Two down, advantage Brown
By TMX Archives on 15th Aug 07
CAS Honda swept all before them at the seventh and penultimate round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship at Brampton on Sunday as team riders Ken De Dycker and Mike Brown hit sensational form to dominate both classes at the Cumbrian circuit.
Heavy overnight rain had left the hillside sandtrack in deep, unforgiving condition, but a big, very vocal crowdpacked out the superbly prepared circuit and those in attendance borewitness to two riders completely in control of their opposition andmasters of a tough, and very rough track that really took its toll onriders.
Reigning champion De Dycker led every single lapof the MX1 action to comfortably take the overall over champion elect,De Groot Kawasaki's Billy MacKenzie and Pioneer Yamaha's Brad Andersonand, importantly, close the points gap down to just eight to keep upthe pressure heading into the final round, while Brown was simplyphenomenal in MX2.
Just three points separated him, Gareth Swanepoeland Tommy Searle at the top of the table heading into Brampton, but theAmerican veteran rode the race of the season to sweep both races andthe overall from Searle and Jason Dougan, as Searle and Swanepoelfaltered with first race falls, and heads into the final round of thechampionship a healthy 12 points clear at the top of the table and thechampion elect.
Brampton had been off the British championshipcalendar since the mid-1990s, its return marked one of the mostimportant and significant races of the year.
MX1
SITTING 16 points behind the championship leaderMacKenzie coming into Brampton, De Dycker could have done no more toclose down the gap and retain his number one plate in what was avirtually faultless day for the big Belgian that saw him close the gapto series leader MacKenzie to just eight points. De Dycker said himselfhe doesn't expect to retain the crown, but eight points is not a lotand nothing is certain in motocross!
He appeared on track 15 minutes into timedqualifying, set a fastest qualifying time over James Noble by two andhalf seconds on the his first lap, and from there on out it was alwaysgoing to be a race for second place.
De Dycker led every lap of the day, looking morelike he was on a training session than fighting to try to retain hisBritish crown, such was the ease with which he controlled the pace outfront, the only blip on his radar was a brief off-track excursionmid-way through the second moto.
Deep, rutted and very rough from very early on inthe day, the Brampton circuit was a real test of a rider's strength andstamina which unfortunately did not make for great MX1 racing, themajority of the excitement coming in the opening laps of heat one asBilly MacKenzie and Brad Anderson seared through the pack from terriblestarts.
MX2
AFTER being gifted the championship lead lastmonth at Skelder Bank, Mike Brown was in no mood to relinquish it atBrampton and the 35-year-old CAS veteran was quite simply superb.Putting his vast experience to use, Brown rode his two best moto's ofthe year when it really mattered, came away with two devastating winsand, more importantly, extended his championship lead over Tommy Searlefrom one point to 12, and 23 points over Gareth Swane-poel with justtwo motos remaining. Undoubtedly it was one of the most fascinatingday's racing of the season.
Searle, out on a prototype KTM with new chassisdesign, had set the fastest time in qualification over Carl Nunn, Brownand Swanepoel, but the intense battle for supremacy that was expectednever materialised as Brown's lightning-fast starting technique
propelled him to another huge holeshot in heat one as Searle and Swanepoel found themselves in a heap.
Tangling on the way into the treacherous firstturn, the pair went down, taking Nunn with them among others and wereleft fighting back through the pack as Brown streaked away for asup-reme, unchallenged win.
BRITISH MX1 MOTOCROSS CHAMPS
Rd 7 - Low Gelt, Brampton, nr Carlisle (West Devon MXC)
1 Ken De Dycker (450F CAS Honda) 30 + 30 = 60
2 Billy MacKenzie (450F DeGroot Kawasaki) 25 + 27 = 52
3 Brad Anderson (450F Pioneer Yamaha) 27 + 25 = 52
4 Wayne Smith (PAR Homes Honda) 23 + 21 = 44
5 James Noble (450F Multitek Honda) 15 + 23 = 38
6 Neville Bradshaw (PAR Homes Honda) 21 + 17 = 38
SERIES STANDINGS after 7 (of 8) rounds: 1 Billy MacKenzie 342 points, 2De Dycker 334, 3 Anderson 292, 4 Noble 291, 5 Crockard 251, 6 Eastwood207.
NEXT ROUND: Sep 15 - Howton Court, Pontrilas, Hereford (Oxford Ixion MCC).
BRITISH MX2 MOTOCROSS CHAMPS
Rd 7 - Low Gelt, Brampton, nr Carlisle (West Devon MXC)
1 Mike Brown (CAS Honda) 30 + 30 = 60
2 Tommy Searle (250F KTM UK) 23 + 27 = 50
3 Jason Dougan (250F Fork Rent Suzuki) 27 + 21 = 48
4 Tom Church (250F Molson Kawasaki) 21 + 19 = 40
5 Gareth Swanepoel (250F Molson Kawa) 15 + 23 = 38
6 Ashley Greedy (250F PAR Homes Hon) 25 + 10 = 35
SERIES STANDINGS after 7 (of 8) rounds: 1 MikeBrown 328 points, 2 Searle 316, 3 Swanepoel 305, 4 Church 281, 5Simpson 264, 6 Dougan 232
NEXT ROUND: Sep 15 - Howton Court, Pontrilas, Hereford (Oxford Ixion MCC).
For full report, results and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, August 17, 2007.