Best of British!
By TMX Archives on 11th Mar 04
THE WAIT'S almost over and, if you're a good little dbr reader who gets their mag the day it hits the newsagents' shelves, there are just two days to go before the '04 Maxxis British MX champs blasts out the gate at Canada THE WAIT'S almost over and, if you're a good little dbr reader who gets their mag the day it hits the newsagents' shelves, there are just two days to go before the '04 Maxxis British MX champs blasts out the gate at Canada Heights.Obviously, we're a little bit biased but it's safe to say that outside of the USA we're lucky to have probably the best domestic MX series on the planet - and for '04 the bar's been raised even higher by a big injection of overseas talent, especially in the MX2 division which is almost too close to call.So will Swordy make it a hat-trick of crowns? Can the Crock Star collect his fourth British title? You'll have to draw your own conclusions but, because we're a helpful lot, here's a bit of background to help you decide...MX2The class formally known as the 125s has been renamed MX2 for '04 to keep it in line with the new GP classifications.Open to 125cc two-strokes and 250cc four-strokes, the MX2 division is dominated by the new quarter-litre thumpers with just a fine sprinkling of screaming 125cc pilots signed up to race.The class has been won for the previous two seasons by Stephen Sword and, after signing a factory Kawasaki deal to race the new 250F for Dutch tuning wizard Jan De Groot, he should automatically start favourite to make it three-on-the-trot. But it ain't that simple!The 24-year-old's pre-season testing has gone well but, even so, he faces some super-stiff opposition from a combination of foreign hired guns, young up-and-comers and more seasoned down-sizers from last year's Open class.One rider who falls into two of these categories is Steve Dixon's new signing Andrew McFarlane. The 26-year-old Aussie joins Dixon's Yamaha team fresh from a two-year stint on factory Kawasakis in the MX1 class. A former Australian 125cc champion, Sharky's never raced a 250 four-banger in competition before but, on past form alone, he must be considered as a contender.Another down-sizer - and another genuine threat to Swordy's dominance - is new RTT Honda signing Carl Nunn. If Carl's got the bit between his teeth he's capable of winning anywhere - as he proved at the French 125GP back in Y2K when he left riders of the calibre of Grant Langston, Jamie Dobb and Mike Brown chewing on his roost as he took two race wins.Down-sizer number three is CAS Honda's flying Finn Jussi Vehvilainen. Jussi's a real unknown quantity on a 250 four-banger having forged a fearsome reputation in the Open class since arriving in Britain in '01. He may be a bit crash-happy at times but he's got the physical strength to tame the quarter-litre thumper so all that may change.The final down-sizer - and the rider who on paper could present the biggest threat to Swordy's championship aspirations - is Jamie Dobb. The '01 world 125cc champ last won the British 125cc title back in '99 and hasn't contested a full Brit championship season since Y2K. But his switch from a factory KTM two-stroke to a 250cc four-stroke RWJ Honda shouldn't bother the super-experienced Dobby too much!The last genuine threat to Swordy comes in the shape of exciting 18-year-old South African Tyla Rattray who leads the eighth-litre two-stroke charge aboard a factory Champ KTM. Sixth in last year's world championship, Styla's also tasted victory at Brit champs level with the overall at the '03 Desertmartin round and a race win on the Isle of Wight.Behind our top six MX2 tips is a whole heap of riders who could well get on the podium but are unlikely to be challenging for the crown.Leading this chasing bunch is last year's Brit champs third-placed man Tom Church. The 22-year-old, mounted on a Molson Kawasaki 250F, was the early pace-setter in '03 before a collarbone injury forced him to sit out three rounds.TC's joined by RTT Honda's Jason Dougan (250F), Classic Glass KTM's Adam Lyons (125), Chambers KTM's Wayne Smith (125), RHR Yamaha's Ben Saunders (250F), Hooper BTC Suzuki team-mates John May and Lewis Gregory (250F) and Diamond Drilling Yamaha pilot Glen Phillips (250F) on our list of riders who'll be there or thereabouts.Ed's note: Before anyone calls, writes in or emails us, we'd like to point out that we've not included Ben Townley in our list for a very good reason - he ain't racing! The Kiwi may well make a few wild card appearances but he'll be concentrating on developing the 250F Katoomer in the MX2 GP class.MX OpenThere's no such thing as a certainty in motocross but, as an educated guess, we're fairly confident in saying that this year's MX Open champ will be riding a Honda - and the two clear favourites have got to be Gordon Crockard and his CAS Honda team-mate Josh Coppins.The order they finish in is anyone's guess but, barring injury, it's going to be a two-horse race for the Maxxis Open crown.With the top two finishers already decided (in our minds at least), there should be a fierce fight for third place with a number of top riders in with a shout going into the opening round.Paul Cooper, champ in '95 and '02, is sure to be battling for big points on Trevor Avery's 450cc Multitek Honda. There's no-one in the series with a bigger heart than Coops but we can't see him besting GC or JC over a full season. Sorry Paul...With Mark Hucklebridge and Christian Burnham in his squad, Tim Chambers has as good a chance as any team boss of seeing one of his riders on the end-of-season podium. The pair will be mounted on 450cc four-strokes and both have showed they've got what it takes to win races at this level - but it's a long season so consistency will be the key.Monster and Burnham apart, the smart money's got to go on Big Red making a clean sweep of the Open class podium - and we wouldn't rule out a CAS 1-2-3 with their Japanese pilot Yoshi Atsuta, a die-hard racer if ever we've seen one, joining the Crock Star and Lizzard on the podium.Colin Reed's RWJ team has been without a champion since Jocke Karlsson moved from a CR250 to a 500cc hybrid in '99 and James Noble won't end that drought this year. But he could put a smile on Colin's face by taking third in the championship.Out final top tip as a genuine contender for the ACU bronze medal is Stuart Flockhart. The young Scot, who's split from RWJ for the '04 season, is another class act but spent much of last year on the injury list. Now armed with Meredith MX-backed CRF450, if StuFlock starts the season in a confident mood then he could be right up there.Steve Dixon's Scottish star Billy MacKenzie has opted to race the British Open class aboard a 450cc Yamaha and could provide a few shocks now he's mixing with the big boys! Anyone who witnessed his British championship debut at a crappy Nantwich back in '99 will know he's not easily intimidated but even the super-confident Billy Mack will be realistic enough to settle for a few podiums.Another non-Honda rider in with a sniff of a podium or two is London Diamond Drilling Yamaha's fast n' fragile Jordan Rose. He's a bit of a dark horse but Roy Embo's Whitby warrior is capable of some good results - when he stays upright!And joining Jordan in the dark horse stable is new Motovision Racing signing Tanel Leok. The Estonian's made his name on a 125 but is entered into the Open class on a 250cc Suzuki stroker - if he doesn't get too badly smoked out of the gate then he may throw up a few surprises but, then again, he may not!Disclaimer! We reserve the right to be completely and utterly wrong...