Home hero Simpson top Brit at Matterley Basin

Multi-time British champion Shaun Simpson led the home heroes, er, home at Matterley Basin with an 11th-placed overall finish at the MXGP of GB on Sunday.
The Scot, who this year is racing for his own SS24 KTM team in the premier MXGP class, went to the line in 11th following a Saturday programme that was shortened because of high winds.
His start in Sunday’s opening moto was good but contact with eventual overall winner Jeffrey Herlings punted him off the track and he rejoined the race dead last before fighting his way up to 18th – despite a crash after colliding with Brian Bogers – with consistently fast lap times.
A more uneventful start in race two placed him just outside the top 10 and he crossed the line in 11th with a late pass on MX2 world champ Jorge Prado.
“If you’d asked me coming into the weekend then I would have liked an overall top-10 finish,” said Shaun.
“There were shenanigans on Saturday and the fuss over warm-up Sunday morning but the points make the prizes.

“I would have liked to have been in the top 10 and with 18th and 11th I never thought I’d be close but we ended up 11th – I’ll take that as a positive among the hundreds from the weekend like the help from sponsors, family, friends, the compliments on the set-up, reaction from the fans and working with the bike to find solutions in a competitive scenario.
“Honestly, I’m buzzing. I want to go home tonight and work even harder tomorrow. Let’s just keep this thing rolling. There will be races where riders have one good moto and one bad and I just need to keep consistent.
“It would be nice to pressure the top five now and then but if I can keep going inside the top group and keep making 20-odd points a weekend then that will bring me up.
“The more I do it, the stronger and fitter I am going to get with the front guys. I was really happy with how I rode and how the bike felt in the second race and we will take that onto the next one.
“I felt comfortable out there and if you asked me to do another 30 minutes around that track then not a problem. That’s how I need to feel. If I am on edge and sketchy then I won’t twist that throttle back but right now I am good.”
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