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From - Ian Miles:
BIG CHANGES IN GRAND PRIX MOTOCROSS:
In major changes to the organisation of world motocross, the 250 class in which Josh Coppins is runner-up rider has been confirmed as the leading category.
And the 125 class where Ben Townley stars is now the second-ranked category, at the expense of the old big-bore 500 class.
The changes, announced today along with a provisional world championship calendar for 2003, allow four-stroke bikes to race with the prevailing two-strokes on equal footing as in the USA.
A similar move has been very successful in road racing this year. However the motocross pecking order of 250, 125, 650 is different from road racing where capacity rules.
Screaming two-strokes have dominated the motocross 125 and 250 classes for many years, while booming four-strokes have found a home in 500.
Coppins' 250 class, its premier status arguably under threat in recent times from the 500, will now be known as Motocross GP. It will allow four-strokes up to 450cc to take on the mighty 250 two-strokes.
Townley's 125 class will accept four-strokes up to 250cc. And in a definite upgrade, the 125 Grand Prix will be staged just an hour and a half after the start of the Motocross GP event at each international round . a move clearly aimed at continuous television coverage.
Coppins' Motocross GP will start at midday local time, Townley's 125 at 1.30.
The large capacity race, now called 650 as it allows four-strokes up to that engine size and two-strokes to 500cc, will follow at 3pm. In a further downgrade, the 650 will not be staged at events outside Europe.
Several teams have already announced or hinted they will bring their major 500-class riders down to the new Motocross GP category. Yamaha will front the Belgian recently crowned the most successful racer of all time, Stefan Everts, while KTM is known to be keen to move his great rival and countryman Joel Smets.
Honda's top title contender Coppins has not yet decided whether he will stay on the CR250 two-stroke which took him to number two this year, or hop onto the impressive new CRF450 four-stroke.
"I'm very fortunate that Honda has top bikes in both categories," commented the expat Kiwi today. "I've spent my entire career, including eight years at the world champs, on two-strokes so naturally that's where I'm most comfortable," said the 25-year-old who will ride for the UK-based CAS Honda team in 2003. "And the CR250 was a fabulous bike this year, as my results show. "But I've ridden the 450 quite a bit recently and I was very happy with it at the final Italian championship race where I won that title a couple of weeks ago. "We still have more testing to do and I'll make a decision after that."
For Townley the choice is made. The savvy KTM factory team would not consider switching him from the SX125 two-stroke on which he rocketed to stardom this year.
"KTM knew this was coming and the squad already has its riders picked for the 250 four-stroke," said the 17-year-old expat who will back up his 2003 world championship season with selected appearances for the factory team in the lucrative US market. "I've ridden the 250 two-stroke a bit this year and even the 500 four-stroke, but the 125 class is my home for now."
In just his second season at the world championship, Townley flew to sixth place this year and it's no secret the powerful KTM outfit sees him as a potential world champion in 2003.
It's the first time in motocross history New Zealand-born riders will start as definite title contenders in the two major world championship classes.
Today's calendar sees no new grand prix nations, except England which returns after a two-year absence. The number of rounds is up two to 14, however several are not confirmed and could be deleted.
Expectations of events in the USA and Qatar have not been fulfilled.
The high-profile Motocross des Nations event which follows the championship season is slated to return to Belgium at the Zolder road-racing complex after a controversial move to the USA ended in a disastrous cancellation this year.
The event was hastily re-convened yesterday in Spain but most top riders stayed away, as did several entire nations including New Zealand.
Italy took the crown from Belgium and Finland. New Zealand was third when the event was staged in Belgium last year.
The provisional 2003 calendar is:
30 March Bellpuig, Spain
13 April Valkenswaard, Netherlands
4 May Teutschenthal, eastern German - to be confirmed
18 May St Jean-d'Angély, France - to be confirmed
1 June Italy - to be announced
8 June Sevlievo, Bulgaria
22 June Austria - to be announced
6 July Uddevalla, Sweden
20 July Moscow, Russia - to be confirmed
3 August Rushmoor Arena, Great Britain
10 August Lierop, Netherlands
24 August Gaildorf, western Germany - to be confirmed
31 August Loket, Czech Republic
14 September Ernee, France
Also - 5 October Motocross des Nations - Zolder, Belgium
