Whow what an event Dalton Grasstrack Club’s inaugural Developer turned out to be. The meeting had to be rescheduled due to MOD requirements but it turned out to be a huge success.
A glorious day of sunshine awaited the competitors & spectators alike at the iconic Barracks venue. The main focus was on Youth & with over 35 competitors spread over 4 classes they turned up in their numbers to ride on this superb track. Racing was fast, close & exciting as the youngsters seemed to excel on an excellently prepared & maintained surface.
Auto Cadets started the action & their racing throughout the day was outstanding. The class witnessed virtually a full grid which added to the quality produced in each race. After battling all day it was Dakota Wright who took first place followed by Kaylem Bourne & Oscar Berwick.
Cadets were next & again the racing was excellent, it was nip & tuck in many races but the outstanding rider who came out on top was Rex Austin with Sebastian Gaslawski & Preston Baker filling the rostrum places.
Continuing with Youth it was the turn of the Juniors to shine, confidence seemed to be oozing from all of the riders. Finley Theobald making the long trek from Diss made it all worthwhile with him claiming the winner’s trophy followed by Kane Newby & Oliver Bovington in second & third respectively.
The Intermediates were the final class in the Youth section, these riders whose next step is racing with the adults were really enjoying their chance to ride on the big fast track. Ollie Binns with his first ride in this class was impeccable & duly took first prize followed by Jesse James & Max Bloomfield.
The adult classes as usual produced some tremendous racing in support of the youngsters. First time at the Barracks the 250cc class were excellent producing close & exciting racing throughout the day, Ben Phillips rode superbly & took the honours ahead of a blanket covering the next six riders in every race however Austin Riches & Harrison Rogers completed the rostrum places. Although there was some fierce racing for the lesser places in the 500cc solos it was Charley Powell who took the spotlight with an imperious & unbeaten performance. The Old & New sidecars performed consistently all day however Mark Courtney/Leon Torres were never really troubled so took a comfortable victory. Onto the Big Chairs & once again what a final was witnessed, racing was frantic in every heat with a first class entry. The final proved to be out of this world…Terry Saunters/Liam Brown were electric out of the gate & headed the other crews with Mark Cossar/Carl Blyth down in fourth…however they worked their way through the field & were second within two laps…the next two laps saw these two crews dicing at breath taking speeds with Saunters/Brown securing the win by a bikes length….yet another unforgettable 1000cc sidecar final at the Barracks.
The whole event was a fantastic advert for Grasstrack & with the Youth playing a major part the future looks very bright. It is a great credit to all those involved to have produced a spectacular days racing which was witnessed by a very healthy & appreciative crowd.