Buildbase Honda riders second and third after Red Bull finale

The final round of the Red Bull Pro National Championship took place at Culham in Oxfordshire over the weekend and produced mixed fortunes for Buildbase Honda riders Nico Aubin and Brad Anderson.

It was the second visit to the hillside track this season, but this time the track was run in reverse. Aubin went into the weekend in second place in the championship, one place ahead of Anderson and, although the Frenchman was struggling with an elbow injury, both riders qualified well.

However, while Anderson rode a strong first moto to finish in second place behind Kristian Whatley, Aubin was unable to continue because of the pain from his injured elbow and he was forced to retire.

Sunday started well for Anderson who was running well in the top five in the second race of the weekend, when his bike suffered a technical problem forcing him out of contention.

Going into the championship’s final race, Anderson still trailed Aubin in the points but was aiming to overhaul his team-mate and grab second place. He finished sixth and ended the weekend in eighth place overall, giving him enough points for the final position that he coveted and relegating the luckless Aubin to third.

Brad Anderson:It’s been an up and down weekend for me really. The first race was good on the Saturday finishing in second place, then they graded the track for Sunday and it was very different. In the first race on the Sunday I was in fourth place when I had a problem with the clutch and had to pull out of the race. Before the final race we sorted the clutch and I was going well until a piece of plastic came off the bike and upset my rhythm, so I brought it home for sixth and second in the Championship.

Nico Aubin:I’ve been struggling with my elbow all season and trying to ride on, but it has become too bad now. It had been getting worse in recent weeks and I had planned my operation for Monday, but I came here this weekend to try and secure second in the championship. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do that as I just had no strength in my elbow. I still finished third in the Championship but it could have been much better.

Dave Thorpe - team manager:It’s been a tough weekend for us. Nico arrived with an injured elbow and wasn’t able to race and will now have an operation on Monday. Brad had a good race on the Saturday finishing second and then in the first race on the Sunday we suffered a clutch problem, which resulted in a DNF. In the last race, Brad’s knee brace caught the plastic under the seat and it restricted his leg movement, resulting in a sixth place finish. On the upside we have managed to finish second and third in the championship.

Honda would also like to send its congratulations to Neville Bradshaw and the Putoline Honda team for securing the Red Bull Pro Nationals MX2 championship title at Culham.


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