Hitachi REVO Husqvarna’s Jake Nicholls secured third place overall in the MX1 class of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship supported by Pro Clean at Foxhill on Sunday after a typically gutsy performance.
Going into the eighth and final round of the championship the Ipswich-based rider still had a slim chance of taking the title but, racing with a painful cracked rib, realistically his main job was to make sure of third in the series on his FC 450 which he did with a race one sixth.
Coming out for race two, Jake was clearly in a lot of pain but he gritted his teeth and was rewarded with a hard-fought eighth place for seventh overall on the day.
Oli Benton was the team’s sole FC 250 pilot in action at Foxhill and the talented teen ended his debut season in MX2 with his best result of the year, scoring in both races for 21st overall on the day.
Team Principal, Roger Magee commented: “We knew coming into the last round of the Maxxis that Jake had a mathematical chance of winning the championship but we also knew the cards were stacked against him. He’s been struggling at the last two GPs in the US with a cracked rib and that combined with a wee bit of jetlag meant he was a bit under the weather. But the main thing was to secure third overall in the championship which he did and it’s great to see him back up there after suffering with injuries for a couple of years.
“Oli showed a lot more potential today and stayed out of trouble for the first few laps which is something he’s had problems with at previous rounds. He was moving forward in both – he just needs to get his qualifying dialled in so he gets a better gate pick and work on his fitness programme.”
Mark Yates (REVO): “Jake was really up against it if he was going to win the championship and he was still in a lot of pain from an injury sustained at Assen but he put in a solid performance to make sure of third in the championship. Considering this is his comeback year that’s a great finish and I’m very pleased for him.
“Oli scored in both races and that’s a sign of genuine progression. It’s been a tough year for him and he’s shown great strength of character to keep plugging away all season.”
“I qualified fourth but it was always going to be tough because I injured my rib quite badly at Assen three weeks ago and I’ve really struggled since,” said Nicholls. “The rougher the track got the worse it got and I didn’t help myself in the opener by not getting a great start and being a bit too aggressive early on. My finish was good enough to make sure of third in the championship which I’m very happy with but I had nothing left for the second race so I was just glad to finish the day and finish the season relatively fit and healthy. It’s the first time in a few years I’ve managed that.”
Oli Benton (MX2): “It was flat-out but I had a good day. I qualified 23rd which was much better and had two good rides. I was actually 14th in the second one but I ran out of steam and had to drop back but the season’s ended on a high.”
