Fifth position in the Grand Prix of Europe followed by a near-miss at victory in Sainte Austreberthe in France on May 1 and finally a clean sweep of all three motos at Canada Heights for the third round of eight in the Maxxis British Championship – it has been a busy week for the top privateer MXGP.
Shaun Simpson’s remarkable record in the UK means that aside from juggling relentless international commitments the Scot has now won all eight motos in the 2015 domestic contest in which he wears the number one plate as reigning champion on the Hitachi Construction Machinery Revo KTM 450SX-F.
The 27 year old entered the top five in the MXGP standings last season before a shoulder injury in Brazil for the penultimate round of the championship ultimately dropped him to seventh place – still an outstanding achievement against the factory teams.
Simpson’s renowned consistency is starting to gain momentum once more as Britain’s leading GP rider has slowly worked his way into the 2015 Grand Prix term.
While #24 currently holds eighth in MXGP, his form on UK soil has been outstanding from a competition that uses a three moto format per round he boasts a 100 per cent record as the series nears the midway stage – and he subsequently has a 40 point lead over former GP peer Tanel Leok.
“It has been a hectic week,” the slow-burning talent with a decade of GP experience said.
“Fifth position at Valkenswaard was a good total of points and then I should have won in France on Friday but we had a chain kick off with one lap to go. I like Canada Heights and always have done so I was keen to get back there and with three more wins the weekend could not have gone any better.
“We’re on a decent little run at the moment – my starts have also improved since Holland – so let’s see what Talavera can bring.”
As MXGP rolls into May factory teams will already be looking at potential rider rosters for 2016. Simpson was allegedly in the running for a seat at Yamaha and Kawasaki last year and could well be catching the eyes of the manufacturers again thanks to a keen feel for motorcycle development, regularity and podium potential in the sand.
