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Coppins and Nunn cap 2004 Maxxis series under hot Island Sun The
final round of the 2004 Maxxis British Championship proved to be
as hot as the weather that swept the Isle of Wight last Sunday.
Honda riders Josh Coppins and Carl Nunn claimed overall success
in the MX Open and MX2 classes respectively. The meeting drew just
under 5000 spectators and the Gore Basin track was once more immaculately
prepared, ripped deep and becoming rough after the first practice
session allowing the riders to really show what they capabilities.
New MX Open Champion Coppins continued his dominant winning streak
by owning both motos and was untouchable at the circuit where he
scored his first GP victory three months previously. His CAS team-mate
Yoshi Atsuta rounded off his short British Motocross career by taking
a solid second place (the 2001 250ccc Japanese Champion will return
to his homeland this winter) while factory Suzuki rider Tanel Leok
was third overall. Jamie Dobb made a welcome return to action riding
a Honda 450, scoring two top ten results. Stuart Flockhart and James
Noble were other Open protagonists, the latter going on to confirm
the Vice-Champion standing. FULL RACE RESULTS - click here RACE PICTURES - click here
Shuttle bus service from Ferry ports in operation once more Leaving the car in Portsmouth may be an easier option this weekend and Gore Basin visitors can take advantage of the shuttle bus running from the Island Ports to the circuit. - A bus will
meet the 8.00am ferry from Portsmouth getting into Fishbourne at
0845
- A return bus runs at 1645 and 1715, the times may be later
if there is a delay with the racing.
Take advantage of rare summer sun and camp the weekend for free! It looks as though this weekend might be a scorcher and if you want to make the trip to the Island more worthwhile then travel down to enter the site from 1pm Saturday and using the camping facilities for free!
2004
British Championships to wrap on Isle of Wight The eighth and final round of the Maxxis 2004 British Motocross Championship is set to occur this weekend at the UK’s premier motocross circuit, Gore Basin at Arreton on the Isle of Wight.
The MX2 and MX Open classes have already been decided with factory Kawasaki rider Stephen Sword and works Honda representative Josh Coppins taking the title honours respectively. The event will still be the biggest domestic meetings on the calendar mainly thanks to the strength of the venue. The circuit this year hosted the first British Grand Prix since 2000 and is currently leading the way for ‘Best round’ of the sixteen race 2004 FIM World Championships. 33,000 fans made the short trip across the water last May and the spectacular layout of the track won praise from all quarters, importantly from the leading Grand Prix riders themselves. The course provided some of the closest racing seen on the international schedule with Josh Coppins claiming an emotional debut MX1 success.
As witnessed in the preceding seven rounds of the ’04 Maxxis series the calibre of the entry has established the British Championship as one of the best in Europe. A high quota of Grand Prix regulars will be present along with the cream of home-grown talent.
Sadly MX2 Italian Grand Prix winner and factory Yamaha rider Andrew McFarlane will be absent after breaking his collarbone during practice for the GP of Europe in Germany last weekend. Even new Champion Sword is doubtful for Sunday after a heavy crash and concussion ruled him out of the same meeting.
The two 30 minute and 2 lap motos of the MX2 class will still have CAS Honda rider Jussi Vehvilainen, RTT Honda’s Carl Nunn, factory KTM rider and current number 2 in the world Tyla Rattray as the main draw.
The MX Open category will see the last British World Champion, Jamie Dobb, back in action since injuring his shoulder at the GP of Sweden. Dobb has swapped his 250cc Honda four-stroke mount for a 450 and will take on 2003 title holder Gordon Crockard (also Honda), new Champ Coppins, works Suzuki rider Tanel Leok and Yamaha’s Billy Mackenzie, fresh from gaining his best ever MX1 GP result at Gaildorf last Sunday.
Good news for the spectators, and even more so the riders, the Grand Prix circuit will remain virtually unchanged with track designer Johnny Hamilton applying his magic touch in terms of preparation over last week, the circuit is only Championship venue in the whole country to boast a permanent trackside watering system.
Ferry discounts to the Island from Portsmouth with Wightlink (www.wightlink.co.uk) are available by calling 08705 827 744 and quoting the reference: ‘Maxxis Spectator’. Pre-booked car tickets are strongly advised due to the high number of expected spectators, pre-booking will avoid congestion. Conditions apply to booking.
The event will boast some interesting off-track entertainment. The site is open from 1pm on Saturday with live bands, including popular act Evolution, and the ‘Showgirlz’ lap-dancing troupe providing suitable distraction. On Sunday the Isle of Wight Military Museum will be unleashing several of its vehicles upon the venue and the car-crushing tank displays will be offset with a slightly more fanciful sight of freestyle performers arcing through the air. The Wight Mountain freestyle team will be showing off their skills and possibly lining up afterwards to take part in the family sideshows such as the coconut shy, archery and shooting galleries. The obligatory trade area will allow fans their final opportunity to purchase race replicas goods this season and get autographs from their heroes. A new bigger and glossier colour official race programme will be on sale featuring exclusive interviews with ‘Swordy’, RTT Racing boss and British GP mogul Rob Bradley as well as a guide to the circuit by the top Grand Prix stars.
Despite a heavy spate of showers in the UK recently the weather forecast for the weekend is positive with sunshine bathing the Island this week.
The
racing starts at 1.05pm on Sunday. The price of admission is £15
with children under 12 admitted free.
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| Bike
It… Dixon Yamaha rider Billy Mackenzie
will attempt to ride all four races at this Sunday’s final round
of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship at the spectacular Gore
Basin circuit at Arreton on the Isle of Wight.
Billy MacKenzie will ride both the MX1 and MX2 classes – in total four 30 minute plus two races ! As well as riding his own Yamaha YZ450cc four stroke machine the young Scot will ride a YZ250f similar to his team mate Andrew McFarlane's specification which features a Rinaldi kit which has been so successful this year helping to place McFarlane on the podium several times in the World Championship Grand Prixs and giving him a double race victory at the Italian GP earlier this year.
Team Manager Steve Dixon has desperately been trying to negotiate with a replacement rider for the injured Andrew McFarlane who crashed and broke his collarbone on Sunday at the Grand Prix of Europe, it is still uncertain just how long Andrew will be out of action. With championship races being concluded elsewhere in Europe it was impossible to find a rider of high standard to take Andrew’s place on the Team and Billy Mac stepped forward to take up the challenge in the MX2 class.
Billy MacKenzie said “I know that riding all four races will be very difficult, but I have had a disastrous season what with my back injury and a food allergy, the championships have been tied up and I don’t really have a lot to loose. I think that it will be a very useful exercise as I will be able to directly compare power and handling of both the 250 and 450cc team bikes. The Isle of Wight circuit is the best in the country in my opinion, the preparation by Johnny Hamilton is second to none, all the jumps give you big air time and it’s spectacular for the riders and spectators alike. I know that the racing will be first class on Sunday and I can’t wait to ride the circuit. My fitness has gradually started to return but it will still be a long time before I am back to 100%, I will be using this race to help prepare of the final two Grand Prix races of the season, Ballykelly and Sun City, South Africa.”
Youngster
Martin Barr who was crowned BYMX Champion on Saturday at Desert
Martin in Northern Ireland will ride a brand new 2005 production
YZ125cc two stroke machine for the Bike It Dixon Yamaha squad, it
will be the first outing for Yamaha’s latest machine which
features an all new aluminium chassis.
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| McFarlane
to miss the Island
Bike…It Yamaha Dixon Racing rider Andrew McFarlane will miss this weekend’s final round of the Maxxis MX2 British Motocross Championship after a heavy crash last Sunday at the Grand Prix of Europe has left the former Australian Champion with a broken collarbone.
Misjudging a triple at Gaildord in Germany the Italian Grand Prix winner landed on the upper half of his body and sustained a clean brake of the right collarbone, effectively ending his season. British fans may have seen the last of ‘Sharkey’ who is rumoured to be riding for the Italian Errezeta Yamaha team for 2005 although nothing has been officially released at the time of writing.
McFarlane, who picked up a podium at Pontrilas for round seven, currently holds 2nd in the MX2 standing and can be caught by RTT Honda’s Carl Nunn who trails by just 36 points.
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Showgirlz ready to tantalise the public once more
The overwhelming popularity of the ‘Showgirlz’ adult entertainment at the British Motocross Grand Prix back in May has led to a return for the glitzy glamour girls of the south coast at Gore Basin this Saturday night on the eve of the final round of the Maxxis British Championship
The lap-dancing facility will again no doubt be in high demand after the site opens Saturday afternoon at 1pm with live bands also providing suitable distractions the same evening together with a beer tent.
Find
out more about the celebrated visitors at: www.showgirlz.co.uk
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‘Smashing’
entertainment lined up for Arreton Motocross event The final round of the 2004 Maxxis British Motocross Championship on September 5th will not only see some exciting action at the UK’s premier circuit but various slices of entertainment occurring away from the racing that is sure to make the Isle of Wight based event the most memorable meeting of the series. Already
favourite for the prize of ‘Best Grand Prix’ of the 2004 World Motocross
Championships, the Gore-Basin facility at Arreton will once again
be a mecca of off-road racing festivities. The most competitive
domestic motocross series in Representatives
from the A comprehensive trade area will stock goods for avid fans while a Freestyle display will ensure the lunch hour on Sunday will pass quicker than usual.
The
site will be open from The line-up so far consists of: DJ
Steve Bradley – from Cold
Day in Nautical Theme And the band ‘Evolution’, back by popular demand after their successful showing at the British Grand Prix in May. Event organisers, RTT Racing, hope to add a few more enticements in the build-up to the meeting and are already promising small refinements such as a bigger and glossier official programme.
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| Fantastic
Ferry Discounts To British Motocross Championship.
After the huge success and precision like operation of the World Motocross Championship staged at the Gore Basin Facility, Arreton on the Isle of Wight earlier this year in May, RTT Racing have negotiated fantastic discount ferry crossing rates for all spectators and competitors To qualify for a substantial discount with the WIGHTLINK Ferry firm to the Isle from Portsmouth call 08705 827 744 and quote the reference:
Reservations can also be made on the internet at www.wightlink.co.uk Pre-booked car tickets on the ferries to the Isle of Wight are strongly advised due to the high number of expected spectators, pre-booking will avoid congestion. Ferries to the Island Leaving from (mainland) Arriving (Isle of Wight) Portsmouth Fishbourne
(car/passenger) Lymington Yarmouth (car/passenger) Southampton
East Cowes (car/passenger) For Portsmouth and Lymington ferries are operated by WIGHTLINK :
Competitor Rates – Available from all mainland ports Car/Motorhome up to 6m, driver + up to 1
passenger £25.40 Spectator Rates - Available from all mainland ports Motorbike: Rider + Pillion passenger £20.70
Discounted travel fares are valid for travel from Tuesday 31st August to Thursday 9th September 2004 - Before 0545 or after 0925 Monday to Friday and anytime on Sunday. For Travel on Saturday 4th September period
excludes time between 1030 and 1700 |
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| Isle
of Wight circuit to undergo track transformation?
A member of
the MX committee from the ACU will arrive on the island next weekend
(August 14-15) to inspect the course and deliver their certificate
approving the track for the last meeting in the 2004 calendar. Organisers
of the British round and also the Grand Prix RTT Racing do not want
the highly praised circuit adjusted for September’s meeting
but this philosophy will change for 2005. Gore-Basin is the only circuit in the UK to boast a water irrigation system and this will be extended to the start straight in the next few weeks, which was the only part of the terrain not reached by the sprinkler flow. With regards to the future and the rumours that the 2005 British Grand Prix maybe run ‘in reverse’ around the track, RTT’s Julie Coyne commented: “It is currently something we are thinking about, this much is true. I would say there is a 50/50 chance that the circuit could be reversed. We never want Gore-Basin to be the same. We always want some new, challenging and technical; that surprise element all the time.” |
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| Gore-Basin
set for numerous upgrades for British Championship
British Grand Prix venue Gore-Basin, located on the Arreton Downs, will be going through some changes for the final round of the Maxxis British Championship due to take place on September 5th. Event organisers RTT Racing absorbed the feedback from the first World Championship event to be held in Britain for four years last May and have acted to improve the facilities at the venue which is currently in the driving seat to gain the ‘Best GP of the season Award’. One alteration will be in the provision of chemical toilets of which there were insufficient numbers for the Grand Prix that celebrated an attendance of over 30,000 fans. The number of units has increased although the scale of the site has been reduced in line with the demands of the event. The circuit itself will be open to public from 1pm Saturday 4th for those wishing to make a weekend of the meeting. The race schedule should see some different entertainment with an Army tank arriving to crush cars (be careful where you park!) and the event will also have 2000 bigger and more colourful official programmes to sell to the public. |
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| British
Champions hoping to be on display at Gore-basin
This year’s contest comes to a close at the UK’s premier circuit on September 5th, one week prior to the 15th and penultimate round of the FIM World Championships at Northern Ireland. The series visits Gore-Basin on the Isle of Wight, home of the best attended GP and highly rated circuit from the 2004 international campaign. The final round of eight will take place on the Arreton Downs and there is a good chance that the titles of each classification could already be decided therefore providing an opportunity for the public to see this season’s new Champions in action. ‘Swordy’, riding his factory Kawasaki, currently third in the World Championship standings and winner of the German Grand Prix, is leading the MX2 ranking by 63 points from Yamaha’s Andrew McFarlane. McFarlane had to pull out from the recent Czech Grand Prix with an injured shoulder but should be back in action for round seven of the Maxxis competition at Pontrilas in two weeks. With 30 points for a win and four motos remaining Swordy is already in a strong position but a recent blood test revealed low Iron levels just before the Czech Grand Prix at Loket and seriously affected his performance. With the reigning British Champ desperate to chase the number two plate on the GP stage what affect this latest physical setback could have on his domestic commitment is an interesting question. For sure McFarlane
and RTT Honda’s Carl Nunn (82 points adrift in 3rd) would
be willing to step into the breach if Sword shows any sign of vulnerability.
Nunn in particular may want to set up an exciting outcome for Gore-Basin
considering it will be the home event for his employers. |
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