It was a bold decision for British privateer Brad Todd to head stateside and line up at the Thunder Valley round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, but it’s a challenge he fully embraced.
The high altitude and unfamiliar conditions made for a demanding weekend in Colorado, but the experience left a lasting impression. We caught up with Todd following his ride at Thunder Valley…
Thunder Valley was amazing…
“The qualifying is the highlight of the whole trip. Roger de Coster came over to my mechanic and asked who’s that Brad Todd because he’s faster than AP. I was running standard everything because I took some of my parts from home like my ignition and whatnot but we couldn’t get it working with the altitude. The bike was extremely slow which was the same for everyone but I feel like maybe I was on the back foot a little with that because I was getting passed a lot up the hills. That’s just… obviously there’s teams out there that can make the bike for the event.”
Despite some initial optimism, race day brought a series of setbacks — both mechanical and physical — that prevented a strong overall result.
“Apart from that, the races didn’t go my way. I just had a couple of problems with the bike and the altitude was a killer with myself. I think on a good day, I would have been in the points. It was mental the riders I was battling with. I was battling with Benoit Paturel and he is an insane rider and they’re all in teams, which is even more mental.”
One of the toughest moments came in the second moto, where bad luck dashed any hopes of salvaging points.
“I think the second one — I mean being honest — I got through 20 minutes in or something and my holeshot device just stuck on randomly after landing a jump so I had to pull in. That was really frustrating because I was gunning for some points in that one.”
Even with the results not fully reflecting the effort put in, Todd’s enthusiasm for the trip was clear. It was an effort made possible by a close-knit group of supporters and friends.
“I am just so over the moon with the trip. DK Off-Road and Aces Motorcycles, they put together the bike and flew me out. Everything else was just my friends… Mark from FMI Engineering, he came to mechanic and a couple of lads just there to obviously get some drinks and have a good time. But if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have done it and obviously I had to put a little bit in myself.”
Looking ahead, there’s hope that another AMA appearance could be on the cards — if the logistics can line up.
“I feel like I’ve got an opportunity to maybe do Southwick but it’s the cost that would stop me from doing it at the moment. Not that I don’t think I would get the support but with work and everything. It’s all got to fit in right. When I get home, I’m going to look into it because I would much rather be doing that than the British Championship if I’m honest.”
For Todd, Thunder Valley wasn’t just a race — it was an opportunity to race against some of the best riders in the world.
Next up for Todd is the third round of the British Championship this weekend before he heads to Matterley Basin to contest the MXGP World Championship. It’ll be another opportunity for him to race against the worlds best but this time on home soil.
