Great MMXpectations...
By TMX Archives on 1st Apr 09
THE ACU's popular MMX Championship heads east to Mildenhall for round two of the series which will include round two of both the British Open and British Under 21 Solo Motocross Championships as well as the opening round of the British Quadcross Championship, incorporating the British Under 21 Quad Championship. The series opener was held at the end of February at Little Silver and not only attracted a first class entry but also a bumper crowd to watch the spectacular action that this series always seems to produce.
Some of the contenders from round one are now off racing the Grand Prix circuit but this will by no means detract from the racing at the Motoland circuit at Mildenhall, Suffolk.
In the Open class, all eyes will be on local man Carl Nunn on the MVR-D Suzuki whose intimate knowledge of the track should stand him in good stead.
Nunn will get some stiff competition from both PAR Honda's Brad Anderson and Kristian Whatley on the Hanson Kawasaki who set identical fastest times in qualifying at the series opener.
A non-finish from Anderson was all that kept him off of the podium last time out and will be looking to close the gap to the top of the table. MotoXtreme Kawasaki's Lewis Gregory and 2008 Under 21 Champion, Alex Snow, now on a 450 KTM UK machine, also finished not far off of the podium and will be forces to contend with.
The PAR Homes-sponsored Under 21 Championship saw Jake Nicholls run away with two-wins at round one but now that he's away racing at International level, it leaves the door open for PAR Honda rider to try and extend what is effectively the Championship lead. KTM UK's Graeme Irwin showed that he has the potential to win, posting second fastest Under 21 time of the day behind Nicholls and will be looking to reduce the four-point deficit he has to Elderfield. Scandinavian Rickard Sandberg had two consistent fifth places on his Twisted7 Honda and will be looking for an improvement into the top three at Mildenhall.
The Quad riders will be taking to the track for the first time in Championship racing this season and defending champion, Paul Winrow, will once again be preparing to take on allcomers in the battle for the title. ATV World's John Mitchell will be hoping to put a relatively disappointing 2008 behind him and mount a serious challenge on the 2009 title.
Both Paul Holmes on the KTM UK machine and Stefan Murphy on the SMR Honda will again be battling for Under 21 Quad honours as well as mounting their own challenges on the overall series.
Joe Maessen will be making the trip from the Netherlands as a wild -card entry to join in the battle and Jason MacBeth will be making a welcome return after last season's injury.
The Motoland circuit is situated behind the Mildenhall Stadium at West Row, Suffolk, for those with SatNav the postcode is IP28 8QU.
Qualifying for the Open Championship will get underway 10am followed by the Under 21 and Quad sessions with race one hitting the track at 12.30pm. The organisers, West Devon MCC, were in evidence at the circuit for the ACU British Youth Motocross Championship last weekend, making all of the last minute arrangements to ensure that round two of the series runs as smoothly as round one.