Melotte wins GP of Flanders, stars struggle.

The opening grand prix of the 2004 world championship season saw a new generation of riders shine, headed by Yamaha's Cedric Melotte, who grabbed glory in the premier MX1 class on a wet, windy and sunny day at Zolder, Belgium.

In the first moto, Suzuki's Kevin Strijbos grabbed the holeshot and would briefly lead his home grand prix, until pole sitter Mickael Pichon put his Tiscali Honda ahead by the end of the opening lap.

However, Strijbos stuck with the double world champion and when Pichon fell from his 450F, the young Belgian returned to the front. A small mistake in the whoops would ultimately cost Strijbos his first GP victory, as it allowed Pichon, Steve Ramon, Melotte and Brian Jorgensen ahead.

Kevin's hopes would eventually end in retirement: "After I made the mistake in the whoops I was back in sixth but making some ground on the group ahead when the bike cut out," said Strijbos. "I couldn't restart and was pretty angry. It was a moto to forget."

Meanwhile, Pichon was unable to shake off his pursuers and several small mistakes would allow team-mate Jorgensen and Ramon ahead. The Frenchman just couldn't keep on terms with the sand specialists and as he faded to a safe third, Ramon surprised by taking his heavily redesigned 450cc KTM to a decisive moto victory ahead of the ever present Melotte.

"The moto was great!" said Ramon. "I had some good lines and the track was very rough so I was happy with my speed and able to take my first win in the MX1 class."

"After my crash I found a good rhythm and came back on Pichon. Ramon was riding fast, and I preferred to secure my second position," added Melotte.

"My riding was not good - I felt tense and was making stupid mistakes," admitted Pichon. "I felt confident because right away I could see that my speed and physical condition was OK."

Further back, the injured Joel Smets had a disastrous start to the season when he fell from his Suzuki in turn one, eventually recovering to thirteenth: "I entered the first corner a bit too tense," admitted Smets. "I should have been stronger and I may have come through. My riding was good in the first moto and I made a lot of positions."

Meanwhile, Stefan Everts - himself nursing a severely bruised rib - rode a measured race to finish fifth after also suffering an early race off: "After the crash I noticed my handlebars being bent, so I had to be even more careful because the track was so rough," he said.

Moto two saw a turn one pile-up take out - most significantly - Pichon and Everts. Everts would slightly injure his thumb, but remount quickly, while Pichon was left in last place: "Marko Kovalianen slammed into me and for a moment I was afraid as all the bikes ran over us," recalled the Frenchman. "I got back up and banged the front mudguard back into shape then carried on..."

Meanwhile, Pichon's former Suzuki team-mate Josh Coppins, now on a CAS run Honda, took the holeshot and lead the field through turn one. The New Zealander would hold firm up front until the eighth lap when Melotte moved ahead - and the L&M rider would never look back. Strijbos completed the top three.

"The race was just perfect," beamed Cedric. "I thought I had moved into the lead too early when I passed Coppins but I resisted the pressure. Winning here was a big surprise for me. I had a little bit of luck on my side but this is the best possible motivation for the rest of the season. My ambitions of finishing top seven or top five every race have not changed. Of course I will not hesitate if I can produce some more surprises!"

"I'm really pleased with my riding today" explained Coppins, who was seventh in race one. "I felt fast enough to win the second heat but then I made a few mistakes and Cedric got past. With the conditions as they were it seemed a wise idea to settle for second and take an overall podium. It is still a long season and getting through today and starting the season without any injuries was top priority."

"I got the holeshot, but the first 10 to 15 minutes were not great and a few riders passed me," added Strijbos. "The gap increased to the leaders but then I relaxed and started to get quicker and even set the fastest lap of the race at one point. I was pleased that I could stay full-on for 40 minutes at the same speed. The riding was good today and apart from the first moto I am happy enough."

Reigning world champion Everts took another fifth placed finish by the flag, while fellow former champions Smets and Pichon claimed seventh and eleventh respectively, on a day when the next generation of riders ruled.

"I am quite happy with my performance today considering my condition," claimed Everts. "Two fifth places at the opening GP are more than I hoped for with my rib injury sustained last week. Actually I felt no pain when riding, and I messed up my chances today with two bad starts."

"I may have finished 7th second time out but the day was not very rewarding. We still have to fix a few mechanical problems," confessed Smets.

"Although I was down in 20th (after the first turn fall) my performance in that moto was much better," stated Pichon. "I was more relaxed and making better times. I had taken some antibiotics before the race because I had a cold a few days ago and was feeling slightly weak. I cannot be too disappointed with my first GP back because I took some points and there are still a lot of races left."

Overall, Melotte now leads the world championship standings with 47 points, four more than Ramon, whilst Coppins,(36), Everts (32) and Pichon (30) complete the top five. Smets currently sits ninth, on 22 points.