MX1 CLASS
Coppins and Everts battle...
Coppins and Everts battle.
Pouring rain and deep sand ruts were the main elements riders had to deal with at the Dutch event held in Lierop. These obstacles didn't manage to stop an unleashed Stefan Everts who, after having won his tenth world title in Namur (Belgium), has now managed to write his name down in the book of records another time by winning 100 GPs in his long career. This is a great result for the Yamaha/Rinaldi rider, especially if we take into consideration that the second best racer only holds 50 GP wins!!!!! Once again Stefan demonstrated that he's not only a great rider but somebody with unique charm. The New Zealand pilot Joshua Coppins got second overall, followed by the Belgian Steve Ramon on his factory Suzuki.
MX1 MOTO 1
The race started under the rain and Coppins grabbed the holeshot. But by the third turn he was overtaken by a very fast Everts who was standing up on the pegs didn't even seem to notice the huge holes and deep ruts that are notorious at this track. Watching him ride, he gives the impression that he's floating over that hell made of sand.
Coppins' problems were not over. In fact, his Honda/Cas teammate Ken De Dycker attacked on the second lap and gained the second position. They remained like that until the seventh lap, when Coppins overtook the 22-year-old Belgian De Dycker to regain second place.
It wasn't only Everts who was perfectly at ease riding on this sandy track. His countryman Steve Ramon, despite still being bruised from injuries gained during the Irish GP that took place last week, rode quite good, so good that he started really pushing his factory Suzuki. He got close to De Dycker and there was a great battle between the two that had them swapping positions many times. In the end Steve Ramon gained the third position.
Tanel Leok's ride through the pack is worth a mention; the Estonian factory Kawasaki rider in fact got up to the 4th position from a 9th place start - all this without goggles (they misted over), under the puoring rain and on a very sandy track. At the end the race it was Everts, Coppins, Ramon, Tanel Leok, De Dycker and Strijbos.
MX 1 MOTO2
The rain kept on falling at the start of the second Moto as well.
Another speedy start by Coppins and another time he was overtaken by Everts who this time took off and none of his opponents would see him again until the awards ceremony.
This Moto nearly looked like a photocopy of the first one with Everts in the lead and Coppins behind him followed by Ramon, but Ramon made a mistake on the 6th lap and fell, which forced him to start back toward the front from 6th position.
In spite of this he didn't give up and he managed to cross the finish line in 5th position, right behind his countryman and teammate Strijbos.
The young Spaniard Jonathan Barragan pulled off a good performance: he fell during the first Moto but despite this he restarted the engine of his works KTM and jumped into a frantic recovery-mode from the very last position. He was rewarded him with a 9th place finish.
During the second moto Barragan was expected to have bad stamina after putting out som much energy in the first moto. But instead he managed to keep the KTM flag high by surprising everyone with an astonishing start in 5th position and a third place finish.
A fourth place start lit up hopes for the "giant" De Dycker but the Honda/Cas rider used up too much of his energy with a fall on the 9th lap. Because of this both of his legs and his arms tensed up, and made the 22-year-old rider drop to 12th position.
A round of applause should also be given for the passion and the determination of the 33,135 spectators that reached Lierop to watch this GP. In spite of strong winds and constant heavy showers from morning until evening, they never left their positions.
The Martin/Honda rider Brian Jorgensen made an special and emotional announcement during a press conference on Saturday night. The Danish rider announced that he will end his professional career at the close of the season after a final appearance for his country at the Motocross of Nations. Brian made this important decision after two seasons characterized by bad luck, crashes and injuries.
Stefan Everts: "There is not much left to win now, maybe just the Motocross of Nations! This has been a tough little period for me. Mentally I have been a bit 'done' and physically it has been hard. Last week was a hard race; Josh said that the riders can learn from me physically but he was very strong in Ireland also so he is right there also. Anyway, it has been a long way to this 100th GP win. I started in 1989 and now we are in 2006, so that is eighteen years to try and win 100 GPs; it has been a long road. Counting from one to ten in terms of titles can take some time, but one to one hundred is something else. I am so, so happy, thanks to everyone who has supported me."
Josh Coppins:"The sand is not my favourite surface. I had to use my energy wisely and I did the best I could. Second was the most I could achieve today and I knew it would be hard to beat Stefan; I just had to ride my own race. I was leading out of the gate in the first Moto and Stefan passed me straightaway. My team-mate also came through but I knew he would not be able to continue that pace and I got him back when he became tired. I made some consistent laps to pull away and keep second but it was a boring race. That Moto was actually better than the second one because I was tired later on and could not ride how I wanted."
Steve Ramon:"I knew it was going to be difficult to make a good result here. This is such a heavy track and you need to be in good shape so I don't think third place is a bad result today, but I did not ride how I normally would in the sand. In the second moto I was not too far behind Josh and I wanted to stay with him. I was riding better than in the first moto but then made a mistake around the back of the track and fell off the bike. It was then hard to get back in a rhythm and I had to slow down to read all the bumps again; so the race was over for second place. I was keeping an eye on Ken's position but I was worried mostly about my own performance. I want to finish third in the Championship now and it is definitely possible."
MX1 Moto 1
1, Stefan Everts, Yamaha
2, Joshua Coppins, Honda
3, Steve Ramon, Suzuki
4, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki
5, Ken De Dycker, Honda
6, Kevin Strijbos, Suzuki
7, Bas Verhoeven, Kawasaki
8, Manuel Priem, Yamaha
MX2 Moto2
1, Stefan Everts, Yamaha
2, Joshua Coppins, Honda
3, Jonathan Barragan
4, Kevin Strijbos
5, Steve Ramon
6, Manuel Priem
7, Wyatt Avis
8, Lauris Freibergs
AFTER 14 OF 15 ROUNDS
1, Stefan Everts, Yamaha, BEL, 689
2, Kevin Strijbos, Suzuki, BEL, 491
3, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 454
4, Ken De Dycker, Honda, BEL, 434
5, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 405
6, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 338
7, Joshua Coppins, Honda, NZL, 293
8, Manuel Priem, Yamaha, BEL, 267
MX2 CLASS
Things haven't changed in the MX2 class. Between the title contenders, both the Italian defending champion Antonio Cairoli and the young French Cristophe Pourcel amassed the same amount of points at this GP: a first and a third place for each, but the overall went to the French Kawasaki rider as he won the second Moto. The gap between the two is still 28 points, so everything will be determined at the last GP which will take place in Ernee (France). Crsitophe will naturally be the favourite as he'll race in his native country and, because of the amounts of the points he already has, he could be the world champion just after the first Moto.
Talking of "home" riders, here in Holland Marc De Reuver was expected to do well but unfortunately for his numerous fans, he didn't live up to the expectations and had a very negative day, retiring from both motos and not gaining any points. During the first moto it was due to stomach pains suffered by the KTM rider, whereas during the second moto a bad fall while he was in second place forced him to start back from 18th place. Marc didn't hold back and started off a frenzied recovery ride at full speed on a track he knows very well. Unfortunately, during the 10th lap, he fell again while he was n 6th position and finally decided to retire.
An overall second place for the South African Tyla Rattray was thanks to a 2-2 moto score. The KTM pilot is usually very fast on sandy tracks filled with ruts and holes, but a very bad start in the first moto, 16th at the first corner, forced Tyla into a frantic recovery-mode. And if that wasn't enough he had to get rid of his goggles during the 5th lap. But despite this handicap he managed a second place finish.
A start from 8th place during the second moto and his choice of some better lines allowed him to reach Cristophe Pourcel within a few laps and to follow him for three laps. But when it's the time to attack, Rattray made a mistake and had to settle for second position.
It definately went down worse for his KTM teammate, Italian David Philiappaerts, who during the first moto had the lead of the race for 14 laps but then got a little distracted by somebody on the track who flagged that a rider had fallen. This caused David to brake hard, and he fell. The crash cost him several positions that made him end the race in 8th place. During the second moto he held second place for a lap and then another fall caused him to retire.
Christophe Pourcel : " In the opening race I was not so happy, as I didn't found my lines and my rhythm. I wasn't used to race with "roll-off" on the goggles, and it was a little bit strange to have a narrow vision. I made many unusual mistakes but I ended third and lost only a few points over Cairoli. I didn't want to change any settings on the bike between the races, even if the track was more bumpy, as it was perfect on Saturday. I can't really explain how I came to the lead in the second race, I passed a couple of guys easily and then built a five seconds gap over the pack. Then everything went perfect, I came faster in the waves and it's much easier with the speed! Rattray came close after thirty minutes but I had the race under control; he spent a lot of energy to come back close to me, but did a small mistake just when I pushed harder. I wasn't tired at all, and secured my win. I have now an advantage of twenty-eight point over Cairoli and there are only two more heats, it's good to have a "joker" for me." Antonio Cairoli:"Christophe is a very good rider and has been consistent this season; this for the Championship is very important. This year I have lost a lot of points in three or four heats and I am far behind him now. I just want to win in France and I won't be thinking about the Championship because it is too hard. In the first moto I started well but Philippaerts was going very fast. I know that my physical condition is good and if I didn't make any mistakes I would be in contention for the win. David made two mistakes and I was ready to take the heat. I was really happy to win at this track because last year I took the world title here and this is always a big race for me. In the second race I was braking too late for the first corner and went wide. I got caught in the middle of the group in the second turn and then it was very hard to close down the gap."
Tyla Rattray:"In the first race I had a problem with my goggles and had to throw them off on the fifth lap. It was pretty hard to pass riders as I was getting their roost in my face all the time. I pushed hard and managed to get second; that was the best I could do. Christophe was too strong in the second. I spun on the gate and had to come back from twelfth position. I was up to eighth by the second lap and decided it was time to start kicking down and making time. I caught Christophe and rode behind him for three laps. I tried to pass him but then made a mistake and after that I felt tired."
MX2 Moto1
1, Antonio Cairoli
2, Tyla Rattray
3, Christophe Pourcel
4, Tommy Searle
5, Aigar Leok
6, Rui Goncalves
7, Maximilian Nagl
8, David Philippaerts
MX2 Moto2
1, Christophe Pourcel
2, Tyla Rattray, KTM
3, Antonio Cairoli
4, Rui Goncalves
5, Carl Nunn
6, Aigar Leok
7, Tommy Searle
8, Marcus Schiffer
AFTER 14 OF 15 ROUNDS
1, Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 541
2, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 513
3, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 446
4, David Philippaerts, KTM, ITA, 440
5, Marc De Reuver, KTM, NED, 373
6, Carl Nunn, KTM, GBR, 343
7, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 300
8, Tommy Searle, Kawasaki, GBR, 296
Tyla Rattray. | 
A flag of Stefan Everts. | 
Antonio Cairoli. |
Brian Jorgensen. |  Everts celebrates with his...  Everts celebrates with his son Liam. | 
Steve Ramon. |
 Everts celebrates with his...  Everts celebrates with his team just past the finish line. |  Joshua Coppins took second...  Joshua Coppins took second overall in the MX1 class. | 
Stefan Everts. |
Stefan Everts. | 
Stefan Everts. |  Hey, how about a photo of...  Hey, how about a photo of Stefan Everts? The man has only won 100 World GPs. |