After a long winter break, the MX1 and MX2 Motocross World Championship teams and riders have arrived at Zolder, Belgium, for this weekend’s opening round of the 2005 season.
Last season marked the 'debut' for promoters Youthstream, who have attempted to take Motocross back to its roots by returning to two motos per class and establishing a fresh set of sporting rules with only two classes (MX1 with 450 four-stroke and 250 two-stroke and MX2 with 250 four-stroke and 125 two-stroke).
The changes were generally welcomed and, with the aid of some strong TV coverage, a huge number of fans world wide saw Stefan Everts (MX1) and Ben Townley (MX2) crowned 2004 world championships.
The first of 17 rounds in the 2005 series, Zolder will entertain the opening round two weeks later than it did last year. The delay has now allowed the event to expect some sunshine, and give some more time to the teams and riders to prepare for the longest ever season - that will end in Ireland on September 17th.
With a world-wide calendar including rounds in Japan (May 29th) and South Africa (July 17th), the 2005 tour will still visit the most famous European Motocross countries such as Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, France, Sweden, Czech Republic, The Netherlands and Ireland. Seventeen GPs, thirty-four heats and a total of 680 points are up for grabs.
The most successful rider in the Motocross history - with eight titles and seventy-nine GP wins - Belgian Stefan Everts will be the MX1 favourite on his factory Yamaha. Winning GPs and titles in every class since 1989, Stefan is reaching the twilight of his career but never seems to lose motivation; he had a great pre-season with four wins and seems perfectly prepared despite separating from former physical trainer Willy Linden.
