Four British youth grasstrack pilots, Jessica Cox, Lucas Astley, John Cox Jnr and Archie Whitelam, were recently invited to make a trip into Europe and go racing at Nandlstadt in Germany. And on what was to be a very hot, eventful and at times testing weekend, the Brits certainly shone brightly, competing with 100% skill, determination and pride, a true credit to not only themselves but also their families and the sport of grasstrack!
Words by Mike Wood
Right from arrival in Germany, the organising club made the youngsters feel very welcome and even included them in their pre-event autograph signing sessions. With those formalities complete, it was then time to go into action and our Brits all certainly enjoyed their first outing, returning to the pits with big smiles on their faces! Race 2, though, proved in contrast to be a very dramatic affair and restarted three times! It also saw Lucas Astley and John Cox jnr suffer crashes and exclusions, with Cox’s crash particularly heavy and resulting in a wrecked bike! Thankfully, both lads did not suffer injury, and typical of the great British camaraderie, Andrew Astley, Dad of Lucas, kindly offered a spare machine to John Cox Jnr so that he could complete the meeting. Indeed, John then went on to earn 3rd overall with Lucas Astley finishing 5th.
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Archie Whitelam also gave his usual 100% effort throughout the event and despite being frustrated by mechanical issues which affected his scoring in three of the heats, Archie was still to eventually finish a fine 4th overall. Top Brit at Nandlstadt with her best performance of the season so far was Jessica Cox in 2nd overall, and what a year it’s been for her! Invited to attend the FIM Women’s speedway academy at Donji Kraljevec, Croatia, Jess has also recently competed in the FIM Youth speedway gold cup event at Workington.
Well done to the young riders, their families, supporters and sponsors on the results achieved in Germany!
