The Lowdown from Hawkstone
At last the Motocross season starts in the UK. Deprived of any home MX action for nearly six months, the Moto team were frothing at the bit for this weekend. With fine weather and top riders on offer, the whole team raced up to Shropshire like a team of ravenous locusts, ready to devour the action. So you know the drill – here’s the ten pointers to what went down in the red sand of Hawkstone.
1. God goes to Hawkstone. Whilst I’m not sure he really rides a Harley, the Big Fella has to be a regular visitor to the historic Salop MCC track. Nothing else can explain just how wonderful the circuit is or how nine times out of ten, the weather is absolutely perfect for racing ( OK God didn’t come in October 2010, but that’s only because he wanted Zach to win!). Bright spring sunshine was the order of the day, and although there had been rain in the week, this had only served to make the loamy sand of the track even more superb for hard and punishing racing. The European fans might have got their first helping of the Good Stuff at Mantova and Valence, but in comparison to the mighty Hawkestone, the tracks look like overgrown practice tracks.
The crowd was big for sure
2. If you build it, they will come. It’s not only us that rate this fixture as one of the best of the season; our opinion was evidently shared by absolutely thousands of fans. The turn-out on Sunday was simply staggering, with the car parks rammed right down to the access roads and fans three deep at the chestnut fencing all around the circuit. The numbers were easily the best for five maybe ten years, and were a fantastic boost to the riders and organisers – this was probably more people than the British GP, and certainly vastly more than the ACU could expect for any Maxxis Round. We had a brainwave when we were there. The ACU missed a trick. Imagine if every fan that attended Hawkstone had a loyalty card just like Starbucks, £5 discount for any Maxxis round attended or if you visit any 3 rounds you get the 4th FREE!
Jake Gowans sweet looking 2 stroke
3. Fresh Meat. One of the joys of the season openers is to see the riders on new teams, the new livery of the trucks and bikes and the fresh kit on show. With some riders running unfamiliar numbers too it was hard work to keep up without referring back to the programme. As a showcase for the new season’s colours, the riders were emerging in different colour combinations each time out, like a high speed fashion show. And as for the bikes, there was some seriously pimped metal on show, from Samsungs Yamahas new Day-Glo flashes, Buildbase’s wonderfully crafted Hondas, to Steve Dixons fresh Monster graphics. Hell even the WAGS had made an effort, with immaculate make up and stylish paddock chic in evidence – one point – please no more Chihuahuas being carried around like shivering handbags!
Jake Nicholls looked good on his new KTM ride
4. International Arrivals. Whilst it would be easy for the Euro teams to head for France and Italy, it was great to see some established big hitters and new talent make the pilgrimage to Hawkers to take on the classic circuit. The track clearly still means something, even if the newly added bombhole fell well short of delivering any Jobe / Malherbe moments. Notable rides came from Jake Nicholls Dutch team mate on the Nestaan JM Racing KTM – Glenn Coldenhoff who put in three fantastic rides for a podium finish, and the newly invigorated Harri Kullas who despite not hitting the front, was nonetheless very impressive on the Rockstar Energy Suzuki.
Boog on the all new Kawasaki 450
5. Green Party. Whatever Kawasaki did to their 450 between 2011 and 2012 was clearly nothing short of genius, because the bike is a gem. The team mates of Paulin and Boog were at the pointy end of the pack all day and even though Paulin lunched his KXF in the final MX1/MX2 mash up, both riders were on the MX1 podium. British team riders Barr and De Reuver were similarly impressive, even if Barr’s suspension problems in Race 1 denied him of a higher final placing. Martin looked really comfortable on the new machinery and his first showing suggests he’ll be a serious contender again. With the other manufacturers having reasonable results, it was only Honda that had little to celebrate, a fact not helped by the PAR team’s absence from the fixture.
Karro was on it on the KTM 350
6. Go, Go Karro. After a miserable couple of seasons, you have to hope that the shy but immensely likeable Latvian can have a good one in 2012. And on the basis of his first outing on the STR KTM 350, we think he can. Mattis was caning the new bike all day, powering his way at the right end of the pack, riding with a swagger that suggested that he’s really comfortable with the bike and the team. The KTM clearly suited the conditions, with no sign of the lower capacity affecting his speed at the testing circuit. Regular MX1 riders may underestimate Karro this year, but we think he’s a sleeper that will embarrass many. He even dressed smart for our radio interview – good work!
Fuel is always a good idea
7. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Season openers do not indicate how your season will go, but they can certainly set the tone and affect the confidence of the riders and their teams. Whilst many teams had an average day at the office, others must have left the circuit far from happy with their first outings. From mechanical glitches to a clear lack of off season training and fitness, Hawkstone has the power to highlight anything short of 100% commitment and preparation. Each season the competition gets stronger, the tracks more demanding and the racing faster – this meeting serves to benchmark of who has done the work, and who needs to step up for any chance of British or World Glory.
Shaun gave it plenty of beans at Hawkstone
8. Home for Simpson. After a frustrating season on Honda last year, Shaun was on cracking form this weekend, bringing home his new Yamaha to great finishes in both motos to get a 5th overall behind Strijbos. Compared to how he looked at the start of the last season, Shaun was a shadow of his 2011 self, looking lean and fit on the new ride – probably stronger than he’s looked for a few years. And the off-season work is clearly paying off – the Hawkstone ride was a confident show of what he can achieve in the domestic championship - the MX1 championship is within reach if his luck and fitness can hold. As for the World Championship, Shaun is going to have to notch it up a fair few pegs to run the required pace in the GPs, but on this form, he’s got the potential.
Desalle a man on a mission in 2012
9. A letter of Intent. Clement DeSalle is the epitome of the hard working racer. He doesn’t do bells and whistles, he doesn’t waste his time on style and frills, and he just puts his head down and gets the job done. The Hawkstone display was classic – he did enough in practice to clock the best times, enough in the race to get straight to the front and check out. Even when Paulin showed him a wheel or two and even got in front for one lap, Big C just dropped it down a gear and got back in front – Suzuki couldn’t have asked for a better start. That said, the performance that Gautier Paulin gave was hugely impressive. Because the French rider has ridden the bigger machines in three MXdN, it’s easy to forget that this in his rookie season in MX1, to be competing against DeSalle is a big ask and Paulin showed he was up to the task.
The fans certainly like the current British champion
10. All About Arnaud. If you only took one thing away from this weekend, that one thing would be just how smooth Arnaud Tonus is on a dirtbike. The Swiss rider and reigning British MX2 Champion was absolutely mesmerising on the red sand of Hawkstone, winning every race he entered without seemingly breaking a sweat. Steve Dixon seemed a tad non-committal as to whether he would be completing a full British Championship season to defend the title, presumably depending on how close to the top of the GP table he is – on this form he could have the tools to win the title. With this possibility, you really need to witness how good this guy is – as Gavin England , one of our Facebook friends, commented, ‘You could have put a 2 after the 7 on Tonus’ plate – he was so smooth! Don’t think we could have put it better…..
So that’s the Hawkstone International done and now as Jay-Z would say, it’s on to the next one. Fat Cats is just over a week away and the British championship is ON!
Images by Ray Chuss
Words by Julian “new boy” Challis
Tags: 2012 hawkstone International, ACU, Arnaud Tonus, british, Clément Desalle, motocross, the lowdown
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