HAWKINS UNSTOPABLE AT PREMIER CHAMPIONSHIP

Last Sunday round 8 of the Phoenix Tools Premier Motocross Championships took place at A and A Moto Parc, Nr Honiton which was the first time this venue had been used in the Championship. As usual every effort had been put into preparing the track by the Premier Mx team with water being put down prior to the meeting and during the meeting which was to produce some really fast and thrilling racing.

  In the Phoenix Tools Expert Open class there were a few missing including second place rider in the Championship Shane Carless who trailed Luke Hawkins by just 3 points, so Hawkins was out to increase that lead.

  In the opening race it was Kelvin Townsend who had the best start from Luke Mellows who within half a lap passed Townsend to take the lead. Mellows had a clear track in front of him and started to ease away, but up in to 2^nd by the end of lap 3 had come Hawkins who was soon to close in on Mellows and was to take over the lead passing Mellows over one of the jumps. Hawkins was in fine form and powered away at the front and was to go on to take the win, but there was a good battle going on for 2^nd with James Dodd forcing his way pass Mellows on the last lap to take 2^nd by a whisker.

  In moto 2 it was Hawkins this time with the best start from Townsend and Jake Shipton who was making a return to the Championship, but there were a few fallers at the first turn including John May and Mellows who were well down the field. Shipton was all over Townsend on the opening lap, desperate to get pass as he could see Hawkins easing away at the front, but it wasn’t until lap 2 that Shipton got the better of Townsend, but by this time Hawkins had a full 4 second lead which he was to increase lap by lap and was to go on to notch up another win. Shipton was to come under pressure from Dodd in the closing stages, but he held off not just one challenge but two on the last lap to hold on to take 2^nd with Dodd a close 3^rd.

  In the last moto it was Shipton who hit the front from the off from Dodd, with Hawkins there tucked in 3^rd. Shipton was in a real hurry in this one and was pulling away all the time at the front from Dodd who gave his all on the opening lap to hold off Hawkins, but he left the door open on lap 2 on a lefthander and Hawkins shot through on the inside. It wasn’t long before Shipton could hear the sound of Hawkins bike and he was to dig in deep, but it wasn’t enough as Hawkins took over and from there went on untroubled to make it a hat trick of wins on the day, but more importantly he had increased his Championship lead.

 

In the Over 35 Championship class again there was some top class racing to be seen. In the opening race it was Championship leader Mark Wilde who shot in to the opening corner and took the early lead from Rick Hanson. These two were to ease away from the rest of the field and Wilde was gradually to get away from Hanson, but it all went wrong for Wilde on lap 3 when he stalled his bike and through went Hanson and Chris Brown who were later to have a real ding dong, but it was Hanson who eventually got the advantage and took the win.

  In moto 2 there was no Hanson as he was struggling with a back injury and it was Jamie Deadman who led from the off, but this was short lived as Wilde took over on lap 2 and Deadman was also passed on the same lap by Gavin Flagg who was to push Wilde all through the race, but just couldn’t give anymore and Wilde took the win by just over a second.

  In the last race there was no stopping Wilde once he got the better of Flagg on the opening lap who was to storm away to take yet another win with Flagg just holding off Brown to take 2^nd.

  In the over 40 Championship class it was Championship leader Steve Locke who led the opening race from Mark Roberts and looked set to take a comfortable win, but a mistake mid race saw Roberts take over at the front who went on to take the win from David Ford a close 2^nd.

  In the second race it was Roberts who had the best start, but it wasn’t so good for Locke who went down on the first corner and had trouble restarting his bike and was totally last by some margin. Roberts seemed to be getting away, but a mistake on lap 2 saw him drop well down the field and it was now Jon Tarr who led from Wayne Gill who did catch Tarr at one stage, but as backmarkers came in to play Tarr got away and took the win.

  In the last moto it was a better start this time for Locke and he was to lead, but it just wasn’t his day as he went down again on lap 4 and it was Roberts who took over at the front, but this was short lived as Tarr got pass Roberts at half distance and from there went on to take the chequered flag.   

  In the over 50 Championship class it was Championship leader Keith Hanson who dominated the opening two races, but he didn’t get it all his own way in the last race as it was Ian Nott who was to shine and took the win.

  In the Tyremarks Junior Championship class there was no stopping Welsh wiz kid and Championship leader Jay Thomas who put up a fine performance and took a hat trick of wins. Once Thomas hit the front in the opening race there was no looking back, but there was a good battle between Josh Taylor and Anthony Milliar with Taylor holding on to take 2^nd.

  In the second moto Thomas hit the front from the off and was soon on a mission, but all eyes at half distance were on Ty Kellett who had taken a tumble on the opening lap and was 25^th, but he was absolutely flying, lapping nigh on 3 seconds faster than anyone else and was to claw his way up through the field and in the end took a well deserved 3^rd.

  In the last race again it was Thomas with the best start and was pulling away in no time, but this race was to see Kellett again not with the best of starts claw his way up through to have a real battle with Milliar who he eventually got pass to take second behind Thomas.

  Report and Photo Dave Rich

  RESULTS

Phoenix Tools Expert Open Championship Race 1

1^st Luke Hawkins (450f Phoenix Tools Honda) 2^nd James Dodd (450f TwoNineTwo/Burfield Creative/St Blazey Mx Honda) 3^rd Luke Mellows (450f Meredith Mx Suzuki) 4^th Jamie Skuse (450f Mx-Zone Suzuki) 5^th Kelvin Townsend (450f Gibbs Performance/St Blazey Mx Suzuki) 6^th John May (450f St Blazey Mx Suzuki)

Race 2

1^st Hawkins 2^nd Jake Shipton (450f Crescent Racing KTM) 3^rd Dodd 4^th Skuse 5^th May 6^th Townsend

Race 3

1^st Hawkins 2^nd Shipton 3^rd Dodd 4^th Brad Cavill (450f St Blazey Mx Honda) 5^th Townsend 6^th Loukas Maggio (250f Phoenix Tools Honda)

M D Racing Over 35’s Championship Race 1

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

Race 2

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

Race 3

1^st Wilde 2^nd Flagg 3^rd Brown 4^th Deadman 5^th Fraser 6^th Lewis

M D Racing Over 40’s Championship Race 1

1^st Mark Roberts (450f Alan Roberts Garage Honda) 2^nd David Ford (350f Projuice KTM) 3^rd Jon Tarr (????) 4^th Steve Locke (450f S J Hodder Honda) 5^th Andy Annear (250 St Blazey Mx Husaberg) 6^th Jason Roberts (450f Alan Roberts Garage Honda)  

Race 2

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

Race 3

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

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 Tim Hawkins (450f DirtbikeXpress Honda) 4^th Steve Chugg (450f Honda) 5^th Paul Huggett (250f Define Lines Husq)

Race 2

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

Race 3

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

Tyremarks Junior Championship Race 1

1^st Jay Thomas (250f K J Services KTM) 2^nd Josh Taylor (450f Suzuki) 3^rd Anthony Milliar (450f A T Motocross Honda) 4^th Ty Kellett (450f S J Hodder/Rusty PT Kawasaki) 5^th Ryan Williams (450f A T Motocross KTM) 6^th Lewis Barfoot (250 Honda) 

Race 2

1^st Thomas 2^nd Milliar 3^rd Kellett 4^th Barfoot 5^th Williams 6^th Taylor

Race 3

1^st Thomas 2^nd Kellett 3^rd Milliar 4^th Carl Dezis (250f Suzuki) 5^th Christian Dicks (450f 1^st Call Travel KTM) 6^th Ross Churchill (250f Top Line Glass KTM)

Junior B Race 1

1^st Graham Beale 2^nd Dan Jones 3^rd Paul Beale 4^th Jack Smith 5^th Michael Green 6^th Ben Hooper

Race 2

1^st Liam Horder 2^nd Ed Lewis 3^rd Jack Smith 4^th Marc Ablitt 5^th Grant Yerbury 6^th Ben Brewer

Race 3

1^st Tommy Dorran 2^nd Jones 3^rd Jack Griffiths 4^th Green 5^th Richard Grills 6^th Luke Dewey

Junior C Race 1

1^st Jake Warren 2^nd Tom Barfoot 3^rd Zak Watkins 4^th Dan Budd 5^th Tom Ware 6^th Rose Wyatt

Race 2

1^st Warren 2^nd Barfoot 3^rd Ware 4^th Watkins 5^th Budd 6^th Tom Matthews

Race 3

1^st Barfoot 2^nd Watkins 3^rd Matthews 4^th Ware 5^th Lewis Reeves 6^th Budd