SNOW TAKES HATTRICK AT PREMIER TO CLOSE GAP ON HAWKINS

Report and Photos by Dave Rich

Last Sunday the Phoenix Tools Premier Motocross Championship returned back in to Devon to the really fast flowing Garlands Moor Moto Parc, Nr Holsworthy for round 7 in the 10 round series. Water had to be put down prior to the meeting and during, even though heavy rain had fallen on the Saturday and during the night.

In the Phoenix Tools Expert Open class numbers were a bit down, but never the less there was still plenty of talent on hand to produce some really fast and exciting racing. Alex Snow on the Phoenix Tools Rocket Honda had set the quickest time in qualifying and he had the inside gate pick which seemed to work wonders for him as he was to have the best start in the opening race, but hot on his heels for the opening couple of laps was the St Blazey Husqvarna of John May who was giving his all as not to let Snow get away. Championship leader Luke Hawkins also on a Phoenix Tools Rocket Honda was there in 3^rd and was soon to be all over May and moved up in to 2^nd a lap later and was now after Snow at the front. James Dodd on the TwoNineTwo/Factory Touch/St Blazey Honda was a rider on a mission back in 4^th and was soon to be closing in on May who he had a real scrap with before eventually getting pass on lap 6 and now had his sights set on Hawkins who was soon under pressure and he was to go down when his front wheel washed out going in to a right hander and through went Dodd in to 2^nd, but he wasn’t going to catch Snow who took the win with Hawkins coming back to take 3^rd.

In the second moto again it was Snow with that best line going in to the tight left hand first bend with May there again in 2^nd from Hawkins. May just as he did in the opening race early on stuck with Snow, but eventually Snow got away on lap 3 and May now had Hawkins breathing all over him who found away pass May on lap 4. Dodd again was on a mission and after a tussle with the Tony Maunders Racing Suzuki of Jamie Skuse was soon looking to get pass May and this turned in to a battle and a half with Skuse also joining in. Dodd eventually got pass May two laps from the end when May lost traction out of a left hander but he wasn’t going to catch Hawkins who took 2^nd behind winner Snow.

In the last race Snow was there again, but this time it was Hawkins who was right on his tail with May right there in his wheel marks. Snow was soon in to his rhythm and was starting to get away, May momentarily went pass Hawkins on lap 3, but then found him self going off the track in to a ditch and back in to 2^nd came Hawkins. May was to rejoin and was soon back on it clawing his way back up through the field and found him self back in 3^rd until 3 laps from the end when he was in a lot of discomfort in his leg from his earlier crash and dropped right back. Snow was to go on to make it a hat trick of wins with Hawkins taking 2^nd with Skuse 3^rd.         

In the Over 35 Championship class the day yet again belonged to Championship leader Nick Life on the Gibbs Performance/St Blazey Yamaha who was to produce three comfortable wins to increase his Championship lead with three rounds remaining, and it was much the same in the Over 40’s and Over 50’s class with Chris Brown on the TwoNineTwo/Factory Touch Honda and Mark Gleadhill both taking hat trick of wins

In the Tyremarks Junior Championship class there was some really good racing especially between the leading two in the Championship, Jack Stevens and Lewis Barfoot with Barfoot taking a hat trick of wins with Stevens a close 2^nd in all three races. Josh Taylor and Jason Brooke who was out on a 450 for the first time were to have a real tussle all day and were thrilling the spectators with some really close racing battling it out for 3^rd and 4^th in all three motos.

RESULTS

Phoenix Tools Expert Open Championship Race 1

1^st Alex Snow (450f Phoenix Tools Rocket Honda) 2^nd James Dodd (450f TwoNineTwo / Factory Touch / St Blazey Honda) 3^rd Luke Hawkins (450f Phoenix Tools Rocket Honda) 4^th John May (350f St Blazey Husqvarna) 5^th Jamie Skuse (450f Tony Maunders Racing Suzuki) 6^th Brad Cavill (450f St Blazey Honda)

Race 2

1^st Snow 2^nd Hawkins 3^rd Dodd 4^th May 5^th Skuse 6^th Cavill

Race 3

1^st Snow 2^nd Hawkins 3^rd Skuse 4^th Dodd 5^th Cavill 6^th May

M D Racing Over 35’s Championship Race 1

1^st Nick Life (450f Gibbs Performance / St Blazey Yamaha) 2^nd Stephen Elford (450f Gabriel Insulations Honda) 3^rd Jamie Deadman (450f Gibbs Performance KTM) 4^th Keith Hanson (450f Hansons Garage Honda) 5^th Martyn Tucker (450f SR75/Molson Suzuki) 6^th Ross Parry (450f A J Cleaning Honda)

Race 2

1^st Life 2^nd Elford 3^rd Deadman 4^th Parry 5^th Hanson 6^th Michael Goldsworthy (250f Spotless Valeting KTM)

Race 3

1^st Life 2^nd Elford 3^rd Deadman 4^th Tucker 5^th Parry 6^th Rob Lewis (350f Tony Maunders Racing KTM)

M D Racing Over 40’s Championship Race 1

1^st Chris Brown (450f TwoNineTwo / Factory Touch Honda) 2^nd Paul Wieczorek (????) 3^rd Richard Tapscott (450f Honda) 4^th Justin Carpenter (????) 5^th Andrew Bowles (????) 6^th Steve Locke (450f S J Hodder Honda)

Race 2

1^st Brown 2^nd Carpenter 3^rd Tapscott 4^th David Ford (350f Projuice KTM) 5^th Locke 6^th Wieczorek

Race 3

1^st Brown 2^nd Tapscott 3^rd Carpenter 4^th Ford 5^th Locke 6^th Bowles

M D Racing Over 50’s Championship Race 1

1^st Mark Gleadhill (450f Honda) 2^nd Steve Chugg (450f Honda) 3^rd Kevin Plumley (125 KTM) 4^th Adrian Toy (150 KTM) 5^th Sammy Doble (490 M D Racing Maico) 6^th Chris Smejkal (250 Honda) 

Race 2

1^st Gleadhill 2^nd Plumley 3^rd Toy 4^th Chugg 5^th Doble 6^th Smejkal

Race 3

1^st Gleadhill 2^nd Plumley 3^rd Toy 4^th Doble 5^th Chugg 6^th Smejkal

Tyremarks Junior Championship Race 1

1^st Lewis Barfoot (450f Yamaha) 2^nd Jack Stevens (450f D S C Kawasaki) 3^rd Josh Taylor (450f Gibbs Performance/Tyremarks Racing Suzuki) 4^th Jason Brooke (450f Buildbase Racing Honda) 5^th Liam Wright (250f Wright Racing KTM) 6^th Bradley Barfoot (450f Honda)  

Race 2

1^st L Barfoot 2^nd Stevens 3^rd Brooke 4^th Taylor 5^th Wright 6^th B Barfoot

Race 3

1^st L Barfoot 2^nd Stevens 3^rd Taylor 4^th Brooke 5^th B Barfoot 6^th Jordan King (250 Apico Yamaha)

Junior B Race 1

1^st Daniel Griffin 2^nd Stuart Barfoot 3^rd Calum Priddle 4^th Callum Warren 5^th Scott Hooper 6^th Luke Wyatt

Race 2

1^st Griffin 2^nd Warren 3^rd Wyatt 4^th Hooper 5^th Priddle 6^th James Gleadhill

Race 3

1^st Priddle 2^nd Clinton Townsend 3^rd S Barfoot 4^th Griffin 5^th Ethan Davies 6^th Wyatt

Junior C Race 1

1^st Martin Dunstan 2^nd Mark Hoskin 3^rd Ryan Spencer 4^th Lloyd Chapman 5^th Adam Addicott 6^th Julian Slee

Race 2

1^st Dunstan 2^nd Chapman 3^rd Mark Baldwin 4^th Kevin Spiller 5^th Tom Matthews 6^th Spencer

Race 3

1^st Dunstan 2^nd Chapman 3^rd Spencer 4^th Matthews 5^th Baldwin 6^th Lee Dyer