Pichon faces Citadelle showdown.

Mickael Pichon enters round eight of the 2003 Motocross GP World Championships this weekend at the historic Namur circuit in Belgium still in control of the points standings - but under intense pressure from Stefan Everts.

Yamaha rider Everts has won the last four consecutive races after Suzuki number one Mickael Pichon - the most successful French rider in GP history - owned the opening three events of the season.

The pair are the only victors to-date in the new MX GP class that mixes 250cc two-stroke machines and 450cc four-strokes and are separated by just three points with RM 250 rider Pichon holding the advantage thanks to other results of 4-4-2-3 compared to Everts' 3-9-4.

KTM's Joel Smets is not far away either and sits in third place only seven points adrift after securing six podium finishes with the 450.

Namur is one of the oldest MX venues and hosted a GP for Belgium back in the first ever MX World Championship (500cc) during 1957. Weaving its way across the mount located in the town centre the track is unique on the Motocross calendar and is almost Enduro-esque in its nature.

A narrow course that cuts through woodland, past a pub and even under a small footbridge, Namur is a tough test of both man and machine and is a very popular venue with most of the riders.

Sadly for the factory Suzuki effort of Pichon and Belgian team-mate Kevin Strijbos it happens to be Everts' favourite track, but the Frenchman has proved his mettle on the steep gradients around the 'Citadelle' by taking victory at the 2001 250cc Grand Prix (the circuit was not used last year).

"I have been riding a lot in the last two weeks and that has been good for my preparation for this race," remarked Pichon. "We tested last week and generally it went OK but the team will still be working on some things before the GP."

Pichon then revealed that he actually thought about retiring at the end of last year, and because of that his preparations haven't been what they should be - despite his early run of victories.

"This year I haven't been near the level of the last two seasons," he claimed. "My physical condition has not been so high and neither has my motivation. I was thinking about stopping after 2002 and I spent four months without riding at all, which was too much to come back from right away.

"At the start of the season I said I wasn't 100% fit, I had competed in less races and had generally trained less than the year before. Winning the first three GPs was a surprise and I then started to train by myself, which was a mistake and probably explains why things haven't been so good lately," he continued. "I made a few errors with my fitness and that didn't help with the mental side. Things have picked up recently and my confidence is good. I think you need so many factors to win a Championship and I am trying to get all those areas working."

Concerning this Sunday's race Pichon keeps pleasant memories of his triumph in 2001 and victory over current AMA star Chad Reed.

"I don't have a great deal of experience of the track but my speed is good," he began. "I beat Chad Reed a couple of years ago and then he went on to win at the Motocross Des Nations the same season ahead of Everts and those guys.

"(Namur) is a weird place and not one of my favourites. It will be important to find a good set-up with the bike. I think I am strong enough to win this weekend even though it is Stefan's home GP; to stop him at Namur will be a very good victory."

"This GP is a special event and the track is very different to anything else in the Championships," commented Team Manager Jens Johansson. "Mickael performed well there two years ago and we will be aiming again for a top three finish.

"Namur is a circuit where we really do not want the bike to be too aggressive because the terrain is slippery and there isn't a lot of grip; smooth power from the engine would be a big help for Mickael and this is something we have been working hard with over the last week," he explained.

"We went testing for a few days to France and now we will have to wait and see if it pays off. I'm not sure we found the solution that we wanted but we gained more information. The Suzuki is already a good package and Mickael was excellent in qualifying at Sweden; I think by his own admission he did not have the best race two weeks ago," said Johansson.

"Lately it has been difficult to win and we always knew the competition would be very tough, at Uddevalla we were beaten fair and square and Stefan Everts and the four-strokes are getting stronger all the time," he admitted.

Strijbos has slipped out of the top ten in the Championship standings for the first time this season after his 14th place finish two weeks ago in Sweden.

The 17 year old will have a vocal crowd cheering him on this weekend and the last time he raced at a circuit vaguely close to home he gained his best ever GP result with fourth place at Valkenswaard back in April.

"Namur will be Kevin's home GP and I think it might be a difficult race for him," said Johansson. "It has been a hard month and the important thing now is for Kevin to get a result that gives him a little of bit extra confidence."