Round 4 – British Motocross Championship –
Lyng, Norfolk – 4 May 2008

It’s a very successful day for Team KTM UK riders Shaun Simpson, Alex Snow and James Noble who all either improve on or consolidate their championship positions at round four of the Maxxis British motocross championship at Lyng in Norfolk. With the May bank holiday weekend weather being bright sunshine the Cadders Hill circuit was in perfect conditions all day long which made for some great racing on this fast, rough sand circuit.

Although Shaun Simpson was consistently lightning quick all day on his KTM 250 SX-F a pair of second places for second overall is the best the young Scotsman can do as fellow MX2 championship challenger Stephen Sword has a dream day and takes maximum points. Simpson briefly leads moto two after passing Sword for the lead but he’s unable to keep him behind and is forced to settle for second position once more. Shaun ends the day 22 points behind in the championship chase but still feels upbeat about his chances of taking the title knowing full well that some of his favourite rounds of the championship are coming up in the latter half of the series.

More than a few pit pundits claim that Alex Snow’s performance at Lyng was one of his finest ever and a pair of 11th place finishes are enough to help him slip into the top-10 of the series standings. A pair of crashes in moto one and an incident which saw the Devonshire racer stall his machine in moto two kept Alex from scoring what could easily have been a pair of top-six rides on his 250 SX-F.

Finally beginning to overcome the effects of pneumonia, James Noble’s performance at Cadders Hill on his 450 SX-F leapfrogs him into second spot in the MX1 championship chase with a 5-2 finishes that are good enough for third overall on the day behind Billy MacKenzie and Brad Anderson. Showing true determination and Yorkshire grit as well as the benefits of Austrian engineering – Noble uses the KTM-exclusive electric start system to quickly and effortlessly restart a stalled motor after crashing with Mark Hucklebridge in race one – James’ continues to get faster and fitter on a weekly basis and his best is still to come.

The next outings for Shaun Simpson and James Noble are at rounds four and five of the Motocross World Championship on May 11 at Sevlievo in Bulgaria and May 18 at Mantova in Italy. While his team-mates are on international duty Alex Snow will travel to Dean Moor in Cumbria for the third round of the under-21 series where he’ll be hoping to increase his 14 point championship lead over Kristian Whatley.

Rider Quotes

Shaun Simpson – MX2 2-2

“In the first race Stephen Sword and I went into the first corner neck and neck but he held it on a little bit longer and took the holeshot and I ended up back in fifth. By the time I’d fought through to second he was already gone. I was also losing just a little bit of time to him every lap and I didn’t know where to find it.

“In the second race I started behind Swordy again but I was able to pass him for the lead in the third turn. I kept the lead for three laps but I made a mistake – I missed a gear coming out of a corner - and he came around the outside of me. After that I thought I’d stay with him and pressure him a bit but every lap he was edging away a bit and getting further away.

“I still got some good points today with two second places and if you can’t win it’s always better to be second. I’m now 22 points down in the championship but it’s only halfway through the series and there are a few tracks I like coming up so I’ve got to keep it lit.”

Alex Snow – MX2 11-11

“The first race wasn’t so bad even though I crashed twice in the same corner and I was quite happy to get 11th. The second race was going much better, I was running seventh for most of the race and was catching Martin Barr in sixth until I came down the big hill and my hand slipped off the handlebars - because my arms were feeling a little bit tired - and I stalled the bike in the corner. I ended up 11th again which I’m a bit disappointed with because I feel like I was riding well and could have done so much better.”

James Noble – MX1 5-2

“I didn’t get the best of starts in the first race and it’s really hard to pass around here because it’s so fast now. Hucklebridge slipped off in front of me and I tried to go around the inside of him by staying in the rut but I caught his front wheel and went over the handlebars and the bike landed on top of me. Luckily I was able to get up okay and use the electric start to restart the motor as I was still picking the bike up so I saved some time there. I charged back to fifth and felt like I could have gone further but the top shock bolt fell out so it was a matter of nursing the bike home from there – it’s just one of those things that happens and can’t really be helped.

“I came through to second in moto after not getting a great start and felt reasonably strong throughout the race – I got a little bit tired towards the end of the race - for the first time since my illness. I’m reasonably happy with my ride in the second race.”

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