Cooper & Sword win Brit nationals opener

Paul Cooper and Stephen Sword have won the opening round of the MX1 and MX2 Maxxis British Motocross Championship that took place at Canada Heights in Kent last Sunday (Mar-13). The first of eight rounds in the premier national off-road series in Europe began under cloudy skies and chilly conditions at the popular circuit located just off the M25 motorway near Swanley. 9000 fans entered the gates for their first taste of 2005 motocross season and were not disappointed as some thrilling racing saw podium places decided within the final moments of the motos. MultiTek Honda rider and former British Champion Paul Cooper claimed a perfect MX1 clean sweep by winning both 30 minute and 2 lap races; enjoying a successful comeback after missing most of the 2004 campaign through injury. The veteran had to work for his spoils in the second race as Finnish Honda representative Jussi Vehvilainen fronted the 450cc four-stroke and 250cc two-stroke pack for the majority of the distance. Cooper moved ahead within the final few circulations and third placed Japanese Suzuki rider Yoshitaka Atsuta pursued Vehvilainen with venom in a straight shoot-out for the second and third steps of the podium. Atsuta almost crashed on the last lap trying to seize the runner-up spot but sensationally recovered to pip the Honda man to the finish line by just two tenths of a second. Earlier in the day Cooper had led a more processional affair, yet his afternoon efforts delivered his first British Championship triumph in over a year. Atsuta equalled his best ever result in second with his last gasp charge despite being level on points with Vehvilainen (the second moto ranking determining the final standing). James Noble was fourth while Suzuki‰Ûªs Neville Bradshaw can feel content with fifth after his debut outing in the bigger class. The Sidcup and District Motorcycle club had undertaken some careful and considered alterations to the Canada Heights circuit in what is becoming one of the slickest organised events on the calendar. The preparation of the dirt was good and the changes to the course from 2004 were interesting. Despite the low temperatures after some morning sunshine had evaporated the riders were still made to sweat by the physically demanding and lofty layout. Stephen Sword was hassled by a resilient Carl Nunn and aggressive Mike Brown in the MX2 competition for 250cc four-stroke and 125cc two-stroke motorcycles. The defending Champion and factory Kawasaki rider, making a one-off appearance due to World Championship priorities for 2005, was defeated by America‰Ûªs Mike Brown and works KTM pilot Carl Nunn respectively in the first race of the day. Sword rallied for the next moto and duelled closely with Nunn for the duration, finally shaking off his ‰Û÷orange shadow‰Ûª after the latter fell on the penultimate lap. Nunn had ‰Û÷holeshotted‰Ûª both races and demonstrated that he will be a valid threat for the title this year. Brown retired while holding a position in the top ten shortly into the second MX2 exhibition. The DNF was attributed to a mysterious mechanical problem with the 250 Honda. Brown had determinedly put paid to his British rival‰Ûªs hopes in race one. Tom Church, the winner of the MX2 Canada Heights round in 2004, completed the top three with results of fifth and third. The Kawasaki youngster was delighted with his trophy after a seven month absence due to a shoulder injury. Wayne Smith was fourth in his first ride for Honda ahead of Holland‰Ûªs Erik Eggens who was also making his British Championship debut for the Japanese manufacturer. The series now heads north in two weeks time for the second round set to occur at Polesworth near Tamworth on Easter Sunday.