Mark Hucklebridge Profile
I started racing at the age of 10 on a Yamaha 80cc bike I raced locally for the next two years but progressed in the Schoolboy ranks.
After becoming Schoolboy British Champion in 1994 I moved up in to the adult level, I raced the British Championships, the ACU Club Mans and some AMCA events, it took me a while to get the hang of the adult scene.
1996 was my first ever GP ride at the famous Foxhill track in Wiltshire, I raced in the British Championships and finished 15th over all, this was also the first year I raced in the English team for the Coupe De L'Avenior.
1997 and the M J Church team was founded, Steven Sword also came and joined the team. This year was not good for me as I dislocated my shoulder seven times and needed an operation to stabilize it; I was out of racing for eight months.
During 1998 I rode the 125 and 250cc Kawasaki, for the second time I was a member of the Coupe De l'Avenir team, this time the team won and I got my England Cap.
I also won the Weston Super mare Beach race, at the time I was 20 years old and I am still the youngest ever winner of this event.
2000 Steven Sword decided to leave the MJ Church team to ride for Honda; Stuart Flockhart and Adam lions joined the team to race the season. This year was the first year I became a professional rider, the year started great for me as I took the win at the prestigious patchquick Trophy, it is said to be the most expensive trophy to win in British motocross. I had a bit of bad luck in the British Supercross as I lost out on the title on the very last corner of the last race to Warren Edwards.
2002 and I thought it was about time for a change for me so I left the M J Church team to ride for VOR Motori UK, during this time I rode a 530cc VOR. I had some great results riding the VOR including finishing first and second in individual British championship races. In October I stayed with the same team but switched bikes to ride a 250cc TM for the supercross events and Weston Super Mare beach Race. I finished first in the international supercross series and second at Weston beach race.
The 2003 pre season kicked off and I spent three weeks in Spain testing for the start of the race season. The year started really well for me with a 7th place finish in the fist GP of the year. This year I consider to be my best years racing as it was just me and my mechanic on the road together attending British and GP races.
I finished the year with 18th place in the overall world championship standings and 3rd in the overall British championship results, I also won the British international Championship.
In 2004 I remained with Chamber KTM riding the 450cc bike. The year started very well for me with two race wins at the first round of the British Championship held at Canada Heights, this put me in the lead for the series. Half way
In 2004 I remained with Chamber KTM riding the 450cc bike. The year started very well for me with two race wins at the first round of the British Championship held at Canada Heights, this put me in the lead for the series. Half way through the year I broke my hand and finger which was very painful this took the following six weeks to heal until I was able to ride again. On returning to the track I was in the lead at Langrish when a stone came off of a lapped rider and hit my finger this breaking it in the same place again, unfortunately this injury put me out for the rest of the season
2005 I was all set to ride for the Chambers team again but on a change of machinery, I was set to ride the Honda 450cc bike. Then in January a bomb shell hit home when the team collapsed leaving me without a ride for the coming season. At this late stage it was really hard to find a team to support me and give me a ride as the budgets had already been taken. Luckily I managed to get a bike and parts from Gareth Hockey. It was a hard year and I ran the team myself, I did not have a mechanic and so I traveled, raced and Mechaniced on my own bike for the whole season,
also had to find sponsors to keep the team running which was difficult. The highlight of this year was racing at GP’s and having two top ten results whereby I beat some of the factory supported riders. I also won the British masters Supercross event in January.
In 2006 I moved teams and had a fresh start riding a 450cc Motoxtreme Kawasaki. The season started well for me competing in British Championships, GP’s, British International and British 4 stroke Championships. Unfortunately a short way into the season due to a lack of sponsorship travel money I was unable to afford to travel abroad to compete in the GP’s any longer.
I continued racing in the UK for the rest of the season and won the UK Flood lit Challenge and the British International Championship for the second time. The year ended on a low for me when I broke my ankle in the last round of the British Championships at Hawkstone Park, I required an operation and a couple of metal screws which are per mentally in my ankle to make it stable again.
I remained with Motoxtreme for 2007 riding the 450cc Kawasaki. After a slow start to the year due limited training and riding on my newly healed ankle which was still sore I managed to be back on form in March when I won the first round of the British 4 stroke Championship. During the winter months Brian and Myself got together and underwent some training and exams through the ACU to become qualified Motocross Coaches, this has enabled us with hours of hard work to set up the Professionals Training Schools where we can teach others the skills of racing motocross that we have learnt throughout our careers so far.
