Successful weekend for Jack Brunell in fourth round of ADAC MX Youngster Cup at Ried (Austria)

Posted by Ray | 21 July 2009 | Comment

The fourth round of the 2009 ADAC MX Masters Series 2009 was hosted last weekend (11th – 12th July) by HSV Ried. The club’s “Am Güpl” circuit is located just outside the town of Ried im Innkreis, some 60 kilometres to the north-east of Salzburg. It is a fast natural track, 1,750 metres in length, with plenty of jumps to test the mettle of riders. Around 10,000 spectators turned out in summer weather and saw Jack Brunell claim his second podium finish in succession. The English rider from Old Wind­sor in Berkshire is competing in this year’s ADAC MX Youngster Cup as a member of the Sturm Racing team.

Having trained hard for this event and now equipped with a new bike, the 20-year-old laid down a marker in free practice, posting the third-fastest time in his group to show just how well he had adapted to the track conditions and that he is now amongst the quickest riders in his class.

„The first session went really well. I was the third fastest in my group, which was good to see. My time was a little bit down on the leaders than I would have liked, but other than that, I was really happy. It was the first time I had ridden the new bike and I was really impressed with it. The engine was very fast and the suspension was brilliant.“

In qualifying too, Jack Brunell came in amongst the top three in his group, which secured him a P6 start for Sunday’s race.

„The timed practice was good and I was happy with the third-fastest lap in my group. I knew that this would give me a good start position for the race. My lap time was a lot closer to the leaders, which was pleasing.”

The Kawasaki rider received a further boost to his confidence during the warm-up session on Sunday, when he posted the fastest lap time in his class. Unfortunately, the event organiser got slightly carried away with the watering before the first race, with the result that sections of the track became dangerously slippery. Even so, Jack Brunell was able to grab third position immediately after the get-go and to defend this for the first half of the race. After he had found his rhythm and the track began to dry off, he managed to get past Czech rider Martin Finek to go second, a position he defended right up to the finish line, coming in just behind race leader Dennis Baudrexl.

„The track was watered, but far too much; it was dangerous. I didn’t get the best start, but everyone just seemed to crash. I came around on the first corner in third and was being cautious for the first half of the race. I then found a nice rhythm and overtook second place. I rode a steady race and finished in second, which was my best race result this year. I was really pleased for the Sturm team, for getting the podium after coming so close in Aichwald.”

In the second race, Jack once again slotted into third on the first corner and held this until lap five, when his bike slid away from under him and he fell back to fourth. Subsequently a few other minor errors saw him yield position to German rider Angus Heidecke with just a few laps to go, so Jack had to settle for fifth.

„I got a good start and was third on the first lap. I was holding this position for about five laps when I slipped off and went to fourth. After the fall, I found it hard to find a rhythm and made lots of small mistakes. I was then passed again and finished the race in fifth, which was still good.”

Taken together, the P2 and P5 finishes were enough to secure third overall position and a second ADAC MX Youngster Cup podium appearance in succession. At the same time, the young English rider increased his points tally to go fourth in the current championship standings, just five points outside the Top Three.

Host club HSV Ried also included another highlight in the weekend’s programme, a motocross long-jump competition, in which Jack Brunell took second place in the Youngster Class with a sensational 51-metre leap.

“Overall, I’m very pleased with the result. Although I lost out on second overall due to the last race rule, I am very happy to be on the podium again. The bike was really good this weekend and I would like to thank the Sturm team, especially Robbie for all their hard work. I have also moved in to fourth place in the Championship which is a real achievement.”

In just two weeks’ time (25th – 26th July) the fifth round of the 2009 ADAC MX Masters Series will be contested on the deep sandy surface of the Tensfeld circuit in Schleswig-Holstein. Over the intervening weekend, however, Jack Brunell will once again be demonstrating his riding skills in the sixth round of the British 2 Stroke Championship at the Canada Heights MX track in Kent.

Event Results ADAC MX Youngster Cup – Ried im Innkreis 12/07/2009: 1. Dennis Baudrexl (GER), 50 pts.; 2. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT), 38; 3. Jack Brunell (GBR), 38; 4. Martin Finek (CZE), 31; 5. Angus Heidecke (GER), 28; 6. Dennis Ullrich (GER), 26; 7. Peter Tadic (SLO), 22; 8. Bence Szvoboda (HUN), 21; 9. Kasper Lynggaard (DEN), 20; 10. David von Zitzewitz (CZE), 19

Provisional Standings ADAC MX Youngster Cup after the 4th event: 1. Dennis Baudrexl (GER), 160 pts.; 2. Kasper Lynggaard (DEN), 129; 3. Angus Heidecke (GER), 123; 4. Jack Brunell (GBR), 118; 5. Jernej Irt (SLO), 116; 6. Dennis Ullrich (GER), 92; 7. Stefan K. Olsen (DEN), 86; 8. Marvin Knörle (GER), 81; 9. Peter Tadic (SLO), 66; 10. Lars Reuther (GER), 56

Tags: adac, british, brunell, canada, competition, kawasaki, motocross, training, water