Maxxis Round 4 - LyngMaxxis British Championship rd4 – Lyng
Q – Great weather and the track was dry which was a nice change. I struggled a lot with arm pump in practice due to the track being so fast I think but took 11th out of qualifying which I was content with.
Race 1 – I got a good start in the first moto gating 3rd. I went with Ando a bit in the first 2 laps and wasn’t struggling to keep the pace that I was on but by about lap 3 I could feel my arms tightening up. A lap later and my arms were solid and I slipped back to 8th before I slid off with about 10 minutes left to run. I got back on and salvaged a 16th this time out.
Race 2 –I gated 3rd again and I was hoping that I would get away with no arm pump this time out as it was so severe in the first outing. By lap 4 I was still sitting 3rd and feeling okay. Noble came passed and I lost concentration a little and I could feel myself tightening up shortly after. I put it on cruise after I pumped up because I didn’t want to throw away another race like the first one by trying to keep my early pace and I eventually brought it home in 7th.
Overall –So so weekend. The weather was good, starts were good and my pace was good when I didn’t have arm pump.
I struggled with my arm’s today which is only the 2nd time this year I’ve had that problem (the other being the first round of the Open championship in February). I’ll try to take the positives from today and work on the negatives for the next round at Desert Martin.
11th overall on the day
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Maxxis Round 3 - Torrington - DevonBRYAN MACKENZIE'S RACE REPORT
Maxxis British Championship rd3 – Torrington
Q – What a mess. After some heavy rain in the morning the track was in pretty bad condition. During practice and qualifying there were people lying everywhere which made getting a lap in difficult and I struggled to find the perfect lap eventually finishing 17th. The circuit was slightly drying out in one line towards the end of the session but it was still very wet and heavily rutted.
Race 1 – A good start was very important today and I was confident after last weekend’s starts. But it wasn’t to be and I had one of the worst starts of the year for me. The first couple of laps were difficult because passing was hard due to the conditions and then I ran into trouble with my chain de-railing as it had stretched with all the mud packing around the front sprocket. Eventually on lap 5 my chain snapped and I was forced to retire.
Race 2 – Another shocking start and I had a lot of work to do. The track had gotten a little better so I managed to come through pretty well on the first half lap until I was caught up with a couple of riders that had fallen off on a heavily rutted down hill. I started way down the order but managed to salvage an 11th by the race end.
Overall – I was very unhappy with the weekend and how I performed. The conditions were difficult but I usually like that sort of going and was looking forward to it at the beginning of the day. I made my own luck today and due to my bad starts it wasn’t good luck as I put myself in a position to be caught up in silly incidents with other riders.
I’m going to work hard to turn it around for the next round at Lyng.
RICH LAWSONS RACE REPORT
It was a wet wet day at Torrington the track was so bad in qualification it was even a struggle to just get around. 1st race the track had improved slightly, I didn't get off to a good start i got into the points but the bike had lost a lot of water and was over-heating badly due to the mud blocking the radiators. I had to baby the bike home I ended up being able to finish and scraped a couple of points so it wasn't all bad. Moto 2 I was ready to make up for some lost points another bad start didn't help out though. I got up to 11th places at one point but I was not riding well in the tricky conditions and unfortunately dropped to finish 13th and 15th on the day.
Looking forward to Lyng (the next round) hopefully this one will be dry and we can pull in some good results.
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Maxxis Round 2 - Canada Heights - 23rd MarchBRYAN MACKENZIE's RACE REPORT
Q – I didn’t feel I had a good session this time out. The track was pretty rutty and I always found myself getting stuck behind people. I Thought I had a really good lap going late in the session and done a few things that I hadn’t done before until about 10 seconds before reaching the finish a slower rider cased a step up and I landed into the side of him and crashed out. I ended timed qualifying in 12th.
Race 1 I got a terrible start! Spun on the concrete and entered the first turn at the back of the pack. I moved into about 18th on the first lap but cross rutted on a step up and went down on lap 2. I was pretty mad at myself and was pushing my way through when I tangled again with another rider and we both crashed! Finally I had managed to compose myself and had worked my way back to 15th starting the final lap just behind Richie. He changed his line at the last minute entering a turn which just clipped my front wheel and I went down again!! I finished 18th……definitely one to forget.
Race 2 I had a much better start this time and came out of the first turn about 12th. I was happy to be up there and knew from my first race that I had a few good lines for passing and my fitness was great so was looking to get myself into the top 10. However, early on exiting a turn which was heavily rutted my back brake pedal was clogged up with mud and caused my bike to stop and stall. I had to clear the mud that had packed in about the brake pedal before I could get going again but in the meantime lost a lot of time and once again was back in the pack. I feel I had a good race though as I passed a lot of guys and pushed right to the finish to salvage a 12th.
Overall 14th overall on the day. It was definitely a day to forget! Still 10th in the championship standings but I will be hoping to improve on that in the coming rounds.
JACK HAWES' RACE REPORT
The week end started off fairly dry with a light snow fall then come about 5 o'clock saturday night the snow came down much heaver. The track was already soft in places so when the snow got heaver it made the track a lot softer. I was the second rider to enter the track for the qualifying session behind James Dodd, after the 10 minute free time practice i put my first fast lap in at the start of timed practice and then came in to rest and have a drink.
Though out the rest of the timed practice I had put around about 4 to 5 other fast laps in but sadly i didn't qualify for the main race. The first support race i had a bad start and had a 9th place finish, the second support race i once again had a poor start and didn't end up finishing the race because i caught my foot in a rut and have damaged my ligaments.
I hope to be back on the track for Torrington !
ANDREAS JOHANSSON
Qualification: After not makeing it at Donington I was very pumped going out on the track , Compared to Sweden this is new to me with just 10 minutes practice and then boom qualification starts. In Sweden we have 30 min practice and 30 min qualification in 2 sessions.
Anyway I am getting in to the Uk racing more and more and this time I did 3 laps and then went in for a new pair of goggles and then went out for a fast lap direct at the start of qualification and managed to set a time wich was enough for 27th.
I was SOOO pleased to have made it .
First Moto: Got a good start and was 6th out of the first turn , dropped a few places on the first lap but felt good running 12 on the 3rd lap when I hit a wooden post and went over the handlebar in crasch .Had some pain in two fingers but crused thru the moto to finish 31.
Second Moto : Made a bad start and was around 30th on the first lap and struggled to find my rythm on the first laps .
In the second half of the moto I found some pace and finished 25 th wich is okey but not more , Going back home now to Sweden for practice and training . Will fly back to Uk around the 8th of April for 3rd round at Torrington where my goal is to score my first point in the championship .
A BIG THANK YOU!! To all involved in the team for the set-up and help I get in Uk . TWISTED 7 Rocks
#36 Andreas "Shellman" Johansson |
MMX Results - Whiteway Barton - 6th AprilBRYMAC RACE REPORT
MMX rd 2 – Whiteway Barton
Q – Being the first session on the track meant that it was really fast still with not many lines forming too quickly for the time qualifying started. The times were pretty close between the top ten or so but I was happy enough to slot in third to give me a good pick at the start.
Race 1 – I started pretty well on the concrete this week and gated around 4th. I had a pretty tight battle with Rich for the first 4 laps but manage to get a clean pass on him on lap 5 to move into 2nd. After that it was pretty uneventful and I circulated for the rest of the moto in 2nd where I was to finish.
Race 2 – I got a perfect start this time out and took the holeshot. I managed to hold on to the lead (15 laps) right up to the 2nd last lap where I collided with a back marker and dropped to 2nd place. The track was really dangerous as the previous quad race had made the place into an ice rink and brought up all the big stones so I tried to push for the win but also not take any risks which could end in an injury. It finished up with another 2nd though.
Overall – With two 2nd’s I got 2nd overall and moved from 11th to 3rd in the championship. I was hoping for a slightly better day but I can’t complain too much about the end result but I could have a lot to say about the track……but I won’t. J
RICH LAWSON RACE REPORT
Some good laps I was sitting in 3rd behind my team mate bry mac, all was good until last few laps and i made a couple of mistakes and dropped to 5th but all in all a decent race. In the 2nd moto it was bry's turn to get the hole shot and i'd made a good start in 4th i had another steady ride finishing 5th again which put me 4th on the day and 5th in the championship. |
Maxxis Round 1 - Donnington Park - March 9 - Rider's Race reports BRYAN MACKENZIE
Q – With the Donington track being full of jumps and timing sections, I went out going pretty fast straight away to try get the jumps dialled in early. We changed the rear tyre after a couple of fast laps in qualifying and I managed to get a slightly quicker time after the change to put me in 8th. I was happy that we gave both the tyre’s a go in practice/qualifying and found the best one for the race and 8th wasn’t too bad a gate pick.
Race 1 –I didn’t have the best jumps out the gate but I had chosen the very inside of the start so was able to hold a tight line round the first corner. I came out about 5th or so. Half way round the 2nd lap I came together with Wayne Smith and went down losing a handful of positions. I was trying hard to make up the time I had lost and moved into a decent position again but fell for the 2nd time 2 laps later. I got going again in 16th and worked my way back up to 10th before crashing for the 3rd time over a blind jump! So once more I was coming from behind and I moved into 15th on the last lap. Very disappointed!
Race 2 –Again my jump wasn’t the best but I held the tight line round the first corner to exit turn one in the top 10. I moved into 7th on the first lap and that was it….I tried to go with the leaders in front of me for the first half of the race but they broke away and I lost touch with them. But in doing so I had pulled clear of everyone behind so I just rode a steady race for 7th.
Overall – I finished 10th overall for the day. It should have been better and I was really disappointed in every one of my mistakes in the first race! But, the ball is rolling at least now and I just look forward to getting some better results in the coming weeks.
RICHARD LAWSON
The track was well prepared and full of jumps and whoops.
Qualifying didn't go well at all, I never got a decent lap in and struggled with the track resulting in a bad finish and a bad pick for the gate. Race 1 I got a good jump from the gate but starting on the outside I didn't come out of turn 1 where i needed to be I was making good passes and moving up the ladder untill I hit neutral on the take off of a jump and went down hard hurting my shoulder and bending the bike. DNF race 1.
Race 2 I was hoping for a good start with my shoulder causing a lot of pain I didn't think I'd be able to do much passing, but a bad start I did get. I did get into the points by the end of the race finishing in 17th. I was just happy to get some points after a difficult day.
My shoulder is still pretty bad so I'll take this weekend off and get some physio and get ready for Canada Heights. |
Hawkstone Park - Riders' Race report - March 3rd BRYAN MACKENZIE
Q – I had a relatively un-troubled session through practice/qualifying. I put in some good laps through the practice laps and dialled the track in early which allowed me to post 12th fastest time by the end of the session. I was really happy with that in such a e strong field and was looking forward to the moto’s.
Race 1 – This year the organisers took all the dirt off the concrete start. I spun a lot off the gate and my start was terrible!! I was down about mid pack but got myself into 11th before a big high side put me back to 26th at the half way point of the race. I circulated for a few laps before picking my pace up again and I finished the race 23rd.
Race 2 – I had another not so good start with plenty of wheel spin off the concrete start pad. I muscled my way round the first corner but collided with Rich exiting turn two. We had a big old crash which took down a few guys and put both of us out of the race……
Overall – I was happy with my speed today but I didn’t have any sort of result to back that up. Just hope that I have all these stupid problems out the way now to make for a good season from here on out.
RICHARD LAWSON
The track was in good condition a change from the previous wet years. First race I got a great jump out of the gate and against a lot of GP regulars I was happy to come around in the top 10. I was riding well and was lying 12th with pressure from Bill and Atsuta. After the half way point i started with arm pump and disappointingly i dropped to 15th never the less i was happy with my early pace.
Moto 2 was pretty different getting off to another good start I collided with Bas VerHooven on the first corner which end up in a 5 man pile up including Bry, not what we were wanting. I had a burst radiator and that was the end of the race for me. |
MMX Round 1 - Little Silver - Feb 24th - Riders' Race ReportsBRYAN MACKENZIE - 1st Moto 3rd - 2nd Moto DNF - Overall 11th
Q – Qualifying was okay for me today. the track was a bit wet in places from the watering on Saturday but generally in good condition. I had a bit of a high Speed crash just before the start of timed practice. I got a bit of arm pump on most of my fast laps as I was probably trying too hard but 6th position left me with an okay pick at the gate so I was pretty satisfied.
Race 1 – The season started with a holeshot! I put my head down for the first few laps to try pull a gap but made a big mistake on about the 3rd lap which let the others close back up a little. I was starting to suffer from arm pump quite early on but I kept pushing on and gave myself a little breathing room. Then Jordan Rose’s bike must of broke down and that gave me a comfortable lead so I took a couple of laps out (riding relaxed) to try shift my arm pump but it allowed a couple of guys to move up to my rear wheel. I was really suffering now with my arms so I decided to be safe rather than risk a crash racing with Wayne Smith and Ray Rowson for the win and settled for 3rd.
Race 2 – Another holeshot was called up for the start of the second race which made things a hell of a lot easier around this track as it was a bit tight in places. Myself and Smith broke away from the pack early on until lap 5 when Smith’s mechanic hit me with his pitboard smashing my front brake. I rode for as long as I could with just my rear brake but with the severity of the down hills, my pace slowed dramatically and I had dropped back to 6th before sliding out under braking on about lap 8. After the crash I was forced to retire from the race…very unhappy. Overall – I finished 11th over all thanks to my first race 3rd place.
I was happy with my speed and my starts today but struggled a lot with arm pump. When I get over that then it should be an exciting year.
RICH LAWSON 1st moto 7th - 2nd moto 11th - Overall 9th
Well it was good to get the season underway. The track was well prepared and in amazing conditions for this time of the year. 1st race I made a terrible start and had made things hard for myself. I managed to come around the end of the 1st lap just outside the top 10. I found the track pretty difficult to pass on but towards the end of the race I'd worked myself up to 6th, the last quarter of the race I suffered from arm pump which has always been a pre-season issue with me. Hucklbridge passed me and I finished in 7th.
Moto 2 I was sure to get a better start than race 1. Well it couldn't of got much worse I tangled on turn one and went down staring the race in bog last is not where i should of been. Charged back through the best I could, found myself riding pretty well. I got stuck behind a few riders and lost touch of the top 10 guys, buy the end of the race I had got up to 11th, which gave me 9th overall
JACK HAWES
race report. 1st moto 25th, 2nd moto 33rd. it was was really good to get the season started, my day at little silver started ok qualifying 18th, it wasn't the best qualifying practice for me because i started of mid pack and struggled to find an opening to put a good lap together. so a lesson learnt! 1st race. So all the riders are ready to get going for the first race, you can see every one is a bit tense, then the a.c.u marshal blows his whistle which indicates start your bike. I didn't have the best start but manage to work my way back just out side of the top 10, then the armpump kicked in and i went down! I got back on but was really struggling to hold on and ended up with a 25th. 2nd race. The second race I felt much better, the nerv's had settled and i was ready! But unfortunately i got caught up in a first corner pile up. I managed to get my self back up and got going, I was behind Chris Bastic who also got caught up in the pile up and we was coming through the pack well, but for some unknown reason my google's had steamed up and i couldn't see a thing, riding with no google's at a stoney track like little silver it is very hard to race. ? So struggling my way through the race i ended up 33rd which was the end of a very hard day. |
