Mark’s back to his roots (From News Shopper)

Mark’s back to his roots

10:05am Tuesday 8th March 2005

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Mark Eastwood, son of Vic, the owner of the Eastwood Honda Racing shop in London Road, Swanley, will be competing in the first round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship, being sponsored by the News Shopper, that takes place at Canada Heights next Sunday.

Eastwood junior has been living in Spain for the last four years, making occasional appearances in the World Championships, scoring excellent results in the Spanish National series, and last season contesting the ultra-competitive AMA Championship in America.

Eastwood, who was rated as one of the top riders in Britain during the late 1990s, will make his first British Championship outing for three seasons at his former local circuit and is immensely looking forward to a nostalgic reunion.

"I grew up racing at Canada Heights and I remember going there as a boy to watch greats like Graham Noyce and Dave Thorpe riding," he reflected from his base just outside Barcelona.

"I competed at the track as a schoolboy and had my first race with the seniors there when I turned 16. I have done pretty well in the Canada Heights' British Championship races in the past and have taken a second and third, but never actually won an overall event."

The motivation for the Shift clothing-backed rider's return to his self-confessed favourite circuit' is mainly due to the consultation role he has fulfiled with the Sidcup Motorcycle Club in its hefty winter overhaul of the track, which has been in use since 1938.

Eastwood added: "The club asked me to help with the changes it was making with the track, transforming the faster parts to make it more technical, digging up the terrain and asking for my ideas on the new layout.

I was impressed.

"The club has built a new reservoir and the track is softer and sandier in many places. Naturally, I was interested in racing around the altered track and to come back as a wild card seemed like a good idea.

"It will be great for me to ride in the area again. I have lots of friends and people I know in the sport. I have been a part of the running of the shop with my parents and brother for a good few years now, as well as having a great long-running sponsorship from Wiseco Racing in Swanley."

At the age of 34, Eastwood knows that he does not have a great deal of time left in the sport and is aiming to contest as many professional races as possible this season, including another jaunt to America and the AMA.

In addition to a superb line-up of the finest riders in the UK, there is a good mix of foreign riders from the USA, Japan, Holland, France, South Africa and New Zealand.

Among these is defending MX1 British Champion Josh Coppins, who also finished third in the FIM MX1 World Championship last year.

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