BLAX MAGIC!
By TMX Archives on 1st Jul 15
Shaun Simpson (Hitachi Revo KTM UK) continued his unbeaten domestic run, dominating round five of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship powered by Skye Energy.
But that's only half the story and it was the way Simpson won the final MX1 race of the day that will go down in MX history books as one of the greatest comebacks ever.
At the start of the race in an effort to avoid a crash with Elliott Banks-Browne (Geartec Suzuki) Simpson landed from a jump and went over the top of a berm at the next corner and over the handlebars.
Picking himself up in last place he charged through the pack, overtaking 19 of the country's best MX1 riders on the first lap before finally hitting the front with five laps of the 13-lap race to go.
While Simpson was doing his thing in MX1, Max Anstie (Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki) - despite crashing in his first race - went three for three in MX2 and is now the red plate holder as championship leader.
Two-strokes ruled in the MXY2 class as Conrad Mewse (Red Bull Junior Team KTM) charged from the back of the pack in the opener up to fourth after a crash and backed that up with two race wins to take the overall.
The organising Woodbridge club had done an outstanding job with its Blaxhall circuit just north of Ipswich with the track and surroundings looking every bit a championship venue. The hard work was rewarded by a big crowd that ensured the event was a success.
Josh Spinks (Verde KTM) got the holeshot in the first MX1 race from local rider Jake Nicholls (Wilvo Forkrent KTM) and Kristian Whatley (Buildbase Honda) who were both making comebacks from injury with Simpson back in 13th after spinning up his rear wheel on the concrete start pad.
Spinks held onto the lead until lap two when Steven Frossard (Wilvo Forkrent KTM), who had passed both Nicholls and Whatley, took the lead and was never really challenged again.
At the halfway stage Whatley was in second but Simpson was closing fast and a lap latter snatched the place and crossed the finish line within three seconds of Frossard.
Whatley was a distant third with Graeme Irwin (Heads & All Threads Suzuki) and Martin Barr (BRT KTM) making a late charge in fourth and fifth.
Whatley got the holeshot in race two but by the time the first lap was over both Simpson and Frossard had passed him and were already pulling away.
On lap three Whatley's team-mate Gert Krestinov slipped by him and in the later stages of the race a crash put him back to ninth.
Once again Irwin had to fight his way from a mid-pack start and chased Krestinov over the line in fourth place with Nicholls, Ashley Wilde (Toughsheet Honda), Barr and Tanel Leok (LPE Kawasaki) filling the next four places.
FOR FULL REPORT & PICTURES SEE TMX NEWS, THURSDAY, JULY 2, (ISSUE 1978)
