Lyng, Norfolk – 17th April 2011 | 2011 Maxxis British Championships
PROGRESS FOR HM PLANT RED BULL KTM UK AT LYNG 18th April 2011
HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK enjoyed a strong outing at Lyng, Norfolk yesterday for round three of the Maxxis British Championship with Graeme Irwin finishing sixth overall in the MX1 class and Jordan Booker eighth in MX2.
Irwin enjoyed a good qualifying stint in only his fourth outing on the KTM 350 SX-F finishing eighth in both the timed session and superpole. Booker, who is the team’s sole protagonist in the MX2 series while Jake Nicholls recovers from injury, struggled to get to grips with the track initially, posting 15th place on the gate.
In the opening MX1 race of the day Irwin enjoyed a spectacular jump off the gate and holeshotted into the first turn. The 19-year-old Ulsterman settled into a rhythm in fifth place, and lost just one position in the early stages to sixth, which he took in a fairly lonely race to the chequered flag.
Irwin got a good start in the second heat, but a few mistakes early on cost him dearly as he settled into the race and he slipped back to ninth on lap five of the 20-minute plus two-lap moto. The KTM-pilot managed to claw his way back to eighth where he remained to the finish line.
By race three the Norfolk sand track was super-choppy, bumpy and rough. Irwin gated into third after another blistering start, but concluded lap one in eighth place; a position he battled to hold onto for much of the race to conclude the day in a positive sixth position.
Booker had an excellent start to the first MX2 race as he holeshotted his KTM 250 SX-F into the first turn and completed the first lap in third place. The 18-year-old youngster fought hard in the early stages, but a couple of small mistakes meant he slipped back to ninth place by the chequered flag. In race two Booker enjoyed another strong start and was lying sixth after lap one. The KTM racer held his own and battled for seventh, which he maintained until the finish line.
In the final race of the day Booker gated into sixth once again, but struggled to find his rhythm around the tough and challenging Lyng track, as a tweaked knee bothered him throughout the race. The youngster dug deep to battle with Steven Clarke during the middle part of the race, and was unlucky just to be squeezed out of the top ten despite fighting hard to try and fend off Anthony Reville in the final stages to finish in 11th place and a very promising eighth overall.
Graeme Irwin #555: 6th Overall “I actually had a big crash in qualifying, but luckily I wasn’t too hurt, I just bruised my foot real bad. I got on a quick lap and it came together for eighth, and then in Superpole I was eighth again, which wasn’t too bad. In the first race I holeshotted and dropped back for sixth. I just didn’t have the speed for the top guys today, and although it’s a bit disappointing not to be able to hang in there, I had fun anyway and it’s going in the right direction. In race two I got eighth; I had a good start, although didn’t find my pace in the first few laps and it took a while to settle in – by that time everyone was away. I got another good start in the last race and again didn’t really settle in quick enough. The track was super rough, which is good practice for next weekend, but I ended up eighth and sixth overall. It wasn’t a bad day, we just have a few things to work on and we’ll just keep working hard and moving forward.”
Jordan Booker #114: 8th Overall “I struggled a bit in qualifying just to get to grips with the track and get into a rhythm. It was quite flat and everyone was going a similar speed, so the lap times were really close. In the first race the bike hooked up good and I got the holeshot. I hung in fourth or fifth for the first half of the race, but dropped it twice towards the end and ended up ninth, which wasn’t so bad. In the second race I got another good start and was fourth; I ended up holding on for seventh. In the last one I had another good start, but the track was really rough and I tweaked my knee, which I’ve had loads of problems with in the past. I dropped back quite a bit and just struggled really, but still it’s not a bad overall result and we just need to keep working at it. I have some physio tomorrow, then this week we’re heading to Holland to ride in some sand in preparation for Valkenswaard next weekend.”
Roger Magee: HM Plant Red Bull KTM Team Manager “It’s been another good day for the team. It’s unfortunate that Jake was with us in person today but not out on the track. He’s making good progress and has been cycling with his boot on, although he’s still on crutches. It’s likely he will start riding again in around four weeks. Both Jordan and Graeme rode well today. Jordan just missed out on his third consecutive top ten result in the third race by just losing a place on the last lap because he tweaked his knee earlier. Both he and Graeme proved the bikes are strong and we scored numerous holeshots, so this is another progression on the ladder as we head to the second Grand Prix of the year at Valkenswaard. It will certainly be tougher than yesterday was, but it’s a learning curve for both riders with the tracks and we look forward to seeing their progress week by week.”
All the results from yesterday’s races can be found here: http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=643868
HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK would like to thank its sponsors: HM Plant, Hitachi Construction Equipment, Red Bull, KTM, Trucks ‘R’ Us, Motorex, Bott, Prox, Cholwill Plant and Equipment Hire, Venhill, FMF, Volleberg Motorsport, Renthal, Edward J Magee, Press commercial bodyworks, Wiseco, TwinAir, EBC Brakes, Silent Sport Premium, Pro Carbon Racing, NGK, Donjoy, Samco Sport, GSPMX, Petersen Racing, Pulse Racing Products, Empire logo mats, High5 and Stolen Bike Co.
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