DARLEY MOOR GEARS UP FOR BANK HOLIDAY ACTION

Tuesday August 20, 2013 at 1:28pm

The Darley Moor Motorcycle Road Race Club are gearing up this week for Round 6 of their Championship, which takes place on Bank Holiday Monday, 26th August 2013.

With just three rounds remaining and a maximum of 54 points available, there are a number of local riders who are in with a chance of putting their respective championship out of reach of their rivals, whilst others are running out of time to close-in on the championship leader.

The Formula 600 Championship has the closest margin at the top of the table, just 2 points separating Jamie Hodson and Tim Poole, with Richard Wardle currently 25 points adrift in 3rd place. However, with both Hodson and Poole in the Isle of Man Wardle is certain to take full advantage.

The GP125 class is almost as tight at the head of the table, Mark Tyrell having just a 3 point advantage over Ricky Tarren and Reg Richardson a further 9 points behind. The Formula 125 class will be on track at the same time as these riders, with Stephen Campbell enjoying a 21 point lead over Jake Archer.

In the Pre98’s (Up to 500cc) class Fred Burbidge holds a 5 point advantage over Alex Woodhouse, with Matt Zschiesche needing to close a 28 point gap to the head of the table. In the Pre98’s (Up to 1300cc) class two Derby based riders are at the head of the table, Shane Pearson with a very healthy 33 point lead over Ian Morgan, who has a very slim 4 point advantage over David Large in 3rd place.

Burbidge and Zschiesche are also in with a shout in the Lightweight Championship, although in this class they needs to make up ground on the leader, Adam Hoare who has an 8 point lead over Zschiesche, with Burbidge a further 5 points behind.

Paul Rogers has a 9 point advantage in the Classic 350 Championship over John Leese, with Gary Freeman a similar distance away in 3rd place. The Classic 1000 class gives David Harding and Anthony Redmond. The two other new classes for this year, the Classic 500 and 250 are headed by Gordon Thorpe and Roy Hook respectively.

Brad Vicars, David Carson and Gary Dangerfield will once again have plenty of opportunity to battle it out on track; these three riders are the top 3 in two Championships – Vicars with a 16 point advantage over Carson in the Formula Darley class and 34 points in the Mini Sound of Thunder class. Dangerfield is a further 17 points back in Formula Darley and 12 points Mini SoT.

Jim Hodson and Danny Smith have also been locked in a season long battle in two classes, the Peak Cup and Open Solo Championship, Hodson currently enjoys a 26point lead in the Peak Cup and Smith an 18point lead in the Open Solos. However, Smith has recently purchased a new fully kitted Kawasaki ZX10, which once set-up should ensure their battles continue for the rest of the season.

Dean Ephgrave took the Steel Framed 600 Championship lead from Steve Price after he failed to score any points after breaking his leg at Round 5. On track at the same time will be the Pre Injection 600’s and Anthony Porter holds a very commanding 40 point lead over Richard Shipley.

In the sidecar classes the Dave Holden/Heath Fairbrother partnership hold a very healthy 31 point lead over Ray Thomas/Neil Aslaksen who will be trying to extend the 5 point advantage they hold over the Tony Thompson/Jack Jones pairing in 3rd place. Things are less clear cut in the Formula 600 sidecar class, with John Shipley/Ian Cunliffe holding just a 7 point advantage over Dean Banks and Lee Saunders. With both classes running within the same race there is certain to be some very exciting battles between these teams.

Practice will begin at 10.00am and the first race is anticipated to start at 11.30am, the cost of adult admission to Darley Moor for all meetings, except the end of season Stars at Darley meeting, is £11.00 per day, children under 16 are free, and Senior Citizens are £6.00. Parking and Paddock Transfer is free and a programme costs just £3.00.

For the Stars at Darley meeting adult admission is £15 and Senior Citizens £10.00, adult admission to the Test Days is £5.00.

Advance Tickets at discount prices are also available on-line just visit the Darley Race Shop for full details - http://www.darleymoorstore.co.uk/.

There is ample room for spectators to camp and caravan at Darley Moor over the race weekends. The cost is £5.00 per unit per night. You can normally arrive after 5.00 pm on the Friday and stay until 10.00 am on the morning after the meeting.

Championship standings after 5 Rounds

Peak Cup

1st Jim Hodson, 78pts; 2nd Danny Smith, 52pts; 3rd Louis Turner-Laurent, 21pts

Open Solos

1st Danny Smith, 75pts; 2nd Jim Hodson, 57pts; 3rd Alan Hughes, 25pts

Open Sidecar

1st Dave Holden / Heath Fairbrother, 73pts; 2nd Ray Thomas / Neil Aslaksen, 44pts; 3rd Tony Thompson / Jack Jones, 39pts;

Lightweight

1st Adam Hoare, 51pts; 2nd Matt Zschiesche, 43pts; 3rd Fred Burbidge, 38pts

GP125

1st Mark Tyrell, 30pts 2nd Ricky Tarren 27pts; 3rd Reg Richardson 18pts,

F600