Everts, Pichon argue over Valkenswaard collision.

The 2003 Motocross GP season suddenly got personal yesterday at Valkeswaard, at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, when the much anticipated battle between multiple champions Mickael Pichon and Stefan Everts ended with one of them in the pits with a broken wheel.

Belgian Everts took a clear holeshot in what was practically a home race, and the Yamaha rider would control the race from the front, but came under increasing pressure from fourth placed starter - and first round winner - Pichon.

The two the most successful riders of recent years then proceeded to do battle as the Suzuki hunted down the factory Yamaha for 10 of the 21 laps.

A small mistake by Everts, when he suffered from a high speed 'tank slapper', allowed Pichon to edge his front wheel ahead on lap 14 (of 21), but Everts held the inside line and the two made contact into a left hand sweeper. They both emerged upright and almost equal, before the two touched again when Everts put a block pass on Pichon, after the #1 again tried an outside move at the next downhill left turn.

That move seemed to ignite the Frenchman, and he promptly pinned the throttle on his RM250 and forced his way between Everts and the trackside fencing, before outbraking the Belgian at the following right hander and going on to win convincingly.

Everts meanwhile, was left with a broken front wheel, caused by contact with Pichon's footpeg.

After a pit stop, to change the wheel, Everts was able to remount and recover from 14th to finish 9th.

Then the post race debate began...

This is what happened according to Everts:

"I felt I was always in control of the race until the incident with Pichon," said the Belgain. "He closed up on me when I had my usual dip 10 minutes into the race, but I was able to pull out an advantage again immediately. The track was really rough and I made a big mistake at 25 minutes which allowed him to make a pass, but I immediately countered and I had a clear advantage going into the next corner.

"There was no way for him to make a pass there, he just went into me and his footrest went into my front wheel," added Stefan. "I felt immediately that many spokes were broken, and I had no alternative but to tour slowly to the pits for a new wheel. I feel that race should have been mine, and I am very upset at what happened; Pichon can sometimes be a very dangerous rider."

Unsurprisingly, Pichon saw it differently:

"I sensed that Stefan was possibly tensing up because he was making errors," said the 27 year old. "When I passed him he hit me hard and the impact didn't jolt me too much but I thought for sure he would have crashed. On the next turn he came at me strongly again but I slipped inside the narrow gap. I think his moves were not so clever and maybe it was a sign that he was struggling.

"I was really nervous last night and this morning because I knew this would be my hardest race for quite some time. Stefan had been doing a lot of pre-season races and working very hard to be as competitive as possible so I expected a tough contest and lowered my expectation from winning to being happy with a podium because against Belgian riders like Everts and Smets, in the sand and with the four-strokes is not an easy prospect," claimed the reigning 250cc World Champ.

"This is one of my best victories because other riders were up to my level and ready to beat me. My condition still isn't great and I am not in the shape I have been during the last two years but I am so happy to have won here," concluded Pichon.

"We are proving that the two-strokes are not dead and they are not on their way out," said Suzuki Team owner Sylvain Geboers. "To come to the sand and beat the Belgian riders with their four-strokes was a tremendous achievement and one in which the riders, team and factory can feel very proud."