After the cancellation of the 2014 Red Bull Pro Nationals last week, team Oakleaf Kawasaki were left to rethink their race calendar. Originally they were scheduled to race in the Dutch championship on Sunday but with a big championship hole needing filling in the UK the team felt they had to try and get a late entry to the inaugural MX Nationals at Culham.
Pro pilot, Priit Ratsep found out on Friday at around 1pm that he would be racing the following day in England so he found himself packing and travelling from Belgium. While Team Principle, Shaun Anthony had other commitments and was unable to attend. To make matters worse the team’s race truck was undergoing some repairs.
Shaun kept himself updated on the proceedings via Twitter and phone calls with the “lads” going it alone at the track. None of which is ideal.
Like in many sports it is not normal practice for a manager to criticise a team’s performance and in motocross it is nothing short of exceptional for a team principle to let his true feelings known so publicly.
But in the team’s press release Shaun failed to hold back his criticism. In the official press release Shaun said: “With regard to organising this weekend, it’s been a shambles. To get an entry on a Friday two days after you find out that one of your major championships has pulled the plug is not something we want to experience again.
“We weren’t in a position to go as a team as our race truck was having some repairs and family time was arranged, which is an important thing with what we thought our schedule was until last minute. The lads went at it alone only for me to be kept up-to-date via Twitter and phone calls and to be honest I was not happy with our results.
“Priit had a good ride in the first race, but for Shane to be so far off the pace in qualifying is something that needs to be addressed.
“Expectations of our team are high now and I don’t think the guys are grasping the job in hand for Kawasaki and themselves. If things don’t change and the excuses don’t stop, things will have to be dealt with. It’s so important for us to be on it at the start, my job in the off season is so intense to make sure I can get the best products out there to make my riders happy and giving them the best chance of winning a championship. At the moment I feel it’s being abused and the hard work that people don’t see is being taken for granted.”
