We headed to Oakhanger at the weekend for the 1st round of the Nora Pro Championship. The track was prepared really well but, as qualifying was going to show, it would break down really quickly and became pretty brutal.
I hadn’t ridden any deep sand through the winter but was looking forward to the challenge as it is the type of track that I need to gain more experience on.
I felt good in qualifying and felt that I was improving and getting more used to the conditions as the session went on. The track got really rough quicker than I expected through the session and I waited too long to put in a fast lap, I ended up qualifying p32 but only 3 seconds of the top 20.
Race 1 – got a good start and was running p10 but then went down near the end of the first lap breaking my finger and leaving me dead last. I got back up and worked my way through to 31st, only to crash again as I struggled to grip the bars and ended up p35.
Race 2 – I lined up for race two and ended up mid pack but went down on the first lap again as I continued to struggle with grip. I pushed hard to get some places back and then went down again, colliding with another rider, with 2 laps to go and ended up p29.
The result was not what I was ideally looking for in my first MX2 race but I took away some good positives, preparation and fitness levels were good thanks to the ongoing programme with CRS and working with Coach Robb. It was also good to get some bike time in the sand and an understanding of what I need to work on for the Bridgestone British championship back at this track in two weeks time, just hope my hand heals enough that I can race it!
Big thanks to the NoraCRS team and all the sponsors for the support this season. On to the next race.
