HAWKINS REGAINS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

Last Sunday round 7 of the Phoenix Tools Premier Motocross Championships took place at Garlands Moor, Nr Holsworthy. As usual every effort by the Premier Mx team had been put in to running this event after the recently dry conditions and water had been put down the day before and early morning on what was originally a dry track and with a hefty shower or two before racing the track was in fine stead and was to produce some really fast racing.  

In the Phoenix Tools Expert open class it was the Phoenix Tools Honda of Luke Hawkins who had set the quickest time in qualification who was out to make up a ten point deficit on Championship leader Shane Carless on the Oakleaf Kawasaki.

In the opening race it was Jamie Skuse on the Mx-Zone Suzuki who had the best start from Carless and Hawkins, but by the end of the opening lap it was Hawkins at the front with Skuse under huge pressure in 2^nd from Alex Snow who was making his return to the Championship after a long injury. Hawkins was in overdrive at the front and was easing away, but it was all happening for 2^nd as Snow on the Oakleaf Kawasaki was still trying to get pass Skuse which he eventually did on lap 4. Championship leader Carless was soon to be breathing all over Skuse with the St Blazey Suzuki of John May also in the frame to make it a three way battle which went on right until the last lap when Carless managed to get pass Skuse on a fast right hander, but he wasn’t going to catch Hawkins who took the win by some margin.  

In the second moto again it was Skuse with the best start, but just as with the first race Hawkins was to hit the front by the end of the opening lap. Both Carless and Snow were to get pass Skuse on lap 2 and were having a real ding dong for a couple of laps until lap 4 when Carless was to stall his bike and through went Snow who was to give his all to try and catch Hawkins, but it was to much to ask.

In the last race it was Hawkins from the off in this one, but there were a few fallers out of the first corner which included Snow who was totally last to get away. Hawkins was in a world of his own at the front early on, but as the race progressed Carless was starting to close and by the end of lap 7 after a long hard battle for a couple of laps with May had now come Snow who was absolutely flying. Carless was to close up to within 2 seconds of Hawkins, but in the end he had to settle for 2^nd and with Hawkins notching up a hat trick of wins this has now put him back leading the Championship by 3 points with three rounds remaining.               

In the Over 35 Championship class there was some really good tussles, but at the end of the day it proved triumphant for Championship leader Mark Wilde on the D W Racing/ S J Hodder Suzuki. Wilde was to win the first two races comfortable, but he had to work hard in the last race as it was Gavin Flagg who was to lead the race from the off from Rick Hanson with Wilde way back, but Wilde was to charge through to pass Hanson mid race then pressurise Flagg in the closing stages and eventually found away pass Flagg on the last lap to take the win by less than half a second to make it a hat trick of wins.

In the over 40 Championship class there was some really good battles between Mark Roberts and Jon Tarr, but there was no stopping Championship leader Steve Locke who once he found his rhythm was to notch up a fine hat trick of wins.  

In the over 50 Championship class there was no stopping wildcard Simon Goodfellow in the first two races, but in the last race it was Ian Nott who was to take the win after passing Goodfellow mid race.

In the Tyremarks Junior Championship class it was all about young Josh Gilbert who seemed to relish at this venue and took a convincing hat trick of wins. Championship leader Jay Thomas was to take a tumble on the opening lap of race 1 and was to finish well down, but there was a good result for Ross Churchill and Anthony Milliar who also fell early on, but both came back to take Oliver Claxton on the last lap to finish 3^rd and 4^th respectively.  

In the second moto again there was no stopping Gilbert who stormed away. Thomas had a better start in this one and got pass Josh Coker mid race to finish 2^nd with Ty Kellett after a long hard battle with Milliar getting the better of him on the last lap to take 3^rd.

In the last race it was a carbon copy with Gilbert easing away from the start, but there was a good battle for 2^nd between Thomas and Kellett which was to go right down to the final lap with Kellett squeezing by Thomas at a lefthander to finish 2^nd.  

Report and Photo by Dave Rich

RESULTS

Phoenix Tools Expert Open Championship Race 1

1^st Luke Hawkins (450f Phoenix Tools Honda) 2nd Alex Snow (450f Oakleaf Kawasaki) 3^rd Shane Carless (450f Oakleaf Kawasaki) 4^th Jamie Skuse (450f Mx-Zone Suzuki) 5^th John May (450f St Blazey Mx Suzuki) 6^th James Dodd (450f TwoNineTwo/Burfield Creative/St Blazey Mx Honda)

Race 2

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

Race 3

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

M D Racing Over 35’s Championship Race 1

1^st Mark Wilde (450f S J Hodder/D W Racing Suzuki) 2^nd Gavin Flagg (450f J A S Building Contractors Suzuki) 3^rd Rick Hanson (450f Hansons Garage Suzuki) 4^th Jamie Deadman (450f Compressed Air Systems Honda) 5^th Ian Bettison (????) 6^th Jason Fraser (450f Fraser Racing Honda) Race 2

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

Race 3

1^st Wilde 2^nd Flagg 3^rd R Hanson 4^th Deadman 5^th Fraser 6^th Bettison

M D Racing Over 40’s Championship Race 1

1^st Steve Locke (450f S J Hodder Honda) 2^nd Mark Roberts (450f Alan Roberts Garage Honda) 3^rd Jon Tarr (????) 4^th David Ford (350f Projuice KTM) 5^th Laurence Watkins (????) 6^th Elliot Waldron (450f Kawasaki)

Race 2

1^st Locke 2^nd M Roberts 3^rd D Ford 4^th Tarr 5^th Wayne Gill (250f Suzuki) 6^th Watkins

Race 3

1^st Locke 2^nd Tarr 3^rd M Roberts 4^th Gill 5^th D Ford 6^th Watkins

M D Racing Over 50’s Championship Race 1

1^st Simon Goodfellow (????) 2^nd Ian Nott (450f S J Hodder/J R Racing Kawasaki) 3^rd Tim Hawkins (450f DirtbikeXpress Honda) 4^th Steve Chugg (450f Honda) 5^th Paul Huggett (250f Define Lines Husq)

Race 2

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

Race 3

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

Tyremarks Junior Championship Race 1

1^st Josh Gilbert (250f Bikesport Honda) 2^nd Josh Taylor (450f Suzuki) 3^rd Ross Churchill (250f Top Line Glass KTM) 4^th Anthony Milliar (450f A T Motocross Honda) 5^th Oliver Claxton (450f Kawasaki) 6^th Jonathan Cole (450f Suzuki)   

Race 2

1^st Gilbert 2^nd Jay Thomas (250f K J Services KTM) 3^rd Ty Kellett (450f S J Hodder/Rusty PT Kawasaki) 4^th Milliar 5^th Taylor 6^th Churchill

Race 3

1^st Gilbert 2^nd Kellett 3^rd Thomas 4^th Milliar 5^th Lewis Barfoot (250 Honda) 6^th Churchill  

Junior B Race 1

1^st Sam Richards 2^nd Brian Hutchings 3^rd Danni Marsh 4^th Luke Dewey 5^th Stuart Barfoot 6^th Alex Groves

Race 2

1^st Graham Beale 2^nd S Barfoot 3^rd Scott Hooper 4^th Joel Worthington 5^th Michael Green 6^th Thomas Parker

Race 3

1^st Beale 2^nd Dewey 3^rd S Barfoot 4^th Green 5^th Worthington 6^th Parker

Junior C Race 1

1^st Mark Tillyer 2^nd Dan Wood 3^rd Julian Slee 4^th Adam Seviour 5^th Philip Bache 6^th Steve Bailey

Race 2

1^st Tillyer 2^nd Bache 3^rd Wood 4^th Seviour 5^th Marc Hoskin 6^th Lewis Reeves

Race 3

1^st Tillyer 2^nd Wood 3^rd Hoskin 4^th Slee 5^th Mike Goddard 6^th Bache