At a fitting, historic and emotional stage of his home Grand Prix and favourite circuit at Namur, World Champion Stefan Everts completed a successful title defence of his MX1 crown and gave the YZ450FM its third consecutive MX1 distinction this afternoon.
By dominating both motos at the Citadelle for the 12th round of 15 in the 2006 FIM series the 33 year old Belgian remains undefeated every year since the inception of the MX1 competition in 2004. His tenth World Championship in a eighteen year career, achieved through 125, 250, 500, MXGP and MX1 classes, was also the sixth title in succession with Yamaha in an unparalleled streak of results and glory since 2001. In that time Everts has broken the record for most Grand Prix victories and won three classes on the same day when the 2003 season saw 125, MXGP and 650 categories run with just one moto.
The '06 campaign has been momentous for the Rinaldi-led Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross team and the new aluminium framed YZ450FM. Everts has won 21 motos in a row and all twelve Grand Prix. He now has reached a total of 99.
After a bright and sunny day of practice Sunday dawned cloudy but also warm. The track, already rough and extremely technical after the wear of practice and qualification, was a severe test of concentration and stamina for the MX1 and MX2 competitors. On the brink of history Everts was cheered on by a willing 30,000 partisan crowd and the team had both of their riders flying formation for the first two laps of the opening moto as Cédric Melotte grabbed the holeshot and led Everts. The Champion soon took control and enacted a familiar scene of drawing away from his pursuers. The second race was a repeat with Everts owning the race by forging a blistering speed in the formative stages.
On a day when his son celebrated his second birthday there was also the novelty of another generation of the Everts clan rolling back the years as Stefan's father Harry took to the track in the first ever Veteran's World Cup and finished second overall onboard a YZ250F.
Cédric Melotte was competing at his home Grand Prix and the site of his first World Championship victory in 2003 (650 class). The local-born rider grabbed a sensational holeshot in the first moto and would go on to secure his best result of the season with two finishes of 4th and 5th for 4th overall. After treating a breathing problem during the week, Cédric set a decent pace within the top five and was able to produce two positive races for the third time this year.
With a lead of 168 points over Kevin Strijbos Everts cannot be caught in the three remaining Grand Prix due to take place in Ireland, Holland and France. He will have these opportunities to reach the magical 'ton' in terms of his career victory tally and a memorable send-off is planned for Ernee and his final race on September 17th. Melotte is currently holding eigth in the standings and six points from seventh.
The MX1 paddock will now disperse for two free weekends before the Grand Prix of Ireland at the Desert Martin circuit brings the fraternity back together for round 13 on August 26th/27th.
Stefan Everts, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team:"What a great day. I never dared dream of becoming World Champion here at Namur. It has always been a very special place with a special atmosphere. It is a unique track that is hard and demanding. Both races went pretty good. At one point there was a difficult moment for me in each moto because the terrain was so bumpy, slippery and so rough. I had to be really careful because this is one of the hardest circuits in the world and you can only really appreciate it if you get out there and try forty minutes. The motos worked out well though and I am so happy for my 99th victory and the Championship. I had such an exciting feeling going out on the track and unfortunately it is my last time here but I cannot think of a better way to go out. What else can I say?"
Cédric Melotte, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team:"I did not feel the pressure so much of racing at home this year. This is my best result so far and I could finish in the top five twice. I am happy because today was a tough track; very hard and physical. I made some tests with my lungs this week and found out that I have been suffering with an allergy and asthma. I took the right treatment and feel much better. In the first moto it was great to lead for two laps in front of my fans. I had the holeshot in my mind before the race so to take it was great and I just wanted to lead as long as I could. Stefan was pushing a little bit and passed me, I settled into a speed I could make and finished fourth. In the second moto I followed Strijbos for fifth and I was really happy for a good overall position."
Carlo Rinaldi, Racing Manager, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team:"It has been a fantastic day and a great conclusion to the season, even if it isn't over yet. It was a familiar GP for us. Good starts and controlling the motos; Stefan may have had some more pressure than usual but he did not show it. What is unbelievable is not that Stefan wins, but how he does it; victory is all he wants. Yamaha is doing a great job. The new bike gave an extra boost to Stefan and with his motivation in his final season it was the perfect tool for a perfect job."
Michele Rinaldi, Team Manager, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team:"There is not much I can say as you can imagine. I think Stefan managed something that not even he was expecting this season. He did a fantastic job and it even seemed to easy at times. We have had a great atmosphere in the team and he has won everything so far so his decision to finish his career with Yamaha was 100% correct. Our bike has never stopped this year and we have done a lot of work; the result of which can be seen on the track. We could not have imagined a season like this."
Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. - Racing Division:"This is amazing and I think it will take a long time before people really appreciate what has happened. Ten titles for Stefan is unbelievable and for us six titles in six years is also something incredible. Technically we have had almost no problems at all in that period and for that we must give a big thank you to all the guys in the team. Success is about the rider and the bike but it is also about the guys who prepare the bike. The team have won all those titles but still remain so motivated to win. Overall this is a super day for everyone connected with the team and Yamaha."
Circuit Length: 2477
Temp: 24
Crowd: 30000
Weather: Sunny
2006 GP of Namur, Belgium Race 1 - 16 Laps: 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 43'13.152
2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 0'11.409
3 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'14.665
4 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 0'16.980
5 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 0'19.086
6 Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 0'34.115
7 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 0'54.119
8 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1'8.640
9 Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 1'13.201
10 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 1'24.525
11 James Noble Honda GBR 1'36.862
12 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 1'46.520
13 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 1'49.243
14 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 1'52.460
15 Cyril Coulon Suzuki FRA 1'54.428
16 Marko Kovalainen Honda FIN 2'4.810
17 Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 2'7.248
18 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 2'12.617
19 Marc Ristori Honda CHE 2'14.930
20 Jaka Moze Suzuki SVN 2'16.058
Race 2 - 16 Laps: 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 41'10.064
2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 0'17.973
3 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'28.484
4 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 0'46.443
5 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 0'52.909
6 James Noble Honda GBR 0'57.447
7 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 1'2.393
8 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 1'14.458
9 Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 1'23.714
10 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 1'27.292
11 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 1'31.291
12 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 1'39.857
13 Christian Beggi Honda ITA 1'43.852
14 Bas Verhoeven Kawasaki NED 2'4.429
15 Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 2'17.104
16 Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 2'22.634
17 Scott Columb Suzuki NZL -1 Laps
18 Lauris Freibergs Suzuki LVA -1 Laps
19 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL -1 Laps
20 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL -1 Laps
Best Lap: Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 2'38.204
Rider Standings 06/08/2006: 1. Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 592
2. Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 424
3. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 408
4. Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 371
5. Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 365
6. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 273
7. Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 230
8. Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 224
9. Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 210
10. Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 202
11. Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 196
12. James Noble Honda GBR 186
13. Julien Bill Yamaha GBR 167
14. Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 138
15. Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 137
16. Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 131
17. Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 127
18. Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 106
19. Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 102
20. Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 99
Manufacturer Standings 06/08/2006:1. Yamaha 592
2. Suzuki 489
3. Honda 447
4. Kawasaki 369
5. KTM 351
6. TM 138
Related Linkswww.yamaha-racing.com
Related News
