News & Events

The fifth round of the championship moved to the historic circuit of Hawkstone Park. As had proved to be the norm this season, unsurprisingly Luke produced the fastest lap to head qualification.

With a quick turnaround the riders chose their gate position, once all 46 riders had assembled it was a matter of seconds before the race was away.  Luke exited the first corner in the top 5.  He rode well with his usual gutsy determination but was unable to catch the hole shot rider who had capitalised on a clear track. Luke finished in a comfortable 2^nd place.

The next race in his enthusiasm Luke span on the concrete start and gated mid pack. He desperately tried to recover from his poor start, with an exciting display as he picked off slower competitors with some remarkable manoeuvres, but all too soon the chequered flag appeared and he finished once again in 2^nd position.

There were sadly some lengthy delays due to serious injuries and it was quite a wait for the final race of the day. To add to the very rough and gnarly track a heavy downpour created a further test for the final race of the day. Luke was round the first corner in the top 3. It was a case of knowing your limitations, pushing hard but staying safe. The top 3 were much of a muchness as they stayed in that order from start to finish, unable to make an impression upon each other for fear of disaster. Luke finished the day with a 2^nd overall, just one point behind the winner. He had gained valuable points in the championship, now 23 points adrift of the leader.

RED BULL PRO NATIONALS

DESERT MARTIN

3/4^TH SEPTEMBER 2011

The penultimate round was the following weekend. We made the lengthy journey to Northern Ireland and the fabulous GP circuit of Desert Martin which had been superbly prepped for the days racing.

Practice and qualification commenced on the dot of 9 with the sun making an appearance now and again! With the beautifully primed track it was difficult for riders to gain time and the top 3 all finished on the same second.

The sun was still out when the first 125cc race began.  The top 3 were soon stretched apart, Luke finished an easy second 40 seconds ahead of third, but the leader of the championship had a poor result in 6^th place. Luke had gained a precious 7 points. He was well aware he must ride with his head today to close down that lead.

The second race and the showers had started. Despite Luke’s speed and aggression he finished another easy second and gained 4 more points in the race. Then the rain started, heavy and persistent.  The flooded circuit was going to be a proper test for bike and rider. Luke rounded the first bend in the lead.  Unfortunately a spectacular crash saw Luke demoted to second place, he regained his composure and was soon closing again on the leader.  The first two riders left the rest of the field and by mid race were half a lap in front. The track became increasingly littered with machines that refused to start, fallen riders exhausted by the conditions, yellow flags waving and competitors wearing a thick coat of mud were barely recognisable.  Luke finished a courageous second still managing to maintain his speed and his goggles and understandably euphoric gaining a further 9 points on the lead.

He finished the day in a worthy second spot, but more importantly had closed the gap to 3 points. The final showdown in 3 weeks will be a real nail biter…. Culham get ready!!

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The final round of the British championship approaches this week-end at Milton Park. Luke is leading the series by 43 points so fingers crossed for a successful day of racing and we can bring you the news of a newly crowned British 125cc Champ!

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK is pleased to announce the success of its junior riders this year with Ryan Houghton winning the British MXY2 title at the last round in Duns, Scotland and Ben Watson finishing fourth overall in the Junior Motocross World 85cc Championship.

In the ACU British MXY2 class Ryan Houghton has ridden consistently throughout the five-round series, as well as winning round three at Milton Park to take the title. It’s not been an easy season, but Ryan was able to do just enough for the win as the championship went down to the wire at the final round of the series at Duns in Scotland just over oneweek ago.

In race one of the final Houghton suffered with a technical problem and was forced to nurse his bike round to collect two valuable points in 19th place. The 15-year-old youngster knew he had to beat his arch-rival Adam Sterry in race two to take the championship, and he did so with a 24 second lead to take the series win and was crowned 2011 British MXY2 Champion.

In the FIM World 85cc World Motocross Championship held in Cingoli, Italy on the 14th August, Ben Watson put on a strong showing for Great Britain to finish just off the podium in fourth position.

The 14-year-old youngster raced against some of the World’s best big wheel young guns to gain some impressive results. After qualifying in pole position in his group, Watson finished in eighth in the opening race of the day after recovering from a bad start. The talented KTM-pilot had a more enjoyable outing in the second heat to finish fourth and with it secured an impressive fourth overall, to help KTM also win the manufacturers award.

Roger Magee: HM Plant Red Bull KTM Team Manager
“Ryan came on board with the team at the beginning of the year. He’s been on the pace since round one and we’re glad to have secured the MXY2 championship at the last race, as it went right down to the wire. Even though he had a technical problem in the first heat, he certainly did the business in the second one. We’re glad to have the championship for KTM in 2011. Congratulations also to Ben Watson who on the Saturday of the 85cc World Championship in Cingoli showed he had the potential to get on the podium with his pace in his qualifying group. Unfortunately on the Sunday he suffered from a couple of not so good starts and he had to get back through the pack for eighth in race one and fourth in race two to take fourth overall. Despite being younger than a lot of the riders there, we think he has shown the potential to probably graduate to the European 125cc Championship next year.”

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK packed up after their home Grand Prix at Matterley Basin in Winchester reasonably content after Jake Nicholls finished sixth overall in the MX2 division on his 250SX-F. The thirteenth round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship revisited the spectacular site in southern England for the first time since 2006 and a 26,500 crowd across both days flanked the bowl setting under bright skies.

Nicholls was one of the many riders in the GP paddock to enjoy the soft, tacky mud, big jumps and open course that was widely proclaimed as one of the best tracks seen on the 2011 calendar this season.

The 21 one year old set about finding his speed on the English terrain but struggled slightly optimising the suspension set-up on his motorcycle to deal with the churning soil. A pair of less than ideal starts for the two forty minute races hardly helped his cause but Nicholls battled away, encouraged by the enthusiastic public. In the first moto he fought through to eighth and went two slots better at the second time of asking with a decentsixth and his second highest result of the year. Nicholls is now just ten points from deposing Christophe Charlier from eleventh in the world championship standings.

Team-mate Jordan Booker gated well but wasn’t at his best at Matterley and missed out on the points after a small technical problem in the first moto and several crashes in the second. In MX1 Tom Church was savouring a final home grand prix after long career. Aboard his 350SX-F theBath-resident grabbed a couple of points for seventeenth in the first race but upon running slightly wide on the first corner at the beginning of the second moto caught green fencing in his rear wheel and had to DNF after an attempt to continue.

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK now have more duties on UK soil with the Hawkstone round of the Red Bull Pro nationals which will be followed by the Grands Prix of Europe (Gaildorf, Germany) and Italy (Fermo) on successive weeks. Tom Church will head to the USA in the coming days for the sandy Southwick AMA National.

Jake Nicholls:

“My starts were terrible today. I have been practicing them but I think we just need to find a bit more power out of the first part of the gate. I had factory bikes either side of me and I just seemed to lose out on that first little bit. It was a decent weekend, even if it did take me alittle while to get into the track and the suspension setting was slightly ‘out’ for here. 8-6 is a solid weekend if not one of the best. I really enjoyed the track. It was tough but technical and the whole home GP experience was really good.”

Jordan Booker:

“A bad day. It was nothing to do with pressure of the home GP; I just didn’t ride so well. I have been struggling with my starts but they were OK today and I couldn’t make the most of them. I was up to nineteenth when the bike stopped but I was able to restart and but lost almost a minute. In the second race I made too many mistakes and went down a couple of timeslike an idiot. I’ve got to try and pick the good bits out of it.”

Tom Church:

“It didn’t go well but I gave it my best shot. In the first moto I got right up there although I wasn’t riding my best in the second half. In the next one I thought I’d be able to grab a load of points but touched the green fence, like so many people before me, and it was a shame. I enjoyed the weekend and seeing all the people. A new adventure next week and I’m really looking forward to Southwick.”

Roger Magee, Team Principal:

“We had another strong day with Jake in the MX2 class and – again – if he had had better starts today then we would have seen something really special but we will take sixth overall. It was a good result at his home GP. Jordan had another difficult couple of races and a slight technical problem but got going again. Tom was set for some points in both motos but taking that green mesh around the rear wheel meant a DNF in race two. Anyway, we wish him all the best next week in Southwick where he will compete in his first AMA National and we want to thank KTM for their support over there.”

3 riders from Pelotrain Athlete Excellence will be competing at the Junior World Motocross Championships in Italy on the 14th August 2011 in Italy at the Cingoli circuit.

The event is just that, The Junior World Championships with countries top riders from all over the word coming to compete with 1 goal in mind – to become the World Champion in their respected class they entered into and have bragging rights for the rest of the year while hopefully opening the eyes and impressing talent scouts from the bigger Manufacturers and teams for sponsorship and team placing.

The riders going over to compete are:

15yr old Calvin Vlaanderan from Cape Town, will be competing in the 125cc class aboard a KTM125SX Motocrcycle. Calvin is a multiple South African Champion in the Junior ranks and is on his 1st year of Senior Motocross and has shown alot of dominance in the South African National Championship and is leading the 125 High-school Championship for riders between 14-17yrs old.

Calvin will also be in Europe for 6 weeks competing in selected European races for the next 6 weeks and will be gaining valuable experience and speed for the future.

16yr old Justin Mittens, also aboard a KTM125SX, from Port Elizabeth will be competing in the 125cc class alongside Calvin. Justin has been working exceptionally hard in order to come back from a serious knee injury towards the end of last year and has shown excellent progress and speed by being the only rider this year to take a moto win off Calvin at this year Nationals.

Justin will also be competing in 2 selected European 125cc events after the World Championships where he will be looking to gain more confidence and speed before heading home to the last National of the year in South Africa.

The youngest rider to be going over to compete is 10yr old Keegan Mahoney who also hails from Port Elizabeth. Keegan will be competing in the 65cc Championship aboard a KT65SX. Keegan possesses alot of raw speed for a youngster and has alot of drive for a young rider. With the Italian circuit being a hard-pack track and with Keegan’s home track being a sand track he has made alot of progress and effort to change his riding style in order to accommodate the upcoming conditions. Keegan is lying 2nd overall in the South African 65cc National Championship and with some extra speed and experience gained from the World Championship event hopes to return to South Africa confident and with something extra in the back pocket for the last event. 

I wish all 3 riders the best of luck and to take in the event and all the experience that goes with it and that South Africa is behind you all.

Hey guys. We had the 4^th round of the Red Bull Pro Nationals at Canada Heights in Kent this weekend, it was a scorching weekend with the temperatures into the high 20s, and the Canada Heights circuit was in prime condition.

Qualifying went good for me, I felt good on the bike. I ended up 2^nd, only 0.3 off of pole.

I got a good jump off the gate in the first race, however going into the first turn I ran into the back of Brad Anderson and ended up going down. I got up and restarted the bike and was in last place, I had a really good pace going, set the fastest lap of the race, and somehow managed to catch up to the battle for 2^nd with 2 laps to go, however got caught up with another rider on the last lap and he got his foot peg in my front wheel, I had to settle for 4^th in that one, but knew if I got a start I had the speed for a win.

In moto 2 I got around the first turn with the rubber side down, and was in fourth, by the end of the 2^nd lap I had moved into 2^nd and managed to catch onto the back of Elliot banks Browne, we had an awesome battle the whole race, we went back and forward a few times. I managed to get back around him with 2 laps to go and held on for the win.

I am super happy on the whole weekend, my bikes working awesome, and I feel my speed is really good, I ended up 2^nd overall on the day. We now move on to Hawkstone Park for the British Masters this weekend. Thanks again to everyone involved in my program, its much appreciated!!

Team KTM UK rider James Hellewell made a superb debut appearance at the AMA ATV Motocross Nationals at the weekend, the nineteen year old travelling over three thousand miles from his Barnsley base to Unadilla for round nine of the 2011 series on Sunday the 17^th of July.

Making his first ever visit to the spectacular natural terrain circuit near New Berlin in New York State, the 2010 British Under 21 Champion and current British Under 21 Championship leader showed why he is widely regarded as a rising star on the racing scene with the full factory backing of KTM UK, Hellewell’s outstanding performance rewarded with 7^th overall in the Pro Am Production Class and 8^th overall in the Pro Am Unlimited Class.

Despite having never seen the circuit before the meeting and racing in such hot and humid conditions, Hellewell made the most of the practice and qualifying sessions to dial in the challenging circuit and qualified 10^th for race day.  The Pro Am Production Class saw Hellewell gate just inside the top ten in both eight lap motos before working his way through to an 8 – 7 scorecard and 7^th overall, while the Pro Am Unlimited Class heats saw him gate just outside the top ten with just six laps to make up the deficit, Hellewell showing his skills and determination to fight through to 10^th and 8^th at the chequered for a fantastic 8^th overall.

Commenting after a fast and furious weekend at the legendary venue, a delighted Hellewell said “it’s been absolutely fantastic racing this weekend and I’m really pleased with the way I’ve ridden and the results I’ve achieved.  The circuit here is awesome and with the track preparation and maintenance throughout the weekend it was absolutely perfect and was a lot of fun to ride.  This was the first time I’ve competed on the Team KTM 450 SX and I had to learn to adapt my riding style as it’s power delivery is different from the 505 I use in the UK, but with the help from Wayne at PEP doing a fantastic job on the suspension, Mark from Baldwin Motorsports looking after the motor and the DWT Wheels and Tires hooking up really well we had a really strong package, and the results are a testament to how good the bike is.  I also had to adapt to the shortened race duration this weekend, as in the British and European Championships we are more familiar with thirty to forty minute races so you can take a few laps to settle in before increasing your pace, where here a race might only be anything from four to eight laps in total so it’s really a sprint from the gate to flag.  It’s a totally different mindset but I know that my pace was good and with a few more laps I feel I could have moved up inside the top five.  The heat and humidity was also tough and definitely took a bit of getting used to, but my body conditioning and fitness is really good and I was able to cope with it.  It has definitely wetted my appetite for competing at this level and taking part in the 2012 series would be a dream, but in the meantime I’ll return home for round four of the 2011 GOLDSPEED ACU British Quad Championship this coming weekend at Dean Moor near Whitehaven”.     

Results

2011 AMA ATV Motocross Nationals, Round 9, Unadilla MX, New Berlin, New York, 17^th July 2011 

Pro Am Production Overall

1^st – Aaron B. Meyer (3 – 1), 2^nd – Cole Henry (4 – 3), 3^rd – Mathieu Deroy (5 – 4), 4^th – Mark Madl (1 – 9), 5^th – Brent Sellers (6 – 5), 6^th – Casey Martin (2 – 12), 7^th – JAMES HELLEWELL Team KTM UK (8 – 7)

Pro Am Unlimited Overall

1^st – Mark Madl (2 – 1), 2^nd – Jeffrey Rastrelli (1 – 2), 3^rd – Preston Young (4 – 3), 4^th – Cole Henry (3 – 5), 5^th – Kyle Fix (7 – 4), 6^th – Tyler Hamrick (5 – 7), 7^th – Pier-olivier Lavergne (9 – 6), 8^th – JAMES HELLEWELL Team KTM UK

Next race: Sunday 24^th July 2011, GOLDSPEED ACU British Quad Championship Rd 4, Dean Moor Motocross Circuit, Whitehaven, Cumbria

Team KTM UK would like to thank all their sponsors, friends and family for their valued and greatly appreciated help and support.

For Round 6 of the 2011 Maxxis British Motocross Championship, the DB Honda Racing Team headed to Swindon and the world famous Foxhill Motoparc.

Qualification saw Elliott get to grips with the circuit straight away and he set the fastest time of the session, 0.4 seconds faster than his nearest rival and James was a bit further down in 14^th place and unfortunately missed out on the top 12 shootout.

Elliot’s attempt at the 1 lap top 12 shootout didn’t go as well as the opening session and he dropped 2 places to give him 3^rd place.

Race 1 started well for both Elliott and James, with both inside the top 5. As things settled down Elliott was hot on the heels of 2^nd place and looking to make a pass and on lap 5 he found his way through and set about closing down the gap to the leader. James’ good start put him in a good position from the off, but through the race he gradually lost a few places in the highly competitive field and eventually he went on to finish in 12^th. Elliott finished in a fantastic 2^nd place.

An awesome start in race 2 from Elliott saw him lead out of the opening corner.  James also had another good start and was in 7^th place after a lap. Elliott was looking good out front but he was being hunted down and as the race passed the halfway stage he took a rock in the arm and whilst in discomfort from this he was caught and passed, dropping to 3^rd place. With 3^rd beginning took look like his likely finishing position, drama struck on the final laps as 2^nd place crashed out heavily, promoting Elliott to another 2^nd place finish. James was having a similar race to his 1^st and after his good start he dropped back again but this time he had a second wind and pulled himself back up in the final few laps to take 11^th place at the finish.

Another holeshot for Elliott in race 3 saw him lead again but on lap 2 he was overhauled and dropped to 2^nd place, James had also got another good start and found himself well inside the top 10 but with a few laps down he dropped back to 10^th. Elliott was involved in an intense battle to keep his 2^nd place but with his arm still hurting from the rock in race 2 the inevitable happened and his lost out and dropped into 3^rd place. James was having another good ride and after settling into 10^th place, he rode steady and crossed the line for his best result of the day.

Elliott’s performance on the day saw him return to the podium for a 4^th successive round, and this time he was 2^nd overall just missing out on the top spot by 2 points and he has now climbed into 2^nd in the championship standings, but 1^st is a long way ahead with a 64 point gap. James’s performance saw him take 10^th overall and get 31 points, making this his best of round of the season so far and he is now 15^th in the championship.

Reflecting on the day Elliott said ‘It’s been another good day for me, the track was good from the off and I managed to get 1^st and by quite a good gap in the opening qualifying session, so I was well happy with that but then I messed up the Superpole lap and finished 3^rd. I got 3^rd off the start in race 1 and then got past Jake Nicholls for second, Zach Osborne was out front and the gap stayed the same, I closed on him a little in the final laps but I think he slowed down a bit.. In the 2^nd race I led for about 15 minutes but I took a rock in the arm off a back marker and it made my arm swell and I got a bit of arm pump so I got overtaken by Arnaud Tonus and Zach Osborne but then Zach crashed so I got 2^nd again in that one. In race 3 I was leading again but my arm was still hurting from earlier so I had to back off a bit and ended up finishing 3^rd, its been a good day though and we’re 2^nd in the championship now.’

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK felt reasonably chipper leaving the busy and bustling circuit of Talkessel in Teutschenthal and the Grand Prix of Germany for the ninth round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship. 40,000 spectators for the biggest and best attended race of the series so far this season saw Jake Nicholls haunt the realms of the mid-top ten before finishing seventh overall for his highest classification in 2011 to-date and Jordan Booker finally snared a GP point in his maiden term.

Hot sunshine helped dry a soft German course and the long and deep ruts helped slow the fast hard-pack layout, even if the new modifications to the rippling and shallow slopes did not assist in creating many more overtaking opportunities. Talkessel has seen Grand Prix action since the 1970s and an announcement that the venue will host the 2013 Motocross of Nations was timely considering the huge audience that poured through the gates.

Nicholls made two positive starts in the 35 minute and 2 lap motos and this was half the battle. At one stage (the opening phases of the second race) the Briton was vying for space in the top five and although he was forced to surrender seventh to Nico Aubin after holding the slot for almost all of Moto1 was able to gather more confidence and edge to his race fitness after missing the first quarter of the season due to injury.

Jordan Booker had recovered from the hand injury that forced his withdrawal in Sweden last week. The youngster was again on the fringes of the top twenty and the point-scoring zone in the first moto but actually made the breakthrough and secured his first digit in the second race with twentieth position.

Nicholls has moved up from sixteenth to fourteenth in the MX2 standings with the tenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship taking place next weekend at the Kegums circuit for the Grand Prix of Latvia.

Jake Nicholls:

“It went well and I’d been up there pretty much all weekend. I was eighth in free practice and twelfth in pre-qualifying and I was really happy as those sessions are never usually my strong point. In the qualification heat I rode well and took ninth which was pretty important for a track like this where the start can mean so much. Today the first race start was pretty good and I rode a smart first lap. I was on my own in seventh for quite a while and riding alone has been one of my weak points so I was pleased with how I dealt with that. Aubin got me at the end but he was going like a train. In the second one I made a safe first turn and then rode like a lunatic on the first lap to reach fourth or fifth. I went as hard as possible and pushed all the way. I gave it everything. I had pressure all race and didn’t look back too much. This is a good step in the right direction and hopefully we can carry it on in Latvia in the sand.”

Jordan Booker:

“The weekend didn’t start well and I felt like I was letting the bike rule me instead of the other way around! I thought about it last night in bed and turned it around today. I felt better in warm-up and in the first race I predicted the gate and made a good start. I dropped a few positions and was down in 26^th but then worked my way back up to be strong at the end. In the next race I think I gated just outside the top twenty and in the first ten minutes I absolutely gunned it. I got myself up to eighteen and had pressure there for a long while. Two riders got by me but I got my first point. It feels like I’ve got a big monkey off my back now. A bit more experience and fitness and I hope to work up to the top fifteen.”

Roger Magee, Team Principal:

“It was a consistently good weekend for us and Jake is getting into positions now that we know he is capable of. The speed is there and I’m optimistic of a good second half of the season. It was good to see Jordan grab his first GP point and I hope this will ‘open a door’ for him now and give some confidence. The team will roll on to Latvia and then come back to the UK for the British Championship at Foxhill where Tom Church will join us for his debut on the 350SX-F.”

Jake Nicholls was hampered by a few technical gremlins at a slick Uddevalla for the Grand Prix of Sweden and although the HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK rider was in the hunt for a top five position in the first moto of the MX2 class he ultimately ended up leaving round eight of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship cursing his luck.

The British Motocross of Nations representative held a decent fifth place in the MX2 Qualification Heat on Saturday but struggled a little with the performance of his motorcycle and crossed the finish line down in tenth; still an acceptable slot in the gate for the Grand Prix motos.

A decent jump out of the gate on a damp Sunday morning saw Nicholls retaining a position on the fringes of the top five but not whollycomfortable with the demands of the hard-pack and slippery surface. The 21 year old eventually passed the flag in eighth place. A more complicated first turn in the second moto needed a pushy approach in the opening laps but Nicholls was sitting in eleventh with options to rise several more places when a water pump problem ended his race after four circulations.

Jordan Booker was also ignored by lady luck. A grasp of at least three points for seventeenth in the first moto was lost with a crash that relegated him out of the top twenty. The teenager had to retire in thesecond sprint after physical exertions needed across the Swedish bumps had torn a chunk of skin from his right hand.

While the team were buoyed by the news that former British Supercross Champion Tom Church will be steering the 350SX-F of the injured Graeme Irwin for the rest of the season and is expected to make hisGrand Prix debut at Lommel in Belgium at the end of the month, the crew nowface two long weeks of travelling with events in Germany and Latvia.

Jake Nicholls:

“The weekend started well but I was struggling with the set-up on the bike. We made some changes but it was hard to tell if they really worked in warm-up because the track was the wettest it had been. Anyway I started well and rode pretty good but I was fighting the bike a lot and I wished I could have sorted out the set-up because I had the right position on the track. Eighth place was not too bad considering what has happened so far this year for me. In the second one I had a bad first turn as I was boxed in from both sides. I started picking my way through and got into eleventh. I had a group in front of me and was ready to pass but then the bike stopped and I had to push it off. Very frustrating but nothing we could do. Overall I wasencouraged by the way I was riding.”

Jordan Booker:

“A hard day. I crashed while I was seventeenth and looking for some points and then tried to fight back but couldn’t get in the top twenty. I did my best in the second race but I ripped a huge slice of skin from my hand and I could barely hold the bars.”

Roger Magee, Team Principal:

“An unlucky weekend for us. Jake showed he has the speed to run in the top six so I hope very soon that will be something we will see regularly. The technical problem in the second moto is something that can happen in motocross and we will just have to move onward. Jordan seemed set for points but it wasn’t to be and he had to stop in the second race as his hands were stripped of skin. We have to regroup for next week and hope for more points on the board in Germany.”