MPS Racing started their relationship with Husqvarna back in 2005, when Mick Seward (Team Owner) was planning to go to Holland to race but his own bike (not a Husky!) had literally blown itself apart and he found himself bikeless. A trip to the Dirt Bike Show resulted in a conversation with Mike Carter of Husky Sport and after Mike agreed to support the new team venture Mick was planning, a 2006 model TE250 was taken away from the stand at the show.
For the 2006 season the new MPS Racing team supported Ricky Mair and Shaun Robinson, with Shaun winning the E2 British Expert Championship as well as MPS putting a team together for the ISDE in New Zealand. The ISDE team consisted of Mick Seward, Ollie Moyce and Lee Edmundson, all riding Husqvarna WR250s under the Husqvarna rental scheme offered to Six Days competitors. All three riders finished the event as Silver medal winners and were close to being the best British team, if it hadn´t have been for an unfortunate Lee drowning his WR250 in a river for half an hour! The bike fired up second kick but the time was lost.
2007 saw a complete change of line up for MPS, with Si Wakely and Gavin Houson joining the team, as well as the team assisting Husky Sport sponsored Daryl Bolter. The results were good: Gavin was 3rd overall in the British Experts and the first 125 two stroke, Si took the E2 Junior Championship and Daryl scored a double with both the British and European E1 Championships. Even Mick himself finished 4th in the Vets.The following year the success continued. The team line up for 2008 remained the same but with Gav Houson unfortunately plagued by injury, it fell to Si to deliver the results. That wasn´t a problem for Simon - he took the British E2 Championship as well as delivered the team a real high for the year with a hard fought 3rd place at the WEC event in Wales.
After the great results and a British Championship in 2008, the team had high expectations for 2009 and the season started well. Unfortunately Gav continued to suffer from injuries and Si, although starting well and running at the pace of the World Champion at the first round, suffered from a run of bad luck and the team finished the season without securing a title.
2010 proved another year of mixed fortunes for MPS. A completely new rider line up of Matt Ridegway and Alex Rockwell looked promising but unfortunately Matt crashed out badly early in the season, leaving Enduro newcomer Alex Rockwell to deliver the goods. Alex rose to the challenge and had some fantastic results on the TE250, impressing many of the seasoned Enduro racers with his speed and determination. However with a relatively inexperienced team and the loss of Matt for most of the season, it was always going to be a lean year title wise and for the 2nd year running there was no new silverwear on the trophy shelf.
MPS starts 2011 with a clean slate. Now with direct support from Husqvarna, MPS is campigning the ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship (now also Husqvarna sponsored) and the ACU British Enduro Championship with a new team line up. Expert level representation comes from MX racer turned Enduro rider Jack Rowland and last years U23 Enduro Sprint Champion Joe Deakin, both on TE250 whilst Rob Johnson continues in the Clubman class with the TE250 and for the first time a female rider joins the team with Katy Bullock riding on a WR125.
The Doodson ACU British Enduro Championship kicked off over the weekend of 18th & 19th February with the Abbey Enduro in Mid Wales and the MPS team were looking for a positive start to the 2012 Championship.
STRONG START TO 2012 FOR MPS RACING
A STRONG START TO 2012 FOR MPS RACING at the Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship: Rounds 1 & 2, 11/12 February 2012