It was back to the UK for round two of the 2025 Motul British Motocross championship at Canada Heights for the Gabriel SS24 KTM team.
With MX2 split into two groups again both boys topped their qualifying groups with Gyan Doensen in group 1 and Oriol Oliver in group 2.
Race one Gyan had a good start and was at the sharp end fighting for the lead when unfortunately the race was red flagged due to a fallen rider. Oriol didn’t get the best of starts but was within the top 10 when he had a crash with another rider and another crash which caused a bent front disk so ended 17th due to the race not being restarted.
Race two Oriol grabbed the holeshot and rode a calculated race and gradually edged away from second place, he would take the win by 29 seconds. A tougher race for Gyan as he tried to come through from outside the top 20 off the start, this would see him finish 8th.
Gyan finished the day 4th overall, and Oriol in 6th.
Oriol: “Was fun to race in Spain on Saturday and at the British on Sunday. Took that 5 points at the qualy moto and flew to the race in Canada Heights. Impressed with how good the track was prepared and all the people that was there.
“Took the pole position but first moto didn’t go as planned after some unfortunate situations, but at least we could show in that second moto what we can do and was a good feeling to win that one.
“Even tried some new things on the bike as the track was similar to the GP’s so positive things to take from and looking forward to the next rounds.”
Gyan: “Canada Heights wrapped up, second round of the British championship. Ended the day 4th overall with 2-8 in the motos. First moto I had a really good start, but Tommy pushed me wide in the first turn so I was second and battling with him all the way but then the race was unfortunately red flagged. It was a shame because I think I had the speed and fitness to win that moto but was a positive moto, was just a shame it didn’t get restarted. Second moto I had a really bad start, think I was outside the top 20 through the first few turns and made my way up to 8th, I did pass for 7th but lost it immediately. Another inconsistent weekend unfortunately but we will be back for the next races and thank you to my team and everyone around me.”
Team Manager Shaun Simpson: “Tough pill to swallow at the weekend in Canada Heights as we had the two fastest riders in the MX2 class on the day but came away without any overall podium finishes.
“It was great to see Gyan running up front in moto one and pushing for the win before the red flag and Oriol showed his true class in Moto two winning by 30s but consistency will win you championships and we didn’t have any of that yet again this weekend.
“We need to work on the starts with both riders to put ourselves in better positions at the start of the race. More than ever the start is the most important part of the moto and it’s been very hit or miss for our guys of late.
“Still a long way to go in the British Championship with 6 rounds remaining but can’t help but feel frustrated after this weekends racing as I really feel we should have had first and second overall wrapped up.
“We will continue to work with the riders to improve on our weaknesses and come back to fight another day in France next weekend.”
Words by Gabriel SS24 KTM – Images by JHMX Photography
