Buildbase Honda maintained its 100 per cent podium-topping record in the Pro MX1 class of the MX Nationals at round two of the series at Landrake Motoparc in Cornwall on Sunday.
This time around it was Tommy Searle who came out on top on his CRF450R as team-mate Jake Nicholls struggled to gel with the track and, as a result, it’s Tommy who now leads Jake by 16 points at the top of the table at the halfway point of the championship.
In Pro MX2 Steven Clarke put in another pair of impressive performances on his CRF250R to maintain a strong third place in the title race.
On the heavily rutted hillside circuit, Tommy completed the first lap of the opening moto in seventh and pulled through to second just after half-distance but left it too late to make a move on race leader Harris Kullas. Second time out he made no mistake and converted a holeshot into a comfortable win.
“It’s been a really good day for me and I’ve got the championship lead,” said Tommy. “The track was really tricky but it was good. It was one of those tracks where if you felt good you were going to have a good day and if you felt bad you were going to have a really bad day.
“In the first race I didn’t get the best of starts but I made quick passes, got up to about fourth and then closed in on the leaders. I managed to get within striking distance of Harri for the lead but I waited too late to make an attempt to pass him.
“In the second race I got the holeshot and just put my head down really. I felt good and had some good lines – Dave and my mechanic Willie helped me pick out a few good ones – and it just came really easy to me. Overall it’s been a really good day and it feels great to win on a Honda.”
Jake failed to fully get to grips with the track and didn’t get into a groove until midway through the final 25-minute plus two lap moto. However, his 6-6 scorecard still sees him sitting in a clear second in the championship table.
“I struggled a little bit with the track,” said Jake. “I just didn’t enjoy it and I think that always reflects in the results. I didn’t really find my way in practice – it was real muddy and the lines were just weird so I never really got my head around it
