Top Brit for Grimshaw and Chambers Racing at Matterley Basin
This weekend the Chambers Racing team returned to Matterley Basin in the South Downs National Park for the rearranged opening round of the FIM World Motocross Championship.
Images courtesy of Architech Media
After the event was postponed last week due to the extreme weather of Storm Eunice, the team were pleased to be greeted with better weather this week as Tom Grimshaw and Ben Putnam prepared to compete in the EMX Open class.
Saturday started with the Free Practice session which saw Tom and Ben get comfortable on the Matterley Basin track. At the end of the session Tom was 13th fastest with Ben 26th fastest.
Later in the morning it was time for the pair to head back out on track for the Timed Qualifying session and Tom posted several fast laps before finishing the session 17th fastest. Ben also rode well and finished the session 27th fastest going into the races.
Saturday afternoon saw the first of the weekends races and when the gate dropped Tom lifted slightly out of the gate and was in the mid pack around the first turn with Ben further behind. During the opening lap Tom pushed hard and crossed the line on the first lap in 13th. As the laps passed Tom put is head down and was inside the top 10 on the third lap and chasing down fellow Brit Liam Knight as he tried to take 7th place. Unfortunately, Tom was unable to make the move and in the final couple of laps lost a position and finish in a well-deserved 9th place. Ben’s race saw him recover from a bad start and have to push for the back of the field and narrowly missed out of the points as he crossed the line in 24th place.
The second race of the weekend take place early on Sunday morning. After a short warm up session it was time for the gate to drop and this time Tom made a good jump and rounded the first turn inside the top 10 and crossed the line on the opening lap in 6th place. After losing a position mid race, Tom recovered and moved up to 5th place in the final laps. After crossing the finish line in 5th, Tom secured 5th overall on the weekend and was the top Brit in the class. Teammate Ben Putnam rode a good race after having to come back from a bad start to finish in 24th place and narrowly missed out on the points and was 25th overall on the weekend.
Tom Grimshaw – 5th Overall – It’s been a good weekend here at Matterley for the EMX Open, the track was really technical due to the rain leading up to the event, which made for a lot of lines in the corners, and it was good for racing. In the first race I didn’t get the best of starts as I lifted out of the gate due to the power of the 450 but I managed to charge through from the mid pack start and get up into the top 10 and was pushing to get past Liam Knight but I couldn’t get the pass done and then towards the end I saw Brad Anderson coming and couldn’t hold him off which was a shame but I was happy with the 9th place in my first 450 race. Then in the second race on Sunday I got a better start and was just outside the top 10 but the sun was really low so I kept it steady until the sun got better and I was on the back of the Brit’s and managed to get past them this time and got into 5th and was pushing for 4th but I ran out of time and tear offs at the end so crossed the line in 5th which I was really happy with for my first time on the 450 and I got some great experience and loved every moment of it.
Ben Putnam – 25th Overall – Both races this weekend were very much the same as I suffered from bad starts and got boxed in on the opening laps. Once I was able to settle down, I started to move forward and work my way up to 24th in both races, so I have to take it is a positive that I was always moving forward. I’m still learning the 450 and need to get more comfortable but this will come with more races and time on the bike.
Tim Chambers – Team Owner – This weekend has been a great weekend for the team, it is always good to compete at our home GP in front of the home crowd. After the postponement of last week, it’s great to see the event go ahead. Tom has once again shown the talent that he is on both the 250 and 450. This weekend he was on the 450 and in the first race he came back from a bad start to secure 9th place. Then this morning he got a better start and showed that he can battle at the front and claimed 5th for 5th overall and top Brit. Ben also had a good weekend, although he narrowly missed out on the points, he his getting more experience on the 450 each week.
