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2005 WORLD MX

2005 WORLD MX: R16 of 17, Sept 4, Lierop, Netherlands

• Round: 16 - Grand Prix of the Netherlands
• Circuit: Lierop
• Date: 4 September 2005
• Crowd: 30000
• Temp: 28ºC; Weather: Sunny

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

MX1 MOTO1

• 1 Everts Stefan, Bel, Yamaha, 40:30.657
• 2 Ramon Steve, Bel, Ktm, 40:43.811
• 3 Coppins Joshua, Nzl, Honda, 41:10.522
• 4 Townley Ben, Nzl, Ktm, 41:30.562
• 5 Strijbos Kevin, Bel, Suzuki, 41:32.790
• 6 Vehvilainen Jussi, Fin, Honda, 41:35.193
• 7 Theybers Danny, Bel, Suzuki, 41:36.938
• 8 Jorgensen Brian, Den, Yamaha, 41:46.983
• 9 Barragan Jonathan, Spa, Ktm, 42:33.876
• 10 De Dijcker Ken, Bel, Honda, 40:33.888

MX1 MOTO 2

• 1 Everts Stefan, Bel, Yamaha, 41:35.060
• 2 Townley Ben, Nzl, Ktm, 42:12.886
• 3 Ramon Steve, Bel, Ktm, 42:16.389
• 4 Coppins Joshua, Nzl, Honda, 42:20.885
• 5 Barragan Jonathan, Spa, Ktm, 43:18.048
• 6 Priem Manuel, Bel, Yamaha, 43:47.771
• 7 Vehvilainen Jussi, Fin, Honda, 43:58.648
• 8 Strijbos Kevin, Bel, Suzuki, 41:37.798
• 9 Verhoeven Bas, Ned, Honda, 41:48.585
• 10 Theybers Danny, Bel, Suzuki, 41:50.866

MX2, MOTO 1

• 1 M. De Reuver KTM NED 40' 40.549
  2 T. Rattray KTM RSA +24.604
  3 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +1' 4.485
  4 P. Caps Honda BEL +1' 15.293
  5 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +1' 23.800
  6 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +1' 29.270
  7 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +1' 35.718
  8 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +1' 43.209
  9 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +1' 46.692
  10 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +1' 48.941

MX2, MOTO 2

• 1 T. Rattray KTM RSA 42' 31.654
  2 M. De Reuver KTM NED +17.079
  3 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +24.870
  4 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +31.794
  5 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +43.488
  6 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +53.133
  7 C. Nunn KTM GBR +59.212
  8 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +1' 3.682
  9 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +1' 8.582
  10 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +1' 9.511

YAMAHA / EVERTS REPORT: MX1

Everts and Yamaha rewrite MX history!

• Stefan Everts (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) secured the 2005 riders MX1 World Championship today at Lierop, winning his 7th GP of the season after claiming both races. The win gives Everts and Yamaha their fifth straight title since 2001. The 32-year old Belgian has also bettered his own all-time record of motocross world titles to nine and his GP tally now stands at a record 86. Steve Ramon and Ben Townley (both KTM) completed the podium. Yamaha now has a seven-point lead in the MX1 manufacturers' standings but the title will be decided at Desert Martin.
• Lierop, situated in the south of the Netherlands, some 20 kilometers from Eindhoven, presented the riders with the only true sand track of the GP calendar. Unforgiving and physically demanding, deep sand always throws some serious challenges at the riders, but Everts once again showed his craftsmanship on loose soil. Race one saw Everts shoot into the lead from the gate, an advantage he wouldn't lose. Stefan finished over 13 seconds ahead of Ramon, who led New-Zealand's Josh Coppins. Defending MX2 World champion Ben Townley rode a remarkable comeback from 28th after the opening lap to fourth in the end. Denmark's Brian Jorgensen finished eighth.
• A 30.000 strong crowd witnessed an entertaining battle between Everts and Townley at the early stages of the second MX1 race. Everts, determined to be champion in true style, overtook Townley never to look back. The decisive move came quite easy for the legendary number 72. He held on to take a magnificent victory, over 37 seconds separated him and Townley, the latter one of the fastest sand riders in the world himself. With Belgium close by many fans had traveled to Lierop and Stefan was swallowed by fans, friends and team members who wanted to congratulate him after crossing the finish line. In big contrast with the miserable cold and rain of Ballykelly, the sunny Dutch venue had provided a dream setting for Stefun's ninth title celebration.
• Everts' team-mate Brian Jorgensen did not finish the second race after he injured his back in a crash. Yamaha Van Beers rider Manuel Priem rode his YZ450F to a fine sixth.
• An emotional Michele Rinaldi, Team manager of the Yamaha L&M Motocross Team said: "One lap before the end I could not hold my tears any longer. And I don't know why! Honestly, it's hard to fully appreciate the success we had thanks to Stefan in the past five years. We are incredibly happy, also because this championship did not come easy. Stefan made a few mistakes, but he never gave up and again he showed he is a true champion. Today he rode really well and that's when you realize he has such a big potential. It's amazing!"
• Stefan Everts (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - first overall - 2005 MX1 WORLD CHAMPION
  "The track was a big advantage for me today. I love the sand and dealing with the difficulties it gives you as a rider. Timing is very important and that is what I like to work on. I felt great yesterday and I carried that same confidence over to race day. I could ride in control in the first race, but I knew Ben (Townley) would be strong here and I had my own game plan to deal with it. It was better to let Ben go by, study his lines and then come back afterwards. The track was really tough, but I still had a little extra to prove myself. In the end it was great to wrap up the title in style by winning both races and it was nice to share this moment with so many fans. Surely this title did not come easy, and today is probably the first GP where I had good starts in both races! I had to work hard to win this year, but it makes the satisfaction even bigger. It's a tough call why, but maybe it's just because I grow older. Now I'm looking forward to my celebration party tomorrow
  in Neeroeteren, the band Praga Khan will play there and everybody is invited. I'm sure it will be great!"
• Laurens KleinKoerkamp of Yamaha Motor Europe's Racing Division
  "It's simply unbelievable! In our five years of partnership with Everts we have won as many titles and we have found a strong bond in our common passion for motocross, but the best thing about working with Stefan is probably his winning mentality. He is very demanding for himself and for us. Stefan is pushing Yamaha to improve and innovate. We are now gearing up for 2006 and a record 10th world title for Stefan, with two promising all-new motocross bikes in MX1 and MX2 I believe we can make another step forward!"

KTM / TOWNLEY REPORT: MX1

Townley pays respect to Everts in Lierop.

• KTM’s factory man, Ben Townley, has fought hard secure a spot on the podium at the GP of Lierop. The punishing Dutch sand circuit holds the reputation for being one of the roughest and most demanding tracks in the world and with temperatures hitting the 30°C mark riders were pushed even further to the limit.
• BT was unfortunate to go down in the first turn of the first heat as he tangled with the Estonian, Tanel Leok. He got going again but had to pull straight into the KTM pits to remove a damaged front mud fender. BT had make do without the protection of the guard and started an amazing comeback ride. He powered his factory 450 KTM from last position into the top five and moved up another place before having to settle for fourth.
• As Townley lined up for the second heat, the five second board was shown and he was a little too eager to jump as the gate fell. He had to pull back but recovered magically from the error and by the end of the first lap he stole the lead from sand master Everts and looked well on his way. Everts was not about to let the younger Townley get away and a few laps later he passed the Kiwi and went on to win the race and claim his ninth world title. Townley deservedly put in 100% but on the day the Belgian proved to be better.
• During the after race press conference Townley directed his words towards his friend and 2005 MX world champ: “I want to congratulate you. I think you are hero and I respect you for the legend you are. In the second race I felt like I was riding really great and I felt good on the bike and you were able to re-pass me. The record is set at nine times and I don’t think anyone will ever get close to that. Congratulations you are a true legend.”
  

MX2 REPORT

Cairoli wins MX2 world championship on Yamaha YZ250F

• After a stunning effort to overcome his ankle and wrist injuries 19-year old Antonio Cairoli charged to his first world title at Lierop today. The Team Yamaha De Carli rider came fifth in the GP, won by Tyla Rattray ahead of Marc De Reuver (both KTM) and Billy Mackenzie (Yamaha UK Race Team).
• On his way to the 2005 MX2 World title, 'Tony' claimed six GPs so far out of fifteen he participated in. Cairoli's win is the first Yamaha world title in the smallest class since Chiodi's 125 world title in 1997 and the domination of blue bikes this season also gives Yamaha the MX2 Manufacturers Championship crown.
• With Dutch sand specialist Marc De Reuver and Tyla Rattray fighting to win in both races, the attention in the MX2 class was divided between the outcome of the GP and the nail-biting battle for the world title between Antonio Cairoli and Andrew McFarlane. Cairoli went into the penultimate round with a 40-point lead on his Australian opponent. YZ250F mounted Goncalves (Yamaha Van Beers), in eighth position separated both riders in the first race.
• However Cairoli saw his task made lighter in the second race when McFarlane was forced to pull out due to injury, but Antonio did not have an easy second race. He said: "When Caps crashed in front of me on the opening lap I could not avoid a crash myself and I had to come back from 21st. I tried not to think too much about the championship and just focused on my riding, but when I passed McFarlane on the fifth lap my confidence grew." Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) and Rui Goncalves were the other Yamaha riders to finish in the top ten, finishing respectively seventh and tenth.
• Not only is Sicily's Cairoli the first Italian to win a world title since Andrea Bartolini and Alessio Chiodi in 1999, he is also the youngest ever Italian to become motocross world champion and only the fifth ever (the other two were Michele Rinaldi and Alessandro Puzar) in the history of the motorcycle mad country.
• Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Division's Laurens KleinKoerkamp stated: "In the past seasons Yamaha made its mark in MX1 and for this season we wanted to do the same in MX2. It sounds simple but it is amazing to have achieved our goal and even more in the way we did it, because the first three bikes are blue and Yamaha also won the MX2 manufacturers title. I want to thank Claudio De Carli on the great job he did on tuning the bike and managing the team. I think Claudio has proven that he has a good eye for talent and he knows how to let his riders improve."
• The last round of the 2005 motocross world championship will take place in Desert Martin, Northern Ireland, on Saturday the 17th of September.
• Antonio Cairoli (Team Yamaha De Carli) - fifth overall - 2005 MX2 WORLD CHAMPION
  "If I had to pick a race where I wanted to win the title it would have been here! I really like riding in the sand and because I live close by in Belgium this area has become my second home. I hurt my left wrist yesterday, and my ankle injury already made it hard to push in the deep sand. I fought hard to make it happen here and I kept on believing. In the first race I had a good start, but I could not follow the rhythm of the leaders and I preferred to conserve my energy for the end of the race because realized it was going to be hard. Two laps before the end my team informed me that I had won the title and it was just the most amazing feeling ever. I'm so happy to have won the title! I have now one big goal left and that is to get a good result with the Italian team at the MX of Nations in France."
• Claudio De Carli, Team manager of Team Yamaha De Carli
  "This title gives me a lot of satisfaction, not only professionally but also personally. We have picked up Antonio after he came back from injury and not many people believed in him. Tony is a really special person. He has proven this year that he has both the speed and the mental strength to get great results. In the first races he had a problem with his ankle, later he missed the GP of France, sprained his right ankle last week and injured his wrist this weekend, but whatever happened Antonio never panicked and he always made the best of the situation. Normally it is the Team manager who needs to encourage his rider when the going gets tough, actually at times Antonio was comforting me and he said: You will see we can pull it off!"
• Andrew McFarlane (Ricci Racing) - 14th overall
  "In the first moto I ran in fifth at the beginning, but I had difficulties setting up a good rhythm. After 10 laps I had quite a serious crash and I injured my back. The pain was unbearable and riding in the second race was simply not possible."
• Billy Mackenzie (Yamaha UK Racing) - third overall
  "I'm happy with my consistency this weekend, it was a good change to get solid results in both races. The conditions were really tough and you had to be careful not to waste your energy. On top of that I gained two places in standings, so I moved up to seventh in standings."
• Alessio Chiodi (Ricci Racing) - seventh overall
  "Lierop is always a very specific race, because so far this year we have never had sand this deep in the GPs. I felt quite good on the track today and I was happy with sixth in the first race. My tenth in the second race was not so good, I did not have a great start and I lacked the energy to make the difference. It's still possible to take second overall in standings and I will give it my best shot in the last GP."

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