Quick thoughts: British Championship – Desertmartin
- The track: The Cookstown club always put in a tremendous amount of work when it comes to Desertmartin and the track prep like always was on point for the weekend. Sometimes being from Ireland we take Desertmartin for granted but it’s a great track and talking to a number of riders in the paddock at the weekend they just loved it. A huge well done to everyone involved in holding the event and same again in 2020!
- Herlings brought a crowd: Unfortunately, the 4 times World Champion didn’t ride after picking up an injury in Latvia but he kept his word and came as a Milwaukee guest. There was an enormous queue of fans as they wanted a photo and to get memorabilia signed. Let’s hope the next time he comes to the track we will be able to see him ride!
- Terrible weekend for Simpson: Unbelievable bad luck for Shaun Simpson. After making his return to racing at the weekend he left with the same amount of points as Herlings – zero and it wasn’t even his fault. Two mechanical problems means his championship has gone up in smoke.
- GP riders showed their level: There’s no real shock to see the GP riders going 1-2-3 in MX2 and Searle winning MX1. Irish fans got a glimpse of the GP talent on show at the weekend in Desertmartin. Did you think Tommy Searle was fast? Just imagine there’s about 15 guys running his pace in MXGP!
- Local riders put on a good show: The local riders really did put on a great show in front of their home crowd. Everyone of them can hold their head high. Hopefully the weekend can show that our wee country has got talent in Motocross – unfortunately a number of them just never get the opportunities. Hopefully that’s something that can change.
- Lack of depth: After the top ten in each class, the lack of depth was pretty apparent and especially in the MX1 class. There’s a number of riders injured but that’s just part of the sport unfortunately!
- Rougher track would be even better: The track got rough in places but was nowhere near as rough as the Ulster Championship earlier in the year. Probably because there wasn’t enough racing. Perhaps more classes/races would be beneficial? It would give the crowd more to watch and allow the track to get even rougher. Also, the decision was made to take the jump away after the last corner which the Ulster championship had earlier in the year, it was a very technical section – perhaps keep that in for 2020!
Article: Andy McKinstry
Pic: Nigel McKinstry
