A relatively new development is the arrival of podium-capable teams from countries such as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Estonia, which all have a relatively small motocross community but can field three talented riders with little problem. Of these teams, the most starved for victory were the New Zealand pilots, with World championship veterans Joshua "Lizzard" Coppins (Everts' number-one opponent) and Ben Townley, along with lesser-known rider Cody Cooper
The entry list lacked two important names because of injuries: Chad Reed for Australia and Grant Langston for South Africa.
The weekend began with thrilling qualifying sessions, which were won by Stewart (MX1), Villopoto (MX2) and Ramon (Open class), and two items of shocking news. First, Carmichael had decided he could not race, which spoiled expectations of the duel between the two legends. This left all the eyes on Stewart and company.
Second, Everts appeared at the KTM press conference, where he was introduced as KTM's new Race Director for Motocross Activities. Only a few expected it, and the news left many overwhelmed and some disappointed, but Everts seemed focused on the last great objective of his career as a rider: to guide the Belgian team to victory for the 60th edition of the Trophy of the Nations
The spectators on hand will always remember this edition of the Motocross des Nations as a show at the sport's highest level. The notorious English climate, with its cloud-wind-rain-sun combo, was mild and offered a weekend interspersed with splashes of sun, even if the dawn rains made the the track's soil bouncy and muddy.
The show started with the MX1 (450cc) and MX2 (250cc) pilots together. The MXdN is based on the formula of mixed classes. First the MX1 and MX2 race together, then the MX2 and the Open class (up to 650cc four-strokes, but legal for 450s at this race), and lastly, the MX1 with the Open class. Adding the team's five best moto scores gives the overall score. In this case, Stewart scored a pair of seconds while Villopoto nabbed a second and a third, so their total was nine points, and it was up to Tedesco to supply a low enough score to win, and his sixth-place finish clinched it. Even though Everts earned two first-place scores, his teammate Ramon obtained a fourth and a fifth place for a combined two-rider score of 11 points. But Strijbos was the third rider, and his best score was 11th-below Tedesco's worst score! As we mentioned earlier, the team felt that Strijbos did not have comparable equipment, but they may have also been guilty of underestimating the speed of the current crop of young MX2 riders. In '03, Everts won every MX2 moto he raced while riding the MX1 class on the same day! It would be understandable for the team to assume that any top MX1 runner would be a better choice than an average MX2 pilot. Or perhaps they didn't have a strong enough MX2 rider to pick. But Strijbos' MX1 teammate Ramon was beaten by three 250cc four-strokes in his combined moto. Nevertheless, the Belgian team's 22 points is closer to winning than it looks. One DNF or a crash by a rider intent on riding his own race and not thinking about the team, and the results could have been very different.