CARLESS TAKES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AFTER HAWKINS GETS PENALISED

Back on Sunday July 7^th round 6 of the Phoenix Tools Premier Motocross Championships took place at Marshfield on what was a scorching hot day. Every effort had been made by the Premier Mx team to get water on the track prior to the meeting to keep the dust down and it was to be done to perfection as the track was ready for some excellent racing.

In the Phoenix Tools Expert Open class there was great drama and misfortune and at the end of the day there would be a new Championship leader in the shape of Welshman Shane Carless on the Oakleaf Kawasaki who admitted it wasn’t his best of tracks.

In the opening race it was Carless and Championship leader going in to the meeting Luke Hawkins on the Phoenix Tools Honda who were to head the pack in to the first corner with Carless just getting the upper hand and the early lead, but Hawkins was to stick with him like Glue and made a move on lap 2 passing Carless midair. John May on the St Blazey Suzuki was in 3^rd and was put under huge pressure from TwonineTwo rider James Dodd in the early stages with Dodd getting pass mid race, but the main action was at the front as Carless was to stall his bike on lap 6 and Hawkins got away. Carless gave his all and closed again to within 4 seconds as they entered the last lap, then Carless couldn’t believe his luck as Hawkins was to stall his bike four corners from chequered flag and Carless took the win.

In race 2 again it was Carless with the early lead from Hawkins and these two set off at a blistering pace with Carless gradually easing away with Dodd again having a long hard tussle with May, but a mistake from May saw Dodd get clear. As the race reached the halfway point Hawkins was starting to close on Carless and eventually caught him and found away pass to take the lead, but Carless kept with Hawkins all the way ready to pounce on any mistake and did challenge on the last lap, but it was Carless this time who was to stall his bike at the same corner as Hawkins had done in the first race which left Hawkins clear to take the win.

So it was a win a piece as they started the last race with Carless dominating from the off from the Meredith Mx Suzuki of Luke Mellows and Hawkins, but Hawkins was to buckle his front disc on lap 2 and was to drop off the pace a bit. Dodd was to move up in to 3^rd and was to have a real scrap with Mellows for several laps with Dodd eventually getting pass on lap 6, but he wasn’t going to catch Carless who took the win with May coming through to take 3^rd. Hawkins held on to finish the race, but unfortunately he was penalised a minute for outside assistance and eventually finished in 13^th which gifted Carless with the Championship lead.   

In the Over 35 Championship class there was a welcome return to racing for 2010 Champion Richard Cuff on the Platinum Motor Group Suzuki who was to lead the opening race before being passed by Rick Hanson on the Hanson’s Garage Suzuki, but this was short lived as Hanson and Cuff both made a mistake early on and through came the Championship leader on the D W Racing/S J Hodder Suzuki of Mark Wilde who raced away to take the win. Wilde did much the same in the second moto once he hit the front, but in the last race it was Hanson who showed his authority and took a start to finish win.

In the over 40 Championship class there was only going to be one winner at the end of the day and that was former 125 and British 4-Stroke Champion from years ago Greg Hanson who showed he has still got what it takes with a fine hattrick of wins.

In the over 50 Championship class it was yet another Hanson and current Championship leader Keith Hanson who even though took a tumble at the first corner in the last race saw off the rest of the field to take yet another hattrick of wins.

In the Tyremarks Junior Championship class there was some really fast and thrilling racing with some really hard tussles. In the opening race it was wildcard Rickie Roderick on the RHR/Motopross KTM who took the win, but only just from a charging Championship leader Jay Thomas. The second moto was probably the best race of the day with Roderick leading from the off from the K J Services KTM of Thomas who was all over him like a rash, but Thomas was to try a bit too hard and went down when challenging, however Thomas was to regroup and fought his way back up with Roderick and pushed him hard on the last lap and forced his way pass two corners from the end to take the win. In the last race it was Josh Gilbert with the initial lead from Roderick, but not the best of starts for Thomas who was well back. Gilbert held off Roderick for the first three laps, until Roderick got his nose in front at a tight right hander, but Gilbert didn’t give up and was to pressure Roderick right to the chequered flag to be a close 2^nd with Thomas eventually taking 3^rd.

Report and Photo by Dave Rich

RESULTS

Phoenix Tools Expert Open Championship Race 1

1^st Shane Carless (450f Oakleaf Kawasaki) 2^nd Luke Hawkins (450f Phoenix Tools Honda) 3^rd James Dodd (450f TwonineTwo/Burfield Creative/St Blazey Mx Honda) 4^th John May (450f St Blazey Mx Suzuki) 5^th Lewis Gregory (125 M D Racing Yamaha) 6^th Luke Mellows (450f Meredith Mx Suzuki)

Race 2

1^st Hawkins 2^nd Carless 3^rd Dodd 4^th May 5^th Gregory 6^th Todd Kellett (250 Team Green Kawasaki U K)

Race 3

1^st Carless 2^nd Dodd 3^rd May 4^th Mellows 5^th Gregory 6^th Kelvin Townsend (450f Gibbs Performance/J R Racing Suzuki)

M D Racing Over 35’s Championship Race 1

1^st Mark Wilde (450f S J Hodder/D W Racing Suzuki) 2^nd Chris Brown (450f One Industries Honda) 3^rd Jason Fraser (450f Fraser Racing Honda) 4^th Gavin Flagg (450f J A S Building Contractors Suzuki) 5^th Jamie Deadman (450f Compressed Air Systems Honda) 6^th Richard Cuff (300 Platinum Motor Group Honda)

Race 2

1^st Wilde 2^nd Flagg 3^rd Fraser 4^th Brown 5^th Rob Lewis (350f Tony Maunders Racing KTM) 6^th Deadman

Race 3

1^st Rick Hanson (450f Hansons Garage Suzuki) 2^nd Brown 3^rd Flagg 4^th Wilde 5^th Deadman 6^th Fraser

M D Racing Over 40’s Championship Race 1

1^st Greg Hanson (350f Bray Trading/CMP Racewear KTM) 2^nd Mark Roberts (450f Alan Roberts Garage Honda) 3^rd David Ford (350f Projuice KTM) 4^th Steve Locke (450f S J Hodder Honda) 5^th Jason Roberts (450f Alan Roberts Garage Honda) 6^th Alan Packer (250 Simpsons Yamaha)

Race 2

1^st G Hanson 2^nd M Roberts 3^rd Locke 4^th D Ford 5^th J Roberts 6^th Packer

Race 3

1^st G Hanson 2^nd Locke 3^rd D Ford 4^th Wayne Gill (250f Suzuki) 5^th J Roberts 6^th Packer

M D Racing Over 50’s Championship Race 1

1^st Keith Hanson (450f Hansons Garage Honda) 2^nd Ian Nott (450f S J Hodder/J R Racing Kawasaki) 3^rd Steve Chugg (450f Honda) 4^th Tim Hawkins (450f DirtbikXpress Honda) 5^th Paul Huggett (250f Define Lines Husq)

Race 2

1^st K Hanson 2^nd Nott 3^rd Chugg 4^th Hawkins 5^th Huggett

Race 3

1^st K Hanson 2^nd Nott 3^rd Chugg 4^th Huggett 5^th Hawkins

Tyremarks Junior Championship Race 1

1^st Rickie Roderick (250f RHR/Motopross KTM) 2^nd Jay Thomas (250f K J Services KTM) 3^rd Josh Gilbert (250f Bikesport Honda) 4^th Anthony Milliar (450f A T Motocross Honda) 5^th Ty Kellett (450f S J Hodder/Rusty PT Kawasaki) 6^th Ross Churchill (????)

Race 2

1^st Thomas 2^nd Roderick 3^rd Gilbert 4^th Ryan Williams (450f A T Motocross KTM) 5^th Kellett 6^th L Barfoot (250 Suzuki)

Race 3

1^st Roderick 2^nd Gilbert 3^rd Thomas 4^th Barfoot 5^th Williams 6^th Jordan King (????)  

Junior B Race 1

1^st Stuart Barfoot 2^nd Graham Beale 3^rd Jack Griffiths 4^th Harry Mitchell 5^th Michael Green 6^th Grant Yerbury

Race 2

1^st Mitchell 2^nd Barfoot 3^rd Griffiths 4^th Beale 5^th Doug Wynne 6^th Jay Lewis

Race 3

1^st Barfoot 2^nd Wynne 3^rd Mitchell 4^th Green 5^th Marc Ablitt 6^th Lewis

Junior C Race 1

1^st Jack Cunningham 2^nd Joe Youhill 3^rd Andrew Watkins 4^th Rose Wyatt 5^th Andrew Martin 6^th Jake Waring

Race 2

1^st Youhill 2^nd Watkins 3^rd Cunningham 4^th Waring 5^th Lewis Reeves 6^th Wyatt

Race 3

1^st Watkins 2^nd Cunningham 3^rd Wyatt 4^th Martin 5^th Mark Tillyer 6^th Jim Wilcox