SEASON-BEST RESULT FOR ATKINSON AT MXGB SEASON FINALE

Landrake Moto Parc hosted the penultimate round of the Revo ACU British Motocross Championship last Sunday. Weather had threatened to curtail the event in the days leading up the weekend, but as the sun rose early on Sunday morning the riders were met with perfect track conditions at the popular Cornish track.
 
Phoenix Even Strokes Kawasaki were looking to end the season with a high and that high came in the form of a sterling ride from MX2 rookie Sam Atkinson who stole the headlines by finishing 10th overall (tied with eighth on points) after a hard-fought seventh place in race one.  The popular youngster has shown his potential throughout the season and everyone on the team was pleased to see him score his best race result and overall finish at the final round.

Atkinson’s confidence has grown since he left the MXY2 class at the end of 2021 and the team, fans and Kawasaki have watched the rookie grow weekly throughout the 2022 season.  It is no surprise then, that the team was quick to secure Sam’s services for another year.  The #127 signing a new 1-year deal to stay with the team in 2023, he cited the all-powerful 2023 KX250 as the bike to help him achieve his goals for 2023 under the Phoenix Even Strokes Kawasaki awning.

Carlton Husband took a little while to warm up Sunday but when he did it was worth the wait. Carlton struggled in qualifying in the morning and the struggles continued into race one where a poor start found the #6 rounding the first corner second to last. By the end of the race Husband had managed to get back to 14th position and claw some points back. Race two was a different story! His KX250 shot out of the gate and into the top five on lap one, before quickly passing Michael Ellis into 4th. Carlton rode a commanding race from start to finish as he came under pressure from Dylan Walsh.  Husband would eventually finish fifth; his 14-5 scorecard enough for eighth overall. 

MX1 pilot Jason Meara announced earlier in the week that he was suffering from an injury which would not only end his domestic campaign but also his involvement in the Irish team for next weekends MXoN.  It was therefore down to Petar Petrov to finish the team’s pursuit in the premier class for 2022. The Bulgarian suffered poor starts in both races before his second race ended prematurely after he twisted his knee.  He would finish the day 17th overall.
 
Barry Moore from Phoenix tools would like to thank every sponsor for their support once again this year, after a small break for the team to recharge, Phoenix Even Strokes Kawasaki will be back with a bang for 2023!

MX1 Rider – Petar Petrov #152: ” It was a tough weekend for me, I hurt my knee and ankle last weekend so came into Landrake nursing a small injury, and with a track like this, with big ruts, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I was confident.  In the first moto I got a really bad start and was stuck outside the top ten for much of the race.  I had good speed but just struggled to make any moves because even through lines were developing on the track there was a clear fast line.  The second moto was pretty much the same, another bad start made things difficult and then in an effort to push hard I twisted my knee and had to DNF.  Thankfully its not too bad now, just badly swollen.  Overall I’m not happy with my results this year, but on the other hand, after coming back from nearly a year out with injury I’m quite satisfied that I managed a full season.  A huge thanks must go to the team for their efforts this year and for their support.  It’s been a really nice atmosphere in the team and I’ve really enjoyed being under the awning.  Even though I would have liked better results, it’s still pleasing to have celebrated a podium with the team.”

MX2 Rider – Sam Atkinson #127: “Really pleasing weekend for me and happy to end the season on a high!  I managed to get a good lap in early in the qualifying session and in race one I had a good start and was battling just outside the top 10 before making a few mistakes.  I regrouped quickly though and managed to get myself back up to seventh, my best position of the year.  Race two I had a terrible start after another rider went down in front of me, but I focused quickly and managed to work my way back up to 12th.  I want to thank everyone on the team and all the sponsors who help me go racing.  I’ve had a good season and I’m buzzing that it ended on a high!”
 

MX2 Rider – Carlton Husband #6:  “I really struggled to get a good lap in the morning qualifying session and it felt like we needed to make a few changes to the  bike, but we didn’t and I think it showed in the first race as I got a terrible start and just got swallowed up by the pack.  I wanted to make passes quickly at the start of the race but ended up pushing a bit too hard and went down, eventually finishing the race in 14th.  We made a few changes to the bike for the second race and I got a way better start, the bike felt way better in the ruts and allowed me to attack the field well, going from seventh to fifth.  I was happy to finish the season and the day on a high.  I just want to say a massive thanks to Barry, the team and everyone who supports me, its been a good year, even with the unfortunate injury mid-season, I still showed some good speed and I’m now looking forward to 2023 already! 

eam owner – Barry Moore: “I can’t believe the season has come to an end already!  It seems to have flown by this year.  Sam rode exceptionally well again this weekend, he bettered his previous best race result of a 10th, with a seventh in race one and then followed that up with another solid performance in race two, so really good day for him! Carlton had an up and down day after his bad start in moto one and a few crashes.  But his much better start in race two allowed him to show his true speed, securing fifth overall. So a positive end to the season for him also.  Petar struggled with his starts and although the track developed a few lines, there was only one fast line which made progressing up through the pack quite difficult.  In the second race he had a DNF after twisting his knee badly.  Finally our KX85 rider Lucas Moncrieff had another impressive weekend to round out a really good season finishing sixth overall in the championship!  So on the whole, a good weekend and a positive end to the season.”
 
Photo Credit – ConwayMX