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2005 WORLD MX

2005 WORLD MX: R11 of 17, July 17, 2005, Sun City, South Africa

• Grand Prix of South Africa
• Circuit: Sun City
• Crowd: 18000; Temp: 30ºC

SCHEDULE:

• Practices: Saturday 9.30 am
• Qualifying: Saturday 2 - 5pm
• Race: Sunday
• MX2 races 12.05 and 3.02 pm
• MX1 races 1.05 pm and 4.05 pm

2005 RACE RESULT - MX1 SOUTH AFRICA

• COPPINS, OVERALL WINNER: "This has been the best race of my career.”
• EVERTS, 2ND OVERALL: "I am really unhappy with this. I made a stupid crash on the last lap and had a problem with the front brake. I had beaten Josh and I deserved the victory today. In the first moto I had more problems with the lappers - they seem to be a hassle at every GP - but Josh rode really well. I hope that I can win in Belgium because I wanted it really badly here."

MX1 MOTO1

• 1 Coppins Joshua, Nzl, Honda, 39:35.801
• 2 Everts Stefan, Bel, Yamaha, 39:37.024
• 3 Ramon Steve, Bel, Ktm, 40:07.506
• 4 Townley Ben, Nzl, Ktm, 40:20.840
• 5 Smets Joel, Bel, Suzuki, 40:45.745
• 6 Cooper Paul, Gbr, Honda, 40:50.366
• 7 Barragan Jonathan, Spa, Ktm, 40:58.823
• 8 Noble James, Gbr, Honda, 41:00.979
• 9 Pyrhonen Antti , Fin, Tm, 41:02.716
• 10 Theybers Danny, Bel, Suzuki, 41:03.419

MX1 MOTO 2

• 1 Coppins Joshua, Nzl, Honda, 39:59.683
• 2 Everts Stefan, Bel, Yamaha, 40:19.592
• 3 Ramon Steve, Bel, Ktm, 40:37.429
• 4 Barragan Jonathan, Spa, Ktm, 40:45.498
• 5 Leuret Pascal, Fra, Honda, 40:48.127
• 6 Smets Joel, Bel, Suzuki, 40:50.002
• 7 Leok Tanel, Est, Kawasaki, 41:03.243
• 8 Jorgensen Brian, Den, Yamaha, 41:06.808
• 9 Atsuta Yoshitaka, Jpn, Suzuki, 41:08.434
• 10 De Dijcker Ken, Bel, Honda, 41:21.612

MX2 MOTO 1

• 1 A. Boissiere Yamaha FRA 40' 50.655
  2 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +1.731
  3 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +7.883
  4 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +8.710
  5 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +13.973
  6 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +14.807
  7 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +15.742
  8 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +16.234
  9 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +17.004
  10 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +17.979

MX2 MOTO 2

• 1 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA 40' 33.993
  2 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +0.540
  3 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +9.023
  4 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +12.364
  5 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +13.816
  6 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +15.170
  7 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +24.535
  8 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +29.366
  9 M. Nagl KTM GER +44.983
  10 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +49.801

COPPINS / HONDA MX1 REPORT

Coppins sensational at Sun City GP.

• New Zealand MX star, Josh Coppins has run away with his second consecutive GP win of the season in front of sell out South African crowd at the magnificent Sun City resort in South Africa.
• The much anticipated MX 1 race got underway with Ben Townley leading countryman Josh Coppins followed by Stefan Everts. Coppins lost no time in moving into the lead but lost the clear track advantage moments later when Townley regained the lead. Everts also snuck past the CAS Honda however Coppins smartly kept the Belgian close and watched his every move. Disaster struck for Townley when he went down hard, just before the finish table top, which left Coppins to do battle with Everts. After sizing up the Belgian, Coppins made a move just after the halfway point to take the lead. The partisan crowd cheered on the Kiwi however, Everts came back a lap later to regain the lead. Once again, the CAS Honda machine was onto Everts’ back wheel and pressurizing for a mistake. With four laps to go, Coppins made an ultimate pass to recapture the lead, much to the delight of the screaming crowd. ‘Lizzard’ pulled out all the stops and crossed the finish line as the deserved winner.
• The deciding and final race of the day would turn out to be one for the books. Coppins was well positioned in the start however arch rival Everts got the better start and moved into the lead with Coppins hot on his heels. For 15 consecutive laps, Coppins hounded the Belgian but had to let him go when the track became unpredictable due to a setting African sun. With one lap to go the South African spectators went bezerk as Everts hit the dirt, handing Coppins the victory on a silver platter!
• “I was pretty lucky!” smiled Coppins “Of course it’s always good to win but I never expected to win like that – it’s not so nice to win. It’s better to win because you’re the best. I was the best in the first race but got a lot of cramp in the second race. My speed was ok but I was struggling with cramp. I want to show Stefan that I want to race for the championship. Even though he has a big lead we’ve seen him make mistakes, more this year than ever before and we saw this in the last lap. This is the time to push on and make as many points as possible. This has been the best race of my career.”

KTM / TOWNLEY REPORT: MX1

South African GP tests Townley.

• The South African GP held at the magnificent Sun City circuit has been a tough test for KTM’s Ben Townley. The factory star struggled with niggling injuries that he had sustained a week prior to the GP however the resilient Kiwi still tried to ride through the pain barrier to give his best shot.
• The first MX1 heat of the day was a fierce fight right from the word go. Townley had a great start and by the second turn was leading the GP in front of a cheering South African crowd. Fellow Kiwi, Josh Coppins snuck pass a few moments later to lead on lap one but Townley answered right back to regain the lead. The factory KTM was holding off every challenge from series leader Stefan Everts until Townley made a detrimental mistake just before the finish line table top. BT went down hard and seemed to be a little bit groggy has he picked up his machine and rejoined the race. Instead of giving up, Townley shook off the after effects of the crash and put in a fighting effort to try and catch team-mate Steve Ramon. By the last lap he had closed the gap on Ramon but just couldn’t find that extra to get onto the podium and had to settle for fourth.
• Townley missed out on challenging for the lead in race two as he had to fight his way through the pack in the opening stages. With ten minutes gone on the clock BT was into third position but quite a way off Everts and Coppins. Townley rode his own race until he had an unfortunate crash with five laps to go. He circulated to finish in seventeenth but with his change on riding style he looked as if he was in excruciating pain. The worse was confirmed when medics examined Townley’s right hand. An injury which BT sustained in a race incident prior to the GP had now been made worse with all three of the stitches being ripped from his right pinkie. Doctors re-stitched the finger before Townley made his way to the airport to return to Belgium.
• “It’s been a really tough day for me. I wasn’t 100% coming into the race but I tried to put that aside and get on with the job. I hit my head pretty hard in the first heat and still managed to catch Ramon. I wheelied in the start of the second heat and had to come through the pack. I had difficulty to see the lines on some sections of the circuit and crashed, re-injuring my hand. I’ve got two weeks to heal and get ready for the next GP in Belgium,” explained Townley.

YAMAHA MX1 REPORT: SOUTH AFRICA GP 2005

• Stefan Everts left Sun City and the Grand Prix of South Africa this afternoon a frustrated man as an error on the last lap of the second moto while leading cost him the chance of celebrating his 85th career success. Everts' mistake presented Coppins with a second successive GP victory. Yamaha L&M Motocross team rider Brian Jorgensen was seventh overall. Everts still leads the MX1 world championship with 455 points, Coppins is second with 416 points.
• The eleventh round of the 2005 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship occurred under hot sunshine and in front of 18,000 fans. The newly renovated terrain at the Sun City circuit offered a technical test but the hard-pack supercross style layout was slippery in sections and caught out many of the GP stars.
• Everts started reasonably brightly in the first moto from his first pole position in almost two years and moved into third on the first lap. He forced his way past Coppins (Honda) and then assumed control on the fifth circulation of twenty by passing the winner of the two last Grand Prix Ben Townley (KTM). Townley crashed and remounted to finish fourth shortly afterwards but Coppins embarked in a relentless pursuit of the eight time World Champion and instigated a thrilling chase to the chequered flag that saw several lead changes and various backmarker-dodging as the pair were barely separated by more than two seconds. Approaching the last two laps Coppins moved to the front once more and held off the Belgian to claim his third successive moto victory.
• The second race was a less frantic affair but it was all about Everts and Coppins once more. The defending number one was in no mood for further frivolities and proceeded to pull away to a lead of over ten seconds. Incredibly while acknowledging the crowd on the last lap he lost control and crashed damaging the front brake lever in the process. Coppins was able to regain ground quickly and claim the Grand Prix. Everts was naturally very disappointed and is bound to be even more annoyed by the six points he gifted to Coppins, slimming his lead in the Championship to 39. KTM's Steve Ramon completed the podium.
• Brian Jorgensen had a smile on his face for the first time in three Grand Prix. The Dane was only satisfied with his result of seventh overall but was able to enjoy his race time. In the first moto he was twelfth after a crash relegated him from fourth spot and needed time to restart. In the second sprint he collected eighth position. It was his best points haul since the Grand Prix of Italy in June and he lies tenth in the Championship table.
• The twelfth round of the series will take place in two weeks time at Nismes for the Grand Prix of Wallonie in Belgium.
• Stefan Everts (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - 2nd overall
  "I am really unhappy with this. I made a stupid crash on the last lap and had a problem with the front brake. I had beaten Josh and I deserved the victory today. In the first moto I had more problems with the lappers - they seem to be a hassle at every GP - but Josh rode really well. I hope that I can win in Belgium because I wanted it really badly here."
• Brian Jorgensen (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - seventh overall
  "In the first race I started really well and was fourth. I was just trying to follow the guys and get a smooth rhythm. I felt really good and was watching their lines and hanging with them. There wasn't really anyone close behind me so I could experiment with my lines and really focus on my speed. On the big double after the start I made a small crash and stalled the bike. It was really slippery and I wanted to jump on the inside but the bike cut out. It took me a while to restart and I was down in about 16th or 17th and I came back to twelfth. I really enjoyed the conditions here, the jumps were well prepared and the track was a pleasure to ride. In the second race I actually thought I had the holeshot but I shut off a little bit too early as I was close to crashing. I was 7th or 8th but was too conservative on the first lap. I went to the outside on the rhythm section because it was safer but some people headed up the inside, so that was little bit of an early mistake. I ca
  ught a better rhythm towards the end and overall it was not a fantastic result but an enjoyable day."

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