R6. MX Nationals - Oxford MotoParc - 4th September 2022

UP AND DOWN WEEKEND FOR THE TEAM

MICHELIN UK MX NATIONALS – R6 – OXFORD MOTO PARK – 3rd/4th September 2022 

Verde Shilo KTM headed off to a brand new venue this weekend, a newly created track at Oxford Moto Parc in Abingdon.  A spacious venue set inside an old Army barracks, with an extensive challenging sand/dirt track.  Spectator viewing was exceptional, the paddock provided hard standing so mud free, the site was secure and pro racing was great to watch.

The team headed into the final round of the UK MX Nationals still with just one rider, Bailey Johnston.  Kyle McNichol is making an exceptional recovery from his car crash earlier this year but is still to throw his leg over a race bike.  Jake Millward is making a slow recovery from his ‘wipe out’ two rounds ago, where he broke his collar bone in 5 places.  He has had this plated and is currently easing his way back into racing.

BAILEY JOHNSON:
This weekend Bailey was competing in the Expert MX2 Class with 2 races on Saturday and the same on Sunday.

Saturday started slowly, qualifying 8th.  He didn’t look comfortable in race one leaving him to finish in 7th place. He settled in a decent rythm in race two, to gain a decent 4th place finish.

Sunday was a similar story, 7th place finish in race one.  In the final race Bailey got his head down, got a decent start.  He took a wide challenge heading up to the pit run, but the banks were too soft.  He got squeezed out with his bike being pushed off the track. He landed hard but regrouped, got back on and tried to continue with the race.  Bent bars, no goggles, no peak and a long way behind, he made the wise decision to pull off with a DNF.

OVERALL:
A pretty bad weekend for results. 7-4-7-DNF with an overall finish of 10th place in the Expert MX2 Class. 

CLOSURE:
Just one race this season to go.  The final Pro Class at the Revo ACU British Championship down at Landrake in Cornwall.

QUOTE FROM BAILEY:

Not the weekend I was hoping for. Last race of the season next weekend let’s finish on a high and pull some good positions. Sorry to the team and everyone who helps me out this weekend it just wasn’t good enough. Massive thanks to everyone as usual.