Japan's Sugo'od for Billy
By TMX Archives on 1st Jun 07
SUNDAY was the day that the Crown Prince of Sugo became the Emperor!
After victory in MX2 for the past two seasons, Billy MacKenzie swept to an overwhelming MX1 success at the Japanese track on Sunday.
And the British success story didn't stop there at round six of the World Motocross Championship.
Mike Brown was second overall in MX1 after winning the second moto for CAS Honda when MacKenzie flew over the bars five laps from the end, while Tommy Searle added yet another podium to his tally with third in MX2.
Add in seventh overall for a sick James Noble, fifth for Gareth Swanepoel, top ten motos for Carl Nunn, Jason Dougan, Sean Hamblin, Tom Church and Ken De Dycker on the gnarliest track encountered so far this year plus points for Gordon Crockard, Shaun Simpson, Martin Barr, Jake Nicholls and Elliott Banks-Browne and the journey halfway round the world was definitely worthwhile.
MX1
MACKENZIE had already been second in qualification: ''I had to change something after hitting the wall in Germany. I was doing my training, but something was wrong, so I've started eating steak and potatoes instead of pasta. And I was enjoying my riding again without stress.''
So just how good was Billy on Sunday?
He came out of the pack to lead within a lap of the opening moto, and led by a quarter of a minute after putting together three consecutive 1-48s. No-one else in either class got under 1-51 all day!
Josh Coppins, one of the big names Billy had passed on the opening lap, was a longtime second after eventually passing the always fast starting Brown: ''Billy was just gone, but I felt the bike was riding me as well and when Barragan came at the end I had no answer.''
Max Nagl was at the back after hitting a haybale on lap one when still second, and Marc De Reuver was already lapped after a crash when fifth, but it was the mother of all crashes which put the Dutchman out of race two with concussion: ''Don't ask me what happened because I don't remember anything.''
WORLD MX1 MOTOCROSS CHAMPS Rd 6 - Sugo, JAPAN
1 Billy MacKENZIE (GB - Kawasaki Europe) 25 + 22 = 47
2 Michael Brown (US - CAS Honda) 16 + 25 = 41
3 Joshua Coppins (NZ - Yamaha) 20 + 20 = 40
4 David Philippaerts (I - Red Bull KTM) 18 + 15 = 33
5 Steve Ramon (B - Team Suzuki) 12 + 18 = 30
6 Yoshitaka Atsuta (J - HRC Honda) 13 + 16 = 29
SERIES STANDINGS after 6 (of 15) rounds: 1 Coppins 274 points, 2 Strijbos 211, 3 Ramon 186, 4 Pourcel 154, 5 Philippaerts 148, 6 Barragan 143
NEXT ROUND: Jun 10 - St Jean d'Angely, FRANCE
MX2
AFTER he and Toni Cairoli had dominated the heats, Chris Pourcel reckoned it was a two-horse race again; ''Tyla was closer, but not close enough.''
The Frenchie got a shock on Sunday when the South African reeled him in at 30 minutes to lead the opening moto with Cairoli trailling off a distant third.
''I just rode consistent laps'' reckoned Tyla. ''He came back to me.''
But the defending champion also found the reserves to fight back at the end after regrouping and in the end it was a Kawasaki win in race one.
Searle was fourth: ''At least I was only losing a second a lap, not two, but I will try to go with them in the second race.''
Swanepoel got fifth: ''I'll settle for that on a day when I'm not riding well'', and TC was also content with ninth despite losing out to Hamblin in a tight finish after the American had charged hard from another poor getaway.
Dougan was joining them in the top ten until Seistola got him a couple of laps from the end: ''I've just not been used to racing these long races this year, but it's a start in the right direction.''
WORLD MX2 MOTOCROSS CHAMPS Rd 6 - Sugo, JAPAN
1 Christophe Pourcel (F - GPKR Kawasaki) 25 + 22 = 47
2 Antonio Cairoli (I - DeCarli Yamaha) 20 + 25 = 45
3 Tommy SEARLE (GB - Red Bull KTM) 18 + 20 = 38
4 Tyla Rattray (ZA - Red Bull KTM) 22 + 16 = 38
5 Gareth Swanepoel (ZA - Molson Kawasaki) 16 + 18 = 34
6 Pascal Leuret (F - Nouvelle Honda) 15 + 15 = 30
SERIES STANDINGS after 6 (of 15) rounds: 1 Cairoli 292 points, 2 Pourcel 228, 3 Rattray 218, 4 SEARLE 175, 5 Leuret 173, 6 Swanepoel 147
NEXT ROUND: Jun 10 - St Jean d'Angely, FRANCE.
For full report, results and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, June 1, 2007.