After several days of torrential rain in the UK, the organizers seemed to have performed miracles on the former World GP venue sand-track at Desertmartin, Northern Ireland as the conditions on race day were perfect for racing.
MX2
The first MX2 race got off to a flyer as Raptor Titanium sponsored riders Elliot Banks-Browne of HM Plant KTM UK and Mel Pocock of Bike It Cosworth Monster Energy Yamaha, series points leaders and favourites to come out on top this season went straight into battle, dicing for the lead ahead of Samsung Yamaha men Steven Lenoir and local Irishman Graham Irwin. After a costly mistake from Pocock early in the race, Banks-Browne capitalized and went on to win, with Pocock managing to get back to 3rd place behind Irwin in 2nd.
Race 2 was a much closer start with the rest of the pack getting in the mix, however Pocock still managed to pull away early on with Banks-Browne getting caught in traffic early on and having ground to make up on his championship rival. In a thrilling climax, Banks-Browne had closed right in on Pocock and put in a pass on the second-to-last lap, but Pocock wasn't going to be denied after leading the entire race, and managed to claw back the lead in the final few corners and clinch the win in race 2, with Banks-Browne settling for 2nd.
The stage was set for another epic encounter in the final race, with Banks-Browne gaining the early advantage with the hole-shot and stretching a sizeable lead after only a few laps. The HM Plant KTM UK man looked uncatchable towards the end, but a slip meant he was thrown off right in the dying laps, handing the victory to Pocock who claimed the overall victory for the event, shrinking the standings points difference to just 8 points.
Raptor Titanium sponsored rider and overall winner at Desertmartin Mel Pocock
Raptor Titanium sponsored riders Elliot Banks-Browne and Mel Pocock do battle
MX2 Overall Result
1 Mel Pocock (Monster Energy Yamaha) 70
2 Elliott Banks-Browne (HM Plant KTM UK) 70
3 Steven Lenoir (Emberson Yamaha) 58
4 Graeme Irwin (Emberson Yamaha) 54
5 Stuart Edmonds (Tyco Suzuki) 49
6 Bryan MacKenzie (Rockstar KTM) 47
7 Neville Bradshaw (Evo-Tech Stevens Honda) 44
8 Nicolas Aubin (Buildbase Honda) 43
9 James Cottrell (DB Racing Honda) 37
10 Nathan Watson (PAR Honda) 34
MX2 Series Standings
1 Banks-Browne 294
2 Pocock 286
3 Lenoir 233
4 Bradshaw 227
5 MacKenzie 220
6 Irwin 200
7 Aubin 194
8 Edmonds 145
9 Jordan Booker 133
10 Cottrell 127
31 James Dunn 18
MX1
It was another totally dominant performance from rampant Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Kevin Strijbos of HM Plant KTM UK as he swept all three motos with ease and reclaimed the series red plate points lead. Desertmartin also saw an impressive return to form from Raptor Titanium sponsored rider and newly appointed Tyco TAS Suzuki local hero Martin Barr who took second overall with a 3-2-2 on the day with some fast and aggressive riding which signals his return to contention after a disappointing spell at LPE Kawasaki. KTM STR's Matiss Karro took another podium spot after a consistent day, taking 2-3-3 as he diced with Barr in all the races.
Dominant force at Round 5 Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Kevin Strijbos
Raptor Titanium sponsored riders Shaun Simpson and Gert Krestinov dice in the Desert
MX1 Overall result
1 Kevin Strijbos (HM Plant KTM UK) 75
2 Martin Barr (Tyco Suzuki) 64
3 Matiss Karro (STR KTM) 60
4 Gert Krestinov (MVR-D Honda) 50
5 Dorren Coutts (PAR Honda) 43
6 Kristian Whatley (PAR Honda) 41
7 Alex Snow (Oakleaf Kawasaki) 40
8 Ray Rowson (LPE Kawasaki) 40
9 Shaun Simpson (Monster Energy Yamaha) 38
10 Tony Craig (MOM Honda) 28
MX1 Series standings
1 Strijbos 313
2 Karro 308
3 Simpson 277
4 Krestinov 226
5 Sword 198
6 Barr 189
7 Whatley 186
8 Snow 159
9 Law 156
10 Coutts 137
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