It's going to be tough to beat the Belgian Motocross of Nations team this coming weekend. With three great sand riders in Rinaldi Yamaha's Stefan Everts, KTM factory rider Steve Ramon and Suzuki factory rider Kevin Strijbos it's hard to imagine that any other team will have the consistency to pull off victory. There is however three or four teams who could take victory if the Belgians have bad luck and one of those is Team New Zealand.
With the new World MX2 Motocross champion CHAMP KTM rider Ben Townley in the New Zealand line-up the kiwi's are looking a great chance to finish second, which would be there best finish in the history of the sport. The ever consistent kiwi's will also have CAS Honda rider Josh Coppins in the line-up and their third rider Daryl Hurley is coming off his AMA Motocross championship success. Who can ever forget Hurley winning the opening round of this years World Supercross championship in Spain. Like the Belgians the New Zealand team have three riders who have all won a World championship race this year, Coppins and Townley in the FIM Motocross series and Hurley in the FIM Supercross series.
We sat down with the top riders from the Belgium and New Zealand teams to find out what they are thinking, and what the future brings for the two countries as we head into Lierop, Netherlands this weekend.
When Ben Townley jokingly told Stefan Everts the Belgians would lose the Motocross of Nations he did so in a happy manner, although the World MX2 champion is taking this years event very seriously.
"We want to win it," Townley said recently. "We have a good enough team to win, we need some luck, but overall we have a great chance, our best yet. Josh and I have been riding in the sand just about every day for the last two months, and we are ready for success. Tyla Rattray and Steve Ramon will both be on KTM 250 4-strokes, so it‰Û÷s going to be tough, but I feel I can win the class, and I hope we can win the team overall, that is what is important for me at this stage."
While Townley is confident, the ever consistent Stefan Everts is also looking at taking the Chamberlain trophy back to Belgium.
"I wish Ben was riding the MX1 class," Everts smiled. "I would like to see how he goes, and have the chance to race against him. You know everyone said we should have won in 2001, but we had bad luck and France won. I am not looking too far ahead, of course we have three very good sand riders, so we should win it, but anything can happen."
Josh Coppins was not always a sand rider, but living in Belgium and practising with the likes of Smets, Everts and Townley has brought the CAS Honda rider to another level in the deep Belgian and Dutch sand.
"We have been riding it so much that I feel at home in it," Coppins said. "It's been tough to learn, but I think I am okay. I will be disappointed if we don't finish on the podium, and we do have a chance to win, for sure. We go there looking for five good results, and being able to beat Belgium, or course they are the ones we have to beat, also the French. Like Ben said we have been working really hard towards the Motocross of Nations, and we have never been better prepared than this year.
Last year we had bad luck and we want to make up for that. With Ben winning the World title New Zealand is really pumped at the moment, to win the Motocross of Nations would be big for Motocross back home."
Steve Ramon is also looking at taking his second consecutive Motocross of Nations trophy, and looks towards his battle with Ben Townley in the MX2 class as the highlight.
"It's going to be nice to race with Ben," Ramon said. "He's a great rider and I have to chance to race against him in the same class. I have only ridden the 250 4-stroke once, but it feels good and I want to be able to show that I am worthy of being in the team. Last year I rode really well, and I think I proved to many people that I am a good sand rider.‰Û
