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British Championship

Report: Geartec Husqvarna

A frustrating day.

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The Geartec Husqvarna duo of Elliott Banks-Browne and Luke Norris travelled to the old-school circuit of Lyng this past weekend, as the venue played host to the second Maxxis British Championship round.

A trip to The Netherlands in the week prior to Lyng paid dividends for Banks-Browne, as he logged some valuable time aboard his FC450. ‘44’ put that to good use in qualifying and recorded the seventh-fastest time. There was just a second between him and the rider in third, however, so hopes were high entering the first of two motos.

That first race was fairly uneventful for Banks-Browne, as he grabbed a solid start and slotted into fourth on lap one. That was exactly where he finished, despite the fact that those who sat on the cusp of the top five applied substantial pressure. The result also ensured that a spot on the overall podium was within reach.

A cruel twist of fate caused Banks-Browne to get caught up in a first-turn crash in the second moto. Despite the fact that the bike sustained some significant damage, he re-joined the race and immediately started to make progress. It only took him five laps to move from thirtieth to fifteenth, even though the track was extremely difficult to pass on, but another small fall curtailed his efforts.

EBB lost two positions in that crash, but still rebounded to cross the chequered flag in thirteenth. When combined with his fourth from moto one, he was left in ninth overall on the day. The twenty-six points that he garnered at Lyng also helped him advance to eighth in the series standings.

Luke Norris, the second rider on the Geartec Husqvarna team, had a similar day to his teammate. After qualifying in fourteenth, Norris used all of the power beneath him to rocket out of the gate and end lap one of the first moto in sixth. A small mistake cost him dearly, however, as he lost a handful of positions and dropped outside of the top ten. ‘173’ was not to be deterred though, as he regrouped to claim ninth by the end of the moto.

A poor start left him in a difficult position in the second and final encounter, as he rounded the first lap outside of the top fifteen. A one-lined circuit made it difficult for all of the riders to make passes, but Norris pushed forward to salvage a thirteenth and eight valuable points. That result was enough to give him tenth overall on the day and jump up to the same position in the series standings.

The next round of the Maxxis British Championship will be held at Canada Heights later this month.

Elliott Banks-Browne: “Another frustrating day. The speed seemed pretty good, but I cannot keep having bad luck. The first moto was okay, as I got into fourth and just rode around really. I changed some stuff for the second moto and the bike seemed good on the sighting lap, but I just got a really bad jump and had a big crash in the first turn. The bike was just messed up after that. I think a podium was just out of reach today, as I didn’t feel great on the track, but we’ll regroup and come back at Canada Heights.”

Luke Norris: “I wasn’t entirely happy with how my day went. The times were really close in qualifying, which gave me a reasonable place on the start. Race one started off really well, as I was running about fifth, but I washed the front end in a tight corner and went down. I managed to get back to ninth, which I was pretty happy about.

“The second race didn’t start off so well; the first few corners were carnage and I came around the first lap in about fifteenth. I got my way up to thirteenth and struggled to make any more progress. The track was seriously fast and difficult to make passes on, but no excuses. I have got a few things to work on in the coming weeks. I moved up to tenth in the championship, so there are positives to take!”

Words: Press Release | 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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