

The factory Kayaba (KYB) forks were 43mm, lighter in weight and of the conventional type whilst the rear shock was an Ohlins unit, complete with titanium spring.

Finally, the clutch and 5-speed gearbox were also one-off factory items. With the removal of the water-cooling system plus all the other trick parts, the bike would have weighed a good few kilo’s lighter than production and lighter than its nearest factory rival’s bikes, like Georges Jobe’s Suzuki for instance.

time I ran it was around March, the day after a British Championship round. I’d raced the 500cc on Sunday and we tested the 250cc on Monday with the new suspension, and I was between 3-4 seconds faster on the 250cc than I was on the 500cc the day before! So, the new suspension was a massive advantage really.’

After the double DNF in France, Hudson failed to score in the first race at the following round in Spain after getting caught in a huge crash on the hill at Sabadell, but rectified this with a 2nd in Race Two, before winning the overall in Austria at round three. His only other DNF came at the following round in Italy where he was T-boned in Race One by an Italian called Morizio

Possibly the biggest gain though was the suspension as the OW50 adopted a linked-type Mono-cross system with a Bell Crank which won-over Hudson immediately: ‘Unless you rode one of the old triangle swingarm bikes, the comparison was unbelievable, almost like modern day suspension today. I’m not saying the bike was above anything else, but the suspension was really good; that was a big thing in those days.

Before that, we had the cantilever type suspension and originally the new stuff with the linkage wasn’t going to be available because the Americans were going to get it, and it wasn’t going to be available until sometime in 1981. I did the international race in Beaucaire with the water-cooling as well as with the old triangle swingarm, but then suddenly the race bike turned up with this new linkage, and the first 213

214

Dolce. From then on, the two main candidates were Georges Jobe and Hudson.

However, Jobe then injured his elbow prior to the USGP at Unadilla, Round Ten, and did not even travel Stateside, safe in the knowledge that his 53-point lead would remain intact, at least for another couple of rounds. When Hudson went 2-2 for the overall victory, the points gap was reduced to 29 and Jobe was forced to travel to Russia to try to salvage some extra points, but not even a heroic 2nd in Race One could prevent Hudson from taking a double-race win, and as the riders headed into the final round in Holland, Jobe and Hudson were separated by just 11 points.

“QUOTE.”

Over the previous two rounds, Hudson had gained 39 points on Jobe and once again had forced the Belgian to line-up behind the gate, injured. In the first race, Hudson rode too tight and had to settle for 4th place, which meant that going into the final race of the year, Jobe still led Hudson by 3 points. At the start of Race Two, Hudson fell in the first turn and when he remounted, went into attack mode as he could not afford to finish any lower than 7th if Jobe did not score, if he was to win the title: ‘There was a massive crash at the start in the first bend, and I was mixed up with about six other riders and set away dead last. I came back through the field and I think I ended up sixth or something like that which would have given me enough points to win it, but by then, Jobe was just circulating, doing nothing, waiting for his chance to try to take me out, which he tried to do in the woods. He couldn’t finish the race,

so he stopped in the woods and as I came around, he revved his bike up and just let it go to try and take me out. Fortunately, he missed, but nobody saw it because it was right in the depths of the woods. You hear these stories from the past about things that happened and here I was right in the middle of it myself.

It’s not very nice to be honest.’

After clinching the title by two points there was nothing but relief for Hudson who later said ‘it wouldn’t have bothered me whether I sat on another bike ever again. From all those years racing schoolboy motocross and reaching that pinnacle, that was it; I couldn’t go any further.’

During the 1981 season, Neil Hudson rode his Yamaha OW50 to five race wins, eleven 2nd positions and one 3rd place. He also claimed four overall victories and four 2nd places on his way to his first and only world title and remains the only British rider to have won the 250cc / MXGP world championship.

Photos: Haudiquert, Yamaha, Burnicle 215

Rolf Dieffenbach, Holice 1082 (Thoralf Abgarjan)

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ME A F OF

ROLF DIEFFENBACH, THE ‘BIG GERMAN’

B

ORN ON 12 JUNE 1951, ROLF DIEFFENBACH WAS THE LEADING GERMAN MOTOCROSS RIDER OF THE WILD 70’S AND 80’S IN THE FORMER 250CC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, THE PREMIUM CLASS OF MOTOCROSS AT THIS TIME. ‘As a child, my dream was to become a soccer player in my favourite team VfB Stuttgart, but I missed the speed a little bit, so I tried out other sports like downhill ski racing.

My style was probably a bit too risky, so I crashed and broke my leg severely. It was a complicated fracture and it was impossible to play soccer anymore - a disaster for me. In that period of time I came in touch with motocross while visiting a local race. Together with a friend of mine we modified a 50cc Hercules bike and started to cruise offroad around my home village Widdern.’

Riding was fun, but Rolf was also an ambitious character. ‘I wanted to prove my riding skills in races, but I had no money to buy a motocross bike. Finally, my grandma helped me to buy my first second-hand racing machine.’

In 1971, at the age of 20, Rolf completed his first international motocross race. He rose up rapidly and rode in the World Championship against competitors like Gennadi Moissejew, Jaroslav Falta, Harry Everts, Torleif Hansen and other great names.

‘I became a professional factory rider in 1975 and joined the Kramer-Maico racing team’, explained Dieffenbach.

‘But it was an unlucky start. I couldn’t compete in the world championship because of a broken ankle during the pre-season race in Gaildorf (Germany).

This was a heavy setback and a bad experience for me, because in that

year I was really competitive, and I was able to win all pre-season races.’However, Rolf Dieffenbach used the time of his rehabilitation to improve the Maico for the following season in 1976. Together with the ingenious tuner Fritz Kramer, he invented a new concept for the exhaust pipe. ‘At that time, the exhaust pipes were located below the engine. The off-road bikes had not enough legroom. We invented to arrange the pipe in between the cylinder and the fuel tank, which was a real improvement.’

In 1976, at the age of 25, Dieffenbach completed his first GP season in P16, behind competitors like André Malherbe (Belgium/P14) and Hakan Carlqvist (Sweden/P15). He celebrated his first podium in 1977, in Hyvinkää,Finland, on the iconic Kramer/Rotax bike. ‘It was a completely new and innovative motorcycle. At the beginning of the 1977 season we struggled with technical issues.

But at the end of the season I was a competitive top-5 rider.’ Dieffenbach completed the 1977 season on P15. The talent of the tall German moved into the focus of other factory teams in the GP paddock. Dieffenbach signed a Kawasaki factory contract for the

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1978/79 season and finished the 1979 world championship in P6.

Dieffenbach, the ‘Big German’, was hired by the German Honda importer to ride GP’s as well as the national championships. He finished the 1980 GP season in P4 behind Jorges Jobé, Kees van der Veen and Dimitar Rangelov.

‘It was a crazy time. I won the qualification race of the Motocross of Nations on home soil in Bielstein in 1981 in front of an incredible fan base.’

‘One event is still present in my mind’, remembered Dieffenbach.

‘My Grand-Prix victory in Holice (ČSSR) 1982 was simply unbelievable. It was the time of the ‘Iron Curtain’ and the GP in the former ČSSR was the only possibility for fans from the eastern part of Germany to attend a race of the world championship.

Since the success of Paul Friedrichs in motocross had still been very popular in the former GDR. Thousands of enthusiastic motocross fans crossed the border to visit the Czech Grand-Prix and celebrated the victory of a West German rider. The fans sang the national anthem of West Germany which was officially forbidden in the former GDR. For a moment, the Germans from two different countries and two different political and economic systems were unified into one big human choir. I will never forget my emotions during the podium ceremony. It was something like a premonition of the historic fall of the Berlin wall 7 years later in autumn 1989.’

‘The Japanese factory teams concluded their Grand-Prix engagement temporary in 1984, so I returned to my roots, back to Maico. The mid-80’s were a time of radical technical improvements like monoshock suspension and the launch of water-cooled engines. The ‘84 Maico was not competitive anymore and the 1984 season was simply a year of technical issues.’ Dieffenbach concluded his active career after a disappointing season.

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1976:

P16, World Championship, 250 ccm, (Maico)

1977

P15, World Championship, 250 ccm, (Kramer/Rotax)

1978

P16, World Championship, 250 ccm, (Kawasaki)

1979

P6, World Championship, 250 ccm, (Kawasaki)

1980

P4, World Championship, 250 ccm, (Honda)

1981

P4, World Championship, 250 ccm, (Honda)

1982

P5, World Championship, 250 ccm, (Honda)

1983

P7, World Championship, 250 ccm, (Honda)

1984

P51, World Championship, 250 ccm, (Maico)

After finishing his motocross career Dieffenbach founded his own plumber business in his home-town Widdern but was still involved in different training programs like the development of the ‘ADAC Junior Team’.

Motorsport was the passion of the ‘Big German’ and fans in all parts of Germany and all over the world will never forget the tall and friendly German, the face of the German motocross of the 70’s and 80’s.

His passion and fascination for motorbikes and motorsports was alive - till his last breath.

Dieffenbach was an enthusiastic motorcyclist. ‘I explore the world with my BMW R 1200 RS. Motorcycling is still my life and my passion. Occasionally I ride more than 700 km per day.’

Text and photos: Thoralf Abgarjan

Unfortunately, his passion was also the tragedy of his life. Rolf Dieffenbach, one of the world’s best motorcycle riders, was on tour in Austria, near Maria Neustift, when the gearbox of his bike lost oil, his rear wheel slipped away and he crashed heavily against the side rail of the street. Rolf Dieffenbach died at the age of 68 years old.

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Rolf Dieffenbach, autograph card

S E K I EB

G A T IN

V

GREG ALBERTYN

1992 HONDA CR125 220

G

REG ALBERTYN IS A 3-TIME FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION FROM JOHANNESBURG IN SOUTH AFRICA. IN 1990 HE TRIED HIS HANDS IN THE OCCASIONAL 125CC GRAND PRIX SERIES, SCORING POINTS IN HOLLAND AND PORTUGAL AS A 17-YEAR OLD ON A PRIVATE KAWASAKI.

In 1991 Albertyn landed a ride with Venko Honda and rounded out the season tenth overall. The following season he was crowned world champion for the first time, and it’s his 1992 Honda CR125 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Greg Albertyn’s journey to Europe began at the end of 1989 when he was invited to race four of the most popular indoor supercross races in Paris, Geneva, Maastricht and Antwerp. The team he raced for was a bike dealership out of Belgium by the name of FVM Missotten Motoren, run by Eddie and Philippe Missotten, who promised him a shot at some GP’s the following season, depending on how he did in those four events. He obviously did okay as he lined up behind the gate in Italy to experience his first ever world championship race. He barely qualified and finished just outside the points when it came to Sunday’s races, but a week later in Holland, he not only qualified well, he also ended the day with 6-5 results, good enough for 5th overall.

At the following round in Czechoslovakia, he broke his wrist and sat out the remainder of the season, before lining up at the final GP in Portugal where he collected a couple of points. From there, Albee headed back to South Africa and waited for news of some kind of deal for the following season, but it never quite panned out that way, as he recalls: ‘I went back home at the end of 1990 with nothing, I had no ride, no opportunities; nothing was going on and I was very disillusioned, not sure if I even had anything for the following year. The next minute this fax came through from Venko Honda, but because it was a Dutch team and had Dutch sponsors, they were looking for a rider who could race the Dutch championship and do well. Jan de Groot had seen me do well in that one ride in Halle at the GP, and he realised that I could potentially be a candidate for them, but GP’s was secondary. The primary thing was that I could ride the Dutch championship for him, so yeah,

he hired me then to do the Dutch championship as well as the GP’s.

Take Two Greg’s first impressions of his 1991 Honda settled his nerves immediately, and of course it helped that Jan de Groot ‘was an excellent tuner, and that bike was just really, really quick and good to ride and a lot of fun ..’ compared to the Kawasaki, which ‘was good, but it was all or nothing; it was like a light switch man, it was either full-on, or full-off.

It was a little more-tricky to ride, for sure.’ For now, it seemed that A ‘ lbee’ had found his new racing home and was keen to crack on with the season. After two 3rd place finishes and two visits to the podium, he ended the year 8th overall, but lost out in a 3-way tie and was classified as 10th, but he’d gained massively in confidence and was keen for more of the same in 1992.

With Honda releasing an all-new CR125 in 1990, the ’91 and ’92 bikes were very similar, albeit for one or two revisions here and there, but for 1992, it would appear there were quite a few upgrades from fairly high places, as Greg’s mechanic, Ian Harrison recalls: ‘We used HRC kits in combination with Jan’s porting. Other HRC parts included the piston, cylinder head and gear box where 1st and 2nd gears were longer. The rest of the gears were stock. The con rod and crank were stock and balanced by Jan. We also used some 250 parts, like the 38mm Keihin carburettor that came standard on the 1992 CR250 and we also used the gas tank, sub-frame and plastic from the 250 on the 125. Jan and I welded the different mounts on for this to work. These modifications made it to the 1993 production bike.

The 250 sub-frame and air box really helped the power down low from what I remember. We also used Elf race fuel, and that stuff was insane.

We tried many reed blocks but, in the end, we opted for the stock one.

When it came to handling, we ran Showa kit suspension and we had three sets for the season, to cover practicing and racing. Our wheels and brakes were all stock and all the bolts, axels and fasteners were also

stock, and we were the only team running Bridgestone Tyres, which were also good. Finally, when it came to exhaust pipes and silencers, Greg preferred standard, even though we tried at least twenty different pipes’.

As for the performance, the bike was still very quick although not too dissimilar to the ’91 bike that he raced: ‘I don’t think there was a huge noticeable difference on the bike, but for me personally there was a huge difference in my confidence level, because I think I got 2 podiums in ’91, with the turning point coming in Japan at the final round where I led for about 20-25 minutes. That’s when I thought ‘I can do this’ so I went into the ’92 season with good confidence and preparation. As for the bike though, any 125 doesn’t really have much bottom at all, right, it’s all mid-top, but it was definitely a more rideable bike, just great, but as Ian said, and I will never forget the one day we tested 20 pipes, and every time we’d go back to the stock one for a base line, and at the end of those 20 pipes the stock one was still the best. It was just a good bike, there’s no question about it, I thought it was a

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pretty good bike, it handled well and cornering was good.’

Going for Gold Greg’s teammate for 1992 was Dave Strijbos, and the two spent the winter in South Africa and were able to ride almost every day, unlike most of the other European riders who struggled to ride due to poor weather conditions, so it goes without saying that both riders were very well prepared going into the first GP in Spain at Jerez. For Albee, it was a dream start, going 2-2-1 for his first race win and overall victory on the same day. Before long though, he knew he was in a 3-way battle with Strijbos and his fellow countryman, Pedro Tragter. By Round 6, Albee had scored just three race wins and was now 3rd in the championship on 258 points, as Tragter led the way on 289, with Stijbos on 265. But then, Albertyn suddenly caught fire, and from the next two rounds in Czechoslovakia and Poland, he won five races in a row, and with it, took a commanding 36-point lead, with four rounds remaining.

By the time the 125cc GP circus had arrived at Mill in Holland for the penultimate round, Albee still led, but with a handful of Dutch sand flies eager to impress the home crowd, the series leader was in real danger of being reeled in. However, with a blatant display of authority, the Honda rider stormed the sands to win the overall with a 1-3-1 as he put in one of his finest performances of the season, and his lead was now 59 points over Strijbos, with 60 points still up for grabs. Had he scored one more point, he’d have been world champion with a round to go: ‘Yeah, 59 points! I was 1-point shy of wrapping up the championship!

It was huge you know because we were actually supposed to have been in Brazil that week but the GP got cancelled and they ended up switching to Mill, and the Dutch guys, they all thought ‘ok, here’s our opportunity to take the championship back’ but I ended up riding really well.’

A week later in Japan, Greg Albertyn was crowned world champion at Suzuka and became 222

the first South African to win a world motocross championship, his 6th place finish enough to bring the title home, although with so much at stake you can only imagine the amount of pressure that built up prior to the first race. It must have been a huge relief when it was all over?

‘What a weight off my shoulders; nobody from South Africa or Africa had ever won a world championship, this is all I’d ever dreamed off since I was 12. It was just such a huge, huge moment to wrap it up. It was an absolutely incredible feeling.’

On his way to the world championship, Greg Albertyn won 11 races, finished 2nd six times and 3rd on four occasions. He also took 4 GP wins, one 2nd and two 3rd places. From the outside looking in you would say the Venko JHK Honda Team he raced for was a private effort, but with all those HRC hard parts, surely there’s an argument for being more of a factory team, right?

‘I think Pedro Tragter may have been given some factory parts and stuff like that, but we were a hundred percent private! I think almost anything we got was purchased, even if it was Showa Suspension, it was just suspension that we purchased.

I think, it was only in ’93 that Honda actually gave us a few cranks and that and sponsored us with cranks because up until then Jan was buying everything.’

And if there was a stand-out moment from the year, other than winning the title?

‘I will never forget Czechoslovakia; you know when you have those moments when you are so in the zone, you can literally feel every little pebble, every clod of dirt, your timing is so perfect that you hit the same spot every single lap?

Czechoslovakia was one of those days and I remember it to this day; it was like I was perfection that day, and I won all three motos!’

Photos: Haudiquert

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L L A H

224

ME A F OF

KEES ‘SANDMAN’ VAN DER VEN

K

EES VAN DER VEN HAS BEEN ONE OF THE TOP RIDERS IN THE 80’S, WINNING A TOTAL OF EIGHTEEN GRAND PRIX IN ALL CLASSES AND CLAIMING A TOTAL OF SIX MEDALS IN THE 125CC, 250CC AND 500CC FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE BEST SAND RIDERS IN THE HISTORY, THE SMART DUTCHMAN NEVER CLAIMED A WORLD TITLE AS A RIDER, BUT FINALLY GOT SEVERAL AS A TEAM MANAGER AFTER HE RETIRED FROM RACING IN 1992.

Born on 16th June 1957 in Bakel, Kees and his parents discovered Motocross thanks to one of their neighbours, Frans Sigmans, who was racing GP’s and was also a local hero! To support him the Van der Ven family travelled to local races in St Anthonis, Venray, Erp or Valkenswaard when he was racing in the Netherlands, and one day Kees also got a bike to practice and finally entered his first race on a 50cc Sachs when he was fourteen years old.

With the support of his family and friends Kees moved successfully to the 125cc class and later the 250cc with a friend as mechanic, while his brothers Toon and Jan helped him as suspension technician and timekeeper. In 1978 Kees clinched his first Dutch title and entered the first two GP’s of his career, scoring five points in Austria.

With a better support from the Dutch Maico importer, Kees was able to enter the 250cc World Championship in 1979 and was the rookie of the year with a GP win in Finland and a final top five position in the series. He was also selected by the Dutch team for the Trophy of Nations and he finished on the podium, and he won another Dutch

title – the second of a total of ten during his career – in his first season as a pro rider.

In 1980 he confirmed his potential and his sand abilities when he won again in Hyvinkaa, Finland, and added two more GP victories to his records, one in Poland and another one at his home GP in Hengelo.

That year he finished second of the series and signed with KTM for the following seasons. He managed to finish on the podium at a regular basis and he also won several GP’s every season, which helped him finish third in the 250cc Motocross World Championship for three years in a row.

His first attempt at the famous ‘Enduro du Touquet’ was not successful and he retired from that race with broken vertebras, but he would come back stronger and would dominate this prestigious event with five wins in a row from 1982 to 1986!

In 1984 Kees raced the 125cc Motocross World Championship for

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the first time and added another silver medal to his profile. That year he also won two events with the Dutch team, the Cup of Nations and the ISDE – Six Days Enduro – organised in Assen. After another season in the 125cc class, Kees finally moved to the 500cc category in 1986 and on 4th May he became the first ever ‘Mister 875’ as he won the 500cc GP of Sweden in Vimmerby after several 250cc and 125cc victories!

In 1987 Kees was back on the final podium of the World Championship and he continued racing the 500 GP’s during several seasons. In 1989 he won his last GP in Sweden and his tenth Dutch title in 1990. Van der Ven retired from professional racing in 1992, but remained involved in the sport as he created the Champ KTM team with the official support of the factory. Representing them in the 125cc class, he brought three World titles to the company with Grant Langston (2000), Steve Ramon (2003) and Ben Townley (2004).

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1999:

27th in the 250 World Championship (Maico).

Dutch 250 champion

1979:

5th in the 250 World Championship (Maico).

Dutch 250 champion

3rd at the Trophy of Nations with the Dutch Team

1980:

2nd in the 250 World Championship (Maico).

Dutch 250 champion

1981:

3rd in the 250 World Championship (KTM).

Dutch 250 champion

3rd at the Trophy of Nations with the Dutch Team

1982:

3rd in the 250 World Championship (KTM).

Dutch 250 champion

Winner of the Enduro du Touquet

1983:

3rd in the 250 World Championship (KTM).

Dutch 250 champion

Winner of the Enduro du Touquet

1984:

3rd in the 125 World Championship (KTM).

Winner of the Enduro du Touquet

Winner of the ISDE with the Dutch Team

Winner of the Cup of Nations (125 class) with the Dutch Team

1985:

4th in the 125 World Championship (KTM). GP

Dutch 500 champion

Winner of the Enduro du Touquet

2nd at the MX of Nations with the Dutch Team

1986:

5th in the 500 World Championship (KTM)1 GP

Dutch 500 champion

Winner of the Enduro du Touquet

1987:

3rd in the 500 World Championship (KTM).

2nd at the MX of Nations with the Dutch Team

1988:

4th in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

Dutch 500 champion

1989:

8th in the 500 World Championship (KTM).

1990:

7th in the 500 World Championship (Honda)

Dutch 500 champion

1991:

13th in the 500 World Championship (Honda)

1992:

32nd in the 500 World Championship (Honda)

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E M A N N O I T C E S

S E K I EB

G A T IN

V

SHAYNE KING’S

1996 KTM SX360 228

W

HEN SHAYNE KING WON THE FIM 500CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1996 HE BECAME THE FIRST RIDER FROM NEW ZEALAND TO DO SO, AND SINCE THEN HIS JOURNEY HAS PAVED THE WAY FOR A WHOLE HOST OF OTHER POTENTIAL ANTIPODEAN STARS TO DO THE SAME.

What was perhaps more remarkable about this historic feat was the fact that King accomplished his mission in ‘David and Goliath’ fashion, riding a smaller capacity KTM360 against the more established 500cc and 4-stroke machines, and it’s his KTM SX360 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Shayne King’s world championship journey began when he left New Zealand for America in 1992, whilst his older brother Darryl took to Europe to try his hand at some 500cc GP events. After qualifying as the second-best Yamaha rider behind Damon Bradshaw at the San Jose Supercross, Yamaha’s US boss, Keith McCarthy, was keen on offering Shayne a semisupport deal for the remainder of the series. A week later though, Shayne received a call from his brother Darryl, who was desperate to convince him to race in Europe. A month later, Shayne King headed home to New Zealand and began regrouping for the next phase of his budding racing career.

‘When my brother Darryl ‘DK’ called me he said, “dude, your dream is to be a world motocross champion, so why don’t you just come to Europe, it’s so easy.” He managed to talk me into it, and my mate Jimmy, who’d been my mechanic for many years, we went and stayed with the Missotten’s, Eddie and Philippe at St. Truiden in Belgium and we did a whole load of international races during the year; we stuck a bike in a suitcase, or three actually. We took a YZ250 from home along with a bundle of wheels and tyres, went to the airport and that was it.’

It wasn’t all plain sailing though, as the stocky Kiwi found the 125cc world championship class highly competitive; that was until he finally scored his first world championship point in San Marino:

‘Because I was a little guy, I thought that the 125cc would be a better opportunity for me, I wasn’t a big dude, so I got on a Yamaha 125cc. My first race was Berghem, in Holland (round 5) but I didn’t qualify until San Marino (round 9) and I scored that 1 point in San Marino; it was like I’d just won the world championship!

Seriously, I rang everybody back home from the press room, so I suppose it was the highlight of my year and the start of my European career really.’

At the end of that 1993 season, Shayne was offered a ride on the Missotten’s FHM Honda Team as both Philippe and Eddie believed he was better suited to a 500cc than a 125cc; and they were right.

‘They said I’d be a good 500cc rider, so I did an international race at Kester in Belgium and finished 5th and went to the first grand prix and finished 6-1 at Payerne in Switzerland, for 3rd overall.’ King had just realised a dream of not only standing on a grand prix podium, but had also won a GP race! It was shortlived though, and at the very next round, King’s season pretty much came to an end, and he left Austria with a broken ankle. He would not return until the final two rounds, but by then it was just to get some bike time.

Having proved that he could run the pace of the best riders in the world in the 500cc world championship, his FHM Honda Team were contacted by ‘Silent Sport’ in Germany to see if they wanted to run KTM’s for the ’95 season, like a semi-support ride behind former two-time world champion Trampas Parker, who was factory backed through Farioli out of Italy. And suddenly, King found himself on KTM. His standout ride came at Loket where he placed 3-2 for 2nd overall behind eventual world champ, Joel Smets, a result that carried some gravitas as far as going racing in 1996:

‘I think it was the first race where I really felt that everything was the best it could be on a motocross track, where everything was right. The bike was fantastic, everything around me was okay and I guess the track was similar to what I was used to in New Zealand, so everything just sort of fell into place and it just opened up the doors to KTM for me for ’96.’

King finished the ’95 season 9th overall in the championship.

Winning Combination With factory support via KTM Germany, the 1996 season kicked off in Italy at Asti and King got off to a perfect start, quite literally: ‘The first round went pretty good, and I won both moto’s.

Trampas Parker was the guy that was gonna take the title and KTM put all of their efforts into him. After that first round everything changed; all of a sudden it was a case of doing whatever it took to make it happen from here.’

So, what changed from 1995 – ’96 to be so dominant at that first round? Shayne King is one of those people that knows what he wants and when things are right or wrong. He created a team with a specific environment, and it was based on simply having the right people around him for him to do his job. His training went up a level and he also brought in Hendrik Nolting as his mechanic. When he lined up for the first GP of ’96, King already knew he would win: ‘When I’d won it, I felt like that bullet proof rider I’d always wanted to be.’

As the season went on, King gained in confidence and went on to win 7 races; he also stood on the podium 8 times, with 6 of those celebrated from the top step. The turning point of the season came after he jarred his thumb when he over-jumped a

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downhill at Sverepec, Slovakia, injuring his thumb. If he was to win the title, he needed to cut out those silly mistakes and from there on, consistency and starts would play a vital role.

Two rounds later, he went on a consistent run which saw him place inside the top three no fewer than 8 times from 10 races.

With one round to go, King was within touching distance of winning the title.

What About the Bike?

Having raced the KTM the previous year, the differences were subtle apart from the extra factory parts and support.

Going from the 500cc Honda to the 360cc KTM was always going to be a risk, wasn’t it?

Surely it would be down on power compared to the 500’s and the ‘coming-back-in-fashion’ 4-strokes, where engine capacity was as much as 600cc?

‘The KTM 360cc was much nimbler! That feeling you get when you ride a 125cc against a 250cc, if you ride it hard, you can sometimes be faster on a 125cc, so from that side I had to ride it hard. I knew that I had to be faster and I had to be fitter, I had to be stronger; the bike was so much more nimble that I could do so many more things with it and I could put it in places compared to the 500cc or 4-stroke, especially in the corners.’

‘There wasn’t actually a lot of difference between the ’95 and ‘96, but what we did do was spending a lot of time testing exhausts to make the bike more rideable, because the big thing for me was about getting the starts. I knew that if I could get around the first corner in first, those first two laps were my thing, so if I did that I would just go. Suspension was also important; the bike had enough power, it needed to just have enough power to get me that holeshot every time, especially against those big 4-strokes.’

‘For a 360cc it just had lots of torque and it just grew from there; it was so good out of the corners especially in 2nd, so I tried to make sure it was a 2nd, 3rd, 4th gear bike. It was important to put power to the ground and it was so easy to ride.’

A crucial part of the puzzle was King’s mechanic, Hendrik Nolting: ‘We started with three weeks of engine testing in New Zealand in January. Shayne had a stock 360cc and I had a bunch of parts with me to test. I was worried to be too far away from Austria if something went wrong or additional parts were needed, but the opposite was true. With New Zealand being 12 hours ahead of Europe I would report to Sepp Höllbacher, former head of KTM’s two stroke development, in the late afternoon, which was early morning in Austria so we were literally working 24/7.’

‘When we returned from New Zealand, we wanted to do some suspension tests with WP, but they were way behind schedule with development of the new 50mm conventional forks (standard was 40mm and USD), so we only did one test shortly before the first GP in Asti. Luckily, we had a very good suspension guy, Ari Skog, working for us and the stuff he had prepared for Shayne was almost spot on. The rear shocks were based on the standard shock with coated bodies and shafts.’

‘The bikes started out as stock, and most of the special parts we received from KTM were preproduction parts that would become standard the year after; only a few things were really ‘factory’ as we know it today.

Working closely with Sepp Höllbacher, we came up with a couple of items though that only Shayne would get, but most of them were hidden inside the engine, with the only real

obvious difference being the ‘KTC’ exhaust chamber on top of the exhaust port, which basically did the same thing as the chambers do on modern 4-stroke header pipes.’

‘The swingarm and linkage were standard and the frame was reinforced with a couple of additional gussets, and these were changed every three GP’s, but Shayne was very fussy about his clutch set-up. We used standard clutches with slightly harder springs, but with Honda CR250 clutch perches, leavers and cables. It took us a while to find the right combination of all components, and in the end, we found that the SHELL Quatro TX 4 stroke motor oil we ended up using, made the biggest difference for his starts.

The 5-speed gearbox and ratio was standard, but the shafts and gears were handpicked for tighter tolerances.’

‘The cylinder volume was 368cm³ (standard was 357cm³) with a different bore and stroke. Cranks, rods, cylinders and heads were factory and prepared by Sepp Höllbacher only. We started with forged KÖNIG pistons but changed to cast VERTEX pistons halfway through the season. Carburettors were 39mm KEIHIN PWKs, with enlarged float bowls. Reed cages were standard with short-ended opening restrictors and with a spacer between engine cases and reed cage. The reeds were preproduction carbon. Exhaust pipes and silencers came from SPES in Belgium and we had a couple of different versions to start with, but in the end, Shayne had just one favourite.’

‘The ignitions were Kokusan, with cdi’s that could also be modified via computer. The radiators were slightly wider than standard for enhanced cooling. The brakes were standard, but the master cylinders and pistons were handpicked by BREMBO. Brake pads front were TOSHIBA sinter

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and EBC organic rear, and the discs were standard.’

History Maker Heading into the final round at Gaildorf, Germany, King held a 33-point lead, with 50 still up for grabs. Were there any nerves?

No! King’s plan was to go out and do what he’d already being doing: ‘My thoughts were the same as always, just go and get the holeshot and run away!’

Thinking about the plan and executing it are two very different things though, and it wasn’t long before reality kicked in: ‘I got the holeshot and ran away for the first few laps, and

“QUOTE.”

all of a sudden I started to have “don’t crash” thoughts and I just started going backwards, to 2nd, then 3rd, and 4th then 5th. I thought “not good!” But then I regrouped I guess, and back then the races were 45 minutes long; that’s a long time to think about winning the championship.’

When King crossed the finish line in 5th, the Kiwi had just realised his dream of becoming world champion, the first ever from New Zealand.

‘Probably the hardest race of the year was that first race at Gaildorf, and it showed in my result. It was weird. Up to that point everything felt so natural, but after the first two or three laps of that first race, it all felt so unusual, like all of a sudden I’m in this different zone of being this racer that had to protect himself because I was afraid of losing everything that I’d done.’

As kids who race motorcycles, we all have this dream of one day becoming world champion, and Shayne King was no different. The reality is that not everybody gets to realise that dream. For King, his dream came true: ‘At 16 years-old I wrote down on a piece of paper that I wanted to be world champion before I was 25 years-old. I got my dad to sign it and then I put it away; I’ve still got it today. The day before my 25th birthday, on September 8th 1996, I won the world championship. I was 24! (The final round of the championship was September 8th, Shayne turned 25 a day later). So, for me it was my childhood dream that became a reality, because I worked hard and fought for everything that you need to fight for when you’ve got a dream like that; my dream came true.’

Photos: Shayne King’s 233

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ME A F OF

CORRADO MADDII

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ACING GP’S DURING SIXTEEN SEASONS AND BEING SO CLOSE TO BE THE FIRST ITALIAN TO CONQUER A WORLD TITLE, CORRADO MADDII HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MAIN PROTAGONISTS OF THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AS A RIDER AND LATER AS A TEAM MANAGER. AT 63 YEARS OLD HE REMAINS INVOLVED WITH PASSION IN THE SPORT, COACHING YOUNG RIDERS WHO DREAM TO BECOME CHAMPIONS IN THE HUSQVARNA JUNIOR RACING MADDII TEAM. Born on 28 March 1957 in Levane di Montevarchi, Italy, Corrado had the chance to discover motocross when a moto club built a track in Montevarchi when he was ten years old. He was sixteen when he won his first race, and later finished runner up in the Italian junior championship when he turned eighteen. At the end of the 1975 season he had the opportunity to enter his first International race as he was selected to represent his country in the famous ‘Coupe de l’Avenir’ in Belgium, where team Italia scored a third overall behind Belgium and Great Britain.

Corrado was riding for Aspes, an Italian manufacturer involved in the 125cc class, and he dominated the 1976 Junior championship and just missed another title in the 250cc class due to a crash on his home track at Montevarchi. During that season he also had a first experience at the GP’s as he entered several rounds, including the first one in Austria where he scored points in both races. By the end of the championship he finished in the top fifteen with a highlight in Spain where he ended third of the first moto, and the following year he was able to enjoy a podium celebration for the first time in the Motocross World Championship after finishing second overall in Czechoslovakia.

During most of his career Maddi worked with Italian brands, and after racing for Aspes and Gilera, in 1979 he signed with Aprilia. He raced three seasons for the company based in Noale, scoring his best result in the World Championship with a fifth overall in 1979 and claiming the Italian titles in the 250cc and 500cc classes during the same year. In 1981 he was part of the winning Italian team at the ‘Cup of Nations’ and afterwards he joined Michele Rinaldi in the factory Gilera team for the next seasons.

For the first time since he was racing in the Motocross World Championship Corrado was a title contender against his Belgian teammate Eric Geboers.

The Italian rider managed to finish runner up behind Geboers after a very consistent season with eight podiums and just one DNF, and he also added two Italian titles to his score board and another win with Team Italia at the ‘Cup of Nations’.

At the end of 1983 Gilera stopped his investment in Motocross and Corrado Maddii entered a new chapter of his career when he signed with Cagiva, another famous Italian brand. In fact, the 1984 season was his best ever;

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despite not scoring any points at the opening round in Italy, he stood on the podium of all the other rounds, winning two GP’s and entering the final race in Luxembourg leading the series by thirty points over Rinaldi. He just had to score a few points to get the title, but the timed practice session was a drama as another rider hit him and broke his leg! Missing the title by three points Corrado would not be the first Italian World Champion and would never be in a position to get this title again.

In 1985 he finished third with three GP wins, but the following year he moved to the 500cc class and helped Team Italy with Rinaldi and Contini to be on the podium of the Motocross of Nations at Maggiora, Italy. After riding in the 125cc class on a private Honda, Corrado retired at the end of 1990, sharing his time among the family olive oil company, his own team and the career of his son Marco.

Corrado Maddii has worked with Italian riders like Chiodi, Traversini, Federici, Puzar, Bartolini, Guadagnini, Forato to name a few, but also foreign athletes such as Parker and Coppins. Corrado remains today involved in the sport with another Italian brand as he joined Fantic last winter for the comeback of the company in Motocross.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1976:

14th in the 125 World Championship (Aspes)

Italian Junior champion

1977:

14th in the 125 World Championship (Aspes)

1978:

10th in the 125 World Championship (Gilera)

1979:

5th in the 125 World Championship (Aprilia)

1980:

14th in the 125 World Championship (Aprilia)

Italian 500 champion

1981:

8th in the 125 World Championship (Aprilia)

Italian 250 champion

Winner of the Cup of Nations with team Italy

1982:

2nd in the 125 World Championship (Gilera)

Italian 125 and 250 champion

Winner of the Cup of Nations with team Italy

1983:

5th in the 250 World Championship (Gilera)

Italian 125 champion

1984:

2nd in the 125 World Championship (Cagiva). Winner of 2 GP’s

1985:

3rd in the 125 World Championship (Cagiva). Winner of 3 GP’s

Italian 125 champion

1986:

11th in the 500 World Championship (Kawasaki)

3rd at the Motocross of Nations with Team Italy

1987:

4th in the 125 World Championship (Honda)

Italian 125 champion

1988:

7th in the 125 World Championship (Honda)

1989:

27th in the 125 World Championship (Honda)

1990:

25th in the 125 World Championship (Husqvarna)

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STEFAN EVERTS

1995 KAWASAKI KX250 238

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ITH 10 WORLD TITLES UNDER HIS BELT, STEFAN EVERTS IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MOTOCROSS RACER IN THE WORLD AND WITH 101 GP VICTORIES, 169 RACE WINS AND 166 PODIUMS, THE RECORD BOOKS WERE TORN UP AND RE-WRITTEN.

He also won titles with four different manufactures, but when he won the FIM 250cc Motocross World Championship in 1995, he would go down in history as Kawasaki’s first ever world motocross champion, and it’s his 1995 KX250 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Kawasaki’s journey into offroad began in 1963 with the bike known as the B8M, but it wasn’t a motocross bike as such; that would come much later, but when Ollie Petterson placed 14th overall in the 250cc world championship in 1972, Kawasaki decided to up its game, and the following year, armed with a factory machine, Sweden’s Torleif Hansen took the green side of Japan to 4th overall. Whilst there no race wins, he did claim 2nd on three occasions and 3rd no fewer than four times on the first factory KX250.

The following season, 1974, Kawasaki unveiled its first purposebuilt motocross bike when it introduced the first production KX250 to the market, and whilst racers were getting to grips with it, Hansen was making his own piece of history, and on May 19th 1974, the Swede claimed Kawasaki’s first ever race win and GP victory when he went 1-3 in Yugoslavia. He would win twice more that year, at Lady’s Mile in England and at his home track of Upplands Vasby in Sweden on his way to another 4th overall in the campaign.

Fast forward twenty-years to 1994 and the wait for that first title continued to drag on; even Stefan Everts himself came up short in the ’94 campaign, but that would all change the following year though.

A Rough Start Everts’ first test on his KX250 came at the end of 1993 when he’d just switched from the factory Suzuki team, but before he left Europe for Japan though, the Belgian had injured his knee at the Bercy Supercross and so decided to take his custom knee braces as ‘I didn’t

want to miss the test.’ Problem was, he’d only ever used them once before and never felt comfortable in them, so he took them as a precaution, just in case. On the first day of the test in Japan, Stefan missed his rear brake at the end of a fast straight as a result of the braces feeling uncomfortable, and as panic set in, he grabbed the front brake and crashed hard. Not the best way to impress the new bosses by any means, but maybe it was a sign that 1994 would follow the same kind of pattern. Despite a double DNF at the first GP in Spain, and a broken collarbone which caused him to miss the Finnish GP, the title still went down to the final round in Germany, but it was Greg Albertyn who was crowned champion for a third successive time, by just 11 points.

1994 marked a three-year run of bad luck for Everts and after Germany, he was mentally destroyed. When he went into the ’95 season he hadn’t really prepared in his usual manner, and by his own admission wasn’t even close to being 100% ready. After Valkenswaard, Round 2, Everts led the championship, but after a disastrous outing in Italy, Round 4, his teammate Tallon Vohland was the new leader.

‘Maggiora was a bad weekend for me, I don’t even remember what happened in the first race, my riding was so bad; also in the second race, and after that weekend I was in a dark place again, like the end of ’94 where I thought it was gonna be another one of those years. I struggled at the next race in Austria, but Sweden is where it started to come back. I remember I won there and then we went to Foxhill in England – that track was always good for me – I won both races there and was leading the championship again.’

Taking Stock As far as the bike, Stefan’s KX250 was relatively unchanged from the bike that he raced in the previous season, but the biggest surprise was that this bike was not a full factory

SR250 as many had suspected.

In short, Everts had walked away from a factory team; his Kawasaki was nothing more than a modified production bike at best. But this bike came with a difference.

‘Alec Wright wanted me at Kawasaki no matter what, and I said there were two things I wanted.

The first was that I wanted my mechanic Harry Nolte to come with me, and that I also wanted Jan de Groot as the engine tuner. Back then, Jan was the king; I always struggled with my starts on the Suzuki and Greg was always getting holeshots or much better starts than me and that changed when I got on the Kawasaki.’

The bottom end was standard but it was Jan de Groot’s tuning of the cylinder and cylinder head and the marrying up of all the other internal parts, such as piston, carburettor and jetting, and countless hours testing SPES exhaust pipes and silencers that really made this bike tick. The only thing that Everts had to get used to was the frame; back then Kawasaki was using a perimeter frame where the fuel

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tank between sat between two square ‘arms’ whereas the Suzuki still had the fuel tank perched on the single tube frame, ‘but actually it wasn’t too difficult to get used to it.’

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages though was the freedom for Stefan to test and develop whatever he wanted, something he wasn’t really able to do with Suzuki. Everts’ former mechanic from ‘94, Harry Nolte, recalled that J ‘ an had a dyno at that time and that made a big difference because with Suzuki, we just had to rely on the factory, so whatever came from Japan we had to use it. No discussions. We never knew the numbers, whereas Jan was more open; he was really into the tuning and setting up the bike and talking to the rider. I think also you needed that at that time because we had no electronics, no data or anything, so you had to talk to the rider and get the feeling together about how things should be.’

The rest of the bike came with bigger radiators for better cooling efficiency, factory KYB suspension and factory triple clamps. The swingarm was standard and the linkage was modified, but the wheels and hubs were also factory, the main benefits being that they were stronger and also lighter. Stopping power came courtesy of standard Nissin brakes, but the brake discs were provided

by Braking; the front being larger than standard. The clutch cover was Magnesium and the bike was littered with Titanium nuts and bolts, and as already mentioned, SPES provided the pipes and silencers.

Chasing The Win After the British GP at Foxhill, Everts led his teammate Vohland by 11 points and this gap was reduced to just 6 a week later in Ireland, but after Everts went 1-1 at Kester in Belgium and Vohland collided with a tree, the Belgian found himself with a 39 point lead; he just needed to manage the situation. In the final third of the season, the threat came from fellow Belgian, Marnicq Bervoets and despite the gap being reduced to less than 20 points, Everts remained in control and the title was clinched in the first race of

a muddy final round in France at Chateau du Loir: ‘I won the title in the first race at the final GP in France. It rained all day Saturday and the track was very muddy on Sunday. 15th place was good enough to take the title.

I made a bad start and actually, the race was almost finished for me after the first 5 metres when another rider came completely across me. I didn’t crash but I made a really bad start. At that moment, I thought ‘not again … another title lost’ but I was able to make a lot of passes and scored a point. Marnicq also had a bad race and I don’t think he scored points so that was also good for me.’

Finally, after three years of devastating ups and downs, Stefan Everts was world champion for a second time, and the first to win on a Kawasaki; the weight of expectation and disappointment around his neck was gone: ‘Winning the championship was such a big relief for me after 3 years of bad luck and disappointment. It proved also that first title in 1991 was not a fluke. My dad was more on the side for 1994 and 1995. I wanted to make more my own decisions, but the hug at the end of the race between me and him was full of emotion. It was also nice to be the first rider to win the world championship for Kawasaki.’

On the way to the title, one of Stefan’s standout moments came at his home GP in Belgium at Kester: ‘Kester was the best moment of the year for me, maybe the best moment of my career actually.

I beat Marnicq in the first race and in the second we were having another really close race. There were more than 20,000 fans on the hillside and the atmosphere was incredible. Then I did a tactic I’d never done before; I let Marnicq pass me for the lead. It was a big risk (because if he won, he would win the GP) but I felt so good that day, so strong and confident. After he led for maybe two or three laps, I passed him back; not on the last lap but I think four or five laps from the end. It was such a good race.’

Photos: Haudiquert

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ME A F OF

JOSHUA ‘JOSH’ COPPINS

J

OSH COPPINS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST NEW ZEALAND RIDERS INVOLVED IN THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE KING BROTHERS. IT TOOK HIM A LONG TIME TO REACH HIS FIRST PODIUM AND LATER HIS FIRST GP WIN, AND HE WAS AT HIS BEST WHEN HE TURNED THIRTY AND JOINED THE YAMAHA RINALDI TEAM, MISSING UNFORTUNATELY THE WORLD TITLE IN 2007.

With eleven GP wins, two podiums at the Motocross of Nations and twentyeight national titles conquered in five different countries (New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Belgium and Great Britain), he is one of the most successful Kiwi riders.

Born on 11th March 1977 in Motueka, Josh Coppins was one of the most promising kind in the early 90’s, he started racing when he was eleven years old and won for the first time at the second race he entered! Winner of his first Junior title at the age of fifteen, he then entered the his first GP one year later when the world championship visited Manjimup in Australia. A first taste of a dream, and after winning the national Supercross championship in 1994, he was only seventeen when he flew to Europe to enter the 250cc World Championship as a privateer. His first experiences were tough, but Josh never gave up and during several years did two seasons in one racing both the GP’s and the New Zealand championships where he claimed wins, titles and money to finance his career in Europe. He finally got his first great result during his fourth campaign when he stood on the podium of the 1998 Motocross of Nations alongside Darryl and Shayne King. In fact, it was a turning point of his career, as he finally got some support from Sylvain Geboers and Suzuki for his

fifth attempt in the 250cc class.

For the first time in his career he entered the top ten of the series and in 2000 managed a factory ride alongside Mickael Pichon. While his teammate fought for the world title, Josh claimed his first ever GP podium in France and scored a final fourth position. Hard worker he improved his results every year, moved from Suzuki to Honda and did a nearly perfect 2002 season when he got eight podium results and finished runner up in the 250cc World championship.

The following year he joined the main class late due to a heavy crash while practicing in the US during the off season and he won his first GP one year later in Arreton on the Isle of Wight and claimed two series podiums in 2004 and 2005. Missing the first part of the 2006 season due to injury, he went back racing in the mid-season for the 8th round of the series and impressed everyone as he got a total of thirteen race podiums and was the only rider able to beat Stefan Everts that year!

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To replace Stefan Everts, who retired at the end of 2006, Yamaha and Michele Rinaldi signed Josh Coppins who received full factory support for the second time in his career. He started the season with consecutive wins in Valkenswaard and Bellpuig and stood on the podium of the first eight rounds of the series. After ten rounds, with five GP wins and a total of nine podiums, he was strongly leading the series by 107 points and was the favourite for the title when the series arrived in Loket for the Czech round. That event was dramatic for him and his team, as he damaged his shoulder that day and was forced to miss the next two rounds; he tried to race in Great Britain despite the pain but couldn’t finish the season and missed that title he deserved so much. It was the pinnacle of his career, and even if he won one round of the championship in 2008 and 2009, he was never again a title contender.

Josh decided to join the Aprilia project for his last season in Europe and afterwards he went back to New Zealand. He remains passionate about the sport and shares his amazing experience with young riders. He built the JCR Yamaha team in 2013, has won several titles as team manager and helped Courtney Duncan to discover the Women’s World Championship.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1995:

39th in the 250 World Championship (Suzuki)

1996:

23rd in the 250 World Championship (Suzuki)

1997:

17th in the 250 World Championship (Suzuki)

1998:

13th in the 250 World Championship (Suzuki)

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team New Zealand

1999:

7th in the 250 World Championship (Suzuki)

2000:

4th in the 250 World Championship (Suzuki)

2001:

6th in the 250 World Championship (Suzuki)

2002:

2nd in the 250 World Championship (Honda)

2003:

12th in the MotocrossGP World Championship (Honda)

2004:

3rd in the MX1 World Championship (Honda). Winner of 1 GP

2005:

2nd in the MX1 World Championship (Honda). Winner of 2 GP’s

2006:

7th in the M1 World Championship (Honda). Winner of 1 GP

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team New Zealand

2007:

3rd in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha).

Winner of 5 GP’s

2008:

5th in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha).

Winner of 1 GP

2009:

6th in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha).

Winner of 1 GP

2010:

12th in the MX1 World Championship (Aprilia)

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T ALESSANDRO PUZAR’S

1995 HONDA CR125 246

O MOTOCROSS FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD, ALESSANDRO PUZAR WAS ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC AND EXCITING RACERS TO EVER RIDE A DIRT BIKE. AFTER WINNING HIS FIRST WORLD TITLE IN 1990, THE NEXT FEW YEARS SAW HIM FACE SOME OF HIS TOUGHEST CHALLENGES AND BY 1994 HE HAD SLUMPED TO 19TH IN THE WORLD IN THE 250CC CLASS.

That all changed in 1995 though when he was crowned world champion again, and it’s Puzar’s 1995 title-winning Honda CR125 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

The FIM Motocross World Championship was first established in 1957 and until 1983 nine different countries had won a title with Belgium the most successful nation with twenty-five wins. Sweden (15) was next, but Italy was still yet to register on the winners list. From 1980 – 1983 though, Michele Rinaldi collected two silver and two bronze medals in the 125cc division, whilst fellow Italian Corrado Maddii picked up 2nd overall in 1982 in the same class, so it probably came as no surprise that both riders would be fighting for the title sooner or later. That moment came in 1984.

Heading into the final round of the 1984 season, Maddii led Rinaldi by 30 points and needed just 11 points (or 5th in race one) to win the 125cc title. However, a collision with another rider on Saturday left Maddii with a broken leg, ending his title hopes, unless of course Rinaldi had problems of his own, but after going 1-4, Michele Rinaldi became Italy’s first world champion by just 3 points over Maddii, but the two would find themselves fighting for the same title eleven years later as team owners.

After his worst season as a professional racer where he placed 19th overall in the 250cc class, Alessandro Puzar was at a career crossroads and with limited offers on the table to go racing in 1995, it was feared that the former world champion might be heading into retirement. That was until a brief conversation with Corrado Maddi in November ’94, where the team owner proposed a move

back to the 125cc class, and after testing the bike a couple of days later, Puzar was a 125cc rider once again, at the tender age of 29.

The bike itself was standard with the only factory components being the Showa suspension, the forks being 45mm USD units. The linkage and swingarm were unchanged and remained standard. The base of the engine was also standard but the cylinder and cylinder head were tuned by Maddii himself. The reed valves were standard and the piston, which had a flat head, was provided by Asso.

The exhaust pipe and silencer were produced in Italy by Messico, but as for BHP numbers, Dyno’s were not readily available back then, so as to how much more power the bike produced over standard is unknown. Back in those days, there was more interaction between the rider and the tuner, and if something felt good or better in any way, then that was the direction things would go.

The gearbox was a standard 6-speed item but the clutch was from Newfrein and Puzar was able to start in 2nd gear where most other riders would start in 1st and ‘quickshift’ into 2nd as soon as they’d crossed the start gate.

The ignition unit was also standard but the Kehin carburettor was changed from 36mm to 38mm. As a result of these modifications, Puzar was able to tailor his engine to one with more middle-top power and as a result was able to utilise this set-up by carrying more speed through the turns.

The rims were by DID and the hubs were standard with the brakes being provided by Newfrein. The front brake disc

was also bigger than standard.

With the races being 45 minutes long, there was always the need for a bigger fuel tank and this was made from aluminium; the ignition and clutch cover was also aluminium, and there a few choice titanium parts as well, mainly nuts and bolts though.

The Race for The Title After placing 3rd overall at the opening round of the season in Italy, ‘A lex’ Puzar took control of the championship after Round 4 in Poland where he won his first GP of the season. He would also win the next two GP’s in Holland

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in the next two races – in France and Indonesia - saw Chiodi as the new leader by two points as the championship arrived at the final round in Germany. and Hungary and after finishing 2nd overall at the next round in Great Britain (round 7), Puzar held a commanding 55-point advantage over Alessio ‘Chicco’ Chiodi.

Puzar won the first race from Chiodi and regained the lead by a single point, and as they went into the final race of the year, the message was clear for both riders: beat your rival.

A couple of rounds later in San Marino the points gap was reduced to 26 after Puzar could only manage a 13-5 result compared to Chiodi’s 2-1 and all of a sudden, the need to focus was paramount and there could be no more slip ups over the final three rounds of the campaign if Alex was to secure that second world title. After placing 3rd in Race 1 in France to Chiodi’s win, Puzar held a 21-point lead over Chiodi, but back to back DNF’s

When Puzar crossed the finish line in 2nd ahead of Chiodi in 3rd, Puzar was crowned world champion for the second time in his career, aged 29, his winning margin just 3 points clear of Chiodi.

“QUOTE.”

As racers, Michele Rinaldi beat Corrado Maddii to the title by 3 points eleven years earlier and this was history repeating, only this time as team owners, it was Maddii who beat Rinaldi

by 3 points to exact some kind of revenge for the pain of defeat in 1984. It was also Corrado Maddi’s first world championship win as a team owner.

On the way to his second world championship, Alessandro Puzar won six races and stood on the top step of the podium on four occasions. His overall win at the final round in Germany was his 19th career victory and it would be the last time the Honda would win in the 125cc class with a 2-stroke motorcycle. Honda wold not win the title again in this division until 2015 when Tim Gajser clinched the MX2 title on a CRF250, twenty-years later. Puzar went on to win 23 GP’s before he retired at the end of 2002.

Photos: Haudiquert 249

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250

ME A F OF

JAROSLAV FALTA

J

AROSLAV FALTA WAS FOR SURE ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED RIDERS IN THE 70’S, BUT AT THAT PERIOD SPORT AND POLITICS WERE TOO LINKED TOGETHER IN THE EASTERN COUNTRIES. MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL CZECH TEAM, FALTA WAS A GREAT AMBASSADOR FOR THE CZ FACTORY AND WON ON TRACKS THE 1974 WORLD TITLE BEFORE LOSING IT ON THE GREEN CARPET. Born on the 22nd of March 1951 in Rumburk, Jaroslav Falta was already fifteen years old when he had the opportunity to ride a bike for the first time thanks to his older brother Jiri, who gave him a bicycle when he was younger and later his former bike. One year later Jaroslav raced some local events, and after only two seasons he was selected to join the Dukla in Prague, the most prestigious motorcycle club.

For the Czech riders it was the only possibility to become a pro rider, to have an official trainer, to travel outside the country, to get a factory ride in the CZ team and of course to enter the World Championship events for the best athletes.

Jaroslav was just twenty years old when he had the opportunity to enter for the first time a GP in Switzerland.

Scoring an eighth position in Wohlen, he narrowly missed the podium in three other rounds of the series and showed his ability with a ninth overall in the 250cc World Championship, an individual win at the ‘Cup de l’Avenir’ and a podium result with the Czech team at the Trophy of Nations. In 1972 Falta joined the CZ Factory team and won his first GP in Donnington Park, but he didn’t improve his final ranking after missing the first rounds of the series. In 1973 he had the opportunity to race the Inter AMA in the US and managed to improve his GP results as he finished sixth with some podiums under

his belt.

While Russian athletes had the opportunity to race for another brand than CZ, Falta had no other choice than racing for the communist-controlled Czechoslovakian CZ team and had a different perspective on the sport than most riders.

The 500cc class was the main one in the mid 70’s, but the 250cc category was very challenging as the Japanese manufacturers entered the series; Yamaha (Andersson), Suzuki (Geboers and Rahier) and Kawasaki (Hansen) challenged the European manufacturers.

KTM (Moisseev), Puch (Everts) and of course CZ shared victories in 1974, but the final battle for the title was a two-man affair between Moisseev and Falta. Both riders raced for their national communist team and the battle was intense until the last round of the season in Wohlen. The soviet rider was leading the series as his bike was more reliable, but at that period only six races counted for the championship, so Falta had all his chances going to Switzerland.

However, that last race was for sure the ‘one to forget’ in the history of our sport, as it was a political affair. Moisseev was not at his best that day, and when Falta lapped him while leading the first race, Guennady hit him. Jaroslav crashed and

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lost the race, finishing third behind Everts and Andersson. Falta was again leading the second race and was about to become champion after Moisseev retired mid race, when the Czech found two other Soviets on his way and one of them hit him so hard that Falta had a heavy crash. He was able to go back in the race and finish third, which was enough to be World Champion.

However, a few hours after the race the manager of the Russian team made a protest, alleging Falta had jumped the start; the jury instituted a one-minute penalty on Falta who dropped to eighth place, handing the world championship to Moisseev! The Czech delegate made a protest, but later had to make it disappear due to some political pressure and Falta had no choice but to keep quiet to continue racing.

Not everything went wrong for him that season, as he surprised everyone when he clinched a victory in Los Angeles Coliseum!

During the summer break Jaroslav and his teammate Zdenek Velky flew to the US to race several AMA events, and in L.A Falta showed his impressive ability when he defeated three-time 500cc world champion Roger De Coster!

That season was the pinnacle of the Czech rider’s career, who entered again the 250cc World championship during several seasons but could never fight again for a title before he retired in 1982.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1971:

9th in the 250 World Championship (CZ)

3rd at the Trophy of Nations with Team Czechoslovakia

Winner of ‘Cup de l’Avenir’ in Belgium

1972: 9th in the 250 World Championship (CZ). Winner of 1 GP

2nd at the Trophy of Nations with Team Czechoslovakia

1973:

6th in the 250 World Championship (CZ)

4th in the Inter AMA 250

3rd at the Trophy of Nations with Team Czechoslovakia

1974: 2nd in the 250 World Championship (CZ). Winner of 1 GP

2nd in the Inter AMA 250

1975: 11th in the 250 World Championship (CZ). Winner of 1 GP 1976:

11th in the 250 World Championship (CZ)

1977:

9th in the 250 World Championship (CZ)

1978: 9th in the 250 World Championship (CZ). Winner of 1 GP 1979:

10th in the 250 World Championship (CZ)

1980:

7th in the 250 World Championship (CZ).

1982:

23rd in the 250 World Championship (CZ)

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W TRAMPAS PARKER

1989 KTM 125 254

HEN AMERICA’S TRAMPAS PARKER WON THE FIM 125CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1989 IT WAS A RESULT THAT LITERALLY SHOCKED THE WORLD; NOBODY SAW IT COMING, AND AS KTM CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE MX2 CATEGORY IN THE MODERN ERA, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO SHED SOME LIGHT ON KTM’S FIRST EVER WORLD TITLE IN WHAT WAS FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE 125CC CLASS.

So, with that being said, the bike that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine is the 125cc KTM that took Parker to that historic world championship win.

If we cast our minds back to the years preceding the 1989 season, a quick look through the archives will tell us that the only points that Trampas Parker had scored in world championship competition was on two occasions; the first race of the 1987 Spanish GP where he placed 13th, and again in the 250cc Czech GP in 1988, where he finished 10th, taking his total point’s tally to nine from those two races.

All of that changed in 1989 though when the American went 1-1 to win the first GP of the season, and the first wins – races and GP – of his career at Faenza. After losing the lead briefly to Dave Strijbos for a couple of rounds, Parker capitalised on the Dutchman’s knee injury to regain control of the series and from Round Five of twelve, the Italy-based American held his nerve to the very end, wrapping up the title in the first race at the final round in France.

Background Noise At the end of the 1988 season, Parker was asked to line up on a 125cc KTM at the final round of the Italian championship after having ridden a 250cc in various races during the season. The bike he got to ride was one of Alessandro Puzar’s practice bikes as the Italian was already heading to Suzuki with Michele Rinaldi.

That day would ultimately change Parker’s life, and despite KTM’s factory team already being decided, Parker would line up in 1989 on the ’88 factory bikes from the previous year. According to Parker, ‘the engine was a factory engine from the year before; that was what we started out with, from what Puzar had been riding. The frame was also from the previous year.’

The main difference between the ’89 factory bikes and the Farioli bike that Parker raced was the suspension; the factory bikes had to run with

WP suspension whereas Parker was able to use Marzocchi, front and rear, with the forks being conventional items and the shock being completely different to what would have been considered standard at that time.

The factory bikes also ran with a Kehin carburettor, but again, Parker opted for the Italian Dell’Orto carb’ but perhaps one of the biggest discoveries from that season was what Parker chose to use at the rear end: ‘We never told anybody why but I was probably the only rider on the track that year that rode with an 18inch rear wheel; everybody else went to the 19-inchers. Even Pirelli kept saying, ‘man, why don’t you put the 19 on?’ but we just found that the 18 flexed a little better coming out of the corners on the little stutter bumps and I just knew I could get more traction with it and so we chose to run that 18 all year and nobody ever figured it out; it was funny!’

Something else that proved to be decisive was the amount of time Parker and Ferro spent testing: ‘We did a lot of testing and I think that was one thing that really helped us because we did a lot of suspension tests together, we did a lot of motor testing together and then all of a sudden when KTM started realising that things were going our way, then they started sending us some ’89 stuff like the frame and different stuff; and then we would start testing and when things were better we used it and when they weren’t, we stuck with what we had.

‘I think the frame, and the engineer in Austria back at that time was Sigi and he came up with some cylinders and stuff; the power valve system in the cylinder which we were able to get a little bit tighter and we started using that. But everything else we kept the way we started with at the beginning of the year, the Marzocchi suspension and the Dell’Orto carb.

It was definitely a super, super trick bike.’

The season in numbers

When Trampas Parker won the first GP of the season in Italy, it was only KTM’s 7th 125cc GP win since the Austrian firm entered the 125 class in 1976. It was also Parkers first ever GP victory. After winning the season opener in Italy with a 1-1, Parker went on to win another six races, including another 1-1 in Czechoslovakia, giving him 8 race wins in total.

He also claimed 6 GP wins, finished 2nd twice and 3rd on three occasions, and that run of consistency meant he finished on the podium eleven times from the twelve GP’s staged; the only time he missed the podium was at the final round in France where he crashed out of the second race after securing the title with 2nd in Race One, and from the races that he finished, Parker placed outside the top three on just three occasions.

Parkers world championship was the first for him and the first for KTM in the 125cc class. It would be 11 years before KTM would regain the 125cc world championship for a second time, with Grant Langston in 2000.

Photos: Haudiquert

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ME A F OF

CLAUDIO FEDERICI

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HREE TIMES ON THE PODIUM OF THE 125CC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, CLAUDIO FEDERICI NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WIN AN INDIVIDUAL WORLD TITLE AS DID MICHELE RINALDI OR ALESSANDRO PUZAR. BUT THE ROMAN HAS ONE GOLD MEDAL AT HOME, AS HE WON THE 1999 MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS WITH ANDREA BARTOLINI AND ALESSIO CHIODI. Born on the 7th of July 1975 in Roma, Claudio Federici entered the 125cc European Championship in 1993 and was an impressive winner of the opening round in Germany for his first attempt outside Italy.

He remained a title contender until the last Nordic rounds but didn’t score any points in Finland and finished runner up behind Danish Mikkel Caprani. The next step was of course the GP’s, and in 1994 he did a few World Championship rounds, scoring points for the first time in Spain; fifteenth of the series, he rode an impressive second race in Great Britain where he scored a top five result. That was enough to launch his career, as Claudio De Carli signed him to join Erik Camerlengo in the brand new De Carli racing team.

The team made an astonishing entrance in the World Championship as Claudio won the opening GP of the 1995 season in Italy; winner of the first heat and third of the second one in Castiglione del Lago, he stood on the highest step of the podium with two of his heroes on his side, Alessio Chiodi and Alessandro Puzar who fought that year for the title. For Claudio it was a learning season, and with some other highlights (podiums in Hungary and France) he ended the season in sixth position. Considered as one of the contenders for the title

in 1996, he just raced the opening GP in Italy and missed the other rounds due to a bad injury. Joining Husqvarna and Corrado Maddii in 1997 he finally clinched a podium result, with a third position in the 125cc series. It was a good season for him as he also celebrated a podium result at the MX of Nations in Belgium and won the Italian title.

Back with Yamaha and De Carli in 1998 he wasn’t consistent enough during the first part of the season to get another podium, but he rebounded in 1999 which was his best ever season. The battle between Claudio and Alessio Chiodi was intense all season long, as both of them won ten races and eleven of the twelve GP’s; finally, Chiodi won the title, and both riders lined up alongside Andrea Bartolini to claim an historical win at the Motocross of Nations in Brazil. Racing in the 250cc class for this event, Claudio switched in this class for the next seasons and did a strong performance in 2000 as he won one GP and remained a podium contender until the last rounds. Last but not least, he got his third podium

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at the MX of Nations with team Italia.

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The new race format – one single moto – inaugurated in 2001 was not really the best decision for Claudio, who won one round in Switzerland and finished fourth in the standings; he was more successful in Italy, where he won his third national title.

2002 was a nightmare for him as he seriously damaged a knee in a pre-season race and then was involved in a doping case.

Finally, back in the MX2 class in 2004, always with Yamaha and De Carli, he helped his new young teammate all season long and was proud to see Antonio Cairoli on the series podium.

With three GP podiums, Claudio missed a top ten result with too many DNF’s but won another Italian title and finally moved in the MX1 class where he ended his career in 2006 with a fifth national title.

1993:

2nd in the 125 European championship (Honda)

1994:

15th in the 125 World Championship (Yamaha)

1995:

6th in the 125 World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

1996:

25th in the 125 World Championship (Yamaha)

1997:

3rd in the 125 World Championship (Husqvarna).

Winner of 1 GP

2nd at the MX of Nations with team Italia

125 Italian champion

1998:

4th in the 125 World Championship (Yamaha)

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1999:

2nd in the 125 World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 3 GPs

Winner at the MX of Nations with team Italia

2000:

5th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

2nd at the MX of Nations with team Italia

Open Italian champion

2001:

4th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

Open Italian champion

2002:

38th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha)

2003:

8th in the MotocrossGP World Championship (Yamaha)

2004:

11th the MX2 World Championship (Yamaha)

MX2 Italian champion

2005:

26th in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha)

2006:

29th in the MX1 World Championship (Kawasaki)

MX1 Italian champion

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BOB MOORE’S

1994 YAMAHA YZ125 260

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FTER LANDING ON EUROPEAN SHORES IN 1986, AMERICAN BOB MOORE HAD ONE THING ON HIS MIND AND THAT WAS TO WIN A WORLD MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE HE RETURNED HOME TO HIS NATIVE USA.

And, after a nine-year spell competing in different classes and on different teams, his ambition was finally realised when he lifted the 125cc title in 1994. We didn’t know it at the time, but history tells us that his win was also the last for an American rider in the FIM Motocross World Championship. This month, the bike we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine, is Bob Moore’s 1994 Yamaha YZ125.

Bob Moore’s journey in Europe started in 1986 racing the 125cc class but it wasn’t until 1989 that he recorded his first, real solid season where he placed 4th overall. He improved to 2nd overall in ’90 and ’91 but then switched to the 250cc class for the 1992 season. He also traded his factory KTM for a factory Michele Rinaldi Chesterfield Yamaha. In what was his rookie season in the class, Moore impressed on his way to another 2nd overall for the third consecutive year. However, when the season was over, the American found himself surplus to requirements and needed to search elsewhere for a deal, and he ended up signing for Suzuki, the reason being that Rinaldi and Yamaha stripped the team back from three riders to two. With Donny Schmit winning the title, he was the obvious choice to stay, but Rinaldi also needed to sign an Italian, and despite finishing 4th overall, Alessandro Puzar remained on the team, at the expense of Moore.

The 1993 season on Suzuki did not go according to plan as Moore missed almost half the year due to injury; so how and when did the move back to Yamaha for the following season come about, as well as a change of class?

‘Basically, it fell into place real nicely; I obviously kept a real good relationship with Michele when I left in ’92, the Suzuki deal was only a one year deal so I kept in communication with him and towards the latter part of the season after I got injured I

just called him back up and said, ‘hey, is there any way I can come back to Italy and come back and race with the team?’ He said, ‘you know what? I’m just finalising, and looking at giving to Yamaha a 125 programme and I think you’d be a perfect fit.’ So, it was just really a quick conversation, and I was like ‘great, as long as you can give me the tools to go out and win then I’ll do it!’ And that was it.’

After spending the winter riding a stock YZ125 back home in America, Moore didn’t ride his race bike until February of 1994 when he returned to Europe.

Having ridden factory KTM’s just a couple of years earlier, Moore realised there was a lot of work to do, but for him and the team, the foray into the 125cc class wasn’t just about going racing; it was very much a development program as well: ‘Their whole idea was to make a kit motorcycle and so I was just responsible for developing and promoting that. So, we started out with a kit bike, which was a little bit faster than the stock bike; it still wasn’t what I thought we needed, and then after the third race, and after getting really bad starts, I was like ‘man, this thing must be down on power’ because I’m not a traditionally bad starter.

So, we really started working hard on the engine performance and it was not until probably half way through the series when we got to San Marino that I basically got an engine mod upgrade, and from there on I always started getting really good starts, so I was really happy.’

Another key component was the Öhlins Suspension; the Rinaldi Yamaha came equipped with conventional forks and this made a huge difference to the handling performance:

‘I had the best handling motorcycle of all; I had conventional forks.

The Öhlins conventional forks

that I used and the suspension was just … I could put that bike anywhere I wanted and that was kinda like the advantage, at least from my side. I really liked the feeling of launching off a big jump and landing flat ground and just having that solid-dead feel to it, versus that thing popping back up; it just seemed like the USD always just popped back up, so I just preferred that, and I don’t know how much they did development side from an Öhlins perspective, but they didn’t really have to. I was always happy with it.’

As this was considered a development program and

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something of a work in progress, the man responsible for the engines was Iler ‘Aldo’ Aldini, but Moore also had a personal contract with FMF exhaust pipes from America, and so the two worked side-by-side to produce the best possible system to ensure the project was a success.

The season started off with a win in Italy, but it was Mickael Pichon who won the following round in the deep mud of France with a 1-1 as Moore struggled to a 3-9. The American responded in Argentina with another win but it was the following round in Spain where the team experienced their first, and only DNF of the season at Bellpuig: ‘My choke got put on, I don’t know how, but in the parc fermé maybe it was somebody else that came up and popped it open or whatever but the choke was on. My bike was just cutting out on the start line. I thought, ‘What is going on?’

Anyway, I went a few laps but I just wasn’t going anywhere obviously with the choke being on, so I didn’t make any points first moto and then went out and won the second one.’

As the season progressed, it was clear the title race would go down between Alessio Chiodi and Moore, but there were two rounds that almost cemented the title for the American. The first was in Holland, where he crashed in both races early on and came back to score to 5th place finishes, ‘which by the way I will say was like a win for me because Chicco cleaned me out in the first lap of the first race, and I had to start from dead last. And then the second race, again, crashed but ended up getting 5th so for me it was like, I did really good in the sand, for there.’

The other round was San Marino, where the much needed and overdue engine was introduced, something that was head and shoulders above the kit-engine he had been using: ‘That was a better overall package and it was kind of a combination of the pipe that we helped FMF build and just the components of everything, my riding style as well, 262

you know, because I didn’t really ride it like a traditional 125cc, I tried to ride it more like a 250cc and all of those kind of components helped out with it a lot.’

Heading into the final round, Moore needed just four points to secure the title, and with such a big lead, there was no sign of nerves, and after winning the first race, it was all over.

He sealed the deal with a double race win with victory in the second outing: ‘It was kind of a really weird, strange feeling. Obviously, it was unbelievable crossing the finish line, seeing the wall of people there and people throwing me up in the air; those are things I remember like it was yesterday. It was like a house had been lifted off the back of my shoulders, and I’m like, ‘oh my gosh, I just did the childhood dream of mine that I’ve always wanted, and I’ve been here for 9 years trying to get it.’

I need to give a shout out to my mechanics; Pere Ibañez was by far, in my opinion the best mechanic I ever had in my whole racing career.

What we had, together with Nicola Malzone, the crazy Brazilian guy, we just had such a cool team, it was just the three of us but you know, we went to the races with kinda just our own goals and our little truck, the Mercedes 613 and that was it, you know? It was a good time, but I couldn’t have done it without those guys. Pere was just unbelievable, if we had an issue with something going on and he would just fix it right there on the spot. We didn’t have like factory support programme with other trucks and stuff there, it was him; he did everything, it was awesome.’

During the 1994 season, Bob Moore claimed eleven race wins and six GP wins on the way to the 125cc world championship title. It was Yamaha’s second victory in the class and the first since John van den Berk won the same title in 1987 and as it stands right now, he is America’s last FIM Motocross World Champion.

Photos: Yamaha/ Americanmotorcyclist.com/ Mayes/Frocheur

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ME A F OF

MIKE ‘GUNNER’ HEALEY

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MERICAN MIKE HEALEY STAYED FOR ONLY FIVE SEASONS IN EUROPE BUT LEFT A MARK IN THE SERIES WITH TWO GP WINS AND TWO FINAL PODIUMS WITH A SILVER MEDAL IN THE 250CC CLASS AND A BRONZE ONE IN THE 125CC SERIES. THE CALIFORNIAN NATIVE WAS A PURE TALENT, BUT HIS ‘REBEL’ ATTITUDE DIDN’T REALLY HELP HIM TO HAVE A GREAT CAREER. Born in California on the 20th of November 1968, Mike started racing in Southern California at the end of the 70’s and was so talented that he soon got a contract with an amateur team and became one of the Suzuki’s premier mini talents. He then joined the Suzuki factory team in 1985 and won two rounds of the US 125cc Supercross championship but missed the title due to a broken femur.

Forced to move in the 250cc class by an AMA rule for the 1986 supercross series, he was only seventeen when he raced against legends such as Jeff Ward or Ricky Johnson and just survived before being back in the 125cc class for the outdoor series. But he didn’t finish the season as Suzuki fired him when he showed some insubordination during two races, coming there with a blue Mohawk!

In 1987 he joined Cagiva to race the outdoor, but also had a taste of Grand Prix when he travelled to the French round in Arbis and scored a fourth position in one race. It was enough to convince him to enter the World Championship in 1988 and to join fellow countryman Bobby Moore.

Missing the first three rounds of the 1988 campaign, he got his best result during the penultimate round of the series with a second position in Finland. Fifth overall for his rookie season, he then joined KTM in an “all

American squad” as his teammates were Bobby Moore and Trampas Parker. Parker surprised everyone when he clinched the 1989 world title, and even if he won his first Grand Prix in the Netherlands and scored four race wins, Mike wasn’t really dangerous for the championship as he retired in six heats. Third in the standings, he again entered the 125cc class in 1990 but didn’t improve his classification with a fifth position; he won one race that season, but also retired in six races. Getting bigger, he moved to the 250cc class in 1991, always with KTM. With his wild long hair, earrings and tattoos, Mike was really different than his rivals but his talent was sufficient to get good rides. 1991 was for sure his best season as he remained a title contender all season long against Trampas Parker. Once more Mike was able to win races and GP’s, but his inconstancy was dramatic as he didn’t finish eight of the twenty-four heats that season!

At the end of the season there was only four points difference between Parker and Healey, but the champion was Parker. The season was not a

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bad one for Mike, and he signed a deal with Sylvain Geboers to join Stefan Everts – the 1991 champion in the 125cc class – in the Suzuki factory team for 1992.

It could have been a dreaming deal, but that season was a nightmare for the flamboyant Californian, so far from the Flemish mentality. 1992 was the inaugural season for the triple heats, and Mike had eleven DNF’s that season between crashes and technical troubles.

Only twelfth in the series, he just shined that season when he won a race in the US at Steel City during one round of the nationals. Back in the US in 1993 he scored a fifth in the 500cc class, made another appearance during the 250cc US GP in Budds Creek and ended his GP career during the 1996 Italian GP. Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1985:

3rd in the US 125 Supercross West coast (Suzuki)

1986:

10th in the 125 US Motocross Championship (Suzuki)

1987:

10th in the 125 US Motocross Championship (Cagiva)

28th in the 125 Motocross World Championship

1988:

5th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Cagiva)

1989:

3rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM).

Winner of 1 GP

1990:

5th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

1991:

2nd in the 250 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 1 GP

1992: 12th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

10th in the 125 US Motocross Championship

1993:

5th in the 500 US Motocross Championship (Honda)

1994: 48th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Honda)

10th in the 125 US Motocross Championship (Honda)

1996:

31st in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

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G A T IN

V

ERIC GEBOERS

1987 HONDA RC250 268

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S A FIVETIME WORLD MOTOCROSS CHAMPION, ERIC GEBOERS’ BIKES HAVE FEATURED IN MXGP MAGAZINE PREVIOUSLY, AND HIS HONDA 250 THAT TOOK HIM TO THE WORLD TITLE IN 1987 WAS ONE OF THOSE BIKES.

From the outside, things are not always what they seem and this bike / project was met with some resistance almost every step of the way, so for this issue of MXGP Magazine, we will feature Eric’s 1987 title winning 250 Honda.

Having raced in the 500cc class in 1986, Eric still had a contract with Honda to contest the series in 1987 but Japan had other ideas; HRC wanted to focus on the 250cc class because ever since the inception of the 250 class in 1962, Honda had never won this title. Reluctantly, Eric agreed but only on the basis that whether he won the title or not, he would return to the premier class for the following (1988) season.

Eric’s fist two titles were won in the 125cc class in 1982 / ’83, and his mechanic back then was Jukka Pentilla, but when Suzuki pulled out of racing at the end of the 1983 season, it meant that Sylvain Geboers was out of a job as team manager, and so when Eric went to Honda in 1984, Sylvain went with him as his mechanic for the next three seasons. At the end of 1986 however, Eric called Pentilla to bring him back into the fray, and they were re-united once more.

After finishing 3rd in the 500 class in 1986 Eric required knee surgery which meant he would be a little behind with his preparation for the ’87 season. At the end of November, both Eric and Jukka headed out to America to test the ‘86 factory Honda’s of Ricky Johnson who had experienced some success with this machine, and for Eric the initial feeling was one of positivity. But, when the ’87 bikes arrived both Eric and Jukka were more than a little disappointed to say the least, because this switch to the 250 class also coincided with the new production bike rule in America.

‘The new bike looked just like a standard bike,’ remembers Pentilla.

‘The bike came with a plastic fuel tank (as opposed to aluminium like the factory 500), and the ’86 model

had a rear shock with the hose reservoir and the new (’87) one had the hammerhead, so the reservoir was in the air-filter box, which was a bad idea because there was no cooling for the shock.’

‘The frame had some reinforcements by the linkage under the engine; it was a kind of hand-welded frame. The forks were conventional Showa. I remember when the bikes first came, Ricky Johnson was using a bike that was so different in ’86 to what we had. It had a completely different power band designed for supercross, so it had good bottom end and good middle but no top end, so when we went to some local races in Europe, I remembered that some guys on the production bike passed Eric on the straights, because we had no top power in those Belgium sand classic races.

So, then we started to work much with that bike, but we had some problems.’

As for the engine, despite its shortcomings with top end power, it was still very much a factory unit, the only real problem being how it was initially set up for the US riders. The cylinder and cylinder head were factory and so too was the crankshaft. The crank cases were production but the ignition was also factory.

When the start of the ’87 season came around, Eric suffered what he called reliability issues, but as Pentilla recalls, ‘we were lucky that back in Japan, HRC had a good engine designer whose name happened to be Mr. Kawasaki. He was a young guy that came from road racing but really, his passion was in motocross, so when we had the problem where we had no top power, we were lucky that Kawasaki was there because he knew what to do.’

The problems did not stop there though, as no sooner had Mr. Kawasaki found more top power, the increase in rpm’s meant problems occurred elsewhere, namely the reed valve plates …

‘which were made of Kevlar or something, and they didn’t last.

They would last for 30 minutes in America but GP’s were 45 minutes.’

With Pentilla trying various reed plates, whilst they would last longer there would not be an increase in power, so he took it upon himself to make his own modifications after he found a solution to make the plates last longer, and increase the top end power. None of this came in time for the first GP at home in Belgium though, and Eric had to push his bike over the line in the first race after running out of fuel on the

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for solid points (5-6) but he still found himself in a real battle with Cagiva’s Pekka Vehkonen, who was pushing him all the way. last lap … ’50 metres before the finish line. We went back to the workshop to try to blow out the tank to have more fuel, and I think we got nine litres, but still ran out of gas. We always asked for the aluminium tank from the factory but they wouldn’t give us one.’

In England at Hawkstone Park, Geboers suffered a DNF in Race One after the crankshaft broke because it couldn’t take the increase in power that was now being produced.

After that, race wins and 2nd place finishes were pretty much the order of the day until the mud of Yugoslavia where Eric was able to ride consistently in both races

“QUOTE.”

In the final third of the season though, Geboers was able to break free, made possible in part due to the arrival of the new DeltaLink swingarm: ‘Finally, in the end of the season we got the new swingarm and linkage in the same style of the factory bike the year before. I think the swingarm was the same dimension but mainly lighter. The production one was pretty bulky. The frame was also new at the end of the season and I think it was base for the standard bike for the following year. The biggest advantage was improved handling.’

During the season Eric won a total of nine races and finished on the podium nine times, five of those as a winner. When he crossed the

finish line as world champion in Argentina, it was his third world title and the first world championship for Honda in the 250cc class.

Funny story – by Jukka Pentilla: ‘After running out of fuel in the first race at Wuustwezel in Belgium because Eric had to use a standard plastic fuel tank; we had tried some VRP aluminium tanks but Honda didn’t like that we tried them. Anyway, after the first race, Eric had some supporters like many riders do (like a fan club), and they collected some money; they passed a hat around and collected some money.

After the first race they came to the truck and said “we’d like to give this money to the Honda boss because Honda obviously has no money to make an aluminium fuel tank.” Of course, the Japanese were not very happy about that!

But, it was funny.’

Photos: Honda/Terry Good 271

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ME A F OF

STEVEN FROSSARD

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OTOCROSS WAS NOT A FAMILIAR SPORT IN THE FROSSARD FAMILY, AND WHEN STEVEN STARTED RIDING A SMALL BIKE IN THE WOODS AROUND THE NEIGHBOURS OF LYON, HE WASN’T EXPECTING TO BECOME A PRO RIDER. MX1 VICE WORLD CHAMPION AND WINNER OF THE 2014 MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS WITH TEAM FRANCE, HE ENDED HIS CAREER AFTER A TRAGIC ACCIDENT IN 2015.

Born on 14th July 1987 in Miribel near Lyon, Steven got a little bike when he was eight years old, as he was jealous of his older brother who discovered motocross on TV and just practiced for fun. Steven used his bike to ride mainly in the woods, but when former Motocross rider Christophe Nambotin saw him riding, he knew that this kid had some potential and explained to Steven’s father that he could race the minivert series. That’s how the story really started, when he did his first race on a 60cc in the popular French series.

Racing mainly in South East of France during his first seasons, Steven had the chance to join a dedicated school in Bourges, where the program was a mix of school and motocross training. There, far from his family, Steven had the opportunity to train with some other young riders under the guidance of a trainer selected by the French Federation. Thanks to his sacrifices and the investment of his parents, he was able to enter the French and European series when he turned fifteen, but it’s only when he was 17 years old that Steven was rewarded for his efforts when he finished as a runner up in the French junior championship and got his first contract with the KTM importer.

Vice European champion in 2006, he finally got the opportunity to join the MX2 World Championship when he signed with team Kawasaki CLS. Both Steven and the team grew up together in the series; 26th in 2007, 10th in 2008 and 6th in 2009, he finally reached the final podium of the championship during his last season in the class. Winner of his first GP in Sweden and third of the 2010 campaign, he had to move to the MX1 class in 2011 and signed with the prestigious team Yamaha Rinaldi. His first season in the main class was amazing as he won two GP’s, including the French one in Saint Jean d’Angely, and finished runner up in the championship behind Antonio Cairoli. Unable to honour his selection for the MX of Nations in France due to a lung infection but considered as one of the fastest rider in the class, he was not able to confirm his potential during the following two seasons due to repeated injuries, and finally he changed bike and team for 2014.

Back on a Kawasaki, the bike he rode during most of his career in all classes – 80cc, 125cc and 250 four 273

stroke – Steven had a pretty good season alongside Gautier Paulin. On the podium of the Finnish Grand Prix in Hyvinkaa and with eight race podiums on board, he finished fifth in the series and was selected for the second time of his career in the French team for the MX of Nations. Runner up in 2009 at Franciacorta, he was with Dylan Ferrandis and Gautier Paulin one of the heroes of the 2014 edition as he offered the French fans an overall win, the first one since 2001 and only the second French victory in the history of the race!

Unfortunately, Steven didn’t enjoy the win that much, as this race was also his last one on a factory bike due to the fact than Ryan Villopoto and Tyla Rattray joined the Kawasaki team in 2015. Riding for a private team the first part of the season, Steven had later the opportunity to re-join the green family when the American got injured. But during the GP of Lombardia Steven crashed pretty hard, and when he underwent surgery at the hospital the Italian doctors informed his parents that he would never walk again!

But hopefully, thanks to his investment and tenacity, Steven recovered from this injury and has again a normal life.

Always based near Lyon, he has recently opened a Motocross school and trains young riders who share with him the passion for this sport that brought him glory during ten seasons.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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2002::

11th in the 80 European Championship (Kawasaki)

8th in the 80 French Championship

2003:

15th in the 125 French Junior Championship (Kawasaki)

2004: 2nd in the 125 French Junior Championship (Husqvarna)

17th in the 125 European Championship

2005:

French 125 Junior Champion (KTM)

17th in the 125 European Championship

2006:

2nd in the 125 European Championship (KTM)

2007:

26th in the MX2 World Championship (Kawasaki)

2008:

10th in the MX2 World Championship (Kawasaki)

French MX2 Champion

2009:

6th in the MX2 World Championship (Kawasaki)

2nd at the MX of Nations with Team France

3rd in the MX2 French Championship

2010:

3rd in the MX2 World Championship (Kawasaki).

Winner of 1GP

French MX2 Champion

2011:

2nd in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha).

Winner of 2 GP’s

2012:

21st in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha)

Italian MX1 champion

2013:

22nd in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha)

2014:

5th in the MXGP World Championship (Kawasaki)

Winner of the MX of Nations with Team France

2015: 19th in the MXGP World Championship (KTM and Kawasaki).

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I 1997 YAMAHA YZM400F 276

N 1997 YAMAHA CHANGED MOTOCROSS FOREVER WHEN IT LAUNCHED THE PROTOTYPE YZM400F, A STATE OF THE ART, FULL FACTORY 4-STROKE MACHINE AT A TIME WHEN WE WERE STILL HELLBENT ON RACING 2-STROKES.

It might not have won the world championship that year, but it did win races in the FIM 500cc Motocross World Championship in the hands of Andrea Bartolini, as well as the final AMA Supercross round in Las Vegas with Doug Henry at the ‘bars.

So, in this issue of MXGP Magazine we will take a look at the 1997 Yamaha YZM400F. Of course, with any new bike there is always speculation and rumour, along with secret pictures of the supposedly new project, and in this instance, when it finally broke cover it really was a thing of unrivalled beauty at the time. We had never seen anything like it. As 4-strokes went, the benchmark machines were the big and cumbersome Husqvarna, Husaberg and Vertemati, but the Yamaha was sleek, light, nimble and at just 400cc, even more powerful.

As a prototype, we witnessed the transformation of what is probably regarded as the last true factory motocross bike. Where production 2-strokes came with traditional steel frames, the YZM400F was produced with much lighter, state of the art steel which was much lighter than aluminium. To the eye it didn’t look much different, but the reality was so much different. The bike bristled with titanium nuts, bolts, footpegs and

footpeg brackets. It came with carbon fibre fuel tank, sub-frame, air-box and skid plate, and some engine brackets, as well as various other lightweight parts. The wheel hubs were made of Magnesium for instance and were produced in-house at Yamaha, and even the clutch cover and head cover were made from Magnesium as well. The engine cases were also Magnesium. The titanium exhaust system was a complete one-off, a real work of art. It had to be, as this bike was quite literally unique. Full factory, no messing! Straight out of Japan.

The forks were 48mm KYB conventional units, factory of course, with the bottom clamps being Magnesium and the top clamps being aluminium. The clamps were produced directly by Yamaha. The rear shock was also KYB. The brakes were by Brembo, complete with a slightly bigger 260mm front disc and special calliper. The bike also came with a 4-speed gearbox and factory clutch, although when the bike became production the following year, it came with a 5-speed unit.

As for all of the internals, we are talking no expense spared, full factory; from the head, the titanium valves, the piston, ignition … you name it, it was factory. It was also very loud, something which would be addressed

as time went on, but as a motorcycle, it was very, very fast indeed.

Of course, a bike like this does not come without its problems and after an eighth in Race One at the 1997 season opener at Lommel in Belgium, Bartolini followed that up with a DNF in Race Two. By the second round on home soil though at Castiglione del Lago, Bartolini made a piece of history when he went 1-2 to win the Italian GP. Over the course of the season Bart’ and Yamaha claimed four race wins for an eventual fifth overall in the championship. The season high points were his win in Italy and two third overall’s in Holland (Halle) and Belgium (Namur).

On the other side of the pond, Dough Henry raced to victory at the final round of the American supercross series to become the first rider to win a stadium race on a 4-stroke machine, something that else that changed the face of racing forever.

It was clear there was still work to be done, but as a first-time effort, the YZM400F was the bike that changed the course of history, and is solely responsible for the way we go racing today.

Photos: Yamaha

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ME A F OF

PETER “PJ” JOHANSSON

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WEDEN WAS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL NATIONS INVOLVED IN MOTOCROSS IN THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES, AND PETER JOHANSSON HAS BEEN THE LAST SWEDISH RIDER ABLE TO FIGHT FOR A WORLD TITLE IN THE LAST CENTURY. WINNER OF NINE GP’S AND FOUR TIMES ON THE PODIUM OF THE 500CC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, HE RACED NEARLY 180 GP’S DURING HIS CAREER. Born on 11th January 1966 in Kinna, a little village located 50 km south east of Goteborg, Peter was the third member of the family to start racing motocross behind his brother Magnus, who was one of the best Swedish talents. And when his brother finished one season as 50cc Swedish champion, Peter immediately got his bike, built by a road racing trimmer. Racing many classes in 1982 he wasn’t so successful but learned a lot and the following year he won all junior competitions. In Autumn all the best Swedish riders like Carlqvist, Nilsson or Eriksson were used to compete in Sweden, and even if he was only 17 years old Peter scored top five results regularly. Unfortunately, 1984 was not that good for him as he broke his arm twice.

Racing a few GP’s in 1985, Peter was impressive during the last one of the season, in Germany, when he claimed a podium result. From there he slowly improved his results and entered the top ten first time in the 250cc World Championship in 1988.

In 1989 he was crowned Swedish champion, then in 1990 he stood on the podium with team Sweden at the Motocross of Nations and finally won his first GP in 1991 at Nismes, Belgium, ahead of Marnicq Bervoets and Trampas Parker. Fourth of the

series that season, he then had a couple of mixed results for the following three years due to injuries and DNF’s. He probably took the best decision of his career when he decided to change class, and to join the 500cc World Championship in 1995.

For the first time in his career Peter raced a GP season on a European bike, being involved in the Zupin Husqvarna Racing Team; fourth in the series with nine podiums that year, he learned a lot and did even better in 1996 as he won two rounds to finish on the podium in the championship for the first time in his career, with a third position behind Shayne King and Joel Smets. It was enough to convince Yamaha to sign the Swedish multiple champion for their come back in the 500cc class with the revolutionary YZM400F, alongside Andrea Bartolini. Both riders had up and down results in 1997, with several DNFs due to technical issues but with a double victory in Jinin, Czech Republic, Peter proved that this bike had a huge potential. More consistent in 1998 he claimed his second World Championship podium with a third

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overall, and at the end of the season joined the KTM Factory team.

With three DNFs during the first three rounds of the 1999 season, Peter didn’t start his campaign that well, but in Castiglione del Lago he dominated all his rivals to win the fifth round of the series.

Winning three other GP’s that season he finished as runner up in the championship behind former team mate Andrea Bartolini and also claimed his fourth Open Class title in his native Sweden. Again third in the 500cc World Championship in 2000, Peter won his last GP that year in Schwanenstadt, Austria, and his thirteen and last moto in Tibro, Sweden. It was his last “full season” and in 2002, after eighteen seasons at the highest level, he retired at the age of 36 years, but remained involved in the sport as sales manager for KTM Scandinavia.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1985::

23rd in the 250 World Championship (Honda)

1986:

10th in the 250 World Championship (Honda)

1987:

13th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha)

1988:

8th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha)

1989:

6th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha)

250 Swedish Champion

1990:

12th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha)

3rd at the MX of Nations with team Sweden

1991:

4th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

1992:

9th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha)

1993:

16th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha)

Open class Swedish Champion

1994:

16th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha)

1995:

4th in the 500 World Championship (Husqvarna)

1996:

3rd in the 500 World Championship (Husqvarna).

Winner of 2 GP’s

Open class Swedish Champion

1997:

6th in the 500 World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

Open class Swedish Champion

1998:

3rd in the 500 World Championship (Yamaha)

1999:

2nd in the 500 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 4 GP’s

Open class Swedish Champion

2000:

3rd in the 500 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 1 GP

Open class Swedish Champion

2001:

6th in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

2002:

33rd in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

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STEFAN EVERTS

2003 YAMAHA YZ450FM 282

T

HE 2003 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR A COUPLE OF THINGS: IT WAS THE LAST YEAR OF THE TRIPLE-HEADER FORMAT WHERE 125CC, 250CC AND 500CC (MOTOCROSS GP) GP’S WERE ALL RUN ON THE SAME WEEKEND AT THE SAME VENUE, BEFORE THE SERIES BECAME KNOWN AS MX1 AND MX2.

It was also the year that Stefan Everts rode two classes in the same season, racing both a YZ250F and YZ450FM on the same day. The most obvious reason though was that after clinching the title before the final round at Ernée in France, Everts decided it would be a cool idea to line up and race all THREE classes on the same day, and we all know by now that he won all three races that day. And so, the bike we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine is the titlewinning YZ450FM that took Stefan Everts to his 7th world title.

Stefan Everts joined Yamaha at the end of the 2000 season and was an instant hit for the Michele Rinaldi led squad, so much so that he claimed two titles in successive seasons in ’01 and ’02. But, after a difficult start to the 2003 campaign where he went 3-9-4 at the first three GPs’ to the three wins of Mickael Pichon, Everts needed to find a solution to get his season back on track, and fast.

‘At the start of the year I was riding a little too nervous and tense; I had only one race to get the result, like everyone else, but when I fell 25 points behind Mickael, everyone was already saying that I was finished and that he was the better rider.’

During contract talks, there had been a mention of possibly riding the YZ250F at some GP’s anyway, but when the schedule came out, the timings were very tight, so the idea was canned, and Everts would focus solely on the MXGP class, but with the season already not going to plan, the idea of riding the 250cc was again discussed with Rinaldi in the airport after Germany, Round 3, because of how tense he was riding – and it was therefore agreed to let Stefan race the 125cc class, the race directly before his main race in what was then known as the MotocrossGP class,

in order for him to get warmed up. It sounds strange to hear that now, but the reality is, it worked.

And when he won the 125cc class first time out in Italy, it set him up for what turned out to be a historical season, and a run of nine wins in a row on the 450cc.

‘Although I had ridden the 250cc at the end of the season, I only rode it briefly before Italy, but even though the schedule was tight between the two races, from lap one of the 125cc race I was already more aggressive than I had been at the first three rounds, which made me more relaxed going into the Motocross GP race, and that’s when things really started to click.’

The bike itself looked surprisingly standard to the naked eye, but the reality was so much different.

Even though the team stated it was not special in the way we had been used to seeing factory bikes as being ultra-trick, the factory effect was saved for the stuff we couldn’t see. Even at the time, Everts himself alluded to the fact that due to the very high quality of the production bikes, there was less and less of a need for what were now deemed very expensive one-off factory bikes, the likes of what we’d seen throughout the 1980’s.

The chassis was standard; however, the standard swingarm was lengthened by cutting up another stock swingarm, welding it to the existing unit thus allowing for better traction out of the start as well as better stability going into the turns. The front forks were factory 50mm KYB units with factory KYB shock at the rear, although this was married to a standard linkage. The seat, airbox and carburettor were also standard, but the titanium footpegs were a little special and came in 10mm wider than stock ones.

Radiators were larger than standard and were made from a special, undisclosed material which made them not only stronger, but also allowed for better cooling. From the outside, the engine looked like a standard unit, even if the cases were anodised but it was inside where the real trickery brought everything to life. The only obvious difference was the exhaust system, and the significant bulge (bomb) on the header pipe, designed to increase the mid to top end power. Another stand-out piece of metal was the Arrow silencer, which was much

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it also enabled Everts to ride around using just two gears; 2nd and 3rd, such was the strength of the engine, which was very deceptive indeed.

slimmer and less bulky than a standard item.

The view from the cockpit revealed Tommaselli handlebars which were Stefan’s own bend with the ‘bar clamps being slightly taller as well as reversible to offer up more options if needed.

On the left side of the handlebar was a small lever, known as a hot start and on the right side of the ‘bars was a similar looking lever, known as a decompressor, to make starting the bike easier, particularly when hot.

The brakes were by Brembo, and the obvious thing to note here was that both the clutch and front brake levers were slightly fatter

“QUOTE.”

than the standard production levers. The brake discs were also Brembo units with the front measuring in at 270mm, whilst the rear disc came in at 245mm.

The rear brake pedal was also titanium and more robust, and chunkier than a stock Yamaha brake pedal. The rims were Excel with standard anodised hubs.

When you look back at the results from 2003 and particularly from Round 4, Everts completely decimated the opposition; the power delivery and the overall power characteristics along with how the bike handled were second to none. The bike looked aggressive, but the reality was so much different. The power delivery was so much smoother and easier to ride that it didn’t need to be hard-hitting. With modified gear ratios, this bike was designed to be not only smooth and easy to ride, but

The package as a whole was faultless; traction at the rear wheel was impressive and the way the bike handled the bumps on the exit of the turns under acceleration is where this bike outperformed anything else on the track. Not only that, but with less engine braking compared to a standard Yamaha YZ450F, Everts had the ability to be devastatingly fast on entry into the turns, as well as being able to maintain a decent level of corner speed mid-turn as well.

When Stefan Everts crossed the line at the penultimate round at Loket in Czech Republic, he became the most successful racer of all time with a recordbreaking 7th world title, and it was quite fitting that he rounded out the season in France with 72 GP wins as well.

Not only that, he had done the unimaginable, by winning three GP’s in one day, something that had never been done before and something that will never be repeated again.

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ME A F OF

TANEL ‘ESTONIAN EXPRESS’ LEOK

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ANEL LEOK NEVER REACHED A PODIUM IN THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS, BUT THE CHARISMATIC ESTONIAN, WHO RETIRED A FEW WEEKS AGO, ACHIEVED GREAT RESULTS DURING HIS LONG CAREER. WINNER OF 3 GP’S HE BROKE RECORDS AS HE ENTERED MORE THAN 500 GRAND PRIX RACES AND COMPETED AT NINETEEN MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS IN A ROW, ALWAYS QUALIFYING THE ESTONIAN TEAM FOR THE FINAL. Born on 1st June 1985 in Voru, a little village located south east of Estonia, Tanel ,since a young age, was linked to Motocross as his father Arvo was a racer himself. Of course, Tanel got a little bike early in his career, collected his first wins in his native Estonia but always gave priority to school until he turned fifteen. Claiming two titles in a row in the FIM Junior Cup, in the 80cc and 125cc classes, he then joined the World Championship in 2002 thanks to the Vangani team where he had two other promising kids as team mates, Ben Townley and Tyla Rattray.

Tanel just did two campaigns (20022003) in the 125cc class, with several top six results, before he switched to the MX1 class on a Moto Vision Suzuki. The 450cc was perfect for his unmistakable racing style, and the Estonian Express ended his first campaign in the main class with a sixth overall. It was enough to convince legendary team manager Jan de Groot to sign him, and at 19 years old Tanel got his first factory contract with Kawasaki. It’s in 2006, during his second season in green, that Tanel enjoyed his first GP podiums with a third position in the opening round at Zolder and a second

A

place two weeks later at Bellpuig. Competing for the final podium during most of the season, Tanel lost his chances with a few DNF’s in the last rounds of the series and once more finished fifth in the main class. Tanel raced two more seasons with Kawasaki, claiming several national titles in the Netherlands and in Estonia but also enjoyed his first ever GP win in Ireland in 2008.

Joining the Yamaha De Carli team in 2009, he claimed the Italian title and surprised everyone when he won the opening race of the World Championship in Faenza; it was a special GP, as the second heat was cancelled due to the muddy conditions. Seventh of the series, while his teammate Antonio Cairoli got his first MX1 title, Tanel was forced to change teams when Claudio De Carli signed with KTM. After Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha, Tanel was in red in 2010 thanks to team LS Honda and for the third year in a row he won one round of the series, as five other riders did that season, but he was the only privateer to do it! It was in Bellpuig that our hard charger man triumphed,

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and with another podium in Loket he finished sixth in the standings. Again in 2011 it’s in Spain and Czech Republic that Tanel got his best results with a second position in one heat; racing for the TM factory he was inconsistent that season, finishing the series in twelfth.

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1985::

80cc Estonian Champion

5th in the 80 European Championship

The 2012 season started pretty well for our Estonian, then riding a factory Suzuki; second at the famous Enduro du Touquet, Tanel was back in the top eight of the MX1 thanks to many top ten results and a strong third position at Lierop during the GP of Benelux. Impossible to know, at that moment, that he would never enjoy anymore a podium celebration, even if he did eight more seasons in the MXGP! Racing for different teams during the following five seasons, in 2018 he finally launched his own team, A1 Motorsport, with some support from Husqvarna and a test rider deal. Also helping some young riders inside his team, Tanel finally decided to retire a few weeks ago, at 35 years old. He will stay for a long time in the MX of Nations record book, as he raced nineteen consecutive editions of the national team races and helped his team to finish three times (2004-20152019) in fourth position, a real performance

2000:

Winner of the FIM Cup Junior 80cc (Honda)

2001:

Winner of the FIM Cup Junior 125cc (KTM)

6th in the 125 European Championship

125 Junior German Champion

2002:

20th in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

2003:

15th in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

2004:

6th in the MX1 World Championship (Suzuki)

MX1 British Champion

2005:

11th in the MX1 World Championship (Kawasaki)

2006:

5th in the MX1 World Championship (Kawasaki)

2007:

8th in the MX1 World Championship (Kawasaki)

MX1 Dutch Champion

2008:

8th in the MX1 World Championship (Kawasaki).

Winner of 1 GP

MX1 and MX2 Estonian Champion

2009:

7th in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

MX1 Italian Champion

2010:

6th in the MX1 World Championship (Honda). Winner of 1 GP

2011:

12th in the MX1 World Championship (TM)

2012:

8th in the MX1 World Championship (Suzuki)

2nd at the Enduro du Touquet

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

2013:

14th in the MX1 World Championship (Honda-TM)

2014:

18th in the MXGP World Championship (TM)

2015:

41th in the MXGP World Championship (Kawasaki)

2016:

17th in the MXGP World Championship (Husqvarna)

MX1 Estonian Champion

2017:

14th in the MXGP World Championship (Husqvarna)

MX1 and MX2 Estonian Champion

2018:

18th in the MXGP World Championship (Husqvarna)

2019:

15th in the MXGP World Championship (Husqvarna)

2020:

23rd in the MXGP World Championship (Husqvarna)

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G GRANT LANGSTON’S

2000 KTM125 290

RANT LANGSTON QUALIFIED FOR HIS FIRST GP AT THE END OF THE 1998 SEASON AND TWO YEARS LATER HE WAS CROWNED FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION IN THE 125CC CLASS ON A CHAMP KTM, TO JOIN A VERY ELITE LIST OF SOUTH AFRICAN WORLD CHAMPIONS WHICH AT THE TIME, CONSISTED OF JUST ONE OTHER RIDER; GREG ALBERTYN.

What we didn’t know then was that this world title would spawn the start of a very impressive win-streak for the Austrian marque, and it’s Langston’s 125cc Champ KTM that will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

In 1998 Grant Langston showed up in Europe to try his hand in the 125cc world championship at just 15-years old, racing for a Harry Everts led Kawasaki team, and as you would expect, he found the going pretty tough right off the bat. Over the course of the twelve-round series, he struggled to qualify for the main races, and when he did, scoring points also proved problematic. That was until the final two rounds when he placed 9th in the second race in France at the penultimate round, and 13th in the final race of the year in Germany.

Having picked up a top ten finish, Langston found himself in the spotlight and he was picked up by Champ KTM, a Dutch-based team led by former GP winner Kees van der Ven. At the time, KTM was looking to re-establish itself after years in the wilderness and with just one world title in the 125cc division since the inception of the class in 1975 – that title being won by America’s Trampas Parker in 1989 – it was time to re-boot the system and make a real push towards another world crown.

Langston grew up racing Japanese bikes, but he was impressed with the KTM as soon as he threw a leg over it: J ‘ umping on that KTM for the first time I remember thinking this thing is fast; ‘WOW! This feels quite a bit different to a Japanese bike,’ so getting on the KTM, everything looked and felt a little different. It took a little getting used to, but as we were doing so much testing, it only took about a month or so before I really enjoyed the bike.’

The other thing that impressed Grant was KTM’s commitment to the cause, and in particular the testing programme that was nothing like he had ever experienced before: ‘In ’99 KTM were developing in leaps and bounds at that point in time and

they were testing non-stop, even in between GP’s. They’d say ‘hey, we are meeting here and we are testing swingarms or whatever …’ and so they were developing pretty quickly to the point that the bike changed a fair bit throughout ’99. A lot of it was stuff that came from the factory, but it was all arriving in pieces, and then built at Champ.’

However, with such a hectic schedule and a willingness to get to the top quickly, there were more than a fair share of reliability issues along the way: ‘During testing I do remember blowing up a few bikes but once the season got going, we had some things go wrong during practice or on Saturday, but when it really mattered during moto’s, we didn’t really have much go wrong; I think we had a couple of gearbox issues in the first year, we had a hydraulic clutch issue and a couple of seizing issues early on in the year, but giving credit where it’s due, KTM really improved the reliability a lot in a short amount of time.’

Langston ended the year as best KTM in 10th overall and found himself on the podium twice; the first was in Slovenia where he placed 3rd in the second race – his first ever top three finish – a result which also netted him 3rd overall. The cherry on the cake came at the penultimate round in Germany where he cruised to an emphatic 1-1 for his first GP win and he had well and truly arrived.

For 2000, KTM signed James Dobb and Patrick Caps as the official factory riders in a brand-new team which meant despite his efforts, Langston had been overlooked but ‘GL’ took it on the chin and saw the bigger picture for what it was: ‘I think KTM came into 2000 deciding that they were gonna win this world title and from what I remember is that they thought I could be a very outsider/dark horse rider, maybe win a few rounds and get them some attention, so they wanted me to stay at Champ. I’d had a year on the bike, I was still living in Holland, riding for the same team

and just improving the bike that was truthfully good. But there were some areas that needed some help!

Especially the rear shock, the PDS system, but it was a rocket ship! Going into 2000, I don’t know if I truly believed in myself enough, but I knew I was gonna win some races and I also knew there were tracks where I could win overall.’

After picking up 4th overall at the opening round in Spain, he landed on the podium with 2nd at round two in France before dominating the Dutch GP at Valkenswaard, and suddenly he was leading the world championship standings. One of the highlights of the season was winning four races in a row in Slovenia and Austria – rounds 10 and 11 – and by the time the series arrived in Finland for round 15 of 16, Langston was 74 points clear of his closest rival, James Dobb. Langston wrapped up the title with a win in race one and won again in race two: ‘I really enjoyed that track in Finland at Heinola; a nice little shallow sand track. I just think that between me and the bike and maybe the confidence, when I showed up to those places, I

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was like ‘yep! This is mine!’ It felt good, you know?’

Despite one or two technical issues, the bike did not suffer any DNF’s, underlining the fact that KTM was not only a world beater once again, but it also proved to be pretty bulletproof. In fact, the only DNF of the season came at the final round at a muddy Gaildorf, and that was when Langston ejected himself into oblivion off a tabletop jump, and the impact of the bike hitting the ground broke the fuel tank.

So, what changed between 1999 and 2000?

‘KTM were pushing the envelope; they’d say, ‘okay, we’ve got some ideas on frames, try these! Do you like it more? No? Okay, then we will stick with what you’ve got!’

And we even changed things for different tracks. I remember running different swingarms, for like say on a hardpack track as opposed to a sand track; the swingarm was not only a different length but where the knuckle placement was for the shock, it was different, so it gave the shock a different angle and so I think we definitely customised the bike probably a lot more than most other riders or teams. KTM gave us an opportunity to make the bike our own and I’ve never experienced that since then, even in the US where they had the production bike rule. When I moved to The States and got on a production KTM in ’01 it was like taking a big step back, which is another reminder of just how good that 2000 bike was.’

The bike itself was pretty much full-factory, given that Champ KTM was considered as a satellite team.

The chassis, the swingarms were constantly being modified and so to were the WP units. The front forks originally started out as the 49mm SXS units but by 2000 these were already 52mm, with the rear shock body being quite a bit bigger than either the stock or the SXS version.

The cylinder and cylinder head were also supplied directly from the factory, but as Champ was not the official team, chief mechanic Harry Nolte was able to make improvements if he thought that further gains could be made. The crank, crankshaft and 292

cases were also factory, with the cases being sand cast items. The piston and ignition were also factory whilst the carburettor was a factory 38mm unit supplied by Kehin. The 6-speed gearbox was also factory, and so too was the hydraulic clutch.

As for the exhaust and silencer, Doma produced whatever was needed and they would spend countless hours on the Dyno as well as going out testing to constantly improve the overall package. As for BHP numbers … ‘I wanna say mid 40’s? But here’s the thing though; a lot of the time if you Dyno’d different guys bikes, I remember Patrick Caps bike always Dyno’d with more peak horsepower.

His powerband was mid-top, I always loved bottom-mid. My curve was not always the most impressive, but it was really wide, so I could lug it out of the corner and leave it in the same gear, all the way down the straightaway.’

Wheels were provided by Talon and were married to Excel rims whilst all the other external hardware, such as nuts and bolts, were Titanium. However, when it came to foot pegs, Langston preferred standard items over the grippy Titanium ones. There was also an option to move the pegs back 5mm or so when racing in the sand.

After experiencing some problems with overheating in the early stages of development, KTM opted for larger units which were also re-enforced for strength purposes.

When Grant Langston crossed the line as world champion, it was only KTM’s second ever success in the 125cc class, and surely it had to be a nice feeling beating the factory team, right?

‘The only reason it felt good was I knew what we had was the best; we had everything we needed without the corporate hype of being the factory team. Yeah, it was like ‘you guys are more the underdogs’ so there is definitely a little part of it that felt good from that side, but at no point did I feel that we were ever the underdogs, if that makes sense!’

Photos: Haudiquert. Archer

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ME A F OF

VLADIMIR KAVINOV

T

HE 70’S WERE FOR SURE THE BEST DECADE FOR RUSSIAN MOTOCROSS, AS VLADIMIR KAVINOV AND GUENNADY MOISSEEV WERE THE BEST PAIR IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DURING THE MID 70’S, SCORING MANY GP WINS, CLAIMING TWO WORLD TITLES AND THREE OTHER FINAL PODIUMS. BEHIND HIS LEADER MOISSEEV, VLADIMIR KAVINOV WAS ONE OF THE BEST POSSIBLE TEAM MATES EVEN IF HE NEVER CLAIMED AN INDIVIDUAL GOLD MEDAL HIMSELF. Born in Ukraine on 25th January 1949, Vladimir Kavinov made his first appearance in the World Championship during the 1969 campaign. At that time there was no other choice for Russian athletes than to be member of the Auto and Moto sports club, who was the official team supported by the communist government. Of course, the riders had to ride the CZ or Jawa built in the Eastern block, but as those bikes were dominant at that period, that was not really a problem for the riders.

Scoring his first point in Yugoslavia during the third round of the 1969 campaign, a few weeks after celebrating his 20th birthday, Kavinov had three other opportunities to get top ten results before the last round of the season in his native Russia. On 17th August the best riders joined Leningrad for the final round, and there was no real suspense as Joel Robert had already secured his World title with a total of six GP wins; nobody that season was able to beat the Belgian rider, but at that last stage Vladimir did it and surprised everyone as he triumphed in front of the CZ factory rider! Best Russian athlete that season with

a ninth overall, Vladimir repeated that performance in 1970 with another top ten result; no win for him that season, but again a strong Russian round in Lvov with a second position behind Sylvain Geboers.

For the first time in his career Vladimir had the opportunity to race almost all the GP’s in 1971 and he was very consistent, scoring points during eight of the twelve rounds of the series; eighth overall, he was for the third year in a row stronger than his leader Moisseev. Forced to do the 1972 season on a CZ while Moisseev had the opportunity to use a KTM from mid-season, Kavinov claimed two podium results with a win in Czechoslovakia and a second position in Germany. Twelfth of the series, he then missed the three following campaigns due to personal issues.

When he came back to the GP’s in 1976 Moisseev was ‘the man to beat’ and Vladimir had to be a model teammate; back in the winners’ circle with a win in Germany, Kavinov ended the series in third behind Mikkola and Moiseev. 1977 was the best year in the history of Russian

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motocross, as Moisseev and Kavinov finished champion and vice champion, winning seven rounds of the championship! The “red team” nearly repeated that performance in ‘78; once more Moisseev claimed the gold medal – for the third time in his career – but Kavinov missed the silver medal by three points after twelve rounds and twenty-four races! He took his revenge in ‘79 with a silver medal, one rank ahead of his leader.

The Russian team did not enter a full GP season anymore, but during one of his last appearances, Vladimir didn’t miss the opportunity to dominate all his rivals at his home GP in Kichinev!

He was back on a CZ, made a few appearances in the GP’s during two more seasons, and then focused on the national championship where he claimed a total of 13 titles between 1974 and 1991. Last but not least, Vladimir had eleven opportunities to represent his country at the Motocross of Nations, where he claimed two wins (Motocross of Nations 1978 and Trophy of Nations 1979) and a second position (Trophy of Nations 1976) with his team mates.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1969:: 9th in the 250 World Championship (CZ). Winner of 1 GP 1970:

10th in the 250 World Championship (CZ)

1971:

8th in the 250 World Championship (CZ)

1972:

12th in the 250 World Championship (CZ/KTM).

Winner of 1 GP

1976:

3rd in the 250 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 1 GP

2nd at the Trophy of Nations (class 250) with team URSS 1977:

2nd in the 250 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 1 GP

1978:

4th in the 250 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 1 GP

Winner at the Motocross of Nations (class 500) with team URSS

1979:

3rd in the 250 World Championship (KTM)

Winner at the Trophy of Nations (class 250) with team URSS 1980: 12th in the 250 World Championship (CZ). Winner of 1 GP 1981:

37th in the 250 World Championship (CZ)

1982:

36th in the 250 World Championship (KTM)

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S E K I EB

G A T IN

V

M MICKÄEL PICHON’S

2002 SUZUKI RM250 WS02 298

ICKÄEL PICHON STARTED HIS GRAND PRIX CAREER IN THE FIM 125CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AS A 16-YEAR OLD IN 1992, AND WHILST HE WON A GP IN 1994, HE LEFT EUROPE FOR AMERICA AT THE END OF THE SEASON FOR THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF RACING INDOORS. AFTER A FALL-OUT WITH HONDA IN THE MIDDLE OF 1999 HE RETURNED TO EUROPE TO RACE FOR SYLVAIN GEBOERS’ FACTORY SUZUKI TEAM WHERE HE WENT ON TO CLAIM TWO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES IN 2001 AND 2002, AND IT’S PICHON’S 2002 SUZUKI RM250 WS02 THAT WE WILL FEATURE IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE.

Racing in the FIM Motocross World Championship means racing at the highest level, in the toughest conditions, with the best riders; but aside from that, it’s also the platform where the leading manufacturers are permitted to experiment with prototype machinery as they look to improve their bikes for the mainstream consumer which in short, means the normal everyday racer or rider.

After winning the 250cc world championship in 2001, Mickäel Pichon entered the 2002 season with what was essentially a prototype-production Suzuki, meaning that his 2002 race bike was pretty much the base model for the 2003 production RM250.

However, with Pichon racing for Suzuki Japan, his factory bike was known as a RM250 WS02, and much of what he raced during that season made it to the 2003 production bike, which was set to be an ‘all-new’ production machine, and this development work had been ongoing since the end of the ’99 season, when he returned from the USA, as Pichon recalls: ‘When you are a factory rider you pretty much change everything on the bike, and I know that in 2001/2002 we worked a lot on everything, and each time the bike was always improving as far as the chassis and engine. For me there was not so much improvement between ’01 and ’02 because the first ‘big work’ we had to do was at the end of 1999 when I came back from the US; the bike then was really bad and so we started almost from zero to be able to make something quite good for 2000. And from 2001 until 2002, the bike didn’t change much but we always made a lot of new things and that’s the best thing about being a factory rider.

Also, at that time, the Japanese were always there during the tests and at the races.’

So, let’s take a closer look at the bike that took Pichon to his second world title, shall we?

The cylinder came with casting from the 2003 prototype model and tuned to Mickäel’s selected porting and timing, and along with that, the exhaust valve and governor system were also tuned to his selection for timing via the main exhaust valve and side port valve. The cylinder head also came with casting from the prototype 2003 model and was always calibrated / matched with the porting and compression ratio.

The piston was a factory item from Japan and even though the crankcase was from the 2003 production bike, the crank itself was factory with Pichon having the final say on what worked best for him. The outer clutch cover, basket, inner hub and pressure plate were provided

by Hinson but the clutch plates remained as standard, as was the 5-speed gearbox, which came from the 2003 production bike; although this was polished up for better efficiency.

Other factory parts included the 36mm Keihin carburettor, but there was also the option of using a 38mm unit, as-andwhere necessary. The ignition was also factory. As for the chassis, this was based on the 2003 production bike and the dimensions remained unchanged although the subframe was titanium for weight saving gains.

The footpegs were also titanium, with the size and final position determined by Pichon during the off-season winter testing period. However, there was a notable change to the swingarm, and whilst this was based on the standard production item, it was lengthened by 15mm for improved traction.

Holding everything together were 48mm KYB, USD full

works forks, complete with gas chamber, with the rear shock also a full factory unit by KYB. Factory billet-type triple clamps finished off the front-end with the off-set selected by Pichon.

‘We worked so much on the chassis and from that side it was really special, and during my three or four years with Suzuki, every year they (the technicians) would come with two or three new chassis for me to try and that was so nice. Maybe it didn’t always turn as good as some of the other bikes but at the same time, I was not really looking for that; the tracks were really fast at that time and mostly hard pack so I just wanted a bike that would stick to the ground. We also worked to get the chassis nice and low with a longer swingarm because at that time there was only one race per GP and so the starts were so important; were also working to have a bike that didn’t wheelie

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and I don’t think anybody else had that idea at that time.’

The factory wheels came from Japan, complete with billet-type hubs, whilst Excel provided the rims. As for stopping power, Nissin provided works callipers and master cylinders complete with factory hoses, with the master cylinder piston sizes were selected by Pichon. Brake discs however were provided by BRAKING, the front of which was a semi-floating, 270mm type; the standard production disc was 260mm, so an increased diameter of 10mm for extra stopping power. The rear disc was standard, although both the front and rear disc’s thickness was matched to the race and weather conditions.

The final touches of trickery came from the titanium nuts and bolts for the chassis and the engine, whilst the fuel tank, skid plate and brake protectors were all carbon fibre from CRM in Italy.

As with anything factory Suzuki, final RPM numbers remain undisclosed but in the hands of Mickäel Pichon, the RM250 WS02 was one heck of a race bike and more than capable of winning the title; in fact, the 2002 season was almost perfect for Pichon and Suzuki.

After winning the first two GP’s, Pichon’s only blip came at round three at Teutschenthal in Germany where he placed 8th after crashing at the start with Fred Bolley. After that, nobody saw the Flying Frenchman, who then dominated the next nine rounds, winning every race along the way, the title being won with two rounds remaining at Gaildorf. So, what was it like to ride and how was the power delivery on this world-beating machine?

‘The power was really good, but the thing for me was that we could play a lot with the power valve. We could adapt the bike just by playing with some 300

springs in the valve; we had three or four kinds of spring, A, B, C and D and I think we used mostly B and C, and then once you put the spring inside you could tighten or loosen it to make the bike smoother or more aggressive. At that time, it was so good because compared to now, the tracks were so hard pack and sometimes slippery so it was nice to be able to play around with the power like that.

If the track was heavy, we could put a lighter spring to enable the power to come in much stronger and if we were in Gaildorf, where it is hard and slick, then we could put a stiffer spring, and more tight so the power could come in more slowly. It was also good for the start because back then we didn’t have the holeshot device and there were many starts on the grass. I wouldn’t say the power was really aggressive, but it was powerful from bottom-to-mid and I never really used the top end power so much. We had so many options and during my career, it was the only team where I had so many options to choose from, from pipes, CDi, cylinders, heads … at one time I got quite lost, but then at some point you have to stop and make a decision about what the set-up should be. It would drive my mechanic (Frank Schroyen) crazy sometimes.’

When Mickäel Pichon clinched the title on August 18th 2002, it would be his second and final world title. It also marked the end of an era as it was not only Suzuki’s last world title, but Suzuki’s last 2-stroke title and the last for the brand from Hamamatsu in the premier (250cc) class.

From 2000-2002, Pichon claimed 24 GP wins for Suzuki in the 250cc class, with eleven of them being won in the 2002 season alone, and after winning the final GP of the year in Russia, Pichon’s victory ensured that Suzuki bowed out of the 250cc category with a total of 104 GP wins.

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L L A H

302

ME A F OF

DARRYL KING

I

N ITS LONG HISTORY THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HAS ALWAYS WELCOMED RIDERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND FOR FOUR DECADES NOW NEW ZEALANDERS HAVE BEEN PODIUM CONTENDERS. FIRST ‘KIWI’ ABLE TO FINISH ON THE PODIUM OF A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WAS DARRYL KING, THOUGH HE NEVER CLAIMED A GOLD MEDAL. HOWEVER, WITH SEVERAL GP WINS AND FOUR OVERALL PODIUMS HE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST REPRESENTATIVES FOR HIS COUNTRY. Born in Hamilton on 31st December 1968, Darryl was involved in the sport since a young age as his father was a racer and run a motorcycle business. Of course Darryl and his four brothers were very young when they sat on a motorcycle for the first time, but even if he had this opportunity when he was three years old, Darryl had to wait until his 10th birthday to enter his first local race. In 1984 he won the first of his nineteen national championships, in the 80cc class, and joined the senior class the following season.

Winning his first race in the senior categories – double win in the 125cc and 500cc class – Darryl claimed his first main title in 1986 when he dominated the New Zealand 125cc championship, and two years later he won the Pro-125cc and over. Traveling to Europe to race a few selected GP’s from 1988 to 1992, Darryl entered the full series as a privateer in 1993 and was immediately successful as he won one race in Austria – second round of the 500cc championship and scored points regularly to finish sixth in the standings. In 1994 his season was interrupted by an injury

just after winning one race at the French GP, and in 1995 he used all his experience to do a consistent season and to finish third of the 500cc campaign. At the same time, he raced in his native New Zealand in wintertime and won the 125cc title in 1995 and 1996. That season a Kiwi finally won the 500cc World Title, but the honours were for Shayne King, his older brother.

At the end of 1996, Darryl finally signed for the first time in his career a contract with a factory.

With a better support he regularly fought for GP wins, winning three GPs in 1997 and one more in 1998; twice vice World Champion, he had the honours of the podium at the Motocross of Nations, where team New Zealand claimed their first ever podium in this competition. The following season was more difficult as he got injured at midway through the year, but in 2000 he went back to Europe to finish his career with a fifth position in the 500cc class.

Then after eight seasons travelling all over Europe to race more than 100 GP’s and many International events, Darryl went back home to New

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Zealand and stopped his MXGP career but never stop racing.

Opening his own riding academy, Darryl signed with Yamaha and won on both sides of the Tasman, claiming titles in New Zealand (2002, 2006, 2011, 2012) and also in Australia (2001, 2003, 2004) to break records with a total of twentytwo national titles. But as a true motocross fan, Darryl couldn’t miss the opportunity to come back a few times to Europe to visit his friends and to race the FIM Veteran World Cup; he won it in 2012, finished twice runner up in 2014 and 2015 and remains the most successful New Zealander in the history of our sport.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1969::

41th in the 250 Motocross World Championship

1991: 52th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1992: 34th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1993:

6th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) won one heat Sittendorf

1994:

11th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) won one heat Blargies

1995: 3rd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1996:

5th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda). Winner of 1 GP

1997:

2nd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Husqvarna). Winner of 3 GP

1998:

2nd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Husqvarna). Winner of 1 GP

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team New Zealand

1999: 15th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Husqvarna) 2000: 5th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Husqvarna)

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2012:

Winner of the FIM Veteran World Cup (Yamaha)

2014:

2nd in the FIM Veteran World Cup (Yamaha)

2015:

2nd the FIM Veteran World Cup (KTM)

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S E K I EB

G A T IN

V

I BEN TOWNLEY

2004 KTM250 SX-F 306

N 2004 THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HAD A ‘FACELIFT’ AND THE TRADITIONAL RACE CATEGORIES THAT WE HAD COME TO SEE AS THE NORM WERE RE-NAMED, SO INSTEAD OF 125CC AND 250CC CLASSES, WE NOW HAD MX2 AND MX1 RESPECTIVELY. OF COURSE, ALL OF THIS COINCIDED WITH THE POPULARITY OF THE 4-STROKE WHICH HAD BEEN ON THE RISE SINCE 1998, AT LEAST THAT WAS THE CASE IN THE PREMIER CLASS. WHEN NEW ZEALAND’S BEN TOWNLEY WON HIS WORLD TITLE IN 2004, HE WOULD GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE FIRST EVER MX2 WORLD CHAMPION, AND IT’S HIS KTM250 SX-F THAT WE WILL FEATURE IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE.

Since 2004, we have come to see KTM as the front runner in the world motocross championship having amassed twenty out of a possible thirty-four titles in either MX1 (MXGP) or MX2, or a win-rate which equates to 58.82%. But it’s in the MX2 class where KTM has had the most success during that time, winning a total of thirteen titles from the seventeen contested since 2004.

Not bad considering that KTM were the last manufacturer to introduce a 4-stroke 250cc to the 125cc/MX2 class. In fact, when Townley won the title in 2004, he and his CHAMP KTM teammate Marc de Reuver were the only riders racing KTM’s 4-stroke 250cc, purely because they were factory riders for the Austrian marque.

Breaking Cover The first time the KTM250 SX-F broke cover was in 2003 when Erik Eggens took to the line, on what was very much a prototype machine.

However, its place on the grid was short lived; technical problems even before the first Free Practice session on Saturday of the Spanish GP at Bellpuig (the first GP of the year) meant that the issue was not ‘solved’ until the final two laps of the Time Practice, which meant Eggens had just two laps to register a time. His out-lap and fast lap put him 5th and whilst everyone was relieved to end the session inside the top five, it was a headache that either Erik or the team needed ahead of the first gate drop of the season.

On Sunday, the problems continued and before the Warm Up session it took four mechanics to push-start it. Once it was running, the bike ran like a dream, but between Warm Up and Race One, the gremlins returned and as a result, Eggens could not even make the sighting lap. With frantic activity in the waiting zone, the technicians finally managed to get the bike fired up, but shortly after taking his place behind the gate, the bike appeared to be overheating badly, evidenced by the steam pouring from an overflow pipe whilst the

Dutchman sat waiting for the 15 second board to be raised. After the first lap of Race One, Eggens was instructed by his team to retire from the race, and the following day, the team decided to shelve the bike for the remainder of the season; Project 250 SX-F had to wait.

At the end of the 2003 season, Ben Townley flew to Munich for a two-day test on the still prototype KTM250 SX-F and despite his fears about the project, was immediately hooked on the new bike, as he recalls: ‘My first impression was ‘WOW!’ and I can still remember that now (17 years on) and I made the decision to race that bike the following season within minutes of that first ride. I’d never ridden a 4-stroke, but it just felt that at that moment and with given the option between 125cc and 250cc, I preferred the torque and the way I could ride that 4-stroke compared to the 125cc, so I instantly felt at home on it. It was my decision and I decided I would race that. But man, it was noisy! It had gear driven cams, and the noise it made was phenomenal (but not in a good way).’

With BT’s fears about the previous reliability issues now quashed, his dad still had concerns, ‘but I enjoyed it so much that I was willing to take that risk, and I knew that the power output of it felt considerably better than what I’d been riding. One of my big concerns more than anything, was just getting the thing started, if I stalled it or if I crashed, as it wasn’t electric start. What was interesting about the bike was that you had a hotstart on one side of the handlebars and on the other side, a decompressor lever so you really had to know what you were doing if you had to get it started. You had to get the kickstart completely to top dead centre to do that.’

‘Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the new bike was the torque! The amount of torque that that bike had for such a small displacement. It was incredible how you could ride it at low rpm but still be getting such good

speed out of it. That’s what suited me. My 125cc’s weren’t built to rev; obviously you did rev them but the way they were built, it was better if you short shifted and when I went to that first generation of that 4-stroke, that was the ultimate way to ride it.’

When his teammate Marc de Reuver picked up an injury and missed seven GP’s, all the attention was put on BT and making sure he had the tools to finish the job: ‘Harry Nolte was the engine builder and we had a good relationship since 2003, but it quickly became evident that there was a lot of attention that had to go on just one rider, or that one bike, the SX-F, so when de Reuver got injured, it ended up being just me. But it needed that kind of attention because the time line on those engines didn’t make any great distance in terms of hours. So, it just took a lot of attention. From memory, there wasn’t anything in particular that was consistently breaking, but it was a very, very new bike and so there were just multiple things happening throughout the year.’

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Another area that Townley was able to take advantage of with the torquey engine, was when it came to cornering: ‘That was probably the biggest asset to me in terms of the way I rode; it was easy to carry momentum through the turns, so I didn’t have to work overly hard in terms of corner speed, I was able to use my style and roll through the corners. So again, that suited me really well.’

As the bike was still very much in its infancy, there was also a lot of exhaust pipe testing throughout the year as well, as BT recalls: ‘The exhaust system was something that we were constantly changing throughout the year; the one I have on my championship bike at home has a full-carbon system on the tail and that was the best looking one for sure, but we used so many different configurations that year, testing and working out what was the best configuration for that bike, so that was a lot of development from Akrapovic at the time.’

History in The Making Alongside BT on the prototype machine was his teammate Marc de Reuver, and it was the Dutchman who wrote his own piece of history in the newly formed MX2 class by winning the first race of the year, which was also a first for the KTM250 SX-F and for KTM as a manufacturer. But it was Townley who stood on the top step of the podium with a 2-1 to seal its maiden GP win at Zolder with de Reuver taking 2nd overall. From there, nobody saw which way the Kiwi went, but it didn’t come without its fair share of problems, and the reliability issues from the previous year were never far away. The first of which came at Round Two, in Spain after Townley had won the first race. A broken gearbox was the issue.

The second DNF came in Germany, but ‘that was me. I crashed there; a pure mistake, a bad decision on my behalf.’

In France, Round 8, Townley recorded his third DNF of the season when he stalled the bike early on in Race 2, and could not get the bike re-started.

At Neeroeteren in Belgium, there was another mechanical failure when ‘the

engine let go,’ whilst in Namur, the fuel cap broke in the first race; the fuel tank, like the bike, was also a prototype and this was another one of those teething problems that were bound to be expected during the course of the season. There was another stalled engine in Germany with three rounds to go and yes, BT was unable to re-start the bike there as well, but by then, he was just 4 points away from winning the world championship.

Two weeks later in Ireland, Ben Townley was crowned MX2 World Champion, the first winner in the new class and the first rider to do so on a KTM250 SX-F. Everything about the bike was a one-off from the ground up. And there were just two of these bikes on the grid (when de Reuver was not injured).

These were money-could-not-buy full factory race bikes. Yes, it might have been difficult to start when it was hot, but as BT said earlier, after riding the bike for the first time in Munich, it was a risk he was willing to take. And it was one that paid off handsomely.

actually meant to the first ever MX2 World Champion: ‘What was really interesting about the bike, and personally for me at the time was that it was pretty special to have that opportunity to win on that bike for KTM and to be the first 4-stroke to win in that era.’

‘The other brands were already there with production 250cc’s; Yamaha had been established for a few years (since 2001) and Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki were in their second year maybe, so it was pretty special to be the first one of that era to do that. At the time you don’t really realise that but I guess over time, I’ve come to appreciate that; it was a changing of the sport at that time.’

In his title winning season, Townley romped to twenty-one race wins and finished 2nd and 3rd two times each, and from all the races he finished, he placed outside the top three just once, when he placed 8th in Race Two at Gallarate in Italy. The six DNF’s almost pale into insignificance.

Apart from winning the title, standout moments included going 1-1 to beat his Dutch teammate at Valkenswaard, when at the time ‘de Reuver was considered as the Jeffrey Herlings of that era in terms of his sand riding skills.’ Another great moment came at the British GP at Gore Basin on the Isle of Wight, when he went 1-1 on what was ‘just an exceptional place to race a dirt bike,’ and a weekend that also saw his then housemate Josh Coppins go 2-1 in the MX1 class for not only his first GP win, but also what was a double win for New Zealand.

However, perhaps the thing that has resonated the most and yet maybe hardly registered at the time was what winning in 2004 309

L L A H

310

ME A F OF

JEFF LEISK

5

00CC VICE WORLD CHAMPION MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS AGO, JEFF LEISK WAS THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN TO COME RACE THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN EUROPE. HE WAS AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL HIS YOUNG COUNTRYMEN, WHO LATER WALKED IN HIS FOOTSTEPS, AND REMAINS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AUSSIE WITH WINS AND PODIUMS IN EUROPE BUT ALSO IN THE US. Born on 19th November 1964 in Perth, Jeff had the chance to enter his first race when he turned seven years old. His father was a speedway competitor, but Jeff preferred motocross and in 1971 he lined up for the first time in a mini race in his native city. He was only nine years old when he claimed his first Australian title, and then had the opportunity to go training in the USA and also to race some rounds of the Golden States Series. Back home with more experience, he claimed several national titles in Australia and also in New Zealand before moving full time to the USA at the end of 1985.

Working hard to be ready for the season, he lost all his chances at San Diego Supercross when another rider landed on him and broke his jaw. It was a tough period for Jeff, who recovered for the Nationals where he scored a top ten result.

Moving to Yamaha in 1987 he had a better season with podiums in Supercross at Seattle and a heat win at Hangtown during the Nationals 125cc. In the top six of both the 250cc Supercross and 125cc Motocross championships, he then signed with American Honda and repeated in 1988 his good results with a sixth position in both the 250cc Supercross and Motocross

Championships. The same year he also had a first taste of 500 GP’s when he entered the US Grand Prix in Hollister; winner of the second race and third of the event, he had another opportunity to race a GP in San Marino when HRC asked him to replace injured David Thorpe.

He got a race podium and impressed again the MX World when he scored two runner-up positions behind Ron Lechien at the Motocross of Nations in France. Afterwards, he flew back home to add three more Australian titles to his scoreboard!

For Jeff all of these results were enough for him to take the decision to finally race the GP’s, as HRC offered him a good ride alongside their factory riders. The 1989 season didn’t start so well for him as he was leading the first heat in Valkenswaard until he ran out of fuel! A great disappointment for the Kiwi who took his revenge by winning the second race, and later won his first GP in Finland where he beat some of the best sand riders such as Van der Ven, Jobe and Geboers. Winning more races in San Marino and Belgium, he also had some up and down moments

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to finish the season runner up behind David Thorpe. In wintertime he raced a couple of Supercross events, and thanks to his US experience he became the first non-American to win one main event at Paris SX, beating Johnson, Bayle, Kiedrowski and Stanton!

Considered as one of the title’s contender for the 1990 season, he missed this opportunity as he crashed at the opening round in Netherlands, broke a finger in Finland just a week after winning the French GP in Brou, and eventually missed a couple of GP’s as he had surgery to repair his broken finger. He was back for the last two rounds of the series, but he was not enjoying racing anymore and decided to retire at the end of the season.

Back in Australia, he competed in a variety of events including Flat track, Desert races and Sprint car speedway and stays involved in the sport as general manager of KTM Australia until last year.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1981::

Australian Champion Lites

1982:

Australian Champion 500

1983:

New Zealand Champion 500

1984:

Australian Champion Open (Honda)

37th in the 250 Motocross World Championship

1986:

9th in the 125 US Motocross Championship (Honda)

19th in the 250 US Supercross Championship

1987:

5th in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Yamaha)

6th in the 125 US Motocross Championship

1988: 6th in the 250 US Supercross 250 Championship (Honda)

6th in the 250 US Motocross Championship

20th in the 500 Motocross World Championship

Australian Champion Lites, Open, 500

1989:

2nd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda). Winner of 2 GP’s

1990:

9th in the 500 Motocross World Championship ( Honda). Winner of 1 GP

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S E K I EB

G A T IN

V

D PEDRO TRAGTER

1993 SUZUKI RM/RA125 314

URING THE MIDEIGHTIES AND EARLY NINETIES, HOLLAND WAS IN A REAL STATE OF ELEVATION WHEN IT CAME TO REPRESENTATION IN THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, WITH DAVE STRIJBOS (1986) AND JOHN VAN DEN BERK (’87/’88) SEEMINGLY WINNING WORLD TITLES FOR FUN. AND IF THEY WEREN’T WINNING, THEY WERE INSIDE THE TOP THREE A FURTHER SEVEN TIMES BETWEEN THEM FROM 1985 – 1992.

Of course, prior to Dave and John, riders such as Gerard Rond, Gerrit Wolsink and Kees van der Ven all came close to the top step, but moving forward, who would the nation look to for more success?

Well, the answer, as it turned out, was never too far away and after placing 3rd in 1988, ’91 and ’92, it was surely just a matter of time before Pedro Tragter got his hands on a title of his own, and in 1993 his dream came true, so in this issue of MXGP Magazine we will take a closer look at the RM/RA125 Suzuki that took him there.

For Pedro Tragter the 1992 season had been his most productive in terms of podium success, with three wins and two 2nd overall places over the twelve-round campaign, and after back-to-back bronze medals, the Dutch ace was seriously ready to challenge for the top step.

Winter prep’ was limited to a six to eight-week boot camp during the months of January and February and prior to the start of the ’93 season, there were no real dramas to speak of either; both rider and machine were in great shape going in.

When Suzuki pulled out of the factory programme at the end of 1990 (in the 125cc class), Tragter remained loyal to the brand and from ’92 to ’95 he raced under the Team Suzuki Chesterfield banner.

Even better was he still had access to some all-important factory bling.

The bike itself was more semifactory than the full-blown article, but by mixing stock parts with official items, Tragter was able to create the perfect bike; not unlike being a factory rider, but without the red tape.

When it came to the chassis, the frame was pretty much the only standard item because upfront, the bike was suspended by 46mm factory KYB units which in turn were married to factory triple clamps. The rear shock was

also KYB but whilst the linkage remained standard, the swingarm came from the factory. The wheels were also factory (usually magnesium with Suzuki) but the rims were provided by Excel and came wrapped in factory Dunlop rubber.

As for the power plant, well, let’s just say there was a lot going on below the tank. The cylinder and head were both factory, with the head being crafted from magnesium. The reed valves were carbon and came from a 250cc, and the 38mm carburettor was also ‘borrowed’ from the quarterlitre machine. A factory piston was there for durability, and as for the ignition, well, all we can say about that is that it was ‘special’ and made in Holland!

The airbox was stock but when it came to singing lessons, the exhaust pipe and silencer was a combination of factory and Messico, from Italy. However, the 6-speed gearbox did receive the factory treatment, more so for reliability though than anything else, and when it came to cooling, the safest and most efficient thing to do back then was run a bigger radiator on one side. Finally, when it came to stopping power, Tragter ran factory brakes at both ends, which included a larger disc at the front.

As for the season itself, Tragter got off to the perfect start, and even though he tied on points with Mickael Pichon, the Suzuki rider had that psychological boost as the leader of the championship after the opening round in Italy.

After placing 2nd overall next time out at the Belgian GP to fellow countryman and former world champ Dave Strijbos, Tragter raised his game in England, Round three, and from there his momentum gathered pace just as much as his accumulation of points. By the halfway point of the season, Tragter had amassed a 56-point lead over his nearest rival and from there it was just a matter

of managing the situation and that’s exactly what he did. At the final GP of the year in Australia, Tragter wrapped up the title in the second of three races with a very cautious 7th to become world champion for the first and only time, and just the third rider from The Netherlands to do so.

When Pedro Tragter clinched the 125cc world title in 1993, another page was written in the history of Suzuki. When the brand entered the 125cc world championship in 1975, Suzuki was victorious for ten years in a row from 1975, culminating with Michele Rinaldi’s success in 1984. A six-year dry spell followed and when Donny Schmit and Stefan Everts won respectively in 1990 and 1991 it looked very much like Suzuki was back on track. Sadly, it was not to be and Pedro Tragter’s title in 1993 would be the last from the Japanese brand in the 125cc 2-stroke class before it was upgraded to MX2 and 4-stroke status in 2004.

Photos: Haudiquert

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ME A F OF

PAUL “MALER’ MALIN

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E HAS NEVER CLAIMED AN INDIVIDUAL WORLD TITLE, BUT HE REMAINS ONE OF THE MEN WHO PUT AN END TO THE DOMINATION OF THE AMERICANS AT THE MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS! WINNER OF THE 1994 MXON ALONGSIDE KURT NICOLL AND ROB HERRING, PAUL MALIN ALSO WON BRITISH TITLES, GP’S AND CLAIMED A SILVER MEDAL IN THE 125CC CLASS BEFORE LATER BECOMING THE VOICE OF MXGP ON TELEVISION! Born on 15th February 1972 in Leicester, Paul received a minibike when he was only three years old, as his father had an interest in Motorsports and even entered a couple of speedway races as an amateur. The day after he got his bike, Paul entered his first race and from then his life as a racer began!

At the age of six he started to win races and titles and soon became one of the youngest talents to join the prestigious Team Green Kawasaki.

Racing the 125cc and 250cc classes in the UK when he was seventeen, Paul had his first taste of GP’s during the 1989 season but due to the fact that he was still a student, he just entered the British and Irish rounds of the 125cc championship. At the same time, he also jumped on a 500cc after promising tests alongside Dave Thorpe, but his first races in the ‘main’ class were not that successful.

Working hard all winter long to get used to the powerful 500cc Kawasaki, Paul was only eighteen when he entered his first World Championship season in the 500cc class. 1990 was a great learning year for him, as he started the season with a few points but later on in the year narrowly missed the podium

at the Belgian Grand Prix, tight in the points with Kees Van der Ven and Kurt Nicoll, just one point behind Eric Geboers, the winner in Namur. Eleventh in the series on a production bike, he was rewarded and jumped on a factory prototype in 1991 with Dave Thorpe as teammate.

At the fifth round of the series in Castelnau de Levis, France, he was unbeatable, winning both races to become the youngest ever 500cc GP winner at the age of 19 and three months. Unfortunately, a couple of mechanical problems cost him many points, but he still finished the season fourth in the championship.

Afterwards, he moved back to the 250cc class, but during the three seasons he struggled with injuries and was not a podium contender anymore. It was finally at the end of the 1994 season that he joined again the winners’ circle in the most prestigious event of the season, the MXoN. Selected to race the Motocross of Nations in Roggenburg, Switzerland, Paul lined up in the 125cc class, got a factory engine for his Yamaha and beat everyone in this class including Jeff Emig, Dave Strijbos and Pit Beirer! Team

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USA, the winners of the last fourteen editions of the MXoN, were forced to give up the Chamberlain trophy to Team Great Britain.

Convinced that the 125cc class could be better for him, Paul continued his career in this class. In 1995 he had the chance to win his home Grand Prix in Foxhill, but a week later he broke a bone in his hand. One year later, he had his best season ever. Sébastien Tortelli was dominant that year, but thanks to his consistency and nine GP podiums, Paul finished runner up in the 125cc championship and later he won his first British title.

1996 was definitively the peak of his career, as he would never play again a major role in the World Championship. Claiming two more British titles in 1997 and 1999, he retired from racing in 2000 to start working with the British Motorcycling Federation to help young riders.

Paul also opened his own motocross school and later he started to comment on races for television, and for several years now, he is the regular, enthusiastic and knowledgeable voice of MXGP! Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1981:: 12th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1991:

4th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki). Winner of 1 GP

1992: 17th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1993: 20th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1994: 18th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

Winner of the MX of Nations with team UK

1995:

4th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

1996: 2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

125 British Champion

1997: 19th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

125 British Champion

1998: 17th in the 125Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1999: 24th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

Open British Champion

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G A T IN

V

A MICKAËL MASCHIO

2002 KAWASAKI SR125 320

S A NATION, FRANCE HAS ALWAYS PRODUCED SOME TOP-QUALITY RIDERS AND SOME WOULD ARGUE IT SHOULD HAVE PRODUCED MORE WORLD CHAMPIONS UNTIL NOW. BUT THIS IS MOTOCROSS; IT’S NOT THE EASIEST SPORT TO COMPETE IN, BECAUSE IF IT WAS THEN MAYBE WE WOULD ALL BE WORLD CHAMPIONS AT IT. ONE RIDER WHO DID REACH THE TOP THOUGH WAS MICKAËL MASCHIO AND IT’S HIS 2002 KAWASAKI SR125 THAT WE WILL FEATURE IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE.

Maschio’s first foray into the 125cc world championship was in 1993 where the Frenchman scored a handful of points in the selected rounds that he competed in. The following year he rocketed to 12th in what was his first full season, but from there his star really started to shine. By 1995, he’d won his first race and stood on the top step of the podium at Bellpuig in Spain on his way to 5th overall in the series. However, having not advanced higher than 5th, Mickaël moved into the 250cc class where for the next few years he was a regular fixture inside the top ten. In 2001 he had dropped to 15th after a difficult campaign which also forced his decision to return to the 125cc category for the 2002 season.

Racing for the official Kawasaki Racing Team run by Jan de Groot, the decision to return to the 125cc class was a joint decision, as Maschio recalls: ‘We both made the decision, because the last year in 250cc (2001) I did some crashes and my mental state was not good, so Jan asked me if would like to go back into the 125cc class for 2002 (the next year) not only for my confidence, but also because there was a new bike.’

The bike in question was a complete, new model for the Japanese manufacturer, so not only was it a pre-production 2003 bike, but it was also labelled as a full-factory SR125, something that Kawasaki was keen to push.

The initial tests went well, and so the goal then was to dial the bike in to suit Maschio’s riding style, and whilst the team worked to get as much power as possible, the Frenchman preferred an engine that came with a bottom to mid hit, something which his mechanic Gerald Wever remembers well: ‘The pick-up feel at lower rpm’s was very important for Mickaël,

as well as the over-rev. We had an adjustable rod and different spring rates to adjust the power valve to get the pick-up feel to his liking. He was a technical rider and liked to play with the throttle, and at nearly every race we would spend more time at the test track to adjust the power valve to the get the pick-up power to his liking.’

Fine-tuning the bike meant scrapping some of the factory parts though, as Wever continues: ‘I remember that two Japanese technicians arrived in February ’02 and we tested in Holland, Belgium and the south of France.

They came with cylinders, heads, exhaust pipe and CDI’s, along with different types of carburettors, jets, needles and reed valves. One of the carb’s was made from Magnesium, but by the time we arrived at the first GP were already using VHM heads, HGS pipes, factory CDI and an aluminium carburettor as we could not get the Magnesium carb to work. We did run a Magnesium clutch cover and water pump though! Jan tuned the engines and KYB (Technical Touch) took care of the suspension.’

With de Groot as meticulous as ever the engines were competitive to a point, but the biggest advantage as far as Maschio was concerned was the chassis and just how good it was: ‘I remember that that year, compared to the KTM bike our engine had less power but the bike was much better with the chassis, better everywhere; the chassis and suspension was really, really good. We did a good job with that; we did a good job with KYB. The power was good but with the chassis and suspension it was even better, even if the power of the KTM was a little better on top power. The engine was good but the most important was the chassis,’ reflected Maschio.

Having a bike that generated good power was critical for de Groot and even though he was expected to run factory parts, he also knew that this was a new project and the whole reason that this bike was being raced was to make it as good as possible when it was launched as a production bike for 2003. So, with the key focus on engine performance, the SR125 ran a factory cylinder which was modified by Jan, and even though Gerald Wever recalls running ‘VHM heads 99% of the time, we also had a couple of factory heads, but with VHM we had more options, and they (VHM) could react quickly if Jan wanted to change something. It was the same with the pipes from HGS.’ On the inside, the team used Vertex pistons, but as Wever recalls, not before Jan had grinded the cylinders ‘to his secret porttimings and made different shaped power valves. These parts were mixed with all kinds of different VHM head inserts, HGS pipes, base gaskets … I must have

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made close to 600 Dyno runs that year!’

second gap and then I was in cruise control. It was a good GP for me.’

The CDI was a factory KEIHIN unit, but could not be adjusted. It was just a case of changing the ‘black box’ as and when it was needed. The clutch cases were modified by de Groot, with the clutch cover being bigger than standard. This, along with the water pump cover, were factory items and made from Magnesium.

When it came to cooling, more ‘inhouse’ modifications were made

by Jan himself, when he made the lower water chamber of the left-hand radiator bigger for more volume, and if he could have done the same to the right-hand side as well then, he would have done, ‘except there was no room to go lower as the exhaust pipe routing was in the way.’

In Austria one week later, he had to settle for 6th, and despite that ‘poor’ result, he still held a 15-point lead over Belgium’s Patrick Caps; but, if Austria was poor, then the next round in Bulgaria was a disaster for Maschio, as he remembers:

The new bike came with a 6-speed gearbox and with his engine setup, Maschio needed to ‘change many gears!’ The standard chassis was already very, very good and as a result the swingarm, linkage and aluminium sub-frame also remained as standard items.

Holding everything up at both ends was full-factory, ‘proper KYB suspension’ provided by Technical Touch. The front forks were 50mm and the clamps and bar mounts were typical factory KHI parts, made from Magnesium. Haan Wheels were married to Excel rims and whilst the Motomaster disc was bigger, the brake, brake calliper and master cylinder were all standard, although the calliper hanger was made from yes, you guessed it … Magnesium.

After placing 5th overall at the season opener in Valkenswaard, Maschio followed up with 1-2-21 at the next four GP’s in Spain, Germany, France and Italy, and it was the Italian round that holds the strongest memory for the Frenchman: ‘Castiglione del Lago! I was really strong there. I remember during Time Training I was 2 seconds, maybe 2,5 seconds faster than everybody, in all the sessions. Also, in the race I pushed to have a 15

‘I crashed, but the bike was not really good that day because I remember that GP there was a big trouble with that. After the GP I spoke about that with Jan; Jan sometimes was good and sometimes not good. He did a change on the bike in the week and for sure he didn’t tell me, and the bike was not good; the engine was not good, and I remember on Saturday I did many tests with the carburation, and I said to him, ‘I don’t know what happened but for sure was not good’ And I remember my crash; it was on one jump. I don’t remember who was the rider behind me, but he touched me in the air on the tabletop and I did a big crash. The bike was not good, and Jan told me ‘oh no, it’s not the bike, it’s you …’ so I said, ‘ok, it’s me …’ but a year later at the same GP, I won the GP.’

Heading into the final round in Russia, all Maschio had to do was holding his nerve and he would be crowned world champion. His lead over Patrick Caps was just ten points with Steve Ramon another point adrift in 3rd. Ramon won the race and the GP, Caps DNF’d and as Maschio crossed the line in 4th, it was good enough for him to be crowned world champion by just four points over Ramon.

For Maschio, at 29 years old, a lifelong dream had been realised, and whilst we didn’t know it at the time, it would turn out to be the last 2-stroke world title for Kawasaki.

Photos: Haudiquert. Archer

With five rounds to go, Maschio’s lead was then just three points, and two rounds later he’d lost the lead to Caps; if ‘MM71’ was going to win the championship, he needed to dig deeper than ever.

And that’s exactly what happened next.

Back-to-back wins at Gaildorf and Loket saw Maschio regain the championship lead, and his performance in Czech Republic holds more lasting memories: ‘The GP in Loket, I don’t remember why but I was the last rider to the gate, and I did a start from the complete outside right. I did a really, really good start. And even Jan said ‘woah!’ Already three or four GP’s before I had said: ‘if I don’t win this GP, then …’ Anyway, I made a really good start and I won, so that was also special. It was a good memory, one that stay in the head for sure.’

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ME A F OF

ANDREW “SHARKY” MC FARLANE

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ACING GP’S FIVE SEASONS EARLIER DURING THE 20TH CENTURY, ANDREW MCFARLANE REMAINS THE BEST AUSTRALIAN PERFORMER IN THE HISTORY OF OUR SPORT. WINNER OF FOUR ROUNDS OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, HE CLAIMED A SILVER MEDAL IN THE MX2 CLASS, THEN MOVED TO US AND TRAGICALLY PASSED AWAY ELEVEN YEARS AGO WHILE RACING IN HIS NATIVE AUSTRALIA. Born on 30th May 1977 in Melbourne, Andrew McFarlane discovered motocross when he was six years old, and started to impress when he joined the juniors rank and later appeared as one of the emerging Australian talents in the senior class. Joining the Pro series, he claimed a second place in the outdoor series and later in 1996 he was crowned Supercross Champion in both the 125cc and 250cc classes.

In 1997 he had a first taste of World Championship events when he was selected to represent his country during the Motocross of Nations, scoring in Belgium an eleventh position with teammates Troy Carroll and Taylor Cameron. Racing as a privateer he finally clinched the Australian Motocross title in 1999, and signed with Kawasaki for the following season.

For the first time in the Motocross history, the World Championship visited Australia early in 2000 for the opening round of the 500cc class. It was a unique opportunity for Andrew to show the world what he was able to do; he grabbed the holeshot in the first race and scored a third position behind Joel Smets and Marnicq Bervoets. Ninth in the second race he then focussed on the national series where he was

successful, winning the Motocross and Supercross titles.

It was enough to convince Michele Rinaldi to sign the promising Aussie, who joined Stefan Everts to race the World Championship in the Yamaha factory team. During his learning season he had ups and downs, with two podiums and injuries which forced him to miss the last rounds of the season. Joining Jan De Groot and the Kawasaki racing team he scored twice top eight results in the main class, before joining the MX2 category in 2004.

Moving to the MX2 class was a good decision, and on the 13th of June he dominated the Italian round of the series, winning both races and his first Grand Prix in Gallarate.

Fighting for a podium in the series, he lost his chances when he got injured and missed four rounds.

Working harder than ever he was a title contender in 2005, winning three GP’s (Belgium, Germany and Great Britain) and regularly scoring podiums; leading the championship ahead of Antonio Cairoli after thirteen rounds, he struggled during the last four races to finish runner up in the standings. It was his last

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GP season, as Andrew moved to the US during wintertime to reach another dream.

Racing there for Yamaha of Troy in 2006, Rockstar Energy Suzuki in 2007 and Motosport Kawasaki in 2008, Andrew never found the right timing to be successful in Supercross where his best result was a 23rd position in 2008. He had better results in Motocross, claiming several podiums and a seventh position in 2006, his best season in USA. Back racing in Australia for the 2009 season he scored a third overall in the Pro Open series and announced that 2010 would be his last season; fifth in the points standing before the Broadford round, he unfortunately had a bad crash on the track where he gained the opportunity to race the World Championship and passed away in May 2010.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1981::

125 and 250 Supercross Australian Champion

1999:

Open Australian Champion (Yamaha)

2000:

Open Australian Champion (Kawasaki)

Supercross Masters Champion

29th in the 500 Motocross World Championship

2001: 8th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 2002: 8th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 2003:

6th in the Motocross GP Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki)

2004:

7th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

2005:

2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 3 GPs

2006: 7th in the AMA 125 Motocross Championship (Yamaha) 2007: 12th in the AMA Lites Motocross Championship (Suzuki) 2008: 15th in the AMA Lites Motocross Championship (Kawasaki)

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W GREG ALBERTYN’S

1994 SUZUKI RM250WS 94 328

HEN GREG ALBERTYN ARRIVED IN EUROPE VIA SOUTH AFRICA IN 1990, HE DID SO WITH THE AIM OF LIFTING A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, AND BY THE TIME HE LEFT FOR AMERICA AT THE END OF 1994 HE’D WON THREE IN A ROW. HIS FIRST TITLE WAS IN THE 125CC CLASS IN 1992 RIDING FOR JAN DE GROOT, AND HE FOLLOWED THIS UP WITH A 250CC TITLE THE FOLLOWING YEAR WITH THE SAME DE GROOT HONDA TEAM. HIS FINAL TITLE WAS WON IN 1994 AND IT’S HIS TITLE-WINNING SUZUKI RM250WS 94 THAT WE WILL FEATURE IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE.

After clinching his second title under the watchful eyes of Jan de Groot in 1993, Greg Albertyn switched to the mighty Suzuki factory team run by Sylvain Geboers in the hope of winning a third consecutive title. The bigger picture here was for a move to the USA but before he could head Stateside, there was still work to be done in Europe.

Jan de Groot was renowned for his tuning ability and not so much for the bling, and so when Albertyn and his mechanic Ian Harrison wound up at Suzuki, the first real impression came after laying eyes on the bike itself, as Harrison recalls:

‘Going from the bike of Jan to the Suzuki was a big difference, just from looking at the bike you know? One was a complete works bike and one looked more like a production bike. It was a little bit daunting, because when you’re young like that, you think that everything that’s handmade is better; but it turned out to not be the case.’

The bike was based on the 1995 production RM250 and was similar to the bikes used for supercross in America, as well as the outdoor nationals, but despite that, the bike still looked remarkably factory.

The prototype sand casted cylinder was married to a production cylinder head which was matched/tuned for the compression ratio. Internally the factory piston was straight out of Hamamatsu, along with a factory crank, and finishing everything off aesthetically was the sandcast crankcase.

The clutch may have been factory, but the clutch cover and 5-speed gearbox were standard.

Also standard was the 38mm

Keihin carburetor, but the ignition was factory, and it’s the ignition in particular that Harrison remembers as being somewhat difficult get on with: ‘The bike was ahead of its time; it had the PowerJet on it, and it had a lot of things that still took a few years before they came to production, but a lot of that stuff also gave us headaches. We switched from analogue ignitions to digital and then reverted back to analogue because we had some problems with the power lines (pylons) affecting the ignition on the bike. The digital ignition gave us so much more opportunity to dial the bike in for better ignition curves at low rpm, whereas the analogue ignition was a much simpler system; it wasn’t as precise on the bottom end, but it was always the same.’

The chassis was productionbased although it came with a pretty trick sub-frame which was detachable only on the left-hand side. The foot pegs were factory and wider than the production ones, although Greg preferred to run them in the standard position. Holding everything up was the Showa suspension, all of it factory of course. The forks at that time were 45mm USD units and the upper triple clamps were factory made from billet aluminium, with changeable handlebar positions. The lower clamp was standard. The swingarm was factory and based on the standard offering, but was 25mm longer for improved stability. When it came to wheels, the rims were Excel, but where the front hub was standard, the rear hub was crafted from Magnesium. Stopping power came courtesy of Nissin and there was an option to change the piston diameter on both the front and rear master cylinders for enhanced stopping power, and if you’re interested to know about

the disc sizes, then the front disc was a 260mm factory item whilst the rear was a standard 220mm unit. The skid plate was the only carbon fibre item, and titanium was used sparingly, with only the engine bolts and chassis bolts being made from the lightweight material.

The fuel tank was aluminium and bigger due to the duration of the 45-minute races, but at the Belgian GP in Lommel, ‘Albee’ ran out of petrol on the final lap in BOTH races, something that irked the team principal Geboers and cost Greg vital championship points. As Sylvain recalls: ‘The aluminium tank was oversized but still too small for Greg, but his teammate Marnicq Bervoets finished the race with almost 1 litre to spare. The problem was, that while we tested with Bervoets on fuel consumption, Greg went back home to South Africa, and when he returned, he was sick and refused to test.

In the races, he ran out of fuel in both heats. After the race I

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reminded him of the importance of the fuel test, but he replied with ‘this is what I need to be motivated!’

Ian Harrison also remembers that particular time with similar clarity: ‘That year was so hard for us because Greg didn’t want to be in Europe, he wanted to be in America; while he was going for it, he was there but not there. And Sylvain’s right, Greg went home, he didn’t want to do that test in Lommel, and when we went to Lommel he would do 20-minute moto’s. I still remember Greg’s gas tank was 11.5 litres, I think it was one

“QUOTE.”

litre bigger than Marnicq’s; it was the biggest gas tank we had, but Greg used low rpm with the throttle open, so he was always pulling a lot of fuel. Both starts he crashed, so of course the fuel is running out, and both races he ran out right in front of me by the mechanics area, and I think it was about 300m from the finish line. But that fell on his shoulders, it was clearly Greg; if we had done that fuel test, we would have been able to do something about it, so yeah, it was a bad day.’

Whilst the year started off with a race win in Spain, there were struggles throughout the season, with both the power delivery as well as the handling: ‘The Suzuki was fast but harder to ride because it didn’t have as much bottom end like what Jan had on the Honda, and the Honda

also handled really, really well whereas the Suzuki was good in some places and then terrible in others, so the window was a lot harder to find,’ recalled Harrison. ‘I wasn’t up to speed to really make big progress on suspension and luckily, in the end, from what I remember, midway through the season when Greg started winning again, Greg’s dad came out and I remember him talking about how Stefan Everts had the bike set up the year before, which was a different linkage and a different shock setting, and so we reverted back to that and from then he really seemed to catch fire and really started to get going again.’

The title fight went down to the final round at Gaildorf in Germany and it was Albertyn who rode away with the spoils of victory, despite winning just two GP’s that year. It was Albee’s third world championship win in a row and the 26th for Suzuki in all classes at that time.

Photos: Haudiquer 331

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ME A F OF

KURT NICOLL

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ON OF FORMER GP WINNER DAVE NICOLL, KURT WAS ONE OF THE MAIN PROTAGONISTS OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DURING FIFTEEN SEASONS. HE NARROWLY MISSED AN INDIVIDUAL WORLD TITLE IN 1992, FINISHED FOUR TIMES RUNNER UP IN THE 500CC CLASS, AND HE WAS ONE OF THE HEROES OF THE 1994 MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS WHEN TEAM GB STOPPED THE AMERICAN DOMINATION ON THIS TEAM RACE. Born on 15th November 1964 in Cambridge, Kurt was not really interested in motocross when he was young even if though visited some races with his father. As a kid, Kurt had more passion for cricket and football, and was already thirteen years old when he had the opportunity to ride a bike for the first time. Two years later he entered his first race in the famous schoolboy series at Cambridge, and from that moment his dream was to become a professional racer. In 1982 he claimed a British title, the first one of seven national crowns!

Turning 18 at the end of 1982, Kurt started racing GP’s the following season and he immediately jumped on a 500cc Kawasaki to qualify at the opening round of the series in Payerne (Switzerland). During his second Grand Prix he scored his first points in Austria – only the top ten riders got points at that period – and after that first experience, he had the opportunity to join KTM UK. Eighth of the 1984 campaign with several top five in the last rounds of the series, he again improved his results the following season with a fifth place in the championship.

The highest moment of the season was his first ever race podium at his

home GP in Farleigh Castle, with third position behind André Malherbe and Dave Thorpe.

a

Back to Kawasaki in 1986, he had to wait one more year to celebrate his first GP win on one of his favourite tracks, Farleigh Castle. Runner up behind Georges Jobe at the end of season, he did even better in 1988 when he won two GP’s and was the main rival of Eric Geboers, but once more he was the runner up in the series. In 1989 he didn’t improve that result, he finished fourth, and signed with KTM. Again, runner up in 1990 – again behind Eric Geboers!

– Kurt was at his best in 1991 and he was dominating the series until a nasty crash at the Dutch GP, when he broke his femur. The season was over, but Kurt came back stronger in 1992, when the FIM introduced a new racing format with three heats per GP. During the mid-season he was leading the championship ahead of Georges Jobe, he lost the leadership due to a couple of DNF’s but ended the championship with three back-to-back GP wins, losing the title by two points! For the fourth time in his career, Kurt had to be happy with the silver medal.

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When the 500cc class lost its prestige in favour of the 250cc, Kurt didn’t take the easiest decision when he joined this new class with Honda Britain.

Racing against former World Champions such as Stefan Everts, Greg Albertin, Donny Schmit, Trampas Parker and Alex Puzar, he scored two podiums finishes in 1993 and a decent fourth overall. His second attempt in this class was even better as he won the final GP in Germany and was member of the winning British team at the MX of Nations in Roggenburg. That day Paul Malin, Rob Herring and Kurt stopped the incredible series of twelve consecutive wins of team USA! Again fourth in the 1995 series with another GP win, Kurt ended his career in the 500cc class with another fourth overall in 1997.

Then Kurt stayed involved in Motorsport, joining the management of KTM UK and later moving to Austria as Director of Racing before taking a similar role in America. He remains involved in racing, winning twice the Supermoto Championship in USA – 2004 and 2009 – and also three titles in the Enduro Cross Veteran Championship – 2011, 2012 and 2013 – to end a long career when he turned fifty!

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1981::

British Support Champion

1983:

26th in the 500 World Championship (Kawasaki)

1984:

8th in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

1985:

5th in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

1986:

7th in the 500 World Championship (Kawasaki)

1987:

2nd in the 500 World Championship (Kawasaki).

Winner of 1 GP

1988:

2nd in the 500 World Championship (Kawasaki).

Winner of 2 GP’s

500 British Champion

1989:

4th in the 500 World Championship (Kawasaki)

500 British Champion

1990:

2nd in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

500 British Champion

1991:

9th in the 500 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 2 GP’s

500 British Champion

1992:

2nd in the 500 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 5 GP’s

250 and 500 British Champion

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team GB

1993:

4th in the 250 World Championship (Honda)

Open British Champion

1994:

5th in the 250 World Championship (Honda). Winner of 1 GP

Winner of the MX of Nations with Team GB

1995:

4th in the 250 World Championship (Honda). Winner of 1 GP

1996:

18th in the 250 World Championship (KTM)

1997:

4th in the 500 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 1 GP

3rd at the MX of Nations with Team GB

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F FRÉDÉRIC BOLLEY

1999 HRC HONDA RC250 336

RÉDÉRIC BOLLEY IS A TWO-TIME FIM 250CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION FROM FRANCE AND A RIDER WHO RACED DURING A GOLDEN AGE OF FRENCH WORLD CHAMPIONS. BOLLEY STARTED HIS GRAND PRIX CAREER IN 1990 IN THE 125CC CLASS AND PRIOR TO THE 1999 SEASON, THE FRENCHMAN HAD FINISHED ON THE PODIUM NINE TIMES, FIVE OF WHICH CAME IN THE ’98 SEASON DURING HIS FIRST TERM WITH HONDA.

The surprising fact in all of this was that he had only ever won one race leading into his title winning year. In this issue of MXGP Magazine we take a closer look at the Honda RC250 that took Bolley to the 1999 250cc world championship title.

At the end of the 1997 season Frédéric Bolley moved from JHK Kawasaki to join the L&M Honda effort as a number two team mate to Stefan Everts. As it turned out, that 1998 season had been his most successful to that point, picking up five podiums and nine top three race finishes along with 5th overall in the campaign. However, for 1999, there would be a new bike from Honda and one that would make a world of difference to the young Frenchman.

‘The new Honda arrived in ’99. The frame was the biggest difference, it was brand new. I remember ’98 it was the original frame of the aluminium chassis and it was pretty strong (rigid) and then in ’99 they changed completely the frame with thinner spars. At this moment I remember the bike was not 100% new but maybe 99%. New frame, new plastics, new swingarm, new front forks, everything was new.

The first time I tried the bike was probably September or October ’98. The bike was a prototype, the plastics were carbon fibre, so the first time I tried the bike, it was completely crazy.’

The other significant change for ’99 was the fact Bolley had been promoted to factory status: ‘In ’98 I was not a factory rider. I was the number two rider in the same L&M Team. Of course, I rode with some HRC parts, but I was not really a factory rider, but for ’99 I was.’

When we spoke to Trampas Parker about his HRC experience in 1991, he recalled that turning up at the test track was crazy,

where a container of special parts would be ready and waiting to test, and for Bolley, this was exactly the same: ‘Exactly the same. I also remember a lot of work, a lot of things to try. When you asked for something, one week later you got it. It was crazy. I could test everything from triple clamps to different handlebar mounts, different foot peg position. I also remember they took my hand measurements; they drew my hand on some paper so they could make some special clutch levers for my hand, specific for me. Factory levers. Crazy.’

This new offering from HRC came with a much-needed chassis upgrade, despite only being a couple of years old at this point. Rider comments from both sides of The Atlantic were the same in that the unique aluminium chassis design was just too rigid, there was not enough flex, and this sent the HRC technicians back to the drawing board to see how the design could be modified. The end result proved to be a total success.

‘Everything was better because in ‘1998 and before that in ’97 the new aluminium frame was a little bit difficult. With HRC, when they want something new, they do it, so they made a brandnew chassis and everything was better; on the corners, on the jumps, high speed, slow speed. It was more easy to use, completely.

The best bike I ever raced.’

When it came to dialling in the motor, Bolley was clear in his mind about the kind of power he preferred, and of course, this being HRC, making sure he had the right set-up was never an issue: ‘I always choose the bike with the bottom power. Not really strong but I like the bike with bottom

power but smooth; not so strong.

My style is pretty smooth and I love it when the bike is like that, and for Honda, it wasn’t difficult to do.’

Armed with 49mm factory Showa forks and factory rear shock the RC250 handled like a dream and coupled with the smooth power delivery, the cornering capabilities of this bike were clear to see, and in many ways a testament to the trademark smooth, effortless riding style of Bolley. The exhaust pipe and silencer were

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full factory HRC parts, as was the engine, crank, cranks case, clutch and clutch cover. The carburettor was Kehin and the ignition HRC. The swingarm was close to production and whilst carbon fibre parts were limited, the bike bristled in titanium nuts, bolts and foot pegs, with a little bit of magnesium thrown in for good measure. The 5-speed gearbox was also factory.

However, when it came to the start of the season, there was a real threat that Bolley would not even be lining up behind the gate, as he recalls: ‘So, in the pre-season race in Beaucaire, my team mate Stefan Everts broke his knee and at that time the team manager, Dave Grant, wanted to stop the team because Stefan was the leader of the team and I was surprised.

I had to say to him not to stop because I worked so much at that time.’

The decision was then made to continue the season with Bolley as the main man, and if there had been any doubts about him coming up with the goods, then those were soon quashed at the opening round of the season at Talavera in Spain where he won both races in fine style: ‘Before Talavera where I won both races, I worked a lot in the winter with Yannig Kervella; he was my coach and I remember I told him, “next year I want to be world champion! So, we must do everything. If I need to eat rice and pasta to do it, or if I need to sleep three days in the week, I do it.” For me, the most important thing was to do everything, so that’s why when I arrived in Talavera, I was really confident.

Not confident that I knew I was going to win both races, because that would be crazy to think, but I was really confident, and when I won in Talavera it was important at that time to prove I could do it. That’s maybe why I won that GP, because I wanted to prove I could be world champion.

So, Beaucaire was also a turning point for me.’

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Despite that explosive start, it was clear that Bolley’s main threat for the title would come from Marnicq Bervoets and Pit Beirer, and the three riders were pretty much intertwined with each other until Bervoets picked up an injury with five rounds remaining. As the season entered its final round at Budds Creek in the USA, Bolley held a 19 points advantage over Beirer, and with the two riders almost inseparable, was he nervous going into that final round?

‘Of course! Of course. It’s the worst nerves weekend I ever had in my life (laughing). Of course, I remember exactly at the start, that if I finished in front of Beirer, I would win the title and it was the same for him. But we rode exactly the same; we were both nervous.’

When Beirer placed 4th in the first race to Bolley’s 8th, the gap was down to fourteen, and when Bolley crossed the line in 10th in race two, it was enough for him to be crowned world champion for the first time. Of course, this was the best moment of the year but the turning point according to Bolley came in Luxembourg, three rounds prior where he went toe-to-toe with Beirer and came out on top, winning the GP by 4 points over his rival: ‘I had a big fight with Pit and I was pretty smooth, and he pushed me; he was quite an aggressive rider and he tried to push me in the second moto, but I always kept calm. At that time I said, ok, I think it can be possible, it’s going to be possible.’

When Bolley was crowned world champion, he became the fourth rider from France to achieve that accolade after Jacky Vimond (1986), Jean-Michel Bayle (’88, ’89) and Sebastien Tortelli (’96, ’98) and he would go on to successfully defend the title the following year.

Photos: Haudiquert

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ME A F OF

GERARD ROND

T

WICE ON THE PODIUM AT THE MOTOCROSS AND AT THE TROPHY OF NATIONS WITH THE DUTCH TEAM, GERARD ROND WAS ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING TALENTS IN THE 125CC CLASS DURING THE LATE ‘70’S. VICE 125CC WORLD CHAMPION WHEN HE WAS ONLY 20 YEARS OLD, THE DUTCHMAN WAS NEVER SO SUCCESFUL IN THE BIGGER CLASSES BUT REMAINS ONE OF THE BEST EVER DUTCH RIDERS IN THE MX HISTORY. Born on the 5th December 1956 Gerard Rond was familiar with motorsport racing from a very young age, as his father Gert was a famous technician who built motocross bikes!

Using Sachs engines, Gert produced enduro and motocross bikes in the 60’s and 70’s and of course Gerard had some facilities to start racing!

He was just fifteen when he claimed the first one of many national titles, and two years later when he turned seventeen he entered for the first time in 1974 some rounds of the 125cc European championship – the 125cc class was then upgraded as a World Championship in 1975 – and he scored his first points in Germany to finish the season thirtieth on his father’s bike.

On 1stJune 1975, Gerard impressed the Motocross community when he scored an amazing second place at the Dutch Grand Prix, with a fourth and a second position behind legendary Gaston Rahier! That year he didn’t enter all the rounds of the series but scored points at several rounds to finish tenth overall.

Moving to the 250cc class in 1976 he wasn’t that successful even he dominated for the second year in a row the class in the Netherlands, and got a silver medal at the Motocross

of Nations alongside Toon Karsmakers, Peter Herlings and Frans Sigmans.

Back in the 125cc class as a factory Yamaha rider in 1977, he had a great season, winning three Grand Prix’s to finish the season runner up behind the unbeatable Rahier.

Considered as the main rival of the Suzuki boys – Rahier and Akira Watanabe – before the first round of the 1978 campaign, Gerard confirmed that status after double wins in Belgium and the Netherlands, and was leading the championship! He lost his position at the following round in France where he could only finish one race, but won the following GP – Yugoslavia – to remain a title contender until the last round in Czechoslovakia. Second of that GP between the winner, Rahier and Watanabe third, Rond finally got the bronze medal, just one point behind Rahier and nineteen behind the first ever Japanese World Champion.

As all the best riders, Gerard was dreaming to race in the ‘main class’, the 500cc one! He signed with Suzuki, but his first season in 1979 was not a great one as he just got one podium result in Belgium. Back

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on a 250cc for the Trophy of Nations, he was the best Dutch representative and got another bronze medal alongside Benny Wilken, Gerrit Wolsink and Kees Van der Ven. His results were better in 1980, but not as good as he could expect as he enjoyed only one podium celebration at his home GP in Valkenswaard to finish the season in sixth position; and once more it was at the Nations that he got his best result. Best member of the Dutch team at the MXoN, he got another silver medal with Wolsink, Karsmakers and Van der Ven as teammates.

Moving to the factory KTM team in 1981, he offered the Austrian company two podiums and for the last time in his career he secured a top ten finish with a seventh position. Then he made a few appearances at some GP’s during several seasons, entered four editions of the Dakar Rally, came back as team manager of a Kawasaki GP team in the 90’s and lately created ‘Experience Island’ in the Netherlands, one of the largest outdoor event venues in the Benelux.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1974:

30th in the 125 European Championship (Sachs)

1975: 10th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1976: 24th in the 250 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

2nd at the MX of Nations with team Netherlands

1977:

2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 3 GP’s

1978:

3rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 4 GP’s

1979: 10th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

3rd at the Trophy of Nations with team Netherlands

1980: 6th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

2nd at the MX of Nations with team Netherlands

1981:

7th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

3rd at the Trophy of Nations with team Netherlands

1982: 22nd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (KTM) 1983: 12th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1985: 12th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda) 1986: 24th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (KTM) 1987: 31st in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki)

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D JOHN VAN DEN BERK

1987 YAMAHA YZ125M 344

UTCH LEGEND JOHN VAN DEN BERK IS A TWOTIME MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION AND ONE OF JUST SEVEN RIDERS WHO HAVE WON BACK-TOBACK TITLES IN DIFFERENT CLASSES AFTER CLAIMING THE 125CC TITLE IN 1987, FOLLOWED BY THE 250CC TITLE IN 1988. HIS FIRST YEAR RACING THE 125CC CLASS WAS 1984 WHERE HE PLACED 16TH, FOLLOWED BY 5TH AND 2ND IN THE FOLLOWING TWO SEASONS, AND BY 1987 HE WAS READY TO FIGHT FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, AND IT’S HIS 1987 YAMAHA YZ125M THAT WE WILL FEATURE IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE.

After placing 16th in his first season of grand prix racing riding a production bike, John van den Berk was already getting noticed on the GP scene. By 1986 he was receiving support from Yamaha Europe, ‘not much, only some parts …’ but the biggest part of his success was the team of people he had already built up around him.

‘We started with a private tuner, an engineer who made engines for road race; his name was Theo van Geffen and at that moment he was one of the main tuners, like Jan Witteveen, coming from the scooter class. The 50cc scooter class was a very popular class in the past, so all the good tuners came from this area because this was the most difficult to make the 50cc go fast.’

By 1986, this group of people, which also included his mechanic Harry Nolte, was working non-stop to produce the kind of engine required to challenge for the world championship and even though factory parts were now available for John to use, he never really used them as the engine that Theo and Harry had produced was already very fast. Even though they opted out of the factory parts, the support from Yamaha allowed them to continue developing their own engine, which was developed inhouse with modifications to the cylinder and cylinder head: ‘There was a lot of power and so the factory parts … we didn’t really use the factory parts, and so from ’87 this project was finished, the engine was good and for me it was possible to compete with the Cagiva guys because they were a full factory team; everything factory, with a lot of riders. We were like a small team but we got full support from Yamaha to pay for the tuning and to do the

development, so that was really good.’

Another area where van den Berk was allowed to have a bit of free reign was his suspension.

Officially he should have used factory Kayaba (KYB) but as he recalls, ‘we used WP which was from Holland, but this was more like a private thing because we had factory Kayaba at that time and it didn’t work out so good.

With Kayaba, I had to use the new upside-down forks. That was the main thing; I put in my contract that I wanted to have conventional forks because I didn’t like the new upside-down system, because in the beginning it was not so good. Even though we did a lot of testing with it, I changed my contract because it was not better for me; later on, yes, but on that point, it was a big issue. But, yeah, in ‘87 we had a good bike, good team, we worked six years together in total with the same people to build up and then finally we created a good thing.’

With the project finally coming to fruition, the biggest benefit of John’s bike was that he had a bike that only suited him. He ran the larger size ‘110’ tyre at the rear as opposed to the standard ‘90’ recommended for the 125.

Basically, it was a heavier tyre with a wider, bigger profile and the engine itself had no bottom end power; instead, it was all mid-top which when he first rode it, left him more than a little concerned: ‘My bike was more like a bike that nobody else could ride, but me; it had completely zero bottom end power. Nothing.

And to use the 110 tyre on the back, the tyre that Kees van der Ven used in the Le Touquet on the 500? Usually for a 125 we should use a 90, but we used 110 from Michelin. The problem was, there was so much power middle-top, it never ended. The

first time I rode this bike I said to the tuner ‘the engine is gonna explode, for sure!’ He said ‘it’s not gonna explode; just go full gas!’ Nothing on the bottom, everything on the clutch, big tyre, the starts – I always pulled a holeshot because there was so much power; it was a difficult bike to ride, but it was fitting to me. Even my teammates couldn’t ride this bike.’

Perhaps one of the biggest developments for John though was his ability to recognise what was previously holding him

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back, and what he needed to do to address that situation, in order to give himself the best opportunity at winning the world title; and it started with him and his attitude to racing: ‘It wasn’t any big thing; it was more myself, because I had a little problem with the pressure in the beginning because always it was the two same riders (me and Dave Strijbos) going for the first place.

Two riders from the same village, who went to the same school, the same gym, fighting for the same title. I didn’t handle it good. I took the risk in the wrong moments; I should stay more calm, and to be satisfied with 2nd if that was the best I could do at that time. And

“QUOTE.”

that was my main problem, but in ’87, I was like … okay, when he has a better day than me, let him go and I’ll take 2nd when I need to. In the end, it was he who made the mistakes, even though he was maybe faster than me, but it was also a little bit of everything; the bike, me and believing in myself.’

When John van den Berk clinched the 125cc world championship in the final race of the season in Austria, he became Yamaha’s first world champion in the 125cc division since the class was introduced in 1975.

The Mechanic - Harry Nolte: The bike was not a factory bike.

Theo van Geffen and I did the tuning together, and apart from the cylinder head the bike was pretty much stock, nothing really special. The exhaust was SPES at that time, suspension

was WP with a conventional front fork and I remember we went testing in Beaucaire, France, and John thought he was doing the same lap times with the USD forks, but the reality was he was 3 seconds quicker with the conventional ones.

The carburettor was standard Keihin but we ran a different reed block and the ignition was also stock, because at that time there was not anything else like there is now. We had a different fuel tank made from aluminium; it was made in Holland by a Japanese guy and made with holes in the front so that air could pass to the filter box. The air box cover was also different to allow the air from the tank to flow out again. The chassis was standard which we needed to replace after every GP, because it was stretching like hell. We also had bigger radiators.

Photos: Haudiquert 347

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ME A F OF

TALLON ‘LONE WOLF’ VOHLAND

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N THE 90’S A FEW AMERICAN RIDERS TRIED TO WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DANNY LAPORTE AND BRAD LACKEY, WHO BOTH BECAME WORLD CHAMPIONS IN 1982. TALLON VOHLAND WAS ONE OF THOSE TALENT WHO CAME TO EUROPE TO TRY TO REBOUND HIS PRO CAREER; HE NEVER WON ANY TITLES, BUT WITH FOUR GP WINS AND TWO PODIUMS IN THE 250 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DURING HIS SEVEN SEASONS RACING GP’S, HE DIDN’T LOOSE HIS TIME HERE AND LEFT HIS MARK IN THE HISTORY OF OUR SPORT. Born on the 2nd of April 1972 in Sacramento, a famous Californian location for motocross fans, this sport has always been in the life of Tallon who was only four years old when he did his first race!

Member of the famous Kawasaki Team Green amateur program, and winner of a title at Loretta Lynn’s in 1987, he raced the Supercross series as a privateer in 1989 and got a significant fourth position in the East Coast. He turned Pro the next season, won the Tampa Supercross and finished the 125 Supercross championship in fourth position, but also got good results in Motocross with podiums, including a second position at High Point right behind Jean Michel Bayle. Signing for Suzuki he again won a Supercross in 1991 (Houston), finished fourth in the season but contracted a shoulder injury which cost him a factory ride for the next season.

As his brother Tyson was racing in Europe, Tallon jumped on a plane to come to Europe and race the famous ‘Fast cross’ in Arsago Seprio (Italy) at the end of 1991. Fighting in this race with riders such as Alex Puzar or Ricky Johnson, he got a podium result

and straight away had an offer from the Carpi team to race the GP’s in 1992. It was another start for him as he had to discover European tracks, new rivals and Italian life but in his first attempt he won the GP of Guatemala and finished 8th in the 125 World Championship. Moving to the 250 class in 1993 he missed two rounds due to injuries, but also finished twice second in a race behind Donny Schmit in Hungary and Greg Albertijn in Great Britain. 1994 was similar with another eighth position in the standings, two race podiums but also two GP missed due to injuries.

But Tallon showed enough potential to join Kawasaki and Jan De Groot for the following seasons, where he got his best results. Twice third in the series in 1995 and 1996, he also won three GP’s in green but couldn’t reach his dream to become World Champion.

Moving to the Yamaha Rinaldi squad in 1997, Tallon started the season perfectly as he was leading the series tight in the points with Stefan Everts after the third Grand Prix at Valkenswaard. But due to an injury he missed the next five rounds and couldn’t finish higher than sixth. In 1998 he again struggled with injuries,

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and after he finished sixth in the series he decided to go back to the US when his friend Bobby Moore called him and offered him a deal to race again in the US. Back in the 125 class but injured during the Supercross series, he saved his season in the outdoors when he beat Ricky Carmichael at Glen Helen! It was the high point of his season, and after this performance he signed with team Kawasaki Pro Circuit for the next two years. Having up and down, with a third in motocross (2000) and a fifth in Supercross (2001), he returned to Europe in 2002 but never got any significant result in the 125 class.

But the name of Vohland never disappeared from the sport, as his son Max is now racing the US Supercross.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1989:

4th in the 125 AMA Supercross Championship, East Coast (Kawasaki)

1990:

5th in the 125 AMA Supercross Championship, East Coast (Kawasaki)

1991:

4th in the 125 AMA Supercross Championship, East Coast (Suzuki)

1992:

8th in the 125 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki). Winner of 1 GP

1993: 8th in the 250 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1994: 8th in the 250 FIM Motocross World Championship (Honda) 1995:

3rd in the 250 FIM Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki). Winner of 1 GP

1996:

3rd in the 250 FIM Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki). Winner of 1 GP

1997:

6th in the 250 FIM Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 GP

1998: 6th in the 250 FIM Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 1999:

3rd in the 125 AMA Motocross Championship (Honda)

2000: 3rd in the 125 AMA Motocross Championship (Kawasaki) 2001: 5th in the 125 AMA Motocross Championship (Kawasaki)

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W SEBASTIEN TORTELLI

1998 KAWASAKI SR250 352

HEN FRENCH TEENAGE SENSATION SEBASTIEN TORTELLI WON THE FIM 125CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1996, THE COMBINATION OF RIDER, MACHINE, RAW TALENT, DETERMINATION AND OUTRIGHT SPEED WERE CLEAR TO SEE. WHEN HE MOVED UP TO THE PREMIER CLASS (250CC) THE FOLLOWING YEAR, HE WAS DEEMED AN IMMEDIATE TITLE THREAT, BUT INCONSISTENCIES AND INJURY LEFT HIM JUST OUTSIDE THE MEDAL PLACES.

Come 1998, there was no doubt he would once again be a title threat and after what turned out to be one of the most exciting title races in history, when the chequered flag fell at the final round in Greece, Tortelli was crowned world champion for the second time, and it’s his Kawasaki SR250 that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Bonding One of the most important relationships a rider will have in his racing career is the one with his mechanic, and after two years and one world title, the relationship between Sebastien Tortelli and Petri Peuranpää was about to come to an end. Instead, the Frenchman would be paired up with his new spanner man, Marko Decman, who’d just spent the last two seasons with Frederic Bolley at the same JHK Kawasaki team.

The first time Seb and Marko worked together was at the end of the 1997 season and as far as preseason’s go, things couldn’t have gone better from a testing point of view. Whilst there were no technical problems to speak of, the only area for concern during winter tests was with a new electronic rear suspension system from KYB, but after the first couple of pre-season races, the team decided to return to the more traditional rear shock; the electronic system would never see the light of day again.

The rest of the bike though had very few changes, as Sebastien recalls: ‘It was pretty much the same bike as ’97; not many things changed on the bike, the chassis stayed the same, a little bit the engine, suspension was still KYB at the time with a little bit of adjustment, but the base of the bike was the same.’

In Tune Whilst the factory chassis was production-based, albeit re-enforced

for strength and durability, the hard parts were full factory, straight out of Kobe, Japan, but the interesting thing when it came to the engines, and perhaps the reason why things worked so well, was because of the relationship between KHI’s engine development team and Jan De Groot as an engine tuner.

‘At the time, Jan was working with Japan all the time; Japan would produce an engine and after that, Jan took over for the final evolution for the season,’ remembered Sebastien. ‘So, basically what Jan was doing was the second evolution, suited to the rider because he was capable of fine-tuning it. Japan always took so long to get the evolution going and so through the season, Jan would develop the engine and then twice during the season he would send the combination of the engine and the pipe to Japan, and like this they would check and make it and try to evolve from there.’ We will re-visit this topic later in the feature.

As for the rest of the bike, Tortelli’s 1998 SR250 came with a SPES exhaust and silencer system from Belgium where once again, the relationship between De Groot and Spes owner Pierrot Slegers was second to none. If anything could be improved, if another pipe/silencer combination could match an engine upgrade, then the two ‘tuners’ would work day and night to make it happen. The cylinder, cylinder head and ignition were factory SR items, with the 38/39mm carburettor being supplied by Keihin, and according to Marko Decman, was ‘the magnesium one from the factory.’ The clutch and 5-speed gearbox were also factory, and both the engine and clutch covers were produced from magnesium.

By now we know that the bike was suspended by KYB units, with the forks coming in at 48mm and beautifully wrapped in magnesium triple clamps, and as for the linkage, according to mechanic Marko Decman, ‘we never used

standard linkage; we always had different pull rods and a different characteristic of the pivot point. It was still aluminium, but it was just a different sizing.’ And as for the suspension itself, ‘it was pretty stiff on the front end, softer on the back end,’ according to Tortelli.

A bit of a Stretch The production-based chassis was beefed up with the usual struts and spars, and the swingarm had already been introduced a couple of years prior during Seb’s 125cc days, so by now, this was already a productionbased item, although it came with a few extra welds and brackets here and there for strength and durability, something which was needed for a rider like Tortelli, who analysed: ‘The chassis was re-enforced and it could last 5 races maximum, before it started to stretch, so the chassis we would change regularly.’ The chassis wasn’t the only thing he was tough on, as Decman points out:

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‘Sebastien was really quite tough on the engines, so it was absolutely necessary to open the bike at each GP to check everything; gearbox, bearings, everything. I remember in Poland, he was pushing really, really hard, and he was so strong that he was bending even the TwinWall handlebars, without crashing! Just with hard landing. He’d say ‘please change me the handlebar …’ I’d ask him why, because he didn’t crash.

He’d say ‘I jumped too far.’

Whilst talking chassis, Tortelli also had the option to change the position of his footpeg mounts … ‘but we stayed the same. We tried higher, lower, forward and back; we played more the first year with that, but the gravity point changed and it wasn’t as comfortable, so we stayed with the standard position; but we still ran a wider footpeg. We didn’t have any titanium foot pegs or anything like that, it was just the oversize standard ones coming from Japan.’

As for power delivery, what kind of engine did Sebastien prefer?

‘The engine was quite aggressive; I used a lot of clutch, so I didn’t completely use the bottom-bottom, it was more straight to the middle, because the way I was riding was more on the rpm, so I never really completely used the bottom end.

It was always mid-range to toprange. It was pretty on-off which was really for my style, really full-on.’

Evolution Evolved As the season unfolded it was clear it was a two-horse race between Tortelli and Stefan Everts, and as the two riders went back-and-forth, there was still no knowing which way the title would fall. However, for Seb, there was a specific turning point in the season and it came in Switzerland at Roggenburg at the penultimate round. Remember earlier in the feature where we said we would re-visit the evolution of the engine? Well, here’s what happened next: ‘We had evolution all through the season with Jan de Groot doing the engine, and on top of that, SPES was already doing the evolution of 354

pipes, so as we went through the season the bike evolved a lot powerwise, until two GP’s from the end where we got a new engine. It was Roggenburg where it arrived, and Jan really made a monster; my bike was then very powerful and we made a big step. That new engine for the last two races really helped me a lot.

‘The switch for me was there.

Everything clicked that day, I felt good, the bike was riding awesome, so everything came together and I was able to … not scare Stefan but I was able to shake him up a little bit.

In one long corner I don’t think he was expecting me to arrive on the inside, and he thought I would back off, but I didn’t, so I took him out!

And I think the gradual direction to the championship changed at that time.’

The Final Frontier The 250cc world championship came down to a final race decider one week later in Greece. Heading into that final race of the season, Everts held a 3-point advantage over Tortelli, so the mathematics was simple; both riders had to beat each other to win the title. For Tortelli, the equation was easy to understand, and when the gate dropped, he came out swinging and took the challenge to Everts: ‘The second race, where it was just a matter of who finished in front of the other guy … that was easy! For me, that was simple. At least until Stefan crashed; he crashed because he was beat mentally. I passed him, I passed him aggressively again, put him in the banners and after that I sprinted and he saw the title going away and that crashed him mentally.’

During the season there were no mechanical DNF’s, fifteen race wins, nine 2nd and five 3rd place moto finishes, and Tortelli placed outside the top three on three occasions. He also stood on the podium at fifteen of the sixteen rounds, including seven times as a winner, giving Kawasaki only its third world title since they entered the world championship in 1972.

Photos: Haudiquert

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ME A F OF

GERT JAN ‘RAMBO’ VAN DOORN

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INNER OF A FEW GP’S IN HIS CAREER AND TWICE ON THE PODIUM OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GERT JAN VAN DOORN HAD A VERY LONG CAREER AS HE WAS A GP CONTENDER DURING TWENTY SEASONS! WITH ELEVEN NATIONAL TITLES – MOSTLY IN THE NETHERLANDS BUT ALSO IN GERMANY – GERT JAN WAS ONE OF THE BEST DUTCH RIDERS OF THE 80’S AND HE ALSO ENJOYED A PODIUM AT THE MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS WITH THE DUTCH TEAM IN 1985.

Born on 23rdNovember 1964 in Marlahelde (Veghel) Gert Jan got his first bike when he was five years old but waited five more years before he entered his first race in his native country. With some training experience behind him he was already successful as he won in 1974 his first national race in the 50cc class, but then he had to be patient to collect his first national title in 1982. It was the beginning of his international career, as he entered the 125cc World Championship that season; thirteenth in the standings and fourth of the Cup of Nations with the Dutch team, he moved to the 250cc class the following season.

This class was really prolific for him, and after a learning year in 1983 he had the opportunity to enter the ‘GP winners circle’ when he won the second round of the 1984 series in Austria. Missing some rounds due to injuries he finished the season sixth in the rankings, and signed for the next campaign with team Honda Venko.

1985 was for sure the highlight of his career alongside the charismatic tuner and team manager Jan De

Groot; winner of two GP’s and six heats – four of them in the last three rounds of the series! – he lost his chances to become World Champion as he also had five DNF’s that year. But it was anyway a good season for him as he claimed another Dutch championship and finished second at the Motocross of Nations in Germany alongside Kees Van der Ven and Dave Strijbos.

His second season on the Honda offered him once more some top results including a double win during the last round in Sweden, but once more his inconsistency cost him any chance to become World Champion as he missed three GP’s due to injury but also retired from four other races.

Signing with factory Cagiva for 1987 he suffered a broken hand early that season and was only able to enter the last round; he took his revenge in 1988 as he got another Dutch title, won one GP and just missed the final podium by five points. 1989 was a remake of some previous campaigns, with top results including a race win and four GP podiums but also

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three DNF’s and four DNS’s that relegate him again in fourth overall.

Gert Jan had to be patient to win again a GP, and after four more seasons in the 250cc class he moved to the 500cc; he won the opening round of the season and was the first leader, but as he had missed three rounds by mid-season, he again lost his chances to clinch a gold medal.

Scoring top seven rankings during five seasons on private Honda, he moved to a four stroke machinery when he signed with Vertemati and later VOR. The end of his racing career came suddenly during the 2001 World Championship, when he was tested positive for a stimulant during the Swiss Grand Prix in Roggenburg Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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1984:

13th in the 125cc FIM MX World Championship

125 Dutch Champion

1983:

20th in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

1984:

6th in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

250cc Dutch Champion

1985:

3rd in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

2nd at the MX of Nations with the Dutch team

250 Dutch Champion

1986:

3rd in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

250 Dutch Champion

1987:

24th in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

1988:

4th in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

250 Dutch Champion

1989:

4th in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

250 Dutch Champion

1990:

14th in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

1991:

15th in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

250 Dutch Champion

1992:

21th in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

1993:

18th in the 250cc FIM MX World Championship

250cc German Champion

1994:

4th in the 500cc FIM MX World Championship

1995:

6th in the 500cc FIM MX World Championship

1996:

6th in the 500cc FIM MX World Championship

500 German Champion

1997:

7th in the 500cc FIM MX World Championship

500cc German Champion

1998:

6th in the 500cc FIM MX World Championship

500cc German Champion

1999:

23rd in the 500cc FIM MX World Championship

2000:

8th in the 500cc FIM MX World Championship (VOR)

2001:

17th in the 500cc FIM MX World Championship

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S E K I EB

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1974 KAWASAKI KX250

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AWASAKI’S FIRST FORAY INTO MOTOCROSS GRAND PRIX RACING WAS IN 1972 WITH A PRE-PRODUCTION/PROTOTYPE KX250. TWO YEARS LATER, THE GREEN CORNER OF JAPAN FOLLOWED UP WITH ITS FIRST PRODUCTION KX250 WHICH WAS DEEMED AS ITS FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT MOTOCROSS BIKE, AND IT’S THE 1974 KX250 THAT WE WILL FEATURE IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE, OR RATHER THE JOURNEY OF HOW IT CAME TO BE. It all started in 1972 when Swedish GP racer Olle Pettersson was approached by Kawasaki with the aim of building a motocross bike which could be considered competitive enough to challenge for world championship glory. For those who do not know, Pettersson was a two-time bronze medal winner in the FIM 250cc Motocross World Championship, finishing 3rd behind Torsten Hallman and Joel Robert in 1967 (10 world titles between those two riders alone), and again 3rd in 1969 behind Hallman and Sylvain Geboers.

After finishing 3rd in in ’67, Pettersson was hired by Suzuki to develop its first motocross 250cc, and when it became clear that that particular project was successful he placed 3rd overall in 1969 before Joel Robert took the title in ’70 - the Swede was then offered a testing role with newcomers Kawasaki at the end of 1971, with the view to develop a race-going bike for them.

Much of the development took place in Sweden in Pettersson’s hometown of Strängnäs and was always supervised by Japanese technicians, and whilst the prototype 1972 Kawasaki 250cc was deemed okay, it was clear there was much more work needed in order for it to be more competitive. Needless to say, Pettersson placed 14th overall with the high point being a couple of 6th place finishes along the way.

In 1973, fellow Swede Torleif Hansen joined Pettersson at Kawasaki, and

after racing to 4th overall in the championship with 7 top three race finishes, and 4 overall podiums, it was clear the bike was heading in the right direction. Pettersson though, still believed that more could be achieved and whilst the Kawasaki technicians originally stalled at the idea, they soon came to realise that Olle was right, and so the bike underwent a complete re-design, which included the engine.

By 1974, Kawasaki introduced the KX250 to production with the most notable difference being the colour scheme and where the 1972/’73 prototype bikes came with white mudguards and a RED fuel tank, the ’74 production model came with the more familiar lime green colourway. After a full season of racing the Kawasaki under his belt, Torleif Hansen once again guided his SR250 to another 4th place overall in the championship and whilst he took another seven top three race finishes, three of those were race wins, and with that, Kawasaki had finally arrived as a major player in the world of off-road. More importantly, the Swede managed to find the top step of the podium on three occasions; in Yugoslavia, Great Britain and at home in Sweden at Upplands Vasby, his home track in the town where he was born. Even though he placed 4th overall for the second consecutive year, Kawasaki had shown that they were to be taken seriously, marking the beginning of a journey that continues to this day.

Photo: Kawasaki

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ME A F OF

ANDRÉ VROMANS

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ARLIER IN THE EIGHTIES THE 500CC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WAS THE MAIN CLASS OF OUR SPORT, AND SEVERAL BELGIAN RIDERS WERE FIGHTING FOR THE WORLD TITLE AGAINST AMERICAN BRAD LACKEY, BRITISH DAVID THORPE OR SWEDISH HAKAN CARLQVIST. ANDRÉ MALHERBE, ERIC GEBOERS AND GEORGES JOBE ALL CLAIMED SEVERAL TITLES, BUT ANDRÉ VROMANS STAYED IN THEIR SHADOW DURING HIS ENTIRE CAREER. Born on 25th November 1955, Andre Vromans was living near Lommel when he discovered motocross, and he was sixteen years old when he had the opportunity to ride an offroad bike for the first time. It was the first step of his career, and when he won the famous Cup de l’Avenir in 1975 things became more serious for him.

As many riders at that time, in 1997 André made his first GP appearance in the 500cc class, very popular in his country thanks to Roger De Coster. Racing selected events on a Suzuki, he scored his first points in Great Britain and added some more during the final round in Switzerland to finish thirtieth of the series. Of course, with more experience and better support, his second campaign was better as he scored points in ten races, missing a podium result at the opening round in Switzerland with a fourth place.

Eleventh in the series, he improved his result in 1979 with a seventh position behind Roger De Coster and finally got a factory deal with Yamaha.

Teammate with Hakan Carlqvist, André had to be patient until the mid-season to be really competitive.

He got his first GP podium at Fermo in June, and one week later he atomized all his rivals at Valkenswaard when he won both races and his first Grand Prix! Later that season he also won the German round, but due to his inconsistency, he ended the season outside the podium in fourth position. But 1980 was definitively one of his best seasons, as he won both the Trophy and Motocross of Nations with Team Belgium, and also clinched his first national title in the 500cc class of course.

Again, fourth in the standings in 1981, he was back on a Suzuki the following season alongside Brad Lackey. It was an intense duel throughout the season between the two teammates, and when they arrived at the final round in Ettelbruck (Luxembourg) the suspense was total as Brad was leading the series by only eleven points. The American star only won one GP that season, but he was more consistent than his rival who retired twice in Finland; winner of the penultimate round in Namur, his fourth GP win that season, André came confident to the final one. In the first race Brad increased his

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advantage to eleven points as he finished one position in front of André, who had to do a great performance in the last heat to be champion. But probably too nervous, he forgot to turn after the start, and when he realised his mistake, it was too late …

The 1983 season was a tough one for André, who got injured in Sweden and had surgery to his left leg; missing four rounds he ended the season with a podium at the final round at St Anthonis, and was lucky to have a good manager who signed him with Team HRC just before Suzuki announced their retirement from the sport! He integrated the ‘red army’ as Eric Geboers also moved from Suzuki to Honda and joined André Malherbe and David Thorpe to form the most powerful team in the history of the sport!

1977: 30th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki)

500 Belgian Champion

It was the last good season of André, who scored two podiums to finish fourth in the standings and then joined the KTM factory to develop their new 500cc.

He then raced two seasons on that bike, with a sixth rank in 1985, and then he only did a few appearances before he retired at the end of 1989 after thirteen seasons as a Pro rider.

1982:

2nd in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki). Winner of 4 GPs

500 Belgian Champion

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1978: 11th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1979: 7th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1980:

4th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 2 GPs

Winner at the MX of Nations with Team Belgium

Winner at the Trophy of Nations with Team Belgium

500 Belgian Champion

1981: 4th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

1983: 6th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1984: 4th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Honda) 1985: 6th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (KTM) 1986: 59th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (KTM) 1987: 18th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1988: 21st in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1989: 34th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki)

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G A T IN

V

W JACKY MARTENS

1993 HUSQVARNA TE 610 366

HEN JACKY MARTENS WON THE 500CC FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1993 IT WAS ANOTHER LANDMARK MOMENT IN THE SPORT OF MOTOCROSS, IN A SERIES THAT HAD BEEN RUNNING SINCE 1957.

BUT WHY THOUGH? SIMPLE! MARTENS’ VICTORY WAS ON A 4-STROKE DURING A TIME WHEN WE RACED 2-STROKES, BUT MORE SIGNIFICANT WAS THAT THIS WAS RIGHT AT THE START OF THE RE-EMERGENCE OF THE 4-STROKE ERA AS WE KNOW IT TODAY. SO, IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE, THE BIKE WE WILL TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT IS THE 1993 HUSQVARNA TE 610 THAT TOOK JACKY MARTENS TO THAT HISTORIC WORLD TITLE.

Towards the end of the 1980’s a new breed of motorcycle was starting to be re-developed and by the early 1990’s these bikes were already being primed for the big stage, and by that we mean the re-introduction of the 4-stroke motorcycle. Riders such as Walter Bartolini took to the 500cc world championship aboard a Husaberg in 1990 and by 1992, Jacky Martens was lining up on a Husqvarna in the same category. Things were changing, and the majority were slow to catch on, but in the case of Martens, his decision to move to the 4-stroke was borne out of necessity.

In 1991, Martens raced to 2nd overall in the 500cc world championship on a KTM, but when the Austrian firm went bankrupt, the search was on for another ride, which as he recalls, was not so straightforward:

‘Because Yamaha and all the other places were full! And in the past, I always chose KTM because I started with it, and I wanted to finish with it.

In the past I got offers from Yamaha and some other brands, but I never accepted them. But then you know, when this happened, then you are with your back to the wall because those doors don’t open anymore. For example, Kees van der Ven went to Honda, but I was lucky because I went to the Castiglione brothers who were really, really in with motocross and they really wanted it.’

As a result of everything that was going on around him, Martens spoke to the Dutch Husqvarna importer and set up a meeting as well as a test with the Castiglione brothers in Italy, and whilst it was a step away from KTM, it was also one that needed some nurturing, and at the end of the 1991 season, the Belgian headed to Italy for the first test, where first impressions left a lot to be desired: ‘It was a lot of work! Because it was actually an enduro bike. It was made from an enduro bike with two exhaust

pipes. I did a test; we went to Asti, made some tests and I said: “if you change this, this, this, we can make another test and then we see the difference.” And then they did, so we make another test. So, then they were surprised and they let some other local motocross riders make also a test and it was a big improvement, and then we started!’

But what exactly were the changes that needed to be addressed the most?

‘The frame; we had to make a different angle on the front fork, and the suspension, the linkage to make it more progressive, and then make the frame on the bottom narrower, because it was touching the ground in the ruts.

So, quite a lot of things. We also needed more power.’

Despite the bike starting life as a TE 610, the gains made in a short amount of time were positive, but the reality was so much different when it came to racing at world level, mostly due to reliability issues. The capacity of the bike in that first 1992 season was restricted to 498cc … ‘but the power was not so bad! The bike made a lot of rpm and we destroyed a lot of cylinder heads and valves and stuff. I did a few crashes because when the valves break on the jumps, it threw me over the handlebars, but then after we got it under control, it was good.’ Martens ended the season 11th overall, not exactly what he was hoping for.

There was some good news just around the corner though, and it came from the FIM who allowed a capacity rule change when it came to the 4-stroke, and in the case of Martens and Husqvarna, suddenly they were allowed to jump from 498cc to more than 600cc, which certainly eased concerns over reliability.

Going into the ’93 season there had been more development and when Martens lined up behind the gate, the ‘610’ was pretty much a different bike to the previous year, and almost

unrecognisable compared to the standard version: ‘Everything was new with the geometry, and the chassis; also, the wheels and the rims were all different.

The frame was not production but modified and so too was the linkage. In the rear we had Factory Öhlins and on the front we had Factory Showa, USD. The fuel tank was made from very thin plastic and at the time we still had to start it using a kickstart. The bike came with a lighter, 4-speed gearbox and the exhaust pipes we used were FP from Belgium; I was also in there working with them using all my experience to help develop it. In the end our bike was running at 633cc.’

‘The swingarm was standard but our wheels came with magnesium hubs and Excel ‘275’ rims. The axels were titanium, which was allowed back then. The power was really nice and smooth but high revving with around 65bhp.’

‘It was lighter than production as well; the total weight was around 103kg which was good. We saved 2kg on

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the engine alone, but we had many carbon and titanium parts to bring the weight down. We used a magnesium clutch cover and crank cases but when they all broke, we went back to lighter aluminium.’

‘The subframe was aluminium with carbon fibre and the airbox and silencer were also carbon fibre. The triple clamps were standard, but machined aluminium and pretty much every single part on the bike was lighter. The brakes were Brembo.’

When the season started there were still one or two reliability issues, but overall, the bike was proving to be more than capable of competing for the title. At the first round in England at Hawkstone Park the rear shock broke in the second race, and in Austria he was left with a broken nose in the first race before going on to score 6th in the next two races.

There was one more DNF in Sweden, round three, but by the next round in Finland at Salo, Martens went 1-2-1 and claimed the overall, some 18 months after embarking on this 4-stroke mission: ‘For sure, this was the best memory I can get because we worked, worked, worked against the watch and every week we were testing; testing because the 4-stroke era, everything was new but in the end, it paid off and from then on (Finland), we had a good base and we just made some small adjustments and it worked out.’ The main change here was switching from ‘normal valves to titanium valves and then the problem was solved, because of the higher rpm …’

A win at the following round in Faenza saw him take over at the top of the world championship standings, but a reality check was just around the corner when he crashed at the start in Teutschenthal, Germany.

If Martens, Husqvarna and his British mechanic Graham Kent were going to make history, it was not going to be easy! As the season passed the halfway stage, there were just two riders in the hunt for the title; Martens and Sweden’s Jorgen Nilsson, and as they entered the final round in Switzerland, they were separated by just 12 points.

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With Honda going for its tenth straight title in the 500cc class, tactics were at play, and when the rivals arrived at the final round, there was another rider lining up alongside them on the grid in the form of 1992 world champion, Georges Jobé: ‘The final GP, Jobé came in; he tried to push me out in the first race. I was hit by him in the start and then I crashed, but I came from dead last to 2nd. Also, in the second heat again, I was last when he tried to push me out, so again I came from last to 2nd … and the last heat I had a good start, and that was okay. I finished 2nd also (which was good enough for the title). Quite the season finale and something of an emotional journey: ‘Yeah, but I think even if you have three titles those emotions come up and it’s the nicest thing you can experience. Especially when you have a new bike and you don’t know how long it will take … and then at the end of the race you’re thinking ‘don’t break, don’t break’. We started from zero in ’91 and arrived to a good bike at the end of ’93, but in the meantime, there was a lot of things happened, you know? Engine fails, parts breaking; but then on the end, it gives you a special feeling because I did everything by myself together with R&D and that was a really nice experience.’

When Martens crossed the line at the end of Race Three, he became the first 4-stroke world champion since Bengt Åberg in 1970, who was also Husqvarna mounted. It also ended Honda’s reign at the top of the 500cc motocross world championship; Honda would win the following year, but it would also be the last in the 500cc class for the Japanese manufacturer. But for Husqvarna, it was the beginning of a new journey and one that continues today in MXGP and MX2.

Martens won nine races during the 1993 campaign and finished 2nd on eleven occasions and 3rd three times.

He also stood on the podium eight times, four of those as a winner and four as runner up. He won the 500cc world championship by just 3 points.

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ME A F OF

DAVID “LE COBRA” VUILLEMIN

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ALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF SOME ‘SOUTHERN GUYS’ SUCH AS YVES DEMARIA OR FREDERIC BOLLEY, DAVID VUILLEMIN WAS ONLY NINE YEARS OLD WHEN HE ENTERED HIS FIRST FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE ‘MINIVERT SERIES’. CLAIMING HIS FIRST TITLE IN 1989, HE HAD A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN EUROPE AND IN THE US, WINNING RACES AND SCORING PODIUMS ON BOTH CONTINENTS IN MOTOCROSS AND SUPERCROSS. Born on the 18th of October 1977, David has always been close to racing as his father Didier raced the Endurance World Championship, so it was logical that he got a bike when he was a kid. He started racing in his native Provence, but then travelled all over France to race the Minivert series on a 60cc. He clinched his first regional title at ten years old, then a national one when he was only eleven years old before moving in 1992 to the 125cc Junior class where he felt more comfortable with his tall size.

Improving slowly his results in the French series, he also entered some rounds of the European championships and finally got his best results in Supercross where his riding style was successful; moving like a snake on his bike, he got his nickname “Le Cobra” in the French and European SX series where he finished as runner up in 1995. The following season was a good one for him, as he discovered the US Supercross scene in wintertime – he won a main event in Seattle – and then claimed titles in the French and European Supercross; considered by many people as a SX specialist, he worked hard in wintertime to improve his style in Motocross. In

1998 he finished as runner up in the 125cc World Championship behind Alessio Chiodi, a few months after he finished in second position in the AMA Supercross on the West Coast.

Moving to the 250cc class in 1999, he had a great season winning two GP’s to finish third of the World Championship, claiming the French Elite title before he entered successfully the SX World Championship where he got the title.

As Supercross was his priority, he signed with Yamaha US to race there and with some experience behind him, David won four main events in the 250cc class to finish runner up behind Jeremy McGrath, and later won Paris Supercross.

2001 was not a great season in the US due to injuries, but in September at Namur he shocked the World with Yves Demaria and Luigi Seguy when the French team won the MX of Nations on the legendary Belgian track! A few weeks later he again triumphed at Paris Supercross, and 2002 was probably his best season in the US as he won three races to finish again runner-up; David was leading the series mid-season ahead

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of Ricky Carmichael, but he was forced to miss Daytona after a crash during a photo shoot and finally missed the title! Unable to enter the 2003 Supercross due to a shoulder injury, he just went back for the Motocross series where he finished sixth overall and then he subscribed to #4 as he finished in this position in the MX and SX championship in 2014 and 2015. Later that season he had another taste of podiums as the French squad finished second at the MX of Nations at Ernée.

Losing his factory deal he moved to a private team and another with no significant results and in 2009 he went back to Europe to race again the World Championship with team Bud Racing. He shared his experience with Gautier Paulin, who raced in the MX2 class in the same team, finishing the season thirteenth in the MX1 class before he stopped his career with another French title. He never stopped sharing his racing experience with younger riders, and this season he had another taste of podiums as coach of Dylan Ferrandis, whom he’s been working for two seasons now.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1977: 30th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1978: 11th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1979: 7th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1980:

4th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 2 GPs

Winner at the MX of Nations with Team Belgium

Winner at the Trophy of Nations with Team Belgium

500 Belgian Champion

1981: 4th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Yamaha)

500 Belgian Champion

1982:

2nd in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki). Winner of 4 GPs

500 Belgian Champion

1983: 6th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 1984: 4th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Honda) 1985: 6th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (KTM) 1986: 59th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (KTM) 1987: 18th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1988: 21st in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki) 1989: 34th in the 500 FIM Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki)

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MXGP MAG Chief Editor: Marionna Leiva Photos: Infront Moto Racing INFRONT MOTO RACING World Trade Center II Rte de Pré-Bois 29 1215 Geneva 15 Airport Switzerland MXGP Mag #100 December 2021 The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of Infront Moto Racing.

Then content of this publication is based on the best knowledge and information available at the time the articles were written.

The copying of articles and photos even partially is forbidden unless permission has ben requested from Infront Moto Racing in advance and reference is made to the source (©MXGP).

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