Michelin MX Nationals - Round 2 - Foxhills 2015

Michelin MX Nationals - Round 2 - Foxhills 2015

The second Round of the MX Nationals was this weekend at the famous Foxhills track in Swindon.  The weather was excellent, it was a relaxed atmosphere with a happy vibe and the track was dry and ready to race.

Saturdays Free Practice:

The Pro's got the opportunity to get a free practice as the Saturday evening closed in, after a fun day of racing the track was very face, hard and dry.

MX2 - Jake set out well and got a couple of quick laps in but he was looking forward to Sunday's racing when the track would have been graded.

MX1 - Josh on the other hand loves Foxhills and this definitely showed in his free practice.  He picked up the pace in his last lap and slotted in a 2:09, finishing the fastest out there.

Sunday Pro Qualifying:

The track had been watered Saturday night and ripped up Sunday morning.  It was slippery at first but soon starts to dry out with the wind.

MX2 - Jake set out early and found the track slippery but persevered, got in some decent laps and ended up with 5th fasted MX2 but only 12th fate pick! His times were consistent and very close to the other 4 faster MX2 riders.

MX1 - Josh went out later in the session, allowing the ground to dry out a little first.  He then set too with some excellent times, holding 3rd quickest nearly all session. Then in the last lap of this qualification, a couple of riders slotted in a quicker lap. Josh couldn't get a clear run, so he ended up with 5th place MX1 and 6th gate pick.

Race 1:

The track had properly dried out now with all the other classes having raced already.  It was time to race the top 40 Pro Riders here at Foxhills.  The weather was great for April and then crowds were there to watch.

MX2 - Jake picked his gate next to Whatley but he got squashed out at the first bend but still rounded the corner amongst the top 10 Pro's. He was going strong and passing Lenoir wide when he flipped the bike on the first downhill, the bike going one way and Jake the other.  He got up, checked that his manhood was still intact and carried on the race. The bike was bruised and kept cutting out but Jake was determined to finish the race and get some points. So he came home with 7 points, one very sore bike and one even sorer lower region.

MX1 - Josh got a mega start, rounding the first bend in 3rd.  He was strong and slotted into 5th place with ease and held this position for the majority of the race.  Then 2 laps from the end he made a mistake on a corner, slipped off and lost 2 places. Not to be beaten he chased the leading pack, took another rider and came home in 6th place in MX1.

Race 2:

The track was now very dusty, stony and fast paced.  Both riders had excellent starts and Team Verde came home with two 4th place finishes.

MX2 - Jake got a great start rounding the first bend 5th overall Pro.  But the MX1 riders soon took off leaving the MX2's to chase.  Jake was on his practice bike, due to major mechanicals with his race bike from Lyng the week before.  He struggled a little with the lack of power to chase up the steep hills at Foxhills but he held in tight, gave it his all and finished an excellent fourth place MX2 and securing 8th overall for the day, despite his unlucky race 1.

MX1 - An excellent start for Josh's race 2, coming round the first bend in 3rd place once again. He looked comfortable and you could tell he was enjoying racing here at Foxhills.  After a couple of laps Martin Barr made a pass leaving Josh to follow up and finish an excellent fourth place MX1, giving him 4th overall for the day.

Overall:

Overall it was an excellent days racing for Team Verde finishing with a 4th place MX1 and an 8th place MX2.  Both riders ended up with sore man bits as Josh too took a stone to his lower region in his last lap.  This added to the humorous team spirit but left both riders a little sore.

But Verde Sports Racing ended the weekend on a high.  Jake still sitting in a comfort 2nd place in the MX2 series and Josh moving up into 5th place in MX1.  Next round is at Culham Park, a favourable track for both riders to look forward to.

Quote from Jake Millward:

I so wanted to pull off in the first race after I somersaulted down the hill but I am glad I carried on as I gained some points. This meant that I still remain 2nd in the Championship which is a really good feeling.

Quote from Josh Spinks:

4th overall today at Foxhills. Happy with that and a fun days riding on a track I enjoy.

Quote from Team Manager, Adrian Kirk:

An excellent day, excellent facilities, excellent Pick and Mix ... And on a serious note, both riders gave 100% and came away with good points for their championship standings.