R1. British Championships - Culham - 13th March 2022

ACU REVO BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP – R1 – CULHAM 

Culham, nestled on the banks of the River Thames, saw the first round of the Revo British Championship this past weekend.  It was the first British Championship Meeting for Verde’s 2022 Team Line Up and the results were awesome. 

QUALIFICATION: 

First out for qualification was MX2, with Kyle McNicol 57 and Bailey Johnston 119.  Kyle road strong at Hawkstone International achieving a good 5th place in race one and it was Baileys first time out in MX2 after moving up from rookies, having won the MXY1 last year on his 125. 

Great start to the day.  Kyle got P2 in qualification, with Just Conrad Mews beating him.  Bailey didn’t do quite as well coming 24th.  It was a stacked class and his first Pro Race in the British Championship 

M1 followed with Jake Millward 303 out in qualification.  A relatively good start to the day with Jake getting P7. 

MX2 RACE 1: 

Kyle McNicol: 

Great first race.  Good start but then came off in lap 3.  Pulled back and ran in 5th.  Made a pass into 4th, then the rider in front made a mistake and Kyle moved into 3rd position.  He was sitting strong in 3rd when he slid off and dropped back to 5th.  Then with 1 lap to go, he flipped the bike, took a big fall, got back on and finished the race in a solid 10th place. 

Bailey Johnston: 

Bailey had a terrible gate pick and didn’t get a great start.  He dropped the bike on the first lap so sat way back in 36th.  He fought hard and dug deep, pulling through the pack 15 places in the next two laps.  He was determined to get into the point scoring position and in last lap he passed 2 more and finished a fantastic 19 place in his first MX2 Pro Race. 

MX1 RACE 1: 

Jake Millward: 

Great start to the race for Jake.  Started out in 4th place behind Dylan Walsh, Shaun Simpson and Tommy Searle.  Dylan and then Shaun made mistakes, so it was Jake Millward and Tommy Searle that remained consistent from beginning until the end of the race, with Tommy leading and Jake following close behind.  There were more than a few moments when the crowd thought that Millward would make a pass through to lead, but he couldn’t quite make them stick.  So, Race 1, an excellent P2. 

MX2 RACE 2: 

Kyle McNicol: 

Not a fantastic jump out the gate, coming round in 9th spot.  Kyle was confident and strong and pulled back up to 6th by lap 2.  His times were consistent and his riding smooth and by lap 7 he was sitting in a comfortable P3.   He remained solid with nobody pressurising him.  The only other riders ahead were Conrad Mews and Isaac Gifting.  So Kyle McNicol finished race 2 with an excellent P3 finish. 

Overall:  Race 1 P10, Race 2 P3, Overall P4 (missing the podium by just 1 point). 

Bailey Johnston: 

Race 2 really didn’t go to plan for Bailey.  He crashed on the first lap putting him down to 32nd place.  As fast as he pulled through, he crashed again. Moving into the Pro Class is a big move and takes a bit of getting used to.  Now the first meeting is over, he can settle into his own pace and start to gain points and experience.  Race 1 saw Bailey finish in P28. 

Overall:  Race 1 P19, Race 2 P28, Overall P25.  Not bad out of 38 riders in his first MX2 Pro Race. 

MX1 RACE 2: 

Jake Millward: 

Race 2 wasn’t quite as good for Jake.  He managed to get 7th position out of the gate and that is pretty much where he remained for the whole race.  He didn’t gain yet he didn’t lose.  However, as he remained consistent it contributed to an excellent overall and a podium. 

Overall:  Race 1 P2, Race 2 P7, Overall P3.  Podium Pie. 

QUOTE FROM TEAM MANAGER ADRIAN KIRK: 

Strong start to the season by all 3 riders.  Showed a lot of promise. #Hardwork pays off. 

QUOTE FROM KYLE MCNICOL: 

Started the day on a high after finishing P2 in Qualification behind Conrad Mews.  Made a few mistakes in Race 1 and finished P10.  Race 2 was awesome.  Pulled from 9th up to 3rd place.  Missed the podium by just 1 point. 

QUOTE FROM BAILEY JOHNSTON: 

A good first round with lots to positives to take away.  It was my MX2 Pro Debut and I was really happy to come away with some points.  I struggled in the 2nd race after coming off on more than one occasion.  Lots to take away and learn from. 

QUOTE FROM JAKE MILLWARD: 

Started the season on a high.  Coming away with 3rd overall.  Some mega battles and good racing all weekend.  Bring on round 2.