Tuesday October 21, 2014 at 11:26am
Chris Martin (Dave Dean Honda) stretched his unbeaten run of victories in this year’s ACU 250 Championship to 12 by winning the 14th and final round of the series at Thruxton. Already sure of the title for the second year in succession the 33-year-old Yorkshire man won the 10-lap race by over seven seconds from Dave Hampton (J&RB Racing Yamaha).
Hampton, the 37-year-old from nearby Southampton, nipped ahead of Ant Hodson (FCL Yamaha), the 38-year-old Lincolnshire racer, on the last lap, to take runner-up spot by just over a quarter of a second. That result hoisted Hampton into third place in the final standings, behind Martin and Hodson. Bruce Dunn (Yamaha), the journalist from Peterborough was fourth home, just over a tenth of a second ahead of John Lewis (Yamaha), the veteran racer from Cheltenham. Dunn qualified fourth fastest, but did not make a good start. He was sixth at the end of the opening lap and slipped back to eighth on lap two. He was up to fifth a lap later, taking fourth place four laps from home.
Gary Vines (MPS Enterprises Yamaha), the 24-year-old from Colchester, who has scored points in all but one of the 14 rounds this season, was sixth home, chased home by three riders led by Mark Strudwick (Lion Heart Racing Yamaha), the 16-year-old from Littlehampton. Strudwick, notching up his best result in the half season he been racing in the series, was just a fifth of a second behind his rival.
Phil Stead (Langver Engineering Yamaha), the 42-year-old from Thirsk, another rider making his first appearance in the championship time this season, qualified down in 12th place, but charged through to eighth place overall, winning the Pre 92 class. Colin Wilcock (David Tonge Racing Yamaha) was ninth, at the back of the quarter, with 1.66 seconds covering them all. Rhys Hardisty (M&D’s Abergavenny/REPS Yamaha), the 27-year-old from Abergavenny, completed the top ten, second Pre 92 class rider home. It was a great performance, which earned him the Dunlop Rear GP tyre award.
Simon Hunt (Pork Pie Power Racing Yamaha), the 41-year-old from Messingham, near Scunthorpe, already certain of taking the NG Cup, was eleventh overall, taking his ninth win of the year in the series.
Unlucky Daniel Jackson (Team Sigie Yamaha), the 2012 ACU Champion, making his first appearance in the completion this season, qualified third fastest, but was forced out of the race on lap three when holding third spot. Thomas Lawlor (GTL Life and Pensions Honda) was another man out of luck. The 40-year-old made the long journey from his home in Naas, County Kildare, to the Hampshire circuit, qualified in tenth place, but then broke his engine when lying fourth, four laps from home.
Darrell Higgins (Dennis Trollope Racing Yamaha), sixth quickest in qualifying was another man put out of the race with mechanical problems. The 55-year-old from Melksham, Wiltshire went out on the warm-up lap. Despite his misfortune Higgins still finished fifth in the points’ table behind the absent Phil Atkinson.
Adrian Martin (J&RB Racing/File Tuning Yamaha) crashed out of qualifying before he could set a quick lap. There was extensive damage, so sponsor John Baker helped out on the spanners in a race against time to make the race. The work was finished in time, but a broken bolt they had missed in the rebuild put Martin out of the race before a lap was run.
ACU 250 CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL SCORES
Chris Martin 300, Ant Hodson 234, Dave Hampton 174, Phil Atkinson 156, Darrell Higgins 139, Gary Vines 107, Andrew Sawford 82, Thomas Lawlor 78, Jonathan Stamper 75, Simon Hunt 75, Adam Hoare 69, Paul Metcalfe 52, Rich Grinling 46, Adrian Martin 42, Mark Strudwick 38, Bruce Dunn 29, Carl Hudson 28, Ste Howard 28, John Lewis 24, Tom Snow 16, Rhys Hardisty 15, Mark Linton 13, Colin Wilcock 13, Derek Clark 13, David Ibbotson 11, Adrian Morris 11, Stuart Thomas 9, PhIl Guillou 9, Phil Stead 8, Lee Goddard 7, Neil Smith 6, Martin Thrower 6, Alec Cottam 6, Simon Harris 3, Tony Russell 2, Peter Thorne 1, George Murray 1, Gareth Willis 1.
Pre-92
Andrew Sawford 235, Ste Howard 162, Rich Grinling 147, Rhys Hardisty 86, Adrian Morris 62, Tom Snow 40, Tony Russell 36, Phil Stead 25, George Murray 13.
100% Suspension NG Cup
Simon Hunt 265, Paul Metcalfe 200, Gareth Willis 36, Neil Smith 16.