"It has been a long time since we have lost and this was a situation we were very used to!" admitted Yamaha Intur Sports racing manager Carlo Rinaldi. "Second place overall is by no means a bad result and our moto classifications were the same as Josh's, but he deserved to win because in the second race he seemed more physically prepared than Stefan. Towards the end of the second moto Stefan struggled to keep the rhythm. It is a pity because we very much wanted to take the 100th win this weekend but I hope it is only delayed by one week or maximum to Ernee. In the meantime we have won the manufacturer's title which is important for Yamaha."
Coppins' team-mate Ken de Dycker took third overall with 3-4 moto finishes.
In the MX1 World Championship standings the top five is still in the same order - Everts, Strijbos, Ramon, de Dycker and Leok - but de Dycker is only nine points behind Ramon. Meanwhile, Coppins took a big step forward, moving from tenth to seventh, behind Barragan.
In the MX2 class, Tyla Rattray produced a remarkable ride to win both races and thus the overall victory - his first in almost four months - despite a recent shoulder injury sustained during practice for an AMA race.
"In the first moto I got the holeshot which I was really happy about. Sebastien (Pourcel) passed me but after about a lap I got him back. I upped my pace and eventually made a gap. I had a pretty big crash at one stage and scared myself a bit," said the South African. "In the second moto I again got into the lead on the first lap and put my head down. I pushed hard to breakaway from Marc (de Reuver) in second. Overall it was a good day. I feel that I am back to 100% with my riding and my fitness."
World championship leader Christophe Pourcel took second overall with 3-4 finishes with reigning world champion Antonio Cairoli third after 2-7 results, increasing Pourcel's title lead to 28 points.
The penultimate round of the 2006 MX1 and MX2 World Championships will take place in just one week's time in the deep sand of Lierop for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands.
