Thursday August 28, 2014 at 4:29pm
Martin Powell (Suzuki 1000), the 2012 450-1100cc Crewe and South Cheshire club champion, regained his title in the fourth and final round of this year’s series at Tonfanau
The veteran racer from Telford held a slender two-point lead over Barry Lee Evans at the start of the day, but with Evans a non-starter his task was so much easier. Powell could not stop Welshman Julian Hughes (GP Motorcycles Kawasaki 1000) winning all three races, but runner-up place each time gave him the championship. Hughes was in great form, equalling the lap record of 36.9 seconds.
The absent Evans was runner up in the series, but Hughes, who only raced in two rounds, was third. Any hopes Powell might have had of also winning the Forgotten Era over 501cc class were dashed when he failed to score points after the first of three races. He trailed Steve Birtles by 14 points coming into the meeting, but after Birtles won race one from Simon Mara and Powell the gap had grown to 16. Birtles won the other two races to take the title.
Barry Lee Evans (Honda) made up for missing out on the 450-1100cc title, by snatching the Steel Frame 600 crown. Four riders, Nick Jefferies, Mark Robinson, Lewis Clark and Evans were separated by seven points before the four races. Evans won all four to take his total for the season to 80, five more than Clark, who followed Evans over the line each time.
Mark Griffiths (Yamaha) won the club 400 Supersport title, but it was a close run thing. He had clutch problems in practice, but was ready for race one. That was red flagged. Problems at the re-start put him at the back of the pack into the first corner. Griffiths was up to third in his class on the last lap, only for the big end to let go coming out of the hairpin. Griffiths nursed the crippled machine home to finish fourth place, giving him a one-point lead over the absent Mark Purslow.
Now only Mark Disley (Kawasaki) could stop Griffiths taking the title, but he needs 18 points in the next two races. He was fourth and then third, taking only 15.
Mark Griffiths (Terry Woods Honda 350) also clinched the Classic 251-500cc title.
He was 15 points ahead of Adrian Day (Honda 350) coming into this meeting, but three clear cut victories, plus the fastest lap in each race took Griffiths to 102 points, 18 more than Day, who was runner-up each time out.
Anthony Davies won all three Forgotten Era 251-500cc races to take his tally for the season to 59 points. That was enough to tie with the absent Mike Carter for third place, but Paul Grantham took the title with 91, 31 clear of Karl Bovill.
Chris Ganderton added two more wins to take his total of victories to eight in the Minitwins class. He won the championship by 19 points from Michael Brookes.
The Cunliffe brothers, Tony and Martin (Suzuki 600), clinched the club sidecar title for the first time by taking two thirds and a second place in their three outings. Former European champion Gary Knight, with Dave Williams in the chair of the DMR Kawasaki) won the first two, nipping past Craig and Kirsty Hauxwell (CLK Ireson Honda 600) on the last lap after a race long battle. Hauxwell had some consolation by beating Knight in race three, to clinch third place in the final standings, despite missing two rounds.