It was a trip down South to Little Silver, Exeter on the weekend of May 31st and June 1st for the second round of the ACU MXGB Youth British Motocross Championship for Rafe. Unfortunately due to an injury earlier this year at Oxford Moto Parc for the opening round of the NPC – Pro MX Championship, meant Rafe missed out on the first round of the ACU Championship.
Check out how the weekend went below.
This year we were able to secure a place to participate in the new MXGB Youth ACU Championship, due to injury Rafe had to miss the first round but was able to join the second round which took place at Little Silver.
Nervous, but excited for the event, the aim was to enjoy the experience and hopefully come within the top 20. The championship attracted riders from all over the UK and Ireland.
Heading out for qualifying, there were a few fallen riders and a few mistakes made by Rafe, meaning it was difficult to do a full lap at a fast pace. But qualifying 20th was a good sign.
Race 1 – Heading down the start straight, another rider collided with Rafe causing a pile up of about 4-5 riders. They were up quickly but now at the back of the pack, this did not phase Rafe, he knew he had 15 minutes of race time to hunt riders down and turn the negative into a positive. Using his knowledge of the track to make 11 passes throughout the race, crossing the line in 25th place.
Race 2 – A good race start saw Rafe running with the top 12 riders, a good consistent ride with no mistakes. However, the rough track and longer race times took its toll, and Rafe could no longer defend his 12th place. 3 riders were able to get past in the last 2 laps. Pushing him back to 15th. Giving an insight into what was possible and with some more work, he could be knocking on the door of the top 10, Rafe was pleased with his 15th.
With Day 1 complete, Rafe spent the evening chilling with friends, watching TV and getting a much needed early night.
As Day 2 arrived, the nerves of the event had settled, Rafe walked the track and made some mental adjustments for different lines to take.
Race 3 – WOW, a different rider today, making different line choices, gave a faster pace and Rafe cleared some of the bigger jumps – However, this was short lived when Rafe crashed twice in the later stages of the race, he was able to gain some ground and crossed the line in 26th place.
Race 4 – Another great start, Rafe settled into 13th place and was holding his position well, he proceeded to put some distance between himself and the riders behind, trying to keep pace with the top 12. However, the longer races began to take their toll and a simple mistake in a corner, saw Rafe hit the ground, he was back up quickly but lost out on several places, crossing the line in 20th position.
Overall, Rafe was 21st in the event, which was an awesome result, but there were signs this could be improved with some hard work.
