MX Diary: Brit pack on the charge
By Team TMX on 7th Oct 15
After several years without a British team competing, Great Britain got back into the mix with a solid display at the 44th annual Coupe de lAvenir, the prestigious under 21 motocross team race.
Racing on a technical, natural circuit in Baisieux in Belgium, Team GB rode with heart and aggression to finish fourth overall in the team classification.
The event often features some of the best young talent in European motocross. Famous names like Britain's Graham Noyce, Dave Thorpe, Neil Hudson and Jamie Dobb have all raced the Coupe de l'Avenir and other greats and world champions including Gaston Rahier, Harry Everts, Andre Malherbe, Georges Jobe, Stefan Everts, Jeffrey Herlings and Steve Ramon have also taken part.
Since 2006 organisers have also incorporated an 85cc team race and last year added a 65cc race.
So as well as the main three-man Coupe races – for 125, MX2 and MX1 machines – there's now the opportunity for countries to win the Super Trophy where all nine riders' scores count.
In the Coupe class James Harrison (Phoenix Tools Husqvarna) rode a blinder, finishing third overall in the individual classification. Liam Garland (MX Zone/Turvey Racing Yamaha) also had a stormer, particularly in the last moto where he finished fourth after DNFing the second moto when he twisted his knee badly.
Chubbie Hammond (TM) battled with real heart and determination, running in the top five among the other 125 riders to help the three lads come home fourth in the their class.
The 85cc class was stacked with incredibly talented riders – many who race the European 85cc championship – and Team GB did itself proud to finish fourth. Callum Gasson (TM) led several laps throughout the weekend and finished a very respectable seventh overall.
Lewis Hall (Team Green Kawasaki UK) also rode well and coming through the pack after some first lap incidents he nailed down eighth overall with lap times in the top three. Both riders would've been even higher placed if not for a couple of small crashes.
Current British Small-wheel 85cc champion Kacey Hird (Team Green Kawasaki UK) gave his all too. Like Lewis it was Kacey's first BW85cc race and riding a stock machine virtually straight out of the crate he battled hard to help bring the lads home in fourth.
BYN champion Charlie Heyman (Middleton KTM) proved he's going to be in the mix in the European championship in 2016 by finishing fifth overall in the 65cc class with some superb riding.
Brad Lee Timmis also put himself about and certainly wasn't intimated by his first time at such an event as he battled for every point to finish 19th overall.
After a very late call-up Harvey Cashmore also left nothing out on the track to help Team GB bring it home fifth in the 65cc category.
"It's been such a good weekend,” said acting Team Manager Jeff Perrett.
"The event is so well run and with all its history and heritage I'm proud to say that I have now been involved in it.
"It's the first time any of us have been and if I have anything to do with it we'll be coming to this event every year from here on in.
"I really feel it's an event we have to be involved with and I know with the talent of riders we have at home we can come here and start really pushing for wins again like we used too.
"Thanks to Romwy Garden Machinery and MBO Sport for sorting out the shirts and graphics and also GP Grafix for the awesome job they did printing them.”
