A new track for the 2011 AMCA Motocross Championship, lands itself at Tunstall Hall in Shropshire. With consistant overnight rain the forecast for once being acurate, qualifying was slippery and deep ruts. Lee Dunham, on the Maxxis Henderson L.P.E Kawasaki posted 3rd fastest time which gave a great choice of the gate, Lee knowing that the start would be crutial in the races.

Unfortunately bad luck in moto 1 gave Lee Dunham a disapointing 27th, however he displayed great character to bounce back from a very heavy
crash and still earn 6th overall during round 2 of the AMCA MX Championships at Tunstall on Sunday.

Indeed moto one was to prove to be rather disastrous after being knocked off by Shaun Pearce before the race
had even reached the second turn!!. Undeterred, Lee picked himself up to then blast from last up to 10th diecing his way through the pack before an unfortuante big off. A slight mistake on a huge jump landing into the track markings. Again restarting last, Lee was to eventually finish 27th, but those 14 points gained could prove to be vital come the end of the season!!.
Despite a massive headache and blurred vision, Lee made a great start in moto two and briefly led proceedings before being passed by eventual winner Clinton Barrs. However showing an abundance of spirit and character not giving up Lee bravely chased Clinton all the way to the chequered flag to take 2nd spot, just over two seconds in arrears.
In almost a repeat performance, Lee took another strong 2nd spot in the
final race of the day behind Clinton. Reeling Clinton in at one stage, however back markers casuing issues for the front runners and Clinton managed to creep away just enough to hold onto the top spot with Dunham 2nd and Turner 3rd in the final moto. OK so Tunstall did not go quite to plan, Lee is still only 59 points off the top slot and
with another 18 motos to contest. With 60 points up for grabs at each race 180 on the day.

Lee Dunham: 6th Overall

”Today was tuff. I was taken down by a guy who clearly wasnt in control. It filled my goggles up with mud and i couldnt see properly for the whole race. I then couldnt see some ruts on the take off of the huge table top and it crossed me up landing on the ropes and steaks!. Oh man I was so sore. I woke up and saw stars. For the whole day I couldnt focus on distance. I really wanted to not let it affect my points and my goal was to win the next 2 to claw some points back. I ended up with two 2nds..Disapointed. Leaving now with a huge headache still, and my eyes are all over the place- just going to rest up now ready for Cezcho European Round in 2 weeks. I want to win”

Both riders and mechanics had to work hard before the start of the session to prepare for what was to be a very muddy qualifying session. The track was very muddy and with standing water on some sections conditions were going to be difficult. The session ended with disappointment with all three riders struggling to get a good lap time in, leaving Gert in 10th place in MX1 then Bryan in 5th place and Connor down in 20th spot in MX2

Following the lunch break it was time to start racing with the first of two Pro National races. When the gate dropped it was Krestinov who rounded the first corner inside the top 5, meanwhile Bryan and Connor both struggling with the start. As the race settled down Gert slipped back a position and rode hard to finish in 6th place in MX1. For Bryan it was going to be a long race following the poor start meaning he had to battle all race long to finish in a strong 4th place in MX2. Connor rode a solid race in finish in 11th place MX2.

The second race of the day saw bad starts for both Gert and Bryan, while Connor made a great start inside the top 10 of both classes combined. Bryan suffered bad luck on the first jump when he was knocked off the track by another rider leaving him in last place and with a lot of work to do. Gert spent the duration of the race recovering from a bad start and a small crash to finish in 11th place. Connor’s strong start and strong ride put him in a good position for fifth place in MX2 at the end of moto which was a great result in only his third Pro race of the season. Bryan rode a strong race from dead last to recover to 10th place in the MX2 class.

Connor Walkley

This weekend has been one of the best weekend’s ever in my career. Since I’ve been coming back from my injury I haven’t really felt myself on the bike, but halfway through the opening moto I just seemed to find my groove. It really showed in the second moto of the day when I got a 5th place in MX2. I got a mega start and was inside the top 10 against the 450’s and rode a great race. I know I still have work to do but I hope the results continue from here.

Bryan Mackenzie

It’s been a real bad weekend, I qualified in 5th place but it was really muddy out there. The first race I got a terrible start, I’m not sure what the deal is at the moment but I’m not getting the jump so I had to work really hard and it was difficult to pass out there. I managed to get back to 4th place after a long moto. The second moto I got a better start but it was still pretty average, then on the first jump one of the 450 riders got it all wrong and knocked me off the side of the jump so I was dead last and nearly a lap down. I rode hard and got 10th but I need a break of luck soon.

Gert Krestinov

Really bad weekend I felt so bad out there in practice, I just couldn’t get on with the track being that muddy. The first race I got a good start and came away with 6th place so it was ok. The second race I had a poor start and then I made a mistake and crashed losing a lot of positions meaning that I finished down in 11th. I just want to forget this weekend and move onto the next and start getting things right and where I know I should be.

Steve James

The long 700+ miles round trip to Landrake and back is one that I’m glad we are only doing once this season, it’s been a long road trip, what with hold ups, traffic jams and having a blow out on one of the race trucks on the way down didn’t help! But hey that’s life. The racing today has been good considering the heavy downpour early in the morning which left the track very muddy. The track was in near perfect condition by the time of the opening race of the day. Bryan rode well and gained a strong 4th place in the first MX2 race with Connor coming home in 11th place which is great for Connor. Gert also produced a strong start and rode hard for 6th place in MX1. The second race didn’t go so well for Bryan and Gert with crashes. Bryan crashed early on the opening lap and Gert on the second lap, so both had to battle hard for their finishes on 11th for Gert and 10th for Bryan. But it was Connor who was the star in the last race, after starting inside the top 10 and then running well at the front to finish in fifth place in MX2. It’s great for Connor and for the team giving him 8th overall on the day, with Bryan a credible 5th overall in MX2 and Gert a damage limitation 8th overall in MX1.

This weekend some of our team were at The Dirt Bike Show 2009 in coventry.

We managed to get some of our favourite designs for 2010 onto the teams who we sponsor. Our designs were scattered around  at Proppa.com Honda, L.P.E Kawasaki and Shocktech Suzuki.

Thanks to everyone who came down to check out our work and who ordered kits with us over the weekend.

Our 2010 designs are available to order now, you can find information in our products!

Emma

SpiralGfx

Proppa.com Honda 2010 Team Kit

2 Tone 2010

2 Tone 2010

2 Tone 2010 at L.P.E Kawasaki

Team Green Kawasaki Team Kit 2010

Service Counter

Last week we were extremely busy getting ready for the 2010 FIm Indoor Enduro World Cup in Sheffield.

We designed and printed a large format Press Room board and a Podium board, 2m x 3m, this was our largest design yet. The SpiralGfx team set off at 6am saturday morning and arrived home in the early hours of sunday morning – After having a blast at the craziest event we’ve ever been too.

This week is the most hectic it has ever been in this office. We’re getting ready to show our hard work at DBS 2009 – Role on!.

We have been designing new custom kits to show off at DBS 2009, you can already see these on here or on our facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spiral-Graphics/76593650838

Emma

SpiralGfx

Press Room

Press Room

Podium

Track

The Auto class kicked off the meeting in style with Alfie Mitchell emerging as the overall winner in the small wheel class with two chequered flags to boast of. The big wheel class was dominated by a battle between Reagan Brookes and Garry Ashley. Ashley took a win in the first moto but Brooks stole the final two, which gave him the overall.

Old rivals Nathan Bache and Owen Woodhouse finished the day just four points apart in the 65cc class, with Alfie Mountford thrown into the mix a three way scuffle for points developed, but Bache managed to hold off his rivals to take first overall leaving Woodhouse to pick up second and Mountford third.

Just three points separated first and second in the big wheel 85 with the results going to a last race decider as Kyle Narch and Billy Mitchell went to the gate on equal points. Despite a valiant effort by Mitchell, Narch took the overall, with third being claimed by a consistent Elliot Knox.

In what was one of the most hotly contended classes of the day, Beklin Burke took the overall in the Open Youth section. A determined Luke Houghton upped his pace for the last two moto’s but Burke managed to snatch the overall by two points.

Ryan Glover outclassed the field and stormed home to maximum points in the Adult Intermediate class. In the Adult MX Expert’s Josh Spinks took the chequered flag in the first two moto’s and Dan Jagelski took it in the third. The effort made by Spinks earlier in the day was enough to award him the overall with Jagelski having to settle for second.

A mere whisker separated the lads in the Adult Quad section. It was Oli Sansom who knuckled down to win races one and two, but his chances of a maximum point scoring day were dashed when Mark Watson snatched the win from him in the final race. Sam Payne was the run away winner in the youth class with three convincing wins over second placed Billy Langford.

Committed as ever to the most important group of riders in MX, namely the children, MX27 felt it was appropriate to give a special award out to someone who had made an outstanding effort on the day, therefore the Rider of the day award went to Marcus Edwards for putting in brilliant effort in the 65’s class following a recent change from the Auto’s.

Auto SW
1st – 191 – Alfie Mitchell
2nd – 21 Luca Pegg
3rd – 27 – Dylan Edwards
4th – 200 – Rickey Davies
5th – 6 – Finley Smith
6th – 127 – Robbie Scott

Autos BW
1st – 41 – Reagan Brookes
2nd – 101 – Garry Ashley
3rd – 7 – Ryan Manley
4th – 16 – Troy Jones
5th – 6x – Luke Jarromes
6th – 18 – Lewis Brown

65′s
1st – 68 – Nathan Bache
2nd – 17 – Owen Woodhouse
3rd – 18 – Alfie Mountford
4th – 11 – Kyde Marlow
5th – 55 – Ross Davis
6th – 76 – Ted Bailey

85′s SW
1st – 26 – Zac Judd
2nd – 133 – Grady Featherston
3rd – 11 – Howard Wainwright
4th – 27 – Connor Edwards
5th – 18 – Leon Bernardimelli
6th – 7 – James Evans

85′s BW
1st – 24 – Kyle Narch
2nd – 191 – Billy Mitchel
3rd – 34 – Elliot Knox
4th – 106 – Steven Jennings

Youth Open
1st – 47 – Beklin Burke
2nd – 166 -Luke Houghton
3rd – 42 – Ryan Thornhill
4th – 57 – James Stevenson
5th – 191 – Ben Rollinson
6th – 48 – Mitchel Walker

Adult Intermediate
1st – 63 – Ryan Glover
2nd – 95 – Mark Gllingham
3rd – 143 – Robert Mosely
4th – 48 – Daniel Jones
5th – 183 – Ryan Glover
6th – 32 – Paul Wright

Adult MX Experts
1st – 18 – Josh Spinks
2nd – 5 – Daniel Jagelski
3rd – 10 – Lewis Waugh
4th – 102 – Charles Daniels
5th – 35 – Jamie Hallet
6th – 427 – Lee Holland

Quads Youth
1st – 231 – Sam Payne
2nd – 9 – Billy Langford
3rd – 194 – Charlie Harrison
4th – 46 – Matt Payne
5th – 10 – Dexter Langford
6th – 81 – Aaron Pole

Quads Adult
1st – 17 – Oli Sansom
2nd – 85 – Mark Watson
3rd – 155 – Tyler Soar
4th – 123 – Tom Grant
5th – 18 – Phil Munday
6th – 44 – Ben Harmon

Rider of the day Marcus Edwards.

The track was available for practice from 2pm, which many of the riders took advantage of, racing kicked off promptly at 5:30pm.

In the Adult class Dan Jiglelski reigned supreme and took all three chequered flags giving him first overall. The remaining positions were fiercely contested with each point made to count as the riders battled for cash prizes. Brothers Gavin and Tino Rizzi, famous for their Sunday race clashes, had obviously decided that a Wednesday afternoon should be no different and finished the evening just four points apart. On this occasion it was Tino who had the upper hand, managing to snatch second, leaving Gavin to pick up third position.

Georgia Hurst showed the boys how to do it in the schoolboy 125 class, snatching the win from Nate Parsons by two points with a win, a second and a third. Parsons won race one and three but a fall in race two lost him enough points to relegate him to second. Jack May finished in third with a consistently good ride, finishing just seven points behind the leader.

Ross Davies showed some impressive riding in the 65’s class blasting home to chequered flags in race one and three and taking the overall. Dexter Douglas picked up the chequered flag in race two which gave him enough to finish in second, with Rhys Goodhall taking a well deserved third.

In a combined race the big wheel 85’s and small wheel 85’s raced together but the club decided to score them separately. Josh Canton dominated the big wheel class and took three wins. The remaining results went to a last race decider, with Connor Edwards snatching second overall just two points ahead of Alanya Reeves in third, Max May came out top in the big wheel class with three straight wins and first overall.

Dane Reeves was awarded the top prize in the big wheel auto class after winning all three of his races with what appeared to be ease, second went to Tyler Jay Clarke who put in an excellent performance. In the small wheel auto class Dylan Edwards came out top, closely followed by Robert Scott.

A successful evenings racing for MX27 who aim to offer racing for all abilities and ages, their next meeting at Trench Farm is on 2nd September.

Big Wheel Auto
Dane Reeves
Tyler Jay Clarke

Small Wheel Auto
Dylan Edwards
Robert Scott

65’s
Ross Davies
Dexter Douglas
Rhys Goodhall

Small Wheel 85
Josh Canton
Alanya Reeves
Connor Edwards

Big Wheel 85
Max May

Schoolboy 125
Georgia Hurst
Nate Parsons
Jack May

Adult
Dan Jiglelski
Tino Rizzi
Gavin Rizzi

At the beginning of the week, Youthstream confirmed Elliott to be included in the MX1 class, something that the team had been hoping for. Saturday dawned and with it came beautiful hot weather that suited the two riders well, which showed in the qualifying results. Kristian gated well in sixth and kept pace with the top five riders for much of the time, but he made two mistakes that let several riders by him, ending the race in ninth. Elliott on the other hand came from last in the first corner after a starting corner incident. Making up an incredible eleven positions in that crucial first lap, he then embarked on a top twenty finish. With four laps to go, he slipped off and dropped back to twenty-sixth. The team’s guest rider in the Veteran class, Rob Herring, showed that he still had the spirit and qualified in fifth in his class.

On Sunday morning it was time for business. Rob gave the spectators a brilliant battle with Greg Hanson for fourth, conceding to Greg in the second half of the race and ending fifth. The second race again looked promising with a great run in fourth, but a crash put an end to his streak, leaving him in seventeenth, and then as the pain of his injured wrist became too much, retired. He ended the day in thirteenth.

In the MX1 class Kristian completed his first lap in the thick of the pack with Elliott ten positions behind. The blistering pace and rutted track made it difficult for Kristian to make much progress, worsened by a crash that dropped him all the way back to twenty-third. Remounting with a bloody shoulder and with a smashed helmet peak, Kristian regained three more positions, of which one he had to concede again soon after. He ended the race in twenty-first. After his bad start and a crash in the first lap, Elliott made quick work of the lower end of the pack and looked to enter the top twenty, when a crash and a struggle to restart the bike cost him nine positions. Undeterred, Elliott still tried to finish the race with a reasonable result, ending the race in twenty-sixth.

Kristian’s crash left him with more than just a bloody shoulder; as the adrenaline wore off, neck pain became a source of worry, and the medical center made the decision to send Kristian to hospital, where he was given the all-clear. This however meant that he had to sit out the second race, which left Elliott to do the honours. Here Elliott hit the top twenty early on, but a rock thrown up by a rival hit his previously injured shoulder and left him unable to control the bike properly. Nonetheless, Elliott attempted to continue for as long as possible, retiring from the race half-way in.

Team owner Steve James shrugged off the bad day with his philosophical outlook on the weekend: “It’s been a weekend of learning curves for us. Our first ever Grand Prix on English soil started off really good. Qualifying on Saturday went well with Rob qualifying in fifth in the veterans, and Kristian having a blinder of a race in fifth for most of the race and ending in ninth as the top British rider. Elliott had a few problems in the qualifier in that he had to come back from dead last, but considering the quality of riders out there, his twenty-sixth was a good result. We couldn’t have asked for anything better.

“On Sunday, Rob raced a great first race, but had to let Greg by towards the end. Kristian hit a post in his first race and hurt all the way down his side and hit his head. When he came in he said that his neck was hurting, so we took him to the medical center to have him checked out and they thought it was best that he went to hospital. The good news is that he is ok, and that’s the main thing. Elliott got hit by a rock in the second race while he was coming through well and couldn’t pull his clutch in. He found it really difficult to hold on and had to pull in. You know… not such a good end to a good day.

“It was a pleasure to have Rob racing from under our awning and on one of our bikes this weekend, for not racing much he still has it. We really enjoyed the GP, it was exhausting and the team worked really hard and I’m really proud of everyone on the team this weekend. I’d like to thank them all for putting in so much.”

The next race for Kawasaki Motors UK’s official motocross team is the second round of the Red Bull Pro Nationals at Whitby in Yorkshire this coming weekend.

For the Open class riders, the second race was complete vindication. While Kristian started in sixth this time, it took him a little while longer to return to second, but again he was able to reduce the distance between himself and race leader Anderson to the five second mark. He ended the day on the podium in second. A stunning start put Lewis in the top ten, and a perfect run throughout gave him a tenth place at the end of the race, and a fifteenth place for the day. Jamie also had an excellent run; a start in ninth became a solid run in tenth, but with three laps to go, Jamie had to concede two places, ending in thirteenth. His day overall was eighteenth. Elliott started in the middle of the pack and soon made his way forward to run in thirteenth for the majority of the race. He changed places with Jamie with three laps to go, and then made a move on Syd Bales to end in eleventh, and tenth overall on the day. Daniel again put in an extraordinary effort, starting the first lap in the back of the pack, and making his his way to fourteenth in the last lap after a last ditch pass on Lewis Tombs. He ended the day in the same position.

Team owner Steve James declared himself very pleased with the results: “Today has been a really good day for the team. Qualifying went ok, the conditions were not ideal and it was more a case of riders staying on than trying to get a fast lap in. The racing today has gone really well. Kristian finished second overall and he’s still leading the championship by a number of points.

“Elliott was on a 250 today, his first proper two races since his injury and he got a tenth overall against 450cc bikes out there, which is a really good result. It gave us a chance to test suspension and the engine and Elliott’s fitness and all three things have come out good. In the second race we had all our riders in the top twelve; that was good for the team to see them all finish races.

“Dan’s had a bit of a tough up-and-down day in the Under 21′s. He didn’t qualify very well, in the first race he was twelfth and in the second one he had a really bad start well past twenty-fifth, and came back to fourteenth. In my view that was a much better race – moving up and making good progress. Everyone finished and nobody got hurt, so it was really good for us.”

The team next races at the British round of the World Motocross Championship at Mallory Park this weekend with Kristian Whatley confirmed as the team’s entry in the MX1 class.

In the MX2 class qualifying practice, Elliott Banks-Browne proved that he was almost back to full strength, qualifying in third behind Martin Barr and Matiss Karro, while younger class-mate Daniel Arnold had a right struggle with the track, qualifying in eighteenth. In the MX1 class, Kristian Whatley qualified just outside the top ten while Lewis Rose qualified in twenty-eighth.

The first MX2 race started in disastrous fashion for Elliott as he started virtually in last, but he soon he advanced to the top ten by mid-race after picking off three rivals a lap in the early stages. In the last lap he moved up to sixth. Elliott hit the gate on the second start and ended his first lap just outside the top ten. He soon tried to make his way to the front; his progress was hampered by a bike problem however, and his race ended soon after jarring his back badly after a jump. The DNF meant a top fifteen overall for Elliott.

Dan did not have it easy in his races either. In the first a start outside the top twenty turned into a battle up the pack. Stuck in seventeenth for several laps, he was able to move up one more position with several laps to go, ending in sixteenth. The second race was an improvement; a drop early in the race cost Dan several positions, but he soon made up for those and briefly touched the top ten with several minutes left on the clock. Forced back again, he ended the race in twelfth, and the day overall in seventeenth.

In the first MX1 race, Kristian got going with a top ten start and soon found himself in the thick of things in seventh. Battling with the likes of Church, Nunn and Osborne, Kristian made a grab for fifth in the last lap, but lost the position after a back marker got in the way at a crucial moment. In the second race, Kristian avoided a pileup in the first lap and found himself in ninth where he spent much of the first half of the race. Whilst in eighth, Kristian lost the front end battling with Mark Jones and dropped back to twelfth. He recovered one position with two laps to go, ending the race just ahead of Kawasaki Europe’s Gareth Swanepoel in eleventh, and tenth on the day.

Lewis had a disappointing day that he’d probably want to forget. Although the first race went well, the second one didn’t at all. Starting the first race in twenty-fifth, Lewis soon found himself in twentieth and under pressure of David Willet. Keeping up the pace, he ended the race in eighteenth, scoring three points. The second race however went south fairly quickly as a suspension problem manifested itself. Undeterred, Lewis refused to give up and pull in and went on to finish the race in twenty-eighth, and the day in twenty-second.

Commented Steve James: “It was an interesting day for us really. Qualifying went really well. In the races, Elliott crashed on the first corner in the first race and came back to sixth, which is excellent and proves that he has got his speed back and that if he gets out of the gate right he can run with the front guys. Dan fought through to twelfth place in the second race which is an excellent result, and both are now back in the points for the championship, which is good and moves us forward.

“In the MX1, Kristian finished sixth in the first race which was an excellent result, and Lewis came through to eighteenth, which is a good result for Lewis. In the second race Kristian made a small mistake while running comfortably in eighth and lost a few places, but he ended the day in tenth and is now ninth in the championship. He was twelfth coming into this round, so he’s moved up three places, and he’s headed in the right direction. Lewis had some suspension problems so he struggled a bit and his overall was hampered a bit today.

“The team are starting to move forward with all the riders, and once we’re consistent in both races, we’ll definitely start to gather points.”

The next race for the team as a whole will be the next round of the ACU British MMX Championship at Frome in Somerset in a fortnight, where fifth team-member Jamie Smith hopes to make his return. Kristian will participate in the next round of the British Masters Motocross championship at Pontrilas this coming weekend.

The first MX2 race got underway at 12:50pm with Dan just outside the top fifteen. Charging hard, he worked his way to eleventh by mid-race and looked to stay there. In the closing laps several fast riders forced themselves past him, and with only a few more laps to go, he crashed and had to restart in second last. He finished in twenty-fifth, very upset with himself. The second race started off with a start just outside the top ten this time, but things went from bad to worse as Dan twisted his knee and just tried to save the positions he could. Dropping to twentieth for a spell, he regained nineteenth with five laps to go, taking home two precious points overall.

In the MX1 class, things were tough for both MX1 riders. While Lewis got to grips with the more powerful bike after a bad start, Gareth had it even worse, Nailed by Billy MacKenzie’s bike in the first corner as the Honda rider took a tumble, Gareth started in second-last and worked hard to make his way forward again. Lewis kept a good pace throughout, ending in twenty-fourth, while Gareth ended just outside the top ten in eleventh. The second races were mixed this time as Gareth got a top five start and hounded down UTag Yamaha’s Zach Osborne for a second place in the last lap, while Lewis again suffered a bad start and had to work hard to stay upright on the increasingly dusty and incredibly fast track. Lewis ended in twenty-ninth while Gareth ended in fourth overall.

Steve James, LPE Kawasaki’s team owner, was again philosophical about the day’s proceedings. He was happy with Dan’s qualifying times and the first race, and was also pleased with Lewis finishing two races unscathed on his first time out on the big bike.

“We’ve had a tough week leading up to this round with Elliott injured. The qualifying went well, there was only one second difference between ninth and seventeenth, so that was a good time for Dan. We are making progress, he’s getting quicker, the first race showed that his times are very good. We still have to work on his starts, but the work on consistent lap times has paid off.

“We took Lewis on a week ago to fill in the gap while Jamie’s injured. He did the DEP Two-Stroke Championship last weekend in the Open class and finished fourth overall, which is very good considering that he has not ridden a two-stroke bike in a couple of years. He came into this weekend never having ridden a 450 before; his pace was good and he finished the races ok. I think that it was good to get this one out of the way as his first race, and that once we go to more technical tracks, he’ll come on quite well. He’s a good kid, and I hope we can help him get to the next level.”

The next race for the team will be the second round of the MMX British Motocross Championship at Mildenhall in Suffolk in a fortnight.

LPE Kawasaki is Kawasaki Motors UK’s official motocross team.