Molson Kawasaki’s Stephen Sword, Gareth Swanepoel and Tom Church all finish on the podium in the finale of the 2008 British Motocross Championship.
The Hawkstone Park circuit and the Molson Kawasaki team both share a rich history in the British motocross scene which makes it fitting that the final round of the 2008 British Motocross Championship should also be the final race for the Molson Kawasaki team before the Church family owned and operated outfit retires from the sport.
Hoping to go out with a bang Stephen Sword did everything he could to rebound from a serious shoulder injury to take the British MX2 title this year. However, despite his best efforts all season long and after going 1-1 at the final round of the series at Hawkstone Park, Swordy unfortunately came up eight points short.
“It was going to be a big ask for me to win the championship today – I had to win both races and then see what happened to Shaun really,” said Swordy. “He rode well enough to get two seconds and that’s all he needed to do. I was happy with the way I rode today though and I know that I did everything I could.
“It’s not been a bad year – there were a few ups and downs which have hampered me in the world championship and also stopped me from winning the British – but it’s been a good comeback for me and it’s made all the hard work worthwhile.
“It’s a sad day for the Molson team with them stopping racing now and it would have been nice to win the championship for them but a double win for me and a second overall for Tom in MX1 has been really good and it couldn’t have been much better end to the season.”
Gareth Swanepoel rode well at Hawkstone to secure third overall as his comeback from injury gathers momentum. A tough ride through the pack resulted in Gareth finishing fifth in moto one before Swanie fought to third in moto two to take his first podium result of the year.
“Today was good. My goal today was to end the season on the podium and I did that. My riding was a lot better today, in fact it’s been getting better, better, better every weekend and as long as I’m improving I’m happy.
“I didn’t get such a great start in the first moto and I had to come through the pack from 11th to fifth which was an alright ride. I got a much better start in race two and I was running third all race. I got a little bit tight but I managed to settle down and break Nunny who was putting me under a lot of pressure at one stage. I was able to ride strong for the whole moto and that was pleasing.
“It’s quite sad that this was my last ride for the Molson team and I just want to thank them for everything they’ve done – without them I wouldn’t be where I am in my career now. I’m really happy we ended on the podium – all three riders were on the podium today and that’s a good ending for Molson I think.”
The Molson team’s MX1 satellite rider Tom Church ended the 2008 season with second overall despite suffering all day with a sore hand that he injured in qualifying. Third in moto one and fourth in moto two, TC’s second overall helped confirm his fifth place in the final series standings.
“I had a big crash in practice this morning and I think I may have broken my hand because it’s looking very swollen,” said TC. “In the first race I didn’t have such a good day and I got through to third but the leaders were just gone and I just kept going until the end.
“In the second race I got a half decent start and settled down into third. Crockard came past me near the end but I knew I had a big lead on the guys behind me and I knew what I had to do to finish second overall so I settled for that. It was a nice way to finish the season – I just wanted to do it for the team and for everybody because they deserved it more than me.”
