Today saw the final round of the ACU Maxxis British Championship, after a year hiatus caused by torrential rain last year. This left Bike It Cosworth Wild Wolf’s Zach Osborne 2010 MX2 British Champion without turning a wheel at the Hawkstone Park.
With only 20 minutes practice since the MxoN, at sunset the evening before the race, Arnaud Tonus opted to use the new 2012 Yamaha for his final British Championship race on the Bike It Cosworth Yamaha Wild Wolf machine.
This year we were greeted with a well prepared, deep and classic Hawkstone Park, with no rain in sight. Arnaud started off a perfect session with a first spot, 4 seconds ahead of Jake Nicholls in qualification. In superpole Arnaud matched Brad Anderson’s MX1 2.07 to take first gate pick.
In race 1 Arnaud got through to the lead quickly and efficiently on his Bike It Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha machine, using its unrivalled power to pull away and create a gap of over 20 seconds. Arnaud cruised home for an easy victory, almost effortlessly.
In race 2 Arnaud got into second place behind Jake Nicholls which made for some interesting racing for the crowd, but Jake could not keep ahead of the Bike It Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha machine which ploughed it’s way through the sand and into a 15 second lead before pulling the second victory of the day.
In race 3 Arnaud scored a 2nd place in the first corner behind Mel Pocock, but it only took a mere quarter of a lap to pass and make the race his own, gaining a 2 second lead each lap over the rest of the field. A third and final win left the swiss extremely happy with himself, keeping the Bike It Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha Teams track record almost perfect.
Arnaud Tonus – “ I am really happy with today, the season has been perfect for me. I would like to thank all the team and all my sponsors, and especially my mechanic Jeff who has kept the bike running all year. I look forward to being with the team next year.”
Steve Dixon – “What a fantastic end to the season, Arnaud has done a great job coming late into the team this season. He has done us proud and rode fantastic, he has been a true champion giving it his all in every race he has entered. I would like to thank our sponsors, and all the staff for their work, this can be shown by our total MX2 dominance this year with 8/8 overalls and 23/24 moto wins. It has been a shame for Zach not to have been at these last few rounds but I am sure Arnaud’s riding has been a pleasure for the crowd to watch. We can’t wait for next year, we wish Zach a quick recovery over the winter to get ready for next year. I would also like to wish Jason a quick recovery and good luck for next year. Jason started the season well and has been injured since Glen Helen, which has prevented us from capitalizing on having good results in the British MX1 championship which we would have liked. Thanks to everyone for a great 2011 season.
MX2 – Race 1
1st – Arnaud Tonus
2nd – Bryan Mackenzie
3rd – Mel Pocock
4th – Neville Bradshaw
5th – Jake Nicholls
6th – Steve Clarke
7th – John Philips
8th – Alan Keet
9th – Kayne Lamont
10th – Tom Kelly
MX2 – Race 2
1st – Arnaud Tonus
2nd – Jake Nicholls
3rd – Bryan Mackenzie
4th – Neville Bradshaw
5th – Mel Pocock
6th – Steven Clarke
7th – Ryan Houghton
8th – Anthony Reville
9th – Jordan Booker
10th – Alan Keet
MX2 – Race 3
1st – Arnaud Tonus
2nd – Jake Nicholls
3rd – Bryan Mackenzie
4th – Neville Bradshaw
5th – Mel Pocock
6th – Jordan Booker
7th – Alan Keet
8th – Shane Carless
9th – Ashley Wild
10th – Steven Clarke
Hawkstone MX2 overall
1st – Arnaud Tonus 75
2nd – Bryan Mackenzie 62
3rd – Jake Nicholls 60
4th – Neville Bradshaw 54
5th – Mel Pocock 52
6th – Steven Clarke 41
British Championship MX2 overall final
1st – Arnaud Tonus 545
2nd – Elliot Banks-Browne 384
3rd – Mel Pocock 353
4th – Bryan Mackenzie 334
5th – Zach Osborne 323
6th – Jake Nicholls 301
