Nations team awaits

Team entries have to be with the FIM at least 30 days before the event, but with this year's Nations at Lommel on September 29/30 and the British GP five weeks earlier, there are still several days after the Festival for the UK authorities to take care of the formalities.

 

The ACU and its officials remain tight-lipped about the composition of the team, but the selection is now down to five names – Tommy Searle, Jake Nicholls, Max Anstie, Shaun Simpson and Brad Anderson – with the last-named back from Australia by then – acting as a possible stand-by in the case of injury.

 

World title chaser Searle will lead the team as MX1 rider, and Nicholls can be considered a definite at MX2 as his status at KTM is upgraded by the week, while the Gariboldi CRF250 Hondas of Anstie have proven unreliable in recent weeks to be risked in a contest where five of six possible results will be counted.

 

The Open class ride is literally still open with the choice between Anstie and Simpson.

 

Max secured a points advantage recently at the Hawkstone Maxxis round when he headed Shaun 2-1 on motos and even led Kevin Strijbos for many laps in the final moto.

 

"Neil (Prince, Britain's Nations team manager, Neil) told me several weeks ago that he would like to see me on a 450, so I rang him when I got back from Russia on the Tuesday evening before Hawkstone and asked him if he could get me a 450 to practice on.

 

"The bike was actually Darren Coutts' practice bike, and Neil then suggested I race Hawkstone.”

 

Simpson of course was riding his Dixon bike at Hawkstone, not the Rinaldi machine, which would be at his disposal if he was to be selected for the Nations team, but the result undoubtedly means that Anstie has his nose in front.

 

However, as one ACU official warned: "There are still a couple of weeks before the final selection is ratified by the Motocross Committee.”