Kawasaki Racing Team riders Billy Mackenzie and Tanel Leok demonstrated that they have the speed to be main competitors in the 2007 MX1 Motocross World Championship today at the Grand Prix of Portugal and the third round of the series but several incidents within the motos left the Briton and Estonian ruing their luck. Excellent weather conditions, with twenty-five degree temperatures and uninterrupted sunshine at the Agueda circuit, greeted KRT and the 18,000 spectators who had made the journey to the fourth consecutive edition of the Portuguese event.
The weekend started on the right foot for both riders with their works KX450F-SRs as Leok sealed his second consecutive pole position and Mackenzie was sixth quickest, with the top eight in Timed Practice divided by less than one second.
The track was fairly straightforward in terms of the technical demands it placed on the MX1 competitors, but the quick nature of the course created a physical test and one that punished the slightest mistake. By the end of the afternoon the bumps and ruts formed by the four-strokes made the terrain a tricky obstacle to negotiate.
Mackenzie and Leok circulated together in the first moto reaching as high as third and fourth at one stage. ‘Mac’ pulled clear and held third spot by almost six seconds until a crash dropped him behind David Philiappaerts and just ahead of Leok. The trio were close entering the final laps of the race and Mackenzie was drawing up to the rear of the Italian when his front wheel lost traction and he fell down the order to sixteenth as he took time to restart. Leok was able to keep composed and grabbed fourth; which would be the team’s highest finish of the day.
The second race should have been Leok’s. He started well and moved past Sebastien Pourcel to lead on the first lap but made a mistake to fall to third and then crash again shortly afterwards trying to pass Strijbos for second. Once he had restarted he continued to ride but far behind the field and eventually had to retire with a damaged radiator as a result of the second prang. Mackenzie was running within the mid top-ten but was also mindful of his lowly position from the first race was not confident of taking more risks. He lapped largely separated from the group ahead of him to finish ninth.
“The first race was OK,” the luckless Leok said. ”I had an average start and maybe could have ridden a bit better but the second race at the beginning was really good. I then made a small mistake but could pick up the bike right away. I wanted to pass Strijbos but the front washed out and I crashed again. I broke the radiator as a result and did not finish; more bad luck.”
“The second race was a lot to do with what happened in the first,” current British Championship leader Mackenzie commented. “I have to keep pushing that level that I reach before I start making mistakes; it has to be higher. I went for it in the first moto and it did not come off so I rode steady and solid in the second and came home ninth; which is more points than I had in the first. We know that the podium will come soon. I have been as high as second and third in the last two Grand Prix and I am learning about this bike and what I can do with it every race. I want to arrive at that ground where I am going for the top three but cutting out these silly errors and I know it is not far away.”
After three races Leok and Mackenzie hold 11th and 15th in the formative standings.
KRT will now enjoy a free weekend after a busy schedule of Grand Prix races and national commitments. The World Championship resumes with a visit to Italy and the sandy Mantova circuit on May 6th.
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