After a very promising start there was a disappointing end to round four of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship supported by Pro Clean on Sunday for REVO Husqvarna UK.
The Desertmartin race in Northern Ireland was Martin Barr’s home round and the team kicked off with a 2-3 in the opening moto on their FC 250s with Mel just behind Martin.
Unfortunately, Martin’s hopes of a podium were ended on the first lap of race two when he crashed and his bike became tangled with another machine.
Restarting dead last, he fought back to 17th for eighth overall.
While Martin was coming through, Mel was holding a safe second which was good enough for second overall until a late crash dropped him to fifth and he missed the podium on a tie-break.
Dylan Woodcock failed to score in the opening moto and withdrew from race two.
Mark Yates (Team Principal)
“Not the best weekend for us but at least we know we have the speed to be up front and I was very pleased with the first moto – after going 2-3 with Martin and Mel we were confident of getting one or even both on the podium!
“The guys’ starts were a massive improvement with Mel taking a great holeshot in race two but unfortunately a red flag meant a restart.
“Mel got another great start but in the last turn of the first lap Martin was in the centre of a big pile-up and his bike ended up locked together with another rider’s bike.
“After a long time separating them he was dead last but, typically, he refused to give in and was rewarded with three points for 17th place. It was a great ride but the result has seriously damaged his championship hopes.
“Mel held second for all but the last three minutes of the race which would have given him the second step of the podium but a small mistake dropped him to fifth for fourth overall.
“We now need to work hard on our qualifying and starts with a focus on the next European round at Lommel.
“It wasn’t a good weekend for Dylan. He struggled and came away without scoring any points. I don’t know what the solution is but we’re willing to work with him to find one.”
Mel Pocock – 4th (3-5)
“It was frustrating really after that brilliant first race for the team with me third and Martin second. Mark had a grin on his face which was nice to see.
“I then managed to pull a pearler of a holeshot in the second race which I’m super-proud of but it was red-flagged. From the restart I moved up to second and sat there nice and simple but with three laps to go I crashed on my own and that small mistake cost me a great result so it was a bit of a bitter-sweet weekend.
“On the plus side I’m healthy and have got a few weeks to get over the busy first half of the season. Thanks as always to Mark and Sam Yates and the REVO team who work so hard to make us so competitive.”
Martin Barr – 8th (2-17)
“I was really looking forward to my home round – the track was looking absolutely fantastic, my bike was working a treat and everything in the team was perfect. There was no reason why I couldn’t go out and perform and the day started pretty good with second in qualifying.
“I was away third in race one and it took me a couple of laps to get going and get past Mel. I put a push on for a few laps and then decided to bring it home for second and save some energy for race two.
“In the second moto I was away fifth but in the mechanics’ corner me and Lewis Tombs came together and my bars went into his back wheel and it took what felt like a lifetime to get them out.
“I’m disappointed. Obviously, I’d have loved to have been on the podium at my home round and I’ve lost a lot of points in the championship. It’s my third week on the bounce with bad luck and they say it happens in threes so hopefully that’s an end to it.”
Dylan Woodcock – NP (23-DNF)
“It’s been a bit of a nightmare this weekend. I ran into loads of trouble – in the opening race I think I crashed three times within half-a-lap. It’s tough to swallow after qualifying at the Europeans.”
Picture © Nuno Laranjeira
