Maxxis ACU British Championship Round 1 - Culham 2017

The track had dried out a little by the time Brad went out but not much.  Some riders were finding it difficult and one rider got his bike stuck on to the back of Brads, leaving Brad to drag him round the track until it got loose.  Elliot Banks-Browne and Graeme Irwin got a good first lap in while the track was clear.  Brad Anderson and Jake Nicols both got their fastest time in lap 3.  Brad got a clear run at the end of the session and gave it his all, but the track had got so rough that he couldn’t beat his previous time. All four were 2 seconds faster than anyone else out there but it was Brad who ended up with 4^th gate pick for the day.

Race 1:

MX2:

Jake got a good start and was up there with the top few.  He had an off at the bottom of a downhill early on which set him back a bit but he still managed to hold off Mel Pocock for a good few laps. Once Mel had got past it left 3 riders battling just behind him, Jake Millward, Brad Todd and Micky Eccles.  All three riders have a similar ability and were battling for 5^th, 6^th and 7^th position.  Brad managed to secure 5^th which left Jake leading the way ahead of Micky.  Then on the last bend Micky found a way through leaving Jake to finish up 7^th in Moto 1.

MX1:

Brad got a terrible start, way back in 12^th.  The track was still slippery and Brad just couldn’t settle.  He made a mistake and came off in the same place that Jake did.  It then took him a few laps to get into a rhythm and back on the Ando pace.  There was a lot of ground to make up so it was tough going.  Brad picked them off one by one; Shipton, Harrison, Law and Wilde and then closed down on Davidson and Whatley who had been battling ahead.  Unfortunately time was against him and he couldn’t quite catch the pair, so Brad Anderson finished Moto 1 in 7^th place.

Race 2:

MX2:

Another good start for Jake starting out in 4^th place.  It was Micky Eccles and Brad Todd that got the better of Jake first.  The three battled hard for a few laps before they got past leaving Jake to battle with Martin Barr.  Then it all changed.  Micky came off and was out of the running, Martin got past them all and settled into 2^nd behind Ben Watson and Jake sat in 6^th chasing hard behind Brad Todd.  Then in the last lap Josh Gilbert found some speed and managed to catch Jake just before the end and pushing Jake down to 7^th place in Moto 2.

MX1:

Now this was a race to watch.  Brad got a good start coming round the first bend in 4^th.  It didn’t take him long to get past the MX1 new comer, Rob Davidson, followed by a quick battle with Graeme Irwin and Brad was sitting in 2^nd place behind Jake Nichols.  Irwin tried to catch Brad on more than one occasion but Brad was having none of it and was away after Nichols.  The old Brad was back.  The track had now dried up and was very rough and rutted, just the way Brad likes it.  He made it look easy.  He started to close the gap on Nichols who had got away early on, but despite their speeds being within a split second of each other he couldn’t get close enough to make a difference.  So Brad finished Moto 2 in a very deserving 2^nd place.

Overall:

MX2:

Jake ended up with a 7-7 to give a 6^th overall, with 28 points at the end of round one.  4^th and 5^th place riders, Martin Barr and Mel Pocock, finished just one point before Jake with 29 points.  So the race to the podium is most definitely on.

MX1:

Brad finished the day with a 7-2 to give him a 4^th overall, with 36 points at the end of round one.  2^nd and 3^rd place riders, Graeme Irwin and Steven Lenoir, finished just two points ahead with 38 points.  So both championships are very close.  It will be interesting to see the battle at the next round down in Lyng to see who takes the podium there.

Quote from Jake Millward:

The ruts were so deep and my legs are so short.  It was a tough one today.  If I hadn’t let Josh Gilbert get past me on the last lap I would be sitting in joint 4^th place with Martin Barr and Mel Pocock.

Quote from Brad Anderson:

1st round of the British championship.  Qualified 4^th.  I was boxed in at the start of the first race and was starting to come through good when I came off so ended up back in 7^th. I was so disappointed as I was strong and my times were good.  I got a better start in the second race and started to pass a few up to 2^nd.  Had some good lap times and felt loads better.  This 2^nd race shows where I should be.  Just missed out on the box by 2 points.  I am really looking forward to the next round. Massive thanks to all team Verde, Chris Muir my mechanic and to Adrian Kirk.