There was a good entry for the Dave Roper Memorial Event and the weather played it part sunny, warm but breezy. This year the two historic Scramble fields were not available at the Tye Farm Great Cornard complex and the organisers Sudbury Motor Cycle Club had the use of two other fields.
The first field was last used 30
th July 1961 for a Grass Track meeting while the second field was used on a Sunday morning get together in 1959 and a cracking course was laid out over the hilly stubble fields with some adverse cambers. Programme for the day three separate Classes each Class riding three events the first two were practice and warm up sessions.
First of the last three Events was the Youth Hare & Hounds and Jake Roper made his intentions felt when he was first off the line followed by Joe Phillips who had a scrap with Roper in their second event. 14 year old Georgia Potter was 3
rd, Harry Prior 4
th, Will Belton 5
th and Archie Gunton 6
th. Next time round Roper had pulled out a 8 second lead over Phillips while there no change of positions for 3
rd, 4
th and 5
th. Roper just kept increasing his lead and at one time it looked like Phillips would pull out with bike problems but they sorted themselves out and lower down the fields positions were changing. At the finish it was a big win for Roper, Phillips 2
nd while Gunton was 3
rd having passed Potter 4
th, Belton 5
th with Thomas Davies taking 6
th. The best part of this Youth event the scrap between siblings Billy and Jemma Sargeant who live in the village, Jemma got the start over her young brother and despite everything Billy could do Jemma just showed superiority to finish 8
th with Billy 9
th.
Next up the Mix Vintage and New machines and Kane Fisher on New just took the lead and no one could get near him and won easily. The battle for the Vintage section was between Steve Finch, Gavin Hockey and Mark Chapman (all in their 50s so riders and bikes were Vintage) Finch won that battle fairly easily in the end with Hockey 2
nd and Chapman 3
rd. Behind Fisher in the New section was Great Cornard’s Danny Street with Jamie Leach 3
rd.
Honour was at stake for the Modern Bikes Event between Jack Berry, Toby Morley and Craig Roper (both Morley and Roper waited on the Start line until the whole field disappeared out of sight then they started at the back) and when they caught with up to Berry they battled it out throughout the whole session none of them giving a quarter. It was competition at its best which Roper was the conqueror with Morley 2
nd and Berry 3
rd. It was a sweet moment for Craig as he won his Uncle Dave’s Event which he finished 2
nd in 2010 behind Dave’s son Jamie. Phil Roper Dad of Jake had an excellent 4
th place followed by Tom Sutton 5
th and Mark Petchey 6
th and the icing on the day was the home made cake stall made 215 pounds.
Report by Roger Chaplin
Photos by Anthony Ridge and Paula Day