MX Diary: Whatley is back
By TMX Archives on 18th May 16
Buildbase Hondas Kristian Whatley was back on top form on Sunday with a double win in MX1 at round two of the Pirelli British Masters at Brookthorpe.
"You can't really beat that," said Whatley.
"Qualifying first then holeshot, win, holeshot, win. I'm really happy with that.
"In the first race I got the holeshot and carried my own speed and felt pretty happy with it. I made a few mistakes and Graeme [Irwin] managed to get past me and then half-a-lap later he went down so I ended up winning that one.
"In the second one I had another holeshot and was able to ride my own race. Graeme was pushing me but halfway through I found some better lines and felt much more comfortable."
Whatley's double moves him to the top of the standings after his team-mate Irwin suffered with a crash and a puncture.
"I've had a little bit of bad luck but it was a really good last race," said Graeme. "I just came up a bit short but me and Kristian were streets ahead of everybody else.
"In the first race I'd just made the pass for the lead and washed out the front wheel. I got back up and knew I could still win it but then I got a puncture and the tyre came off the rim so I was lucky to finish and it messed up my chances of the podium.
"In race two I gave Kristian a little bit of a gap to try and find some more lines and I did and then put the push on right to the chequered flag. It was a good race - obviously it would have been better with a different outcome but it is what it is and we both rode really good."
Heading to Brookthorpe running 1-2 in the MX2 Pro division, Buildbase Honda's Martin Barr and Lewis Trickett both put in solid performances although Martin was disappointed to lose his unbeaten record in the series after recording 2-3 finishes.
"Today wasn't one of my best days," he said. "In the first race I got onto the back of Steven Clarke but made a mistake and twisted my ankle in a deep rut and kinda lost my rhythm for a lap or two and ended up second.
"In race two I made a lot better start and it was pretty good racing. Bryan MacKenzie was out front and I was second but Clarkey got me with two or three laps to go and I ended up third and third overall.
"It was a disappointing day really but I picked up some solid points and I think I'm still leading the championship. We'll regroup tomorrow and get back on it for Hawkstone Park next weekend."
