2010 World Championships
Uddevalla, Sweden - 4th July

Saturday smash leaves hard Swedish GP for Nicholls

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK’s Jake Nicholls battled contrasting weather conditions and another hefty slap from lady-luck at Uddevalla for the Grand Prix of Sweden and the tenth round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship to take 14th position overall in the MX2 category.

The venue almost 80 miles north of Gothenburg was blessed by sunshine and humid weather on Saturday but heavy rainfall Sunday morning changed the bumpy and hard-pack track to a softer and more slippery prospect. It was in the Swedish sun that Nicholls’ weekend unravelled. At one of his preferred tracks on the calendar the 20 year suffered a scary crash while holding a promising position of sixth during the Qualification Heat that forced a DNF but was without any serious repercussions.

The fall-out ultimately consisted of a poor gate-pick for Sunday’s races, placing the KTM 250SX-F rider almost last to the line from a field of 38 competitors. Nicholls made two reasonably good jumps from his slot considering the circumstances but his first race - in front of 20,000 onlookers - was hindered by another small error pushing him outside the top fifteen and through having to ditch his mud-splattered goggles. A run to 18th was improved on by six positions in the second race but the Englishman could not cut through the group of riders with whom he was circulating for the better part of the 40 minute distance. 

Nicholls holds 11th in the world championship and is 14 points behind Harri Kullas.

The British team will now return to the UK after more than three weeks on the road and GP events in Germany, Latvia and Scandinavia. A welcome hiatus precedes the fifth round of the national series at Foxhills on July 25th and a week later their world championship focus sharpens on round eleven at Lommel for the Grand Prix of Limburg, which could see the maiden 2010 outing for Graeme Irwin on the international stage.

For more information visit the team’s website at: www.ktmukmx.com

Photo courtesy of Ray Archer

Jake Nicholls:

“I’m pretty disappointed to be honest. Saturday did not go well and I had a big crash; I was thankful that I was healthy and not too banged up. Anyway 38th in the gate was not helpful for both races! I got stuck around the first corner in the first moto and was way back. I had a small slip-off where it had rained on one section and it caught me out. I fought back as well as I could in the muddy and one line conditions with no goggles, which was an extra nightmare. I made a good first lap in the second race and got amongst the gaggle. I was trying so hard but was frustrated because it felt like I was being held-up all race. I was quicker than the other guys but not by much so it was difficult to make a move and make it stick; it was tiring. I really enjoy this track and felt like I had good speed here but I didn’t get a chance to show it.”

Roger Magee, Team Principal:

“Jake showed his true speed in the Saturday qualifying race when he ran in sixth until an untimely crash as he probably hit a neutral off one of the circuit’s ski-jumps. He was lucky not to suffer any injury despite extensive damage to the rear of his 250SX-F KTM. With a gate pick outside the top thirty he was at a disadvantage in each moto, and despite his quick reactions he was mid-pack from lap one. The positives from this weekend are that he maintained his 100% record for scoring in every world championship moto and hasn't suffered any ill-effects from his crash in the qualification race. The next Grand Prix at Lommel should see the return of Graeme Irwin for his first GP of the 2010 season.”

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