Mackenzie steamrollers onwards
Published: 04th May 2008
Author: G2F
Round 4 – Lyng – Sunday 4th May. Reigning number one Billy Mackenzie’s relentless assault on the 2008 Maxxis ACU British Championship showed no signs of easing after the CAS Honda rider guided his blackened factory-backed machine to another comprehensive double moto victory at round four of eight. A quick course and warm temperatures greeted the racers at the Lyng circuit in Norfolk where the MX2 class was also swept by former multi-champion Stephen Sword in front of one of the biggest crowds the venue has seen.
Twenty-four year old Mackenzie deservedly gathered the headlines over weekend after yet another pole position and set of chequered flags. The fourth overall win from four also saw the 2007 title-winner register his eighth triumph from eight motos. This devastating streak of form means that he now holds a lead of sixty-five points; an advantage of more than two motos.
The battle for second place on this occasion was won by Swift Suzuki’s Brad Anderson who is still recovering from an injured shoulder and beat KTM UK’s James Noble by four points with second and third positions. Noble was handicapped by an incident in race one when the Whitby-resident hit a fallen Mark Hucklebridge and lost several places before rejoining the fray. The latter would also recover and score fourth in the final classification.
Mark Jones grabbed third spot in moto one, but a hefty crash ruled him out of the second sprint while Molson Kawasaki’s Tom Church finished behind the Welshman in the opening race only to have mechanical trouble in moto two.
“It was our first ‘full-speed’ meeting of the year; where the track was not slow or technical and the weather was not against us,” commented Mackenzie. “After my mistakes at the Portuguese Grand Prix last week I was keen to get myself back on-track and I’m glad I have the British Championship to blow away some frustration. It was almost like training for me today.”
In the MX2 class Molson Kawasaki’s Stephen Sword drilled his works KX250F to deflect the attentions of KTM UK’s Shaun Simpson. The twenty-seven year old overtook his rival in the first moto to win and then capitalised on Simpson missing a gear in race two to reach the line first; his third success from four outings and now he heads the series by twenty-two points. In third place was Relentless Suzuki’s Lewis Gregory, enjoying a personal best, and still missing race fitness due to recovery from a broken wrist.
Round five will take place at Desertmartin in Northern Ireland on June 22nd. For further information and all the latest series news please visit www.mxgb.co.uk
MX1 Moto One: 1: Mackenzie 2: Anderson 3: Jones 4: Church 5: Noble
MX1 Moto Two: 1: Mackenzie 2: Noble 3: Anderson 4: Campano 5: Smith
MX1 Overall: 1: Mackenzie 50 2: Anderson 42 3: Noble 38
Championship to date: 1: Mackenzie 200 2: Noble 135 3: Anderson 131
MX2 Moto One: 1: Sword 2: Simpson 3: Dougan 4: Gregory 5: Nicholls
MX2 Moto Two: 1: Sword 2: Simpson 3: Nunn 4: Banks-Browne 5: Gregory
MX2 Overall: 1: Sword 50 2: Simpson 44 3: Gregory 34
Championship to date: 1: Sword 179 2: Simpson 157 3: Barr 137