Race 1: I span up really bad on the concrete and didn’t get out of the gate to well and was behind a coming together on the first turn causing me to stall and set off at the back of the pack dead last. Angry with myself I rode well the first few laps and within 4 laps I was inside the top 25 and had the points in my sight. Half way through the race the rain began to come down hard and all the roost I suffered at the start took its toll on my goggles and I had to take them off. Battling on the last half of the race with no goggles I managed to finish a disappointing 21st.

Race 2: Again I span up on the start but I wasn’t in to bad of position into the first turn but I tip toed round the outside and unfortunately a rider fell off right in front of me and my foot managed to get tangled in his spinning back wheel and ripped the boot buckle off my boot. Again I had to put my head down and make some passes early as the track wasn’t the best for passing opportunities. With 2 laps to go I was sitting in 21st again with 3 riders in front of me. I Knew I had the speed to pass them so I went for it on the 2 lap board and managed to pass all 3 in one lap moving up to finish in 18th.

Race 3: This time on the start I packed a little bit of sand under the back wheel instead of going off the concrete. It seemed to work better and I got a mid pack start. The track was again hard to pass but I managed to creep my way into the points again and finish the race in 15th. A better end to the day but still I should of had better results today as my speed was good all day.

Overall : I ended the day 19th overall and also moved unto 19th in the championship after suffering two DNF at the opening round.

ASH # 704

Race 1: I got a terrible star in race one I totally timed the gate wrong and wheelied slightly coming out of the start. I put a few aggressive passes on early in the race and by 10 minutes in I was up into 5th in mx1 but unfortunately the top 4 had managed to get away at the start and the gap between them and me was too much to catch up.

Race2: I got a pretty good jump out of the gate but I shut off way too early for the first turn and that caused me to get pushed out. This race for some reason I didn’t really attack the track in the first two laps and actually lost a few positions. On the 4th lap of the race I had managed to find some better lines and began to move forward. Again thou like the first race the leaders had got away and I could only catch up to 5th mx1.

Overall: overall on the day I was joint 4th with waterman but ended up 5th due to him having a better second race. My riding today was good there a just a few little things I need to get sorted for the next round but I did manage to get to solid rides in today so I just need to keep moving forward slowly and try and progress each weekend.

Ash #704

After the track walk on Saturday there were a few new sections that had been added to the circuit. Some of the changes were a little bit strange and didn’t look to clever but it was the same for everyone so we just had to get on with it.

Qualifying: Qualifying went pretty well and I seemed to get in a rhythm quite quick. They turned the board and I managed to get 2 half decent laps in. They weren’t the best of laps and I knew I could go a little bit faster. I went back out to try and get another lap in but there were quite allot of yellow flags out which made it hard to get a lap in. At the end of the session I ended up 20th.

Race 1: I got a pretty good jump out of the gate but didn’t really carry it into the first turn. At the end of the first lap I was running about mid twenties. I made a few passes in the opening laps and got up to 20th. I really struggled to get in the fight for positions and didn’t ride to well finishing in 20th

Race 2: Again I didn’t get the best of starts but this time I was a little more aggressive on the first few laps and at the half way point I was up inside the top 20. I kept on picking the positions of until the end and finished 15th at the flag

Race 3: There had been a lot of injuries during the day and my main aim was to finish in the points again and not make any mistakes. I used my head and didn’t do anything silly and managed to finish 14th for 17th overall on the day. Overall today has been a good day and a step in the right direction. I am glad to have finished all 3 races in the points and it gives me something to build on now after the disappointment at the first round. I hope all the riders injured today are ok and back on the bike soon Get well soon boys

Ash #704

Qualifying: The track was already pretty cut up by the time but there were still some nice lines to get on and attack. I felt good on the bike and was having fun riding. At the end of the session I was 17th. My lap time was good and was close to the riders in front so I knew I could do well in the race.

Race 1: I got a really good jump off the gate and got a good run to the first turn. I went into the turn in good positioning but unfortunately Darren Coutts fell off right in front of me and I had nowhere to go except straight into his bike. I had a pretty big crash and fell awkwardly getting run over. Luckily I wasn’t hurt and was able to join the race in last position. I was gutted with crashing on the start and I put my head down and charged hard managing to get to 17th in 4 laps. My riding was really good and I felt strong but unfortunately on lap 5 the bike let go causing me to pull out of the race.

Race 2: Riding the spare bike I had a crazy encounter on the sighting lap where Shaun Simpson fell off in front me leaving me know where to go except crash into him. I didn’t really think much of it until I got back to the waiting area where my mechanic noticed there was oil leaking from my clutch casing. There was nothing we could do as it was minutes before the race. I got a terrible start and got stuck with a few riders on the first turn. Again my riding was really good and I charged through to 16th. Half way through the race my bike began to smoke and leaving me no choice but for me to get pulled in.

Race 3: going into the final race my main aim was to just finish. I didn’t get the best of starts and was mid pack the end of the first lap. The track was really rough by this point in the day and the sun was really low. I was really struggling to see the track and had to be careful picking the lines. The conditions was the same for everybody though so I put the hammer down and managed to finish 16th.

Overall: Today was a really disappointing day for me. I really felt like I had the speed to finish top 15 overall. The overall points on the day seen me round out in 21st.Luck wasn’t on my side today but I will keep working hard and hopefully the next round at Canada heights will be allot better for me.

Ash #704

Qualifying: the session went pretty smoothly and I felt good on the bike. I managed to get a few good laps in but on one of my better ones I had a crash just by the finish which was a shame but I rounded the session of in 24th which wasn’t too bad.

Race 1: I had a pretty average start and rounded the first lap mid pack. I found a rhythm pretty quick and felt good with some really good lines. The track was still quite fast but had some really sketchy parts where you really had to concentrate. After some good racing I crossed the line in 18th.

Race 2: Again I gated about mid pack. The first few laps it was hard to move forward as the track had become quite rough since the last race. After a few laps I began to hit some of the lines I found and began to move forward. I knew that there would be allot of people who would tire towards the end of the race so I tried to pace myself to be strong at the end. 3/4 of the way into the race I was inside the top 20 and still feeling good I managed to pick of the riders to the finish and crossed the line in 16th.

Overall: At the end of the day I finished 18th. The line up today was tough and my aim at the start of the day was top 20. The day went well and was a good start to the season and a great stepping stone ready for the Maxxis British Championship in 2 weeks
Thanks ASH # 704

Qualifying: I got into a rhythm straight away and felt good with the tack but there was something not quite right with the clutch on my bike which held me back a little bit but it wasn’t to much of a problem as I knew it could be sorted for the race. At the end of the session I ended up 21st but I knew I could do allot better in the races.

Race one: I got a terrible start as I got tangled with the rider next to me. I put a few solid laps in at the start to get into the top 20 where I found myself in an ongoing battle till the end with a big gaggle of riders. My fitness was good and showed at the end of the races as I was able to pick the riders of finishing the race in 12th.

Race two: I got an average start and was inside the top 20 from lap one. This race I was a little bit more aggressive in the opening laps and I was able o move up the order quite quickly. I pushed up to 12th and found myself in a lonely race until the last two laps where I was able to catch up to 11th place but was just cut short on making the pass.

Race three: going in to this race I knew I had a good chance on making the top 10. I got the best start of the day and was 15 on the first lap. Again I put some quick laps in and made some good passes to move up through the pack quickly. all the hard work in the week paid off as I was able to keep my pace until the end and brought it home in 9th place for my first ever top 10 at the British championships.

Overall: today has been a great day and a great way to end the season. Overall on the day I finished 8th which is my best ever. Also I managed to finish 19th in the championship after only scoring one point at round6 and none at round 7. I am really happy with how the weekend went and I can’t wait for next year where I will be moving up into the mx1 class where hopefully I can have another good year.

I would like to say a big thanks to my mum and dad and all my sponsors this year for helping me this year.

Thanks Ash #704

Race one: in the holding pen it began to rain quite heavy. I knew with the rain I needed to get a good start. I did get a good start and came round the first turn in 2nd. I got a little bit tense the first few laps and eventually dropped to 3rd. Half way through I found my rythem and had a long hard battle to the end with carl nunn where I was able to break away the last two laps and bring it home for 3rd.

Race two: again I gated very well and was 3rd out of the first turn. I rode a little bit better but again struggled abit. Having two weeks of no training and exercise was taking it’s toll on me but I managed to battle through and bring it home again in 3rd.

Race three: by this race I was little bit tired and my ankle was starting to hurt but I knew what I had to do to get third overall. I didn’t get off to a good start as a certain someone stole my gate. I battled through the pack motivated to catch the top 5. I rode slot better than I did all day and got up to 4th and managed to maintain it to the flag to get 3rd overall and get up on the podium.

Overall: 3rd overall was good to get up on the podium but I wasn’t 100% happy with the way I rode. 2 weeks of doing nothing at all really made me realise how much you need to put in to get back. I have got the all clear to start training again now so I will be back on that this week and hopefully be fit and ready for the last round of the British masters in 2 week.

Ash #704

Qualifying: the track was deeply rotavated and was really good except a few places where they were damp spots. I didn’t really get a good lap in but felt good on the bike and ended the session in 21st position.

Race 1: The track had some really good lines now developed. I got off to a good start and came round the first turn about 15th. During the first lap I made some silly choices and mistakes and dropped back to just outside the top 20. I took a couple of laps to get going but eventually a few laps in I started to get into a rhythm and began picking the riders off. I worked my way up into the points and unfortunately I made a small error going into a corner and the rider behind me committed on making the pass and ran over my foot. The pain was immense straight away and I was forced to pull out of the race.

After further inspection and seeing specialists I found out that I had a mild dislocation of the foot. I am now having Physio and hopefully should be back to ride in no 2-3 weeks

Today was a bad day for me again as no points was scored and I have dropped down to 20th in the championship. Although I have hurt my foot it could of been slot worse so hopefully it won’t set me back to much and I can have a good string finish to the year

Ash #704

Qualifying mx1: this was straight after mx2 and there was few lines starting to develop. The 250 two stroke felt sweet and I managed to get a good lap in finishing 7th.

Race1 mx2: the track was starting to get rough and dry. I got a bad start and got caught up in a pile up half way round the first lap. I couldn’t start my bike and by the time I finally got it going I was nearly a lap down. Being on my own it wasn’t the best race to be in as I was on my own just riding round. I kept tugging and putting some good lap times in to eventually finish 14th

Race mx1: mid pack start and by this time the track was very dusty. Especially going up the hill as we were the only group going up there the sun had just baked it. I didn’t ride to well the first few laps as I was a bit unsure of the dust. After 10 mins i put the hammer down and started to pass some people and move up to 8th by the end of the race

Race 2 mx2: the track now was really dry and rough the whole way round. Again I suffered with not a great start and couldn’t see too well on the first few laps as the dust was bad. Again I didn’t ride very well the first few laps and even lost a few places making it even more hard work for myself. Towards the middle of the race I began to find my rhythm and start to move forward. I managed to get up into 8th and at the finish was only 2 seconds behind 5th.

Race 2 mx1: this was late in the day and the track wasn’t very pretty. The organisers decided it was too dusty to send us up the hill and sent us up the cut off. Another mid pack start didn’t make it any easier for me. I plugged away all race and managed to keep a good pace the whole way through getting up to 7th at the finish.

Overall mx2: 10th
Overall mx1: 6th
Overall today has been pretty good… I would have liked to get better results in mx2 but luck wasn’t on my side. I’m glad to be away in one piece and look forward to the maxxis next weekend at Dunns.

Ash 704

Qualifying: the track was quite dry and there wasn’t really allot of water put down on the track which was a surprise. This meant the track was very fast and the times were really close. At the end of the session I ended up 25th which wasn’t great but my lap time wasn’t too far off where I needed to be.

Race 1: in the interval between qualifying and the races the sprinklers were turned on and quite allot of water was put down on the track making it slippy in places. I got a bad start and was just inside the top 30 on the end of lap one. I really struggled to find a rhythm and couldn’t get to terms with the track. I didn’t ride very good and at the end of the race I could only manage 22nd

Race 2: after race one I was a bit mad at myself for riding so badly. The track was in the best condition it had been all day. I got a mid pack start but this time I got into a bit of a rhythm and found some good places to make some passes. Half way through the race I moved up to 16th and closed on a gaggle of riders in front. With three laps to go I was right behind them when u unfortunately the bracket holding my seat on snapped causing my seat to fall off. I tried to carry on and race for two corners but there was no way I was going to be able to finish the race inside the points. Unfortunately I dropped back to 25th

Race 3: by this time in the day the track was very dry and very dusty. Again I didn’t make a good start and was buried at the back of the field. With the track being so dry there wasn’t really allot of overtaking going on. Everybody seemed to be running the same pace. At the end of the race I crossed the line in 20th bringing the only point all day home

Overall: today has been a bad day for me and I want to forget about it and move on. I am glad to be away from there in one piece and still in the top 20 in the championship. ASH #704