When the press release filtered through of the upcoming Brian Bell Memorial Motocross being held at Downpatrick Motoparc, it read a long list of who’s who on the International scene. The Temple Club stood by the early promise and delivered the goods. In the end it was Spaniard Jonathan Barragan that came out on top, so for this posting here’s the low down on how some of them performed.
Jonathan Barragan (1st, 2nd, 1st): “To come here and win this race has been really good for me. My starts were strong all day and I got a big holeshot in the final race. That really helped me stay out of trouble during the race as at times it was difficult to pass. I had a really good battle with Gordon Crockard in the second race. We were pushing early on and I crashed when he made a mistake in a corner in front of me. He almost crashed but then I did instead so I had to push even harder to make the ground back up to finish second. My speed was good and it has been great training for the world championship where hopefully I can improve my position up to 7th during the final rounds.”
Michael Pichon (2nd, 4th, 2nd): “Today was physically tough for me. I broke my finger a couple of weeks ago and had been unable to ride before this race. But I had a lot of fun here racing with these guys that are racing in the world championship. I’m retired almost five years now so I was surprised to get an invite to be here as I haven’t been racing outside France lately. This race was brilliant, with no pressure and I rode the best I could. In the final race I made a mistake on the first lap and had to push hard to recover from that. Towards the end Aubin was also catching but thankfully I was able to hold him off and finish second.”
Nicolas Aubin (DNF, 5th, 3rd): “This was my first race on the KTM 350f! It was a different feeling but now I am comfortable on the bike. In the final race I put in a strong finish after starting well back. It was a good result to come back up to third. I had an engine problem during the first moto and didn’t finish so I’d like to thank my team who helped fix it and kept me going. I was surprised by the track, it was really nice and a lot better than I expected. The rain helped make the conditions perfect for motocross.”
Steffi Laier: “This was my first time on the KTM 350f and I enjoyed the race. The first moto was good. I started well back and had to work hard to reach 15th at the end. During the second moto I was sitting in 13th but crashed when the rear wheel spun up on a slick patch and highside me out across the handlebars. I managed to recover back to 13th though. During the last race I was having a good battle until another rider made a bad move on me. He jumped straight across me into a corner, hit my leg with his handlebar and I ended up crashing into a haybale. It wasn’t nice, but when he’s happy to do that with a girl that’s his problem! The event was nice and I enjoyed it a lot. It was good to get an invitation to come here and hopefully I can return in the future.”
Ricky Watt (1st Evo & Ironman): “It was hard work racing both classes today but worth it! Gordon Crockard lent me his ’98 Honda CR500 to compete in the 2-stroke Evo class. I love the bike even if it was a bit of an animal. I holeshot the first race and finished second but almost won it. Tommy Merton crashed early on and I held him for a long time but he got past me at the end. I hit neutral on the start of the second one and had a tough race coming back through to win it. It would be good to see the Evo class being introduced, maybe in the classic racing as there definitely is a place for it. Riding both classes made the main races tough work. My aim was to qualify and I did just that finishing 19th and inside the top 25 after that. I’m exhausted now though!”
Edward Allingham (7th, 10th, 8th): “I felt a lot better today in my riding. I’m beginning to feel like my old self of two years ago. The change to Kawasaki has been good, I’m finding my feet now with the setup and everything’s working well. I coped well in the Open class against the bigger bikes on my 250f only losing out a little on some of the hills. All in all my progress has been good and I’m having fun racing now!”
Even with a broken finger, Pichon finished 2nd
David Gorman (8th, 7th, 10th): “Getting that holeshot in the first race was brilliant! I got the jump off the gate and when I saw Barragan hit the brakes I still held it wide open and got around the outside of him. I almost lead it for the first lap until about 50yrds before the line, Pichon came barreling past me, nearly scared the life out of me too, but I was buzzing with that! The last race was tough, my legs cramped up during the first lap and I nearly had to stop because of it but I gutted it out for the finish. My aim was three top ten’s and I got that so I’m chuffed. A big thanks also goes to Jim O’Brien of AJ Plumbing for sorting out a new bike for this too!”
Tommy Merton (8th, 8th, 6th): “Today was quite good really. With such a top line up of riders, it was always going to be tough for a good result. My aim was to be top ten all day and I did just that; I has happy with sixth in the final race. My starts weren’t quite there and I found myself having to come from behind a lot today which probably doesn’t make things any easier. The long races helped though,they suit me a lot better as I seem to get stronger at the end. Overall though it’s been a good day!”
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