Martin Barr raced to the MX2 title at the sixth and final round of the Pirelli British Masters championship on Sunday at Skelder Bank, Whitby, nailing down a Pro class championship clean sweep for the Buildbase Honda Racing team.
Martin’s 2-2 card at the spectacular, hardpack track overlooking the historic North Yorkshire town gave him a 40-point advantage in the championship as his team-mate Graeme Irwin, who claimed the MX1 title seven days ago, ran 1-2 for the overall in the big-bike class.
Fastest in MX2 qualifying aboard his CRF250R, the Ulsterman gated well in both races and used his wealth of experience to stay out of trouble to make sure of the title.
“I’m really happy to get the championship wrapped up,” said Martin. “My nearest rival Bryan MacKenzie hurt his ankle last week which was unfortunate for him – it gave me a bit of cushion coming into today but I always really enjoy Whitby so I was looking forward to it.
“In race one I got away well and worked my way up to the front and tried to make a break. Steven Clarke stayed with me so I let him by and followed him for a lap or two but towards the end of the race he pulled away a bit so I settled for second.
“In race two I got another decent start and got up to second in MX2 and just used my head and did what I had to do to make sure of the title and make it MX1 and MX2 championships for Buildbase Honda. It’s been a brilliant series for the team.”
With the Pro MX1 title already in the bag, Graeme went to Whitby looking to underline his dominance and after winning the opening moto he claimed his fifth overall win of the series despite a big second race crash that damaged his CRF450R.
“It was looking like a perfect day and then I just pushed the tyre too much on a real hard, slick track and it washed out over a set of rollers which put me into the face of a jump,” he said. “The bike was pretty bent up so once I got back on I couldn’t really challenge for the race win but I knew I’d win the overall if I stayed where I was in second.
“I had quite a big lead and I threw it away but the title was already in the bag and I still won the overall so I guess I can’t really complain about a 1-2 too much.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to the whole team for their effort in this year’s championship and also congratulations to Martin for taking the MX2 title. That’s awesome for him.”
Multi-time British champion and GP winner Billy MacKenzie came out of retirement to make an MX1 guest ride for the team and the Scot – whose last competitive race was almost 12 months ago – didn’t disappoint with his 4-4 finishes good enough for the last step of the podium.
“It’s been fun today and I wasn’t as tired as I thought I’d be which is kinda cool,” said the 32-year-old. “It was nice to be out on the Honda again and all Foxed up – I felt proud to be at the track and in the red colours.
“I almost got a couple of holeshots – I think Graeme just pipped me to the first corner – and I was doing third-gear starts on concrete which was fun and the bike was super-fast. I was still using the standard suspension so I was a bit limited with how hard I could push and got a little out of shape in places.
“All round I had a good day and got third overall which I’m sure I could improve on if I ever decided to do it again and it was cool to ride Whitby – the track was a lot of fun and it was nice to be back in the paddock. It’s been a fun weekend and I’d like to say a big thank you to the team for making it happen.”
With team owner Dave Thorpe unable to make the journey to Whitby his son Ryan was overseeing the day’s efforts and he was delighted with the riders’ performances.
“I’m so pleased for Martin,” he said. “He rode with his head today, didn’t take any chances on what’s always a tough track and did exactly what was needed to make it a clean sweep of titles for Buildbase Honda. He’s a true professional.
“Graeme already had the title sewn-up but was determined to sign-off on top and he did just that despite a crash in the second moto and it was a pleasure to have Billy onboard – a few years ago he was one of the fastest riders in the world and today he showed flashes of that speed.”
