Party to the Maxxis
By TMX Archives on 25th May 12

This weekend round four of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship heads to the Northampton circuit of Milton Park, hosted by ACU Events Ltd. With four classes on display there is sure to be plenty to keep spectators entertained.
Over recent months the venue has had a number of slight changes to the circuit layout and surface to help the racing flow. One of those changes is the introduction of a large amount of wood chippings.
With three round of the series already in the bag, there have already been a number of twist and turns. In the MX2 class Monster Energy Bike It Yamaha's Mel Pocock will be looking to continue his stunning start to the season as he leads the points race.
Pocock's strongest challenge at Milton will no doubt come in the shape of double race winner at the previous round at Lyng, Elliott Banks-Browne, on his HM Plant KTM UK machine.
Meanwhile, local rider Neville Bradshaw (Evo-Tech Stevens Honda) and Samsung Yamaha's Steven Lenoir will be looking close the gap on the series leader as they share third in the standings. French youngster, Lenoir, has slowly been gathering pace and is sure to be a podium threat while Bryan MacKenzie and Graeme Irwin round out the top six in the series.
In MX1, Kevin Strijbos was again dominant at Lyng, where he extended the championship lead over Scotland's Shaun Simpson. With the Milton event being the first hard-pack circuit on the calendar it will be interesting to see how the Belgian rider performs, along with the added competition from ‘wild-card' and former British Champion, Josh Coppins, who currently leads the Australian National series and will be looking for podium glory during his short visit to the UK.
Another rider hoping to add to his continually improving results is Shaun Simpson on the Monster Energy Bike It Yamaha. The Scot sits in second spot just ahead of Matiss Karro on the Team STR KTM. With only a handful of points separating the pair that battle is sure to be close, while Stephen Sword and Gert Krestinov are currently tied on points for fourth spot, ahead of Marc De Reuver in sixth.
Round four will feature the first of the mixed class races. This will allow race fans to see the top 20 MX1 and MX2 riders of the day competing together in during a 30-minute plus two-lap race, at the end of the day. Will Pocock or Banks-Browne on their MX2 machines be able to put the challenge to the likes of Strijbos and Simpson around the technical Milton circuit?
Milton Park also features the third round of the MXY2 class, which is currently headed by Dan Thornhill, with Chris Bayliss and Robert Muscat in second and third places. Fourth place in the standings is currently held by Robert Davidson ahead of Ben Watson in fifth.
During the first two rounds of this series there have been three different race winners. So, could Milton produce another new name at the top of the standings come Sunday night?
For the first time ever the all new ACU Events MXY85 class will be taking to the track on the same day as the Maxxis British Championship. The MXY85 class, featuring some of the county's best Small and Big-wheel 85cc riders in two mixed races. W iith the likes of Josh Gilbert, Lewis Houghton, Todd Kellett and Jay Hague in action, the racing is sure to be exciting in both races. This Youth class is designed to offer the stars of tomorrow a platform to perform in front of the top teams in the Maxxis British Championship paddock.
Sunday's action starts at 8.45am with practice. The first of eight championship races starts at 12.15pm.
For more information please visit the official Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship website – www.mxgb.co.uk