The new season has now officially started! The GP Originals paddock arrived in force once again to Brands Hatch. Two-stroke friendly club NG Road Racing launched the season with three days on the diminutive but challenging Indy circuit.
Before getting into the detail of the weekend, we send our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Gary Arden. An avid two-stroke racer and friend to many of our riders. He will be sadly missed.
Saturday’s action
With a warm-up session plus timed qualifying in the timetable, plenty of track time was on offer including a second outing in the ACU 125/250 race if desired. The weather remained good, a dry track and comfortable temperatures all day albeit a little windy.
13 laps of qualifying put Jason Davis top of the pile at 52.310 and the 350cc
Motocarb Motopole £50 award. Dan Jackson 0.557 behind in 2nd and Ant Hart taking the final front row seat just 0.199 adrift of Jackson. Phil Atkinson paid the price of a new ignition plate breakage and would have to settle for an unusual 15th spot for the weekend whilst qualifying on the spare machine. GP Originals’ new recruit, Scott Carson, showed his hand as a potential front runner. The Tenpin Racing rider would head up row two despite a terminal mechanical failure on Friday forcing a late-night engine change. Andrew Taylor missed qualifying which relegated him to the back of the grid.
The 250 challengers delivered further drama with Phil Stead and Gary Vines close on times. A 53.555 lap by Stead eclipsed Vines by a mere 0.040 securing his 250cc
Motocarb Motopole £50 cash. Mark Linton took 3rd of the
Maxton Suspension supported 250s at 55.921. Now entering the realms of the Master’s competition, the bi-focal visor was focused on further improvement.
The competition is always equally fierce in the
CBG Contractors Masters. Grant Goodings laid down the gauntlet with 53.951 and 8th overall. Just 0.661 behind came Dean Mitchell, Roy Chapman and Nick Williamson with practically nothing between them. Current Masters’ Champ Williamson took a slide off at Clearways transferring most of the skin on his shoulder to the tarmac.
The racing starts, lap records fall
Nine rows dedicated to just our post-classic, two-stroke GP machines lined up for race one, ready to fight it out over 12 laps. Inexperience on the TZ350 didn’t affect Scott Carson as he shot through from the second row to take the lead in the early laps – the only man on a medium compound
Avon front tyre. Davis gave chase and Atkinson clawed his way up to 6th by the end of the first timed lap.
Phil Stead enjoyed a reprieve from the attentions of Gary Vines. The Uggly & Co liveried rider resorted to changing gear with his hand as recurring gear selection issues reappeared.
By lap three Ant Hart took over the lead passing both Davis and Carson. At half distance Atkinson had picked his way up to 2nd spot with his eyes on Hart’s backside. The little 250 of Stead was now up to 3rd overall thanks to a new
250cc lap record of 52.268. Atkinson also toppled his own
350 lap record with a 52.002 on lap 10. Both riders collecting the
Staffordshire Triumph supported Fastest Lap £50 cash bonus. During the race Davis suffered what turned out to be a broken piston ring curbing his chances of challenging for the win.
With such a short lap it is guaranteed that efficient passing of lapped riders will play a part in the result – juggling luck, skill and judgment. Hart pipped Atkinson by 0.070 to take the
AD Modular supported 350cc and overall race win. Jackson made a pass on Carson in the closing laps to secure 3rd 350. Phil Stead split the blue-plate podium to claim the 250 win and 3rd on-the-road.
Gary Vines collected 2nd 250 despite the compromising pre-war style hand change. Mark Linton tagged his teammate Ian Longstaff to grab 3rd 250.
Fast Master Grant Goodings capitalised on his excellent qualifying heading up Williamson and Chapman throughout the race. The trio once again passed the stripe in close formation.
Special mention to our 2022
Teng Tools Polaris award winner, Darrell Higgins. He got his
Dennis Trollope supplied TZ350 together from a pile of parts in less than four weeks. Not surprisingly the bike proved lacking in fitness, but the rider hasn’t lost any of his enthusiasm. With superb help from Andy Burbidge, Lea Gourlay and Dean Mitchell, Darrell was out there, qualified and completed day one. A large tick in the box.
Changes for clocks and barometers
The pleasant spring conditions of Saturday gave way to more wintry tones on Sunday morning, showing only 6° and rain. A morning ‘cold-up’ allowed those who chose to, the opportunity to sample the wet tarmac and work out where the trickiest sections were to be found.
24 of us took up our grid positions for another nine laps. Scott Carson had the bit between his teeth and quickly made off with the lead, drawing it out to 1.783 seconds on the approach to lap four. His charge was brought to an end at a treacherously slippery Clearways handing over the lead to Jason Davis.
Gary Vines’ 250L had a great start getting into 2nd overall until the halfway mark when Atkinson moved into the silver spot. Ant Hart, Dean Mitchell, Dan Jackson and George Thomas spread out the 350 gaps.
Jason Davis took a conclusive win 23.935 seconds clear of Phil Atkinson, Ant Hart trailed the 250 of Vines by 3.036. Gary Vines comfortably took the 250 win and 3rd overall spot, still battling with his temperamental gearbox. Phil Stead failed to get his ‘L’ off the line but pulled back through to 6th overall and 2nd 250. Mark Linton retired soon after the opening lap with a mechanical as teammate Ian Longstaff collected a confident 3rd of the 250 runners. Sian Brooks and Warren Beese rounded out the 250s s Mike McDonnell became another Clearways casualty escaping with a very swollen foot.
An over-eager Grant Goodings copped a high side at Clearways in the opening lap. But fellow Masters’ rider Dean Mitchell appeared to be relishing the inclement weather, heading up the over-55 field from Williamson and Chapman. Mitchell finished the race in an impressive 5th spot overall and first Master home.
Andrew Taylor was another rider making hay whilst the sun didn't shine, getting himself into the top 10 by lap four from his back of the grid start and making another place by the chequered flag. Nigel Dearden also looked impressively confident, with Brands a new circuit to add to his repertoire, he came home in 16th spot and 13th 350 from Nick Bedford. All riders were concentrating hard on keeping their machines upright, an impressive display especially considering there were no wet tyres to be seen.
The final race
Our last race of the weekend was still very wet and slippery, but the rain had eased, a still healthy field of 21 determined riders remained.
True to previous form Scott Carson clocked up an 0.811 lead in the first timed lap from Jason Davis and Ant Hart. Phil Atkinson was already in 4th spot from his mid-field grid slot.
Dean Mitchell and Nick Williamson immediately started swapping paint for 4th and 5th spot as Atkinson began to slide down the order. Another ignition problem delivered a DNF for Atkinson. Mitchell pulled himself through to 3rd, but Clearways claimed yet another victim after seven laps and he was down.
Jason Davis made the pass on Carson in the confusion at Clearways as Mitchell’s slide was cleared. Davis took the chequered flag 3.685 clear of Carson with a canny Ant Hart in third. Chris Moore played his usual cool card to pick up 4th 350cc and 6th overall ahead of Williamson and Jackson. Another creditable top 10 finish from the back of the grid for Andrew Taylor. George Thomas had been swapping bikes this weekend and managed to finish in the points in every race as did Andy Green both on TZ350s. Nick Bedford improved on last year’s broken collarbone with three good finishes under his belt.
Gary Vines tucked in on the straights, left hand hovering by his foot, secured the 250cc win ahead of Phil Stead by 8.012 seconds. Ivor Biggun sponsored Mark Linton steamed through to take 3rd 250 and 11th overall. Ian Longstaff, Sian Brooks and Warren Beese rounded out the 250cc points. With Mitchell out and Goodings unable to start, Williamson collected the big points in the Master's from Chapman and Linton. Longstaff, Edge, Dearden and Beese all notched up valuable points.
Words : Sian Brooks Pictures : Paul Korkus