International velvet
By TMX Archives on 5th Mar 09
SHAUN Simpson continued with the form that has promoted him to MX2 World Championship favourite for this season with two blistering MX2 race wins for the overall honours at last weekend's 12th running of the Hawkstone International Motocross event as Dutchman Marc De Reuver shared MX1 race victories with former British champ Ken De Dycker with De Reuver snatching overall glory by virtue of actually finishing both races.
Promoted by virtually the same team that has brought us the by now, traditional season opener in the UK for the last 11 year's under the auspices of Salop MC, but now under a new name for the 12th edition – HIMX, this year's bash saw bright sunshine, even more than a little warmth in Shropshire, with a vast crowd arriving in their droves to see some of the cream of Europe's elite motocross pilots in action.
Unfortunately, the event was marred slightly by the serious (and
possibly career-ending) injury to PAR Homes Honda rider, Gordon Crockard, during a first MX1 start straight melee in the Tunnel, after
which the Irishman was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, where he had his spleen removed early on Sunday evening (see separate story).
However, Simpson even went home with an extra £500 tucked tightly in his back pocket for winning the all-new event ‘The British Rider Shootout' – a kind of lunchtime break head-to-head, ‘devil take the hindmost' series of four-rider half-lap races. In the final of this the young Scotsman snatched the win from fellow finalists, the talented Scott Elderfield, Billy MacKenzie and Brad Anderson.
"I'll be buying something nice with that...,” said the canny Scot "You'll be saving that up...,” said his cannier mother, Vanda!
After the recent European season openers at Mantova and Valence, most of the top guns have found out a little about each other's early season form and at Hawkstone on Sunday the factory teams started to flex their muscles a little more with Red Bull KTM teamsters, Simpson and Portugal's Rui Goncalves, filling the top two spots on the MX2 podium overall at Hawkstone with Frenchman Xavier Boog completing the top three, whilst over in MX1 class the Martin Honda boys, Marc De Reuver and runner-up Kevin Strijbos just led the way ahead of third placed former world champ, Teka Suzuki's Steve Ramon.
FOR FULL STORY AND PICTURES, SEE T+MX NEWS, FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2009
For the second time on the day, the MX1 pilots hammer into the first corner with Kevin Strijbos in pole position – the Belgian completed both races in runner-up spot.