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Click the following link for a 22-photo gallery from Round 3 of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship at Torrington.

Story and Photos: Stefan Paetow

If anyone thought that the third round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship was going to be anything but wet and muddy, they could be described as delusional. With the weather changing by the day, the track just outside Great Torrington on the west coast of Devon was quite clearly not going to be dry and dusty. And therefore it was no surprise that teams and riders were asked to delay their arrival to the Saturday afternoon. Nonetheless many trucks were pulled into position by tractor, heralding a preview of what was to come on Sunday morning.

Mention Torrington to a group of riders and you will get a divided set of opinions. Much hated in summer because of its dust and the rocks that poke out from under the dirt, but also loved because it is a tough track that resembles the vintage scramble tracks of old. But this Sunday, virtually everyone was of the same opinion: If it doesn't rain, it'll be great. If it does rain, it will be a nightmare. And a nightmare was what everyone woke up to. The club hosting the event delayed the start of the day's activities by an hour to help things along, but a thunderstorm undid any good intentions by lightening its load over the track halfway into the practice sessions.

This race hosted the second round of the MXY2 class, too, so the youth riders were sent out first. Joe Gregory, racing for Danger UK Honda, claimed the fastest time with 3:07.765. The next class out was the MX2 class, in which Swift Suzuki's Pascal Leuret laid claim to pole with a time of 3:02.225, five seconds faster than Gregory in the MXY2 class. The MX1 class laid down slightly more leisurely times, Monster CAS Honda's Billy MacKenzie putting in a time a second slower than Leuret in the MX2 class, with 3:03.343.

By the time the first race, the first MXY2 class race, goes to the line, the track is a total mess. Will Worden, racing for JD Racing KTM, gets the holeshot and leads for a lap before going down and leaving the lead to Elderfield KTM's Scott Elderfield. Six laps later, Elderfield finishes over seventy seconds ahead of Gregory, the runner-up, having lapped to thirteenth.

Molson Kawasaki's Stephen Sword leaves no doubt about who is in charge. A former 125cc and MX2 champion, Sword knows all too well that putting in hard and fast laps early on get you wins. Leuret is immediately out of contention as he loses control in the whoops section and dislocates his shoulder. NA Robinsons KTM's Kristian Whatley attempts to keep up for the first few laps, but after failing to stem a challenge by UTag Yamaha's Martin Barr and Swift Suzuki's Elliott Banks-Browne, he does not finish the race due to bike trouble. Team KTM UK's Shaun Simpson crashes and struggles to start the bike again, but is able to recover a good number of positions, ending in fourth behind Barr and Banks-Browne.

The day gets its first taste of farce when the first MX1 race has to be red-flagged because of stuck gates. The riders do not have a back stop, and in order to ensure a good start edge forward, which in turn causes gates to fail. This only becomes apparent later in the day when Team KTM UK's James Noble enlightens the track staff to this problem.

MacKenzie continues his streak begun at Donington Park. Closest competition is ARB Kawasaki's Mark Jones for three laps before he drops the bike and loses several positions. He makes a good recovery, staying in third for the remainder of the race until Swift Suzuki's Brad Anderson, in second after Jones' mistake, makes a mistake himself, low-sides and collects a concussion for his trouble. He does not start in the second race. Molson Kawasaki's Tom Church also has a good start in fifth, and after pushing past Relentless Suzuki's Jamie Law and Noble, he trails Jones all the way to the end, ending in third.

The support races of the day cancelled because of time constraints, the racing continues immediately with the second MXY2 race. Sam Davis, disqualified in the first race for outside assistance after getting stuck, is first into the first corner, and continues to lead for a lap. Elderfield is the stronger of the two and builds up yet another impressive lead. However, disaster strikes in the last lap. His KTM dies horribly, leaving Elderfield with a sizeable repair bill and a loss. He ends in twenty-fifth. Instead Lloyd Morgan, fourth in the first race, takes over the lead for the final lap, earning the top step for the day. Jet Shed KTM's Jack Rowland improves on his first race result by ending second with PAR Honda's Edward Allingham in third. But it is consistency that pays off. Team Green Kawasaki's Josh Waterman takes second overall on the day, KRM Racing Honda's Tom Watts third. To add insult to injury, Waterman collects enough points to take the lead in the championship.

The day's second farcical incident is the second MX2 race start. Six gates fail to drop, but the race is not stopped. Everyone is confused as to why not. One of the stuck riders, TM UK's Jonathan Pettitt, takes matters into his own hands. He crosses to the section of the track nearest to the start and lays his bike down in the middle of the track. This is, of course, in contravention of the rule book, and although it has the desired effect, he is disqualified after a shouting match with the official of the waiting zone and the clerk of the course. He doesn't care though, as he says afterwards, it was done for the greater good.

Monster CAS Honda's Mike Brown dials in a good start and he and Sword go head to head in the lead. But it all goes wrong two laps later when Sword attempts a pass, Brown blocks and both go down. That leaves the path wide open for Simpson to take advantage, followed by Suso MVR-D Suzuki's Jason Dougan and Banks-Browne. Sword and Brown battle their way up the pack, Sword having a bit of an advantage after getting his bike started much quicker. He returns to the top five with only three laps to go, and ends in third behind Dougan and Simpson at the checkered flag.

Sword still retains the top spot on the day, while Simpson and Dougan take second and third respectively. Simpson's hard work means that he is now second in the championship, relegating Barr to third.

No-one is surprised that MacKenzie takes the final race of the day from start to finish. Seconded by PAR Honda's Jordan Rose for the first half of the race, and MX1 veteran Mark Hucklebridge in the second, he increases his lead to over a minute at the checkered flag. Church, third across the finish line behind Hucklebridge, has a points advantage thanks to his third place in the first race, and ends the day in second behind MacKenzie and ahead of Hucklebridge. MacKenzie also retains the red plate for the lead in the championship, while Jones and Church tie for second and third.

With all the fun over, the inevitable trek out of the muddy and very messy paddock starts. It is 11:30pm when the last truck makes its way up the lane towards the main road out of North Devon. And it is a bit surprising to realise that in three weeks, when the Maxxis British Motocross Championship travels to Norfolk, the championship is already at its halfway mark.

Results: Maxxis ACU British MX Championship Round 3, Torrington

MX1

MX2

MXY2