The third round of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship saw the Wilvo Forkrent KTM team head to Canada Heights in Kent with MX1 rider Jake Nicholls back from injury but minus team-mate Steven Frossard.
The Kent circuit had received a major redesign with the track running in reverse, plus the addition of overnight rain had left the track in ideal condition ready for the day’s action on Sunday morning.
During the qualifying sessions Adam Sterry returned from European action to post a fourth fastest time in the MX2 class behind Anstie, Lenoir and Petrov. Jake Nicholls returning to racing after recently undergoing a pin removal from his wrist also managed to secure a very respectable fourth fastest in the MX1 class.
The opening MX2 race of the day saw Sterry make a reasonable start but unfortunately he crashed in the second corner and was left at the back of the field.
Faced with the prospect of a hard ride to try and salvage as many points as possible he pushed on and by the end of the opening lap was just outside the points and continuing to move forward. As the race progressed Sterry made pass after pass to eventually finish in seventh place.
In the second MX2 race Sterry suffered yet more drama as he went down in the first turn and once again found himself at the back of the field.
To make matters worse he had no rear brake after the pile-up and getting up and going again he was down in 27th place by the end of the first lap. Despite it all Sterry continued to push forward and was still able to get up to ninth place by the end of the moto.
The final MX2 race would see Sterry suffer even more bad luck as he went for a pass on Booker for fourth on the opening lap. On landing off the jump, Booker’s back end stepped out into his path and Sterry ended up landing straight on top of Booker’s bike.
A hurting Sterry picked himself up and attempted to mount another salvage mission but crashed again before eventually retiring in severe pain from his right leg and hip. His 26-point haul was only enough for 10th overall, putting him fifth in the championship standings.
Helmet Cam: Adam Sterry – Jordan Booker crash
MX1
The opening MX1 race of the day would see Nicholls make a strong start and round out the first lap in fifth place. As the race progressed Nicholls continued to push hard and rather surprisingly after his long lay-off, was able to stay on the tail of the group in front throughout the whole race to maintain his position and take a solid fifth place.
With Nicholls making another strong start in moto two, the race was unfortunately stopped early on and had to be re-started. When the gate dropped for the second time Nicholls stormed into the first corner taking the holeshot and the early race lead.
Simpson soon finding a way past Nicholls then came under pressure from Whatley, Anderson, Leok and Krestinov with Nicholls continuing to battle hard.
The Brit’s lack of bike time together with the effects of a virus that he was suffering from were beginning to take its toll, and he sensibly rode within his limits to take another solid sixth place finish.
With a lack of energy, the last moto of the day saw Nicholls struggling before even going to the line. Considering this, Nicholls still managed to produce a good start and rode a solid race to finish a strong sixth again which placed him sixth overall on the day and up to eighth in the championship.
Commenting on the day, Adam Sterry said: “Today has been a really tough day at Canada Heights and has seen me drop a lot of points in the championship.
“Qualifying went well with fourth fastest and the times were pretty tight for second to fourth.
“In the first race I made a good start and then went down in the second corner and had to come from behind to finish seventh. In the second race I got taken down in the first corner and had no back brake and had to fight hard to get back to ninth.
“The final race would see me make it around the opening few corners but I then had a big crash with Booker and I landed on his exhaust so I have a few burns and a badly bruised hip.
“After continuing for a couple of laps I was well outside the points and suffering in a lot of pain so decided to call it a day.”
“Today has been a good day. I was happy with fourth fastest in qualifying and then in the first race I got a decent start and rode a solid race,” said MX1 pilot, Jake Nicholls. “I’ve suffered all week with a fever and I was struggling with my breathing during the race so was happy to finish in fifth.
“The second race was re-started and I was already tired due to a lack of energy from this fever, but I got the holeshot and rode a solid race for sixth. In the last race I just rode a sensible ride and got another sixth place finish.”
Summing up for the team, Steve Turner said: “It was great to see Jake back on the bike and I was impressed with his determination and durability as he managed to ride three strong races despite having very little time on the bike and also suffering from a virus.
“It was also good to see him take a holeshot on the 350, especially on an uphill start.
“Adam had a disaster today. You expect to have some bad luck at some stage of the season but for him to go down in all three races was a bit of a shock and we are very lucky none of his injuries are serious.
“Today’s results have damaged his championship hope, but I know he’ll bounce back. We’re hoping to be back to full strength for Spain next week as long as Steven’s thumb injury is sufficiently healed.”
