MX Nationals- Round 6 Culham Park
Verde Racing News | 28/08/2014
MX Nationals- Round 6 Culham Park - 24/08/14
Bank holiday weekend saw the MX Nationals return to Culham Park in Oxfordshire. With the paddock running along the bank of the River Thames and the weather looking promising, a good turn out was expected. Changes had been made to the track to mix it up and challenge the riders.
Verde sports racing took a guest rider under the awning at this event, Tom Duddle from POA Racing. Tom rode in the clubman class for his first time riding at the MX Nationals and at the Culham circuit.
Qualifying :
Matty was confident after free practice and said the new track lay out flowed better than he thought it would. But timed practice didn't go to plan, he looked good on the track and consistent but struggled to get on clear fast lap in for a good time. This left Matty with 16 th gate pick, not a bad time but a second or 2 would have put him into the top 10.
Race 1 :
Mathew didn't get a excellent start but still managed to settle into 15th place by the middle of the first lap. He pushed hard and found some new lines giving him better speed to move into 11th place. Matty then pushed on to try and catch the rider in front but with using so much energy after a bad start he started to fade a little. In the last few laps he lost a few positions leaving him in 14th place at the finish.
Race 2 :
After Saturdays racing the track was watered and ripped ready for race 2 on Sunday afternoon. The track looked good and Matty felt determined to better his first race result. He got out the gate well and came round the first turn in 11th. It was a tough and fast race and Matty had a rider on his back wheel throughout the race. He stayed consistent and rode hard to the flag with a excellent 10th place finish.
Race 3 :
What a start! Matty was one of the first out of the gate and managed to get round the first turn in 6th place, his best start all year. He kept with the pack for the first lap but then settled into his own pace and 10th spot. He battled between 10th and 11th throughout the race. The ground was loose and cut up making it really rough but Matty hung onto his position until the last lap, where he made a small mistake and finished the race in 12th place. Not a bad finish and a really good race to watch.
Overall :
Matty finished overall in joint 10th place for the weekend which was a excellent result and very encouraging for the next few race meetings. He also fought his demons on the track where he was airlifted off at the start of the year because of a huge crash followed by a few days in hospital and weeks off the bike. He has been fraught with injuries and bad luck ever since, but this was a great sign that things are starting to look up for Mathew and he has really shown his determination to fight back. The Next step is to get some intense fitness training done to prepare for the next set of races at our local track Preston Docks on the 6th/7th of September.
Quote from team Manager Adrian Kirk :
Very promising weekend. An excellent overall result and some good positions to build on.
Quote from team Rider Mathew Callaghan :
I made some mistakes on Saturday but pushed harder on Sunday and I was pleased with my results. I still have room to improve and I can't wait for the next race at Preston Docks in 2 weeks time.
Verde Racing News | 28/08/2014
£
R7. British Championships - Monster Mountain - 10th September 2023
R5. MX Nationals - Hawkstone Park - 3rd September 2023
R4. MX Nationals - Cusses Gorse - 6th August 2023