The eighth and final round of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship, powered by Skye Energy saw the LPE Kawasaki Team head to their local round of the season.
With event being so close to the team base, both Tanel Leok and Jamie Law were looking for strong results in the MX1 class while Ben James would be competing in his last MXY2 event.
The day started well with a strong lap time by Tanel in the qualifying session saw him finish the session fastest and in pole position. Jamie Law also produced a strong result and finished the qualifying session 14th fastest. In the MXY2 class Ben James finished 22nd fastest.
After the lunch break it was time for the opening race of the day and when the gate dropped Tanel produced a good start and was inside the top five early on but disaster struck at the end of the opening lap with the bike suffering a technical fault, leaving Tanel unable to finish the race. For Jamie the first race would see him struggle off the start and then work his way up to 11th place at the finish.
The second MX1 race of the day saw Tanel start inside the top 10 and push forward during the whole race to finish in a solid fourth position and secure his second place in the MX1 championship. Jamie struggled again from the start and had to work hard during the race to finish in a well-deserved 10th place.
The final race of the MX1 class was to be the strongest of the day for both riders, as they both made good starts and ended the opening lap inside the top 10. Tanel was soon able to push forward and get into a solid fourth place while Jamie rode a strong final race and was in fifth until the final lap when he lost a position and finished sixth.
Tanel’s two fourth place finishes were enough to give him sixth overall on the day and secure the runner up spot in the championship, while Jamie rounded off the season by finishing seventh overall on the day and ninth in the Championship.
In the MXY2 class Ben James was competing in his last ever MXY2 event and started the day by just missing out on the points with a 21st place finish in the opening race.
In the second race of the day Ben produced a better start and rode strong to claim 20th place. The third and final race of the MXY2 class saw the first running Red Flagged and in the rerun Ben started inside the top 20 and worked his way up to 19th place at the finish. Ben’s two point scoring rides gave him 21st overall on the day and finished the season in 34th place which wasn’t bad considering he had only managed to contest three of the rounds due to injury.
“Today was an okay day, I went four and four in the second and third race and unfortunately we had a mechanical issue in the first race,” said Tanel Leok. “In the second race I rode a bit tight and wasn’t feeling great on the bike but we finished fourth and made some changes for the last race. The suspension changes worked well and I rode much better and was able to push forward from a bad start. I want to thank Steve and LPE Kawasaki for everything that they have done this season – we wrapped up second in the championship and have had some great races this year.
Jamie Law said: “This weekend has been okay, my start wasn’t great in the first race and I had to ride hard to finish in 11th. Then in the second race I got a better start but tried to do a few things in the opening corners and ended up going backwards, but I rode well to finish 10th.
“In the last race I got a slightly better start and rode really well to finish sixth but I lost a place on the last lap which I’m disappointed about. Overall it’s been a good year and I want to thank Steve and the whole team and it’s a great shame that he is stopping running the team for next year, but I want to wish him well in the future.
Ben James said: “Today was the last round in the MXY2 class at our local venue – I started the day by qualifying in 22nd and got better as the day went on. I felt really good on the track during the first race but suffered a bit with arm pump but I managed to score some points during the second and third races.
LPE Kawasaki Team Manager, Steve James commented: “Today was always going to be a bit of a different day whatever the results, with it been our last British Championship outdoor race but the day started well with Ben in MXY2 and Jamie and Tanel in MX1.
“With Tanel going fastest and grabbing pole we thought we was on for a great day and on course for a podium at our home round but unfortunately it wasn’t to be! In the first MX1 race Tanel had to retire after the first lap and we just couldn’t believe it but that’s racing.
“After stripping the bike we found it was the Stator that had broken, which is very unusual and we haven’t had one fail all season but it was no one’s fault as it can just happen! But after this setback for Tanel and both Ben and Jamie having tough first races I’m pleased to say the rest of the day went a lot better.
“Ben had two good rides in his next two races and finished 21st overall on the day and 34th in the championship which was pretty good considering he only did three rounds!
“Jamie got better as the day went on and had a storming ride in the last race getting up to fifth only losing out one place on the last lap for sixth netting him seventh overall on the day and 9th in the MX1 Championship.
Tanel had two fourth places for sixth overall on the day and secured second overall in the MX1 Championship which is fantastic, our aim this year in MX1 was for Jamie to finish top 10 overall and Tanel to finish top three overall so we achieved our goals and more so. I’m happy as this is the best result we have ever had in the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship and the best result for Kawasaki UK for quite a few years.
“It’s massive for me and the whole team and everyone involved, it is a great way to end the season but I couldn’t of done it without all of the many loyal sponsors to the team, each and everyone one of them have played a part in this plus everyone around me, everyone within the team: riders, mechanics, drivers, team helpers, my family and friends etc. I can’t thank everyone enough I really, really appreciate everything from everyone. Thank you so much.”
