Jack Chambers
Qualifying 17th
Race 1 14th
Race 2 14th
Overall 14th
Championship Standings: 14th
Bobby Bruce
Qualifying 18th
Race 1 31st
Race 2 DNS
Championship Standings: 24th
It was a mixed weekend for the American Jack Chambers, as he once again showed his consistency in race one continuing to make passes until the last lap, finishing in 14th after starting in 18th. Race two would see the Bike It Kawasaki rider achieve his best start so far in 4th, but a lack of experience this year at the front of the pack saw the “12” lose some positions throughout the race, once again finishing in 14th. Unfortunately teammate Bobby Bruce, still recovering from a wrist injury sustained in Sardinia last week was unable to finish the first race and wasn’t able to participate in race two. With some time off before the next race in 3 weeks, Bobby should have some time to heal up.
In EMX250 all fingers were crossed when Billy Askew had a big crash in practice, and luckily nothing was broken but the medical team did not permit the young brit to carry on for Sunday’s racing. Billy showed improved speed and felt more comfortable racing abroad before the crash. He will join the other two in three weeks for the MXGP of Portugal.
After a good week’s training in Italy, and an awning full of sponsors the prep couldn’t have gone better. Unfortunately, this is racing and the results didn’t reflect our efforts going into the weekend. Having said that, this year MX2 is an exceptionally tough class and whilst we had a 14th from the back and a 14th coming from the front, we just need to work on a few details with Jack to bring his training speed and winter speed to the races. I’ve worked with a lot of racers and I know the next step is not far away.
Equally, with Bobby trying to ride with an injured wrist from Sardinia, he’s shown enough speed and character to know that we are on the right course – but to complete a race at this level you need to be 100%, so the few week break before Portugal is perfect. Billy had a huge crash at speed, but it didn’t deter him from wanting to line up for the races. Because the crash was quite big, the medical crew wouldn’t allow him to continue for the weekend, which I know is the correct choice from a Medical POV. We’re looking forward to our next race which is the first round of the British Championship at Lyng, which is the home circuit of our Sponsor Stebbings, who are located nearby in Kings Lynn.
Despite the results on paper from Italy, all the sponsors enjoyed a great weekend and were first-hand to see all the effort that goes into the weekend, right there with the team throughout the weekend, which can be an eye-opener compared to reading a race report that can’t replicate the real ups and downs of the racing experience.
Photocredit Ray Archer