Sunday, March 27 2011
LS Racing Honda rider Shaun Simpson went 1-2-1 in the three MX1 motos to take the overall victory at the second round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship held at the spectacular Canada Heights circuit. A red flag in the second MX1 race robbed Simpson of a complete clean sweep, as the young Scot had actually just gained the lead when the race was brought to a premature halt due to an incident elsewhere on the track, however the final result was declared from the previous lap.
The Kent circuit is amongst Shaun’s favourite tracks, but the unusually dry conditions threatened to spoil his liking for the venue that overlooks Britain’s busiest M25 motorway. Simpson took his time to build up his speed, placing fourth in the first qualification session behind Dougan, Whatley and Pourcel respectively. However the 2008 MX2 British champion was soon to show his class as he topped the timing sheet by nearly a second during the final qualification period, his lap time being over two seconds faster than his previous best showing.
Simpson translated his speed and confidence into a start to flag race win in the opening twenty minute plus two lap moto, with the now twenty-three year old only being headed momentarily by Anderson who managed to out sprint Shaun into the first turn after the up hill start straight. Despite the nature of his victory the first battle of the day was a tense and close affair, with the LS Racing Honda rider never looking totally comfortable at the front of the pack. Despite this Shaun on his CRF450 managed to hold off a late charge by Sword to take the win.
The second moto was far less straight forward with the race being red flagged twice. Simpson slotted into a top five placing on the first restart and set about using a multitude of different lines as he cut his way through the field. Shaun’s experimenting certainly paid off as he moved into second place before then getting the better of race leader Dougan just before the moto was stopped for a second time. However on this occasion with the race having run over two thirds of its allotted distance, a result was declared using the running order from the previous lap, this effectively demoted Shaun back into second place.
Thankfully the dry and bright day, and the hour gained overnight afforded the organisers sufficient daylight for the third and final MX1 moto to be run despite the various delays to the race programme. Simpson rounded off his long day at the Kent circuit with his second win of the day as he once again overcame an average start to triumph come the flag. Shaun’s 1-2-1 showing gave him a sixteen point advantage over eventual runner up overall Whatley. The LS Racing Honda rider now heads the MX1 standings by twenty-six points after just two rounds, but will not take part in the remainder of the series due to other commitments.
"Overall its been a good day," explained Simpson. "It was just a shame about the second race, as there seems to have been some confusion over the result, as I am sure I had been leading for two laps before the race was stopped. Anyway I got the overall win and was happy with the way that I was riding."
"Although the first race was perahps the easiest of the three races, I enjoyed that race the least as I was not relaxed at all and rode tense. The last two races were more fun, as each time I had to come from behind. It was good to have the chance to try some fresh lines and was good training in some ways. We have still got work to do before the first GP, but things are definitely moving in the right directtion." Ended Shaun.
Maxxis Britsh Championship – Round 2 – Canada Heights
MX1 Moto One: 1: Simpson 2: Sword 3: Anderson 4: Pourcel 5: Whatley
MX1 Moto Two: 1: Dougan 2: Simpson 3: Whatley 4: Schiffer 5:Anderson
MX1 Moto Three: 1: Simpson 2: Sword 3: Whatley4: Anderson 5: Schiffer
MX1 Overall: 1: Simpson 72 2: Whatley 56 3: Sword 55
Keep up to date with Shaun’s season on his official website at www.shaunsimpson.com
