To say that it’s been eventful for Evotech Stevens Honda in the last month is an understatement. After three tough weeks, team rider Neville Bradshaw returned to the the final round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship circuit to defend his championship positions. Injured in an unfortunate practice incident before the Motocross of Nations, Bradshaw was not sure how his shoulder injury would hold up on the day, but decided to try anyway.
Qualifying in the morning was difficult, with the track moist and slippery in places, but Bradshaw nonetheless put together a lap fast enough to qualify for the super-pole, in which he ended eighth.
In the first race, a mid-pack start developed into a race to the front. By mid-race, Bradshaw found himself in tenth and much to his frustration, unable to progress much further. With the chequered flag out, he ended the race in tenth. The second race was very much a repeat of the first, with Bradshaw unable to execute his trademark fast starts. A last-minute pass from fellow Honda rider Nathan Watson dropped him back one place to end in tenth again.
With two tenths, Bradshaw safely qualified for the super-final at the end of the day, but it was here where the day unravelled for the South African. After a restart and a crash, he found himself in the back of the pack and again worked relentlessly to move up. By mid-race, he found himself unable to hang on any longer and was forced to pull in, ending the day overall in eleventh.
Commented team principal Matt Hutchins: “Today was going to be difficult with Neville with the shoulder dislocation he recently suffered, he did the best job he could but he suffered a crash in the last race and ended up losing a few places and had to retire from the race. These things happen with injuries, and as much as it is disappointing that we couldn’t keep our third place in the Maxxis, we’ve nonetheless had a good run. We won the British Supercross and the Red Bull Pro National championships and that’s a good end for us.”
Neville Bradshaw (#272): I’m bummed on losing third in the championship, but I’m pumped on the holeshot in race three. I’m seeing the specialist about my shoulder this week and then we’ll get ready for 2013.
