Maxxis ACU British Championship Round 6 - Blaxhall 2016

The 6^th Round of the ACU Maxxis British Championship took us to Suffolk, to a fabulous track at Blaxhall.  The sun was out and the temperature in it’s high 20’s.  The first bit of good weather the British Championship has seen all season.  Blaxhall is a sand track with a hard base beneath.  Pretty narrow with few places to pass but prepared well and great for watching.

QUALIFYING:

MX2:

Jake got a clear run in qualifying as soon as the timing session started and managed to slot in an excellent time in his first lap.  It was then difficult to get a good run.  Adam Sterry was by far the fastest with McKenzie nearly a second behind, followed by Pocock.  The next six riders had nothing between them.  Less than half a second between all six.  There was Barr, Cotterell, Knight, Clarke, Booker and Jake.  Jake ended up with 9^th gate pick but confident that he could not run with the top few.

MX1:

Brad too got his fastest time in his first lap before the traffic got too heavy.  There were 42 riders out there so no room for passes easily.  Brad’s time was close to Krestinov and Leok and less than a second behind Nicholls.  Searle was way quicker than anyone out there.  Brad ended up with 8^th gate pic which out of 42 he was pretty pleased with.

RACE 1:

MX2:
Good jump but got squashed into 15^th on the first corner.  Despite the very narrow track Jake pulled through to 12^th in his first lap, then 9^th in his 2^nd lap.  He managed to find a good line to pass in the woods, caught up to Tombs and moved into 8^th.  It was now very hot, up to nearly 30 degrees.  Jake was on the same pace as Brad Todd but he just couldn’t catch him, so with one lap to go, he settled into 8^th and eased up a bit towards the end.

MX1:

Fantastic jump out the gate and Brad rounded the first bend in third place.  There was only Searle and Nicholls ahead.  Irwin was just behind and soon sqeezed through putting Brad into 4^th.  It was scorching hot and now very dry.  Brad was on the tail of the leading three when he stalled the bike and Whatley got past.  Brad got the bike going pretty quickly but the heat prevented him closing the gap on Whatley.  Then after 14 minutes into the race the red flag went out and the race was stopped.  Brad was just coming over the line in his seventh lap.  The race would count and with the heat of the day increasing, it was happen a blessing that they didn’t have to go straight out for another 25 minute + 2 laps.  So Brad finished Moto 1 in 5^th place.

RACE : 

MX2:

A much better jump out the gate for Jake in moto 2, coming round in 7^th place.  He held his own most of the race.  Steven Clarke made a mistake and Jake moved up to 6^th, but them Martin Barr caught Jake.  He held the Irish man off for a couple of laps but Martin found a way round pushing Jake back to 7^th place.  Clarke caught Jake with just a few laps to go.  So Jake finished Moto 2 in 8^th place.  Not a bad race.  Very hot and dry.  Conditions he rarely comes across in the North of England!

MX1:

Not too bad a start for Brad in Moto 2, a good jump out the gate and round the first bend in 6^th place.  Brad just couldn’t seem to get in a rhythm for the first half of the race and before he knew it, he was way back in 10^th place.  Then with 10 minuits left to go, Krestinov and Leok crashed out of the front runners, moving Brad up to 8^th.  Josh Spinks was in front and kept blocking his path and once Brad found a way round  him his race pace kicking in.  He chased down Ryan Houghton, made his pass and set his sights on Lenior for 5^th, but with only 2 laps to go the gap was too great.  Brad settled for 6^th place.  He wasn’t happy but 6^th isn’t too bad a result with the level of riders competing this season.

OVERALL:

MX2:

Two 8^th place finishes gave Jake 7^th overall and he retained his 7^th place in the championship.  With the next round at the team’s local track, Preston Docks, Jake will hopefully pull back a few places and chase down his contenders Brad Todd and Liam Knight.

MX1:

With a 5^th and 6^th, Brad finished 5^th overall for the day.  A good solid result that helped Brad retain his 6^th place in the championship.  However, being the true contender that Brad is, he wasn’t happy with the result and is determined to fight to move up the Championship table at the next round at Preston Docks.

QUOTE FROM JAKE MILLWARD:

A good days riding.  I enjoyed today but really struggled with the heat, dust and dirt.  Can’t wait for the next round at Preston Docks.

QUOTE FROM BRAD ANDERSON:

Today was a struggle.  5^th in race one, 6^th in race 2.  I just didn’t get going till half way through the second race and my fastest lap was the last lap which shows that my fitness is still there!  Onwards and Upwards.

QUOTE FROM TEAM MANAGER ADRIAN KIRK:

A good solid steady days racing.  We know both riders can achieve more and would have liked to see them both climb higher up the championship table today.  The next round is at Preston Docks which is a sand track and a favourite for both riders.  Hopefully results should come when we compete there in August.