Sword to ride at Desertmartin
By TMX Archives on 21st Jun 07
THE Maxxis British Motocross Championship heads across the water to the fabulous Desertmartin circuit in Northern Ireland tomorrow (Saturday) to kick-off the second half of the series with the fifth round of what has already been a classic championship, but while the various championship contenders will have their sights firmly set on big points hauls, one former double MX2 champion will quietly make his return to the British stage with more humble aspirations.
After over a year on the sidelines recovering from the horrificankle injury he suffered at the 2006 German GP, Molson Kawasaki'sStephen Sword is finally fit enough to make a very welcome return toBritish action at Desertmartin and will line-up for MX2 duty for thefirst time 13 months.
After quietly making his return to competitive action at thedemanding British Masters championship round at Hawkstone Park lastSunday, where he carded 6-12 moto finishes, T+MX grabbed the Scot for aquick chat about his recovery, how it feels like to be back, and hisobjectives for the remainder of the 2007 season.
Hawkstone provided a stern challenge after so long off the bike, butit was clear to see on Stephen's face that it felt good to be back andhe is looking forward to being back on the right side of the fence atDesertmartin as he explains; I knew I was going to come back forDesertmartin, but Hawkstone provided the ideal opportunity to make myracing return really, apart from the conditions. It just made sense.I've been out for a long time and I didn't want to go to Ireland onSaturday having not had some racing experience under my belt again.
I needed to line up against 40 guys on a gate again and just getthe feel of being on a track with other riders back, and I feel evenbetter about it now. It was the right thing to do.
On paper the results don't look anything special but for mepersonally I'm really pleased with how it went. It was a very good testof my ankle, I crashed a few times on it and got the apprehension aboutthat out of the way, and I'm pleased with my level of fitness and whereI'm at after five weeks back on the bike. I improved a lot during theday too, and I was really gutted after race two because I was ridingmuch better than the result showed. That was another big positive forme too. I've not lost that desire to race, it felt right to be out andjust the same as it always did, and now I'm really looking forward toDesertmartin and the rest of the year.''
With regards to Desertmartin and the remainder of the year, Stephenis optimistic but under no illusion about how tough it is going to be;Obviously I want to do as well as I possibly can at Desertmartin, butI'm not putting any pressure on myself and neither is the team.Everyone has been improving in the 13 months that I've been out,especially some of the young guys, and it's going to be tough. I don'texpect to be right up there from the off, but I feel that racing willbring me on much faster than just riding on my own at practice tracksand I'm feeling confident about being back up there sooner rather thanlater, particularly after Hawkstone.
After Desertmartin, I will give the Swedish GP a miss and mayberace a smaller event somewhere, then the Whitby British round will beanother good test for me before, hopefully, I'll return to GP action atFaenza on July 15. It's going to be a tough few weeks, but it feels sogreat to be back and I'm really confident about how it's going to go.''
T+MX wishes Stephen all the best for his return and you can catchhim and the rest of the British championship riders in action atDesertmartin when practice kicks-off at 9.30am.
More information can be found on www.mxgb.co.uk .