MXGP RIDERS VISIT TWYCROSS ZOO
World Championship Motocross Maestros Josh Coppins, Gareth Swanepoel, Tom Church, Julien Bill and Martin Michek took time out from their busy schedule yesterday, ahead of this weekend's Motocross Grand Prix of Great Britain at Mallory Park, to visit one of the track's local attractions, the world famous Twycross Zoo.
The five riders, who were also joined by Miss Motocross, were given an exclusive guided tour of a small part of the 100 acre zoo, which is one of the biggest of its kind in the United Kingdom. The first of the animals that the motocross racers were introduced to were two friendly Giraffes to whom they fed a bucket load of carrots.
"The Zoo was brilliant. It wasn't what I expected, and I really enjoyed our tour. I liked feeding the Giraffes the most, as they were absolutely huge," said Kawasaki's Swanepoel. "They had really big slimey tongues that they curled around the carrots, and they were quite interesting to see."
The Grand Prix aces were then given the opportunity to get up close to three of the zoo's elephants. In yesterday's bright sunshine the Asian paciderm had covered themselves in dirt to keep cool, and the trio were all very keen to sweep up all of the food that the riders gave them.
"I can't remember the last time I visited a Zoo, and Twycross was absolutely huge," said CCM racer, Church. "The elephants were my favourite part, especially when one of them snorted dirt all over Gareth - it was really funny."
It took some time to keep the riders' tour moving through the Zoo, as they enjoyed the vast amount of unusual animals in sight. The next stop was the Borneo Longhouse, which has been constructed exactly as it would have been in North America.
Finally the riders were taken to the tropical house, which imitates the rainforests of central and South America. In here they were greeted with some Amazon bird species, and small, inquisitive monkeys.
The tour concluded with drinks in one of the many cafes, and the riders were definitely surprised at the size and huge array of animals that Twycross, which is located close to Mallory Park, had to offer.
"It was pretty cool to visit the Zoo today, and it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I liked the Giraffes the most, because they really weren't what I expected and they were massive," said Yamaha's Coppins, who asked the tour guide many questions on the route around the Zoo. "It was quite a relaxing way to spend the afternoon ahead of this weekend's racing."
The five racers will now be focusing on this weekend, which is round seven of the 15-event World Championship motocross series at Mallory Park.
Posted: 30 May 2009