Sensational first podium for Simpson

KTM UK had cause to celebrate as their rider Shaun Simpson took part in the best race of the 2008 season so far and was one corner away from winning his first Grand Prix moto at Sevlievo. The Grand Prix of Bulgaria represented the fourth round of fifteen in the FIM World Championship and will live long in the memory of the 20 year old Scot who gained his maiden podium result with third position.

It was a day of two motos in contrasting weather conditions, watched by 27,000 spectators. The hard and fast circuit was dry and demanding for the opening race while a period of rainfall saw temperatures drop and the mud become slick and slippery. Obtaining a decent start was essential, particularly as the layout saw many riders circulating at a similar speed and overtaking was difficult.

Simpson took fourth place in the first MX2 qualification heat that let him take the seventh pick of positions in the start gate for the two 35 minute and 2 lap Grand Prix motos. A positive start saw him inside the top five around the first few corners but while anxious to move up he made a mistake and slipped to the ground, losing positions. He fought back to 11th place.

The second moto occurred under a gloomy sky and light rain although it will stand as one of the more memorable of Simpson’s career not only for the significance of the result but in the manner of the entertainment it provided to the entire crowd. Snaring the lead from factory KTM rider Tommy Searle Simpson beat a path and set the pace at the front, leading a Grand Prix for the first time. Searle applied pressure and the pair were never more than three seconds apart with a fallen and lapped Antonio Cairoli hanging around for fun.

Searle drew alongside but fell briefly while trying to pass. He then gobbled ground again to Simpson and made a successful move only for the Scot to retaliate brilliantly and regained control. It came down to a tense final lap and the tussle culminated when Searle tried a different line on the final turn approaching the downhill finish line and squeezed through to win by four tenths of a second.
With his points total Simpson was still able to toast his first GP trophy and sample world championship champagne.

“I am happy to be up here and it is a new experience for me! At the beginning of the year I knew I had some good speed and I did not expect to get a podium this soon,” he said.

“In the second race I turned tight on the first corner and passed Tommy on the table-top. The track was a little bit slower and more to my liking. I rode my own race, even though he was right behind me and just couldn’t hold it until the flag,” he added. “Tommy has been riding good all year and finishing ahead of me, so to be in front and have him applying the pressure was something new. He made a mistake which gave me a bit of breathing room for a while. He was quicker though and caught me up; I led the whole race but not the part I needed to!”

“I hope I have broken the ice now,” he offered. “There are some good tracks that I like coming up. Racing with these guys you can pick up some good tips and lines. The main thing is to be up there with the faster guys.”

James Noble did not have the best weekend and confessed a dislike to the track. The Englishman could not find a quick time in qualification which left him with a lowly gate pick. He finished outside of the points in Moto1 and managed 18th place in Moto2.

“I really struggled with the track,” he admitted. “We changed the gearing yesterday to get a bit more torque out of the bottom end to help up the hills but I had trouble in qualifying –everyone was so close - and put in me in a bad position in the gate. Two bad starts and the fact that the pace was virtually the same meant that I couldn’t do better than a couple of points, and I’m really disappointed with that.”
Team Owner and Manager Roger Magee commented “ what a race, and day for Team KTM UK with our first podium! Shaun rode a brilliant, controlled race 2 and showed that he can cut it with the best MX2 riders in the World. This will now give him the confidence to progress even further , and proves that his commitment and hard work has all been worthwhile”.

In the world championship standings Simpson is eighth but only 12 points away from the top four. Noble rests in nineteenth.

The Team will start the trek west and across to northern Italy this week as the fifth round of the world championship will arrive on the doorstep of the presentable Mantova circuit – north of Bologna – in just seven days time.