Pro Go!
By TMX Archives on 10th May 12
The Red Bull Pro Nationals kick off this weekend with a seven-round schedule of awesome racing goodness...
Entering its fourth year of action, the Red Bull Pro Nationals has swiftly progressed from the role of motocross newbie to become a genuine contender for the title of Britain's premier MX series.
Since 2009 the RBPN has come a long way and is now an established professional championship boasting an exciting race format, slick organisation and a fresh, forward-looking approach to promoting the sport to a wider, mainstream family audience.
While the ACU's Maxxis-backed British championship attracts the country's dwindling number of GP teams, Events 22 – the promoter of the RBPNs – makes no attempt to secure these teams' series-long services. Instead it has cultivated a credible championship for those teams that have neither the finances nor the inclination to contest the pay-to-play world championship.
Add to that the three-for-the-price-of-one deal it offers – on top of the Red Bull Pro Nationals each round also features Red Bull Elite Youth Cup and Fuchs-Silkolene Two-Stroke British Championship action – at top-flight venues and it's easy to see why, combined with intelligent promotion, the series proves so popular with spectators.
The Red Bull Pro Nationals combine both MX1 and MX2 classes in two 25-minute plus two lap races with each class scored separately. This results in some super-exciting racing with surprises coming thick and fast as the top 250F riders regularly get in among the 450F men - proving that MX isn't just about brute horsepower and that even on power-sapping surfaces silky-smooth skills can shave seconds off lap times.
So who are the main movers and shakers this year?
MX1 is packed with talent and even though defending champion Brad Anderson's chosen to spend 2012 Down Under there's no guarantee the hard-charging north easterner would have been a shoo-in to retain his title this time around.
Top of the list of contenders has to be Stephen Sword. The 31-year-old Scot is one of the domestic scene's stand-out stars of the last decade and the GP winner, former MX2 world championship leader and four-time British champion starts as one of at least six highly-favoured riders for big-bike honours.
"Obviously, my goal is to win it,” says Stevie who's never one to mince his words. "It won't be easy as there are some top guys racing but being consistent is the key. It's certainly a title I want and I'm looking forward to the first round at Landrake – it's a track I really like.”
For 2012 Swordy is armed with an RMZ450 Tyco Suzuki by TAS and the Irish team, famed for their fiercely competitive nature, will be doing all they can to put their man on top of the box as many times as possible during the season.
Swordy's certainly got the pedigree to win but he's not the only grand prix winner racing in MX1 this season with Dutchman Marc de Reuver, Estonian Gert Krestinov and Frenchman Nico Aubin all signed up for the full series. Of the trio it's de Reuver who's more of an established name but he can also be inconsistent and he'll need to be in contention at all seven rounds if he's going to take the title for Lanes Kawasaki.
Buildbase Honda's Aubin has started the season carrying an injury from a practice crash so we've yet to see his true colours but Krestinov – mentored by chief DBR MX tester Rad Ed Bradley – is looking bang on form and will be hoping to snatch an early advantage at the opening round. Gert, who signed to race Route 77 MVR-D Honda in the close season, finished last year's series third in the points table and with Ando absent the only man above him in action this year will be LPE Kawasaki's Marty Barr.
The Ulsterman, MX2 champ in 2010, took a hugely popular double win from Ando when the series visited his home track of Desertmartin last season. There's no return to Northern Ireland this year but Marty – Kawasaki UK's official #1 pilot – doesn't necessarily need home advantage to win races and will be a real threat to go one better and lift the title in 2012.
So that's five genuine contenders – and we're not finished yet! Gert's team-mate Jason Dougan is another former GP guy who's quick enough to win if he can stay healthy all year and so can Kristian Whatley if he can gel with the PAR Honda. Then there's Lewis Gregory who's blazing the comeback trail with Apico Suzuki, super-privateer Jamie Law on the D3 KTM, Oakleaf Kawasaki's Alex Snow and Samsung Yamaha's former super schoolie Jake Shipton.
It's also wide open down in MX where 2011 champ Elliott Banks-Browne will not be back to defend his crown and on paper it promises to be a cracking clash between the likes of Neville Bradshaw, Bryan MacKenzie, Graeme Irwin and Jordan Booker with a long queue of seriously swift wannabes waiting to grab their chance to stage an upset.
Nev, the newly-crowned British SX Lites champ, of course won the inaugural RBPN MX2 title back in 2009 and now reunited with star engine-tuner Matt Hutchins on the super-fast Evo-Tech Stevens Honda is aiming to repeat his triumph of three seasons ago.
"I want to win the Red Bull championship again,” says the South African MXdN team regular. "I'm definitely still getting stronger – this last off-season's proved that – and Matt reckons I'm riding the best I've ever ridden.”
Injuries have been a thorn in Nev's side over recent seasons - something Samsung Yamaha's wild-riding Graeme Irwin can identify with. After a year struggling in MX1 on a 350 the young Irishman is back in MX2 where he reckons he should be and if team boss Roy Emberson can bring the best out of Graeme – as he did last season with Kristian Whatley – then the MX2 title could very well be heading back to Ireland for the second time in four years.
Another Irish contender is Stuart Edmonds who has ended his long association with TM to race alongside Swordy on the Tyco Suzuki by TAS team. Stuey, who threatened throughout 2011 in the Fuchs-Silkolene two-stroke series, also finished the year fifth in MX2. Ending the 2011 season two spots higher and claiming series bronze, MotoOne Rockstar KTM's IrnBry MacKenzie was the best-placed of this year's returning talent and if hard work and desire alone are enough he'll be a hard man to beat this time around.
After leaving HM Plant KTM UK at the end of 2011, Jordan Booker's got former world champ David Thorpe in his corner this year on the Buildbase Honda team and he's got to fancy his chances but so too must Embo's new French signing Steven Lenoir who's already shown a terrific turn of speed this season. Former Embo rider Ray Rowson is also in with a shout although the LPE Kawasaki man doesn't seem to be at his best on a 250F and there's a possible wildcard winner in last year's Fuchs-Silkolene 125cc Expert champ Luke Remmer who's stepping it up for 2012.
The MX2 division is the breeding ground for young talent and the list of youngsters aiming to make 2012 their breakthrough year is long so expert some fresh faces on the podium and possibly even an appearance on the box from PAR Honda Red Bull's Nathan Watson, last year's runaway Rookies winner.
For more series information point your PC towards www.redbullpronationals.com
Dates and venues
Round one – Landrake Moto Parc, May 12/13
The jewel of the South West, Landrake is hilly, rutty, super-tough and one of Britain's most spectator-friendly venues.
Set your sat-nav to PL12 5EP
Round two – FatCat Motoparc, June 2/3
Deep sand makes for conditions that sort the men from the boys – especially in those all-important final motos when it cuts up real rough.
Set your sat-nav to DN3 3EH
Round three – Canada Heights, July 7/8
One of the UK's most historic top-flight venues, changes in elevation and a sandy, stony surface pushes riders and machines to the limit.
Set your sat-nav to BR8 8DX
Round four – Duns, July 21/22
Laying claim to the title of Scotland's premier track, Duns offers great viewing and the mother of all uphill step-up jumps that's more suited to the Highlands than its location in the Borders.
Set your sat-nav to TD11 3NS
Round five – Skelders Bank, August 11/12
Over-looking the historic town of Whitby where Dracula is supposed to have come ashore, lots of big jumps and technical sections get the blood pumping.
Set your sat-nav to Y021 1TN
Round six – Hawkstone Park, August 25/26
The granddaddy of UK tracks, Hawkstone's famous hill and deep, energy-sapping sand has been home to some of the finest races ever on this 'ere island...
Set your sat-nav to SY4 4NA
Round seven – Culham Park, September 22/23
Winding up, down and around a steep bank by the side of the River Thames, Culham combines natural gradient changes with man-made features to make for spectacular racing.
Set your sat-nav to OX14 3DA
