With the next round of the world championship set for March 29 there’s a fortnight break for GP riders – or at least there would be if they didn’t have other commitments.
Yep, the good news is that the (take a deep breath) Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship powered by Skye Energy Drink (now breathe) rocks up at Hilton Park on Sunday. It’s a new track to the series, it’s sandy and no-one knows what the funk to expect.
Actually, that’s not true…
For starters you can expect Shaun Simpson (Hitachi Revo KTM UK) to win. To be fair to the defending 450cc MX1 champion, he starts favourite pretty much everywhere he rocks up but the Scot just so happens to be the UK’s best sand rider. If you believe the rumours he was born with a bucket and spade in his hand and a stick of rock up his ass. This man was born to ride sand.
He has got a shit-ton of opposition though…
Even though Jake Nicholls (Wilvo Forkrent KTM) is recovering from a broken wrist and Elliott Banks-Browne (Geartec Suzuki) is out with a busted leg there are a couple of Baltic bullets who will go well.
Tanel Leok (LPE Kawasaki Racing) is the original Estonian Express and loves the sand n’all. Joining him is another Estonian, Gert Krestinov (Buildbase Honda), who’s been sharpening his skills in the Italian championship for the last couple of months. Bert Krustyknob – whatever you do don’t call him that to his face (or get caught taking a sly snap of his smokin’-hot girlfriend) – has got a GP win in the sand to his name and is a real threat.
Bert, sorry, Gert’s team-mate is the mercurial, enigmatic, pain-in-the-arse Kristian Whatley. British champion in 2013, K-What is an amazing talent who’s also punching well above his weight in the girlfriend stakes. Seriously, under the Buildbase awning the girls are a 10 – the riders are struggling to hit six.
Frenchman Steven Frossard (Wilvo Forkrent KTM) makes his Maxxis debut and on last year’s form he’d be a shoo-in for the win. Fifth in the world in 2014, so far his latest MXGP season has sucked like a high-class hooker but he hasn’t got smashed over les Chrimbo and woken up with no memory of how to ride.
Former champ Brad Anderson (EMBO Power ASA Yamaha) should also figure and watch out for Northern Ireland’s Graeme Irwin (Heads & All Threads Suzuki) who is a frikkin’ machine on the 2015 RM-Z450.
MX2 is all about wringing the shoite out of 250cc four-strokes and no-one is better at that than defending MX2 champion Matiss Karro (Route 77 Energy MVR-D Honda). But the big-haired Latvian is injured so my money’s on Max Anstie (Monster DRT Kawasaki). He slashed his foot open in Qatar but the rapid redhead is vinegar-stroke fast and the class act of the field.
His main opposition should come from team-mate Mel Pocock but as always with the MX2 class there’s a whole heap of hungry young talent coming through so watch out for Ben Watson (Hitachi Revo KTM UK) and Adam Sterry (Wilvo Forkrent KTM). Euro 250cc champion Steven Clarke (Apico Husqvarna) should also be up there if he can keep it rubberside down and the old guard – yep that’s you Bryan MacKenzie (Pendrich Kawasaki) and Neville Bradshaw (272 Raceschool Husqvarna) – are capable of springing a few surprises.
Hilton Park is just off J1 of the M54 motorway. The action starts at 9.30am…