Shaun Simpson wins British MX1 Championship

Published: 22/09/2014

Hitachi Construction Equipment UK KTM rider Shaun Simpson has been crowned British MX1 champion... with a round to spare!

One of Britain’s fastest and most successful motocross riders, Shaun is one of only a handful of British riders to win a overall GP with a outstanding performance in Lierop in 2013.

Shaun’s season has gone from strength to strength – podium finish at the recent Lommel GP and now a 2x British champion. The fact that the Scotsman has only finished outside of the top two in one moto thus far this year is simply incredible, and overlooked by most. For that reason, no one can argue that he is not deserving of the championship, which is the second British title he has won – the first coming in 2008 with the same team.

Newly-crowned champion, Shaun Simpson was elated to win the championship, especially given the trying conditions, as he explained:

“It was a tough old day. The goal today was two things and that was first of all to win the championship, and second of all to stand on the top step of the podium. I would've liked to have done it with 1-1-1, it was looking like it was going to go 2-1-2 for a first overall, but Graeme crashed and unfortunately for him that's cost him a lot today. It's a shame for him, he's trying hard, he was absolutely flying and Kristian and I had nothing for him, and we were just having our own little battle. You've got to finish the race, and I pride myself on that and that's why at this stage of the year I've managed to win the championship. My worst result to date is still the first race of the year, which was a third, every other race has been a second or a win. Consistency was key in this championship, and I just want to thank everyone, my sponsors, my team, my mum, my dad, my girlfriend, just for being there.”

Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM have run Evans Powersports this season and it's been awesome for them. While a number of MXGP teams had real trouble handling the heat in the likes of Si Racha, Thailand, Simpson was flying on his KTM with no issues whatsoever.

'You’ve got to finish the race, and I pride myself on that and that’s why at this stage of the year I’ve managed to win the championship'. Added Simpson.

Victorious Team Manager, Roger Magee was full of praise for Shaun, given his achievements for the team in two different classes saying;

“Today was all about Shaun just doing what he had to do in order to secure his second British Championship, but in true champion style he once again secured the overall podium. It marks another milestone in the team's history with Shaun becoming our first rider to win British Motocross Championships for us in both classes. At both world and British level he has exceeded our expectations for 2014, and the season isn't over just yet!”