Simpson aces damp Desertmartin as Smith breaks MX1 deadlock

The strong winds that blew across the Desertmartin circuit in Northern Ireland for the fifth round of eight in the 2008 Maxxis ACU British Championship also forced a change of direction in the results of the series. Pioneer Emberson Yamaha’s Wayne Smith benefited from reigning champion Billy Mackenzie’s absence to obtain his first victory in the MX1 class while KTM UK’s Shaun Simpson dominated both motos to secure his second triumph of the year and the red plate as leader of the category.

Despite inclement conditions – the gusts also delivering copious amounts of rainfall – the Porter’s Pit terrain stood up well and the track was kept in good shape, even boasting a new timing section and bomb-hole to test the best off-road riders in the country.

The MX1 division had been in the firm grip of CAS Honda’s Billy Mackenzie who had swept every moto and each overall victory of the four previous events. With a 65 point lead the Scot was able to sit out the visit to Northern Ireland in the wake of his crash and right shoulder injury last week at the Grand Prix of France. The 24-year-old still heads the standings by 23 points over James Noble. With the path free for a new 2008 winner an interesting set of races occurred. Par Honda’s Ray Rowson – who narrowly missed out on qualification at the French round of the World championship the previous weekend – claimed his maiden MX1 chequered flag in the first moto since moving up to the class last year. The former Under-21 British Champion was not able to repeat the feat in the second outing and with 5th place took the final podium place. Smith controlled the second moto for a deserved overall win and was fittingly emotional on the top step of the rostrum. Runner-up was KTM UK’s Noble, who with 3rd and 2nd confirmed his second silverware of 2008.

MX2 belonged firmly in the hands of title protagonist Shaun Simpson. The 20 year old Scot deflected attention from local hope Martin Barr in the first of the two motos, but disappeared from the pack in the second outing. Simpson now has accumulated 5 race wins and 2 ‘overalls’.

“I knew I had a good chance coming into this weekend and the result could not have been better,” he said. “The track was more technical and to my liking in the second moto so there was less pressure. I’m in the lead now with three rounds to go, so things are looking good.”

Utag Yamaha.com’s Barr, only just coming back to speed after recently breaking his collarbone, was runner-up again and satisfied with second spot on the podium. It was the second appearance this season in the top three for the youngster. Also making his second rostrum celebration of 2008 was Suso Suzuki’s Carl Nunn, who with third and fourth positions, rounded out the top three. MX2 ‘red plate’ holder Stephen Sword was also walking wounded after the seventh round of the world championship in France. The former multi-British Champ competed with heavy strapping on his damaged shoulder and with teeth firmly clenched salvaged points with 11th and 12th. His efforts however could not prevent Simpson from cutting a 22 point deficit before the weekend to leapfrog over Sword and into first place by 9 points.

Round six will take place at Foxhills near Swindon on July 27th.

Molson Kawasaki Racing
Molson Kawasaki take on Desertmartin!

Molson teamsters Stephen Sword and Tom Church battle it out at round five of the British
Championship at Desertmartin in Northern Ireland.

For the fifth round of the British motocross championship the Molson Kawasaki team headed across the Irish Sea to the Porter’s Pit circuit that’s located near the village of Desertmartin in the district of Magherafelt. Persistent rain on the day helped dampen spirits at the sandy venue that has hosted the Irish GP in the past.

Scotsman Stephen Sword and his factory KX250F-SR entered the fifth round of the series with a healthy 22-point lead but riding injured after a nasty crash at the previous weekend’s French GP Swordy’s mission would be to tough it out and try and hang on to his points lead rather than battle for the win and extend it.

Despite the pain, Sword qualified a fine fifth but was unable to repeat that outstanding performance in either moto as the track got rougher and the pain proved to be too much. Swordy eventually finished with an 11-12 scorecard – a real credit to the Scotsman’s levels of tenacity and toughness.

Losing 31 points to his closest competitor - Shaun Simpson - on the day, Stephen’s former 22 point lead is now a nine point deficit. With three rounds remaining and 150 points on offer there’s plenty to play for in the upcoming months.

“The main thing for me today was to get as many points as I could,” said Stephen. “I hadn’t ridden all week and I didn’t even sit on a bike until this morning. Practice wasn’t too bad, the track was smooth and I only had to do one fast lap.

“I had it in my head that I wanted to holeshot the races because I knew I would slip back but it’s better to slip back from the front than to try and pull through from the back.

“There were plenty of smooth lines available on the track in moto one but because it was wet and a little boggy the smooth lines quite often were a little too heavy and deep. On the main dry line it was choppy as hell and there were big rocks and boulders on there but it was quicker so I just had to tough it out and ride the bumps. I felt like I hit a mental wall at about 20 minutes and it was just so hard from that point. My shoulder would just give way and my hand bounced off the handlebars a few times on the big down hill.

“In moto two I got a good start – second behind Shaun – and I was riding a little bit better and I just got in a bit of a groove. I wasn’t doing too badly early on but then I crashed and I lost my rhythm – it was hard after that. The pain seemed to be worse but I knew it was gonna be tough and I knew it was gonna be sore. I’m disappointed because I didn’t want to finish 11th and 12th but at the same time I’m happy because I’m still in with a shout of winning the championship.

“I know I can do it, I’ve come back from behind before and I know that when my shoulder is at full strength again I’ll be able to ride how I want to ride. If I ride at my full potential I know I can win every moto that’s left this year and if I do that then it’s job done – I’ll be the champion!”

Molson Kawasaki’s MX1 racer tom Church also had a tough time of it to finish sixth overall on the day on his KX450F after finishing fourth and sixth in the two motos. Unlucky not to do better, TC was hampered by slower riders in moto one and a small mistake second time out.

“In moto one I didn’t get the best start and I got stuck behind Mark Jones and Bryan MacKenzie for a while,” said Tom. “By the time I’d found a way past them the first three had gone and I had to settle for fourth. I felt like I was riding okay so was a little bit disappointed to finish fourth.

“I got a killer holeshot in moto two and I was riding okay but I hit a braking bump wrong going into a corner and I stalled the motor. I lost so many places and so much time restarting. When I got going again I had to get past MacKenzie and Jordan Rose and I finished sixth in the end. If I hadn’t stalled it I know I could have finished at least second in that race.”

Tom will be looking for another strong ride in next week’s German GP – June 29 –while Stephen must decide if he will battle through the pain and possibly prolong his recovery period or sit out the race at the spectacular Teutschenthal circuit.



Rowson claims Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award at wet Desertmartin
A wet and windy fifth round of eight in the 2008 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship was hosted by the Desertmartin circuit in Northern Ireland and with the leaders of both MX1 and MX2 categories struggling with injury, the trip across the water for the majority of national competitors provided a chance to see fresh faces on top of the podium. In the absence of CAS Honda’s Billy Mackenzie – who had won every moto (16) and each round this season prior to a sustaining a shoulder injury at the Grand Prix of France last week – Pioneer Emberson Yamaha’s Wayne Smith was able to celebrate his maiden MX1 victory. MX2 series leader Stephen Sword was also walking wounded after a mishap at the French round of the world championship and although he bravely tried to compete (scoring 13th overall with heavy strapping to his ailing shoulder) main title rival Shaun Simpson aced both races through the dark sand to rise to the top of the standings.

Smith celebrated his success in Northern Ireland thanks to a second moto victory. Winner of the first race and also the Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award for the fastest lap-time of the afternoon was Par Honda’s Ray Rowson (third overall on the day) who toasted his first MX1 spoils since moving to the class at the end of last season. KTM UK’s James Noble took his second podium result of the season as he finished runner-up at Desertmartin.

In the MX2 class overall winner Shaun Simpson capitalised on the weakened state of main title rival Sword to take the lead and red-plate in the division by 7 points. The Scot won both races on his KTM UK machine, the second commandingly, from Utag Yamaha.com’s Martin Barr as Suso Suzuki’s Carl Nunn filled the final podium step.

Fuchs Silkolene are the official lubricant partners of the 2008 championship in addition to being sponsors of this charity award.

The award
Using the information provided by the championship’s official timekeepers, the fastest three riders in each class at each round are 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.

The Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award

Results  Round 5 – Desertmartin – 22nd June 2008

MX1
1 – Ray Rowson 5 pts
2 - Wayne Smith 3 pts
3 - James Noble 1 pt

MX2
1 – Shaun Simpson 5 pts
2  - Martin Barr 3 pts
3 – Alan Keet 1 pt

Overall MX1 to date
1 – Mackenzie 20, 2- Anderson 6, 3- Church/Rowson 5, 4- Hucklebridge/Smith 3, 5 – Jones 2,

Overall MX2 to date
1 – Simpson 16, 2 – Sword 14, 3 – Barr 6, 4 – Searle 5, 5 – Dougan 2



SUSO MVR-D Suzuki
There’s something about Desertmartin in Northern Ireland that brings the best out of riders and this weekend was no exception. All three SUSO MVR-D Suzuki riders raced themselves into the top ten overall, in fact slightly better than that as Carl Nunn finished on the podium in third, Jason Dougan just one position behind in fourth and Marcus Norlen in fifth – quite an achievement for one team.

Carl Nunn has been steadily improving throughout the Maxxis British championship and this weekend was an example that Carl has plenty of speed left in the tank which bodes well for the remainder of the season.

Just like Carl, Jason has lifted his game and is now looking to push himself that bit extra for the final three rounds, expect a podium from the talented Dougan sometime soon.

After a few weeks off the bike Marcus Norlen looked sharp and fresh and this together with a short break back home in Sweden, Marcus came back fighting fit and put in a tremendous performance to show he has what it takes to run at this highly charged level of racing.

Mark Chamberlain – Team Manager:
“This weekend has been just awesome for the riders and the team, to finish third, fourth and fifth shows true commitment by everyone involved. I’m very pleased with the result.
We had no problems and this proved with the results we achieved, this is exactly where we need to be challenging for podium positions.”



Mark Jones
Cautious return nets good points haul for Mark in Ireland

Desertmartin, Northern Ireland hosted the fifth round of this years British MX1 Championship and with Mark's knee operation only two weeks old, the ARB Tuning Kawasaki pilot made the late decision following riding on Thursday to travel to Desertmartin with the intention on minimising the points damage in his battle for the championship.

Mark, by his own admission 'not in the best of shape' coming in to the event with limited movement caused by the still swollen joint, was not the happiest person to see the track had been given a severe soaking by the heavens making the going even tougher on the legs. Though riding conservatively, he posted 5th fastest time in qualifying and following a pair of top ten starts, went 5-4 on the day for 5th overall and maintaining 4th in the title chase.

Mark spoke about the day following his return home late on Monday: “I'm quite sore today to be honest but well happy with the way the day went. It was a strange day with the results so the damage could have been much worse. I'm only 6 points from 3rd and 17 from 2nd so things are still tight which is all I could ask for.

"I rode to protect the knee which meant I was sitting down a lot and just tried to stay on line and keep a consistent pace. It was quite messy off line so I needed to stay out of there. I did twist the knee a few times which did hurt it but caused no damage so that's good.

"I'll cycle tomorrow and just keep on the rehabilitation. Next race is nearly a fortnight so I hope to be near 95% by then."

The rescheduled British Masters at the Pontrilas Circuit will be Mark's next race and the 5th / 6th of July