Red Bull KTM UK
Race report – 3rd Round of British Motocross Championship
Brampton – Sunday 3rd May 2009

The third round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship was held at the sandy, fast hillside Low Gelt Farm circuit in Brampton, Cumbria where Red Bull KTM UK riders Stephen Sword, Jake Nicholls, Graeme Irwin and Alex Snow had a very successful day on their immaculately prepped KTM machines. Overnight rain left the Brampton circuit in great condition for the four points paying motos held on the day.

With the MX2 series leader Shaun Simpson unable to race at Brampton after suffering a broken leg mid-week in a freak training accident it was inevitable that Stephen Sword would take over the series lead in Cumbria. And after both points paying motos were done and dusted that was the exact outcome as the 29-year-old Scotsman utilized a solid 3-2 scorecard on the day to firmly grab hold of the red series leader’s number plate with both hands.

Jake Nicholls was also in fine form and the young rider from Suffolk scythed his way through the pack in moto one to take an amazing second place finish. The Reverend backed up that solid first ride with a super strong showing in moto two that saw him finish third to take third overall on the day and elevate himself to fourth in the championship chase after three hard fought rounds from eight.

For the team’s rookie pilot the Brampton round of the series would also be a good one. After a fantastic fight through the pack from last to fifth in moto one the young Ulsterman made a move for the lead in moto two only to make a mistake soon after pulling in to first place. Another good ride dampened by a couple of small crashes resulted in a 14th place finish but was still good enough to see Graeme rise to sixth in the overall series standings.

The team’s lone MX1 pilot Alex Snow’s results on the day were no indication of the spirit and speed the Under-21 champion showed in the two championship motos. Ending the day with a disappointing 13-18 scorecard Alex will be looking to put this round of the series behind him as he knows he’s capable of so much more – especially on his current form.

The Red Bull KTM UK squad will now travel to Agueda in Portugal then Bellpuig in Spain as their participation in the 2009 MX2 FIM motocross world championship continues. It’s hoped Graeme Irwin will be able to join his teammates in GP competition ahead of the team’s home round of the series at the end of May.

Quotes
Stephen Sword – MX2 3-2
“I would have liked to have won today – I have a lot of family and fans in this part of the country who all came out to support me and it would have been nice to win it for them and the team but it just wasn’t to be. It was a good day for the team though - I finished second overall and Jake was third.

“I didn’t feel like I rode my best today – I got a little bit of arm pump in the first race and I wasn’t using good lines. We made some changes to the suspension for the second moto and that made things a lot better.

“Even though I didn’t win getting the points lead today was good for me and I know I can increase my lead in the series over the next few rounds because some of my favourite tracks are coming up.”

Jake Nicholls – MX2 2-3
“Qualifying went well and I was feeling good on the bike – the new layout at Brampton was a huge improvement and I was really enjoying riding. Seventh in qualifying was reasonable for me at Brampton.

“In the first race I didn’t get a good start but I used my head in the first few laps and battled through to fourth then pushed on to third then I caught and passed Swordy too which was good. I was feeling strong right the way to the finish and was able finish second as well as to catch Karro up by quite a long way.

“In the second race I got a decent start pushed on into fourth behind Bradshaw. It took me a while to pass him but I finally did and after that I settled into a good third position. The first three were quite spread out by that point so it was just a matter of maintaining my position.

“It was my first ever overall podium in the British championship and I was glad I was able to put two strong rides together which is something I had been struggling to do a bit this year – overall it was a good day.”

Graeme Irwin – MX2 5-14
“In qualifying I ended up 12th which was not too good as I was hoping for a lot higher position but I knew it didn’t really matter as the start here is quite fair and the real results that matter are those of the races.

“In race one I got a good start but I got caught up with a fallen rider’s bike. There were only a few riders behind me by the time I got going and after that I had a good race, my speed was good, my fitness was fine and I was able to find some good lines and fight through to fifth at the finish.

“In the second race I got off to a great start behind Matiss Karro and was second out of turn one. I made a nice pass on him to take the lead but in the next corner I made a stupid mistake and hit neutral. I ended up crashing and then I had to come through the pack again! I was just outside the top 10 and then I made another small error and dropped a few positions to end up 14th. It wasn’t really the result I wanted but I’m riding well and the bike is performing perfectly so it’s not all bad!”

Alex Snow – MX1 13-18
“The day started pretty well, the track was nice and I had a good result in qualifying. In the first race I got a good start and I was riding well. I made a small mistake and stalled the engine which cost me a few places even though the bike fired up again really quickly with the electric start system. I ended up 13th which isn’t too bad but I was a bit frustrated knowing I could do better.

“In race two I got off the line really well but tangled up with Zach Osborne and a few others in the first turn and ended up crashing. From there it was just a matter of getting up and battling through the pack as best as I could. I got back to 18th and I felt I was riding better in the second race and if it hadn’t been for the drama at the start it could have been a high scoring ride for me.”

Roger Magee – Team Manager
“What happened earlier in the week to Shaun Simpson was very unfortunate and as we came here, our thoughts were with him and we hope he’s able to make a full and swift recovery.

“Stephen and Jake rode very well today and both finished on the podium in second and third position respectively. Young Graeme Irwin had a really good day coming from last to fifth in the first one then getting a wee bit excited at the start of race two and crashing after moving into the lead briefly. He needs to be a bit more patient but that will come with time.

“Today’s results have brought Stephen into the lead of the championship, Jake’s now fourth and Graeme’s sixth which is really good for the team with all our riders doing so well and a good reflection of how much hard work everybody is putting in.

“We move on to the GPs next week – all four of our riders are currently fit and healthy and that’s the main thing so we’re hoping to continue with our success!”

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