MX Nationals ready to rock the Docks
By Sean Lawless on 3rd Mar 16
The Pro season finally kicks fully into gear this weekend (March 5-6) with the opening round of the Michelin MX Nationals in the unforgiving sand of Preston Docks.
With three youth and four adult classes it's a packed programme and the headlining ProX Fastest 40 Pro class is stacked with some seriously quick riders.
The series format puts MX1 and MX2 Pro riders together in two races on the Sunday only with the classes scored separately. At this stage of the season both classes are tough to call but there are some early indicators of form.
Let's start with MX1...
Brad Anderson (Verde Sports KTM) was up to race speed at the Hawkstone International and with Preston a relatively short trip down the M6 from his Penrith home you can be sure he's put in a good few hours at the track.
The off-season has also been busy for Graeme Irwin (Buildbase Honda) who's been contesting the Italian championship so expect him to look sharp along with sand-loving Estonian Gert Krestinov (Phoenix Tools Honda).
Travelling up from the flatlands of Suffolk, two-time British champ Elliott Banks-Browne (Geartec Yamaha) and Jake Nicholls (Hitachi Revo Husqvarna) are both fast enough to win. Having missed a big part of last season with injuries, the pair are now fully fit and should be on the pace.
Defending champion Kristian Whatley (Buildbase Honda) has missed all the pre-season races after breaking his foot practising in France. When he's riding at 100 per cent he's a hard man to beat but there is a question mark hanging over his fitness.
On paper the main man in MX2 should be Martin Barr (Buildbase Honda). The Irishman – third in MX1 last year – has looked impressive in the Italian championship on his new 250F machine and with last year's champ Steven Lenoir not racing he starts favourite.
However, there's a raft of talented riders in the division and there's no such thing as a safe bet in motocross - especially when the classes are combined.
Josh Gilbert (St Blazey Husqvarna) has been a regular visitor to Preston Docks over recent weeks –despite living in Cornwall – and you can expect a good showing from riders including Carlton Husband (Phoenix Tools Honda), Lewis Tombs (Geartec Yamaha), Liam Knight (Dyer & Butler KTM) and Lewis Trickett (Buildbase Honda).
Super-experienced Neville Bradshaw (Heads & All Threads Suzuki), fresh from his win at the opening round of the South African Nationals, is another rider to watch.
As well as the Pros the other classes featured over the weekend are SW85, BW85, Talon MXY2, RFX Clubman, Fly Expert MX2 and Bell Expert MX1 making for a total of 26 races.
The action starts at 9am on Saturday and 11am on Sunday. Admission is £10 for adults with no charge for kids aged 10 and under. Postcode is PR2 2HW.
