Bad Luck for Matiss Karro

The Latvian teenager Matiss Karro is dedicated to his sport, works hard, has the skills and the ability to get top results, and yet his season thus far has been steady rather than spectacular, with flashes of brilliance being interspersed with large clouds of unfortunate draw-downs.

The fourth round of the British motocross championships at Lyng is a case in point. The friendly Latvian had targeted the British series as his springboard back to full speed and confidence, and he had already proven earlier in the season that he can finish on the podium and challenge for race wins. It was with all the motivation in the world, therefore, that Matiss trotted off to Lyng in the company of the MVR-D Suzuki racing team. The race day started off in decent, though not spectacular fashion for the young man, when he qualified in seventh position.

Matiss' black day started as soon as the gate dropped for the first race. A fluffed start left him way, way down the pack with a heap of work to do. With his usual enthusiasm, he started carving a way forward. A few laps into the race, however, the grim hand of fate plucked him out of proceedings. In making a passing maneuvre, Matiss' flight path intersected with that of another rider, and he went down hard. This effectively halted his progress, and he limped back to the pits.

A much better, though not perfect, start slotted the MVR-D rider into a top 10 position off the start in race 2. The first race crash had clearly shaken him, for he was not up to full fight fitness. Nevertheless, he held his own and improved during the course of the race, finally crossing the line in seventh. IN the third heat, matiss started just outside the top 10, but this time, the indomitable spirit was back by the bucket load. he quickly moved into the top 10 and up through the field, until a top 5 result looked well on the cards. The day's dark cloud had not quite finished with him yet. A few laps in, he started dropping back, and finally retired from the race with a broken exhaust.

Naturally, Matiss was a picture of dejection just after the race, but a few hours later, his built-in bounce back had brought the ironic smile back to his face. He was happy to put a bad day behind him, and focus on next weekend's Grad Prix at Teutschenthal, Germany.