Another positive weekend for Todd. We entered round 1 of the French Motocross Championship months ago, purely because of the track. Little did we know that 18 GP Boys were going to join us. 

 

To be totally honest, with Todd having not done much motocross and having only ever raced the 450 4x times on a motocross track, qualifying for the races was a high expectation for us. 

 

We arrived on the Friday, to look at the track whilst the youths raced Saturday and just kept saying if we can be 40th to the line we will be happy. We weren't expecting a lot but Todd, rode very well in free practice Sunday morning for a promising 10th position in Group B... 20x from each group qualify. We knew that riders would be faster in the qualifying session but just hoped there wasn't 10 faster! He got an ok lap time in and qualified 11th. Not the best he has rode but it didn't matter he was in for the races and had gate pick 22 so by no means last!

 

Nerves then calmed a bit and pressure was off. Whatever happened now, we knew he would give it his best shot. Todd's words going into the races "If I can get a top 20, that's hell of a ride... if I can get a top 15 that's like a win to me".

 

Race 1 - Todd started very close to the inside (hoping it was a safe bet if you got the jump or not) But unfortunately didn't get the start we would have liked. Todd and teammate, Milko Potisek, come together half way up the start straight which left no option but for Todd to back off and go again. So he was in the thick of the riders who then had a big crash on the first corner and Todd was off track to avoid it. Never the less, a good first lap meant he had found himself in about 24th position. A strong ride for the 25 minutes before he settled with a gap Infront and behind in 19th position for the final 2 laps. An excellent ride and we were pleased with the result. It was a shame he didn't get to go with the front group of 20 riders at the start but we were still happy with the top 20. 

 

Race 2 - Todd started more towards the middle of the line up and had a better jump. Both starts he thought were going to be very good but when he looked up, the GP boys were a wheel Infront already. That's just the next level of riders. This time round lap 1, Todd was 18th and in the thick of the "big boys". With Todd, Milko, Ben Watson, Cedric Souberas and Paturel all together, It was an amazing experience and learning curve for Todd. A few passed him and then they caught the next group of riders up and Todd went through with Cedric Souberas and Arnauld Tonus to find himself in a very heated 15th position! After 20 minutes, the track was rough... the heat was intense and everyone settled a bit more. Todd managed to keep pushing to the chequered holding off Nathan Watson and Zachery Pichon for 15th position. Another lap, possibly would have been 14th after he caught Cedric Souberas back up and closed the 5 seconds gap down to less than a second in 2 laps, but ran out of time. 

 

All in all, a very positive day. Amazing experience and confidence booster. From thinking he isn't going to qualify to finishing top 15 in amongst boys that have spent the last 6 months in Belgium training for the world championships... we are happy. 

 

Lots of people have been very supportive and sent some very nice messages. It is difficult at times when the 2 of us turn up on our own and find ourselves on a line up that we basically just as well be at a GP. But we got through it and got some points. It's nice for Todd to know that should he ever wish or can afford to do 1x GP round in the future, on the right track with a bit more preparation he could potentially score a world championship point or 2. So we are taking that and being proud of it.