MAXXIS British Championships: Langrish
By J.P. O'Connell
From the Siberian conditions of Canada Heights two weeks earlier, the Maxxis British Motocross Championship moved to the Hampshire circuit of Langrish for round two. It was a perfect day for racing with unseasonably good weather greeting the many fans who made the journey South and an action packed days racing topping it all off.
The MX2 class has carried on from where it left off last season, with current MX2 champion Shaun Simpson mixing it up with former British champ Stephen Sword at the front of the field. In the first race Simpson gets to the front and threatens to check out and make it three from three for the KTM man. Behind him KTM UK’s Sword has different ideas and spends the entire race chipping away at Simpson’s lead, closing right up to his back wheel in the closing stages. On the penultimate lap, and feeling the pressure, Simpson hits a kicker coming into a tight left hander, dropping the bike and allowing Sword to sweep by. Sword doesn’t need asking twice and crosses the line 7 seconds ahead of Simpson, who in turn is followed home by MVR-D Suzuki’s Mattis Karro in third.
In the second race Simpson sets out to make amends and immediately puts himself at the pointy end, Swordy also gets a good start and settles into second with MAR Honda’s Pascal Leuret in third. The positions remain the same for 5 laps until yet again Simpson runs into bad luck when his chain derails, allowing Sword to capitalise and grab the lead ahead of Leuret and KTM UK’s Jake Nicholls in third. Meanwhile Simpson, after getting the chain back on, gets his head down and tries to catch the leading trio, lapping 2 seconds quicker than the third place man; until a crash, 2 laps later, puts him back down to 10th place at just under half distance. The task proves too much for Simpson, who valiantly fights his way back up to fourth place at the finish, behind Sword, Leuret and Nicholls.
1st Sword KTM UK
2nd Simpson Red Bull KTM
3rd Mattis Karro SUSO MVR-D Suzuki
4th Pascal Leuret MAR Honda
MX2 Race 2
1st Sword KTM UK
2nd Leuret MAR Honda
3rd Nicholls KTM UK
4th Simpson Red Bull KTM
MX2 Overall
1st Sword 50pts
2nd Leuret 40pts
3rd Simpson 40pts
4th Bradshaw 32pts
In the MX1 class, reigning champ Billy Mackenzie was looking to make amends after a disappointing first round, and had the tools to do it with his full factory Honda CRF 450. Unfortunately for him he had a day to forget as wildcard entry, Red Bull KTM’s GP winner Max Nagl, takes a pair of wins ahead of the British Championship regulars.
In the first race Mackenzie gets no further than the first turn before being unceremoniously dumped to the ground, twisting the CRF’s bars, and leaving the Scotsman in dead last while the pack head off into the dust. Nagl is in a class of his own as he checks out at the front, while UTAG Yamaha’s 450 new boy Zach Osborne settles into second, with SUSO MVR-D’s Carl Nunn sitting in third for the first third of the race. Mackenzie’s new team mate, Cedric Melotte, is the man on the move as he makes his way past Nunn, before overhauling Osborne for second with around 5 laps to go. Under pressure from PAR Honda’s Brad Anderson for the last few laps, Osborne does a great job of hanging in for third, while further back in the pack Mackenzie does his best at limiting the damage by coming from last to finish 12th.
In the second race everyone goes through the first turn clean, with Osborne grabbing his second holeshot of the day. The first few laps see a great three way battle between Nagl, Osborne and Mackenzie, before Mackenzie jumps his way into the lead on a downhill double and sets about putting himself out of harms way. Nagl has other ideas though, and after passing Osborne sets off after the fast disappearing Mackenzie. As the laps click off it becomes obvious that Nagl is closing in on Mackenzie, and, smelling blood, closes right onto the Hondas rear wheel. On the last lap Nagl makes his move in the Valley and passes Mackenzie, who in turn makes a big mistake and takes a huge trip over the bars, somersaulting onto the track and ending any hope of a decent result. In the meantime KRT Kawasaki’s Gareth Swanepoel sticks a pass on Osborne, which due to Mackenzie’s misfortune, gives the South African second behind Nagl, with Osborne finishing a more than respectable third in only his second trip out in the 450 class.
1st Nagl Red Bull KTM
2nd Melotte CAS Honda
3rd Osborne UTAG Yamaha
4th Anderson PAR Honda
MX1 Race 2
1st Nagl Red Bull KTM
2nd Swanepoel KRT Kawasaki
3rd Osborne UTAG Yamaha
4th Anderson PAR Honda
MX1 Overall
1st Nagl 50pts
2nd Osbourne 40pts
3rd Anderson 36pts
4th Swanepoel 32pts
