Back on Sunday September 22nd the final round of the 2019 Point-S South West Masters Motocross Championships made its way up to the historic Farleigh Castle which was to be well supported with nigh on 200 riders all keen to ride this field of dreams track. Unfortunately the day began with a heavy rainstorm just before practice and qualifying was to get underway and the organisers were to delay the start of the meeting as they were told the rain was to ease within an hour and possibly stop, and it proved to be a good decision. Practice and qualifying started at 10-30am and proved to be a bit challenging to begin with, but by the time racing was to start things had dried up quite a bit and the track was in good stead for some excellent racing in all classes. In the 24MX Expert Championship it was the Cheddar Mx rider Luke Hawkins who had plenty of local support who went into the final round with a small cushion in the standings and his day started well as he set the fastest time in qualifying, but it was his nearest rival in the Championship Jamie Skuse on the Tony Maunders Racing Suzuki another local rider to Farleigh who also had plenty of local support who was to set the early pace in the opening race from Hawkins with Jordan Carter on the Mid West Racing Husqvarna tucked in 3rd, but a mistake from Carter on the opening lap dropped him back a bit and up in to third was now another Tony Maunders Racing rider in the shape of Kelvin Townsend on the Yamaha. Skuse and Hawkins were pulling away all the time at the front on the opening lap with Hawkins hitting the front at one stage, but Skuse came back to regain the lead until a lap later when Hawkins shot through coming down the hill and got the inside line at the right hander. Carter had got back in to a rhythm and was clawing his way back up through the field as was wildcard Corey Hockey on the Cheddar Mx Husqvarna who was back from injury and these two produced some really close racing with Hockey eventually finding his way through in to 3rd, but he wasn’t going to catch Skuse who took 2nd behind Hawkins who took the win. In the second moto again, it was Skuse with the best start from Hawkins with the 250f St Blazey Honda of Ross Kersey this time in 3rd, but this was short lived as he went down with another rider exiting a right hander which put Hockey up in to 3rd. Skuse was on a mission at the front trying to shake off Hawkins which went on for several laps until on lap 4 Hawkins made his move getting the better traction exiting a uphill lefthander and hit the front and from there was to go on untroubled to take the win and with it was to clinch the Championship, Skuse finished in 2nd again ahead of Hockey. The last moto was a bit wet as a small shower had fallen, but that didn’t deter the newly crowned Champion Hawkins as he hit the front from the off ahead of Hockey and Carter, but not the best of starts for Skuse in this one as he was well down. Hawkins had a clear vision and was to ease away, Carter was to get the better of Hockey on lap 2, with Hockey soon to be put under pressure from Skuse who was in a real hurry who eventually found away pass Hockey on lap 3 and within a lap he was to catch and pass Carter for 2nd, but it was a tall order to catch Hawkins who made it a hat trick of wins ahead of Skuse with Carter coming home in 3rd by a whisker from Hockey. In the Wulfsport Over 35 Championship things were close in the standings and saw a return from injury of Wayne Shimell on the TyreMarks Honda who missed the last round and needed three good results if he was going to deny the Chedder Mx Honda rider Darren Banwell the Championship. In the opening race it was Banwell who turned the first corner at the front, but he was to run a bit wide and the 300 2-Stroke KTM of Ben Harmon was to take the lead, but his lead was short lived as fellow 2-Stroke rider on the Tony Maunders Racing 250 KTM James Kensington who took the overall at the last round put in a blistering opening lap and was to take the lead with Ricky Brown on the CR500 Honda now in 2nd. Shimell didn’t have the best of starts and was mid pack for most of the race and seemed to be struggling with the bike which was later revealed that his handlebar clamps had come loose which could have been disastrous. Kensington was to go on to take the win from Banwell with Shimell getting the better of Brown on the last lap taking 3rd. In race 2 it was Banwell from the off from Lee Randall-Smith and race one winner Kensington. Smith was to pass Banwell on the opening lap and led for 2 laps, but a slight mistake let Banwell and Kensington through with Kensington passing Banwell to take the lead on lap 4, but moving up was Shimell who got the better of Banwell on lap 5 then within a couple of laps passed Kensington and from there went on to take the win. In the last moto Banwell again had the best start from Smith and Harmon, but at the end of the opening lap it was Brown at the front after Banwell had gone missing. Brown was to lose the lead to Harmon a lap later, but Harmon’s lead was short lived as Kensington took over and was soon to pull away and went on to take the win which gave him the overall on the day, Shimell eventually took 2nd to be declared over 35 Champion with Harmon finishing a close 3rd. In the Wulfsport Over 45’s Championship Leigh Williams (or Leapey Leigh as he is better known) had already done enough to become 2019 Champion and luckily for him as he was absent through injury. Also missing was David Ford who had already clinched runner up spot, but third spot was still to be decided between Neil Stephens and Richard Tapscott. The racing was close as usual with no one standing out and it was to produce three different winners in the shape of Shaun Brooker, David Hamer and Stephens, but at the end of the day it was wildcard Hamer who was most consistent and took the overall, but it was Stephens who finished 2nd overall and this was to give him 3rd place in the final standings. The JCT Developments Junior Championship this one was going to go down to the wire. Kieran Yorke on the 250f Chimney Sweep Services Honda went into the final round with a small points lead from the 250f Yamaha of Daniel Wade, but it was Harvey James on the 250f Foxhayes Carsales / Wright Racing KTM who had set the fastest qualifying time by some margin. Yorke made no mistake in the opening race as he led from start and with a clear track in front of him eased away to a comfortable lead, but as the race progressed wildcard Jack Booker who was back riding after twelve months off a bike was to close in, but Yorke held on to take the win from Booker a close second with Rocky Lethaby finishing 3rd. Race 2 saw Ryan Davis initially with the lead from Booker and Ryan Harris with Yorke back in 5th. Booker was to get pass Davis on the opening lap to take the lead and moving up all the time was Yorke who was soon in 2nd place ahead of Lethaby who was put under huge pressure from Wildcard Todd Leadbitter who eventually got the better of Lethaby on lap 5 and was gradually catching Yorke in the closing stages. Booker took a comfortable from Yorke with Leadbitter a close third at the chequered flag. In the last race it was Harris who lead from the off from Leadbitter and Wade, but it was a disastrous start for Booker and Yorke who were right at the back of the field. Harris was trying his all at the front to get away from Leadbitter, but Leadbitter was to stick with him, but all eyes were on Booker who was flying up through the field and by the end of the second lap was up in to 5th looking to go pass James. Leadbitter got the pass Harris on lap 3 to take the lead and soon up in to 2nd after a mistake from Harris was to be James with Wade now in 3rd with Booker breathing all over him, but it was Leadbitter who took the win to give us three different winners on the day, James finished 2nd with Booker a well-deserved 3rd after passing Wade on the last lap, but all the applause was for Yorke who eventually finished in 11th which was enough for him to be JCT Developments Junior Champion 2019. In the Junior B class there was a win for Kona Jenkins in the first race with Marcus Feltham winning the other two. The Junior C class saw wildcard Tyson Maytom Jones take two wins, but he was deny a clean sweep by Cory Hawkins who took the other win. Words & Photos by Dave Rich OVERALL RESULTS 24MX EXPERT CHAMPIONSHIP 1st Luke Hawkins (450f Cheddar Mx Honda) 2nd Jamie Skuse (450f Tony Maunders Racing Suzuki) 3rd Corey Hockey (450f Cheddar Mx Husqvarna) 4th Jordan Carter (450f Mid West Husqvarna) 5th Ben Butler (450f Tony Maunders Racing Kawasaki) 6th Ross Kersey (250f St Blazey Honda) FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 1st L Hawkins (Champion) 585 points 2nd J Skuse 554 3rd R Kersey 494 4th R Cross 478 5th B Barfoot 458 6th T Kellett 447 WULFSPORT OVER 35 CHAMPIONSHIP 1st James Kensington (250 Tony Maunders Racing KTM) 2nd Wayne Shimell (250f TyreMarks Honda) 3rd Darren Banwell (450f Cheddar Mx Honda) 4
th Ben Harmon (300 Cheddar Mx KTM) 5
th Peter Bulley (350f KTM) 6
th Lee Randall-Smith (450f Honda)
FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 1st W Shimell (Champion) 592 points 2nd D Banwell 566 3rd J Kensington 563 4th B Harmon 526 5th P Bulley 510 6th Lee Randall-Smith 462 WULFSPORT OVER 45 CHAMPIONSHIP 1st David Hamer (Honda) 2
nd Neil Stephens (450f Yamaha) 3
rd Shaun Brooker (450f Suzuki) 4
th Richard Tapscott (450f Yamaha) 5
th Rob Lewis (450f Tony Maunders Racing Honda) 6
th Wayne Slater (450f Yamaha)
FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 1st L Williams (Champion) 590 points 2nd D Ford 562 3rd N Stephens 525 4th R Tapscott 510 5th D Davies 497 6th R Topp 496 JCT DEVELOPMENTS JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP 1st Jack Booker (Husqvarna) 2
nd Todd Leadbitter (KTM) 3
rd Rocky Lethaby (KTM) 4
th Kieran Yorke (250f Honda) 5
th Harvey James (250f Foxhayes Carsales / Wright Racing KTM) 6
th Daniel Wade (250f Yamaha)
FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 1st K Yorke (Champion) 1668 points 2nd D Wade 1655 3rd T Townrow 1580 4th H James 1566 5th M Smith 1546 6th R Lethaby 1495 JCT DEVELOPMENTS JUNIOR B 1st Kona Jenkins 2nd Marcus Feltham 3rd Joshua Senter 4th Jordan Hayman 5th Will Matthews 6th Daniel Butler JCT DEVELOPMENTS JUNIOR C 1st Tyson Maytom Jones 2nd Joe Rowe 3rd Sonnie Mee-Harris 4th Thomas Sharpe 5th Jamie Bishop 6th Simon Miller