Gareth Swanepoel was disappointed to see a possible podium result escape at a sunny Donington Park for the British Grand Prix and Molson Kawasaki’s home event in the MX2 World Championship calendar. The South African took 4th and 16th positions after a heavy second moto crash. The penultimate meeting of the season was watched by 28,000 people.
The new motocross track at Donington Park was located in the infield section behind the final corner of the MotoGP course and alongside the Dunlop straight. The off-road layout was long and narrow and offered a track with more jumps than any other this season. The soil was hard but rough and rutted in some sections. The Grand Prix overall benefited from the excellent infrastructure and facilities that one of Britain’s premier Motorsport venues can offer.
Swanepoel had suffered a slight dislocation of his wrist in Ireland last week and might have a bone graft after the season has ended to strengthen the joint he broke almost two years ago. The 21 year old rode well in the first moto and was enjoying the track. He took fourth place and was set up for another decent showing in the afternoon to push for his second podium of the season. It all went wrong in the formative stages when he lost control of the KX250F and was pitched over the bars. He then had to regroup and work hard to get back in the points.
“I didn’t get a good start in that second moto but I was coming through until I got kicked off and over the bars on a landing from a table-top and went down pretty hard,” he recounted. ”I got up but I was in a bad place and I had to wait for everyone to go through before I could pick up the bike. I came through to wherever I could get by the end. I can take some positives from the first race. It was not an awesome ride but OK. Things are going my way recently and I don’t know why that is because I am working so hard.”
Tom Church was also ruing a missed opportunity after a brace of decent starts were ruined by incidents on the first few laps of each moto that left him mid-pack. The 25 year old scored points for fifteenth and fourteenth positions and was fifteenth overall.
“It was a really tough day,” he reflected. “I had two really good starts. In the first moto I nearly crashed in the second corner and in the second start I nearly crashed in the first corner because I was hit from behind. I ended up last in both races after about three turns. I fought my hardest but used so much energy trying to pass people. I struggled a little bit with the track and wasn’t that comfortable.”
New Under 21 British Champion Ray Rowson scraped through qualification with the sixth and final berth in the Last Chance session on Saturday. The youngster had fallen in his qualification heat and missed the top twelve cut-off. From his slot far to the outside of the gate a good start was always going to be hard for the teenager. He failed to collect any points after finishing 21st and then did not finish the second moto.
Swanepoel can still make the top five in the world championship standings. He is only five points behind Nicolas Aubin and far enough ahead of the next active rider in eighth place Matti Seistola to not lose any places. Church is twentieth and still has options to rise higher.
50 points remain up for grabs in the final Grand Prix of the year at Lierop in the Netherlands next week. Molson Kawasaki will then have a free weekend before the last meeting in the Maxxis British Championship.
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