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British Championship

Dissected: Another Layer

An interesting inclusion.

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It is no secret that pundits have been critical of the Maxxis British Championship and those at the helm in the past. Why is that? There was not a specific reason, as such, but most just wanted to see an attempt to make progress. That has occurred this off-season, as a handful of tweaks and improvements have been made with the goal of creating a successful series.

What has happened? The British Expert Championship, which will run alongside the Maxxis British Championship, was launched earlier this week and will give those outside of the top ten a trophy to chase. Entries in MX1 and MX2 have suffered over the last couple of years, especially towards the end of each season, so this is an attempt to combat that and keep those on the bubble of breaking through hungry. That is not to imply that those guys are mailing it in, but some additional incentive could go quite far and help struggling privateers justify the expense of travelling to Shropshire or Swindon at the end of the year.

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Site-Liam-Knight
Liam Knight will be an MX2 Expert contender on his privateer KTM.

ConwayMX

How is this going to work? Well, right off the bat, those who finished in the top ten overall in either class last year are excluded. What if a rider has ridden at an MXGP round in the last two years? They are out. What if they plan to race as a wildcard at a single MXGP round over the next twelve months? They are also out. What if a rider has finished in the top five overall in EMX250, EMX300 or EMX125 over the last two years? Well, they are also pushed out. Those appear to be the only rules at this stage, but it would not be surprising to see another restriction creep in over the next couple of weeks.

Jake Shipton, Carlton Husband, Matt Burrows, Luke Benstead, Ross Rutherford, Tony Craig, Kristian Whatley and Luke Norris should all be eligible in the MX1 class. A guy like Stuart Edmonds, who finished twelfth in the series just last year, competed at the British Grand Prix two years ago and that should rule him out of the British Expert Championship. Kristian Whatley obviously stands out in that group, as he will probably beat the rest of those riders with relative ease. It would not be too surprising if former champions are excluded as well though, seeing as the series is supposed to encourage engagement from the lesser guys, but that was not included in the list of rules that we perused.

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Site-Ashley-Wilde
Ashley Wilde signed up for an MXGP round just last year, so will not be eligible.

ConwayMX

Would excluding Kristian Whatley be the right decision? This will almost certainly be a hot topic once the new season fires into life, especially considering that it is rare for there to be a former British champion with limited MXGP experience on the starting line. So, bearing that in mind, it is probably best to let it slide on this occasion. It is not a foregone conclusion that he will win it anyway. If he does become the first MX1 Expert winner in the Maxxis British Championship though, it will be a good marketing tool for the new Rob Hooper Racing Yamaha team. There is no doubt that this is the greatest plus of the whole deal.

Fans typically overlook those outside of the top ten, unless they have an invested interest in one of the guys, but that is just the way it works in all sports. This series will give the media a new angle and way to promote the privateers and lesser teams in the paddock, which will ultimately result in a stronger series. If those guys can head to sponsors and explain that they finished second in the MX1 Expert series, rather than stating that they simply finished thirteenth, it will undoubtedly attract attention and mean that it is more likely that they will receive support. How could it possibly be a negative?

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Site-Stuart-Edmonds
Stuart Edmonds has recently competed in MXGP, so will miss out on the Expert class.

ConwayMX

It is safe to presume that is what everyone wants, right? It would be quite the step forward if the gulf between the leaders and the riders in eleventh is not quite as large. The only way that this thing will work out though is if it is acknowledged by promoters, riders, teams and manufacturers as a real thing. If it is pushed to one side and looked at as a novelty, then it is not going to move forward and grow in the way that it is intended to. Time will tell how this thing is going to work out.

Words: 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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