Hoyle equals boss as British champion

10:35pm Wednesday 22nd October 2008

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Matthew Hoyle has joined a proud Bradford tradition by winning the 125cc British Championship.

The 17-year-old from Queensbury has emulated his racing team manager Steve Patrickson from Shipley, who won it ten times.

Hoyle won six of the rounds – at Oulton Park (twice), Silverstone, Cadwell Park, Knockhill and Brands Hatch.

The former Queensbury School pupil totalled 190 points to leave him 28 ahead of runner-up Jim Hastings.

Hoyle also finished second in the last race of the series at Brands Hatch and third at Thruxton.

He also entered the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies’ Cup for a second year.

Having finished third last year, Hoyle could only manage ninth this season after a crash damaged his bike.

However, he again showed his potential at the back end of the campaign by claiming podium finishes in the final five rounds, hauling himself up to an overall seventh in the table on 77 points.

So what was Hoyle’s priority for 2008 – the Red Bull Rookies’ Cup or the British Championship?

After topping the qualification charts in testing at Jerez in Spain in March, it seemed that the Queensbury teenager would live up to his billing as the one to beat in the Rookies’ Cup.

However, a crash in the opening rounds at the same venue a week later meant it was the British Championship that Hoyle would be concentrating on.

“I was okay myself, apart from an injured wrist” said Hoyle, “but my bike hit a competitor in front of me who crashed, and my bike was never the same again.”

By the time Hoyle went over to the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of the Moto GP Rookies’ team to face the AMA US Rookies team, however, Hoyle was back on song.

He finished third over 11 seconds behind winner Sturla Fagerhaug (Norway) and seven-and-a-half seconds behind second-placed Mathew Scholtz (South Africa) as the Americans were thrashed 114-26 in tricky wet conditions.

The first American home was Jacob Gagne in eighth but they lost Hayden Gillim to a crash when he was battling Fagerhaug for the lead.

Hoyle said: “I made a good start but I wasn’t in a hurry. I wanted to see how much grip there was and it was OK when a couple of guys went past.

“Then, when I really wanted to go with them, I just made a couple of mistakes and they got a gap on me. I realised there was no-one behind and I just had to bring it home.”

The return leg is on Saturday in Valencia, and Hoyle said: “I am going there to win.

“It is my last Rookies’ race and I want to go out on top. I know I’ve got the pace. I’ve just got to put the full race together.”

As for what is in store for next season, Hoyle said: I don’t know but the ideal would be a ride in the 125cc MotoGP – not with a factory team, but with a smaller team.”