Words: Craig Evans Pictures: Stephen Dobson
Glorious sunshine greeted everyone once more at Three Sisters for the second day in the double-header July meeting. A short practice session took place before racing commenced, and competitors took the opportunity to push their machines to the limit even though many were suffering with the heat. Although entries were rather low in the normally popular July meeting, another day of top class club racing was on the cards.
Bikepics.smugmug.com Newcomers
Although entries were unusually low in the normally-popular Newcomers class, an exciting and clean race was in store on what was to be another very hot day of racing at the Wigan Grand Prix. Barry Dimelow (158) got off to another textbook start and led the field throughout the first 2 very fast laps, but he was being hunted down from the outset by Ben Charnock (86) and Chris Dickinson (133) as the pair battled between themselves in the early stages. Charnock didn’t hang about though, and passed Dickinson in a bid to charge for the lead. The bid was successful, and he nipped up the inside of Dimelow on Rogerson’s Staight before charging ahead to take the win with a healthy lead. Further back, Philip Holmes (141) and Keri Morgan (63) had their own battle between themselves, and Kevin Duckworth (76) took advantage of a passing opportunity approaching the hairpin, going around Chris Dickinson and pulling away to take the last podium. Gary Kay (93) also improved on his times after toying with his choice of lines to get some better laps in.
7 starters made the points race, and Dimelow once again charged away. Ben Charnock again contested the lead, almost touching Dimelow’s rear wheel on occasions as they cornered. Dimelow managed to fend off Charnock until lap 6, and Charnock progressed to take the flag and Dimelow never gave up but was forced to take 2nd. Kevin Duckworth managed another 3rd place in a smooth ride aboard the Honda.
Classic 50cc
After winning the first Classic 50cc race yesterday with a magnificent lead of 25 seconds – a time which increased during the points race – Scott Dootson (38) was ready for more action aboard the immaculate carbonfibreworks Kreidler 50 machine built by 50cc guru Chris Alty. A fairly decent number of machines appeared on the grid, and Dootson was steady away but was immediately challenged by Alan Richardson (177). Andrew Frazer (134) also joined in the contest, emerging as the strongest as he passed both Richardson and Dootson and pulled away from the others with a formidable lead. By lap 3, Dootson had regained his form and also his second place, beginning the chase towards Frazer. The Kawasaki rider held onto his lead however, grabbing the win with Dootson only just behind him, and Richardson taking the final trophy spot. Mark Samuels (60) enjoyed a good ride, making steady progress aboard the Scomoped, and Kerry Burton (8) had a close battle with Paul Whiting (132), with Burton completing in 4th place following a retirement from Whiting.
Only a handful managed to get to the grid in the points race, and a bit of drama with Scott Dootson’s Kreidler allowed Andrew Frazer (134) to take an effortless win in a clean race. Allan Richardson (177) was pleased with 2nd place, and Kerry Burton (8) rounded off the top 3. Dootson had earlier beat his personal best time aboard his GP125, getting it down to 57 seconds. Speaking afterwards, Scott said although disappointed with the engine failure, he has had some good results with the Kreidler and will bounce back in future meetings. He also commented on a successful meeting with his Honda, as he literally took out race records like they were going out of fashion.
Jules Embroidery 501-1300cc Open
The absence of Jamie Devine left a bit of a question mark over the predictability of today’s trophy race, however a late entry from TT rider Rob Barber (24) was sure to add a bit of excitement into the mix. Barry Dimelow (158) got off to his usual good start and led the first lap, but this didn’t last as Liam Weston (77) was clearly ready once again and pounced, propelling his CBR to the lead. Meanwhile, Barber – who started dead last at the back of the grid – crept forward through the middle of the pack, immediately beginning the chase towards Weston once he was in 2nd. By lap 4 he was right on top of Weston’s CBR, and his skill shone through and his lightning quick reactions picked up from some extensive roads experience were certainly worthy of applause. Lap 5 and Barber passed Weston on the start finish straight, increasing his lead and sailing towards his 1st place which was so rightly deserved. Richard Whitton (321) got 3rd place as he concluded, however was chased down by James Hargreaves (45) who was eager to pass on his SV at every opportunity, but Whitton’s GSXR had the straight line speed, forcing Hargreaves to settle for 4th.
A similar scenario was to be in the trophy race, and Weston once again set the pace with Barber in hot pursuit. He managed to fend off the rapidly approaching TT rider for a good 4 laps until Barber pounced as the pair approached the Esses. Barber was very smooth around every corner, knowing exactly where to apply power and pulling some spectacular moves to prevent Weston’s progression to the lead and yet again pulled away, crossing the line a little under 5 seconds ahead of Weston. Richard Whitton rounded off the top 3, just ahead of the SV piloted by James Hargreaves (45).
Dominic Herbertson also had a fantastic race, managing to lap in under a minute on his Dad’s R1. He was thrilled with his time of 59.064, and is now eager to beat it at future rounds.
Classics
An average number of classic machines made their way out for the trophy race, and lap 1 was headed up by Darren Whittaker (25). The biggest threat within this class is current champ Tony Benson (67) who soon progressed to the lead by the end of the second lap after passing Whittaker on the pit lane bend. Although Benson was testing a new tyre and was a little uncertain of the potential outcome, he needn’t have worried as he pulled away and took the win with a massive lead. Meanwhile, Jack Clarke (14) fought his way to 2nd and Darren Whittaker gained 3rd after a steady ride. Mark Stoker (18) appeared to have a good race aboard the Velocette, and Bill Butler (881) gained a fantastic win in the up to 250cc class.
Only 6 starters made it out for the points campaign, and a very fast Jack Clarke (14) led the field of classics around the tight circuit. He managed to fend off Tony Benson (67) for much of the race, and Benson tried hard on the corners, but Clarke seemed to carry more straight line speed. Clarke pulled away progressively, but Benson got his chance in the closing laps and led steadily to the flag, only to be cruelly robbed of his win and relegated to 2nd thanks to a time penalty which gave Clarke the win after all.
Pre Injection
It was definitely luck of the draw with the ballot pegs as the grid was assembled for the Pre Injection class, and the frontrunners pulled out all the stops to get their hands on the silverware. Chris Dickinson (133) led the first couple of laps, giving his all in a hard, fast campaign. Richard Whitton managed to pass Dickinson however, and took the win in a tremendous ride, after pulling away once he had clear road ahead. Edward Hosker (31) also made brilliant progress after starting 15th and finished 4th, giving him a good opportunity for a challenge in the points race. James Leatham (21) had a particularly enjoyable race with a decent result of 6th, just behind team mate Martin Clare (5) who also rode well, especially after a fairly spectacular save on the start finish straight.
As the day of racing drew to a close, all eyes were on the field of Pre Injection bikes for the points race as a good race was anticipated. This came about, and the crowd were treated to a fantastic race. Mike Bampton (80) was smooth throughout and tried immensely hard and led from start to finish. Richard Whitton (321) was hot on his case in second, followed closely by a progressively faster Edward Hosker (31) in third. Unfortunately, Bampton’s hard work was all in vain as he ended up with a 10 second jump start penalty, along with Chris Dickinson (133) who was also issued with the same. The final result in a dramatic (and very hot) was 1st Richard Whitton, 2nd Edward Hosker, and Mike Bampton in 3rd, and all credit to them after a brilliant performance.
The next meeting is at Three Sisters, Wigan on Saturday 7th September. Entries close 7 days before. All classes are catered for, from Classic 50cc to 1000cc superbikes. Please visit www.prestondmc.co.uk for full details, regs, entry forms and further information.