Preview - Russian Grand Prix.

Thanks to victories in the last two races factory Kawasaki rider Mickael Maschio holds a 10 point advantage in the 125cc 2002 Motocross World Championship as the premier off-road series heads to the final round of 12 at Park Extreme, Moscow, Russia.

With Mickael Pichon already having wrapped up the 250cc crown at round ten and Stefan Everts celebrating his second title in two years contesting the 500cc category at Loket two weeks ago, Maschio now has the onus to finish the closest and most exciting title chase of the '02 campaign.

The Frenchman escaped to a comprehensive victory in the Czech Republic several weeks ago, a rare sight in a frantic and open season for the 125cc riders that has seen six different men stand on the top step of the podium in the last seven months, ahead of his main rivals for the number one plate Steve Ramon, who collected second, and Patrick Caps who struggled to fifth. Now the 29 year old, who is the most successful protagonist in the junior classification this year with four wins overall in a career total of five, needs to finish no lower than sixth if Caps takes his third victory of the term, and higher than seventh if Ramon (one point behind Caps in the standings) manages to triumph.

After a promising start it looked as though Maschio's quest for his first world title had slipped off the rails slightly when he crashed out in Bulgaria for round seven in the midst of a four race spell without a taste of cava. He managed to re-iterate his credentials at round ten in Germany when he passed both Ramon and Caps in an impressive race charge to inflict perhaps his most important psychological performance at a crucial stage.

Now as the GP circus heads to a brand new facility located in Yakhroma, north of the city of Moscow, the first race to be held in the country for 19 years (the last event was in 1983 a 125cc GP), the final part of this year's Championships is ready to be decided; Maschio is the man on form and is clear favourite.

Triple 125cc GP winner in 2001 and current factory 250cc rider Kenneth Gundersen (indeed the only other man to have won a 250 race all season apart from Pichon) will be riding alongside his Kawasaki team-mate in an effort to fend off the hoards of KTMs that will be assisting Ramon and Caps last-gasp plight.

Mickael Pichon is ready to gobble up another record in the 250cc GP of Russia. If the most successful Frenchman in the history of MX Grand Prix, and double World Champion in the last two years, wins his eleventh race of the year he will overtake his haul of 2001 (ten victories from 14 races) and also set an all-time new president for consecutive GP successes with a total of nine winners trophies. Pichon has won 20 out of the last 25 GPs, he has missed the podium twice in two years and his lowest result has been eighth.

Out to try and stop the Suzuki rider will be Josh Coppins, hunting his eighth official podium result of the year and looking to cement his status as World number two, a distinction he holds in the standings by 11 points over former Honda team-mate Pit Beirer. Jamie Dobb, after scoring his first and overdue top three finish in Loket needs to defend his 12 point advantage in fourth from Fred Bolley who is retiring from the sport in which he won two back-to-back Championship in 1999 and 2000, after this weekend to pursue a career in road racing. Johnny Aubert, the Frenchman who was so close to his first ever podium two races ago in Germany before a last lap crash, misses the last GP through injuries sustained in the incident.

Stefan Everts is still bound to be revelling in his status as the most successful rider ever in the history of Motocross after sealing his sixth World Championship, his second in only two years in the 500cc class, in Loket two weeks ago. The 29 year old Belgian also holds the record for the most GP career victories (54 and counting) as well as the status of being only the second rider to have won titles in all three categories.

The Yamaha rider has notched only 4 wins this season and has had to watch KTM man Joel Smets embark on a seemingly indestructible run of form just recently taking four of the last five Grand Prix (six altogether so far). Smets remained in minor contention for the crown in Loket after suffering some bad luck with mechanical problems earlier in the year, but Everts 11th podium appearance of 2002 (a staggering amount of 24 top three finishes from the last 25 races) ended his chances.

The Belgian has elevated himself to second overall in the Championship and must beat Marnicq Bervoets, who he leads by 3 points and Javier Garcia Vico, 7 behind, to secure the number two plate once more (the only time since his first of five 500cc world crown in 1995 that Smets has gone two seasons without a title).

This is the last ever Motocross GP to witness machines competing in their own classifications. For 2003, the 125 class will see the two-strokes mix with 250cc four-strokes, while the quarter-litre category will welcome 450cc thumpers.