Maxxis British Motocross Championship - Round 1
Sunday 16th March 2003
Reports
The "Canada Heights this weekend (British Champs)" Thread on the MXTrax / Adrenalin Trip message board here and here.
Team CAS Honda report via MX247.com
The CAS Honda Motocross Team began the 2003 British Championship season with some fantastic Open Class results. Canada Heights near Swanley in Kent was the venue for the first round of this year’s championship and the fast hilly circuit was in prime condition.
Race one saw Gordon Crockard push into an early lead following some minor battles with Carl Nunn and Mark Hucklebridge, but it was Chris Burnham who eventually followed the Irishman home followed by team-mate Jussi Vehvilainen, Paul Cooper and Japanese CAS Honda rider Yoshitaka Atsuta.
“I had a major drama on the start line of the first race. The fifteen second board went up so I put my goggles on and the strap broke”, explained Crockard. “I waved for attention and managed to delay the start but I was a nervous wreck by the time we got underway. The race went OK though. I passed Mark Hucklebridge and Carl Nunn and then led until the chequered flag.”
Race two once again saw Crockard slip into the lead after passing 2002 champion Paul Cooper. Jussi Vehvilainen also made a pass on Cooper for second spot and the three riders held these positions until the chequered flag. Yoshitaka Atsuta finished in fifth following Mark Hucklebridge over the finish line.
“The second race was much easier for me”, said Finnish star Vehvilainen. The earlier problems with my arms pumping up were gone and I got a better start and rode more smoothly.”
Yoshitaka Atsuta blasted into a race three early lead fiercely chased by Crockard and Vehvilainen as the rest of the race pack stacked up behind the CAS Honda whitewash on the all new CRF450s.
Crockard and Vehvilainen soon passed Atsuta and set a blistering pace leaving the trailing riders in their wake. At the finish Crockard took the race win and a maximum 90 points – unbeaten all day. Jussi’s 3-2-2 finishes gave him 79 points and second overall, and the fantastic news was that Yoshitaka’s 25 points in race three gave him third place overall making it a CAS 1-2-3 on the podium.
“I had a brilliant start in the last race,” explained Atsuta. “I just need to get a little more speed in my riding but it’s good to follow your team-mates and get a tow from them. Track was OK for me and we made some adjustment to the bike’s suspension after the first race and that helped a lot. No crashes for me today, so that’s good.”
Crockard was obviously delighted with his last race win and performance overall. “I had good energy levels going into the last race but got tangled up with Paul Cooper in the first turn which allowed the 125s to creep up the inside,” explained the Ulsterman. “Cooper went down and bent my front brake lever in the process. I adjusted to it though and pushed into the lead. It was then just a matter of keeping my team-mate Jussi at bay. I was really pleased to get the win.”
“My bike was really top-notch and today was a good test for our set up. We made a few alterations to the suspension and that sorted everything out and I’m really happy.”
125cc rider and team manager Neil prince crashed heavily in race one and was rushed to hospital with suspected internal injuries which now appear to have stabilised.
At present we believe that Neil has damaged his liver and right kidney and has been suffering with internal bleeding. The latest update at 8am this morning (Monday, March 17) is that the bleeding has stopped and he has stabilised well. Providing the bleeding does not start again within the next 24 hours, the doctors are hoping that an operation will not be necessary.
The CAS Honda team are now looking forward to round one of the World Motocross Championships at Bellpuig, Spain on Sunday 30th March.
Team Albion KTM UK report via MX247.com
Sword Takes The Win At Opening Round
Albion KTM’s Stephen Sword, the reigning British 125cc Motocross Champion, got the season off to a great start taking the overall win at the opening round of the nine round Maxxis British Championship on Sunday. Sword, the fastest rider on the track during early morning qualification, just missed out on the win in race one, beaten to the flag by Billy Mackenzie - the race went to the wire with less that one second separating the pair.
Sword said: “I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season. I would have liked to win, I did a lot of work to pull back half a dozen places and move to second, I thought I was faster than him, but in the end I couldn’t find a way around him. I was watching Mackenzie’s lines closely, he was defending them hard, I don’t think his lines were as good as mine but he kept blocking me, I thought at one stage I could get by him but he put up a good fight until we crossed the line.”
Within two laps of race two, Sword had worked his way to the front of the forty strong field and head the race; within a few laps he had started to open a gap.
Sword said: “I managed to pull 20 seconds lead on American Jeff Dement, he’s new to the British Championship and he could well be an outsider if he can remain consistent like he was today. Previous years have not been so good to me here at Canada Heights, I just wanted to have two or three good rides and go home happy.”
Sword did better than that, he took the overall win and bagged 12 points over team-mate Tom Church who finished second, 13 on Mackenzie and 14 on Dement by being the first 125cc machine to cross the line in the Maxxis Cup.
“Physically I got a little bit tired towards the end of the moto, it was tough on a 125 bike against the larger two strokes and four strokes up the hills. I just kept my head down to take 10th in front of Dement, I have the overall win and I am happy, not just for myself but the team, Tom Church joined me on the podium, it’s been a very good day for us all and the defence of my championship.”
Tom Church who joined the Albion squad at the end of last season recorded 4th fastest time in qualification with a 2:08.22, just 2.12 seconds behind his team-mate Stephen Sword who stole pole position. Church, who finished 4th in last year’s series, has improved with each season and brings extra depth to the Albion line-up. He finished 3rd in his first outing, “I made a decent start but I couldn’t come through the field with the same speed as Stephen but I eventually moved to 3rd place and had a pretty easy race after that. Stephen was putting pressure on leader Mackenzie but I had a lonely race. It was nice to get a podium finish which helped set me up for race two,” admitted Tom later.
As race two sped off the line, Church had to work hard to get up front. “I made my way around a gaggle of riders and then Mackenzie went down in front of me. Stephen seemed to have the race in control out front, Dement held onto 2nd position, I couldn’t seem to get near him, we kept the same gap and I finished 3rd again. Still I was happy, two good results from the first two races of the season.”
It was all down to the final race of the day. The Maxxis Cup race was nearly a disaster for Church, “I almost went down in the first turn with Paul Cooper, I just managed to save it,” said Tom. “It took a lot of hard work, Canada Heights is not a good track for me, I normally take a few races to get into shape but I worked my way to 15th position at the flag which gave me 2nd overall in the 125cc class behind Stephen, I am very happy with this and hopefully it will sent me up for the next few races.”
Commenting on the Albion KTM set-up, Tom said: “The bike is working very well, we are taking it week by week, but we have the engine running very well, I doubt whether anyone could get any more ponies out of a 125 engine! The suspension we still need to refine but I have no problems at all, a great start to the season, everything is running smoothly in the team, the rest is down to me.”
Matt Winstanley got the day off to a great start, rocketing to the font of the field in race one but eventually slipped back, finishing 4th after suffering arm pump. “We had the front suspension set up too soft, the bike was getting hard to control as the forked heated up, I think if the bike had been set up better I could have held onto the lead,” said Matt.
The rest of the day was soon to turn out a disaster, despite such a strong first ride. “I suffered from stomach cramps in race two and just managed to stay in the points, then in the final race I had a collision which severed the rear brake hose, so I had to retire after just two laps. I know that I have the speed and have been training hard so if I can just avoid stupid little problems like I have suffered today I know I can be in contention and up front with Sword and Church,” said Matt.
Team manager Sean Osmond was delighted with such a great season opener from Sword and Church. “ I am very happy with the way all three riders rode, it’s nice to see two of our riders taking first and second on the podium. Matt suffered with some misfortune but we have all three inside the top eight positions at the end of the day. To come away heading the British Championship is very good, Stephen is working hard to defend his title. The racing today has been very exciting but I think there are a few new riders who could be serious contenders. All three boys come away from here in one piece, we know now what each rider wants for their personal set-up on the bikes, we will be working very hard during the next two to three weeks to get the bike working perfectly. The boys feel that they are 98% there, so a few minor modifications and we have something solid to work on, not only for the British Championship but also the Grand Prix season which starts in two weeks time.”
Suzuki Teams report via MX247.com and Insidebikes.com
A record crowd of almost 10,000 enthusiastic motocross fans packed the banks at the spectacular 1.25-mile Canada Heights circuit, near Swanley in Kent to enjoy glorious sunshine and an action-packed programme racing. The opening round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship saw both TAS Suzuki and Hooper BTC Suzuki teams mix with a top level entry to earn championship points on their production RM125 Suzuki machines.
TAS SUZUKI
Suzuki’s Adam Lyons took sixth position overall in Sunday’s opening round. Lyons, from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland recorded 10th fastest time in qualifying practice ahead of his TAS Suzuki team-mates, Danny and Jody Smyth who respectively qualified in 13th and 16th positions for the 125cc class.
A poor start in the first moto saw Lyons circulating in 15th position on lap one. He steadily worked his way through the pack to finish inside the top ten. “I just got carried away on the concrete start line and spun up the rear wheel. I knew I would have to do a lot of work to get back into contention. I wasn’t overly happy with my riding but I got inside the top ten which was something at least,” confessed Adam.
Race two saw Lyons start well within the top ten. He worked his way up to 7th position at the flag to secure a creditable sixth position in the overall championship. “The track was getting much rougher in the second moto which proved to be ideal for the Suzuki. It’s a very stable machine to ride at speed, particularly on some of the fast downhills which were cutting up badly and getting very bumpy.”
TAS Suzuki’s Danny Smyth rode to a strong 8th position in his opening ride of the 2003 season. “I was very happy with my result, I felt that I rode a strong race to finish ahead of Adam, but I thought race two was going to be a disaster. The throttle cable kept sticking and it was getting pretty scary. I stopped a few times to adjust it and still managed to come home 14th which I was happy with,” said the Sussex-based youngster.
Third team member, 24-year-old Jody Smyth, was riding a completely stock 125cc Suzuki machine but passed the chequered flag in ninth position in race two. “I was struggling a little today but I’m due to have the same tuned engine as Adam and Dan for the next race which should help me to be more competitive,” said Jody later. Team manager of the TAS Suzuki squad Philip Neill said, “The goal here at Canada Heights was to get all three riders inside of the top ten. Adam finished 6th, Danny 9th and just outside in 12th was Jody so I am happy with their performance. The track proved to be very fast here today so it’s great to have made a mark with the production-based Suzuki machines and have something to build upon to prepare for the next round.”
HOOPER BTC SUZUKI
Hooper Suzuki’s young team experienced an unfortunate start to the 2003 season. Gloucester based Lewis Gregory suffered a high speed crash in Sunday’s early morning qualification session and was left battered and bruised and unable to race in the opening championship round. “I came down to a jump and hit a soft patch of dirt, the bike stopped and I was pitched over the handlebars and landed heavily,” said a hugely disappointed Gregory. “Although I was winded, I tried to get back onto the pace while my adrenalin was still pumping but as soon as that wore off the pain was too much and I had to pull up.”
Team-mate John May, celebrated his 18th birthday and scored three points in each of his two rides. “I was a little nervous but I think my two previous races this season helped me overcome my nerves for this opening championship round. My starts weren’t the best and I lost a few places in race one when I went over the berm and lost drive. The track was very dry and the racing was very fast. I know that I now have the speed and confidence to race with these guys so I am looking forward to the next round in a few weeks time.”
Team Yamaha Dixon Racing report via MX247.com
Yamaha Dixon Racing’s Billy Mackenzie made his British Championship debut on the YZ 250F four stroke machine on Sunday at Round One of the 2003 Maxxis British Motocross Championship, the young Scot powered his machine to an easy win after he qualified in 3rd place with a 2:07.57 second lap time at the Canada Heights circuit overlooking the M25 in Kent.
Mackenzie, runner-up in 2002, sported the number two jersey and defended his lead from bitter rival Stephen Sword in race one - the two opened up a 34 second lead at the front of a forty strong line up. Mackenzie said: “I moved to the front as soon as possible, I haven’t had much time on the new bike but I have every confidence in it, the power is just awesome but we still need to set it up properly.”
Billy had opened up a good lead but made a mistake. “At half distance I came into a turn and stalled the bike losing about six seconds,” explained the young Scot. “For some reason the choke came on and got bent by a flying stone, I had lost my lead and Sword was closing, the bike was running rich during the last few laps so I had to really try hard to defend my lines, I had to be a bit aggressive to carry off the win.”
It was to be a similar story in race two. Despite suffering from a head cold, Mackenzie was out in front again and looking for another win to repeat his performance of twelve months previous. “I made a silly mistake on lap three and crashed. As I was picking up the bike someone hit me and I went down again losing more time,” said Billy, who eventually got back into the race in 6th position. “It took me a while to get back into a decent rhythm. Just as I was getting going again I had a big moment in the bomb hole, I hit a deep patch of clay and crashed, winding myself. I think that we have the power dialled in but we need to do some work on the suspension, it was maybe a little too soft,” admitted Mackenzie.
With a win and a fifth position from his first two rides Billy was just looking for a consistent ride in the Maxxis Cup. “I had been sleeping between races as I felt really tired after the two motos. I got off the line OK but then Cooper crashed right in front of me and I had to go around the carnage and lost a few places.” Just outside of the top ten, Billy was dicing with American Jeff Dement, but a lump of clay was wedged between the chassis and his rear brake and he nearly came to grief off a jump. “I knew I had to mellow out or crash, Sword came by me and then after another lap I high-sided the bike and landed heavily, winding myself. I just had to get back on and finish the race,” admitted Billy.
Scoring 55 points, one point behind Tom Church, Billy climbed to the podium in third position. “Obviously I would have liked to have won both 125cc moto’s. Sword only has 13 points advantage over me and the season has just started, I am not worried. Steve Dixon literally got the bikes and parts a few weeks ago so I know that with more testing and some time to set the bike up just how I want it we will be ready for the next round. Sword and Church are basically riding the same bike as 2002, I have changed bikes completely from two stroke to four stroke power, which I much prefer, but we aren’t that far off the mark after only a week or so riding, give us a little longer and it’s going to be an interesting season.”
It proved to be a terrible debut ride for Yamaha’s new signing, Mark Jones. The young welsh rider suffered a catalogue of disasters during his three outings. Forced out wide at the start in all three races he fought hard to recover. In race one he managed to make up a lot of ground only to lose the clutch two laps from the end. A rock hit his hand in race two bruising his forefinger. “I could hardly pull the clutch in but I rode well to come back and salvage eight points with a 13th place finish.” Jones was finding the going frustrating. “Cooper crashed right in front of me in the final race, I couldn’t believe my luck or rather lack of it, three messed up starts. I got going only to have Justin Morris crash right in front of me, I had nowhere to go and slammed into the back of him.” While he was trying to free the bike, Pettitt slammed into Mark’s back with his handlebars bruising his kidneys. “I just wanted the race to end so I could go home, I knew I had to continue riding if the pain wasn’t too severe, I had no idea what position I was, I just tried to claw back a few points.” Jones was unlucky yet again, he finished 22nd, just outside of the points.
Jason Higgs suffered three crashes in his opening ride and was forced to retire on lap ten. “It was a nightmare of a race,” admitted Jason. “The first incident wasn’t my fault, someone just pushed me off the track and I got tangled up in the ropes, then I ran into a back-marker and the third fault was my own, thinking too much about the earlier crashes, I wasn’t concentrating enough.”
With no points in his opening ride Jason knew he must do better. In race two he turned it around and recovered from a 15th place start to finish 9th, scoring 13 points, “ I have been struggling with a viral infection for which I am awaiting the results of a blood test. Without making excuses I’m not feeling 100% fit and when it came to the last race I was tired, I simply don’t have three races in me physically. I know that I have the speed and pace, I just need to get over this small problem and work from there. Crashes don’t help, they waste my energy,” admitted Jason who held onto 20th position to grab a single point in the Maxxis Cup.
Team Manager Steve Dixon was happy with Mackenzie’s podium finish. “Billy rode remarkably well, I am pleased that he managed to hold onto third position, he deserved it for all the hard work he has put in during the last two weeks. It can’t have been easy for him racing a relatively strange machine, we were still setting the bike up as late as two days ago. I think he was unfortunate in race two to make a mistake which cost him probably second place, he knows after last season that he must be consistent in every race. He has made a good start to the season, one which we can build upon with more time riding the bike.”
Commenting on Jones and Higgs, Dixon added, “Both Mark and Jason were both very unlucky here at Canada Heights. They scored points but also made mistakes and crashed, it’s going to be a long season so it’s best to have any problems and nerves now to get them out of the way and start focusing on racing. Hopefully Mark’s finger is nothing but bruising and Jason can overcome his tiredness and show some of the great form he displayed last season.”
Team RWJ Honda report via MX247.com
RWJ Honda’s James Noble and Stuart Flockhart narrowly missed out on top ten overall positions at Sunday’s opening round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship staged at Canada Heights in Kent, some twenty miles from London city centre. Flockhart proved he was one of the fastest riders out on the track qualifying in third position behind Paul Cooper and Gordon Crockard, only 00.19 of a second off Cooper’s pole position time. Noble rode his Honda 450F machine to eighth position on the starting line.
James Noble suffered two disappointing rides. Recovering from a poor start in race one when he struggled through the first few corners, he put his head down and found a good rhythm mid-race climbing up to 10th position. Trouble was just around the corner when he lost ground after falling. “I hit a rock lying on the track, it washed the front wheel out, I fell twisting the handlebars and fork yokes. I thought I could have stood a chance of catching the group in front of me or at least putting on a race but with the bike all twisted up I could only manage 13th place,” Noble said later.
Race two for Noble was over in five seconds. “I made a good reaction from the gate, got the power down only to have Jussi Vehvilainen come across me from my left, he took my front wheel and I crashed, I think he was trying to line himself up for the first turn but I went down hard hurting my right side and winding myself.” Noble’s bike was twisted again, throttle, clutch lever and rear sub frame – all damaged. “The petrol tank was forced against the frame nipped the throttle cable, it was sticking and revving. It was impossible to carry on,” said a disillusioned Noble.
Trying to put his earlier two rides out of his mind, James made a much better start in the Maxxis Cup, “I was really hurting after the fall, I just held onto 7th position, I couldn’t really push forward, I knew I needed the points so I just rode my own race and tried not to make any mistakes.”
Young Scot, Stuart Flockhart made a tenth place start in his opening race but suffered with nerves which led to arm pump by mid-race. Trying to relax he rode through it and up into 8th position. “By the end of the race I had a comfortable rhythm, my speed was always there it was just that I didn’t feel relaxed on the bike,” said Stuart. Carrying that speed through to race two, Stuart was going strong until two laps from the chequered flag when his machine suffered a mysterious seizure and he was unable to finish the race. “I was very disappointed, I thought my riding was going much better and the nerves and arm pump had all gone, then the bike broke.”
With only one race left Stuart had it all to do but on a brand new machine. “I never had a chance to set the bike up properly, I felt strange but I just got my head down and towards the end Paul Cooper came by me after falling in the first turn. I stayed with him and he pulled me through, I took 9th position which I was reasonably pleased with. I am glad that the first round is now out of the way after months of waiting for it to come around. Now I can work towards the next round and Grands Prix starting in the next few weeks. I would have like to been inside of the top ten so 11th overall isn’t too bad for the first round,” said Stuart.
Belfast Telegraph report
Motorcycling: Crockard lands a treble
By Jimmy Walker
GORDON Crockard began the British Moto Cross Championship with a flourish yesterday when he won all three races at Canada Heights in Kent.
Crockard won the 250cc Championship races before also taking the final event which was an allcomers affair for the Maxxis Trophy.
Adam Lyons meanwhile had a ninth and a seventh placing in the 125cc Championship races before crashing in the final allcomers event.
He said that he would be fit enough to ride next weekend where he is either competing at home at Desertmartin or in England at Donnington.
Not so fortunate was Ballymena rider Philip McCullough who after a tenth place in the 125cc class was taken to hospital with an injured foot in the second race.
McCullough didn't actually crash but when he landed after a jump he had to pull in because of the pain in his foot and he could have aggravated an old injury.
Winners of the two 125cc races was Billy McKenzie and Stephen Sword.
MXLarge.com report by Jim Thompson
Sword And Crockard Win At Canada Heights
British Motocross Championships, Round 1, Canada Heights, 16.03.03
The first round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championships saw overall victories go to reigning champ Stephen Sword on his Albion KTM in the 125 class and a devastating maximum from Ulsterman Gordon Crockard on his CRF450 in the open class. Second places went to respective teammates Tom Church and Jussi Vehvilainen.
In front of a record-breaking crowd, basking in unusually warm sunshine at the Sidcup track in South East England, Billy Mckenzie took the first 125 moto on the YZ250, albeit Sword less than a second behind. The 18-year-old´s win marked the first for a 250cc four-stroke bike in a British Championship race!
MacKenzie tells his story: “I moved to the front as soon as possible. I haven’t had much time on the new bike, but I have every confidence in it. The power is just awesome, we still need to set it up properly.”
MacKenzie, who had opened up a good lead, made it difficult for himself with a mistake. “At half-distance I came into a turn and stalled the bike, losing about six seconds. For some reason the choke came on and got bent by a flying stone. I had lost my lead and Sword was closing, the bike was running rich during the last few laps, so I had to really try hard to defend my lines. I had to be a bit aggressive to carry off the win.”
The second 125 moto saw things reversed. Defending champ Sword bounced back with an uncompromising ride to finish twenty seconds in front of American Jeff Dement on his Maxxis debut.
“I managed to pull 20 seconds lead on Dement, he’s new to the British Championship and he could well be an outsider if he can remain consistent like he was today," explained Sword, who later clinched the 125 overall with a top ten score in the superfinal.
“Physically I got a little bit tired towards the end of the moto, it was tough on a 125 bike against the larger two-strokes and four-strokes up the hills, I just kept my head down to take 10th in front of Dement. I have the overall win and I am happy not just for myself but the team. Tom Church joined me on the podium, it’s been a very good day for us all and the defence of my championship. Previous years have not been so good to me here at Canada Heights, I just wanted to have two or three good rides and go home happy.”
Open class
Leave no doubt, Gordon Crockard loves his Honda thumper. It showed in the open class races where Crockard fulfilled pre-season promise with two top drawer wins. The closing Maxxis cup race was no exception.
"I had a major drama on the start line of the first race," said Crockard. "The fifteen second board went up so I put my goggles on and the strap broke. I waved for attention and managed to delay the start, but I was a nervous wreck by the time we got underway. The race went OK, though. I passed Mark Hucklebridge and Carl Nunn and then led until the chequered flag.
“In the second race there were no dramas on the start line, but I ran too wide in the first corner and a couple of riders got past me. I took my time and worked my way through to the front and rode steadily to the finish and took the win.
“I had good energy levels going into the last race, but got tangled up with Paul Cooper in the first turn which allowed the 125s to creep up the inside. Cooper went down, but the clash bent my front brake lever. I adjusted to it and pushed into the lead and it was then just a matter of keeping my teammate Jussi at bay.
"I was really pleased to get the win. My bike was really top-notch and today was a really good test for our set up. We made a few alterations to the suspension and that sorted everything out and I’m really happy.” Crockard concluded.
With regards to the CAS-only podium, Jussi Vehvilainen was second courtesy of two seconds and a third, Yoshi Atsuka rounding out in third. Paul Cooper on the privateer two-stroke Honda finished fourth overall on an extremely fast track.
There was no party at the CAS camp afterwards. Team member Neil Prince suffered from a horrifying crash in the 125 class and was rushed from hospital to hospital with internal bleeding and injuries to his liver and right kidney. An update from his wife this morning indicaded that the bleeding has stopped and his condition has stabilised.
MotocrossGrandPrix.com report
BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP - 16/3/2003. Results. The CAS Honda team dominated the opening round of the 250cc British championship with Gordon Crockard winning ahead of Jussi Vehvilainen and Yoshi Atsuta. In the 125cc class it was Stephane Sword, Tom Church and Billy Mackenzie.
Stephenswordmx.com report by Ian J and Jim Thompson
All In Days Work
According to Stephen it was business as usual at the first round of the Maxxis British Championships in deepest Kent.
The world famous Canada Heights track was bathed in sunshine from early morning and a record crowd rumored to be close to 10,000 saw top quality racing in both classes.
Looking extremely confident before and during timed training, Stephen responded to his critics by posting an extremely comfortable 2.06.10 to set pole position in the 125 class.
A hard charge by American Jeff Dement on the YZ250F did see him pull to within .6 of a second of Swordy but to no avail. Billy Mckenzie rounded out the top three qualifiers albeit nearly 2 seconds behind mounted on another YZ250F.
Questions being asked after the timed training amounted to gate position on the altered start straight and if the four-strokes would find traction off the line.
HEAT.1
Stephen lined up just off of center and appeared slightly disadvantaged on the long uphill drag to the left hand 90 turn one. Braking late into turn two saw Stephen in a pack chasing the early leaders. An unfortunate accident to CAS Hondas Neil Prince saw the race red flagged within the first 9 min's, although Swordy on the Albion KTM was on a mission and making up 2 or 3 places every lap.
The restart saw a slight change in gate position and a better gate leaving the O’Neill clad Sword in seventh emerging from turn two. Two laps later the man from Eaglesfield was in fifth and by quarter distance dispatched Wayne Smith, and Tom Church to trail KTM teammate, who had hole shot and set the early pace, Matt Winstanley.
By half distance Stephen made a clean inside pass on Matt and set off in pursuit of the number 2 machine of Billy Mckenzie. Mckenzie himself had been spectacular in the early stages and in two moves on the infield downhills passed both Matt and Smith. Three laps to go and Stephens patience and determination paid dividends. On the same downhill where Mckenzie had pulled his strongest moves Stephen pulled five meters from nowhere and showed the Yamaha man his front wheel. This move was perhaps a masterstroke by Swordy and paved the way for his total domination of the second heat. Mckenzie to be fair held on to his points lead to the flag with Stephen one second behind.
HEAT 2.
Gating in third position in this heat gave Stephen the confidence to use his superior corner speed to full advantage and quickly dispatch of the early front-runners. By quarter distance Stephen was riding smooth and relaxed and more to the point visibly quicker than his rivals. Jeff Dement on the other front running YZ250f had a better start himself in this moto but riding on the limit could make no inroads to the 10-second advantage the current British Champion had pulled by half distance.
Trailing Dement were Mckenzie, Church and Smith.
By the twelfth lap Dement was almost twenty seconds behind and so it stayed to the flag. “I managed to pull a 20 second lead on Dement, who was charging but I felt confident enough to hold the distance to the flag” explained Stephen. “ I feel that what I’ve done today is what I intended and look forward to top 125 finish in the last race” Top placed 125 he was.
Not without a few heart stopping moments though for father, Iain. “Stephen seemed to catch the gate and was dead last going in to the first bend, but by the time I saw him coming out from the woods on the first lap he was fifteenth” It later emerged that two pile ups on the first lap were avoided by the KTM man and again superior corner speed gave him the advantage. A steady controlled ride saw the momentum increase and a position a lap was gained by Stephen with some spectacular moves to keep the huge crowd on their toes, particularly on three consecutive laps picking off fellow Scots David Campbell and Billy Mckenzie on the same downhill and to top it off and pull into tenth Kovalainan .
So it was to the flag, top 125 overall home with 68 points to his name. Teammate Tom Church was runner up on the day with three consistent third places in the 125 class, finishing 56 points to Yamaha mounted Mckenzies 55.
Last word goes to Stephen “ Physically I got a bit tired towards the end of the third moto, it’s tough on a 125 bike against the larger bikes on the uphills, I just kept my head down and worked to take 10th in front of Dement. I have the overall win and I am happy not just for myself but the team. Tom (Church) joined me on the podium, so it’s been a very good day for all of us in the defense of my championship. Previous years have not been so kind to me here at Canada Heights, I just wanted to have two or three good rides and go home happy”
MotoCycleNews report
Gordon Crockard and Stephen Sword won their respective classes at the opening round of the British Motocross Championship on Sunday (March 16).
The first round took place at Canada Heights in Kent, with reigning champion Stephen Sword winning the 125cc class, and Gordon Crockard storming to the Open Class victory with maximum points.
The first 125cc Moto was won by Billy Mackenzie on a Yamaha YZ250, which was the first win for a 250cc four-stroke in a British Championship. Sword was second followed by team-mate Tom Church on their Albion KTM 125s.
Sword took victory in the second race, with Tom Church demoted to third by American Jeff Dement.
In the Superfinal, Sword took tenth place, with Dement in eleventh and Church in fifteenth.
In the Open Class, CAS Honda’s Gordon Crockard won both Motos before underlining his dominance by winning the Superfinal. In the first race, Crockard was followed home by fellow Honda rider Christian Burnham, and CAS Honda teammate Jussi Vehvilainen.
The second race was another all Honda affair, with Crockard and Vehvilainen followed home by Paul Cooper.
The Superfinal podium was business-as-usual for CAS Honda. With Crockard and Vehvilainen followed home by team-mate Yoshitaka Atsuta in third.
Honda UK report
Honda Sets Out Motocross Stall
Honda signalled its intent for the new motocross season last Sunday with a clean sweep in the opening round of the Maxxis British championship at Canada Heights in Kent.
In the British Open championship, Honda riders took a dominant 1-2-3 overall through the impressive CAS Honda squad. Ulsterman Gordon Crockard, returning to the Honda fold after a season with the factory KTM team, was in imperious form, taking three wins from three starts.
Crockard was joined on each podium by CAS team-mate Jussi Vehvilainen who followed a third in race one with two second places. Meanwhile, Japanese star Yoshi Atsuta took third overall with fifth in each of the two Open races and third in the Maxxis Cup.
"I was really pleased to get the win," Crockard told mxlarge.com afterwards. "My bike was really top-notch and today was a really good test for our set up. We made a few alterations to the suspension and that sorted everything out and I’m really happy."
The CAS Honda celebrations were tempered, however, after 125 rider Neil Prince crashed and sustained internal injuries.
TMX report
Dangerous liaisons at Canada Heights
The prize for 'Team of the Day' at the opening round of the 2003 Maxxis British Motocross Championships held at Canada Heights, last Sunday, was hotly contested as organising club, the Sidcup and District MCC, the CAS Honda and Albion KTM teams went head-to-head to deliver what can only be described as one of the most successful domestic championship meetings witnessed in many a long year.
Official Honda factory GP racing team, Harry Ainsworth's CAS Honda squad completed a rare 'hat-trick' by putting three of its four team riders on the podium at the end of the Open class battles – overall winner Gordon Crockard, runner-up Jussi Vehvilainen and third placed man Yoshi Atsuta – were right on form to bang out a clear and present signal to the rest of the championship riders that they are certainly a force to be reckoned with this season, and no mistake.
Reigning British 125cc champion Stephen Sword took the overall honours in the eighth-litre department from Albion team-mate Tom Church in the runner-up spot, one point ahead of third placed man, first race winner and thorn in the side of Sword, Billy MacKenzie on board a 250cc Four-stroke Yamaha. A crowd well in excess of 10,000 (yes, ten THOUSAND) basked on the sun-warmed slopes of Canada Heights – so called because of the Canadian troops stationed there during the first World War – as the Sidcup club had the big, famous circuit in prime condition for the event, even re-routing the first corner sequence for that, entertaining, early race charge.
For full report, results and a stunning pictures, see this week's Trials and Motocross News (issue dated Friday, March 21).
Racer X Interview with Jeff Dement
30 Minutes with Jeff Dement
Story by Stefan Paetow
I caught up with Jeff Dement after the opening round of the British National Championships to find out more about how things are going in Europe, the upcoming season in the World Grand Prix and the United Kingdom, his competition, and how things compare in Europe with back home.
Jeff is from Humble, Texas, and he has been racing in the World Grand Prix series for the last four years. Ever since he was a little boy he looked at Grand Prix contenders like Dave Thorpe and Andre Malherbe. Peter Starr produced a TV show in the United States that Jeff used to watch, and it fueled his dream to come to Europe to race.
Jeff recalls that his time in the AMA Supercross Series was not the easiest. Without factory backing, he says, it is difficult to make things work out in the 125 class in the Supercross Series. Even with a seventh and eighth overall finish in two seasons, things were not easy. In 1998, his World Grand Prix dream came true through a friend of his, Trampas Parker, who had won the World Championship twice. And at his first ever Grand Prix, in France, Jeff almost won the round, coming second behind Alessio Chiodi.
He followed that up with two eighth-places in the overall World Grand Prix standings, once in 1998, and once in 2002.
In 2001, Jeff had the opportunity to race in the United Kingdom with his current team, London Diamond Drilling Services Yamaha, headed by Roy Emberson. Everything was set on go, and then in Spain, all plans were shattered. It wasn't a big crash - it just happened to be the way that Jeff landed that broke his back. He missed the whole season, but he was not left in the lurch. Roy Emberson did what becomes a gentleman, paid Jeff his salary, and stayed in touch. And finally this year it's the second go-around for Roy and him.
My first question to Jeff: Why the British Nationals? Jeff smiles at the question.
"I appreciate this championship here because whether you're an American, an African, whatever you are, if you get accepted into the British Championship, you get the points, and you get accepted towards this championship. In Italy I was winning the championship, but I wasn't getting any press for it, because I don't carry an Italian passport. You get the money, you get the trophies, but you don't get the championship points.
"I know it's not the world championship, but it is a pretty proper championship, and there are nine rounds. There are only twelve Grand Prix, and nine British Rounds, but if you add up the motos, you have twelve motos in the Grand Prix, and twenty-seven here.
"The difficulty in being over here my first season is learning the tracks. I mean, today we had Swordy and MacKenzie and others that are from the drop of the gate, flat-out. This morning I was second in time trials, but had I known about the uphill double that they were doing, which I started doing later on, maybe I could have been the fastest.
"The first moto I was sitting in second, first before they red-flagged it, I was right on MacKenzie, and I thought, This could be my race, or at least a second in the bag, because we were gone, and they stopped us and I thought, Wow! In the restart - I don't know if you saw it - I got taken down in the first turn.
"I was about mid-pack, and was just trying to filter through, and two guys fell in front of me and I ran right into them. I didn't hit the guys, I hit the bike, and I was down. I got up and was 38th with only those two guys behind me, and I just charged back up to top-15. Then I was passing a friend of mine, Jeff Perrett [#100], and it wasn't his fault or anything - he went wide, I tried to pass on the inside, and he went off the wall at the very bottom. You do a jump and a left-hand turn and then drop in a hole and a jump [at the bottom of Washboard Hill], and I went down there and it took me like three kicks to get started, and then I kept charging back.
"The second race I was up front in third, MacKenzie went down, went second for half the race with Sword, and then I made a couple of mistakes and got tight. My arms pumped and I thought, Swordy's really in form at the moment, let's just back it down and get second. I didn't want to get second, but hey, what was I gonna do? Sword was going quicker, bottom line. So I got second, and then the superfinal I was second again for the 125s. I felt a lot better in the superfinal. Swordy got tenth, I got eleventh, one and two for the 125, but I felt it is positive in the sense that mid-race, Stephen passed me in about the third lap, and I just followed him.
"I thought, I'm going to mimic Stephen Sword's lines, and I started doing that and it was like he was pulling six seconds while I was learning, and then I reeled him back in. He passed Mark Jones [#21] real quick, and I tried getting around Jones. You know how on a 125 you try to duck the roost? I was ducking it, and I ran into one of those white wooden poles, and thank the Lord I didn't go down. I hit that thing so hard, it just spat me across the track. I just held on to the bike. I've seen tapes of Carmichael - he just keeps it pinned. So I just kept it pinned. It worked out, but it cost me a bit, so therefore I got second place for the 125.
"My goal for the first round was three podiums. I got two seconds, and I think I would've done that third if they hadn't restarted the race. I don't know if I really agree with the race being stopped. Neil Price was off the track, but safety comes first, mind you. But at the same time, we are all professionals and we all knew where he was on the track. I think we could've continued on with Swordy in the back like tenth. It would've been brilliant for me, because he's the guy to beat.
"I think it was my bad race. That seventh was my bad, throw-away race. Maybe these guys will also have a throw-away race. That's something Sword demonstrated last year. I didn't follow it that much until the end of the year, but he was something like 60 points back from MacKenzie, and he just chipped away at it and got him back.
... about the bike
"We're still working on our bike," Jeff explains. "We're running the standard motor, we've got DEP working with some really good exhaust systems, and Craig's working really hard to get myself comfortable to produce the type of power you need to go GP racing with that four-stroke.
"Everyone's on about, well, the four-stroke's this and that, it's fun, apart from the racing aspect of the sport, the enthusiasts, the four-stroke is an awesome machine to ride. But when you're trying to race it, it is not quite as easy. Those little KTMs are real nimble - they flick around, and in the tight stuff it's costing me, but on the big long uphill type stuff, I can make up for it.
... about the fans
"To be honest, the fans here appreciate the racing a little bit more. It is more from the heart over here. In America it is so business-oriented, which is good, the sport needs to grow in that sense, but you see the track here, you see the people coming out in their campers, it's a more relaxed atmosphere," says Jeff.
"What really made me happy was that I didn't know how the British fans were going to react, and I see them hanging over the fence and cheering me and it seems they appreciate someone who tries hard, no matter if you start last and you try hard, they will cheer you on."
Jeff's dream is still to try and go back to ride for a factory 125 supercross effort in America. He explains: "Mike Brown got third twice in the GP's, and I think he won one year in the British Nationals as well, then he went back and won the Outdoor National title. I think Americans understand the speed and that the 125 GP's are no joke. I mean, Brown and Langston went over there, and what happened? #1 and #2 in the championship.
"Langston was the better man that year - not to take away from Brown. I'm happy to see him win, but Langston had some problems with the bike, he sat out a race, and it seems like since Langston's had that problem, it's jinxed him."
After finding out that Grant Langston rides in the 250 class, Jeff laughs: "Ah, see, I'm a 125 guy!"
... about the Grand Prix series and where it might be going this year
"Well, the phase of Dorna coming in and going to the one-moto format really was a step in the wrong direction. I think motocross should be like it is in the States - we should have two motos. Before it was 40+2, but even 30+2 like they have in the States, four motos in a day, the 125 two-stroke and 250 four-stroke in one class, is good. With Suzuki and Kawasaki now coming in, it's kinda getting interesting there.
"And then have your Open World Championship, from 250cc two-stroke all the way to 600-whatever, you've got some guys trying the class on the 540, but I think that you have more interest drawn to that. You get your four motos a day, spectators pay their fee, and they see their four motos. And from a team aspect, you get back to the true motocross spirit, to what European motocross was all about, which was two 45-minute motos."
As for whether racing is tougher in Europe than in the United States, Jeff believes that it is a case of apples and oranges.
"Fitness really comes into play. We've just done three 30-minute motos today, and when you really look at the times, it wasn't really 30 minutes out here today, but rather 32 minutes. The track was bumpy and rough, kinda what you see in the States. I've noticed that the tracks here get rougher than what they get in Italy. Italy has more high-speed small chop tracks, whereas here it's slow, big-kicking bumps and three half-hour races in a day. What can I say? It's good racing.
"I think it's a good series. Still early days for me, but I've raced at Culham and I've raced at Hawkstone. I don't know the track at Wakes Colne, but I've heard pretty good things about the track. It's hard-pack, which might work good for the four-stroke. Generally, the harder-packed the better, and I think this series is a lot more competitive, too, than what they maybe give credit in the States.
"The best riders in the world are in America. I'm not going to second-guess that, but it's not the same when you bring them over here and run them on the more European-style tracks. They'll probably respond to that and go, Why do we even need to come over here? And that's fair play - they make more money than we make over here, but in the end it's like comparing apples to oranges, I think.
"America has the supercross series, which is like the elite, but the Outdoor National Motocross series, I don't see that it is presented in a more professional way than what I saw here today from the British motocross other than the talent. The talent [in the US] is more in-depth, but if you have England, it's a small country, it's got to be respected for what they've done.
"It's not so easy. I mean, you've seen Langston and Greg Albertyn before him go over there and win, and you probably get frustrated as well. They'll slash off, yeah, well, it's not so tough in Europe. I'm not saying that it’s tougher over here than it is over there, ‘cause it's not. You just can't compare. I've seen guys come over here and they do worse than they have in the States, and vice-versa. I've done better here than I have in the States."
”Like Tallon Vohland?” I ask.
"Yeah, let's look at Tallon," Jeff answers, "Tallon's an awesome rider. He was third in the Outdoor Nationals a few years back, and he comes over here and you saw last year what happened. He did have an injury, but he struggled in the GP's. Also, in respect to him, the Kawasaki just runs better over there. You can't run race gas over here. It's got to be unleaded, so that's a drawback. The sound levels are not the same: it's 102 over there for 98 over here, so Tallon didn't have the most competitive bike.
"The 125 class over here is really dog-eat-dog. It's so important that you don't make the smallest little error, or you drop back. The big bikes, you have a little more leeway. You can make a small mistake and gain it back up. People sometimes look at the 125 class as a support class, but I don't think it’s that at all.
"If there is a support class this season, I think it's the 650 class. Other than Smets and Demaria and maybe Vehvilainen, I think that's more the support-style class. You see that we don't even have any overseas GP's in Australia or anything. It's listed in the rules that if we did, only the 125 and the Open class would get to go, and the 650 class wouldn't. I think they’re trying to phase that out and go with the American deal and have 125 and 250 Open and done."
... about his goals and his competition
"Top three in the British National Championship is a good goal. I'd like to win it - I think that's still a possible thing, as I build up speed and conditioning, in the long season. I'm a little older than Sword and MacKenzie, so I think I've got a little more experience. Sword's quick and he's gonna be hard to beat. It'll go all the way down to the wire, but I want to stay there and battle with him. I had a bad moto today and lost 14 points to him, but I think that can be made up. Anything's possible - it's motocross.
"Look at what happened to me in the first moto today. The same thing could happen to those guys. I think I wanna leave that open. I'll try to do the best I can. Whatever happens, if it happens to be second or third, we'll take it, but I'm not going to sell myself short.
"I'm tired of finishing eighth in the world. This year, the goal is to be top-five. I think we've got the tools to do that, even if it doesn't start off like a dream in Spain or Valkenswaard [the Dutch GP], it's kind of like a steady build-up. You want to get decent points, you want to get a nice top-ten. It would be great to get to the podium or the top five, but you take what you get, accumulate points, and keep adding it up.
"On the four-stroke you've got Chiodi, and Andrea Bartolini has dropped down from the 500s. Those two are going to be quick. You've got Stephen Sword, he's gotten pretty good, you've got the whole Champ KTM team, the whole team's strong, Eggens, Townley, Ramon and de Reuver. And you saw what de Reuver did at Hawkstone Park. If that kid does that the whole year, I think we'll all be racing for second. If he can do that all year, then more power to him.
"There are still some guys I'm leaving out, some Italians coming in, and that's the thing about the 125 class. You can never say, well, these are your competitors, because there's always some young guy coming up. Like Grant Langston, you know? I mean, I was eighth in '99 and he was tenth, and he was just building it up. And then he goes out and wins the world title and blows everybody away. That's my example there. You never know. Who would have thought that Langston was going to win?
"Looking back, everyone knows he's an awesome rider, but at that point, to be top five at that point, yeah. But to walk away with the top prize, that was quite a surprise. But he earned it.
"Maschio is real experienced. He's older than I am. He's always been quick. He was in the 250s and he had some injuries. He'd qualified on pole position, and he's won a few 250 GP's, or at least motos, but then he grenaded himself. He'd crash and then do good and then crash, and stepped down to the 125s and it was kind of like a rebuild year for him. De Groot have got an awesome team. They had full factory backing from Japan, and the rest is history.
"Maschio's real consistent and mentally strong, and physically his fitness is really, really good, and he went out and won it last year."
... about his family life
"My wife's Italian, and we've been married now for almost three years. That's kind of neat, because I never would've envisioned all this - apart from motocross, learning to speak Italian fluently, because that's all what we speak, and living in a foreign country.
"We're building our dream home, a nice four-story villa, which will be finished in September, in Pescara, right on the Adriatic. The house is coming along just good right now, and the awesome news right now is that my wife is pregnant. We're expecting a baby at the end of July or early August.
"I'm happy to be here in England, and because the house isn't done yet, Barbara and I are getting to experience living in Surrey. It's only 40 minutes from here. We've decided I'm going to live in Italy. I can't really say for the rest of my life, but we're going to have our family there, and we’ll ease out to the States for three months out of the year during the off-season, because it's too cold here in winter for proper training and stuff.
"It's nice living here. You get good food, but Italian ... nothing beats Italian. It's the best. Other than that, I can go to Pizza Hut or TGI Fridays. The English language is a plus, but I’ll tell you, when you get around to the cottony accent stuff, it's kinda hard to understand [laughs]. My mechanic's [Mike Foster] got me watching ... what's that series ... Only Fools and Horses [laughs as his mechanic protests]. I'm already drinking a cup of tea a day."
Upon hearing that I am not British, but in fact South African, he says that Paul Cooper, the current British 250 Champion, has been telling him to fly out to South Africa and train there in the off-season like Paul does, and that he'd love to explore that possibility.
"I tell you," he laughs, "it's something in the water over there - South Africans are real quick!”
. and finally, on getting another Racer X piece...
"You know, Davey Coombs, I can't say enough about the guy, because Coombs is a guy who doesn't just cater to the factory riders. He helps out some privateer riders with his Gas Card and the interviews, like the five-page one a couple of months back that Geoff Meyer did with photos from Bercy and from SRS Honda. As an American, other than Parker, I'm like the only one holding up the flag, and this enables me to get press right here. And I really appreciate that."
Dirt Bike Rider (DBR)
Princey recovery
(ses story on DBR)
Former Brit champ out of hospital
NEIL PRINCE, badly injured in this huge crash at the Brit champs opener at Canada Heights, is out of hospital and staging a speedy recovery from the serious liver and kidney damage he sustained. Neil, the '94 British 125cc champ, went down hard in the opening eighth-litre moto when his CAS Honda seized on take-off while he had it pinned in fourth gear. "I heard it detonating on the first lap but thought it would probably just blow up in a corner or something I never expected it to let go where it did," says Neil, who's now back home after three weeks in hospital. "I guess I'm pretty lucky really it's my first big injury in 25 years of racing. I'm feeling a bit better now I'm out of hospital and my liver and right kidney are healing but I've still got some fluid around my lungs and that makes it hard to breathe. At one point I looked like I was pregnant then they drained four litres of blood from around my stomach. "I'm still going to race supercross but I reckon it's a good time to knock the outdoors stuff on the head. My main job's to look after Gordy, Jussi and Yoshi and I can't do that from hospital can I?"
Off to a flyer
(ses story on DBR)
By Gordon Crockard
CANADA HEIGHTS - round one of the British championship - and everything was going good. Practice was fine, the bike was running awesome and the track was in good condition. I was having fun. So there I am, sitting on the starting gate for moto one. Then I put my goggles on and the strap broke! With the 15-second board already up I was frantically fumbling around trying to reattach my goggle strap to the body of the goggles. Note to all - remove gloves before trying to fix goggles (time permitting). I fixed the strap, kicked the Honda into life and put my bike into gear just as the start gate dropped! Canada Heights was good for the CAS team - I won all three motos and Jussi and Yoshitaka followed me home making it a CAS 1-2-3. Unfortunately, there was a shadow cast over the day's achievements when our rider-manager and good friend Neil Prince crashed badly and spent the following three weeks in hospital. The good news is that the man in question is back to work.G
More Information
For more information on the whole British motocross championship series go to MXGB.info