Teen sensation James Shanes delivered a masterful performance at the Bristol GTC’s successful running of the British Masters Grasstrack Championships, sweeping the card unbeaten, whilst controversy and high drama surrounded a sidecar final, bringing triumphant victory for Yorkshire father and son crew Rod and Billy Winterburn.
For Shanes, it was a perhaps his finest victory aboard a Grasstrack machine so far in his fledgling career. The nineteen-year- old, winner of the 2015 title, was in dominant form. Even when the Dorset-based youngster seemed to have thrown away a heat victory, making a complete mess of the start in his final qualifying heat, he was still able to reel in world class opposition and complete a clean sweep.
Several pretenders to Shanes’ throne came and went throughout the day. Former Premier League speedway star James Wright looked strong early on, but had no answer to Shanes, even after leading him for two laps. The other rider to have come close to toppling the two-time champion was Elite League speedway wildcard Edward Kennett. The Rye House man, on a rare Grasstrack outing, performed superbly throughout the day, topping his day off by following Shanes home for second in the winner-take-all final.
And many fans were delighted to see comeback man Paul Hurry ride to a fine third place. The former Team GB World Cup star and European Grasstrack champion rode fantastically throughout the day, winning three of his four qualifying heats in fine style. After such awful injuries, it is remarkable that Hurry is able to perform at such a high level once again.
Not all of the highly-tipped riders had such luck on the day. High profile wildcard Scott Nicholls suffered throughout the day with setup problems, desperately trying to get to grips with unfamiliar machinery before the day was out. And the other Elite League regular, Lakeside’s Rob Mear, suffered an horrendous looking accident whilst holding second in his opening ride. He threw the chain from his machine whilst cornering, throwing him over the handlebars at great speed. His day was done.
For the British Longtrack representatives, it was a day marred by a difficult start. Both Andrew Appleton and Richard Hall chased through the night from a meeting in Germany to race, only arriving in time for a late practice and racing. Even through these tumultuous beginnings, they were still able to finish a creditable 4
th (Hall) and 5
th (Appleton) respectively.
For the sidecars, it once again looked like it would be a dominant performance for Rugby racer Mark Cossar and his passenger Carl Blyth. They swept through the heats and the semi final unbeaten and untroubled. But such is the nature of the winner-take-all final, and the ferocity of sidecar racing in Grasstrack, victory was snatched from the crew once again in cruel fashion.
The nail-biting, all-important final was won and lost on the first lap. Cossar/Blyth duly made a good start, but it would seem not quite good enough as they were driven hard into the first bend by the other Winterburn outfit ridden by Gareth Winterburn, with Liam Brown in the chair. As the two young pairings of Mark Cossar and Gareth Winterburn battled fiercely on the outside of the circuit, a perfect opportunity arose for Rod Winterburn to show his incredible experience and skill as a sidecar driver, taking advantage of the favoured crews. Cossar/Blyth managed to get the better of the younger Winterburn outfit, but try and they might, they couldn’t get past Winterburn Snr. Gareth Winterburn/Liam Brown finished third and, although gracious in defeat, clearly felt that they could have won the event in different circumstances. For Rod, it was an historic third title, and the first for his son Billy in the chair. For Cossar and Blyth, it was another year where they rue the nature of the ‘sudden death’ final, again having victory snatched from their hands in the final race.
Defending champions Colin Blackbourn and Carl Pugh rode well throughout the day, qualifying as the third highest point scorers for the final, but it was to be no repeat of their stunning 2015 display. They finished 5
th in the hard-fought final. Another former champion, Paul Whitelam and passenger Alan Elliott once again put in a strong performance, finishing 4
th. Whitelam now has finished in the top six in the last 13 British Masters Championships; a feat matched by nobody else. Finsihing the top six was another multi-former champion; Rob Wilson and Terry Saunters rode consistently to complete the six outfit final.
The event itself provided yet another reminder to all of just how good top class Grasstrack racing can be. High speed overtaking, tremendous motorcycle skill and huge crowds provided a sensational day of entertainment for all in attendance.
Report by Gareth Bemister
Photos by Haggis Hartman