British GP: Bring it On

Last weekend a decision was made to postpone the MXGP opener at Matterley Basin in England due to storm Eunice.  

As better weather starts rolling into the south of England, the forecast for next weekend sees a lot of sunshine and slightly higher temperatures.

Event promoter Steve Dixon is one of the most positive people in the GP paddock, and his work to make sure this GP comes with a lot of help.

“This is the commitment of our helpers of the team to keep the GP going next week, so many great people give their time and sacrifice even trips to London! Truly blown away by all the hard work from everyone and the offers of support to help out this week not only to turn Matterley from a blown wreck to a GP track again but by the support of every fan, we have run through all sorts of conditions, but it was the best decision. I am truly sorry there are people that have lost out this weekend but running this next weekend has truly save the future of the British GP.”

Of course, all the riders returned home to continue their preparation for the first round of 2022, and one rider who is still excited for the British GP is home rider Ben Watson. Watson also felt for the many who suffered loss because of the storm that caused the postponement of the GP.

“The pre-season was good,” Watson said. “It was all focused on funnelling me into my home GP at Matterley Basin. I wanted to race here as much for the fans as myself. Mentally I have been counting down to the first MXGP and now I have to re-set my focus and start that preparation process again. But it’s not like the racing is cancelled, it’s only delayed by a week so the UK fans will still get to see the first GP event of the new Kawasaki Racing Team and me riding the factory KX450-SR. The organisers have done a great job in tough circumstances. My heart goes out to all those in the UK affected by this huge storm and, like KRT, I hope everyone can fix the damage and rebuild.”

In the past many GPs have seen bad weather cause some postponements or cancellations and speaking to British legend Dave Thorpe, the three-time 500cc World champion explained his memory from a cold day in April back in the 1980s.

“I remember it well,” Thorpe said. “It was Payerne, Switzerland and it was in April. It isn’t often a Grand Prix gets cancelled, but that can happen with we are racing against the elements of weather.”

However, we all know the British fans come out in numbers, be it rain, sunshine or snow.

Photo Copyright: Kawasaki