Easter Sunday saw the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship supported by Pro Clean get underway after the cancellation of the opening round at Lyng. After a week of bad weather there were doubts about Culham but with the track sealed and in good condition the season started for the Apico Husqvarna team at the hillside track next to the River Thames. With no rain expected during the day the track was able to dry out and improve.
The morning started with the MX1 qualifying session and both Matt Burrows and Stuart Edmonds struggled to get a clear lap on the track and would finish the session down in 20th and 22nd places respectively.
Following the lunch break it was time for the opening race of the season and when the gate dropped both Stuart and Matt made good starts from their positions and Stuart ended the opening lap inside the top 10 and Matt a few places behind. Unfortunately a heavy crash on the third lap would see Matt pull out of the race and rest for the second moto. For Stuart the race was going well and he was in 9th for the opening laps until a string of crashes on the third lap dropped him down the order and he battled to get back to 22nd and just miss out on the points.
After the disappointment of the opening race both riders were looking for better results in the second race. Stuart once again made a strong start and was just outside the top 10 early on and worked hard all race to secure 11th place and 15thoverall on the day. For Matt it was a tough race recovering from outside the top 20 on the first lap to get into the points and take 18th place and 24th overall on the day.
Stuart Edmonds – 15th Overall – today has been an emotional day, coming into today I hadn’t done many races on the bike and in the first moto I spent more time on the ground than racing my bike. I came into the races a bit too aggressive today and was chasing the set up as well. We get the set up better for the second race and I felt more comfortable and finished 11th and I know that I can get into the top 10 and be mixing up there, so I have a few things to work on before the next round and I want to say a big thanks for Apico Factory Racing and all my personal sponsors for helping me out.
Matt Burrows – 24th Overall – today was a tough day and hasn’t ended how I wanted it too. I felt good in qualifying but struggled to get a clear run and then in the first race I had a heavy crash early on and that meant I was very sore for the second race and it was just a survival race to get some points.
Sean Burrows – Team Manager – Today hasn’t been the greatest day for either Matt or Stuart. In the first race they both had a crashes and bad luck. Then in the second race Stuart rode solid for 11th and showed that he can easily be inside the top 10 and Matt recovered from the crash in race one to get some points. Now we look forward to getting to the second round and progressing.
Photo Credit – ImageRichMedia