It was a busy Bank Holiday weekend of racing for the Phoenix Even Strokes Kawasaki team as they made the short trip across the Tamar Bridge to Landrake and round two of the Michelin MX Nationals. In the Expert MX2 class Sam Atkinson, who had carried a shoulder injury into Landrake, secured solid fourth place finishes in races one and two, along with a fifth in race three. But a DNF in race 4 put paid to any chance of a podium finish. A positive outcome considering his injury, Atkinson now sits fourth in the championship table and will be focusing on getting back to full fitness for the next Michelin MX Nationals round at Lyng in 4 weeks. In the pro ranks Carlton Husband was looking to build upon the podium he secured at round one, the day started strongly with a fourth place finish in race one and rounded out with a sixth in race two. Husband retains his second place in the Pro MX2 championship standings, six points off the championship lead. In the Pro MX1 class Petar Petrov continues his recovery from offseason back surgery and finished the day with a DNF in race one and a 10th in race two for 13th overall. Jason Meara meanwhile secured solid points in both races despite a broken clutch in race one and a few crashes in race two, finishing 15-11 for 10th overall. The team now head to Lyng in Norfolk for round three of the ACU British Motocross Championship on May 8th.
Team Owner – Barry Moore: “Carlton rode exceptionally well under the circumstances, to come into the round with a virus and ride like he did takes real determination. Sam continues to show he has the speed to compete in the Expert class. Coming into the race weekend with a bad shoulder injury wasn’t ideal but I’m really pleased with his results as he was on for a podium were it not for a crash in challenging conditions in race 4. Sam will now take some time to heal up as he is in quite a lot of pain, he will therefore miss the MXGB round at Lyng next weekend. Jason’s bad luck continued as he snapped his clutch lever off on the first lap of race one. A few mistakes in race two meant he ended the day in 10th overall. Petar, at a track he hadn’t ridden on before had a similar day to Jason, breaking his brake lever in a similar crash in race one, and then struggling with the track conditions in race two. Both riders will be looking to step it up a level at Lyng next weekend.”
Pro MX2 Rider – Carlton Husband #6: “I came into Landrake with an illness so we decided not to ride in the Saturday practice session so that I could conserve my energy for the racing on Sunday. A fifth in qualifying gave me a good gate pick for the races and in race one I got a great start and led the first half of the race which I was really pleasing. Eventually I finished 4th which was a strong result considering my heart rate was through the roof with the virus! Race two was challenging as I was in dead last after the rider in front of me crashed and I had nowhere to go. I managed to get back up to sixth and claimed fourth overall on the day. So to leave Landrake only six points off the championship lead is a strong weekend considering the circumstances.”
Pro MX1 Rider – Petar Petrov #152: “Overall it was a frustrating day really. I felt good in the morning practice, we made some small changes to the bike and I felt comfortable, but then the rain came and the track conditions changed. In race one I spun on the gate but managed to charge back up through the pack before a rock bent my brake pedal and I had to DNF. In race two I got a better start before making a small mistake, I then got landed on and was pushed back to dead last, but we managed to salvage 10th in the end. It’s frustrating because I felt like we had top 5 potential today, but we are healthy and continuing to work hard. I’m looking forward to Lyng next weekend and want to give a massive thanks to the team who did a great job in those challenging conditions!”
