Apico Husky squad’s weekend of action

Apico Husqvarna set out for a double championship weekend at two of the most iconic tracks the U.K. has to offer, the Revo British Motocross Championship powered by Gulf Fuels at Foxhill on the Saturday and the Michelin MX Nationals at Hawkstone on Sunday.

Foxhill

Qualifying was in a different order to the previous rounds with MX1 going out first. Stuart enjoyed qualifying and made a season-best 7^th at the MXGB in the claggy, tough terrain. Jamie had the advantage of being out for last practice when the track had dried out, though he was unable to get a clean lap in, and with qualifying times within 1 second of each other up to 5th place, it was close and left him with 19th gate pick. Jack put in a strong qualifying performance in the stacked youth class and managed to go 2^nd fastest in MXY2 towards the end of his session.

MX1 race 1 got off to a flying start, with Stuart inside the top 4 as he entered the famous sweeping hillsides of the venue. Stuart had said he was not feeling himself and lost a few positions. One rider getting by after Stuart got out of shape and caught in the rut at the end of the start straight. Regardless of this, he pushed on for 7^th at the flag. In race 2 Stuart did not get the start, though pushed through overtaking a couple of riders and into the top 10 before running into the back of another rider and going down and then had another going down again. After he had collected himself and restarted in 14^th, he made a push and got back into the top 10, though he finished 11^th at the flag. A solid 10^th overall in a close-run battle with several riders where a single point would have made for 8^th. Stuart now lies in 10^th place in the MXGB Championship.

MX2 was almost a case of Déjà vu in the first race, with Jamie coming into the bottom of the valley in 6^th place before pushing into 5^th position on the 2 stroke. He managed to hold the position for a few laps and then made the same mistake as Stuart at the bottom of the start straight in the large rut. This disrupted his rhythm leaving an opening for a train of riders to pass Jamie on the lap before settling into 9^th position where he comfortably saw through the rest of the race. In race 2, the last race of the day, Jamie had another top 10 start though got caught out in a rut in the bottom of the valley that removed his chain. Several riders fell foul to the same thing, though Jamie unlike some managed to get his chain back on and climb from 19^th back to 13^th in a display of perseverance. This gave him 11^th overall tied on points to 8^th place. Jamie is now 14^th in the MX2 Championship.

MXY2 was bittersweet for Jack, he made the start inside the top 5 and had made his way to the front of the pack by the midpoint of the race. It was then disaster struck and Jack went down and remounted in 7^th to bring it across the line. Race 2 was easy by comparison. After a great start in 3^nd, Jack swiftly made his way on the first lap to 2^nd where he rode out the moto. This gave Jack 4^th overall on the day narrowly missing the podium and 4^th in the MXY2 Championship.

Hawkstone

Due to the unusual nature of the weekend, having an MXGB and MX Nationals take place 100 miles apart, the team had no other choice but to miss the first day of the MX Nationals. Saturday we travelled northwards to Hawkstone Park. After setting up again and refilling water tanks in what was a long day, the boys had it all to do again. Jack Lindsay took the decision not to compete as he’d lost too many points in the championship, and with potential further date clashes, and would not ride the event.

Practice was short for the riders who had been to Foxhills. They had their qualifier that was tagged onto the riders who lined up Saturday, which was only fair under the circumstances. Stuart rounded out the Sunday riders’ practice with a 7^th and Jamie in 8^th.

Although the MX1 & MX2 race together they are scored separately. It was always going to be harder on Sunday after the downpour that night. The track was wet in places and the iconic hill was not being used.

Stuart got out the gate mid-pack and was pushing early, though he could tell something wasn’t right with the bike. Stuart maintained his pace albeit riding at 70% for 10^th at the line. It transpired that his rear shock had blown and all the suspension was swapped over ready for the next race. Jamie was just outside the mid-pack and went on to push forward to 2^nd place and held the position for most of the race. Jamie being a racer was not giving up on 2^nd place and took the battle right to the last lap, with just over a second between him and the 2^nd place MX2 rider.

By the last race of the day, Hawkstone had got deep from the weekends riding, making it technical and challenging for the riders. Stuart felt better, though got caught up with a couple of riders who made it had to pass. As a result of the close battle, he managed to use his roll offs and had to remove his goggles. Pushing on in the tough conditions Stuart managed to bring it home for 12^th in MX1 on the day. Jamie did not get the start, though was close to the MX2 leader. He, unfortunately, lost some ground on the lead due to a few slower MX1 riders. He managed to keep riding his race on the brutal track and took it to the line where he just missed recapturing 2^nd place for a brace of 3^rd places over the weekend and 3^rd overall on the day.

Dylan: “What a weekend, and one I wouldn’t want to do again if the truth is told! Foxhill was very good, with great performances from all 3 riders in their respective first races. Stuart showed why Foxhill is one of his favourite tracks and even though he didn’t feel comfortable in the race, managed one of his best results of the year. Stuart was unlucky in race 2 and didn’t feel himself all weekend, though still managed 11^th at the line. He’s now 10^th in the MX1 MXGB Championship.

Jamie had a fantastic start to the first race and finished the highest placed 2 Stroke rider. He showed experience and perseverance in the second race too after slipping the chain and making places back to 13^th for 11^th overall and 14^th in the Championship. Jack was a little unlucky after doing the hard work in the first race, though has shown maturity and good judgement with his racing. He was 4^th overall and is now 4^th in the MXY2 Championship.

After losing points from Saturday and having to qualify separately at the Michelin MX Nationals on Sunday, it was always going to be tough to get a decent overall result for both riders. With Stuart and Jamie riding well on Saturday at Foxhills and Hawkstone being a different track without the rain, Sunday could have been a different story had both days been raced. Regardless, what’s done is done results-wise, we’ll take 14^th overall for Stuart and 6^th overall for Jamie. They are both now 10^th and 6^th overall in their respective classes.

I do feel for the Michelin MX Nationals organisers. They had the date first and then MXGB changing to the same weekend made it hard on the teams and riders in deciding what to do. We have had a lot of deliberation within the team, though in the end, we left the decision with the riders to say where they wanted to race.

Personally, I do not think this is fair on the team members or the riders. If it happens again, I can see our team having to split or go to one of the championships. Removing myself from the team scenario and looking at it as a distributor and sponsor, the long-term effects of this kind of actions if it was to happen again would not be good for the future of the sport. We need 2 major championships for Pro Riders in a year to make sponsorship work. Teams and riders are effectively the Apico brand and our distributed brands shop window. I’ll leave it for you to decide what happens if a Championship such as the MX Nationals no longer had a Pro Class going into 2022”.