Double tops for Mackenzie and Sword at Foxhill

Billy MacKenzie – CAS Honda and Stephen Sword – Molson Kawasaki both recorded double moto wins in their respective classes as round six of the 2008 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship was played out in hot and dry conditions. The famous steep chalk hills of the Foxhill circuit near Swindon welcomed top flight domestic motocross back to what is still regarded as one of the best tracks in the country after an absence of several years in front of a large crowd.

Having missed the previous round due to injury, MacKenzie was back in blistering form in the MX1 class with another two start to flag race wins to extend his tally to ten moto victories from his ten starts. In reality the reigning champion was not challenged all day and left his rivals to pick up the pieces. Brad Anderson – Swift Suzuki took second overall after having to come through the field in race one to grab fourth position, before following up with a solid runners up spot in the second moto.

Eventual third place MX1 rider James Noble – KTM UK endured a similar day, with Noble flipping his orange machine on the line in the opening MX1 encounter before using his utter embarrassment to drive him through to seventh as he crossed the line. A more balanced outing in race two placed James third, to put him on the lower step of the podium overall. MacKenzie now heads Noble by thirty nine points with just two rounds and four races remaining.

The best action of the day was found at the head of the MX2 class, with Stephen Sword – Molson and Shaun Simpson – KTM UK treating the fans to two of the best races of the season to date. Little separated the two Scottish riders throughout the two head to head encounters, but it was the more experienced Molson rider who triumphed on both occasions despite his younger rival having led the majority of both motos.

An ill placed back marker gave Sword the opportunity to sneak past Simpson during the latter stages of race one, whilst it was an unforced error on the very last lap by Shaun that was to give Stephen his second win of the day. American rider Zach Osbourne – UTAG Yamaha was the shock sensation of the day, placing third in both MX2 motos to take third overall on his UK debut. Simpson now holds a mere three-point lead over Sword, in a fight that looks set to go to the wire.

Edward Allingham – PAR Honda won the MXY2 class due a better second race result and heads the youth series by thirteen points with just one round to go.

MOLSON KAWASAKI
Molson Kawasaki’s Stephen Sword takes a big step toward winning the 2008 British MX2 title with a double win in Foxhill

After losing a lot of points at round five in Desertmartin due to a shoulder injury a rejuvenated Stephen Sword bounced back at round six of the series to take a double win and gain valuable points on the current series leader Shaun Simpson.

Although Simpson was quicker in qualifying and had first pick at the start gate it was Swordy who powered his factory KX250F-SR off the line and into the first corner with a three metre lead. After taking the freshly watered turn one far too cautiously Stephen lost the lead briefly to Jake Nicholls but regained it on the opening lap and then worked on opening a gap on the chasing pack.

Unable to make a break Sword lost the lead to Simpson on lap two but kept his cool and closely watched the lines of the new race leader. As the race progressed into its final half Sword pressurised Shaun and finally made a move on lap 11 of 15. From there it was a relatively easy race for Stephen who stayed ahead on the fast, hardpack circuit.

Sword started second in moto two and soon latched on to the tail end of Simpson. Once more tailing Shaun, Stephen was able to line up the younger Scotsman on a number of occasions but was unable to get by cleanly. With five laps to go a flying rock popped out Swordy’s goggle lens and cut his nose but the tenacious 27-year-old kept Simpson in sight and was able to take advantage of a last lap mistake to take his second moto win of the day.

By taking maximum points Swordy was able to close the points deficit from nine to three and is confident he can regain the series leader’s red plate at round seven of the series at Brampton and wrap up the championship at Hawkstone Park in September.

“The first race was really good. I got a great start but in the first turn I was a little bit too cautious because they’d just watered it and I didn’t want to go down and Jake Nicholls was able to get up the inside. I regained the lead on lap one then Shaun came past but I was quite comfortable sitting in second, weighing him up and watching his lines. Just after halfway I made a move and managed to make it stick and from there I just put in some good laps towards the end to get the job done. I felt fully in control of that race.

“I got another great start in moto two but Shaun was to my inside and he edged me out in turn one. We went at it again and I thought it was going to be role reversal from moto one as although I was able to chase him it was very difficult to make up time on this circuit and make a pass. Shaun was riding really well in the second one and I was content to be chasing him waiting for the right time. Five laps from home a stone hit my goggles and popped the lens half out and I struggled with visibility for a few laps. I thought I’d have to settle for second as I didn’t want to get too close and get a stone in my eye but on the last lap I decided to go for it.

“After talking to Dave Thorpe between races I knew there was one place where I could possibly make something happen and I thought that was my only option. As I went to the outside of a corner to try a slingshot manoeuvre Shaun bobbled on the inside and crashed – I’m not sure if I unnerved him and he hit the gas and washed out or not. It was a great feeling and even though it’s not the best way to win I feel like I pressured him into it and it paid off – if I’d backed off on the last laps it possibly wouldn’t have happened and he could have cruised home.

“I’ve got to win every race from now to ensure I secure the championship and that’s the attitude I’m going to take to every race. To win both races today and take those six points back was necessary and I’m sure he knows now that I’m going to fight to the very end of the championship.”

While Swordy was blessed with good luck at Swindon his Molson team-mate Tom Church was not. TC entered his home round of the British Championship motivated to do well and after qualifying well in fifth position Tom started second in moto one and while running a safe and solid second, Tom suffered a soul destroying DNF when his front sprocket bizarrely broke up.

Regrouping for moto two Tom didn’t get such a great start and ended lap one in 11th place. Fighting through the pack, TC proved his speed and fitness is up to scratch as he powered through to fourth place, setting his fastest lap late in the race when most of his competition was fading in the hot and humid conditions. Out of time to rise any higher than fourth Tom had to be content with just 18 points on the day.

“I got a great start in the first race in second behind MacKenzie and put my head down and just tried to stay with him. I was running a good pace and was quite comfortably in second place until I had a problem with the front sprocket on the bike. I was quite upset not to finish as I really wanted to get back up there in the championship and I lost 22 points there.

“I had to ride my spare bike in moto two and I didn’t get the best jump off the line. I rode really hard to get through to fourth but then the front three were just too far ahead to catch. I made a big effort but there wasn’t really anything I could do and I had to settle for fourth. I’m just gonna concentrate on the next few races now – I feel like I’m riding the strongest I have all year but I just need a little bit of luck.”



CAS HONDA
MACKENZIE IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

Round six of the British Championship was at the famous Foxhill circuit near Swindon.  The track had been well prepared, and it was to be a scorcher in more ways than one!  Billy Mackenzie, now fully fit after his shoulder injury, was on top form.

Qualification took place early on Sunday morning and on completion Billy was on pole, ahead by nearly 3 seconds to Brad Anderson.

Both races of the day started with Billy getting the holeshot and putting in fast, consistent lap times, pulling away from the rest of the pack with remarkable ease and winning both motos. This earned the Scotsman maximum points to add to his championship tally, and he is now an incredible 39 points ahead of Noble in second place, even after missing Desertmartin through injury.

The team now head back to their base in Belgium and onto the next GP this coming weekend in Lommel.  It now seems that Billy is pain free and will be riding during the week, this should further improve his GP performance because of bike fitness.  Team-mate Steve Boniface will be fit after his sickness bug in South Africa, and will join the CAS Team in Lommel this weekend.

Neil Prince (Team Manager): “Another great performance by Billy today, he was consistent and smooth.”

Billy Mac: “My riding today was good, the track was great, and it was a bonus to see plenty of spectators turn out for a cracking days racing, now onto Lommel !”


KTM UK
Team KTM UK’s intrepid trio of motocross racers – Shaun Simpson, James Noble and Alex Snow – battled hard at the sixth round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship held at Foxhill near Swindon.

After a gruelling day in sweltering hot conditions both Simpson and Noble finished on the podium and all three riders consolidated their series standings.
 
Simpson started the day nine points ahead in the MX2 championship chase after taking the lead at the last round - round five - in Desertmartin. Racing head-to-head with fellow championship contender Stephen Sword at Foxhill Shaun was very unlucky not to win at least one moto on the day after lapped riders and a final lap fall stopped the plucky Scotsman from extending his championship lead.
 
After finishing second to Sword in the opener after an exciting race-long battle, Shaun came out of the gate with all guns blazing in moto two. After taking the holeshot and holding the lead for 99 per cent of the race an untimely crash - just two corners from home - saw Shaun miss out on taking both the moto - and overall - win. Remounting to finish second behind Sword once more, Shaun now sits on a three point lead in the series with just two rounds – four motos – left to run.
 
Snow started the day in fine fashion by gating well and holding a top six position in the early part of race one. After losing his rhythm mid-moto Alex dropped several places but still ended the race 10th to add 11 points to his championship total. Things would not go so well for Alex in moto two as a fellow competitor launched his machine onto his left hand which promptly swelled up like a balloon during lap one of the 30-minute plus two lap moto. Unable to finish the race Alex had to be content with just one score on the day but still holds 12th in the MX2 championship.
 
In the MX1 division James Noble made things tough for himself in moto one by looping out on the start line. Undeterred, James got back on his steed and raced through the pack to a seventh place finish proving his speed and fitness are there even if his luck is not. After correctly engaging his start device in moto two James got a much better start – inside the top five – and was able to move his way to third quite quickly. Unable to catch the rider in front and under no threat from the riders behind, James settled for third place in the moto which netted the Yorkshireman third overall on the day and ensured he stayed second in the series standings.
 
The next outing for the KTM UK team is in the deep sand of Lommel where Alex Snow will hopefully join – if his hand injury isn’t too serious – his full-time GP colleagues at the Grand Prix of Belgium – round 11 of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
 
Roger Magee – KTM UK Team Manager
“Shaun rode two excellent races once again today. We knew that this circuit would perhaps suit Swordy as he’s able to practice just down the road but fair play to both of them for putting in two clean races – that’s what we want to see right until the end of the championship. I know Shaun’s gutted not to have taken the overall but that’s racing and he’ll just have to wait for another day.
 
“Alex had a great ride in the first race and ran as high as sixth before slipping back a few places. In the second race he was very unfortunate as another rider landed on his hand, he’s maybe broke a bone and he’ll have to get that checked out.
“James had an unfortunate first race where we think the start device unloaded as he went over the start gate and he ended up on his backside. He rode well to come back to seventh in that race and rode well in the second race to finish third and get third overall on the podium.
 
“Foxhill is an old-school type circuit with a very hard surface that if you crash on would be like rolling down a road. Everybody came out of today relatively unscathed and we’re looking forward to Lommel next week where Alex will hopefully be joining Shaun and James if his hand injury is not too bad.”

Shaun Simpson – MX2 2-2
“The first race was good. I passed Swordy to move into the lead and I put in some decent laps but I didn’t really pull out much of a gap – the track was really fast and it was difficult to make up time on the other riders. Swordy passed me back and even though I was right on his rear wheel at the end it just wasn’t enough and I finished second.
 
“In the second one I knew I just had to get out of the gate first and then put in some fast laps early on. I basically lead the race the whole way and I was feeling confident and even on the last lap I thought I had it in the bag but then I made a mistake. I’m not sure what happened on that corner, whether it was a lack of concentration or whether it was going to happen anyway. I just went in and the berm just blew out and I went down handing Swordy the win.
 
“I’m really disappointed and I’m sure it’ll take me a few weeks to get over it [laughs] but I’m going to keep my chin up. We have a tough GP coming up at Lommel and I’m gonna concentrate on and prepare for that then we’ve got the Czech Grand Prix at Loket and then after that I’m gonna come back swinging at Brampton to try and increase my points lead.”

James Noble – MX1 7-2
“The first race start was a disaster. I gassed it off the start and the rear wheel was spinning but as the front wheel hit the start gate the start device released – I don’t think I’d got it in the whole properly – and the front end lifted, I got drive and before I knew it I was on my backside in the dirt. I picked myself up and I tried to start the motor with the electric-start button but it wouldn’t go at first but then I discovered that the silencer was blocked with dirt – I cleared the debris and then the bike started fine. I just had to get my head down then and fight through to eighth – I was gifted seventh when TC DNFed.
 
“I got a much better start in moto two and from there it was just a case of finding a good rhythm and trying to get away with the leaders. I struggled to get around Bryan MacKenzie for a little while and then Brad came past me. He pulled away a little bit and I struggled to pull him back in – it’s easy to lose time around here but difficult to make it up – and I ended up finishing third in the race and third overall.”

Alex Snow – MX2 10-DNF
“The first race was pretty good. I got a pretty good start and I was running well for the first 10 minutes and then it’s like I hit a wall. It seems to happen a lot in the first moto to me where I lose my rhythm in the middle of the race. Everyone seemed to be running a similar pace in the first race and I ended up finishing 10th which isn’t too bad.
 
“On the first lap of moto two I was running inside the top 10 and a couple of the riders in front of me didn’t jump a double jump which meant it wasn’t safe for me to jump it either but one of the riders who was behind me decided to try and jump it regardless and he landed on my hand. It basically cost me the race because my hand was too painful for me to continue – it’s badly swollen and I’ll need an x-ray later to see if anything’s broken.”



MARK JONES
Jones Strengthens 4th in British Championship in Foxhill heat

With little racing under his belt since the last British round, ARB Tuning Kawasaki pilot Mark Jones made the trek to the famous Foxhill Moto Park near Swindon for round 6 of the British Open series, on what was the hottest day of the year so far. The venue, famous through the '90's for many a GP, played host to it's first top level event in some time and had the weather to match the racing as the thermometers hit 28 degrees C.

The track had lost none of it's spectacle during the championships absence, being as fast and furious as ever, and with heavy watering by the organisers over the preceding days, was in great condition for the qualifying session, though drying fast under the July sun. With the field all setting a good pace on the narrow racing lines, a clear lap was hard to come by with Mark setting his best time late on in the session after a succession of earlier fast laps found him held up at crucial points, ending the session 4th fastest.

Moto 1 got underway under the blue Wiltshire sky, with Jones rounding the 180 degree double left turn in around 8th place, climbing to 5th by the close of the first lap. Over the next 3 laps, the green machine battled to make the pass on Jordan Rose, with Rose being deposed on lap 4. However, vital time had been lost in the opening exchanges, with the leading trio ahead by 8 seconds. Judging it better to ride controlled for points than risk pushing too hard and risk a crash on what was by now a hard packed surface, Mark settled into a good consistent pace. Lap 10 saw him gain a bonus place as Tom Church suffered a technical problem, leaving Mark a clear run to the finish, and 3rd position at the flag.

Moto 2 turned ugly for the ARB team leader in the first turn. As the pack thundered through, Mark took an inside line and was flat out when the wildcard and ex-British Champion, Gordon Crockard, squared the turn leaving him nowhere to go, hitting the Irishman and then the deck hard, bending the handlebars in the process. Remounting some 20 seconds down on the field, salvaging as many points as possible became the priority.

Slicing through the lower order, Jones had reached 21st by the end of lap 2, but closing the gaps was becoming harder with every passing move. By the end of lap 7, 11th had been secured and bridging the 6 second gap to the then tenth placed Crockard was the next objective. Closing in to within a second over the next three laps, a move was on the cards until small crash caused by a dislodged rock undid the time gained, though still remounting in 11th. Fighting on, and with others hitting problems in the heat, Jones closed in on Mark Hucklebridge, making the pass with a lap to spare to cross the line 8th, and with that secure 4th overall on the day.

Speaking straight after the second moto, Mark gave his verdict on the day. "The second moto was a tough one! I had nowhere to go as soon as Crockard squared the turn, I was flat out on the throttle then on the floor. The small crash mid race didn't help as a rock kicked the back of the bike in the air and I went down.

"I could see in moto 1 that the pace was too close to bridge the gap that had opened once I'd got into 4th, so I settled into a pace and fortunately got 3rd which was a bonus.

"It looks like I wasn't the only one to have a few problems so opening a bit more of a gap to Wayne (Smith) in the championship is good, though Brad (Anderson) has pulled a bit more out of me in 3rd which isn't so good. Just one of those days! Still 4th in points so I can't complain. That's just part of racing!"



ARB Tuning Kawasaki
Mixed Foxhill weekend for

After several weeks of not racing locally, and the fifth round of the British Masters Motocross series cancelled at the last minute due to inclement weather, ARB Tuning Kawasaki returned to the legendary Foxhill Moto Park in Wiltshire for the sixth round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship. The round also featured the third round of the MXY2 class, which meant that youth rider Vytautas Bucas joined veterans Jamie Lewis and Mark Jones at the iconic location.

In past years the weather at Foxhill has been less than ideal, but summer was in full swing for what was the first properly sunny round of the championship. Qualifying started early enough at 9am with the MXY2 class, in which Vytautas qualified in the top twenty. The MX1 class started its practice at 10:30, resulting in a fourth place for Mark and an eighteenth for Jamie.

Both MXY2 races ended with top ten results for Vytautas, the first being the weaker of the two. After a bad start that left Vytautas in the back of the pack, Vytautas soon made fantastic progress towards the front, where he ran into resistance in James Hutchinson and Will Worden. A last minute move by Scot James left Vytautas in eighth. The second race showed much more promise. A good start ended in fourth after a hard battle with Hutchinson, resulting in a fifth place on the day.

The MX1 riders had their work cut out for them. While Mark got a good start into the first few corners, resulting in a solid ride in fourth, Jamie had to work his way forward again after a crash halfway in. Mark ended the first race in third after Tom Church dropped out with a mechanical failure; Jamie ended back in the top half of the field, in fifteenth. The second race was somewhat tougher for Mark after a crash in the first lap left him nearly dead last. In spectacular fashion, Mark recovered to eighth by the last lap, while Jamie, thirteenth after the first lap, ended one place up, in twelfth. An overall of a fourth and a fourteenth was the day result, achieving the status of being the highest-scoring Kawasaki team in the MX1 class yet again.

Mark Bishop, team owner, declared himself satisfied: "It was a mixture of a day; I'm satisfied with the result. Vytautas was fifth overall, Mark a fourth and Jamie a top fifteen. A shame about Mark's crash at the start of the second race and Jamie's crash in the middle of the first, but very solid rides from all three riders."

The team next returns to Hawkstone Park in a fortnight for the next round of the British Masters Motocross series, where the team hopes to maintain its lead in the Youth, and make up some of the difference in the two Pro classes.



The Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award
Anderson snatches maximum points in the race for The Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award

Whilst Billy MacKenzie – CAS Honda resumed his quest to take the 2008 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship, it was Brad Anderson – Swift Suzuki who snatched top honours away from the young Scot in the fight for The Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award. With the exception of the previous round, which MacKenzie missed due to injury, Anderson became the first rider to record a faster race lap than Billy under race conditions in the six rounds to date. Brad went just over one tenth of a second faster than MacKenzie, with the Suzuki rider carving out his quickest time on the fourth lap of the second moto around the famous Foxhill circuit.

Fuchs Silkolene backed MacKenzie took some consolation for this narrow defeat by winning both MX 1 races to re-establish his commanding position at the head of the general classifications, which he now heads by a healthy thirty-nine points with just four counting races to go. Anderson finished as overall runner up, whilst James Noble – KTM UK completed the MX1 podium.

In the MX2 class it was Stephen Sword – Molson Kawasaki who sneaked maximum points in his hunt for The Fuchs Silkolene Charity Award, just ahead of close rival Shaun Simpson – KTM UK. Little spilt the two Scottish riders all day, with the pairing creating the best two races of the meeting, in which Sword triumphed twice to close within three points of Simpson in the main title race.

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 6 – Foxhill – 27th July 2008

MX1
1 – Brad Anderson 5 pts
2 – Billy MacKenzie 3 pts
3 – Wayne Smith 1 pt      

MX2
1 – Stephen Sword 5 pts
2  - Shaun Simpson 3 pts
3 – Zach Osbourne 1 pt

Overall MX1 to date
1 – Mackenzie 23, 2- Anderson 11, 3- Church/Rowson 5, 5- Smith 4

Overall MX2 to date
1 – Simpson/Sword 19, 3 – Barr 6, 4 – Searle 5, 5 – Dougan 2

Next event: Round 7 – Brampton, Cumbria – 17th August