The 2005 FIM Motocross World Championship enters the final straight this weekend, with the penultimate round of the 17-event series taking place in the deep sand of Lierop in The Netherlands.
The longest ever series in the history of the sport, the 2005 contest has been one of the most competitive of the past decade, with many different GP winners and an all-round higher quality of track preparation – although both Stefan Everts (MX1) and Antonio Cairoli (MX2) now have a chance to be crowned before the last event of the season in Ireland on September 17th.
But the Leirop circuit will have a lot to live up to - coming directly after the stunning Isle of Wight circuit, which some riders said was the best they had ever ridden.
Greg Atkins (Youthstream Sport Manager), American Jonathan Beasley (the Budds Creek promoter is a track advisor for the rest of the season) and Johnny Douglas Hamilton (British track designer) worked hard to prepare a perfect layout for the Gore Basin circuit – which impressed even the hard to please Mickael Pichon.
"It was great to race there; it’s a really nice track for the crowd as well as the riders. When you have such a good course as that you can see the difference!" he enthused. "Everybody is always talking about American tracks, but when you have a place like that it is amazing for us to ride. We had a lot of fun and provided a better show."
Ben Townley, winner of the MX1 GP, confirmed Pichon’s words: "They did a really great job last week, they worked hard and I want to congratulate them. The track was amazing, probably the best I ever raced in my career, I enjoyed riding and had a lot of fun there," explained the New Zealander, who will surely be among the favourites this weekend.
For many riders Lierop will be the first sand race of the year and most of them spent a day or two mid-week in the Benelux region to prepare for this specific round. Naturally, the riders based in Belgium or Netherlands will adapt slightly quicker than the others, as well as local participants who always show amazing speed in the sand.
