The first round of the Motul British Motocross Championship for 2025 took place at the iconic Hawkstone Park Motocross Track, where Apico Factory Racing are the series sponsor of the prestigious MX1 class. With Tom Grimshaw still recovering from a shoulder injury picked up during Arenacross, it was all on Martin Barr to fly the flag for the team in MX1.  |
It was nice to see the MX1 start gate practically full for the first round, which meant qualifying was busy, and Martin got his fast lap in on the first attempt for 6th gate pick. With the new structure that involved an LCQ in a stacked MX2 class, the first MX1 race didn’t start until after 2.00 PM. Martin had a decent start, coming out of the woods and down the first set of jumps in 12th position. As he settled into the first couple of laps, he started to pass riders looking fast and comfortable as he made his way into the top 10 and was in 9th position when it happened. Martin took a different line on the approach to the famous bomb hole area of the track, hitting a soft spot that stopped the bike in its tracks and pitched him off due to the speed and momentum he’d been carrying. Luckily, Martin avoided a serious injury and managed to come away with superficial cuts and a bloody nose. This disrupted Martin’s flow and had him a little dazed. The bike had suffered some movement to the controls, and Martin’s helmet was damaged in the impact, which meant he was unable to continue the race.  After making sure he was okay, Martin and the team decided to continue the meeting and compete in the second race.After making a similar start to the first race, rounding the second corner in 12th place, Martin went about attacking the field, passing a couple of riders and pushing to the last quarter of the race where he passed Carlton Husband, Jason Meara and John Adamson to finish 7th. After the incident in the first race, this performance was nothing short of heroic from the Ulsterman.  Dylan: “Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Paul Irwin and his team for all their efforts in raising the profile of the British Motocross Championship. It was evident that the changes they have brought are of a benefit not just to the riders and teams but the sponsors of the series, too.I am relieved that we made it out of Hawkstone as a team, as Martin’s incident could have easily brought our season to an early close. Anna and I had discussed at length with Martin whether to continue the meeting, and he decided he was fit and could compete in the second race.  After qualifying 6th and pushing through the second race to the very end to finish 7th I am very pleased with Martin and his performance. We have a break in the Motul British Motocross Championship until May, where we hope to see Tom under the awning supporting Martin as he continues his recovery from a shoulder injury.I would like to thank the sponsors for making the 10th year of our Apico team possible, and all the team members and fans for their continued support”. |