This coming weekend (20th July) the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship heads to FatCat for round six of the championship. The physically demanding sand track is sure to produce some interesting race action in all three classes.
FatCat's has previously played host to the opening round of the Championship for the last two seasons and has recently seen major changes to the layout and track design give the riders a completely different challenge.
Following on from taking three wins out of three, MXGP front runner Tommy Searle will once again be competing the Maxxis Championship on his CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki in the MX1 class. Searle will be up against tough competition from current series leader Shaun Simpson for the overall victory. Hitachi Construction Machinery KTM UK’s Shaun Simpson extended his lead in the championship to sixty one points over the Wilvo Forkrent KTM rider Jake Nicholls. Unfortunately Nicholls will be missing from action at FatCat following his crash at Whitby where he suffered an injury to his little finger which required surgery to repair the damage.
Reigning champion Kristian Whatley will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing round at Whitby where he suffered two DNF’s, which have damaged his chances of reclaiming the MX1 title but he will be keen to secure second place in the championship.
Graeme Irwin on the Heads and all Thread Suzuki currently sits in fourth place in the championship ahead of Buildbase Honda's Brad Anderson. Other riders looking for strong results include former GP of Lommel winner Gert Krestinov who will be keen to show his strength in the sand, along with Nathan Watson who will be looking to repeat his strong performances at Lyng and Canada Heights, while two times MX2 champion Elliott Banks-Browne will be hoping to restart his season.
In the MX2 class Max Anstie will once again be racing the MX2 class on the Bike It Cosworth Yamaha. Max will be looking to go one better than his results at Whitby, where he took victory in the opening two races before suffering a DNF in the final moto. Wilvo Forkrent KTM’s Matiss Karro closed to within three points of the series leader Mel Pocock on the Hitachi Construction KTM UK after a hard days racing at Whitby and will be looking to do the same at FatCat.
Neville Bradshaw on the Putoline Apico Honda currently sits third in the championship ahead of Karro's team mate Adam Sterry in fourth. Currently in fifth place in the championship is Bryan MacKenzie on the Pendrich Kawasaki.
Whitby also marked the return to form of Dantec Husqvarna rider Steven Lenoir following his early season arm injury, the Frenchman took a well-deserved third overall, narrowly missed the overall victory after a crash in the last race. Another rider to look out for is Ben Watson who will be looking to perform well in the sand and repeat his podium performance at Canada Heights.
FatCat's also marks the second round of the Veterans Championship, following the season opener at Landrake where reigning champion, Phil Mercer on the IDS - Chambers KTM who took the overall victory by the narrowest of margins over Brian Wheeler on the GL12 Racing Kawasaki and Ready Power KTM’s Greg Hanson. Brian Wheeler will be keen to use the added confidence of finishing top Brit at the recent World Veterans Championship in Sweden to overturn the point’s gap.
The Fatcat circuit is a purposely built sand track located adjacent to junction 4 of the M18 motorway (postcode DN3 3EH). Practice starts at 9am with the first MX2 Championship going off the line at 12:15pm. Admission prices are £20 for Adults £5 for Children under 15 and Children under 5 are Free, Family Tickets are available at £45.
For more information about the championship please visit www.mxgb.co.uk.