Motocross: Glenn McCormick claims best result of the season in the MX2 class at Preston
The weather wasn't great for round four of the Motul British Motocross Championship at Preston Docks, however, it did not stop local riders Martin Barr and Glenn McCormick from achieving good results in their respective classes.
Ballyclare rider Barr qualified eighth fastest on the Apico Honda in the Apico Pro MX1 class.
His opening race started with a red flag, which was fortunate as he had gone down on the opening lap.
“It was a steady enough performance, claiming two seventh-place finishes and sixth overall on a track that was sketchy, with many riders having big crashes,” said Barr.
“I was kind of lucky with the initial start to race 1, the restart was better, although I lost quite a few positions in the first corner.
“Once I got my head down and started going, I made a few positions back. To be honest, I didn’t feel great, I couldn’t push the way I usually do and was riding around a little zoned out.
“I made a big mistake on the last lap that cost me a place to Josh Gilbert. Seventh position was not bad considering.”
In race two, he was inside the top ten off the gate before securing his second seventh place finish of the day.
“It took me a few laps to get into it as I worked my way into seventh. I was a little disappointed as I just felt flat. It was my kind of going, so I was expecting a bit more. I’ve moved to sixth in the championship and it is a pity I had that DNF at Hawkstone Park earlier in the season, but we will just keep chipping away,” he added.
Glenn McCormick claimed his best result of the season, finishing sixth overall in the MX2 class on the Chambers KTM.
The Glenoe rider qualified ninth fastest and stated: “I never managed to get a clear lap, but I knew there was more in the tank.”
In the opening race, McCormick made a decent start, holding fifth on the initial laps, then dropped to seventh before the red flags came out.
The new staggered starting system was used for the first time in the restarted ten-minute race, and McCormick won the battle for eighth from Maximillion Werner, Jake Nicholls, and Billy Askew.
In race two, McCormick made another good start, lying fourth off the gate before ending up in a scrap for fifth. Two costly mistakes at the jump lost him valuable time, and a crash two laps from the finish saw the local rider having to fend off a determined challenge from Gyan Doensen to secure fifth for sixth overall.
“I made a couple of mistakes at the jump and that crash cost me time, but I was riding well, and to claim my best British Championship overall - I’m happy!” added McCormick.
The two riders stayed on to compete in the mid-week round two of MX Masters at Monster Mountain in Wales. Barr brought the Apico Honda home in seventh in heat one and fourth in heat two before finishing sixth in the five-lap Super Final.
“It was a fun night on a very rocky and dusty track. I made a mistake in my opening heat, but a good start in heat two helped me to finish fourth,” Barr said.
McCormick took eleventh in his opening heat, followed by sixth in the second one. In the Super Final, he took the chequered flag in ninth on the 250 Chambers KTM.
He commented: “It was hard to see where you were going in the dust, and being on a 250 against the 450s was tough as the start finish straight at Monster Mountain is long.
“By the time I reached the first turn, I was mid-pack and having to work hard to get through the traffic. I was the second MX2 in all the races, so that was good, and it was good practice for the next British round at Landrake in August.”