KTM factory riders Shaun Simpson and Rui Goncalves again showed they are on top of their MX2 game and primed for the 2009 GP season when on Sunday they notched up a 1-2 result for the orange racing machines at the historic British Hawkstone Park circuit.
For Shaun, the Scottish rider about to embark on his debut year with the Red Bull KTM Racing team, it couldn't have been a better weekend. "It was simply perfect," he said, clearly elated at the weekend's results. "It already started out well for me in Saturday's qualification when I went out and decided to get in a fast lap early in the session and managed to get pole position."
Simpson continues to shine
Simpson, who is attracting a lot of attention with his excellent pre-season performances, then turned up the heat in the first moto. The gate dropped and he charged forward to snatch the holeshot, settled into the lead and won the first heat - from teammate Goncalves - by an impressive 20 seconds. The second heat was a repeat performance with another good start and the holeshot and although this time he had Rui pushing him all the way, he still took chequered flag honours. "It was just the best crowd and I had loads of supporters. The bike was great and I always like to ride at Hawkstone Park. It's a nice track and there is a lot of history here," Shaun said.
Rui pushes teammate for overall second place
While Simpson put in a virtually faultless day on his KTM, it was gratifying for the team that Rui was his closest rival on a day that the Portuguese member of KTM's MX2 family described as "pretty good". Clearly also in top form and very mentally strong after working closely in the off season with Tyla Rattray's former coach in South Africa there is no doubt that Goncalves will not be conceding any ground in 2009 races. "I had a bad start in the first race because we started on concrete and I didn't have too much grip," he said. "I found myself down the order at around twentieth but I managed to fight back and finish second behind Shaun. I did get away well in the second heat and I was close behind Shaun when he got the holeshot and managed to stick with him for the first 15 minutes. Then a rider went down in front of me and I couldn't avoid him so I crashed and again had to fight my way back to finish second. But I'm still satisfied with today's result. I rode well, the bike was perfect and this is a very beautiful track. It was my first time in Hawkstone Park."
Everts happy with his two MX2 riders
The great result by the two KTM MX2 riders was also acknowledged by team boss Stefan Evert. "Both did very well this weekend. Shaun was simply perfect and made no mistakes at all. Rui did have a bad start in the first heat but he improved on that in the second and he fought his way back into the race so it was a really good effort from him. Both of our riders are stronger and better, both are happy with their bikes and we can say we're really looking forward to the first GP in Faenza.
The event at Hawkstone Park, which celebrated the tenth anniversary of this pre-season international was held in sunny, early spring weather and virtually perfect conditions. Riders were able to test themselves on the challenging sandy circuit and a hill that some consider infamous, presenting an excellent opportunity to sharpen both riding skills and machines ahead of the season's opener.
The KTM factory team only contested the MX2 competition at Hawkstone Park.
MX2 Results pre season international Hawkstone Park
1. Shaun Simpson, U.K. KTM
2. Rui Goncalves, Portugal, KTM
3. Xavier Boog, Suzuki
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