What a weekend for the Dirt Store Kawasaki Team. Last Saturday the guys travelled North, to Schoolhouse MX, for the penultimate round of the ACU Dirt Store British Motocross Championship. Going into Round 6, our MX2 riders Joel Rizzi and Tommy Searle were in P3 and 4 in points after strong results at Hawkstone Park.
Sunday saw some damp, gloomy conditions over the scenic Schoolhouse circuit as Tommy and Joel lined up for Race 1. The pair got off to a strong start, exchanging 1st and 2nd in the opening couple of laps. On lap 5, Tommy slipped back to third behind a charging Jack Chambers, who was looking to take over Rizzi’s lead. However, a failed pass on Joel on lap 7 put Rizzi and Chambers into the dirt and allowed Searle to regain P1. The crash gave Rizzi some serious work to do in the second half of the moto, but he showed great determination to come from 9th to 5th. This charge kept Joel in points contention, finishing just behind Cas Valk. Meanwhile, teammate Tommy was able to pull a confident gap out front and secure another P1.
In Race 2, the pair were eager to continue their points push and once again got off to a great start. Both Tommy and Joel passed Joe Brookes to hold P1 and 2. The teammates showed an incredible turn of speed, stretching their lead on Dylan Walsh in P3. An incredible showcase from both riders over the full 15 laps. Searle and Rizzi in 1st and 2nd in Race 2.
Another dominant 1-1 from Tommy meant a 16 point swing in the Championship. He now sits just 1 point behind Valk in 2nd place. Joel also managed to gain ground with a 3rd place overall. This moved him up into 3rd in points, only 7 back from the lead.
The drama at Schoolhouse has truly boiled the motocross pot, heading into the final round of the season at Preston Docks. We are proud of all the great efforts put in by the team this weekend, and momentum seems to very much onside with our late season charge.
Thank you to all sponsors and partners who have supported the team thus far. We can’t wait for the gates to drop in Preston – we’ll be giving our all for the top spot on this one!
Words by Dirt Store Kawasaki – Images by Cult Moto
