CCM debut win for Whatley
By TMX Archives on 21st May 08
KRISTIAN Whatley, son of former GP rider Jeremy Whatley, made a winning debut for CCM when he romped to a convincing first race victory at the third round of the British MMX Under 21 championship held at Dean Moor, Cumbria, last Sunday. Whatley was robbed of the outright overall win after being taken down early in the second moto, but still tied on points with eventual victor Ashley Greedy.
With regular CCM riders Oliver Sandiford-Smith sidelined due to a recent shoulder operation and Richie Worrall continuing his battle to return to fitness after breaking his leg earlier in the season, Whatley was given the late opportunity to fly the lone CCM flag at the MMX event in the absence of it's regular riders. Whatley spent less than an hour on the CCM MX250 last Thursday in readiness for his first competitive outing, but despite the lack of time to adjust to his new mount, he was soon putting himself and CCM at the top of the table.
The eighteen year old was the only rider to break the two minute barrier in qualifying, as he recorded a lap time over half a second quicker than any of his championship rivals. Whatley carried his initial speed through to the first moto, slotting into second place during the opening three laps before taking command of the race. With Kristian out in front he gradually pulled clear of the pack to come home over eight seconds ahead of his nearest challenger and to open his CCM account in impressive style.
Looking for a repeat performance in race two, Whatley made another strong start to hold sixth spot as they crossed the line for the first time, however disaster was about to strike as the CCM rider was wiped out by a wayward rider who left Kristian on the deck and with much work to do.
Whatley's fight back was simply sensational and saw the youngster climb from 23rd position on lap two to secure seventh place by half race distance. Not happy to settle for a solid top ten placing, Kristian continued his drive through the field to claim an incredible fourth spot with just one lap remaining. Again this was not enough for Whatley, as he made one final push to grab third place come the chequered flag.
Following his heroic efforts Whatley now holds second place in the general standings, just two points behind current championship leader Alex Snow. Whatley's next competitive outing will be alongside Greg Hanson, in CCM's two rider assault at the British MXGP to be held at Mallory Park on June 1, where both will be looking to make their mark on the World stage.
CCM Managing Director Gary Harthern was impressed with his new recruit's debut. "We could not have not asked for more from Kristian, even when he went down in the second race he showed great speed and determination. With that kind of performance and some testing planned for this week, we are now focussed on giving both Kristian and Greg the best opportunity to get the right results at Mallory.”
STOP PRESS: T+MX is testing the exciting CCM on the Grand Prix track at Mallory Park this week. Don't miss next week's paper for first impressions!