Mike Wood caught up with the main protagonist at the opening round of the AMCA British Motocross Championships from Culham…
Words and Images by Mike Wood
Here is what the riders at Culham had to say
Luke Burton (FUS Marsh Geartec Husqvarna) Winner in MX1
“Everything feels really positive between me and the team. I would like to thank everyone for getting me in such a good place especially Mike Keenan, Marsh MX and Paul. He has worked so hard, going above and beyond expectations to provide me with a bike that is absolutely perfect. Also want to thank Tim my mechanic on race days for his dedication and hard work.
“The event was superbly organised by the AMCA and the track was prime on both day’s. Although I took the overall and got the job done, I feel that I was still not at my best and there’s plenty more to come. The victory was nice and I am happy but it’s very hard to celebrate after the injury to Andy Marchant who is a good friend of mine.
“Next up it’s Brookthorpe which is one of my favourite tracks so I am looking forward to that.”
Josh Waterman (IDS Marsh MX Honda) 2nd in MX1
“Race 1 I gated inside the top three and managed to get straight into the lead for a lap but I was struggling with the track and dropped back to 4th. For race two I made some big changes to the suspension set-up. In that one I gated 3rd dropped, back to 4th then pushed my way to the win. In the last one I got the holeshot only to slip off halfway through lap one, remounting in 8th. I then pushed back through to 3rd. 2nd overall on the day and I am happy with how things went, just need to limit the mistakes!”
Nev Bradshaw (Yamaha) Winner in MX2
“It was a fun weekend. I had made a last minute decision to switch from the intended MX1 class and ride my own YZ250 in MX2 instead. My riding has been feeling great lately, so it was nice to land three wins at the AMCA season opener. Massive thanks to James Painton and my circle that keep the wheels spinning.”
Kieran Banks (Meredith MX Fantic) 6th in MX2
“I was really looking forward to racing the first round at Culham as it’s my favourite track on the calendar this year. Qualifying went well for us which gave me a good gate pick for the two days. I struggled though with my starts on Saturday which made it hard in the moto to come through the pack as everyone was riding a good pace. That meant I went 9-9 on the day.
Sunday morning and I was keen to get race three underway I got the holeshot but unfortunately Nev Bradshaw got by me very early on which put me in second and I stayed there for the whole race which I was happy with. Thank you to the Meredith team for a superb bike and all your hard work you put in it wouldn’t be possible without you. Finally I would like to say that I am praying for Andy Marchant the injured Vets rider, my thoughts are with you!”
Joel Fisher (AD Modular/Beer Trading KTM) 3RD in 125cc
“I started off the day right by qualifying in 1st. I led both races on Saturday but towards the end I started to tire as the intensity of the top three was really high and we were pushing each other really hard, which resulted in me dropping down.
“In race one on Sunday I got the holeshot and pulled a little gap which allowed me to hit my marks, towards the end of the race but backmarkers didn’t go in my favour which resulted in me losing a position. Overall I was really happy with how the weekend went for me, I learnt a lot and can’t thank the whole AD Modular racing team enough!”
Luke Dean (FiveTwo Racing Fantic) 4th in 125cc
“I was really happy with my performance from the first round coming away with a 7-5-5 and 4th overall, we know what I need to work on now so hoping we can improve on them and be up with the front boys at round two. Five two racing would like to thank all the sponsors on-board for the 2022 season.”
Matt Chaplin (CPMX Racing Ltd) 8th in Vets
“The track was in great shape at the start of each day, but quickly became rough and choppy.
Qualifying for me didn’t go to plan and I appeared to keep getting stuck behind a slower rider in the tight areas leading towards the tabletops, so had to settle for 11th fastest.
“Race One and I got a good jump, but the 450F’s out dragged me to the first turn. I managed to get through to 10th but the gap was too big to move on further. In race two the holeshot button broke on the line but I again came through pretty quick but was riding to tight and ended up with arm pump. However I still managed to post my fastest lap of the day, getting home P11.
“Race three started well but I struggled to get a rhythm and had a lonely 9th. Then in the last one I made a much better start, running a comfortable 6th only to get tangled up with a slower rider. I dropped down to 8th and was back up to 7th and on the rear wheel of 6th but a unfortunate incident with a rider taking a heavy fall caused the race to be stopped.
“Overall I was very happy with my riding, I’m not far off the front few and just need to go with them at the start!”.
