Ipswich motocross racer Jake Nicholls has made a dream start in his bid for British Championship title glory.
Fresh from his 11th place finish at a rain-soaked Indonesian Grand Prix 10 days ago in the World Championship, Nicholls won both races at the first round of the Maxxis-sponsored British Championships at Culham, Oxfordshire, on Sunday.
Round six of the eight-round competition will be staged at Blaxhall, near Woodbridge, in July.
Gating well in both MX1 motos, Nicholls was never really challenged, and tops the British series with maximum points.
Bury St Edmunds racer, Elliott Banks-Browne, finished in a good third place in the first race, but failed to finish the second leg.
“It’s a great start to the series,” Nicholls said.
“It was not just good for me, but good for the team as well.
“My team-mate Ben Watson won the MX2 class, so that’s the perfect start.
“I’ve targeted the British this season. I’ve never won the MX1 before and I couldn’t have made a better start.”
The 26-year-old, who came third last season in the same series, has a great opportunity to achieve his goal of winning the MXI title on his KTM UK team machine.
He was narrowly beaten into third by Tommy Searle and Shaun Simpson in 2016, but with Searle not competing this year and Simpson currently injured, Nicholls is determined to make hay.
“There are still some great riders out there, don’t worry about that,” he said.
“It is going to be a tough series. But I couldn’t have wished for a better start.”
By the time Blaxhall stages the sixth event in the British title chase in July however, Nicholls - and Banks-Browne - will know what they have to do in respect of their title hopes.
“Wouldn’t it be great to go to Blaxhall, my nearest track, in front of so many of my fans and be leading the series?,” he said.
“That would be superb, but there is a long way to go.”
Nicholls flies to Argentina for round three of the World Championships on Sunday, followed by the Mexican round at Leon on April 2, before returning to England to contest round two of the British Championships at Lyng in Norfolk, where he will hope to continue where he left off at Culham.
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