Michelin MX Nationals - Round 4 - Race Report

The Michelin MX Nationals travelled to the Garden of England, the county of Kent, and the superb Canada Heights venue for round 4 of the Championship at the weekend.

As always the circuit was excellently prepped for the two-day moto onslaught that the MX Nationals brings with it, and with the weather fantastic throughout, the scene was set for another epic weekend of championship racing.

Injury has been the main topic of conversation in the Pro MX1 class with a whole heap of the main contenders succumbing in various guises throughout the season.

Series leader Harri Kullas showed up in a damage limitation exercise only three weeks on from breaking his shoulder blade, and with number 2 in the standings Gert Krestinov out, and 2018 champion Jake Nicholls, and Geartec Husqvarna’s Elliott Banks-Browne returning, all manner of permutations were thrown around the paddock before racing commenced.

It was Banks-Browne who threw down the gauntlet in qualifying going pole, but only .027 seconds ahead of Jake Millward. Nicholls was also less than a second down on Banks-Browne so there was nothing in it in terms of speed between these three. It was going to be a hard slog for Kullas and with a time over 9 seconds slower than the pacesetters his 3 round unbeaten run was certain to end.

True to the form book Millward was out of the traps like a rat up a drain pipe in Moto 1 with Nicholls in hot pursuit. The reigning champion had the bit between his teeth, but Millward is showing nerves of steel this year and brought it home for the win 3 seconds ahead of Nicholls.  Banks-Browne faded after a strong start, finishing third with Mel Pocock fourth, another injury returnee Lewis Tombs fifth and Jake Shipton in sixth.

It was another holeshot in Moto 2 for Millward but this time Nicholls sensed glory early and moved into the lead and made for the hills. Banks-Browne would also make his way past Millward but he couldn’t get onto even terms with Nicholls at the front and it was the number 45 Honda who would take the win and a fantastic overall at his comeback race. Banks-Browne would bring it home for second and third overall, with Millward third in the race and on the number 2 block of the podium at the end of the day. It was stand out ride for Northern Irish star Jason Meara finishing fourth in Moto 2 aboard Gert Krestinovs Phoenix Tools Kawasaki. Tombs would finish fifth with Pocock sixth while Kullas rode through the pain barrier and gained eighth overall which amazingly extended his championship lead.

There is a huge battle raging for the MX2 title with current champion Josh Gilbert going at it with veteran Martin Barr, with Barr going into the event with a slender 3 point lead.

Gilbert laid down the marker in qualifying going a full second quicker than his rival and as the gate dropped on Moto 1, it was Gilbert who was the top MX2 rider in the race. Barr was coming after him fast though, as was the emerging talent Taylor Hammal, who on lap four would move past Barr and set chase on the leader. As the moto reached its 3/4 mark Hammal was hounding Gilbert but with 3 laps to go Gilbert would put Tombs on a 450 between them and cruised home for the win. Hammal found passing Tombs a tough nut to crack which helped Barr close the gap and subsequently make a pass on the final lap for second with Hammal in third, Brad Anderson fourth, Ben Franklin fifth and Michael Ellis sixth.

Ellis made a jet-propelled start in Moto 2 keeping the chasing Gilbert at bay until lap 4, when the West Country racer moved into the lead where he would stay for a 1-1 day and the overall. Barr would also reel in Ellis and finished second for the number two spot overall with Ellis third. Anderson would hold off Hammal for fourth which in turn would gift him the third and final podium spot for the weekend, with Hammal fourth overall and Ellis fifth.

The tables have now turned with the 3 point swing going the way of Gilbert as his battle with Barr is set to continue at round 5 in August.

In it for the long haul, the Youth, Expert and Clubman classes rode on Saturday and Sunday with two days of arduous racing to undertake.

The smallest racers, the Small Wheel 85’s saw series leader Tyla Hooley put in a powerhouse performance with 3 wins from 4. Warren Clarke would be the only racer to topple the red plate holder with a controlled start to finish victory in race 2 which would help him claim third overall. Splitting the two was McKenzie Marshall finishing the weekend in second.

Sam Atkinson was a joy to watch in the Big Wheels and pocketed another four faultless race wins and the overall to add to his burgeoning collection. Charlie Palmer edged out Thomas Harris by a single point for second.

MXY1 was a 2 Stroke bunfight. Bobby Bruce made good in both motos on the Saturday, but that was the only points he chalked on the board as his bike blew up on the line of Race 3 ending his day, leaving it to the rest to fight it out for the overall. Sensing an opportunity Oliver Beamish didn’t need a second chance and rode a stormer to win race 3, and coupled with a second in the final race of the weekend, he would pull off his first MX Nationals win. James Smith put in four solid rides for second while Ryan Mawhinney came good in the final moto to take the chequers and third overall.

After race 1 and qualifying it looked like MXY2 was going to be another weekend of domination for Ike Carter, but Motocross has a funny way of throwing up upsets and a fifth for Carter in Race 2, and a win for his closest rival Kyle McNicol meant this wasn’t going to be the straight forward weekend that was first thought.  Carter would keep his cool though and collected the next two moto wins to tie on points with McNichol who looked solid all weekend long, and with the final moto in the bag, it would be Carter who would get the nod over McNichol for the overall. Ryan Thompson would claim the third step on the podium with four good race results.

Gavin Stevenson and Richard Bird battled it out all weekend long for the Expert MX1 win taking two wins apiece, but it was Stevenson with the stronger results over the four Motos and he would take the overall and extend his series lead. Bird was second, with Aaron McCarroll in third.

Rossi Beard blitzed to a full house of race wins for the Expert MX2 overall from Josh Coleman who had an excellent day, with Jansen Day in third, although it is fifth-placed Aaron-Lee Hanson who now holds the series lead with the previous Red Plate holder Ben Clark absent.

It was a two-way fight for the victory in the Clubman MX1 category with Luke Oldfield pulling out all of the stops to beat Steven Kelly for the win with Luke Coker completing the podium.

Brad Thornhill and Fabio Rizzi duked it out over the entire weekend in the Clubman MX2 class but it was Thornhill with a 2-1-2-2 scorecard who took the honours by the smallest of one-point margins. Thornhill’s victory was doubly sweet as he also moved into the Number 1 spot in the championship standings ahead of Harry Fletcher who loses that honour after finishing third overall at the weekend.

The next stop on the MX Nationals Tour is Cusses Gorse in Wiltshire which will host Round 5 of the series on the 24th and 25th August.

Picture by X-Cast Media