Whatley's working for 2017 return to the top
By Team TMX on 30th Nov 16
After the disappointments of 2016 its full speed ahead for former British champ Kristian Whatley as he gets his new machine dialled in for next season.
The 27-year-old, who parted company with Buildbase Honda last month, has been putting in some serious saddletime on his new MVR-D Husqvarna.
"I've done about five hours on the bike now and I really get on with it, really like it and I think it suits me down to the ground,” he said. "I think it's a lot more like the Yamaha – everything's looking very promising.
"I can pretty much get on any bike and ride it fast but the Husky suits me a lot more. It's quite low at the back which is how I like it, the chassis's good and the engine's really strong. I've got a lot of testing to do with suspension but I'm confident we can get it dialled in for me.”
Kristian, who won the Maxxis title on an Emberson Yamaha in 2013, slipped off the radar in the summer citing personal problems. He's now put these behind him and, with former world 125cc champion Jamie Dobb acting on his behalf, has hooked up with Mark and Gareth Chamberlain.
"The deal came about through Dobby and it's probably the best thing I can do. I've always got on well with Mark and Gareth – they're good boys –
and I knew the Husqvarna was a good bike as well and it was a good team to jump on.
"I'm not 100 per cent sure about what we're doing next year. Definitely the Maxxis and I think we're supposed to be doing quite a few of the European GPs which would be perfect, just what I need. If I'm not racing a GP I'll definitely be doing the Masters and the MX Nationals when I can.
"I see this as a great chance to re-establish myself. This season has been a bit of a nightmare and I want to be back at the front which is where I know I should be. It's all going really well at the moment – I feel like I'm riding as well as I did when I was on the Yamaha, just in the flow and railing stuff again and feeling really smooth.
"I stopped pretty much halfway through the year and I haven't done much riding since then so after having so much time off it's great to feel so comfortable already. Taking time out has only made me feel hungrier and makes me want it more.”
Kristian's first competitive appearance for the team is expected to be the 2017 Arenacross Tour but with just over a month to go he's still not up to speed indoors.
"I've not even been on a supercross track yet. I was going to go over to MTF at the start of the year if I wasn't racing arenacross but now I need to stay over here but the tracks are just so wet.
"There's SX Concepts over in France which is about an hour away from Calais so I suppose I'll be making a few trips over there.”
