The Motocross of Nations is the only event left on the schedule for Wilvo Virus Performance KTM now following the conclusion of the final British Championship round this past weekend. Foxhill was the setting for the event and would provide the closest finale in recent memory in both classes with Sterry leading by just one point from Steven Clarke and Shaun Simpson trailing Tommy Searle by eight points.

Shaun Simpson was on form in MX1 qualifying but lost out on the first pick by just two-tenths of a second.

He enjoyed the same form in the first moto – just missing out on the holeshot but working his way to the front quite quickly. When 14 laps had been and gone, Simpson sat on a 15-second lead and took three more points away from his title rival entering the final race of the year, with five points the gap that he needed to overcome.

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There was a lot of anticipation entering the second MX1 encounter, but all Simpson could do was fight for another win and hope that what went on behind him worked in his favour. A great start, which has been rare in recent weeks, saw Simpson lead immediately and post consistent lap times that could not be matched. With another moto win, his sixth of the season, under his belt, he stood atop the overall podium yet again, but would ultimately have to settle for second in the championship after coming up two points short.

“I wouldn’t say I am disappointed,” said Simpson. “It is just one of those things where I came in with a goal in mind like I did in Preston, to win two motos and that was all I could do today. The rest was up to Tommy [Searle]. You know, on a whole, it has been a good championship. It does not take a rocket scientist to work out where I lost it – that was a dreadful day at Blaxhall. I am proud of the way I finished the season on a high.”

MX2

Adam Sterry started the most important day of his career with a brilliant time in the qualifying session, which left him on pole entering the penultimate moto of the season. Four tenths separated him from the rider in second.

Although Sterry did not quite take the holeshot in the first of two MX2 races, he moved into the lead by the end of the first official lap and did not look back from that point on.

A series of superior lap times helped him break away from the rest of the field and establish a comfortable advantage, which ultimately led to him capturing his seventh moto win of the season. With his nearest rival, Clarke suffering bike problems which ultimately resulted in a DNF – it left Sterry with an advantage of 24 points over new second placed rider, Bryan MacKenzie, heading into the second race, where all he would need to do is finish 20th to clinch the title.

A consistent start to the final moto of the season set Sterry up well, as he sat comfortably inside of the top 10. He had a small crash after a couple of laps, which caused heart rates to spike, but he remounted quite quickly and only gave up a couple of positions. Despite the high-pressure situation, Sterry regrouped and gained all of the positions lost to return to seventh just as the chequered flag flew.

That was more than enough for him to take the MX2 title, the first of his career and second for Wilvo Virus Performance KTM. Sterry missed the first round due to injury but returned to win seven of the final 14 motos and also four of the rounds.

“I’m really happy,” said Sterry. “Obviously it was a childhood dream to be a British champion. To achieve that, it has been amazing and topped off the season – after everything we have been through with the broken arm in Qatar and skin graft at Lommel. Everything seemed to be against us, but I finally did it. It is nice to give Steve [Turner] a championship – he has helped me so much through my career.”

Team Manager, Steve Turner: “It was a great finale to the season and I’m over the moon with Adam’s championship win, although a bit disappointed not to take both titles. Adam did a fantastic job to bounce back from a 44 point deficit after missing the first round and only being half-fit for the second one. He showed he is the fastest MX2 guy in the UK and dominated the second half of the season to take the title.

“Shaun knows he threw it all away at Blaxhall. It’s still hard to believe it was actually him on the bike that day. To his credit, he bounced back to win all four motos since then and get within two points of Tommy [Seale], but in the end, it wasn’t enough. I would just like to say that having Shaun and Adam together on the team this year has been a privilege. They are both extremely talented, committed individuals who are a credit to the sport and are a pleasure to work with.”