Britain’s Neil Hodgson, who won the 2003 World Superbike championship, has been forced to retire from the sport following a nasty shoulder injury he picked up last year. The 36-year-old Englishman from Burnley won the title on a Fila Ducati 999 in 2003, beating team-mate Ruben Xaus, before heading off to MotoGP and then . . . → Read More: Former WSB champion Hodgson retires]]>

Britain’s Neil Hodgson, who won the 2003 World Superbike championship, has been forced to retire from the sport following a nasty shoulder injury he picked up last year. The 36-year-old Englishman from Burnley won the title on a Fila Ducati 999 in 2003, beating team-mate Ruben Xaus, before heading off to MotoGP and then AMA Superbike, where he again raced on a factory Ducati and then a Honda.

After last year’s motocross crash, in which he severely damaged his left shoulder, Hodgson returned to British Superbikes this year on a Yamaha but then aggravated his injury in a high-side crash during practice for the opening round at Brands Hatch. He has now opted to retire from racing for good.

“That’s it. I’m hanging my leathers up but I’m thinking positive about the whole thing,” said Hodgson. “It’s been a whirlwind 20 years and I’ve had such a good career. I don’t regret a thing.”

Hodgson raced 147 times in World Superbike from 1996 to 2003, for a variety of teams, including Ducati Racing ADVF, Kawasaki Racing, GSE, HM Plant Racing and Ducati Fila, picking up 16 victories and the 2003 title.

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK enjoyed a successful season opener at the Maxxis British motocross championship at Little Silver, Exeter yesterday with Jake Nicholls finishing on the podium, Graeme Irwin taking his first ever MX2 win and Natalie Kane dominating the women’s races.

In the all-new qualifying format for the . . . → Read More: SUCCESS FOR HM PLANT RED BULL KTM AT SEASON OPENER]]>

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK enjoyed a successful season opener at the Maxxis British motocross championship at Little Silver, Exeter yesterday with Jake Nicholls finishing on the podium, Graeme Irwin taking his first ever MX2 win and Natalie Kane dominating the women’s races.

In the all-new qualifying format for the MX2 class, in which the top twelve from the timed session are given a superpole flying lap to establish their gate pick, Nicholls earned himself third place with teammate Irwin, who didn’t expect to be lining up to race this weekend due to a shoulder injury, close behind in fourth in the wet and muddy track conditions.

In the opening 20-minute plus two-lap moto, which forms part of the new-for-2010 three race schedule, Nicholls fired away from the start clinching the holeshot with Irwin in second place. Although Nicholls had pulled a small lead, Irwin was able to take advantage of a mistake from his teammate on lap three, and the Irishman continued with blistering form to stretch out a nine second lead at the chequered flag to spectacularly win his first ever British Championship moto and the first race of the season. Nicholls ended an eventful race in a strong sixth position.

In race two Nicholls scored another holeshot aboard his KTM 250 SX-F, while Irwin didn’t quite get the start he had hoped for and was in 11th place by the end of lap one. Nicholls engaged in a battle with Zac Osbourne and lost out to the American rider on lap three, but maintained a good rhythm to finish in a solid second position. Meanwhile Irwin, who had fought his way to eighth by lap three, had another fall and clawed his way back to a respectable ninth place.

For the final moto of the day the track had dried somewhat, but was tough and rough in many places. Both HM Plant Red Bull KTM riders got good starts with Nicholls taking the lead and Irwin in fourth place at the end of lap one. 19-year-old Nicholls engaged in another fierce battle with Osbourne to finish second and runner-up overall, while Irwin battled with a number of riders to finish in an eventual fifth position and an impressive fifth overall.

In the women’s races Kane demonstrated an almost-flawless performance after taking pole position, and winning both of her 16-minute plus two-lap races. The 18-year-old, who made her KTM debut this weekend, took the overall honours, as she kicks off her season with the aim to build her speed for the first Women’s World Championship round in April.

Jake Nicholls #45: MX2 2nd Overall
“Fifth in Superpole was good, as doing a one-off flying lap is not particularly one of my strong points. In the first race I got the holeshot, but crashed after a few laps, which was just a lack of concentration on my part with it being the first race of the year. I got up and managed to salvage sixth place. In the second race I holeshotted again, and plugged away as much as I could after Zac came past. I didn’t ride so good, as I was a little pumped up, but I was happy enough with second place. In the last race I holeshotted again, and I wasn’t quite finding my lines. It was a pretty similar story to the second race really, and with two laps to go I thought I was on my own when Martin Barr was just close behind me and I had to fight to the finish. I ended up second overall, which is a good start to the year for me, as I’ve worked hard, and I haven’t done that much riding recently with the weather. The plan now is just to keep riding and training to build things up for the first Grand Prix with some good speed.”

Graeme Irwin #555: MX2 5th Overall
“Overall I’m really happy with today. Qualifying wasn’t too bad we were third after the timed session then fourth after superpole, which I was happy with, as it’s a new thing to me and not something I’ve had a lot of practice at. The first race was mega. I got a good start and was close behind Jake. He got away a little, but I managed to start catching him back when he made a mistake and I took the lead. The bike was feeling good and I was able to pull away to take my first ever win, which I’d like to dedicate to my Granda who passed away three months ago today. It was certainly a really great feeling to win the first race of the season. In the second race I got a bit boxed in off the start. I tried to make some headway but aggravated my shoulder, which I injured a week ago, when I came off on one of the tabletops, although I managed to come back to ninth. I got a good start in the third race and ended up fifth with fifth overall, which I’m really happy with because we weren’t sure I’d be racing this weekend during last week. It’s a good start to the season and now I’ll be continuing my training and riding the bike as much as possible, as well as getting my shoulder up to full strength for the next few weeks.”

Natalie Kane #44: MX Ladies Winner
“Qualifying was good; we were first by over five seconds, so I was happy with that. In the first race I was second off the line going into the first turn but took the lead two corners later. I came round on the first lap but hit one of the kickers off the tabletops and nearly went over the bars, so I hurt my chest and winded myself, which I struggled with over the next couple of laps. I tightened up and managed to ride tight, so towards the end of the race I had got myself properly going again and took the win. In the second race I got the holeshot, and felt good, so I just kept my head down to lead to the finish. I’m really happy with everything and the KTM. It’s taken a while to get used to it, as it’s different from any other bike I’ve ridden and a little taller, which has also been a challenge as I’m quite short, but now I’m really loving it. We’re just working on doing some races to get myself ready for the first Women’s World Championship race in April.”

HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK Team Manager: Roger Magee
“This has been a very positive start to the season. We were running one-two in the first race for quite a while when Jake had a slight off. It was good to see Graeme take up the baton and run with it to take his first win at the Maxxis British Championship, with Jake also having a good outing to finish second on the podium overall. It shows the work that the riders and the team have put in over the winter has really paid off. Natalie had two easy wins today for her KTM debut, and we are looking at moving her up into the MX2 class, as it’s important she has some competitive racing ahead of the World Championship season, which starts in April. Overall I’m happy with today and we will now to continue with this form at the Hawkstone Park pre-season international next weekend.”

Related posts:

1. HM Plant Red Bull KTM UK line-up confirmed for 2010
2. NUNN TAKES OVERALL WIN AT RED BULL SERIES OPENER
3. Success for Team Ireland at Red Bull Motocross of Nations