Many British riders have made the trip to Spain for the MXGP of Castilla La Mancha for round two of the FIM Motocross World Championship. After the heavy rain throughout this week, the track was extremely challenging, requiring pinpoint focus to navigate the deep ruts. Let’s look at how the Brits got on day one in Spain.
Words by Edward Heather – Feature Image by Dave Rich
Starting off in the EMX125 class, Jamie Keith sustained a broken collarbone on the second lap of Free Practice, ruling him out for the remainder of the weekend. Absolutely gutting for #184, who was debuting for the JK Racing Yamaha team.
Drew Stock and Hayden Statt both made a positive start to the weekend in the EMX125s. Stock attempted to qualify for some EMX125 races last season but ultimately fell just short. This weekend, however, he finished 15th in his qualification group, which was good enough to qualify for the races! After crashing in the first turn of Moto 1, Stock fought through the pack well and climbed back to 17th. A solid effort from the young Brit.
Hayden Statt qualified 16th in his qualification group, earning his spot in the races in his first attempt at competing in the EMX125 class. Statt also got off to a poor start but rode well to fight into the points, finishing in 20th.
In the EMX250 division, Dirt Store Triumph Racing’s Billy Askew came out firing in qualifying, finishing in 5th place and showing he has the speed to mix it up with the best in Europe. He started inside the top ten in Moto 1, but the deep track conditions proved difficult for Askew, and a crash on the last lap meant he finished the race in 13th
Ollie Colmer qualified 35th and fought well through the pack in Moto 1 after a poor start. A 26th place finish may not jump off the page, but he had a solid ride and worked his way forward throughout the moto. Good effort from the Chambers Racing Team rider.
James Barker squeezed into the races by qualifying 38th and finished Moto 1 in 33rd.
Another Brit who ran into misfortune is Dixon Racing Team’s Bobby Bruce. Stepping back down to the EMX250 class this season, the heavy rainfall meant the schedule was adjusted to only one qualifying session, and Bruce was unable to get a clean lap in and failed to qualify for the races.
In the MXGP class, all three British racers competing this weekend crossed the line one after the other in their qualification heat, with Ben Watson finishing in 19th after a crash on the opening lap. Adam Sterry finished in 20th aboard his Chambers Racing machine, and Lexa MX’s Josh Gilbert finished up in 21st.
The other Lexa MX Racing rider, John Adamson, injured his knee in timed practice, which has ruled him out for the rest of the weekend.
It’s all to play for tomorrow here in Cozar. Keep an eye out for all the British competitors who are flying the flag high on the world stage.
