Smets, Strijbos fired up for Namur.

The fourth round of the 2005 FIM Motocross World Championships takes place this weekend at Namur for the Grand Prix of Belgium and Team Suzuki, with their all-Belgian line-up of riders, will be hoping for a top result at their home GP.

Joel Smets returns to 'The Citadelle' after missing the race last year due to his bacterial blood infection and broken knee ligaments. The 36-year-old has been complaining of pain in his quadriceps over the last few meetings but received a cortisone injection after the Grand Prix of Portugal two weeks ago to fix the problem.

He will ride at an International event in France today (Thursday) to recoup riding time missed due to the medical attention. The former five times world champion enjoyed a positive outing at Mons for the third round of the Belgian Championships last weekend and finished second in all three motos behind Stefan Everts.

"My legs are OK actually. I had a cortisone injection after Portugal and had to take it easy the week afterwards so I did not ride until Friday," he confirmed. "I went to the Belgian Championships without expectations and it went well; I was satisfied with my speed. I could hang with Stefan over the three motos at a fast pace while guys like Steve Ramon and Ben Townley dropped back. I wasn't prepared to take risks and fight with Stefan because I was thinking about Namur.

"I have a race (today) on a hard track to prepare for the Citadelle. If there is one motocross meeting I never want to miss then it is the Grand Prix at Namur. The atmosphere and the place itself make it so special," he enthused. "How the paddock is laid out, the way to get to the start, the drop into the woods, the whole package is great for motocross. I don't agree that the track is not good for racing. I have seen other circuits with fewer opportunities to pass.

"There have been some changes in the last couple of years by the club that have made the track safer but keeping the spirit of Namur at the same time. I think every rider is aware of what they have to do at Namur. It requires more concentration and a different focus," he concluded.

Smets has won two motos from the six held so far and has also scored two overall podiums on the RM-Z 450. He registered a DNF two weeks ago in Portugal due to a broken fuel hose and currently stands fourth in the World Championships.

Meanwhile, team-mate Kevin Strijbos underwent surgery immediately after the Portuguese round on a broken collarbone he sustained in timed practice. The 18 year old had a plate inserted to support the break but had to return to hospital a day later after experiencing a lot of pain.

The further discomfort was allayed to a strained neck muscle and he received an injection. Strijbos was able to ride on Monday and also trained on Wednesday and is optimistic that he will be OK for the grand prix.

"I was riding Monday and (Wednesday) and the shoulder is still sore but it is improving all the time so I hope it will be ok for Namur," said Kevin. "The difficult part is jumping and I hope it will rain this weekend so I will not lose too much time because the others are out-jumping me. My physical condition is good and I was riding well in Portugal before the crash so I hope I am not too far away.

"Namur is always cool as an event and this time especially with the Supermoto being there, but I don't like the track at all. It is not that good for the fans and I don't particularly enjoy racing there."

Strijbos has not enjoyed the best of luck since crashing while testing in American last February: The Belgian has since re-injured ankle ligaments and sustained the collarbone fracture. He lies tenth in the current MX1 standings while still fighting to get back to full race fitness.

Located in the town centre and sprawled over a park topping the mount, Namur, or the 'Citadelle', is a unique venue and offers a fast and technical test like no other in world motocross.

The course bobs and weaves around the former military stronghold, cutting through woodland with near-vertical drops and climbs, a narrow track shrouded by trees and passing under a footbridge and even a former pub! Often dubbed the 'Monaco of Motocross' Namur is more akin to an Enduro test, but at much higher speed.

The 2004 edition was a tremendous success and for this season has been organised again by former multi-World Champion and the first ever 'triple crown' holder Eric Geboers, brother of Team Suzuki owner Sylvain.

The public were able to ride the track last year in an interesting part of the event and for this weekend Namur has also broken new ground by being the first Grand Prix to share its programme with a round of the Supermoto World Championship.

Unfortunately light rain and showers are predicted for the weekend's action.