Mallory mastered by Bobryshev and Roczen

Round two of the Maxxis British Motocross Championships went to Leicestershire on Sunday, and the former GP venue marked another step in the progress of a future GP legend.

Ken Roczen wild-carded his way in for pre-GP practice and just blew everyone else away - including, on race laptimes, everyone in the MX1 class as well...

In MX1, it was CAS Honda's Russian import Evgeny Bobryshev who took the spoils, logging consistent rides on a surface that had been deluged in the build up to the event.

It was Bobryshev's team-mate Graeth Swanepoel who took the opener, edging welcome returnee Scott Elderfield by less than a second at the chequers, the pair of them some 12 seconds down the road from Bobryshev who in turn was just ahead of Gordan Crockard and Swordy.

The future of PAR's Elderfield had been in some doubt and rumours of his teenage retirement had been heard, but it's great to see him back battling for the win, and British motocross is all the healthier for having his talent back on the right side of the fence.

Swanie struggled in moto two, however, whilst Bobryshev led from start to finish ahead of Swordy, reigning champion Brad Anderson and another welcome returnee in the shape of former world champion Mickael Pichon, with Eldy in fifth.

The British crowd was treated to the sight of Pichon showing glimpses of his brilliant best in the third, however, the Frenchman passing Bobryshev for the lead three laps in and edging away for the moto win in front of Sword and Elderfield.

But the Russian had just about done enough by holding on to fourth to seal his maiden British Championship victory - it was a close run thing, however, with Swordy just three points back in second and Elderfield another couple back for a popular third overall ahead of fourth placed Pichon and Swanie in fifth.

MX2 was a one man show - and at 15, Ken Roczen is definitely no longer a boy! The young German continued his MX GP warm-up by dominating the MX2 class, winning all three races by at least twelve seconds despite a moto two tumble and setting the outright fastest lap of the day.

Roczen's Swiss Teka Suzuki team mate Arnaud Tonus took second overall after tying on points with Red Bull KTM UK's Jake Nicholls, with Tonus getting the nod by virtue of his better final race result, with Neville Bradshaw, Martin Barr and Zach Osbourne a distant fourth, fifth and sixth.

Elliot Banks-Browne and Shane Carless took excellent third and fourth places respectively in the first moto as Osbourne failed to score.

But maybe the results of the day have to go to Natalie Kane who got well stuck in as the first female to race the British Championships and logged mid-20 finishes on merit all day, indelibly drawing a face of respectability on women's motocross worldwide - landmark stuff, even if it sadly failed to make the headlines it deserved.

By Paul Harris