Words and Image by Dave Rich
Last Sunday the penultimate round of the 2013 Phoenix Tools Premier motocross Championship took place at Little Silver Moto Parc, Exeter. A lot of rain had fallen prior to the meeting which had made the track real tacky and was soon to get very rutty, but never the less with virtually a full entry there was some really top class racing to be seen.
In the Phoenix Tools Expert Open class it was the Phoenix Tools Honda of Luke Hawkins who was leading the Championship and he would be out to increase that lead knowing that with double points on offer at the last round he couldn’t afford any mishaps. Nearest to him in the standings was Shane Carless, but he was out through injury, but back in the Championship was Alex Snow on the Oakleaf Kawasaki who was going to be a threat a long with many others.
In the opening race it was the Crescent Racing KTM of Jake Shipton who had the early lead from the Gibbs Performance Suzuki of Kelvin Townsend and John May on the St Blazey Suzuki with both Snow and Hawkins both with bad starts. Shipton was flying at the front and was starting to ease away, May was all over Townsend on lap 2 until he got it all wrong through the whoops and went down and up in to 3
rd was now Snow with Hawkins right in his wheel marks. Snow was to get the better of Townsend a lap later and was soon to catch Shipton at the front and on lap 5 he was all over him and forced his way to the front passing Shipton through the whoops. Hawkins took a bit longer to find away pass both Townsend and Shipton to move in to 2
nd but by this time Snow had a fair cushion and was to go on to take the win.
In the second moto this time it was Townsend with a flyer from Shipton with Hawkins with a better start in this one there in 3
rd and it wasn’t long before he found away pass Shipton and was up in to 2
nd and a lap later was challenging Townsend for the lead which he took dropping down one of the hills. Snow again didn’t have the best of starts but had made amends and was lapping at some rate and by mid race found him self in 2
nd and was closing in on Hawkins at the front, but as Snow went in to a lefthander his front wheel washed out and he went down which was to let Hawkins get away again and he went on to take the win from Snow and Jamie Skuse on the MX-Zone Suzuki who came through to take 3
rd.
In the last race there was no stopping Hawkins who led from the off and dug in deep to power away at the front. Shipton and Snow had a good tussle on the opening lap before Snow got pass and was giving chase, but with Hawkins well in to a rhythm he wasn’t going to catch him in this one as Hawkins raced away to take the win and to increase his Championship lead going in the final round next Month at Landrake Moto Parc.
In the Over 35 Championship class there was some really good racing which produced three different winners. In the opening race it was Rick Hanson who had the best start, but a mistake on the opening lap was to let Championship leader Mark Wilde head the proceedings for a lap before Wilde got it all wrong landing off one of the jumps and landed on his own foot which was to hamper him. Jason Fraser who seems to relish in the rutty and wet conditions took over at the front and from there went on to take the win.
In the second moto Wilde was on the line even though medics thought he may have a broken his foot, but he was determined to ride and give his all. Hanson again had the best start and led early on, but just as he did in the opening race dropped it when leading and through to take the lead came Gavin Flagg who from there went on untroubled to take the win from Hanson who came back to take 2
nd ahead of Fraser and Wilde who took a well deserve 4
th.
In the last race this time it was Wilde with the lead from Hanson, but by the end of the opening lap Hanson had passed Wilde and with a clear track in front of him went on to take the win with Wilde just holding off Fraser in the closing stages taking 2
nd.
In the over 40 Championship class there were many wildcard entries which included Wayne Butt who normally these days rides Twinshock events, but he was to demonstrate that he has still got what it takes on a modern bike as he was to notch up a convincing hat trick of wins.
In the over 50 Championship class there was no Championship leader in the shape of Keith Hanson who was out with a broken hand, so it was going to be catch up time for the rest especially for Ian Nott who was lying 2
nd in the Championship standings and he couldn’t do no more than he did as he was to notch up a hat trick of wins to take maximum points and has now moved to within 28 points of Hanson as they go in to the final round.
In the Tyremarks Junior Championship class it was like there was only one rider there and that rider was Josh Gilbert who seemed to relish in the conditions and absolutely demoralised the rest of the field with an outstanding display of riding and won all three races by some considerable margin.
RESULTS Phoenix Tools Expert Open Championship Race 1
1
st Alex Snow (450f Oakleaf Kawasaki) 2
nd Luke Hawkins (450f Phoenix Tools Honda) 3
rd Jake Shipton (450f Crescent Racing KTM) 4
th Jamie Skuse (450f Mx-Zone Suzuki) 5
th James Dodd (450f TwoNineTwo/Burfield Creative/St Blazey Mx Honda) 6
th Todd Kellett (250 Team Green Kawasaki)
Race 2
1
st Hawkins 2
nd Snow 3
rd Skuse 4
th Kellett 5
th Kelvin Townsend (450f Gibbs Performance/St Blazey Mx Suzuki) 6
th Dodd
Race 3
1
st Hawkins 2
nd Snow 3
rd Shipton 4
th Skuse 5
th Kellett 6
th Dodd
M D Racing Over 35’s Championship Race 1
1
st Jason Fraser (450f Fraser Racing Honda) 2
nd Rick Hanson (450f Hansons Garage Suzuki) 3
rd Gavin Flagg (450f J A S Building Contractors Suzuki) 4
th Jamie Deadman (450f Compressed Air Systems Honda) 5
th Rob Lewis (350f Tony Maunders Racing KTM) 6
th Mark Wilde (450f S J Hodder/D W Racing Suzuki)
Race 2
1
st Flagg 2
nd Hanson 3
rd Fraser 4
th Wilde 5
th Deadman 6
th Lewis
Race 3
1
st Hanson 2
nd Wilde
3rd Fraser 4
th Lewis 5
th Flagg 6
th Deadman
M D Racing Over 40’s Championship Race 1
1
st Wayne Butt (250f W B Racing TM) 2
nd Johnny Hawkins (250f Hawkins Motors Kawasaki) 3
rd David Ford (350f Projuice KTM) 4
th Mark Roberts (450f Alan Roberts Garage Honda) 5
th Andrew Watkins (????) 6
th Steve Locke (450f S J Hodder Honda)
Race 2
1
st Butt 2
nd Locke 3
rd Hawkins 4
th D Ford 5
th M Roberts 6
th Watkins
Race 3
1
st Butt 2
nd Hawkins 3
rd M Roberts 4
th D Ford 5
th Locke 6
th Simon Smart
M D Racing Over 50’s Championship Race 1
1
st Ian Nott (450f S J Hodder/J R Racing Kawasaki) 2
nd Steve Chugg (450f Honda) 3
rd Paul Huggett (250f Define Lines Husq) 4
th Tim Hawkins (450f DirtbikeXpress Honda)
Race 2
1
st Nott 2
nd Hawkins 3
rd Huggett 4
th Chugg
Race 3
1
st Nott 2
nd Hawkins 3
rd Chugg 4
th Huggett
Tyremarks Junior Championship Race 1
1
st Josh Gilbert (250f Bikesport Honda) 2
nd Ryan Williams (450f A T Motocross KTM) 3
rd Anthony Milliar (450f A T Motocross Honda) 4
th Jack Stevens (450f Kawasaki) 5
th Lewis Barfoot (250 Honda) 6
th Luke Williams (????)
Race 2
1
st Gilbert 2
nd Jay Thomas (250f K J Services KTM) 3
rd Williams 4
th Milliar 5
th Olly Jones (250f KTM) 6
th Barfoot
Race 3
1
st Gilbert 2
nd Thomas 3
rd Williams 4
th Jones 5
th Milliar 6
th Stevens
Junior B Race 1
1
st Jason Brooke 2
nd Gavin Lindsey 3
rd Chris Welburn 4
th Ryan Langdon 5
th Robin Wilkins 6
th Jon Rutherford
Race 2
1
st Brooke 2
nd Jay Lewis 3
rd James Bailey 4
th Grant Bryant 5
th Wilkins 6
th Rutherford
Race 3
1
st Brooke 2
nd Lewis 3
rd Bailey 4
th Wilkins 5
th Lewis Hunt 6
th Rutherford
Junior C Race 1
1
st Riley Lowe 2
nd Michael Austin 3
rd Chris Hawkins 4
th Mark Tillyer 5
th Andy Field 6
th Lewis Smith
Race 2
1
st Lowe 2
nd Hawkins 3
rd Austin 4
th Tillyer 5
th Field 6
th Lewis Reeves
Race 3
1
st Lowe 2
nd Hawkins 3
rd Field 4
th Reeves 5
th Tillyer 6
th Smith
FINAL ROUND Saturday 19
th October at Landrake Moto Parc