SUPERMOTO SPECTACULAR AT MALLORY
Mallory Park is the chosen venue for this year's Motocross Grand Prix of Great Britain next weekend, but it also should be mentioned that some superb racing from the World Supermoto series will be taking place on the 30th May as part of the prestigious event.
Supermoto is a challenging combination of motocross with road racing, and event organiser, RHL Activities, is building a purpose-built dirt section to adjoin Mallory Park's road race circuit for the World Championship races in one week's time. The race machines themselves are a crossover with motocross-based bikes running on slick tyres over the course, which is usually made up of 70% tarmac and 30% off-road.
This makes for exciting racing, especially with the world's very best riders, as the challenging combination of super-fast, sideways sliding, road racing action combined with the slower, technical dirt section is certainly impressive to see.
British hopefuls Matt Winstanley and Chris Hodgson in the S1 class along with Christian Iddon in the S2 series will certainly be hopeful of some support in the Italian-dominated races, especially as this is their first home round in many years.
At the recent press day, these three leading racers had the opportunity to walk the area where the off-road part of the course will be, as well as sample some time on the Mallory Park track aboard their race machines.
"I am actually pretty excited about the British Grand Prix, as we have so many events in Italy, it will be nice to race elsewhere," said Iddon.
The KTM rider, who had a disastrous start to the 2009 season with two crashes at the opening round in Italy, felt that having a new track on the calendar will give the riders the opportunity to race on an even playing field and the British competitors more motivation to win with a home race.
"The Italians in the championship always get a huge amount of support, whereas us Brits do a lot of traveling and get no support, so having a home race will be grand. Many of the Italian riders practice on the tracks we race on, so they are on the pace straight away, whereas we usually have to play catch-up, but at Mallory Park we'll all be on an even playing field," continued the KTM pilot.
Iddon is particularly excited about this year's race, and has offered his advice to the event organiser after taking a look at where the Supermoto races will be staged. The multitime British Champion is also looking forward to having his family there for support, including his gran and grandad, whom haven't seen him race in many years.
"I think it will be a bit faster here and this is good for us as it's harder to get the good lines. I've seen the motocross track as well as where the Supermoto track will be, and it all looks quite impressive. We just need the fans support, some decent weather and I'm sure it will be a super weekend. I have all my family coming here and I'm definitely looking forward to it," concluded Iddon.
Many of the leading Supermoto riders started out their careers in motocross racing, so they are no strangers to the off-road world. The sport may be less physically demanding than motocross, but this kind of racing requires a great amount of skill and ability to compete in the top flight.
"I definitely think this will be a great Grand Prix for Supermoto and for the motocross too. There's definitely going to be plenty of racing for all of the spectators, with the world's best in both disciplines," said Winstanley.
"I started in motocross when I was younger, but there's a lot more jumps on the tracks now and obviously the biggest difference with Supermoto is how rough the terrain is, as the Supermoto tracks stay consistent all the way through a race," said the Husqvarna pilot.
On riding at his home Grand Prix, Matt definitely seems eager, and hopefully he'll be able to put on a good show for the crowds.
"It's the first time I've had a home Grand Prix, and this will spur us on a bit more, so hopefully I can get a good result. I've seen where the track will be and I'm definitely excited about riding here," concluded Winstanley.
The FIM World Supermoto Championship is held over 10 rounds, and having round two of the championship combined with the Motocross Grand Prix will offer a lot of value to the spectators venturing to the Leicestershire venue next weekend. Director of RHL Activities, Gareth Hockey, has been working closely with the riders to ensure the Supermoto track is constructed in a way that the competitors will enjoy, although due to the road race circuit being in use, the dirt section will not be built until this week.
"Our recent press day was very useful, as I had the opportunity to work with the riders on the plans for the off-road part of the Supermoto track," said Hockey.
"Supermoto is not our main forte here at RHL Activities, but having walked the area out with the riders and discussed with them our ideas, we've had some great feedback in what we need to do with this part of the circuit. Also, the Supermoto brings a whole new dimension to our event, which will have a very full racing programme, offering lots of value to spectators during the weekend," concluded Hockey.
RHL Activities has ensured that the packed racing programme is complemented by a range of off-track activities, with plenty to keep everyone in the family occupied during the weekend. For Mallory Park, it's one of the biggest events in the region this year, and it is certainly expected to be buzzing with atmosphere to help our British competitors along in their respective races.
Tickets are still available on-site or by calling Mallory Park on 01455 842931. More information about the event, the entertainment and everything for this super-exciting weekend can be found at the official website by logging onto www.britishmxgp.com.
Posted: 24 May 2009
