1.
GV Track area with flags
0.03

2.
SV Course sprayed
0.08

3.
SV Riders away
0.16

4.
SV Rider No. 2 gets push
0.24

5.
SV Rider No. 28 past camera and away
0.32

6.
SV Crowd watch
0.35

7.
SV Rider No. 8 (winner) towards camera and past others, riders through trailing dust cloud
0.46

8.
SV Rider No. 52 over bump and away followed by rider 28
0.54

9.
SV Others riders over bumps
1.01

10.
SV Rider No. 8 crosses finish line
1.10

11.
SV Crowd
1.15

12.
SV Winner kissed by girl, receives flowers
1.28



Initials PAF/AS/MH


SPORT: MOTOR CROSS

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Roger de Coster (Belgium) won the Belgian 500 cc Motor-Cross Grand Prix for the second successive year on Sunday (2 August) at the Namur circuit in central Belgium. But he has not chance of winning the World Championship. With just one race remaining, it has become a battle between three Swedish riders.

Before the race started, the track was sprayed with water to try to minimise the amount of dust on it.

Bengt Aberg (No.2) the current World Champion and strongly favoured to recapture his title, was in some difficulty right at the start, and had to be assisted away. This season Aberg has suffered heavily at the hands of his Swedish team-mate Arne Kring.

Kring beat him successively in Holland, rance and Finland and the Championship seemed to be his. But on July 18 in Ostende, Kring was badly injured in a race, suffering three fractured vertebrae. This put him out of racing for the rest of the season.

This piece of bad luck gave Aberg a great opportunity to retain the World title, but he failed to get the win he needed at the Mamur circuit. In fact he was not in any of the first three places.

The race was won, for the second year in succession, by Roger de Coster (No. 8) from brussels. The Swedish rider Ake Jonsson came second and this gives him a slim chance of the World title. Adolf Weil of West Germany was third.

The injured Arne Kring still leads the World Championship table, however, with just one race -- the Luxembourg Grand Prix -- remaining. Only two riders can still catch Kring even though he will not be riding. Ake Johnson will take the title if he comes first or second, but Bengt Aberg needs only to finish in the first four to retain his crown.

Only four championship points separate these three Swedish riders and everything points to an exciting finish to the season at the Ander Wark circuit in Luxembourg later this month.