Hawkstone hill looms large

The fourth round of the ACU Maxxis British Motocross Championship will take on the challenging and historic Hawkstone Park on Sunday 14th June.

The tough sandstone circuit is best known for hosting the British 500cc Motocross Grand Prix as well a numerous thrilling 250 GPs in the 1970s and '80s, two 125 GPs in 1976 and 1989. However, prior to all of that it was the ideal venue for a hill-climb. The Hawkstone hill is still as daunting today as it was back then and that is part of the challenge awaiting the riders for the ACU Maxxis Championship round.

In the MX1 class, Brad Anderson on the PAR Honda was the dominant force at his home round of Brampton last month. He is now a very healthy 25 points ahead of nearest rival James Noble on the MVR-D Suzuki, which in effect, equals one race. Noble has his team-mate Carl Nunn, chasing hard but he is currently in third place with 91 points 15 away from second. Hawkstone Park is a good circuit for the MVR-D Suzuki riders who will be hoping it play into their hands as they try to reel in the so far unstoppable Anderson.

2008 ACU Maxxis British Champion Billy MacKenzie on the CAS Honda is languishing in fourth place with 89 points. He could easily claw his way into third place but the Championship lead is a little further out of reach.

The MX2 Championship has produced equally thrilling racing and it is Stephen Sword on the KTM who is romping away with the series lead. His KTM compatriot, Shaun Simpson is still out through injury but keeping busy with PR activities, and may well be at the event. Sword has found a challenger in the form of Mattis Karro from the MVR-D Suzuki team. Karro picked up a double win at Brampton and a good haul of points to go with it he is now 16 points away from Sword in the title chase. However, Karro is also in the wars with a minor injury, and at the time of going to press may have to sit out this round.

Neville Bradshaw is holding onto third place with 100 points and will be out to pull back some points on his D.B. Racing Honda. He is being closely followed by Jake Nicholls on the Red Bull KTM who is on 99 points so the fight for third is on.

The MXY2 (Youth) Championship will also be racing at Hawkstone and the action couldn’t get any closer. Josh Waterman on the Danger UK KTM and Luke Hawkins on the PAR Honda are neck-a-neck at the head of the standings with 94 points each. At both of the previous rounds they took a win and a second place each and once again ended up tied on points. Connor Walkley, Team Green Kawasaki, has the unenviable job of chasing down both of them as he is holding onto third place with 65 points.

All the track action starts at 0900 with timed qualification for the MXY2 class. The MX2 riders are out at 0925 and the elite MX1 at 1030. There is an autograph session at 1140 with the racing kicking off at 1215 with the MXY2 class, which is followed by MX2 and then MX1.

Admission costs for adults is £20, children £5, with concessions available, car parking is free. Get along to the fourth round of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship at Hawkstone Park in Shropshire and see all the race action.

The postcode for the circuit is SY4 4NA, and is located just off the A49 near to the village of Hopton. The exit off the A49 can be found between B5065 and B5063, and is sign posted “Booley/Stanton.”