Apico Husqvarna headed south for the third round of the Michelin MX Nationals at the Oxford Moto Parc venue. With Martin racing and Jack supporting from the sidelines, it was the first time we’d had the riders and mechanics together since the first British Championship at Oakhanger.
The weather held well over the weekend, with some heavy rain on Saturday and in the evening for the Straight Rhythm event. This helped the track somewhat and Martin was prepared for Sunday’s racing.
Expectations for the weekend were realistic, unlike some riders, Martin decided to race as part of his recovery. The track was technical, and pretty rough compared to Schoolhouse. This made things difficult for Martin. He was unlucky to crash on the last corner of the last lap of free practice, where he looked to be riding efficiently and on a fast lap. After this missed opportunity, Martin qualified 9th from his earlier quick lap.
Martin had a poor start in the first race. With the new format of lining the MX2 riders on the left of the gate box, and the MX1 riders on the right. He didn’t get the jump and was mid-pack trying to pass a group of MX2 riders. By his admission, Martin wasn’t riding his best and he knew the weekend was not going to be easy. He managed to get his head down and finish 12th with only MX1 riders in front of him.
Race two was somewhat of a different story. After the delay for the Air Ambulance to attend to an injured rider, the schedule was cut to 10-minute races, with the Leatt MX1 Pro Class that is combined with the Apico MX2 Pro Class being the last full race of the day. Martin didn’t get the start again; he struggled with the rough track and didn’t progress in the way we are used to. Martin finished 14th in the Leatt MX1 class by the end of the race for 13th overall.
Martin: “Without making too many excuses, I am still recovering from the injuries from Blaxhall. It’s not the results we want or what the team deserves. We all expect a lot more, though it is a process I’m having to go through to return to full fitness. I am going to keep my head down and work towards finishing the season on a high for all the work and effort of everyone on the team, especially Dylan & Anna, and our sponsors. It’s hard to accept these results and where I am finishing at the minute compared to last year. There are other events such as the Apico 2 Stroke Festival and VMXdN I will compete in this year, though I still want to give it my all and finish both the British Championships in a strong position”.
