Hungry like a Wulf!
Published: 15th March 2007
Author: Graham Milne
WHAT a way to start the 2007 Maxxis British MX1 and MX2 Motocross Championships - perfect sunshine, perfect crowd (nigh on 10,000 again) and an all-new direction of circuit, which worked - well, perfectly!
And, as I was covering my last British Motocross Championship race on behalf of T+MX I can say the Celtic (pronounced - Keltick) connection was inspirational and emotional with Scottish teenager Shaun Simpson winning his first MX2 championship race and just missing out on the overall honours by a point, and Irishman Gordon Crockard riding to overall runner-up spot showing he is well over his disappointing last few injury-hit seasons with an MX1 race victory and subsequent second race fourth place after hard-fought battles with Scotsman Billy MacKenzie who finished the day in third place overall.
But, credit to the overall winners of both classes - big Belgian Ken de Dycker going from a first MX1 race third spot to a final race win for top spot and South African Gareth Swanepoel snatching the MX2 class honours with his second and third places in respective races.
KTM’s wonder-kid Tommy Searle showed his class by coming back from a first race, first corner crash and virtually last place to an eventual ninth place and then a totally dominant second race win to take third place overall.
BRITISH MX2 MOTOCROSS CHAMPS
Rd 1 - Canada Heights, Swanley, Kent
(Sidcup & DMCC)
1 Gareth Swanepoel (250F Molson Kawasaki) 27 + 25 = 52
2 Shaun Simpson (Wulfsport Kawasaki) 30 + 21 = 51
3 Tommy Searle (250F KTM UK) 13 + 30 = 43
4 Mike Brown (CAS Honda) 15 + 27 = 42
5 Sean Hamblin (250F Swift Suzuki) 19 + 23 = 42
6 Martin Barr (250F Bike It Yamaha) 25 + 15 = 40
SERIES STANDINGS after 1 (of 8) rounds: 1 Swanepoel 52 points, 2
Simpson 51, 3 Searle 43, 4 Mike Brown 42, 5 Hamblin 42, 6 Barr 40
NEXT ROUND: Mar 25 - Landrake Moto Parc, nr Saltash, Cornwall (West Devon MCC).
BRITISH MX1 MOTOCROSS CHAMPS
Rd 1 - Canada Heights, Swanley, Kent (Sidcup & DMCC)
1 Ken De Dycker (450F CAS Honda) 25 + 30 = 55
2 Gordon Crockard (450F PAR Homes Honda) 30 + 23 = 53
3 Billy MacKenzie (450F DeGroot Kawasaki) 27 + 25 = 52
4 Brad Anderson (450F Pioneer Yamaha) 21 + 27 = 48
5 Jussi Vehvelainen (450F Honda) 19 + 21 = 40
6 James Noble (450F Multitek Honda) 23 + 15 = 38
SERIES STANDINGS after 1 (of 8) rounds: 1 De Dycker 55 points, 2 Crockard 53, 3 Billy MacKenzie 52, 4 Anderson 48, 5 Vehvelainen 40, 6 Noble 38.
NEXT ROUND: Mar 25 - Landrake Moto Parc, nr Saltash, Cornwall (West Devon MCC).
For full report, results and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, March 16, 2007.