Last Sunday the St Blazey Mx Premier Motocross Championship reached the halfway mark in the series as it made its way up in to Wiltshire to Grittenham for round 4. A lot of hard work had gone in to preparing the track and with a shower or two overnight it was nigh on perfect for the first two blocks of racing, but things were to get a bit damp for the last block, but never the less there was some top racing to be seen.
As with the previous round expert entries were a bit low so the top 9 qualifiers from both Junior qualifying races were put in with the experts. In the St Blazey Mx Expert Championship class it was Championship leader Dan Thornhill on the Cab Screens Husqvarna with a blistering start from the Dave Thorpe Off road centre Honda of Josh Gilbert who was quickest in qualifying with the Tony Maunders Racing Suzuki of Jamie Skuse tucked in 3
rd. Thornhill was trying his all to shake off the young Cornishman for the first couple of laps, but Gilbert was to stay within striking distance then on lap 4 Gilbert closed right up on Thornhill and really piled the pressure on and eventually was to ease his way pass to take the lead and was soon pulling away at the front. Skuse was still there in 3
rd, but there was a real battle royal going on behind him between wildcards Paul Neal and Shane Carless on the Marsh Mx Honda which went on for several laps with Carless eventually getting pass 2 laps from the end, but there was only one winner and that was Gilbert who took a comfortable win from Thornhill with Skuse a safe 3
rd.
In the second moto, this time it was Skuse with the best start from team mate Jordan Carter, but as they entered the third corner Carter went down and there was a bit of a pile up. Thornhill was to get through in 2
nd and was all over Skuse on the opening lap and took the lead, Gilbert was to move up in to 3
rd by the end of the opening lap after getting caught up in the Carter incident and was soon all over Skuse pressing for 2
nd which he took on lap 2 and was soon chasing down Thornhill at the front who he caught on lap 5, but it took Gilbert another couple of laps to find away pass when Thornhill made a slight mistake. Gilbert started to pull away at the front, but with 2 laps remaining Thornhill put in a late charge and closed right up again but it was to no avail as Gilbert took the win from Thornhill a close 2
nd and Skuse coming home in 3
rd.
In the last race which was a bit on the damp side it was Carless with the best start from Thornhill and Gilbert with Carless who seemed to like the slippery conditions easing away on the opening lap. Luke Sturgeon on the D S C Cornwall Kawasaki was another rider who seemed to relish in the conditions as he was all over Gilbert and Thornhill on lap 3 and was to get pass both and was then to take the lead after Carless made a mistake at the front. Sturgeon was looking good at the front, but staying with him all the time was Thornhill and Gilbert who were both to pass Sturgeon a lap later. Skuse was to get the better of Sturgeon mid race and moved in to 3
rd, but not for long as Skuse slid off on a fast lefthander and back up in to 3
rd after his earlier mistake was Carless, but he wasn’t going to catch the leading two as Thornhill went on to denie Gilbert a clean sweep of wins, but it was Gilbert who took the overall.
In the expert junior class which ran with the experts it was Jordan Barrs who came out overall winner on the day with three consistant rides taking a win and two seconds with Junior Championship leader Jake Curtis-Stevens on the D S C Cornwall Kawasaki winning the first and last race, but a clutch problem in the second moto put him way down.
In the R C Motorhomes MX1 2-Stroke Championship there were many wildcard entries with one of them being Adam Harris on the Gibson Tyres Yamaha who had notched up the fastest time in qualifying and totally blitzed the opening race and was set to do the same in the second moto when leading with just 5 minutes remaining he took a nasty tumble going end over end. Championship leader Leighton Holmes on the J D Racing Ktm was to win the second moto from Harris who remounted to finish 2
nd, but Harris was a bit battered and bruised and didn’t come out for the last race which was dominated by Holmes who with it extended his MX1 2-Stroke Championship lead to 18 points over Ben Milward at the halfway point.
The M D Racing Over age classes there was no stopping Over 35 Championship leader Wayne Shimell on the TyreMarks/St Blazey Mx Honda with yet another hat trick of wins over the Cheddar Mx Ktm of Darren Banwell who took 2
nd in each race. In the Over 40’s it was a clean sweep for local Swindon rider and Championship leader Stuart Rawlings with Richard Green and Stephen Elford doing likewise in the Over 45’s and 50’s.
In the Junior B class, it was Edward Turner who took the overall with two wins and a 2
nd, with Harry Day denying Turner a clean sweep in the second race after Turner had a bad start.
Report and Photos by Dave Rich
OVERALL RESULTS St Blazey Mx Expert Championship
1
st Josh Gilbert (450f Dave Thorpe Off Road/RFX Honda) 2
nd Dan Thornhill (450f Cab Screens Husqvarna) 3
rd Jamie Skuse (450f Tony Maunders Racing Suzuki) 4
th Shane Carless (450f Marsh Mx Honda) 5
th Josh Coleman (250f Cab Screens Husqvarna) 6
th Paul Neal (450f Kawasaki)
JCT Developments Expert Juniors
1
st Jordan Barrs (450f Honda) 2
nd Jamie Dixon (350f P & S Autoservices Ktm) 3
rd Josh Canton (????) 4
th Jake Curtis-Stevens (250f D S C Cornwall Kawasaki) 5
th Sam Lycett (????) 6
th Ross Parkinson (250f Yamaha)
R C Motorhomes 2-Stroke MX1 Championship
1
st Leighton Holmes (250 J D Racing Ktm) 2
nd Ben Milward (250 JCT Developments/Inchains Yamaha) 3
rd Dylan Hodgkins (250 Ktm) 4
th Ryan Zebedee (150 Ktm) 5
th Henry Ebbutt (250 Ktm)
6
th Ali Wood (????)
M D Racing Over 35’s Championship
1
st Wayne Shimell (450f TyreMarks/St Blazey Mx Honda) 2
nd Darren Banwell (250f Cheddar Mx Ktm) 3
rd James Price (450f Ace Comfort Cooling/Trade Counter Direct Kawasaki) 4
th Tim Pearce (350f Ktm) 5
th Luke Dewey (450f Milton Tyres Suzuki) 6
th Guy Langmead (????)
M D Racing Over 40’s Championship
1
st Stuart Rawlings (450f Honda) 2
nd Leigh Williams (450f J D Racing Ktm) 3
rd Robert Topp (350f Ktm) 4
th Bryan Tucker (450f Ford Fuels Honda) 5
th Richard Tapscott (450f Tony Maunders Racing Honda) 6
th Julian Turner (250 JCT Developments Husqvarna)
M D Racing Over 45’s Championship
1
st Richard Green (450f T R Green Engineering Husqvarna) 2
nd Mark Gleadhill (450f Honda) 3
rd Paul Curtis 4
th Andrew Curtis (????) 5
th Laurence Watkins (450f MVRD/Totally Transporters Honda 6
th Justin Napier (350f TyreMarks Ktm)
M D Racing Over 50’s Championship
1
st Steve Elford (450f Gabriel Insulations Honda) 2
nd David Ford (450f Projuice Ktm) 3
rd Alex Buckingham (250 Alex Buckingham Motorcycles Husqvarna) 4
th Alan Packer (450f Simpsons Plant Hire Honda) Alex Buckingham (250 Alex Buckingham Motorcycles Husqvarna) 5
th Stephen Thomson (250 Yamaha) 6
th Rob Lewis (450f Tony Maunders Racing Honda)
Junior B
1
st Edward Turner (450f Yamaha) 2
nd Harry Day (????) 3
rd Edward Mountjoy (????) 4
th Giles Davis (????) 5
th Ryan Davis (450f Honda) 6
th James Bailey ((450f Gmx/Nutrition Kawasaki)
Junior C
1
st Ryan Lock (450 Ktm) 2
nd Grant Tucker (450f Honda) 3
rd Adam Bush (250f Ktm) 4
th Anna-Marie Ardren (250f Yamaha) 5
th Matt Ricketts (????) 6
th Brian Hutchings (450f A C M Kawasaki)