STEVE RAMON
Ramon wins Hawkstone Park International

With final preparations for the 2010 MX1 World Championship in full swing, Steve Ramon travelled to Hawkstone Park in the UK this weekend to take part in the highly-regarded international motocross event. Having started the 2010 season strong Ramon was determined to keep the momentum going, and that is exactly what he did.

Heat 1 got underway under perfect blue skies, and as the gate dropped Ramon powered his Rockstar Teka Suzuki to the first turn, emerging in 3rd position and hot on the wheel of Marc De Reuver. Whilst Tanel Leok got out front, both Ramon and De Reuver battled it out lap after lap. Ramon took the advantage from De Reuver, and held it almost to the end, but De Reuver just got the upper hand with a couple of laps remaining putting Ramon in a well raced 3rd position as they crossed the line.

Heat 2 would see another good start by Ramon, as he once again emerged from the first turn in 3rd position. In true Ramon style the flying Belgian glided his way over the rough circuit and into the lead within a handful of laps. Once out front the Bomb just kept it clean and lead to the end, crossing the line to take both the heat win and the overall win for the day.

“I am happy to take the overall win today. In the first moto I battled again with arm pump, and just couldn’t ride as fast as I wanted. The second moto I was more relaxed and felt strong. I have a few things to work on now before Bulgaria, I know I can go faster, and I am just gonna get out and practice a few things this coming week to try and get to the point I am satisfied with,” commented Ramon.


TEAM SUZUKI
SUZUKI’S ROCZEN AND RAMON WIN HAWKSTONE INTERNATIONAL

A crisp and sunny afternoon in Shropshire, England, saw Suzuki take a double victory at the annual Hawkstone Park International; the third and final major pre-season meeting in Europe.

Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Steve Ramon guided his works RM-Z450 to his first win of 2010 by going 3rd and 1st in the MX1 class while Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2’s Ken Roczen was clearly the fastest competitor in the MX2 division on his RM-Z250 and swept the day with 1-1 scores.

The dark sand of Hawkstone Park - long a traditional and favoured venue in motocross circles, thanks to the technical nature of the terrain - proved once more to be a tough test for a select set of GP regulars. A surface partly frozen in places thawed to become rough, bumpy and demanding throughout the racing programme.

Ramon initially fought to cope with the grinds of the layout in the first moto and arm-pump caused him to slow his speed and take 3rd position. The 30-year-old Belgian altered the setting of his machine in-between the races and was suitably dialled into the track to improve his pace for the next outing. As in Valence two weeks ago, Ramon was a more reactive force, and after overtaking Max Nagl escaped to win and clinch the overall. He was 3rd in Superfinal that saw the MX2 and MX1 riders mixed together, but the result did not count towards the final classification.

‘It was a good day; three motos and across a rough track so it was hard work, but nice to win,’ the 2007 MX1 World Champion said. ‘I struggled again in the first race and had to slow down with arm-pump but we changed the set-up a little for the second moto and I could find a rhythm quite easily. I passed Nagl and rode to the win. I still need a bit of time to find some speed and also sharpen my physical condition but we have some weeks before the first GP.”

Team-mate Clement Desalle was 4th overall with finishes of 5th and 3rd.

He said: “I am a bit disappointed with today but this is part of preparation for the first Grand Prix and we will keep looking to be ready for Sevlievo.”

Ken Roczen was untouchable in the MX2 class, two weeks after his win at Valence that was followed by test-sessions in France and further mileage in the Belgian sand of Lommel. The 15 year old set the second fastest time in practice and then overtook Shaun Simpson to ease to a win of over 30 seconds in Moto1. The German took the holeshot and left the field again in his wake for Moto2, only easing his speed in the final 10 minutes in anticipation of the Superfinal in which he finished 2nd against a slew of 450s.

“I think three days of riding at Lommel this week helped towards this result. My starts were good and I felt OK on the sand,’ the 2009 German Grand Prix winner said. ‘Our goal is to be ready for Bulgaria and while results like these are enjoyable we are still working towards being in the best shape possible.”

Team-mate Arnaud Tonus was able to put the memory of an unhappy meeting in Valence behind him with two strong showings from the three. The Swiss was error-prone in the first moto, which he failed to finish, but was a decent 4th in the next race and was the second-best MX2 rider in the last foray. “I was pushing too much in the first moto and was making too many mistakes and really not enjoying myself,” he remarked. “We had a talk after that race and the second was much better. I am pleased to be out racing again after, Valence did not end so well; and I will keep learning and riding in the coming weeks.”

Rockstar Teka Suzuki WMX1 will now cease competitive activity until the first Grand Prix of 15 in the 2010 world championship in Bulgaria on Easter weekend. The team will move to Italy two weeks before the trip to Eastern Europe to prepare for the hardpack track that awaits them at Sevlievo. Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 will open their national motocross commitments with the International at Frankenbach in Germany next weekend and the will return to the UK for the second round of the Maxxis British Championship at Mallory Park on March 21st.


MVR-D SUZUKI
MATISS KARRO SHINES AT HAWKSTONE PARK INTERNATIONAL

MVR-D Suzuki rider Matiss Karro proved he has the pace to run with the world's best at the weekend, as the RM-Z250 rider just missed out on a podium finish at the British Hawkstone Park International event in Shropshire.

Qualifying inside the top 10, Karro was in impressive form from the off, moving though the pack in race one to as high as third place before a battle with Nicholls and Verbruggen in the final stages of the race saw Karro drop a place in the last lap to still take an impressive fourth position.

A poor start in the second race saw the young Latvian push once again, proving both his and the RM-Z250's pace by moving up to sixth place before a big crash forced him to restart, coming back to 16th at the flag.

Battered and bruised Karro rode to a strong 14th position in the Super Final race. He said: "Overall I'm quite pleased with how the day went. I felt very comfortable on the bike and despite the setbacks, we were fast and could move through the pack. I'm pleased to leave here feeling well and confident with both my own and the bike's pace."

In MX1, Carl Nunn rode to a pair of strong top-10 finishes, despite struggling with set-up and qualifying in a lowly 25th position. Finishing 10th in race one and improving to ninth in the second race, Nunn beat team-mate Karro in the Super Final race by one position to finish in 13th.

Nunn said: "I didn't have a great feeling in qualifying, so to leave in 10th overall is a pretty reasonable result. We struggled with set-up, so I just got my head down and got on with it in the end. I'm happy to leave here uninjured and ready for the first round of the Red Bull Pro Nationals next weekend at Foxhill."

Team manager, Mark Chamberlain added: "Our priority was to leave here all intact, which we've achieved. Matiss rode extremely well today and despite his crash in the second race proved he has the pace to run with the best in the world. The crash took the wind out of him, but even after this, his pace was still good. Carl had a steady ride mainly due to his set-up woes, but again left here in one piece and feeling good for next weekend. Sadly for the team though, supported rider James Cottrell wasn't so lucky after breaking both wrists in a nasty crash. We all wish him a speedy recovery."


LS MOTORS-HONDA
The Estonian Express takes Hawkstone by storm!

Admittedly Tanel Leok was ‘only’ drafted in as a late replacement for Mike Alessi and Kevin Strijbos at the Hawkstone Park International. However The LS Motors-Honda rider happily traded his free weekend in for some moto action and returned the favour with outstanding results. Tanel dominated the first moto and crossed the line with a stunning 42-second lead over Marc De Reuver. He also managed to win the combined Superfinal ahead of Roczen and Ramon. Not too shabby for a lazy Sunday!

‘Master timekeeper’ Leok started off the day on the right foot with a convincing pole over 1,6 seconds faster than his nearest opponent. The 24-year old produced a similar performance in the opening moto to take a start to finish win ahead of De Reuver, Ramon, Nagl and Desalle after powering to the holeshot. The second moto at the popular Shropshire event provided further proof of the lethal Leok-CRF450R combo. Tanel successfully carved to the front, twice, posting the fastest lap of the race in the process, and closed the gap to frontrunner Ramon in the ultimate lap. Unfortunately he lost out on the MX1 overall after stalling the bike. Leok would cross the line in sixth. Traditionally the Hawkstone Park International was capped off by the Superfinal where MX1 and MX2 bikes mix it up in a handicap race.

When the MX1 gate dropped after the MX2 boys were out of sight ‘The Estonian Express’ not only claimed another holeshot, but caught every single man in front of him including the blazingly fast Ken Roczen. Tanel was the only MX1 rider to do so, holding an 8.2 margin over the German kid and more than 30 seconds over third placed Ramon.

Tanel Leok: ”I had a lot of fun in England this weekend! The conditions were nearly perfect and I felt good on the bike. The first moto and the Superfinal were close to perfect, I also took the holeshot in these races. Life was harder in the second moto when I crashed while I was setting up a move on Desalle for third. My speed was fine and I succeeded to come back to the lead, but unfortunately I stalled the engine. We have been working hard the last couple of weeks to keep on improving and it’s really cool to see how the pointers that Marnicq gives are pushing me forward. I’m also happy for myself and the team to get some results in the bag because the pace was already there before but we’ve had some bad luck as well.”


SHAUN SIMPSON
Shaun Simpson's run of bad luck continues

After his emphatic win at the opening meeting of the year in Mantova, Italy, Shaun Simpson's pre-season preparations have not gone to plan for the second outing in a row. Having only recently recovered from the tumble he sustained in France a couple of weeks ago, Simpson was once again in the wars, this time back on home soil at the Hawkstone Park International meeting.

The young Scott arrived at his favourite Shropshire circuit full of confidence and converted his speed around the steep and sandy track into a pole position, as he topped Ken Roczen in the morning qualifying session by nearly a second. However disaster was soon to strike early in the first race as Shaun suffered a nasty kick as he raced across the 'veranda' section that links the top of the famous hill to the equally fearsome decent back into the wooded area below.

Thrown off line, Simpson hit the rocky bank at speed causing him to be launched over the handlebars head first into what proved to be a solid and uncomfortable landing. The impact was heavy and left Shaun with bruising and a cut just below his eye and a nasty injury to his ring finger on his left hand, as a result of his hand becoming tangled between the clutch lever and the handlebar during the resulting crash.

Shaun attended the local hospital as a matter of precaution, and to manage the wound to his finger. Initial x-rays have shown no other problems other than the deep cut to his finger. In order to prevent any kind of infection, Shaun has been administered antibiotics by way of a drip, which will mean he will remain in the care of the NHS overnight. The full extent of the injury to the finger will be assessed tomorrow. Once this has been done, the specialist medical team will then be in a better position to determine the best plan of action to ensure that Shaun is in good shape for the opening Grand Prix in Bulgaria in four weeks time.

Further updates regarding Shaun's progress will be issued once the correct and relevant information has been received.


TANEL LEOK
LEOK IN DEVASTATING FORM AT HAWKSTONE PARK INTERNATIONAL MX

It was only going to be a matter of time. From the moment that Tanel first rolled out for action in 2010 it was clear for all the world to see that in the LS Honda the Estonian Express had found a perfect foil for his well-documented ability to wring the last ounce of performance out of a motocross bike. After some strong results in Italy in the early season, during which he took the battle to some of the world's top MX1 class motocross riders, the cognoscenti puffed on their pipes and nodded sagely - yes, yes, the victories would surely come. Then last Saturday, whilst wishing your reporter a happy birthday, Tanel quietly dropped the idea on the table that he may very well pull a big result out of his bag of treats at the Hawkstone Park International race as a form of birthday present.

It would be very foolish to take a bet against Tanel Leok in confident mood, and sure enough, on Sunday, he put the hammer down in no uncertain fashion. The Hawkstone Park International is an annual pilgrimage for international motocross riders, big and small, to do a final check on their firepower and that of their bikes before the world championship season kicks off. The world championship elite never let a chance slip to get in this much-needed race practice, and the pits were filled with celebrity race faces as proceedings got underway.

There was still a decided nip in the English air, but Tanel was sizzling. He wrung the neck of his brutally-powerful LS Honda and blitzed to the fastest qualifying time, a full 1.65 seconds clear of the second placed rider. Right. He had established that he has the speed. It was time to see if he could convert it into race results. In race 1, he displayed all the dominance one would expect if Mike Tyson at his prime were to take on Simon Cowell for a quick three rounder. He blasted off the line, surged into the lead, and that was the last that the opposition saw, heard or smelt anything of him. He built up a massive lead, and the rest of the opposition might as well have been in another postal code for the distance that he pulled clear. By the time the flag man called it quits, he had built up a massive chunk of clear, crisp Shropshire air between him and the closest finisher, in fact some 42 seconds' worth of it.

In race two, Tanel had ample opportunity to work on his reputation as the Comeback Kid. An early crash dropped him down to 8th position. Within the space of a lap he was back up to fifth position when another close inspection of the frozen underground dropped him back again. He mounted a massive comeback effort, and with a lap to go he had latched onto the rear wheel of race leader Steve Ramon. He was close enough to the former world champion to exchange whispered secrets if he were thus inclined, but with half a lap to go and victory looking a near certainty, he stalled the bike when trying to overtake. In the time it took him to restart, he lost some positions, and finally crossed the line in sixth position. Yet again he posted the fastest lap time of the race, though, and there was no doubt that, but for the slight mishap, overall victory on the day would have been his. As it was, he finished third overall when the two races were scored together.

The highlight of the day, however, is the Superfinal event. This race pits the best 15 finishers of each of the MX1 - and MX2 riders against each other. Being on smaller machines, the MX class riders get a 10 second head start. Tanel got the best start of the MX1 class, but then had to scythe his way through the entire MX2 field. By this time the MX2 class leader, German wunderkind Ken Roczen, had a near 20 second lead. Tanel was relentless, though, and the afterburners on his Honda were in full operational mode as he hauled Roczen in lap by lap. With three laps to go, he had latched onto the youngster, and on the penultimate lap he burst into the lead. He pulled eight seconds clear of Roczen and had more than 31 seconds' worth of daylight between him and the first MX1 class pursuer, Ramon, by the time the flag fell.

As he doused the excited fans with bubbly, Tanel allowed himself a half smile. For once, all the pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place. The world had better take notice - Tanel Leok is entering the 2010 world championship series with the weapon of his choice, and his sights are set high. Now Tanel's assembled collection of quoted are never going to turn into the world's thickest print edition, since he is not one to blather about, but he was dead happy after his race day, this much is clear. "I am very happy now," he said. "The bike is very good, my starts are better than ever, and I feel comfortable and fit on the track." Team owner Steven Lettani might as well have floated home through the sky for all his glee. "Tanel was insanely fast today. He handed out a riding lesson to the others, posting the fastest lap time in each and every race, and this augurs well for the rest of the season."

And yes, Tanel called it right. The SMS'es that came in as the day unfolded did make for a good birthday present.


KTM RACING
Good race day for KTM's Max Nagl at Hawkstone Park

Red Bull KTM MX1 factory rider Max Nagl of Germany put in a successful day on the track at Hawkstone Park in the U.K. on Sunday finishing second overall in the MX1 class in this pre-season international.

Nagl said it was the first time in the pre-season races that he went out with the intention of pushing and he was more than happy with the results.
 
"I had three very good starts, including two holeshots. We changed the settings a little bit and this made a big difference for the starts. It was for sure a good weekend for me and this is a good track," Max said after the race.
 
The German racer is well known for his blitz action out of the start gates and last season notched up an impressive amount of holeshots in the collective MX1 World Championship motos. He was the only member of the MX1 factory team to race at Hawkstone Park this weekend and he will continue his preparation for the season opener in Bulgaria with another race in Germany next weekend.
 
Simpson's run of bad luck continues
After a great start to the pre-season events in Mantova, Italy, Nagl's MX2 Red Bull KTM factory team-mate Shaun Simpson has had his share of bad luck including a crash on Sunday at Hawkstone Park. Shaun was faster than Ken Roczen in the morning session to snatch pole position but early in the first race he crashed heavily into a rocky bank that left him bruised and battered with a cut under his eye and another deep cut to his ring finger. As a precaution he received treatment and x-rays at the local hospital, which did not indicate any other problems. He is being held under observation overnight to receive intravenous antibiotics.
 
This left Dennis Verbruggen and Joel Roelants of JM Racing KTM and Jake Nichols of Red Bull KTM UK keeping the flag flying for the Orange family in the MX2. They succeeded in finishing second, sixth and third respectively.


GARETH SWANEPOEL
Swanie takes fifth overall at Hawkstone Park International

Gareth Swanepoel headed back to the UK this past weekend to contest the prestigious Hawkstone Park International. Swanie, who took 2nd place in the British Championship last weekend, headed into this race very confident in both his physical form and the performance of his new CAS Honda 450.

As the elite field blasted out the gate for the opening moto of the day Swanie looked good immediately, coming into view in 6th position. Riding in great form throughout the moto the South African pulled onto the back wheel of Desalle but just couldn’t make the pass needed, eventually crossing the line to take 6th position, just 1 second off Desalle.

In Moto 2 the number 8 CAS Honda of Swanepoel was once again strong out the gates, heading through turn one in the leading group. Swanie demonstrated he is going to be a tough competitor in 2010, as he once again rode superbly to take 4th in the moto, awarding him 5th overall for the day.

“Today was positive, I rode my CAS Honda full race bike for the first time, and I just loved it. I have come away today even more confident in the equipment and I know that we have what it takes to be right up there in the GPs. For the coming weeks I am just going to keep working on my physical training, and look forward to being strong at the first GP in Bulgaria,” commented Swanie.


CAS HONDA
STRONG SHOWING FOR CAS HONDA AT HAWKSTONE PARK

CAS Honda enjoyed an excellent outing at the Hawkstone Park International event yesterday, with riders Gareth Swanepoel and Evgeny Bobryshev putting in strong performances to finish in fifth and eighth positions overall against some of their main rivals for this season.

In qualifying both riders took some time to get going, but after getting to grips with the notoriously tough Hawkstone Park sand circuit, the CAS Honda duo earned themselves good gate picks with Bobryshev in eighth and Swanepoel in 11th ahead of the day’s racing.

In the opening moto both riders got a good start with Bobryshev fifth out of the gate and his team-mate one place behind in sixth position. However, disaster struck for the Russian racer, as he was taken down by another rider in the opening stages, and completed the first lap at the back of the field in just 36th place.

Swanepoel settled into a good rhythm and held sixth place from flag to flag for a solid finish aboard his CRF 450R, while team-mate Bobryshev fought his way through the pack and by lap six of the 25-minute plus two-lap moto was inside the top 15. The 22-year-old CAS Honda pilot dug deep and worked his way up to 13th  position, where he remained until the chequered flag.

In race two both riders clinched good starts with Swanepoel in fifth and Bobryshev in sixth place by the end of lap one. Both of the CAS Honda racers lost a position in first few laps, but maintained a good rhythm and were able to push to the flag to finish the race in fourth and fifth positions respectively.

For only the second big race of the season and the first international this year, it’s a credit to the team that both riders finished with such strong results, as Swanepoel completed the day in fifth and Bobryshev in 8th place overall.

CAS Honda is now looking forward to its next official outing at Mallory Park, Leicester for the second round of the British MX1 Championship on the 21st March.

Gareth Swanepoel #8: 5th Overall
“Today has been pretty good. It took me a while to get going in qualifying and we ended up 11th, which was okay but obviously I would have liked it to be better. In the first race I got a pretty decent start into around sixth, although it took a little time to get my rhythm in the first few laps. Desalle crashed and got up in front of me, so I picked my pace up behind him and finished strong. In the second race my start was quite good, and then I rode like a freight train. I dropped off a little towards the end, but managed to hold on for fourth and finished fifth overall. The bike is feeling good and this was the first time on the full race bike; It took a while to get used to it, but every time I ride I like the CRF 450R more and more. I’m now heading back to Belgium where I’ve got lots of training planned and we’ll maybe race somewhere this coming weekend, but so far everything is on target.”

Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 8th Overall
“Qualifying wasn’t too bad, but not as good as we could have gone. I was riding a little stiff to begin with, so I couldn’t find my lines and went down once or twice, but 8th wasn’t so bad. I got a good start in the first race in fifth place, but I was taken out by another rider and went down. I was right near the back and fought my through to 13th, but I just wasn’t happy with my speed and didn’t feel completely comfortable, I was still riding quite stiff. In the second race things were better. I was in sixth behind Gareth and we stayed together for most of the race. It was very consistent, which I was happy with and I finished fifth. I wasn’t so pleased with my result today, it is a very difficult track here, but we are getting there and I am looking forward to the next race.”

CAS Honda Team Manager: Neil Prince
“Today both riders demonstrated good solid performances. Many of the other competitors have already completed other races this season, so to come here for only our second big event and finish with the results we have is very promising. The bikes are working very well and we’re concentrating on getting both riders in race mode. A lot of riders were caught out today, so I’m pleased we have had some good, solid races and we’re looking forward to the next British Championship event in a few weeks’ time.”


KTM UK
PODIUM FOR IMPRESSIVE NICHOLLS AT HAWKSTONE PARK

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK’s Jake Nicholls enjoyed a superb outing for his first international event of the season at Hawkstone Park yesterday, after putting in two solid rides to finish on the podium in third position overall.

Nicholls started the day off with an early fast lap in qualifying, which was sensible as the track slowed towards the end of the session, and finished in sixth position around the tough, steep Shropshire sand track, with team-mate Graeme Irwin in 13th place.

In the opening MX2 race Nicholls fired away from the start and was at the front of the pack with Shaun Simpson into the first turn. Ken Roczen and Simpson managed to edge their way past the 19-year-old before the end of the first lap, but the HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK rider concentrated on settling into a good rhythm and being consistent aboard his KTM 250 SX-F.

On lap three of the 25-minute plus two-lap moto Nicholls was able to take advantage of Simpson crashing, and took up second place, although as he put the pressure on, arm-pump towards the middle of the race caused the KTM pilot to drop back a few positions resulting in a solid fifth place finish.

Meanwhile Irwin had recovered from a steady start and was up in eighth position, when he crashed and lost some time. Thankfully unscathed, the KTM rider fought his way through the race to finish in 14th place.

In the second race both riders got good starts with Nicholls in second and Irwin in fourth by the end of lap one. Nicholls, who had refined his set-up for the second moto, rode hard and fought Dennis Verbruggen in the closing stages for what looked to be sure of a second-place finish. However, after a spectacular last lap battle, Nicholls lost out on the final corner of the race and was forced to settle for third position while scoring a superb podium finish in the process.

Irwin, who is recovering from a recent shoulder injury, also rode a strong race after a number of falls in the opening stages of the moto around the notoriously difficult Hawkstone Park track, and after dropping back to fifteenth while struggling to find his rhythm, the 18-year-old Irishman finished in twelfth place to secure fifteenth position overall.

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK now heads to Foxhill for the opening round of the Red Bull Pro National series next weekend.
 
Jake Nicholls #45: 3rd Overall
“Today has been really good, as I came here aiming to be in the top seven, so finishing on the podium is great. Qualifying went well, although the track was frozen a little to start with and I put two good laps in early on. I was third, but dropped back a few places to end up sixth, which I was happy enough with. In the first race I got a good start, in fact I pretty much holeshotted with Shaun Simpson close by. He got past me with Roczen and started to pull away, so I just rode my own race. When Simpson crashed it gifted me second, so I put some pressure on myself, got a little arm pump, then just had to ride it out to the end to finish fifth, which was okay.  In the second race I got a fairly good start; I made a few moves and was in third on the first lap. I moved up to second and rode the whole race tight. Dennis Verbruggen kept catching me and then I’d pull away; the track was rough, so it was hard to be consistent. He caught me on the last lap and we had a good battle, but he just got me on the last corner. I wasn’t happy about that but knew I’d done enough for the podium so overall we had a successful day.”

Graeme Irwin #555: 15th overall
“In qualifying I ended up 13th, which wasn’t the best and it wasn’t a perfect lap, although I was happy enough because I knew I could do more. It took a while to get back into sand riding mode, as I’ve not don’t so much of it so far this year. In the first race I got a bad start and worked my way through to eighth. I felt I had a good rhythm and things were going well when I took a big crash and ended up 14th, but thankfully I was just a bit bruised. I got a mega start in the second race into second place, then fourth by the end of the first lap. It was all a bit downhill from there, as I struggled having had little bike time recently due to an injured shoulder. I dropped back a long way, but managed to fight back to a top twelve after a big push in the last few laps. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and now the shoulder is feeling a little better I’ll be working hard this week to come out next week stronger.”

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK Team Manager: Roger Magee
“Today has been another good day for the HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK team with Jake finishing on the podium after two solid rides. Graeme rode consistently after a few crashes, and came through in the second race to finish top twelve. Both riders were advised not to push the boat out, as it can be quite gnarly at Hawkstone and it caught a lot of people out today. We use this event as a warm-up for the main championships we compete in to get the riders into race mode, but I’m happy with the result. Next week we’ll be heading to Foxhill for the first Red Bull Pro National event with the complete team.”

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK video HERE!


PAR HONDA
Hawkins flies the flag for PAR Honda at the Hawkstone International

The annual Hawkstone International was the destination of the PAR Honda squad this weekend.

After success at the first round of the Maxxis British Championship at Little Silver the team were looking forward to stretching their legs amongst Europe’s finest riders.

Unfortunately the team suffered various injuries over the weekend including foot damage to Brad Anderson and a serious back injury to Ray Rowson.

Ray is currently having further tests in hospital but the diagnose at this time is two cracked vertebrae in his back – more information on Ray’s injury will posted as we get it.

This left the youngest member of the team Luke Hawkins to fly the flag in amongst leading contenders for this year’s world motocross championship.

Brad Anderson – MX1
“I was feeling good coming into this weekend but in the first race I knocked my foot and stretched a ligament. We made the decision to not race the second moto just in case, I should be fine for this weekend’s first round of the Red Bull Pro National at Foxhill.

Martin Barr – MX2
Martin will explain why he didn’t race at Hawkstone in this short video interview.
http://video.mpora.com/watch/RoRN9i960/

Luke Hawkins – MX2
“Today was all about testing my speed and fitness against some world class opposition. Hawkstone Park is one of the most demanding tracks in the world. I was happy with what I achieved and I now head to Foxhill fit and raring to go at real race speed – I’m really looking forward to it.”

Next weekend will see the return of Scott Elderfield with his season debut at the British Masters on the PAR Honda 450F, Brad, Martin and Luke will race at Foxhill in the Red Bull Pro National series.

The team wish Ray Rowson a quick and healthy recovery and hope to see him back in the awning real soon.


MATISS KARRO
TROUBLED OUTING FOR KARRO AT HAWKSTONE PARK INTERNATIONAL

England has provided some happy hunting grounds in racing terms for Matiss Karro. The Latvian teenager, in English employ, has made the land of Wimbledon and strawberries and cream his second home. His laid back good nature has endeared him to the fans in the homeland of the MVRD Suzuki racing team, and thus he never lacks for moral support at races on English soil.

Matiss' first 2010 British Championship outing at Little Silver did not go off entirely without hitch, and the youngster was therefore keen to set matters right at the Hawkstone Park international. Every year round about this time, the Shropshire air fills up with he sound of highly-tuned racing motorcycles at full cry. The popular event is never short of a classy field of entrants, and a whole host of GP riders again made the effort to get to the event. For the MVRD racing squad, it was but a short hop to the race, which provides some early season compensation for the fact that, for the rest of the year, the team travels it's collective backsides square in search of world championship glory.

Matiss did not find his feet properly during the qualifying session, and was somewhat less than entirely pleased with 10th position on the gate. He was keen, therefore, to set the record straight during the races. In race 1, he got away with the leading group. He was always hovering at third- to fourth position, until, with a few laps to go, he made third position his own . Just when a podium finish looked inevitable, fate, in dressed as a backmarker, intervened. The lapped rider took a rather unconventional line, and Matiss was dislodged from his bike. This allowed Dennis Verbruggen to sneak through, with Matiss, thanking the culprit in Latvian, coming home in fourth.

An early crash in the second race left CurlyKarr with a lot of work to do. He set all systems on full ahead, and worked his way back up the field. By lap six, he had already worked his way up to sixth position, and another assault on a podium spot looked well on the cards. Unfortunately for him, he got upended once again, and this time he came down with a mighty smack of seismic proportions. In the process he hurt his chest and shoulder, as the impact was hard enough to shake his fillings loose. He finally remounted and gingerly rode out the rest of the rest, finally coming home in 16th position.

Despite his zero score in the second race, Matiss was credited with ninth position overall for the day, and he therefore made the cut for the Superfinal event, which pits the best 15 finishers of each of the MX1 - and MX2 classes against each other. Matiss was still not back to his best, being in a fair bit of pain and discomfort. With a slanting sun making visibility on the track iffy at best, he did not think that risking another crash was in his best interests, and he set all systems on safe. He brought his machine home in 14th position after an uneventful race, and retired to the camper for some recovery and pampering.

Matiss will sharpen his tools for next weekend's opener of the Red Bull Pro Nationals series. He has collected a fair bit of silverware in the series during the inaugural season in 2009, and is rated as one of the favourites for a top finish in the series.