Last Sunday, Team Dirt Store Kawasaki travelled to Lyng in Norfolk for the first round of the Dirt Store ACU British Motocross Championship. Weather conditions at Cadders Hill proved to be quite the challenge, with consistent heavy rain showers throughout the day. Nevertheless, the team pushed on and brought home some positive results to start the season.
Morning qualifying saw the first heavy rainfall of the day, but riders Tommy Searle, Joel Rizzi and Jamie Carpenter each managed a top ten result to give them a strong start for the following races.
This year’s MX2 class boasts a stacked field of riders, with a full gate going into both races. Tommy and Joel showed great determination in race 1 to work forward through the pack. Tommy quickly moved from 6th to 3rd behind Cas Valk and Jack Chambers in the opening 4 laps. After a long battle for 3rd place with fellow countryman Jake Nichols, Searle secured the podium spot with a last lap move. It was a similar story in race 2, moving from 8th on the opening lap to 4th place for the checkered flag. Two swift passes on lap 9 helped give Tommy the final spot on the overall podium.
Joel Rizzi also showed good speed in the rain. Race 1 saw him battle in the top 10, moving from 7th place to an eventual 6th. This consistent ride for P6 in tricky conditions was followed up by an incredible sweeping holeshot in race 2. Starting from an outside gate, the young gun had a bike lengths lead by turn one. Joel battled hard with Dutchman, Cas Valk, and Charlie Heyman for the podium positions. He brought home a 2nd place with a decisive pass in the closing laps. This result got him a 4th overall, only 1 point behind teammate Searle.
MX1 rider, Jamie Carpenter showed great promise for the weekend. Despite the deep mud, he made short work of passing riders in the opening laps. In both motos he passed more than 4 riders on lap 1. Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances led to him pulling off in both races. Jamie is looking to build on this early speed and will spend the coming weeks preparing with the team for our next round of the Fastest 40 series at Preston Docks.
Despite less than favourable conditions at Lyng, the team showed great teamwork to overcome the weather and show their potential for the coming season.
Once again we would like to thank all of our partners and sponsors for supporting the Dirt Store Kawasaki team. We strive for more good results (and hopefully some sunny weather) for the upcoming races.
Words and Images by Dirt Store Kawasaki
