The racing was almost as hot as the weather at last weekend’s round four of the Michelin MX Nationals at the historic Sidcup clubs Canada heights circuit nestled between the M20 and M25 in sunny Kent.
While series leader Graeme Irwin had to fight off Gert Krestinov (Phoenix Honda) on his way to two pro MX1 race wins, his Buildbase Honda team mate Martin Barr suffered his first race defeat of the year by his own hands as he stalled his machine in a deep rut at the bottom of one of the hills.
It took him a short time to kick his Honda back into life and by that time Lewis Tombs (Geartec Yamaha) was through to snatch his first win of the series.
In race one of the combined MX1 and MX2 pro race, Irwin got the holeshot from Krestinov, Jake Shipton (Crescent KTM), Elliot Banks-Browne (Geartec Yamaha) and Josh Spinks (Heads and All Threads Suzuki) with the first of the MX2’s being Barr in sixth who had fellow MX2 rider, wildcard Mel Pocock (Hitachi Revo Husqvarna) behind him.
While Irwin and Krestinov set a pace no one else could match and pulled further and further away from the chasing pack Banks-Browne passed Shipton for third and Steven Lenoir (Dyer and Butler KTM) was working his way up the leader board from a thirteenth place start.
As all this happened Barr was leading the MX2’s and was surrounded by the bigger bikes in fifth while Tombs caught up with Pocock four laps into the race.
With four laps to go Krestinov settled for second place and eventually crossed the finish line almost sixteen seconds behind the winner Irwin with Banks-Browne third from Lenoir, Shipton, Spinks and Ryan Houghton (Houghton Racing Husqvarna).
After Barr’s mistake Tombs was the first MX2 home in tenth place, with Barr recovering to second from Pocock, Liam Knight (Dyer and Butler KTM), Jake Milward (Verde KTM) and Josh Gilbert (St Blazey Husqvarna).
For a change Krestinov got the holeshot at the start of race two from Irwin, Dan Thornhill (Cab Screens Husqvarna), Banks-Browne, Barr, James Harrison (Cab Screens Husqvarna) and Lenoir with the second of the MX2 riders, Jordan Booker (MVR-D Fuel Husqvarna) down in eleventh on this power hungry track that favours the MX1 machines.
It took three laps for Irwin to find a way past Krestinov and into the lead as Lenoir snatched third place from Banks-Browne.
By the halfway point Irwin had a comfortable lead over Krestinov with Lenoir and Banks-Browne still battling over third place as Shipton moved into fifth place from eighth at the start.
Barr was still the first of the MX2’s in seventh while Tombs, Knight, and Pocock were all together from tenth to thirteenth.
Irwin won his second race of the day by just over ten seconds from Krestinov with Banks-Browne who re-took Lenoir a distant third, while the first MX2 was Barr in eighth place, from Tombs, Pocock, Knight and Millward.
In the MX1 championship Irwin now has a forty-one point lead over Krestinov with Banks-Brown, Spinks, Thornhill and Shipton filling the next four places while in the MX2’s Barr’s lead is thirty-six over Tombs with Millward third from Knight, Brad Todd and Nathan Dixon.
“It’s been another perfect day today, said the happy Irwin, “but it’s been a hard week building up to this event as we have been out with Mark Eastwood training and he has been helping me with the bike set-up and I think it’s paid off today with the track being so rough. There is so many classes with so many races on the track, and it wasn’t levelled much overnight there was a lot of square edged bumps coming up and it was easy to make a mistake and go down. But we had two good strong rides today so I must say a big thanks to Mark for his help”
Second in both races and therefor second overall Krestinov was happy with the way he rode “It’s been an OK day really I was fourth fastest in qualifying but you had to be careful as the track was quite slippery in places. My first race was good and I pushed really hard, but perhaps got a bit tired towards the end when Graeme (Irwin) gapped me. In the second I got the holeshot and put in some good fast laps but then I had to settle to my own pace as the track was really knarley and I didn’t want to come off as there was some really nasty edges on the track so I had a second place again. I am working on my fitness more and will hopefully get some wins in the future”
Banks-Browne who is still struggling with the setup of his Geartec Yamaha said about his third overall, “I am happy with my third overall, but I am really struggling with finding a good setup, especially on a hard pack track like this has been. I feel like I am just riding round at the minute just to make the numbers up, but we have sorted somethings out this weekend and we are getting there. I am fit and when I come in from a race I am hardly sweating, it’s so frustrating as I want to be pushing for the lead and not just watching Graeme (Irwin) just disappearing in to the distance. It’s nice to be back on the podium and now we have some weeks off to work in the bike for the rest of the year
On the MX2 side of things Barr is still not completely over his shoulder injury so had to be happy with his day and said, “It’s a shame my race winning streak came to an end but it was one of those things. I came in to the turn at the bottom of one of the hills and hit a breaking bump wrong and stalled the bike dropping me back to fourth. In the time left I put on a bit of a charge and got back to second and perhaps with another lap I could have got Lewis (Tombs) back, but we will never know. In the last race once I was in the lead I just kept my pace up and didn’t do anything silly as the track was hard and a but sketchy in places. So all in all a good day for my Buildbase Honda and happy to be back on the top step of the podium again”
MX2 race one winner Tombs had a big smile on his face as he went to the second step of the podium and said, “I am absolutely chuffed with my second overall. I was a bit lucky with my first race win but I had to put myself in the right position to take advantage of the mistakes of others for I had just passed Mel (Pocock) for second when Martin (Barr) stalled at the bottom of the hill and to win a race at this level is awesome. In the second I had to work hard on the first couple of laps after a not so good mid-pack start. When I got in to second Martin was well gone so I just watched my lap times and rode my own race. It’s been a good day”
While an emotional third overall Pocock said, “This is the first MX Nationals I have ever done and I must say I am not a great fan of mixing MX1 and MX2 together in a race, but that’s the format they run. I have never seen or ridden Canada Heights when it’s been so hard and rough in my life but I fought hard for two third places in the MX2 class. I struggled a bit in the second race as I seemed to drop in and out of my rhythm as one minute I was on it and then thought I may as well pull out. But then it came back again which I think is just lack of racing time due to the time off the bike from my hand injury. But back on a podium which is super and I must say a big thanks to Mark and Sam at Hitachi Revo Husqvarna they are super stars”
The Bell MX1 experts was all about Herts MX Honda team mates Luke Parker and Shaun Southgate as the pair didn’t finish out of the top three all weekend and with two wins and two second places Parker claimed the top step of the winner’s podium with race three winner Southgate second overall.
Brad Cavill (KTM) was third overall but things didn’t always go his way as in race three he went down in turn two with a whole load of other riders and had to fight his way from almost last to eighth place at the flag.
Race two winner Ashley Smith (Motoward Yamaha) looked like he was on his way to a podium finish but crashed out of race four on the opening lap and dropped down to fifth.
Joe Jefferies (KTM) was on fire in the Fly Racing experts MX2 event as he won the first three of his four races with apparent ease but had to fight his way from fifth at the start of the fourth race but ran out of time to catch the winner Jake Sheridan and had to settle for second in the race but was a head and shoulders overall winner.
Report by Dick Law
Photo by Elliot Spencer