De Dycker and Searle rule in Ireland
By G2F on 24th Jun 07
Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship 2007 Rnd 5 Desertmartin Saturday 23rd June.
CAS Honda rider Ken De Dycker took a positive step towards the defence of hisMX1 British crown as he closed in on current series leader Billy MacKenzie DeGroot Kawasaki, with two moto wins at the fifth round of the series held inNorthern Ireland. The 2007 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship moved pastthe halfway point with some fantastic racing in both classes at the superbDesertmartin circuit.
Teenage sensation Tommy Searle KTM UKstrengthened his position at the top of the MX2 standings by taking the overallwin just ahead of Tom Church Molson Kawasaki, as Church's team mate GarethSwanepoel suffered a disastrous day with a 18-8 showing. Mike Brown CAS Hondanow moves ahead of Swanepoel in the series, to become Searle's nearestchallenger.
Local favourite Gordon Crockard PAR Honda played his partin entertaining his home fans with a third and second place over the two races.Poor qualification by Crockard did not help his starts, with the Ulstermanhaving to come through the pack on both occasions to earn his runners up spotoverall. Whilst De Dycker dominated the second moto from the front, Crockard wasby far the quickest rider on the track with lap times two seconds faster thanhis Honda counterpart.
The last three laps of the second MX1 encountersaw some of the best racing seen this season, with Crockard, MacKenzie, BradAnderson Pioneer Yamaha and James Noble Multitek Honda all fighting it outfor the overall runners up spot, with all four tied on a virtual fifty pointsapiece at this late stage in the day.
Another local rider, this time inthe form of Martin Barr Bike It Yamaha, endured a mixed day. Barr qualifiedfastest in the MX2 class and then took second position in the opening moto, butwas taken down on the second corner of race two. Martin was forced to visit thework area to straighten a bent gear lever, but went out of the race later on ashis gearbox seized as the full extent of the crash damage becameapparent.
Sean Hamblin Swift Suzuki saw his championship hopes fade ashe lost vital ground to his rivals as he crashed out of the first moto and tookno further part in the day. Reigning MX2 champion Carl Nunn Bike It Yamahacontinued his return to form with a second race win and third overall. StephenSword Molson Kawasaki made a welcome return to the series after his long terminjury, and recorded two top ten finishes to confirm he is back on the road tofull recovery.
The next round of the series takes place at Whitby, NorthYorkshire on Sunday 8th July 2007, please visit the all new officialchampionship website - www.mxgb.co.uk - for further details.
MX1 Moto One: 1: De Dycker 2: Anderson 3: Crockard 4: MacKenzie 5: Noble
MX1 Moto Two: 1: De Dycker 2: Crockard 3: Noble 4: MacKenzie 5: Rose
MX1 Overall: 1: De Dycker 60 2: Crockard 52 3: Noble 46
Championship to date: 1: Mackenzie 260 2: De Dycker 247 3: Crockard 230
MX2 Moto One: 1: Searle 2: Barr 3: Church 4: Dougan 5: Brown
MX2 Moto Two: 1: Nunn 2: Church 3: Campano 4: Searle 5: Simpson
MX2 Overall: 1: Searle 53 2: Church 52 3: Nunn 49
Championship to date: 1: Searle 253 2: Brown 216 3: Swanepoel 210