MXGB Lyng: Honda’s Searle grabs series lead

Former MXGP star Tommy Searle grabbed the British championship lead at Lyng yesterday after going up against old GP foe Jeffrey Herlings and young gun Ben Watson.

Searle ended the day on the Revo MXGB podium and with the red plate after two hard motos on the roughening track. The first race saw him bunched up in the first corner with a gaggle of top riders, and round the first lap in seventh. He worked hard and took his Honda CRF450R to an eventual fifth-place finish.

In race two, he was quickly on the tail of leaders Herlings and Watson. Searle rode with maturity and speed to follow them home for third place, good enough for third overall behind the pair and, of course, the lead in the championship.

“To end up on the podium and take the red plate, what more can you ask for? I’m happy enough with that! The bike was so good all day, with a great suspension set-up which is so important here. The engine felt brilliant and I improved my starts, too. So no complaints, I’m really happy,” said Searle.

“I had a fifth in the first race but then came back with a third. I don’t think I rode very well in the first race. But in the second I found my rhythm and had Jeffrey and Ben in front of me. I expected them to be fast on a track like this. The track was so demanding, the roughest I’ve ever seen it here.”

The team’s other MX1 rider, Jake Nicholls, was a non-starter as he is still not fully recovered from an injury in pre-season testing. He is back riding again and aims to be back racing soon when he’s fully recovered.

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