MacKenzie and Simpson lead a Celtic storm…
Published: 25th March 2008
Author: Pondo
Billy MacKenzie and Shaun Simpson win in dominant fashion at the Heights - for Billy, it’s more cement for the ramparts defending his crown while for Shaun it’s the platform from which his title assault really begins…
Billy MacKenzie showed for the second time this season that he’s a measure above the rest of the field in the MX1 class at the minute. The CAS Honda Scot was fastest in qualifying and won both races convincingly, just as he did at Donington a fortnight ago, holeshotting both motos and pulling away at a canter to win untroubled.
The biggest obstacle to a Billy Mac title walkover at the minute is Brad Anderson. The feisty North Easterner fought back from an average start in moto one to rob outstanding series debutant Scott Elderfield of fourth place at the death and charged hard behind Mark Jones in the second, putting in the groundwork to profit when Jones dropped the number 21 Kawasaki late on. Third overall, Jonesy banged out the sort of performance he’s promised but been too injured to show of late and was keeping Billy Mac honest until his late mishap. The podium should give the Welshman a sniff of the confidence he needs to return to his best as he and Brad tied for second with Ando getting the nod. Further back, championship contender Kenneth Gundersen was rather blighted by anonymity with a quiet fourth overall. But man of the match has to go to the lad Elderfield - the 15-year-old Guildford rider was a revelation in moto one on a 250 KTM two-stroke, gating well and running on the pace until fatigue set in and a fast-moving Anderson charged by.
In MX2 Shaun Simpson was pretty much peerless - fastest in qualifying by over two seconds, the KTM UK youngster rebounded from the disappointment of his race one DNF at Donington to utterly dominate proceedings in the Kentish snow. Steven Sword might well have left the circuit having been presented with the red plate for taking the championship lead in Tommy Searle’s absence but the Molson Kawasaki man knows he has a fight on his hands if he’s to take a fourth British title.
The more senior Scot took a lap to get into second in moto one but Simpson had long since gone so Swordy settled down for a comfy 22 points. But when Simpson got another great start in moto two and Stevie got tangled in someone else’s crash he got his dander up and fought back for a valuable fourth, mugging defending champion Mike Brown late on. Brownie is having a nightmare of a season so far, no doubt about it, especially after a race one DNF - it’s plain to see he's trying but somehow nothing’s working out for CAS Honda’s resident American at the moment. Ahead of Swordy on the podium was Martin Barr, the U-Tag Yamaha rider having a pair of good starts and riding with confidence to two good podium finishes after a spirited battle with Neville Bradshaw in moto two. Bradshaw is somehow riding as a privateer this season but the South African showed emphatically that he’s worth some serious support after following Barr home in the second.
Just two weeks until the grands prix start and the UK’s task force of MacKenzie, Searle, Simpson, Anderson, Sword, Barr and Jones is well placed to do us proud. Can a British rider win a GP this year? Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Can there be a British world champion in ‘08? It won’t be easy - but it could happen…