It was a tough day of racing for the Tru7 Honda Racing Academy squad of Charlie Heyman and Callum Green at the fast Foxhill track in the third round of the ACU British championship on Sunday but both riders gave it their all.
In only Heyman’s third British championship round for the team in the MX2 class, the teenager had to fight through the pack on his way to 13th place. But this gritty ride moved him up from 15th in the championship to 12th.
Heyman found things difficult on the hilly, hard-packed circuit where he’d never raced a four-stroke before. He was 17th in qualifying so didn’t get a great start gate pick. In the race his poor gate place was a handicap but he was in the mix right from the first corner. But he was jostled by the pack and dropped down to 16th at the end of the first lap.
The former youth champion fought back and picked off rivals as he moved up to a solid 12th place but the toll of the tricky track meant he lost a spot at the end of the moto and finished 13th.
The 17-year-old said: “After a fourth place at the last round this was a bit of a disappointment for me. I got bumped around on the first lap and lost a few places but rode hard to pass riders and get back to just outside the top ten. So not the greatest result but I’m looking forward to the next round at Blaxhall and aim to have a better day.”
In the MX1 class which included five-times world champion Jeffrey Herlings riding as a wild card, 23-year-old Callum Green was up against some very tough competition on his CRF450R. In qualifying he put in 25th fastest time so was on the unfavoured outside of the gate for the start.
Green was baulked by the pack off the start and ended up smashing into a fence post, damaging his radiator and bodywork. By the end of lap two, he was in 29th position. But he put on a consistent charge through the field and picked off six places on his way to the flag, coming home 23rd.
He said: “Another tough day for me really. To be 25th in qualifying isn’t good enough. But in the race my riding wasn’t so bad. I had an issue with a bent radiator which made it hard to turn the bike. And with little room to pass I ended up 23rd. I feel I’m capable of a lot more than I’m showing at the moment.”
Tragically, the last lap of the race saw a bike crash into two trackside workers and the event was immediately abandoned. The team’s thoughts are with the family, friends and everyone else affected by this incredibly sad event.
ACU British MX2 championship round three:
1 Elliott Banks-Browne 25
2 Charlie Cole 22
3 Taylor Hammal 20
4 Isak Gifting 18
5 Jack Chambers 16
6 Mel Pocock 15
7 Josh Spinks 14
8 Jake Millward 13
9 Glenn McCormick 12
10 Sam Nunn 11
13 Charlie Heyman Tru7 Honda Racing Academy 8
Championship points:
1 Isak Gifting 115
2 Bobby Bruce 84
3 Elliott Banks-Browne 82
4 Taylor Hammal 82
5 Jake Millward 75
6 Charlie Cole 65
7 Jack Chambers 63
8 Sam Nunn 58
9 Jamie Wainwright 55
10 Glenn McCormick 50
12 Charlie Heyman Tru7 Honda Racing Academy 37
MX1:
1 Jeffrey Herlings 25
2 Josh Gilbert Crendon Fastrack Honda 22
3 Conrad Mewse Crendon Fastrack Honda 20
4 Tommy Searle 18
5 Harri Kullas 16
6 Tristan Purdon 15
7 Shaun Simpson 14
8 John Adamson 13
9 Ashton Dickinson 12
10 Steven Clarke 11
23 Callum Green Tru7 Honda Racing Academy
Championship points:
1 Harri Kullas 111
2 Conrad Mewse Crendon Fastrack Honda 108
3 Josh Gilbert Crendon Fastrack Honda 103
4 Shaun Simpson 70
5 Brad Todd 61
6 Tommy Searle 56
7 Ashton Dickinson 52
8 John Adamson 49
9 Martin Barr 48
10 Tristan Purdon 46
23 Callum Green Tru7 Honda Racing Academy 9
