Team GB’s warriors rode hard at yesterday’s qualifying sessions for tomorrow’s FIM World MX Junior Championship.
In blistering heat and battling against the best motocross youth riders in the world at Bucharest in Romania, all three 125 pilots and four each of the 85cc and 65cc class riders qualified through to the main event.
Ollie Colmer set the fastest lap time of the Brits, muscling his GasGas 125 to a 1:56.938 in the opening qualifying session, which placed him 11th. Freddie Gardiner and Reece Jones took 17th and 18th placings in the B Group to secure their places on the World Juniors start gate.
Robbie Daly was sixth in the 85s with a time of 2:00.935 on his KTM, Hayden Statt, Drew Stock and Alfie Geddes Green also made the cut, to all finish within the top 18 in the 85cc groups. Sonny Rooney faced the Last Chance qualifier but unfortunately his hard-fought seventh placing wasn’t enough for him to make it through to the final on Sunday.
In the 65cc class, Casey Lister, impressed with a fourth place on his GasGas in the B Group with a time of 2:12.000. Times were slightly faster in the A Group where Harley Marczak was the quickest Brit with 2:11.515. Nixon Coppins, and Cohen Jagielski also made it safely through qualifying. Arthur King, however, had to face the dreaded LCQ but sadly was unable to qualify.
Having taken on the team manager role for the first time this year, Dave Willet was justifiably full of pride and impressed by his young guns; “It’s been a steep learning curve for us all. Once the team selection was made, we ran a couple of test days so we could all get together but the reality hit once our professional team set-up took shape in the paddock. Not only do we look the part, but the boys delivered on track too. They have gelled as a team, are mega-enthusiastic, have conducted themselves impeccably and have made us all – their families, the sport, their country – so very proud.
“They are up against some tough opposition, and they’ll be tested to the limit tomorrow, but, I believe that they are already ‘winning’.”
The FIM World MX Junior Championship gets underway with warm-up from 9am followed by the first World Championship race at 11.30am (EEST). The 65cc class will be first out on track.
