KRT representative Billy Mackenzie scored his second consecutive podium result at a cold but clear Landrake circuit in Cornwall yesterday for the second round of the Maxxis MX1 British Championship. The 22 year old claimed 2nd and 3rd positions with his KX450F-SR to walk the lower step of the rostrum. As with the domestic series opener at Canada Heights two weeks ago Mackenzie can feel slightly aggrieved not to have left southern England with more than a final ranking of third. ‘Mac’ ran with reigning Champion Ken de Dycker in the first moto but fell foul of the backmarkers and lost the back of the tall Belgian, eventually passing the chequered flag nearly ten seconds adrift.
The MX2 Japanese Grand Prix winner for the past two years took the battle to de Dycker in the second race but his opponent clattered Mackenzie knocking his engine and causing a gearbox problem. The Kawasaki rider sought and enacted a form of retribution but his subsequent lead – after rubbing close to de Dycker and watching the latter fall off – was short-lived as the machine stuck in second gear and dropped the Scot to third place behind his recovered rival, and then Gordon Crockard.
‘I’m not that happy with today. I mean, it was alright, but I need to start winning some races,’ he said afterwards. ‘De Dycker was riding like a bully and not just with me. He hit me pretty hard in that second race and so I went back after him. I think I wrecked the bike just trying to get through the gears and arriving to the finish as quick as I could. We were close in the first moto but I suffered a bit with the back-markers and lost concentration with my breathing, causing me to tighten up which was frustrating. The track was not very good and worse than previous years. It was hard and really fast; it was pretty difficult and tricky to make up time.’
‘I took another podium but the only real positive is that we are still learning about the bike and it is now working really well for me,’ he added. ‘It has been good to get some races under my belt before the start of the championship next week.’
The early series standings show a tight eleven point difference between de Dycker in first and Mackenzie in third position with six rounds remaining.
Mackenzie will now head over to Belgium today (Monday) for several days riding in the sand in preparation for the opening Grand Prix of the 2007 FIM World Championship at the Valkenswaard circuit in Holland next weekend.
MX1 Moto1:1. Ken De Dycker,
2. Billy Mackenzie,
3. Gordon Crockard,
4. James Noble,
5. Scott Columb
MX1 Moto2:1. Ken De Dycker,
2. Gordon Crockard,
3. Billy Mackenzie,
4. James Noble,
5. Brad Anderson
MX1 Overall:1. Ken De Dycker,
2. Gordon Crockard,
3. Billy Mackenzie,
4. James Noble,
5. Scott Columb
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