Published on 20 September 2016

Sterry talks about British title!

The Motocross of Nations is the only event left on the schedule for Wilvo Virus Performance KTM now following the conclusion of the final British Championship round this past weekend. Foxhill was the setting for the event and would provide the closest finale in recent memory in both classes with Sterry leading by just 1 point from Clarke and Simpson trailing Searle by 8 points.

Qualifying

Adam Sterry started the most-important day of his career with a brilliant time in the qualifying session which left him on pole entering the penultimate moto of the season. Four tenths separated him from the rider in second. Shaun Simpson was on form in MX1 too as he lost out on the first pick in MX1 by just two tenths of a second.

MX2 Moto One

Although Sterry did not quite take the holeshot in the first of two MX2 races, he moved into the lead by the end of the first official lap and did not look back from that point on. A series of superior lap times helped him break away from the rest of the field and establish a comfortable advantage, which ultimately led to him capturing his seventh moto win of the season. With his nearest rival, Clarke suffering bike problems which ultimately resulted in a dnf it left Sterry with an advantage of twenty-four points over new second placed rider Bryan MacKenzie heading into the second race, where all he would need to do is finish twentieth to clinch the title.

MX1 Moto One

Shaun Simpson enjoyed a first moto that was actually very similar to the one that Adam Sterry had, as he did not quite take the holeshot but worked his way to the front quite quickly. When fourteen laps had been and gone, Simpson sat on a fifteen-second lead and took three more points away from his title rival entering the final race of the year. Five points was the gap that he needed to overcome in the final race of the season.

MX2 Moto Two

A consistent start to the final moto of the season set Adam Sterry up well, as he sat comfortably inside of the top ten. He had a small crash after a couple of laps, which caused heart rates to spike, but he remounted quite quickly and only gave up a couple of positions. Despite the high-pressure situation, Sterry regrouped and gained all of the positions lost to return to seventh just as the chequered flag flew.

That was more than enough for him to take the MX2 title, the first of his career and second for Wilvo Virus Performance KTM. Sterry missed the first round due to injury, but returned to win seven of the final fourteen motos and also four of the rounds.

MX1 Moto Two

There was a lot of anticipation entering the second MX1 encounter, but all Simpson could do was fight for another win and hope that what went on behind him worked in his favour. A great start, which has been rare in recent weeks, saw Simpson lead immediately and post consistent lap times that could not be matched. With another moto win, his sixth of the season, under his belt, he stood atop the overall podium yet again, but would ultimately have to settle for second in the championship after coming up two points short.

Shaun Simpson: “I wouldn’t say I am disappointed. It is just one of those things where I came in with a goal in mind, like I did in Preston, to win two motos and that was all I could do today. The rest was up to Tommy [Searle]. You know, on a whole, it has been a good championship. It does not take a rocket scientist to work out where I lost it – that was a dreadful day at Blaxhall. I am proud of the way I finished the season on a high.”

Adam Sterry: “I’m really happy. Obviously it was a childhood dream to be a British Champion. To achieve that, it has been amazing and topped off the season after everything we have been through with the broken arm in Qatar and skin graft at Lommel. Everything seemed against us, but I finally did it. It is nice to give Steve a Championship – he has helped me so much through my career.”

Team Manager, Steve Turner: “It was a great finale to the season and I’m over the moon with Adam’s Championship win, although a bit disappointed not to take both titles. Adam did a fantastic job to bounce back from a 44 point deficit after missing the first round and only being half fit for the second one. He showed he is the fastest MX2 guy in the UK and dominated the second half of the season to take the title. Shaun knows he threw it all away at Blaxhall. It’s still hard to believe it was actually him on the bike that day. To his credit he bounced back to win all four motos since then and get within 2 points of Tommy,  but in the end it wasn’t enough. I would just like to say that having Shaun and Adam together on the team this year has been a privilege. They are both extremely talented, committed individuals who are a credit to the sport and are a pleasure to work with.”

Article & Pic: STR KTM