Wednesday October 1, 2008 at 12:00am
Despite not achieving the results expected both the Motocross of Nations and Trials des Nations Teams can be proud of their top four places against the World’s best.
The Motocross of Nations Team, competing on home soil only missed out on a podium place by just one mark after each rider put in a 100% effort in front of thousands of fans. Tommy Searle recorded the squad’s highest finish, 3rd place and also enjoyed a superb fight back after a slow start in a different race. Team-mate Billy Mackenzie also impressed many with a similar recovery, only to be let down by his machine refusing to start after a fall, undoing all his hard work. Shaun Simpson, in his first ever ‘Nations event was equally impressive, racing in the Open class on his MX2 machine and recording a top 15 place, despite losing his goggles early in one race.
Team GB’s Trials des Nations
The Women’s Trials des Nations Team suffered a similar fate to the MXoN Team, being beaten by just one point to the second step of the podium. The Men’s Team found themselves in a battle for the same podium position, but finishing on the third step of the podium behind Spain and Japan for the second year in succession.