Holliday pushes through pain barrier after heavy fall

JORDAN Holliday had to ride through the pain on Sunday to maintain his motocross championship challenge.

Somersham rider Holliday finished fourth, ninth and fifth in the three rounds of the big-wheel 85cc motocross championship at the Essex MX, despite a heavy fall at the track just a week earlier.

"Jordan had been practising at the track in preparation for the weekend's races. He was riding really well, and the bike just threw him off - he was badly winded, and he hurt his thumb and back in the fall," said Roger Holliday, Jordan's father.

"We wondered whether he should race at all this weekend, but he is fighting for the championship and he felt he was up to it."

Holliday started well in the day's first race, and was running second for a time. However, he began to suffer pain when landing the bike after jumps and had to ride defensively on his way to fourth place.

A collision at the first corner in the second race put paid to Holliday's chances of any serious point-scoring, leaving him at the back of the field of 40. As so often this season, the challenge seemed to bring out the best in the young rider, and he fought his way to ninth.

The previous week's injuries began to catch up with Holliday, and he took painkillers to combat the pain in his back before the third race.

He led the race briefly but could not sustain his pace and had dropped to fifth by the flag.

"It wasn't Jordan's greatest weekend but, considering the circumstances, he did very well to get those results," said Holliday snr.

Holliday's main rival for the title, leader Jordan Edwards, also suffered a mixed weekend after a collision in the final race.

"Given that neither rider had their best weekend, we are still in more or less the same position - so we still have a great shot at the championship," added Holliday snr.

The next round of the championship is at Oakington on July 12.