Hi everyone.. This weekend was the penultimate round of the maxxis championship. We arrived at the track on Saturday afternoon and after walking it I knew it was going to be a long weekend. The track was very poorly prepared and the terrain was just crap, it was a bit like riding on a building site with large rocks, house bricks and concrete slabs on the track. And also the track was very wet due to bad weather.
We went out for qualifying and the track was really wet and sloppy. I didn’t enjoy the track as after 2 laps there were big ruts forming on the jumps and on the landings.
Race 1 the track had started to dry up a bit but during the break the heavens opened and it through it down so the track was once again very wet. I got an ok start but as soon as I got to the first turn i couldn’t see a thing with the water and mud. The first lap was just carnage with people and bikes everywhere… I crashed on the first lap to make things worse but I plodded on and took my goggles off on the 3rd lap and started to pull through and finished 24th at the finish.
Race 2 I got a flyer off the start but half way down the straight I hit a bog and got bogged down. I still had an average start and was running around 15th on the first lap. Again vision was a nightmare and I got filled in going into a corner and was blinded and made a stupid mistake and fell off getting stuck under the bike. I was full of sticky mud and was last. I put my head down and just toughed it out and managed to pull up to 20th at the flag getting a point.
Race 3 I got a bad start but the track was allot dryer now but was just full of ruts and bricks and was really knarley. I was riding ok and managed to get up to 19th at about half way. But then a stone got jammed in my back brake causing it not to work so after landing off the table top I had nothing to stop me for the great big rut that was formed so I ran over it and fell off dropping back down to 22nd. I caught the pack back up that I had already past but I ran out of time as far as over taking them. Overall I didn’t really enjoy the track and I’m glad it’s over and looking forward to pontrilas next week for the British Masters. Ash #704

Hi everyone… It’s been a long time since I have put anything up on here. Over the last couple of months I have been trying allot of different things on the bike, some good and some bad resulting in a few DNF,s. but everything is sorted now and the bike is running sweet so I’m happy. The last few races I have done I have had some good results but also some bad ones which have been letting me down. At the maxxis at foxhills I had two good races scoring points with an 18th and 19th. Then at the next round at farleigh castle again I had to point scoring rides with a 19th and 17th then in the last race had a stupid crash on the first lap which spoilt the chances to score points in 3 races. Overall thou things are getting better and I’m glad i been able to score points and hopefully I will have a good end to the year.. Ash #704

Hi everyone… Again it’s been a long time since I have posted anything but I have been having some trouble with my computer but it’s all sorted now… since the last time I spoke to you I have just been doing the same thing really riding, training and racing.. The week after little silver I did the maxxis at Duns which was my first maxxis this year.. It went ok and I managed to score some points so it wasn’t too bad… I didn’t really like the track and it was really hard to pass… But it’s done with now and i came away with a 19th and 20th so i can only build on that now…
After that i did a few club races which all went to plan and i won some prize money so it was all good… 2 weeks ago I did a club race at finningley with the White Rose MX club where they put £250 prize money on.. It was a really good meeting and some good riders turned up so there was good racing… I had some good racing with Matt Moffat and Turbo Taylor but again came away with the win and the prize money so it was all good…
This weekend gone was the 2nd round of the British U23 championship… I was all pumped for the weekend as I was lying 4th in the championship… The track wasn’t really up to standard as it was all grassed over but it was the same for everyone so I just got on with it… In free practice I was feeling pretty good and starting to get into it… They turned the board for timed training and I put the hammer down… Half way round the first lap I launched a downhill drop of but when I landed my foot slipped off the foot peg and twisted and rolled my ankle and I also ran it over. The pain was instant and throbbing like mad… I hobbled around for a lap and pulled in the pits.. The pain started to ease a little but was still really sore… I headed back out to try and get a lap in.. I couldn’t forget about the pain and didn’t put a good lap in really finishing 19th…
It was straight back to the camper and I iced it up and strapped it up
Race 1 Having such a bad pick on the start made it impossible to get a good start as the start was so unfair… I got an ok start and first half of the race felt ok and I moved my way up to 12th and there was no one in front of me and for the last half of the race the pain got a lot worse as I was thinking about it… I managed to nurse it home in 12th… it was the same again… I iced it up and strapped it up again…
Race 2 I got an ok start and was riding pretty good… I was racing hard and the pain wasn’t on my mind and I worked my way up to 8th… Unfortunately I made a mistake and went off the track with 5 mins to go and I dropped back to 10th… I couldn’t make the time back up on the people in front and came home in 10th… the last race was cancelled due to a sidecar rider which had an accident… overall on the day was 11th and I have dropped to 8th in the championship but I’m only a few points off the people in front so I’m glad I fought through the pain to get some points.. My ankle now is pretty sore and swollen and bruised. I went to hospital to get it checked and there’s nothing damaged to badly… It’s mainly bruised and tender… I’m looking forward to the last two round of the championship as there both sand tracks which I enjoy… Thanks Ash #704

Hey everyone… it’s been a few weeks since I have posted on here… I haven’t really been doing much just loads of testing and training… I did a few little races to try and get back into racing and they all went good..
This weekend was round one of the British U23s at little silver in Devon… when we arrived at the track on Saturday afternoon the sun was out and the track was really dry… The organisers did a good job of getting loads of water on it and a bit of overnight rain helped to…
Qualifying didn’t really go to plan as I got myself worked up and a little bit nervous for nothing really… I ended up 13th…
Race 1. The track was pretty wet as there was loads of water put down in the interval… I didn’t get a good start and was stuck mid pack… The first 10 minutes I rode shocking and didn’t really overtake anyone… I was also having some trouble with my clutch as it was starting to slip going up the hills… With just under half the race to go I started to feel a bit better and started to pass people finishing 9th at the end of the race I new I didn’t really do what I was capable of and I knew that because I wasn’t breathing or relaxing..
Race 2 and once again I didn’t get a good start… On the first lap I felt a lot better and I was a lot more aggressive in passing and moving towards the front… I raced a lot better and felt really good and didn’t get tired at all and was still pushing for the last two laps… Going in to the last race I new if I got a good start I would be able to do a lot better…
Race 3 I got a much better start and was 12 out of the first turn again I was aggressive and after the first two laps found myself in a comfortable 5th… I kept my head down and didn’t make any mistakes and managed to get 4th by the finish… I was really happy with how the race went as it was very hard packed and baked by the last race… overall I ended up 4 th which was a good result and probably where I belong… I’m looking forward to the rest of the rounds to keep pushing up to the top boys… next week is the Maxxis British championship at duns Scotland.. Ash #704

Hi everyone… after a good weekend riding last weekend I decided to have a day off work mid week and have a trip up to apex. It was defiantly worth the trip up there and I had a top day. This weekend I practiced at Preston docks on the Saturday which was good just a little bit wet but I managed to get three good sessions in.
Sunday I decided to late entry into an AMCA race just for a little bit of fun and to get a bit of practice and also to do some adjustments on the bike with Owen from Manchester xtreme being there. After getting there and seeing how good the track was I decided to double enter into both mx1 and mx2 meaning I would get 6 races in. The racing went well and I managed to win all 6 races quite easily. The races were all 15 mins long at least as well so it was good training. I felt good and didn’t get to tired so all is well. Ash #704

Hi everyone… it’s been just over 4 months since my operation and everything has been going really good. Training has been going really well and I feel good. This weekend was the first time back on the bike. It felt really weird riding again and I was defiantly rusty. Everything felt weird all the new kit and the new bike. It didn’t take long to break everything in and I got better and better every lap.
By the end of the weekend I was starting to feel good. After a few little tweaks on the bike over the weekend and getting it more suited to me it was feeling pretty good. my fitness was a lot better than I expected and I didn’t really get to tired so I’m going to keep on training hard and just get as much bike time as possible.
Its Monday night now and I am aching a little bit now but it’s great to be back riding and having fun again. I’d just like to say thanks to everyone who helped me get to this point and getting everything ready for me to ride again. Ash #704

Hi everyone… Just letting you know how I am getting on. I am up and getting about now and I started physio 2 days ago so all is going good. The physios are happy with me and are keen to get started and get stuck in. my knees feel good and the scars have heeled up pretty nice so all is good. I’m really looking forward to start my proper training in getting ready for next year. I also want to say thanks to everyone who got in touch after my op and helped me get sorted. Ash #704

Hi everyone… I’m out of hospital now and sat at home on the sofa in a bit of pain not really doing anything. The operation went well and the doctor was happy that he had done a good graft. When I first got home I was in a bit more pain than I imagined but everything is all good now and I am starting to get on with my exercises. I am not very mobile at the min as both of my knees are really sore and restricted in movement. The reason both knees are bad is because i had already had the crucite ligament operated on previously he had to take my patella tendon out of my good knee and use it in my bad knee. The main thing for me now is rest and getting on with my little exercises so my knees don’t seize up. My proper physio starts in 2 weeks from now when hopefully i will be up and walking about easily. It’s a long road to recovery now for me but i can’t wait to start training again and getting ready for next season. Thanks Ash #704

Hi everyone… It’s been a long time since I have posted anything but I haven’t really been doing much the last month… After hurting my knee a couple of months back I decided to get it checked out just before I went on holiday to America.. The day before I went to America I had a scan on my knee to see if there were any damage and if there was we would be informed while away… America was awesome I had a really good time and enjoyed the experience…
While away though unfortunately I got the email saying I had turn my cruciate ligament (ACL) which was gutting news. After returning back off holiday I decided to do Weston Beach Race Thanks to Alistair from Sandbach Scrap Metal for the use of his bike which was a complete waste of time as I fell off on the start and luckily wasn’t injured then the race was canceled due to the injured riders. Hope they all make a quick and full recovery
This weekend I decided to race at Bielby with White rose MXC for the hangover meeting. It felt like years since I had rode a bike as it had been 5 weeks since last riding. I was a little bit tight and stiff and didn’t really ride the way I wanted to but I managed to win which was good as it will be the last race for me this season so it was good to end with a win. I seen the specialist last week to see what was best for my knee and it was decided I needed the operation and the specialist referred me to a specific knee specialist in Sheffield. I am going to meet him next week where hopefully I will be able to get the operation as soon as possible so I can start my winter training as soon as possible. Overall this year has been a good year for me except having hurt my knee right at the end of the year but things happen so I’ve got to get on with it. I would just like to say a massive thanks to everyone this year that has helped me. Owen and heather at Manchester Xtreme Yamaha, Mark at Muk Junkie Bike cleaner, Neil at Pro Action Suspension, Martin my mechanic and my mum and dad.
Thanks ASH #82

Hi everyone. This weekend was a free weekend so I decided to enter the Masters at Hawkstone park but in the mx2 class. I borrowed one of my mates bike to ride just for a change.
Qualifying went really well and enjoyed the bike as i had only ridden it once in the week. At the end of the session I was 10th which was good pick on the gate.
Race one I got a good start and was up in the top 10 four corners into the race Matt Moffat fell off right in front of me and I had nowhere to go but straight into his bike and over the bars’ i got up and set off last with a bent lever and started picking the riders of quickly. I got inside the top 20 half way into the race and I could see the riders in front was starting to get tired so I put a big push in and managed to get through to 11th.
Race two I got an average start and unbelievably the same happened again but a different rider! I was fuming as I had to set off at the back again. I pushed at the start to pull up as much as I could and about 10 mins in i ended up behind Ashley Greedy. We had a good battle catching up through the field. I stayed right behind him but I just couldn’t pass him. Once again i ended up 11th at the flag which gave me 10th overall. Overall I was happy with the weekend as my riding was good I was just unlucky. It’s good to be in the top 10 as my sponsor Owen from Manchester Xtreme was there watching so it was all good. Ash #82