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British Championship

Viewpoint: Jake Nicholls

The MX1 winner opens up.

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Jake Nicholls last swept a Maxxis British Championship round four years ago, but he was expected to do at the opener on Sunday. The Hitachi Construction Machinery KTM rider did just that, of course, thanks to a pair of brilliant motos. In this piece, which is presented by Atlas Brace, we cover all of that with the series leader.

MX Vice: 1-1 on the day, your first victory like that in a while I think. I’m guessing you are pretty happy?

Jake Nicholls: Yeah, I can’t remember the last time. Obviously it was three races before, wasn’t it? I think the last time was Lyng, when I came on Jake Martens’ team. It was a good day; I was really looking forward to coming here. I like the track and have raced here for years. The weather was playing up a bit and it was almost like last weekend all over again, but not quite as bad. It was probably worse all over, but without the one or two interesting sections [laughs]. I had a really good day and have just enjoyed riding a lot.

Last year when you came to these races with Shaun [Simpson] and Tommy [Searle], there was obviously a little more competition. You were chasing them, just as you were in GPs. Coming here this weekend and knowing that you were facing domestic riders, who are great, but obviously you have been brought along by that speed. Did you come in a little more relaxed, knowing that you could play it smart and pace yourself?

To be honest with you, it was actually a worse situation for me. I would rather have Shaun and Tommy there. This is no disrespect to the other boys, but they are GP riders and very well established riders too. If I could beat them here and there it was a really good day. It brought me on loads last year, so obviously I was a little disappointed that Shaun wasn’t here and Tommy was injured. It was a little bit, yeah, disappointing.

I was not nervous, because I don’t get nervous, but it was probably a worse situation for me to be in. I had everything to lose, in a way, from other people’s perspectives. Not mine, because I know how fast the likes of those top five domestic riders are. All of our British Championship tracks are very British tracks, if that makes sense, and are not like MXGP tracks with big jumps into turns; I would think I would have a big advantage on them there. It is a funny situation. I just tried to not think about anything, treat it for what it is, get out front and do what I can do.

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Jake Nicholls had to work his way through some traffic in moto one, but got the job done.

ConwayMX

I guess that is the case when you are riding alone out front, you kind of lose yourself a little bit. There was a point in that second moto where [Brad] Anderson started creeping in a little bit and I guess you thought that you were going fast enough to continue pulling away?

Yeah that is it. With the track how it was I just wanted to get out early, pull a little gap and be sensible. The track could catch you out. I just got to a stage where I was comfortable. It went up to like ten seconds and then came down to eight at one point, so I thought I would try a little bit harder and got the gap out again. It was more because of the track though. There were some sections that could catch you out and ruin your race. If it was not like that then I would have tried to get away more, but I did what I had to do.

Going forward Tommy is obviously going to be back, which changes the face of the championship completely. If he were not coming back at all, would you be happy to race these? Are you happier knowing he is coming back and you’ll have someone to pull you along?

I am happy to know he is coming back. There was talk of [Tanel] Leok coming back as well and I told him to do it, because it is better. It doesn’t really make any difference, because there is a race and championship to win. Whoever wants to do it, it is up to them. The team is here and has really good support. I was so excited at the end of last week, knowing that there was a British Championship this weekend. It is nice to sharpen myself up and get a bit of confidence for the GPs.

Speaking of that, when I spoke to you at the first round last year you were all about building yourself back up step by step. Has it been weird to retrain yourself to come into here wanting wins? Have you found yourself falling back into that a little bit?

It has been good. It has been nice to have a full season under my belt with training and stuff. I have been able to work so much harder this year, because my body has adapted to it instead of having those injuries. From that side of things it has been good, I have not really thought about the rest of it. I have just been trying to get faster and faster. I had a really good off-season.

Obviously Qatar was a bit of a setback; I was a bit shocked to be honest. I thought I was a lot better than that. We tried something different with the bike that we tried on a sand track and it just completely did not work on that track. I hate that track anyway and have always struggled there. It made it a lot worse on Friday and then I just lost all confidence. That was kind of like weekend over. I had a go, don’t get me wrong, but I was happy to get out of there and excited for the following weekend.

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'45' now holds the red plate in the MX1 class at the Maxxis British Championship.

ConwayMX

I probably would have had a thirteenth or fourteenth last weekend, had it not been for that bog. Obviously some guys got stuck right at the end. At the end of the day I had just as much of a chance of getting stuck as they did; I think the smarter people got through. Forgetting Qatar, last week it was already heading in the right direction.

Finally, the confidence from Indonesia must have been big for you. A lot of people would look at the results and be like ‘Nicholls got eleventh in a mudder,’ but that is where you should be. I think people forget that. I guess that is what you are shooting for this year, top tens at least.

Yeah, exactly. Last year the goal was to just get in the top ten once and I came up short with like five elevenths. Already this year I have matched that at the second round. I know it is going to be tough on a dry track or whatever, as everyone is going to be there and fighting. That is what I am ready for.

Last year I was there or thereabouts, but this year I am so much better. It is not just me; the whole package is so much better. I am confident I can do that. At the same time I want to keep building throughout the year again and not just be silly with it, especially in MXGP. In the British Championship I am a little bit more established and want to push more, whereas there I want to build up a little bit.

One more thing. When you come to these races I am sure that there is an area that you aim to improve for when you go back to MXGP. What are those? Is there a specific area of the bike or your riding?

Just everything, to be honest with you. These are really good because on the early laps I am confident that I can get through. I have been so slow on the first laps of every race I have done this year, whereas today I was really good. In the week I try to go as fast as possible as soon as I get on the track, but it is tough in a race situation when there are people everywhere. Today it was muddy and a bit minging, but I was still really good on the early laps. That was something that I wanted to improve and did.

Interview: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: ConwayMX

British Championship

Bickers to supply UK market with Alpinestars

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This is great news for UK motocross dealers, who can now order Alpinestars Boots and Protection for the motocross and enduro community.

Full PR:
Bickers are pleased to announce a new partnership with Alpinestars, from 2024 Bickers will be a
newly appointed distributor of Alpinestars Off-Road range of MX, Enduro and Trials footwear and
protections.

Alpinestars has been redefining protection for motorcyclists ever since the company was established
in 1963. Commitment to innovation has led Alpinestars to become the world-leading manufacturer
of professional motorsport racing products, motorcycling airbag protection, high-performance
apparel, technical footwear, and helmets. Alpinestars understands that the best design and research
is achieved under extreme conditions. Their involvement in Formula 1, NASCAR, MotoGP, World
SBK, AMA Supercross and Motocross, MXGP, Dakar and more has led to the creation of the most
advanced technical equipment for the racing world’s top athletes.

Bickers and Alpinestars will be working together in the UK and Ireland (via Bickers Dornan) to create
an industry leading integrated sales program, reaching the Bickers dealer network; carrying stock in
2 strategic locations in the UK and Ireland to ensure next day delivery on all items.
Stock is in the UK and available now, to see the range visit alpinestars.com or bickers-online.co.uk.

Chris Hillard (Alpinestars Communications Manager)

Alpinestars are pleased to welcome Bickers as a distributor of our MX/Off-Road range in the UK and
Ireland. With their proven record in offering next day service to dealers; we see Bickers as a logical
partner to add to our already strong network of Dealers and Distributors in the region. With focus on
offering keystone hard goods from our range; namely Footwear and Protection. Central to our plan,
inside July/August 2024 Bickers will also become an Official Alpinestars repair and service center for
MX Goods, with the aim of increasing efficiency for our UK/Ireland based racers and customers
moving ahead, and we look forward to developing this partnership.

Derek McMartin (Bickers)
“Bickers are extremely excited to be able to service and sell Alpinestars Range of Off-Road Footwear
and Protection and cannot wait to start offering these great products to our dealers”
To see what Bickers offer, please go to bickers-online.co.uk
You can visit the Full Range at Alpinestars direct alpinestars.com.

Picture – KTM Group

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Breaking News

NPC 2024 IS ON! All eyes are on Oakhanger.

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Oakhanger will host the first round of the NPC series this weekend. Gulf Racing Fuels, which will support the series for the next three years, will be in attendance. The line looks impressive, while entry lists are still being worked on. Starting a series from scratch is always hard, but trying to do that in a recession and with industry budgets at an all-time low is even more challenging. The guys behind the NPC have been working around the clock to make this happen.

MX1 and MX2 classes will provide some exciting racing with this at the weekend. MX1 will see Tristan Purdon, Brad Todd, Jamie Carpenter, Carlton Husband, Tom Grimshaw, John Adamson, Dan Thornhill, Chalie Putnam, and Aaron Patstone lining up. MX2 will offer some great racing with Charlie Cole, Charlie Heyman, Ollie Colmer, Ben Mustoe, Glen McCormick, Callum Mitchell, Syd Putnam, Ben Franklin, Harvey Cashmore and Liam Bennet all looking to get some hours in the bank racing.

Justin Barclay and Alfie Smith have produced a stunning track for riders to compete on. As I’m typing this update, more British riders are signing up, and they will be confirmed every day leading up to what will be a historical event. I say historical because I believe this series will go from strength to strength and offer one of the best championships in the UK and, hopefully, Europe.

The Acerbis is cancelled this weekend, so places at the NPC are filling up fast. There are four groups, and wildcards are still available in each group.

Entries for the event can be accessed here: https://nora92.com/event/nora-pro-championship-round-1/#tribe-tickets

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British Championship

Andrew Short confirmed for the 2024 VMXdN at Foxhill

No Short measures for Team USA

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The promoters for the annual VMXdN Foxhill have announced that former factory HRC, KTM Factory Racing and Monster Energy Yamaha rider Andrew Short will be racing at the legendary Wiltshire Grand Prix circuit over August bank holiday weekend (August 22nd-26th) as part of the American squad.


Words: Press Release | Lead Image: Supplied


Short has had a stellar sixteen-year pro career, during that time, he earned over 50 podium finishes and nine wins, he is also one of the nicest guys you could wish to meet. One of his personal highlights was being part of the American Team that won the 2010 Motocross of Nations held in his home state of Colorado. 

After he retired from professional motocross at the end of 2016, Short then worked as a team advisor and brand ambassador for Factory Honda HRC before making a big transition to compete in rally racing and take on the ultimate rally race – the Dakar.

After a steep learning curve, he was able to become competitive in rally and even took his first win at the 2019 Rallye du Maroc, a leadup to the 2020 Dakar. He raced for the Rockstar Husqvarna team as well as the Monster Energy Factory Yamaha rally teams.

After a nasty injury while riding at home, he is now back to full fitness and bang up for the challenge that is Foxhill, the greatest 2-stroke event in the world. Short will race a 2002 YZ 250 built and maintained by the crew at DocWob. Team USA won the inaugural event in 2022 and finished 3rd behind Team GB and Team Northern Ireland in 2023. 

The race is already creating a huge buzz with new and returning legends being announced weekly, it really is a whos’ who of the sport through the golden heydays of the 90’s and 00’s era.

Labelled by RacerX magazine as “the Woodstock of two strokes” the event simply goes from strength to strength.

With ticket sales up year on year, the promoters have been blown away at the response to the event and are urging spectators to purchase tickets asap. Could this be the first outdoor motocross event in the UK to be ticket only? Camping passes will be capped at last year’s numbers as simply putting it – it was full!

Ensure your place at the most anticipated event on the British MX calendar by booking early.

Saturday, Sunday, Weekend and Camping passes are available at https://vmxdnfoxhill2024.eventbrite.co.uk

Keep up to date with all the VMXdN Foxhill news

www.vmxdnfoxhill.com 

www.facebook.com/vmxdnfoxhills 

https://www.instagram.com/vmxdnfoxhill/

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