Round one got off to a 'testing' start at the track at Littlehempton track for Mark (his words!) with mechanical problems. Just prior to practice his bike was not keen to start and- when it did splutter to life- sounded far from its best.
A quick lap round the track clearly demonstrated that the problems were far from simple and- when Mark returned to the pits- changing the spark plugs repeatedly in the process, it became apparent that it wasn't going to be an easy fix either. Eventually, the problem was spotted by Mark's Dad (a former Motocross rider himself and a big supporter of Mark), two contacts on the plug cap were cleaned, the bike was put back together and it finally fired up! (Much to their relief I'm sure).
Race 1 was eventful with Mark being dragged down from 6th to 32nd place following a crash on a hill top two short laps from the finish which left his handlebars twisted. Race 2 was a little better as he crawled back up to 9th place and the final race saw him pull back one more spot and finish in a very respectable 8th.
Round 2 found Mark at a new track to him- Moreleigh nr Totnes. The first race was spent largely getting used to the track but he claimed 7th place. The start for the second race was equally as good but, due to the track being watered, a first corner crash held many of the riders up (including Mark). Race 3 was a mixed bag- an excellent start paired with a last minute pass at the finish line left Mark in 9th: missing out on an overall 5th place trophy by just 2/10ths of a second!
Regardless of all of this Mark has clearly set himself up well for the championship. Round 2 saw him shift from 10th to 6th place overall, a manageable 4 points off the top 4 riders and- with the mechanical issues now sorted- he's very much looking forward to the next round at Crediton on 8th June.
