MacKenzie and Searle dominate at Donington
Clear blue skies and several thousand expectant race fans marked the opening encounter of the 2008 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship held at the famous Donington Park road race circuit. Although not quite as fast as their tarmac compatriots, the dirt based riders produced some equally thrilling action on a track that hosted last year’s British MXGP and that will welcome the MX of Nations in late September.

Picking up from where he left off last season, reigning MX1 British Champion Billy MacKenzie – CAS Honda in his new colours delivered a clear message that he has no intention of surrendering his domestic crown. The twenty-four old from Scotland was in devastating form throughout the day. Tommy Searle – KTM UK who just missed out on the MX2 title last year, also opened his account with an equally dominant performance.

There was no gentle beginning to the day, with MacKenzie topping MX1 qualifying by an opponent destroying margin of nearly two seconds, over the highly rated Kenneth Gundersen – UTAG Yamaha. MacKenzie took this pace straight into the first race, and led the field by three seconds as he crossed the line on his initial lap.

No one had an answer to Billy’s sheer speed, with Gundersen and Tom Church – Molson Kawasaki having to settle for the remaining podium places respectively before the race had even properly begun. It was the same story in the second MX1 moto, with MacKenzie going from the gate to the flag unchallenged to leave Brad Anderson - Swift Suzuki and Gundersen to pick up the rostrum scraps this time around.

Searle had to wait until lap three in the first MX2 race before he hit the front and then disappeared in to the distance to cross the line fifteen seconds ahead of Stephen Sword – Molson Kawasaki and Pascal Leuret – Swift Suzuki. It was almost a repeat performance by Tommy next time out, as he took command of the race on lap five to come home seventeen seconds clear of Sword and Shaun Simpson – KTM UK to end a perfect day for the teenager.

A win and a fifth place was just enough to give Scott Elderfield – KTM the overall win in the MXY2 class by a single point over Sam Davis, who finished as runner up thanks to two consistent third places from his two outings.

The championship will only pause briefly now, before the battle resumes at the fantastic Canada Heights Circuit on Sunday 23rd March.

MX1 Moto One: 1: MacKenzie 2: Gundersen 3: Church 4: Noble 5: Anderson
MX1 Moto Two: 1: MacKenzie 2: Anderson 3: Gundersen 4: Noble 5: Church
MX1 Overall:  1: MacKenzie 50 2: Gundersen 42 3: Anderson 38

Championship to date: 1: MacKenzie 50 2: Gundersen 42 3: Anderson 38

MX2 Moto One: 1: Searle 2: Sword 3: Leuret 4: Swanepoel 5: Barr
MX2 Moto Two: 1: Searle 2: Sword 3: Simpson 4: Leuret 5: Barr
MX2 Overall: 1: Searle 50 2: Sword 44 3: Leuret 38

Championship to date: 1: Searle 50 2: Sword 44 3: Leuret 38



Molson Kawasaki Racing
Sweet start to British championship season for Molson Kawasaki
Molson Kawasaki’s onslaught on the British motocross championship kicks off at Donington Park with top six results for all three riders – Stephen Sword, Gareth Swanepoel and Tom Church After enjoying good results at the Hawkstone Park pre-season international last weekend the Molson Kawasaki team stayed in England for the opening round of the British motocross championship held at Donington Park. Cold but mostly sunny weather made conditions almost perfect at the circuit that’s due to host the Motocross des Nations in September.

After two hard fought MX2 motos Stephen Sword once more stepped on the podium - for the third week in succession - after finishing second overall on the day with his factory KX250F-SR thanks to a pair of runner-up finishes behind wildcard Tommy Searle. With Searle only due to compete in this round of the series, Sword becomes ‘virtual’ leader of the championship ahead of Pascal Leuret and Martin Barr.

“It’s been quite a good day,” said Stephen. “I haven’t ridden this track before so it probably took about half the practice session to really get into it but I got it figured out in the end and qualified fifth.

“In race one I didn’t get the best jump off the start but I stuck to the inside around the first corner to come out around fourth or fifth. I came through the pack and was just about to pass Simpson on one of the switchback sections for second when he came across me – I think by accident – and I went down. By the time I got going again I was sixth and had to come back past Barr, Leuret and Swanepoel into second but by then Tommy was too far away.

“In the second one again I didn’t get a great jump but used the same line around the first corner and came out in the lead. It’s been so long since I last lead a race that I can’t actually remember so I was enjoying it. I took it easy in the beginning – I was still pushing on but didn’t want to make any mistakes – and Simpson came past and then so did Tommy. Searle did Simpson then so did I, I thought I’d be able to keep with Tommy but I slid out and he broke away. After that I rode a little bit tight, I had some wrong lines and I missed a few ruts.

“Overall I’m very happy. Today’s been good for the championship. I’m looking forward to Canada Heights now to get another podium there.”

Gareth Swanepoel is unlucky not to join his Molson team-mate on the MX2 podium at Donington. After fighting at the front of the pack in moto one to finish fourth Gareth is knocked from his factory KX250F-SR in turn two of race two and fights hard all race long to finish in ninth. With a 4-9 scorecard Swanny ends up sixth overall but only eight points back on second place in the series standings.

It was a mixed day for me,” claimed Gareth. “In the first race I got a mediocre start but pulled through and was battling for second with Leuret and Swordy. We got mixed up with some backmarkers and Stephen managed to get by me and I ended up fourth. I was happy with that and it was a positive start to my championship.

“I got a better start in the second race and was around fourth or fifth but then Shaun Simpson wiped me out in the second corner and I wasn’t so happy about that. I made it back from dead last to ninth and salvaged some points.

“It was a good day really, I was competitive and in the mix and things are getting better and better every week and I’m on target for where I want to be at Valkenswaard.”

The Molson team’s MX1 contender Tom Church also scores well at the season opener despite not being overly happy with his riding on the day. The overly self critical 26-year-old starts well in both races and
rides consistently and smoothly to finish third in moto one and fifth second time out. Unlucky to miss out
on a podium position by just one point, Church has put himself in prime position to battle for the series win
with rounds at some of his favourite venues coming up.

“In the first race I got a really good start – my bike was so good out of the gate. I was running second for 90 per cent of the race until Kenneth Gundersen passed me near the end – I was riding a little tight and needed to relax,” reckoned Tom. “Once he got past I actually loosened up and rode a little bit better but I was still happy with third in my first championship race on the 450.

“I got a really good start again in the second moto, lost a few places early and settled in fifth. It rained mid-moto and got really slick and I made a huge mistake and lost a load of time. I recovered well and made up a lot of time on Noble and Gundersen but couldn’t make it past either of them before the finish.

“It’s not been a bad day at all, I’m reasonably happy and I’m looking forward to Canada Heights. I’m really motivated and I plan to work very hard in the next two weeks and I’m going to come out swinging.”

With a weekend free from racing coming up the Molson squad are next in action at round two of the British championship at Canada Heights in the South East region of England on March 23.



Team CCM
CCM’s MX450 scores points on its British Championship debut

Following last weekend’s return to the International paddock after a prolonged absence, CCM Racing made its debut at the 2008 Maxxis ACU British Motocross championship for the first time in nearly twenty years. The ultra ambitious CCM MX450 has thrown the Bolton based company right back into the spotlight, with their revolutionary bonded aluminium chassis bike taking centre stage alongside the many Japanese supported factory machines.

The famous Donington Park road race facility hosted the opening round of this year’s domestic series, with several thousand race fans making the trip to the East Midlands circuit to witness the British designed and built motorcycle in action and up against the country’s top riders. Once again the lone responsibility of putting a bike, which is less than six weeks old, through its race paces was left to nineteen-year old Oliver Sandiford-Smith. CCM racing’s second rider Richie Worrall could only watch from the sidelines due to a leg injury, but is recovering well and is looking to be back on his factory bike within the next two weeks.

Sandiford-Smith (pictured right) used the morning qualifying session to acquaint himself with the awesome Donington Park motocross track that features some of the biggest jumps seen anywhere in the UK, and which hosted the British MXGP in the summer of 2007. The CCM MX450 looked very much at home on the ultra technical track, with Oliver posting his quickest time on lap six of the session to qualify just outside the top twenty.

The first MX1 race saw CCM’s lone warrior struggle to get to grips with the worsening track and fast pace of the front-runners. Despite not feeling totally confident in the difficult conditions, Oliver fought his way back from thirty-first to finish twenty-fourth come the chequered flag. A few carefully chosen motivational words from Team Principle Gary Harthern, put the teenager on the line for the second moto in a far more focussed mood.

A stalled engine early in race two put pay to a far better result for Sandiford-Smith, with the youngster showing some great speed and fight to work his way back up from thirtieth to a respectable nineteenth position come the end of the moto. This gave CCM Racing two valuable British championship points, their first for nearly two decades.

Team Principle Gary Harthern reflected on the day’s events. “The second race has proved Oliver’s potential, without him stalling the bike, he could have well challenged for a top ten position. It is still very early days for us, but already the bike is showing great reliability and strength especially on a track like today. We need to remember the bigger picture, and must not expect too much too soon, despite all the excitement that seems to be surrounding us at the moment.

“Our aim is to be finishing in the top ten at the end of the season, not now, just a few weeks after the bike was first built!”



CAS HONDA RACE REPORT
BILLY MAC KICKS OFF NEW SEASON IN WINNING STYLE!

Billy MacKenzie showed his determination to dominate MX1 again this season by storming to unassailable victory in the first round of the British Championship at Donington Park on Sunday.

Qualifying
The day began well, with the CAS Honda star almost two seconds faster than his nearest competitors in qualifying. Meanwhile, his team-mate Mike Brown qualified in tenth place in MX2…

MX2 Race 1
Mike’s first race started with him appearing round the first corner in tenth place, then pulling himself through to sixth, before stalling the bike at the halfway stage. After struggling to get his machine restarted, he was a lap down by the time he rejoined the race, yet he still managed a creditable 18th place, with Searle taking the race win.

MX1 Race 1
Billy shot out of the start gate for his first race to take the holeshot, after which he dominated the entire race. His fastest lap time was nearly four seconds faster than the rest of the field.

MX2 Race 2
Mike’s second race saw him in sixth place round the first bend and pushing hard until dramatically crashing through the chestnut fencing and bending his handlebars in the process. Bravely he completed the race, nursing his damaged machine to a creditable 10th place. Searle took his second win of the day.

MX1 Race 2
Billy’s second race was pretty much identical to the first, confidently pulling away from the front, even when the weather changed to heavy rain showers.

Race verdicts:
Billy was thrilled with his double win, which puts him at the top of the table going into Round 2, which takes place Easter Sunday at Canada Heights.
Mike finished the day determined to overcome his setbacks at Donington and show that he is a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season.



Fuchs Silkolene
MacKenzie becomes the first winner of The Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award

Sunday 9th March saw the opening round of the 2008 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship take place at Donington Park, with the Fuchs Silkolene supported rider Billy Mackenzie – CAS Honda taking top honours in the MX1 class. The young Scot totally dominated proceedings at the East Midland’s Grand Prix circuit, by qualifying in pole position ahead of back to back race wins.

This initial maximum points haul puts the reigning British champion in the best position in terms of retaining his title that will be decided over eight rounds, as the series travels the length and breadth of the UK over the next six months.

MacKenzie rounded out a perfect day by also becoming the first ever MX1 winner of the newly introduced “Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award”. The award is part of an overall package that has seen Fuchs Silkolene join what is widely regarded as one of the most competitive domestic off road championships in the World. The brand is the exclusive lubricants partner of the 2008 series. “The Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award” recognises and rewards the riders with the fastest lap times under race conditions in both the MX1 and MX2 classes.

With the information provided by the championship’s official timekeepers, the fastest three riders in each class at each round will be awarded bonus points on a 5, 3 and 1 basis respectively. In addition to the two class winners being presented with prizes at each round, their cumulative points total will also count towards a very important overall prize that will be concluded at the last round in September.

The rider with the highest points tally, irrespective of class, following the final meeting at Hawkstone Park will be presented with “The Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award” and a cheque for one thousand five hundred pounds to donate to a recognised charity of their choice.

Speaking about the introduction of this unique award, Russell Kenyon – Sales and Marketing Director of Fuchs Silkolene UK explained. “ We wanted to introduce a prize that recognised the riders’ endeavours out on the track above and beyond just winning races. However we also appreciated that the riders are already rewarded in various ways for their exploits. So we thought it would be good if their efforts could help those that have a real need for support, hence the “The Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award” was born.“

Brian Higgins, Series Manager for the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship confirmed his support of this idea. “Fuchs Silkolene is obviously a valued partner of the championship, but far more than just providing financial support, they have also developed a great prize that not only adds extra interest to the championship, but will ultimately benefit a very worthy cause. As well as winning races the riders now have an added incentive and one where they can bring a change to people whose lives are less fortunate than their own.”

The Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award
Results  Round 1 – Donington Park – 9th March 2008
MX1
1st Billy MacKenzie 5 pts
2nd Tom Church 3 pts
3rd Kenneth Gundersen 1 pt

MX2
1st Tommy Searle 5 pts
2nd Stephen Sword 3 pts
3rd Pascal Leuret 1 pt



Mark Jones
Mark opens British campaign with 6th overall despite illness

Mark Jones and the ARB Tuning Kawasaki team  made their entrance to this years championship with a strong performance at the opening round of the championship held at the Donington Park circuit, home to this years MX of Nations.

However, Mark's Preparations for the event where severely hampered following his 11th overall showing at the previous weeks Hawkstone International, when he was struck down with a stomach virus, rendering him unable to take any solid food from the Tuesday prior to the race. With planned engine testing postponed, the decision to ride at all was made late on Friday.

Mark takes up the story of the week and the weekend. "This has been a week from hell to be honest. I started to feel a bit off on the Monday after Hawkstone but put it down to something I ate, but come Tuesday nothing was staying down at all. We had planned some testing to get more power from the engine as we need to get the power up a bit but that was scrapped and I just tried to keep myself hydrated."

"Even now after the race, I still haven't been able to eat properly, though I am well happy with the way the day has gone all things taken in. Qualified 4th which was good given the point we are at with development on the bike, and both races where very similar with a top 10 start and moving forward to 6th in each."

"This week I'll be looking to get my strength back up so I won't be taking things too hard and will be looking for a strong ride at the Masters round next week."



ARB Tuning Kawasaki
Good run continues for ARB Tuning Kawasaki

As teams descended on Donington Park, the location of the 2007 British Motocross Grand Prix, for the Maxxis British Motocross Championship opener this past weekend, their fears of a wet race were not realised. Although the weather was cold and windy, the track itself was in good condition. ARB Tuning Kawasaki's three riders, Vytautas Bucas in the MXY2 class, and Mark Jones and Jamie Lewis in the MX1 class, were all ready for action.
 
All three riders qualified well, and all three posted solid performances throughout the day. Although Vytautas crashed multiple times in his races, he posted a strong result in the first, scoring his first points of the season, and missed out on points by only a few places in the second. Mark and Jamie put in solid rides in the MX1 class, Mark hovering in the top five throughout the day, Jamie returning to the top fifteen after two mid-pack starts. The day's overall results placed Mark in sixth and Jamie in eleventh, eliciting a very satisfied smile from the team owner Mark Bishop.

Says Mark: "I'm very pleased with today. A sixth overall for Mark and an eleventh for Jamie; two boys in the top eleven, so I'm very happy. Vytautas had a bit of bad luck in the youth, but he's still young and will learn quickly. There's next week to look forward to."
 
Mark Jones adds: "Considering that on Friday I wasn't sure if I was going to ride, considering that I've been in bed ill all week, it wasn't a bad weekend. I qualified in fourth and was in fifth all through the first race until I stalled it in a corner. It was a bit of a disappointment that Brad Anderson got by me. I lost a bit of my rhythm in the second race when it started to rain, but it was a good weekend."
 
"I think it was a pretty good day," says Jamie Lewis, "My starts let me down today or I could have been in the top ten, but I came through strong."
 
The team will next decamp to Culham in Oxfordshire for the season opener of the British Motocross Masters series this weekend, where the team's riders will be competing in multiple classes. The next round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship will be held at Canada Heights in Kent on Easter Sunday.



Team NA Robinsons KTM
Team NA Robinsons KTM arrived to the Donington Park GP track, full of enthusiasm and hope for the new season. The Weekend didn't get off to a great start though - team spirits were dealt a huge blow when the brand new awning was completely destroyed in gusty storm winds on Saturday night. This left the team even more determined to walk away from the weekend with some good results, but knowing that they would be facing some of the top riders not only in Britain but in the World it was going to be tough. But in the end the riders delivered just that!

MX1
Michael Phillips and Carl Brogden took their KTM 450 SXS-F machinery to good qualifying results. Michael qualified in 10th and Carl in 31st place. Strong qualifying from Michael had already raised a few eyebrows around the Maxxis paddock, but it was the first race start that got everybody talking and wondering who exactly this Kiwi on the number 49 bike was!! Watched by his ecstatic crew, Michael had a blinding start and held on to fourth place for the first few laps. After stalling the engine Michael lost a few places, but was soon back in the battle. Michael pushed hard all through the race, and after some quite spectacular racing, he took his KTM to chequered flag in 8th place. The first race didn't start well for Carl, but he was soon working his way up the field. But on the fourth lap of the race he was involved in pile-up, resulting in an injured hand and a disappointing DNF.

Michael continued his strong form in the second race and held 7th place after yet another good start. Michael rode a very consistent race, and after losing a few places as the race grew older he bought his bike to finish in 10th place, securing a fantastic 8th overall for the day. Despite his
injury, Carl attempted to take part  in the second race, but was forced to pull out after the first lap. Carl's injury turned out to be worse than hoped for, as the x-ray revealed a fractured hand, which is likely to keep him out of action for some time.

MX2
Kristian Whatley was flying the team flag alone in MX2 class, as Luke Remmer was still on the sidelines with his foot injury. Kristian was very happy with the way his KTM 250 SXS-F handled and he had a convincing start to race day, qualifying in 17th place. Kristian had a good start in the first race, and worked his way up to 10th place. A small crash dropped him back to 16th place, but he managed to catch a few riders, finishing the race in 11th place. Kristian's second race was also very strong, and after gating very well he rode a fast, consistent race and finished in 12th place, earning a brilliant 10th overall for the day.

Team manager Nigel Arnold was very pleased to walk away from first race meeting with two top 10 finishes, and the whole Team is very much looking forward to forthcoming events.                 

Team NA Robinsons KTM will be back in action again this weekend at the British Masters MX Championship opening meeting at Culham. Why not come and say hello.