Round: 1 - Zolder
Circuit: Zolder
Date: 3 April 2005
Crowd: 14000
Temp: 23¬?C
Weather: Sunny

Stefan Everts rode his Yamaha YZ450 FM to the 80th GP victory of his career at the opening GP of the 2005 Motocross World Championship in Zolder, Belgium. A dominant ride in the first race handed Stefan the win in the opening race and was followed by a third place in the second heat. Mickael Pichon (Honda) finished second in both races to claim second overall, Joel Smets (Suzuki) won the second race and completed the podium. Everts’ team mate Brian Jorgensen had a tough race weekend and finished 12th overall.

The 2005 Motocross World Championship could not have hoped for better kick-off conditions with a 14.000 strong crowd on Sunday, blazing sunshine and a challenging, technical track awaiting the riders. Home rider Kevin Strijbos grabbed the holeshot, but Mickael Pichon (Honda) quickly took command in race one. Strong race tactics saw Yamaha L&M Motocross’ Stefan Everts going from strength to strength after what was not the best of starts. The eight-time world champion was third after four laps, and passed MX2 world champion Ben Townley for second in lap seven. When Everts passed Pichon on the inside of a tight left hand drop just halfway past the race, the French star had no answer. Stefan controlled the race and rode to an impressive first race win of the season before Pichon and Townley. Belgians Ken De Dijcker (Honda) and Joel Smets (Suzuki) rounded out the top five. Team Yamaha De Carli’s Claudio Federici damaged his front brake in the first corner and was forced to retire.

Strijbos claimed the second MX1 holeshot of the day as well, with his team mate Smets in tow. Five-time world champion Smets quickly moved into the lead, with Pichon chasing behind him. When Everts moved up from an initial sixth to fourth behind Spanish talent Jonathan Barragan (KTM) it only seemed a matter of time before Everts would continue his march forward. However Barragan proved tough to pass and the race ended in the same order with Smets taking his comeback win after an injury marred 2004, Federici fought the pain of an ankle injury sustained on Saturday to finish 13th.

The second round of the championship takes place in Bellpuig, Spain next in two weeks time (17th of April).

Stefan Everts (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - overall winner “I felt strong in the first heat and I was able to control my race even after a bad start. I found a couple of really good lines around the track, but near the end of the race I felt that I had to dig really deep to come back. This was probably the reason why I lacked the energy and power to push in the second race. I got stuck in fourth behind Barragan and only until I found some good lines at the back of the track I was able to make a pass on him. Obviously I’m happy with the end result today and hopefully I can still improve on my condition as the season goes on.”

Brian Jorgensen (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - 12th overall “Twelfth overall is not exactly a great result, but at the end of the day I’m still quite happy because I tried everything I could today. Physically I have been working hard to get in shape for the first GP, but I also need to rebuild my mental strength. Half race distance I went over the handle bars and I damaged my rear brake. After that I lost my confidence to push hard. I missed my start in the second race and because I did not feel completely comfortable on the track I did not want to take any risks.”

Race classification MX1

Round: 1 - Zolder
Circuit: Zolder
Lap Record: 1′ 46.006 (Mickael Pichon, 2005)

Race: 22 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 40′ 6.703
2 M. Pichon Honda FRA +2.397
3 B. Townley KTM NZL +4.833
4 K. De Dijcker Honda BEL +14.200
5 J. Smets Suzuki BEL +16.362
6 J. Coppins Honda NZL +38.830
7 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +49.262
8 P. Cooper Honda GBR +57.319
9 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +1′ 3.228
10 N. Kornel Suzuki HUN +1′ 5.764
11 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1′ 7.198
12 G. Crockard Yamaha IRL +1′ 7.468
13 Y. Atsuta Suzuki JPN +1′ 8.198
14 J. Noble Honda GBR +1′ 13.322
15 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1′ 22.707
16 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1′ 24.120
17 S. Ramon KTM BEL +1′ 24.526
18 L. Freibergs Suzuki LVA +1′ 35.299
19 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1′ 43.765
20 B. Jorgensen Yamaha DNK +1′ 51.523

Race 2: 22 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 J. Smets Suzuki BEL 40′ 8.222
2 M. Pichon Honda FRA +17.965
3 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +43.679
4 J. Barragan KTM ESP +50.583
5 B. Townley KTM NZL +1′ 3.764
6 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1′ 5.724
7 J. Noble Honda GBR +1′ 7.776
8 B. Jorgensen Yamaha DNK +1′ 17.494
9 K. De Dijcker Honda BEL +1′ 32.036
10 P. Cooper Honda GBR +1′ 37.606
11 J. Coppins Honda NZL +1′ 41.579
12 S. Ramon KTM BEL +1′ 42.589
13 C. Federici Yamaha ITA +1′ 48.091
14 J. Vehvilainen Honda FIN +1 lap(s)
15 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1 lap(s)
16 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +1 lap(s)
17 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s)
18 N. Kornel Suzuki HUN +1 lap(s)
19 L. Freibergs Suzuki LVA +1 lap(s)
20 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +1 lap(s)

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 M. Pichon Honda FRA 1′ 46.006

Championship standings MX1
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 45
2 Mickael Pichon Honda FRA 44
3 Joel Smets Suzuki BEL 41
4 Ben Townley KTM NZL 36
5 Ken De Dijcker Honda BEL 30
6 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 29
7 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 25
8 Paul Cooper Honda GBR 24
9 James Noble Honda GBR 21
10 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 20
11 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 17
12 Brian Jorgensen Yamaha DNK 14
13 Nemeth Kornel Suzuki HUN 14
14 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 14
15 Steve Ramon KTM BEL 13
16 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 12
17 Gordon Crockard Yamaha IRL 9
18 Claudio Federici Yamaha ITA 8
19 Yoshitaka Atsuta Suzuki JPN 8
20 Jussi Vehvilainen Honda FIN 7

Manufacturers standings MX1
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 25
2 Honda 22
3 Suzuki 20
4 KTM 18
5 Kawasaki 10

MX2 : Melotte runner up in Zolder

Round: 1 - Zolder
Circuit: Zolder
Date: 3 April 2005
Crowd: 14000
Temp: 23¬?C
Weather: Sunny

Yamaha L&M Motocross Team rider C?©dric Melotte did not miss his start of his assault on the MX2 world title. Melotte battled hard and took second overall, behind the dominant Tyla Rattray (KTM) who won both races. French teenager S?©bastien Pourcel (Kawasaki) was the surprise of the day taking the first podium of his career in Zolder.

Australian Andrew McFarlane (Yamaha Team Ricci) repeated last year’s holeshot effort in the opening MX2 race. McFarlane was followed through the first turns by four other Yamaha riders and standings at the end of the opening lap read: McFarlane, Melotte, Rattray, Chiodi and Maschio. With Rattray (KTM) clearly as fastest rider on the track it was only a matter of time before the South-African would take command. After a brief lead of two laps home rider C?©dric Melotte comfortably settled for second behind Rattray, McFarlane rode his YZ250FM to third. Exciting battles behind the leading trio saw Pourcel, Cairoli, Chiodi and Sword swap positions. Young Italian Antonio Cairoli recovered from an early mistake to climb up from tenth to fifth in the end, fellow countryman Chiodi finished seventh.

Race two saw very similar proceedings to the first. This time 2004 MX2 rookie of the year Antonio Cairoli was the fastest through the first turn,
but Tyla Rattray left no doubt about his intentions and immediately passed Cairoli. The most remarkable performance of the race came without doubt from C?©dric Melotte who bounced back to second after a disastrous start that saw him as low as 18th. The Namur-born rider charged hard and picked up one rider after the other on the fifth lap ‘Melotski’ moved in behind the compact group of Eggens, Nunn, Brown and Cairoli and behind leader Rattray and runner up Pourcel. C?©dric managed to pass everyone in front of him- including Pourcel thanks to a last lap move. Melotte crossed the finish line completely exhausted 4,5 seconds behind Rattray. Cairoli finished fourth, ahead of Mike Brown (Honda) and McFarlane.

C?©dric Melotte (Yamaha L&M Motocross Team) - second overall “I came from third to the lead in the first race, but I got awful arm pump
and I just had to let Rattray go. I completely missed my start in the second race and it was hard to find the right rhythm and to see properly through all the dust. Only after 10, 15 minutes I found my pace and than I started to move forward. Last year I won the MX1 GP here, but I’m not disappointed with my second overall because I had hurt my shoulder during a practice crash in the week before this race so my mission to limit the damage has been successful. Of course I knew before the season Rattray was going to be strong, but my goal is to be consistent throughout the year.

Andrew McFarlane (Yamaha Team Ricci) - fourth overall “I had a good start in the first race, but I made mistake in the back section when Rattray and Melotte just had passed me. I lost about eight seconds, even after I got up to a similar speed as Melotte I could not make up for the time lost. At the start of the second race I got a good jump from the gate initially but I was pushed wide by Mike Brown and I almost ran into the rear wheel of Rattray. I was about eighth after that and I did not find my way around the track like I had done in the first race.”

Antonio Cairoli (Team Yamaha De Carli) - fifth overall “During the warm up this morning I crashed and my right ankle was caught in
the spokes of the wheel. Considering the pain I had with my ankle I’m pleased with my results today. When I hit my ankle again after five or six
laps in the first race I could not push any more. My start in the second race was really good, but when I had another impact on my ankle the pain was just unbearable. Rattray proved that he is very fast in the sand, but the championship is still long and I’m confident for the next races.”

Alessio Chiodi (Yamaha Team Ricci) - seventh overall “I had good starts in both races but I struggled to come to terms with the track and I’m a little bit disappointed with the outcome of the race. I know the speed is there and I feel good on the bike, so I hope to show my form in Bellpuig in two weeks. ”

Race classification MX2

Round: 1 - Zolder
Circuit: Zolder
Lap Record: 1′ 44.832 (Tyla Rattray, 2005)

Race: 22 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Rattray KTM RSA 39′ 43.910
2 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +16.724
3 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +31.925
4 S. Sword Kawasaki BGR +42.738
5 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +46.553
6 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +49.311
7 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +50.353
8 P. Caps Honda BEL +53.843
9 E. Eggens Honda NED +56.280
10 C. Nunn KTM GBR +1′ 0.198
11 M. Maschio Yamaha FRA +1′ 2.132
12 A. Boissiere Yamaha FRA +1′ 4.038
13 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +1′ 5.601
14 M. Nagl KTM GER +1′ 6.885
15 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +1′ 27.785
16 C. Campano KTM ESP +1′ 29.303
17 N. Aubin Kawasaki FRA +1′ 29.316
18 M. Brown Honda USA +1′ 33.013
19 A. Leok KTM EST +1 lap(s)
20 W. Avis Honda RSA +1 lap(s)

Race 2: 22 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Rattray KTM RSA 40′ 36.402
2 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +4.517
3 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +12.580
4 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +27.664
5 M. Brown Honda USA +30.323
6 A. McFarlane Yamaha AUS +36.840
7 E. Eggens Honda NED +40.031
8 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +53.989
9 C. Nunn KTM GBR +1′ 4.176
10 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +1′ 6.296
11 M. Maschio Yamaha FRA +1′ 10.353
12 A. Boissiere Yamaha FRA +1′ 23.967
13 M. Bonini Honda ITA +1′ 26.543
14 P.A.. Renet Yamaha FRA +1′ 29.235
15 R. Goncalves Yamaha POR +1′ 29.890
16 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1 lap(s)
17 M. Monni KTM ITA +1 lap(s)
18 S. Sword Kawasaki BGR +1 lap(s)
19 W. Avis Honda RSA +1 lap(s)
20 C. Campano KTM ESP +1 lap(s)

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Rattray KTM RSA 1′ 44.832

Championship standings MX2
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 50
2 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 44
3 Andrew McFarlane Yamaha AUS 35
4 S?©bastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 35
5 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 34
6 Erik Eggens Honda NED 26
7 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 25
8 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 23
9 Stephen Sword Kawasaki BGR 21
10 Mickael Maschio Yamaha FRA 20
11 Mike Brown Honda USA 19
12 Anthony Boissiere Yamaha FRA 18
13 Rui Goncalves Yamaha POR 14
14 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 13
15 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 13
16 Matteo Bonini Honda ITA 8
17 Pierre-Alexandre Renet Yamaha FRA 7
18 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 7
19 Carlos Campano KTM ESP 6
20 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 6

Manufacturers standings MX2

Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 KTM 25
2 Yamaha 22
3 Kawasaki 20
4 Honda 15