It was the first trip for Apico Husqvarna to the newly developed Monster Mountain track for the last round of the Revo British Championship in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. The area was vast and impressive, a permanent reminder of the de-industrialised region and how the off-road industry has created business opportunities and supports amenities in the area.
Words & Images: Apico Factory Racing Husqvarna
The team arrived and set up on Saturday, somewhat of a low-key arrangement due to the possible wind and bad weather that threatened the region over the weekend. Martin Barr was competing and Jack Lindsay made the trip to support the team with his family.
Martin was impressed with the track and effort put into developing the venue. Qualifying wasn’t as important to Martin as it usually is, due to the number of riders that hadn’t attended the final round. Even finishing 10th, he had his pick of the gates.
In race 1 Martin selected an inside gate, which worked well. He came out of the first corner inside the top 5 riders and settled into 6th place comfortably in the first couple of laps. Martin was approaching the finish on lap 3 when he was completely wiped out by another rider and dragged along by his back wheel injuring his leg. This incident caused damage to Martin’s bike too. The breather pipe was ripped out covering him in fuel and damaged his clutch. This left Martin in 12th position by the time he re-mounted to continue the race. The weather didn’t help the situation, a massive downpour of rain mid-race added at least 10 seconds to even the quickest riders’ lap times. Martin rode out the race in 12th position.
After a disappointing first race, Martin headed out into Race 2 wanting to put his stamp on the championship and finish on a high. He opted for the outside line around the first turn this time, not getting the jump he required meant he was pushing through the pack until disaster struck at the mid-point of the first lap. A huge stone hit Martin in the face, taking his helmet peak off and damaging his goggles. After a few laps, he came into the pits for replacement goggles. After having to ride in the opposite direction to rejoin the track dead last, Martin completed a couple of laps before conceding and abandoning the race.
Martin: “This wasn’t how the British Championship Season was meant to end. I’m bitterly disappointed with the circumstances that led to a poor weekend for me. The DNF in the last race was hard to take, though kind of sums up the season starting and finishing the Revo British Motocross Championship with DNFs. This has no reflection on the team, both were unforeseen circumstances. The no-score in the final race of the season left me 14th overall in the British Championship. My focus is now competing in the British GP in the lead-up to the MXoN where I’ll be riding for Team Ireland. I’d like to thank Dylan & Anna and the team at Apico Husqvarna as well as my family and all my personal sponsors for their help and support for the 2023 season”.
Dylan: “An unfortunate last round kind of sums up our luck in the Revo British Championship for 2023. The first race incident that caused Martin to crash shouldn’t have happened, though some may say that’s part of racing. Race 2 was just very unfortunate; I know Martin tried his best and that’s all I can ask. Finishing 14th in the MX1 British Championship isn’t a reflection of everyone’s efforts, sometimes luck isn’t on your side and that seems to have been the story this season.
I’d like to thank the sponsors, we cannot go racing without your support, something that is very important to all race teams in the paddock. Thank you for the ongoing support you’ve provided the team this season and long may this continue. We now look to the British GP and to finish the season at the Motocross of Nations with Martin and Team Ireland”.
