Maxxis in the chair

This will be the first time this track has been used by sidecars and the loose, sandy terrain will be something new for a number of the crews.

 

The other six rounds of the championship will take riders to tracks in Somerset, , Co Durham, Northamptonshire, Sussex and  Essex and finishes in Kent, on October 7.

 

With the number of registered riders slightly higher than in 2011 and with the possible addition of a handful of ‘wild-card riders' including Clint Grabham from Australia later in the year, there could be near full line-ups.

 

Defending champions Stuart Brown and Josh Chamberlain are firmly focused on winning again, which would give Stuart his tenth win and equal the record set by Chris Etheridge.

 

For this campaign Brown has moved away from the Husaberg motors he used for the past few seasons and reverted back to the 700cc Zabel two-stroke power unit he had used so successfully previously. 

 

Their new Mefo chassis only arrived recently so it has been a rush getting the bike finished before being able to practice on it. 

 

Last year's runners-up, Daniel and Joe Millard have been training hard throughout the winter and are determined to relieve Stuart and Josh of the crown.

 

The race meetings in Holland and Belgium they have contested show they are closing on the top world crews, which means they should be near the front in this country.

 

Jack Etheridge and Ryan Humphrey who finished fourth (equal third on points) last year – have already posted some very good wins this year and should be closing the gap on the two teams who finished ahead of them last year. 

 

Up-and-coming crews Brett Wilkinson/ Craig Parmenter (pictured) and Richard Jenkins/ Dan Chamberlain, showed 

improvement throughout last year with Richard winning a race at Wakes Colne while Brett achieved second and third places at Canada Heights. 

 

If they stay injury-free both could finish in podium positions.

 

Others to watch out for are Andy and Tim Breacher, Steve and Stewart France, Rob Oldfield/ John Murch and current AMCA champions Tony Grahame and James Morell.

 

Whoever does the winning, let's hope we get plenty of exciting, safe races without any of the controversy that seems to show itself in so many other sports.

 

The Mepal event also marks the first of three joint rounds within the series, the other two being Asham Woods at Frome on June 4 and Milton Park on June 17.

 

For the 2012 season the British Quad Championship features two new Championship classes – the ACU British Clubman QuadX Championship and the British Masters Championship, aimed at introducing new and returning riders into the British series. The new classes will run in conjunction with the current QMX1 class and British Under 21, 

meaning that all riders will compete in the same races, but will be scored separately.

 

Meanwhile, in the main Championship class there will be plenty of interest in the likes of Paul Holmes, Oliver Sansom, Richard Tordoff and James Hellewell, who will be also looking for glory in the Under 21 category. 

 

In the Maxxis ACU British SidecarX series a large entry of 26 crews will be battling it out at the opening round. 

 

Reigning champions, Stuart Brown and Josh Chamberlain, will be hoping to retain their No.1 plate in 2012, but will face tough competition from the Millard brothers, Daniel and Joe.

 

Also featuring at Mepal will be a solo support class for both Expert and Junior graded riders. 

 

Entries are still available but are limited to just 80 places and can be obtained via Sonia Goggin at the ACU, on 01788-566404 or e-mail sonia@acu.org.uk