Friday August 3, 2012 at 2:18pm
This weeks ‘What’s on Weekly’ features more events from around the country. Here is a selection of just a few events taking place.
Motocross
The close and exciting racing that has characterised the British Youth Nationals Series will continue this weekend, as the championship moves on to the impressive Fat Cats Motoparc facility in Armthorpe near Doncaster. Organisers and competitors alike are hoping for better weather conditions this weekend in Doncaster, after torrential rain caused the postponement of the last two rounds. The weather forecast looks promising, with dry conditions leading up the event and only a chance of rain showers over the course of the weekend. The Fat Cats Motoparc, which hosted the opening round of this year's Maxxis British Championship back in March, is the largest motocross MX facility in the UK. The track this weekend will be feature fast flowing bends and rhythm sections, while the deep sand is guaranteed to provide a tough challenge for the riders in all classes. Once again this weekend will feature a packed race card and full grids for all classes, as the British Youth Nationals Series establishes itself firmly as the leading youth championship in the United Kingdom. For more information on the British Youth Nationals Series, and the event at Fat Cats Motoparc in Doncaster, check out the official website at www.rhlactivities.com
This Weekend (4th / 5th August) the Halstead + District MCC will be hosting a Double headed Motocross Event. The Club will be hosting the first of the all-new 2 Round Saturday Evening Series. The Saturday meeting starts at 3:45 with Practice followed by a 12 race programme including heat races, Semi Finals and a Grand Finals. The event is open to all Adult Junior and Expert Graded riders. Following the Saturday evening race meeting the Club will also be hosting the next Round of the Eastern Centre ACU Motocross Championship. This meeting is again open to all Adult Expert and Junior graded riders.
Due to record rainfall in June, the third round of the ACU British Quadcross Championships unfortunately had to be put on hold. So, riders will be raring to go at this weekend’s fourth round challenge at the superb FatCat Moto Park which will also include the Youth Quad Championship. It was a thrilling second round of the QX championships at Asham Woods back in June that saw Paul Holmes take overall victory and 17 year old Luke Cooper take an incredible race two win.
With many young riders moving up from their 2011 classes and new riders entering the championship, there will be plenty of action across the five races planned in the Youth British Quad Championship which joins up with the adults exclusively for round four at FatCats. With many young riders already midway through their season at local MX clubs, it’s a chance to meet up with top riders from other clubs and compete at this prestigious national level. Practice starts at 09.30am. Entry cost is £10.00 for spectators and £5 for children under 14 with under 5s free. Postcode for the track is DN3 3EH. There are still spaces left in all Youth Classes and entry forms can be obtained from the ACU Motocross Department on 01788 566404 or by email to sonia.goggin@acu.org.uk
With summer finally making an appearance the British Clubman Sidecar Championship riders are looking forward to the event at Landrake on 5th August. With three rounds of the championship cancelled amazingly the last championship round was back on Easter Monday! This will be the first time that sidecars have been to Landrake and so even the seven Cornish teams entered won’t have a local advantage! The season so far has been dismal with so many meetings called off mainly due to waterlogged tracks but the unscheduled break has been a god send for those teams with injuries and bike problems. One of those is the championship leaders Seemond Stephens and Mike Curnow, both from Cornwall, with Seemond suffering an ankle injury at the British Championship round at Frome back in June. They are 19 points ahead of second placed team Luke Peters, who has a new passenger in Marc Cooper since the last round. Scott Williams and Simon Rogers, another Cornish pairing, are lying in third with their greatest rivals Nick Bowers and Pete Batt only 3 points behind them. The action includes quads, various solo classes and of course three British Clubman Sidecar Championship races and all for £5! Practice is at 09.00 with the first race at 10.00. The track is at Landrake Moto Parc, Landrake Cornwall PL12 5EP
Trials
The 2012 British Trials Championships are now four events down with just two to go. This coming weekend it is the Yeadon Guisley DMC's turn to host the 5th round of the series and it has all the makings of being a cracker. The event returns to an old favourite venue at Addingham Moorside so reset your satnav's to BD20 0NL. For the past few years the trial has been at Brimham Rocks but the club has gone back to one of its old stomping grounds high above Silsden in North Yorkshire and the scene of many spectacular events in the past. It is also very spectator friendly and there should be no problem seeing most of the action. Another huge plus for visitors will be the entry list as the event welcomes back no less than Jack Challoner and Jack Sheppard neither of whom have ridden in the 2012 no stop series. In fact the Championship Class has no less than 31 riders signed up, a bigger entry than the 24 strong Expert section. It will be no great surprise that the two main contenders for the 2012 Championship are James Dabill and Michael Brown. It is however Brownie that holds a slight advantage at the moment, one point in front of James but with two rounds remaining there is everything to play for. The weekends programme starts with a 3 hour practise session on Saturday between 2.30 - 5.30 pm and then the trial proper will commence on Sunday at 9.30. All riders will have 2hours 30minutes to complete their first lap with an overall time allowance of 5 1/2hours to complete the 3 laps of 12 subs. There is a very reasonable entry fee of £5.00 per car which will include a programme.
Becky Cook and Emma Bristow are locked in on seventy four championship points with two victories and two second places each when they start the Richmond Motor Club Ladies and Girls British Trials Championship in Wensleydale on Sunday morning. The drop score may kick in as a decider to settle the title but both have the same options mathematically. This year has so far been as close as it gets in all classes. All contenders, in all classes, have sampled The Woodyard at Reeth but the Richmond club has rung the changes on Sunday when Park Gate Farm at Wensley hosts the trial. It could suit some contenders, or not. Running down the classes Nikita Smith requires a finish to wrap Class A where Chloe Richardson is on a net 51 after missing Leamington. Her cousin Hannah has a major problem on her hands with Victoria Payne really on a roll as is leggy ‘Lou Lou’ Alford. Louise showed just how determined she was riding the Richmond training school at Grinton last week. It’s all in the eyes and strangely Hannah R is just the same as Miss Alford. Gabby Whitham goes to Wensley on a faultless winning run out with Alice Minta and Alicia Robinson trailing a dozen points down. Miss Minta misses Richmond to ride the Scarborough youth trial with big brother Tom. Mansfield Maun’s Jessica Bown holds sway in the Ladies Inter from Louise Cannom and Bury’s Charlotte Kimber but Kate Hunter and Robyn Alderson could spoil the party. Ellie Braithwaite has just jetted in from India after and educational trip but she will not be jet lagged by Sunday. The Youth Newcomer class has been a real let down. Sadly only Isle of Wight girl Eleanor Attrill has contested the opening round, and won. The Clerk of Course is Mr David Allinson who has deemed three laps of fifteen sections, and six hours in total. The venue is signed off the Leyburn to Aysgarth road two miles west of Wensley. Start time is 10.00 am.
The North Berks MC + LCC will be hosting a Double headed event on the weekend for the 11th and 12th August. On the Saturday the club will be hosting a Round of the ACU British Ladies Championship starting at 12am. The Ladies Championship will feature top riders including Cook, Bristow, Sunter, Whitham, Smith, Richardson and Bown. On the Sunday the Club will turn its attention to the Berks Bonanza Supertrial featuring the top British and International Trials Riders. Action will kick off at 11am and the entries include Dabill, Brown, Wigg, Challoner, Danby, Haslam, Morton, Richardson, Morphett, Wiggins, Robinson. Camping is available over the course of the weekend with refreshments, trade stands, toilets and ample parking on site. Admission prices are £10 for an Adult and £5 for 5 to 16 year old, with under 5’s free. For more information please visit www.northberksmcc.com
Road Race
The Classic Racing Motorcycle Club is organising a race meeting as well as a Classic Festival celebrating Yamaha on the 11th and 12th of August at Donington Park . The itinerary consists of a packed programme of over 30 Classic and Post Classic solo and sidecar races including rounds of the ACU 350cc Post Classic Championship, the Wheatcroft Trophy Race and the European Vintage Cup. The meeting also features the official Yamaha Classic Race Team who will have a static display of 14 iconic classic works machines as well as on track displays with Phil Read and Steve Baker riding the Moto GP M1.Other stars in attendance include Jamie Whitham, Steve Parrish and Terry Rymer. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the TZ production race machine there will be a static display of every model produced. Action starts on track at 9a.m on both days with admission for adults at £15 and children under 16 free.
Grass Track
Preparations for the Club’s first meeting of the season, The ACU North versus South Challenge on Sunday August 5th are well in advance, with work currently going on to ensure the circuit at Swingfield is in pristine condition to accommodate the very best solo and sidecar competitors in the sport. Last used for the 2011 ACU Masters, the track has undergone extensive work during the past twelve months including reseeding and rolling and will produce an excellent racing surface as riders from the north of the country take on their rivals from the south over a series of point scoring heats and finals, the winners taking the North versus South Challenge Trophy. The usual facilities at all Astra events will be available all weekend including free camping, flush toilets, running water, hot and cold food, trade stands, pre meeting parade of the teams, the Astra start line girls and all the normal pomp and ceremony of a top class event. The teams have yet to be finalised but the thought of seeing the likes of Masers champion Winterburn, returning to the track where he annexed the title last season, Wilson, Cossar, Smith, Blackbourn, Bradley, Simmons and the cream of R/H chairs racing side by side at speeds in excess of 70mph is certainly a mouth-watering prospect. If the thunderous 1000cc sidecars are not enough then the 500cc solo class offers just as much excitement with a line-up equal to a Masters final. World Long Track GP riders Andrew Appleton, Glen Phillips and David Howe make a rare appearance in the UK along with Richard Hall and making a sensational comeback to grass is former teen sensation Lee Complin. Former Masters title holder Lewis Denham is another making a rare appearance and the sensational Tim Nobes can be expected to ruffle a few feathers to the established stars of the sport. Speedway commitments allowing, Aussie Cameron Woodward and former World Under 21 Speedway Champion Joe Screen are likely to be in the line-up.
If your club is running an event in the coming weeks and would like to be a part of this feature please contact Richard Blyth on pr@acu.org.uk with details of your event.