Close Racing for Rounds 5 & 6 at Darley Moor

Tuesday June 17, 2025 at 12:44pm

Whilst last Sunday, 15^th June, was a special day for all the fathers, if you took the opportunity of taking your own father along to the Darley Moor Sports Centre, near Ashbourne, DE6 2ET (What3words: bounty.behalf.charm) then you were treated to a very special day of racing. Rounds 5 and 6 of the Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Championship certainly provided some close racing with nine races out of the twenty-race programme being decided by less than 1sec.

Closest finish of the day came in the final race of the day, the Ben Godfrey Trophy race, with Matt Bell (Sheffield) pipping Ben Luxton (Bredbury), on a non-points scoring guest ride, to the chequered flag by just 0.06sec after a battle which saw the pair separated by no more than 0.5sec from Lap5 through to the flag on Lap10. However, from the opening lap it was always Bell that crossed the line out front, on this occasion, with Adam Walters (Derby) chasing him in the opening couple of laps, Luxton behind in 3^rd spot until passing Walters on Lap3. The pair then managed to stretch out an 8sec gap over Walters at the flag, who held 10sec+ advantage over the rest of the field. Prior to this final race the Bell/Luxton battle had already ensured that spectators would be staying until that final race of the day with three other fantastic battles at the head of the field in the earlier BG Trophy race and the combined Open Solo/Golden Superbike races. Their first encounter was in the opening Open Solos and the pair were separated by less than 1sec throughout the 8lap race, initially with Luxton leading the first 3laps by just 0.5sec, then Bell found a way through on Lap4 and managed to stretch out the biggest gap of the race, 0.8sec on Lap5, then back to 0.5sec and 0.4sec on Laps 6 and 7, but after recording his fastest lap of the race on the final lap, Luxton took the chequered flag by 0.57sec from Bell, with Walters 8sec back in 3^rd and multiple Stars at Darley winner, Richard Cooper (Hucknall), on another guest ride, a further 6sec back in 4^th place. The first Ben Godfrey Trophy race saw Bell quickest off the line, holding a 0.11sec advantage after the opening lap and enjoying the biggest advantage on Lap3, 0.63sec, but then after recording another fastest lap on the third circulation, Luxton started to close-in. On Lap6, separated by a backmarker as they crossed the line Bell’s lead was just 0.2sec, then Luxton managed to find a way pass and take the flag, by just 0.07sec, with another guest ride from a Stars regular, Tom Fisher (Castle Donington) taking 3^rd place, ahead of Walters, 4^th and Cooper, 5^th. The afternoon’s Open Solo/Golden Superbike race saw Bell secure an impressive start-finish win with Luxton at times 2sec adrift, in 2^nd spot with Walters, 3^rd and Cooper, 4^th throughout the race. Lap7 saw Luxton record another fastest lap, but not just of the race, this time it was the fastest of the day with the deficit to Bell being reduced by 1.2sec, to 0.5sec at the end of Lap9, but stretched a little to 0.75sec at the flag.

Not to be outdone by the solo competitors, fans of three-wheeled action were treated to some of the best racing at the head of the field in the combined Open and Formula 600 Sidecar races. Whilst the top three outfits stayed in the finishing positions from the opening lap the gap between the machines was significantly reduced when they came across a backmarker on the penultimate lap. The previous lap saw the three crews separated by 1.7sec, Alan Molyneux/Rob Coppock (Rufford/Runcorn) leading Howard Baker/Mike Killingsworth (Sutton Coldfield/Lincoln) by 0.4sec with Andy King/Andrew Miller (Broughton Gifford/Leamington Spa), 3^rd. The penultimate lap saw the trio separated by just 1sec, then the final lap saw the gap halved, King/Miller just 0.55sec back in 3^rd, with Baker/Killingsworth taking F600 class victory, just 0.1sec behind, with Molyneux/Coppock, the Overall and Open Class victors. The second race was a little more hectic at the head of the field, first race winners, Molyneux/Coppock leading the opening laps followed closely by the King/Miller pairing, just 0.2sec behind on Lap2, with Baker/Killingsworth 0.5sec back, but took the lead on Lap3 and stretched out a lead of 1.8sec by Lap5, however, that was their biggest advantage. After their opening race finished on Lap3, whilst lying 5^th, the pairing of Robert Handcock/Liam Gordon (Coleford/Wexford) finished the first lap in 5^th place, moving up to 4^th by Lap5. On Lap8 the top4 outfits were separated just 0.45sec as they crossed the line, then Handcock/Gordon moved into 2^nd spot on the penultimate lap dropping opening race winners, down to 4^th, with Baker/Killingsworth maintaining 3^rd place. At the chequered flag King/Miller took victory by just 0.36sec, Handcock/Gordon, 2^nd, just 0.3sec behind and Baker/Killingsworth a similar distance behind in 3^rd place, with Molyneux/Coppock a further 2sec adrift, in 4^th, but taking the Open Class victory.

Star of the previous meeting Stephen Gorton (Leigh) was victorious in another close battle the second Golden Formula 400 race being decided by just 0.13sec. Gorton was quickest off the line, enjoying a 2sec lead over Andy Whale (Birmingham) after the opening lap, who then reduced the deficit down to 1sec by Lap5. Lap6 then saw Whale lead across the line with Gorton 0.5sec back, the lead stretched out to 1.5sec on Lap7, but just 0.2sec on Lap8, then Gorton regaining the lead on Lap8 and holding out to the flag on Lap10. The opening Golden Formula 400 race saw Gorton record a start-finish win, having a lead of 2sec over the race-long duel between Whale and Corey Brown (Atherton). Whale had the advantage after the opening lap, 2.5sec ahead of Brown, who recorded his quickest lap on Lap4 and began to whittle Whale’s advantage down, passing him on Lap6 and holding him off to take 2^nd spot by just 0.15sec. The first combined Lightweight and Honda CB500/Suzuki Bandit 600 race saw Gorton record a start-finish victory again ahead of Andy Whale in the Lightweight class, whilst Zac Leigh, on his Bandit, came out on top of a race-long battle between Richard Hughes, on his CB500, 0.08sec being the gap between them at the flag. The second Lightweight/Honda CB500/Suzuki Bandit 600 race saw Gorton secure another overall victory, with Hughes holding overall 2nd spot for the first 3laps, but behind them was a frantic three-way battle on CB500/Bandit 600 machines. Zac Leigh (Middlewich) 3^rd, Shane Watson (Sutton in Ashfield) 4^th and Adrian O’Connor (Bristol) 5^th after Lap1 separated by 0.36sec. Lap3 saw O’Connor move to 4^th, with the trio still split by 0.8sec, but after Hughes failed to complete Lap4 as O’Connor moved to the head of the battle, which turned out to be a battle for Overall 2^nd place, with the threesome separated by just 0.7sec at the flag, O’Connor, Leigh and Watson the finishing order.

Gorton was able to repeat his feat at the previous meeting, six wins, six fastest laps from six starts when he took both class victories in the combined Darley Cup/Wilson Trophy, finishing an overall 7^th in the first and 8^th in the second race, on his Wilson Trophy machine. Josh Froggatt (Worksop) took the Darley Cup honours taking start-finish victories in both races whereby the top four circulated in their finishing positions from the opening laps; Froggatt, Benjamin Dale (Warrington) 2^nd, Jonathan Trezins (Wisbech) 3^rd and David Glossop (Wilmslow) 4^th.

The combined SuperTwins and 250GP/Mini Twins races saw Froggatt claim two more start-finish victories, on his SuperTwin machine, with Stephen Taylor (Uppingham) taking the Runner-Up place in both after only being headed by David Glossop, 3^rd, on Lap4 in the opening race. The second race saw David Carson (Northwich) take 3^rd place, after a rare ‘dnf’ (did not finish) in the first race, whilst up to 4^th on Lap5. Securing an Overall 5^th place in both races was Peter Fell (Burton on Trent) on the highest placed 250GP/Mini Twins class machine.

The Golden SuperSport 600 races saw Benjamin Dale claim two start-finish victories ahead of another frantic battle for the Runner-Up spot. The first race saw Dale finish with a 6.3sec advantage over Liam Ashton(Hyde) and Jonathan Trezins who finished equal 2^nd, identical times at the chequered flag. The opening lap saw Ashton 2^nd, 2.5sec ahead of Trezins, in 4^th, Lap2 saw Trezins into 3^rd, but still tailing Ashton by 2.7sec. Lap5 and the gap is still 2.5sec, but Lap6 and with a backmarker looming the gap is down to 1.1sec, then Trezins finds a better way through and heads Ashton by the smallest of margins, 0.05sec, then on the final lap they cross the line side by side. A similar race unfolds in the afternoon with Ashton 2^nd and Trezins 5^th after the opening lap, the next lap sees Trezins up into 3^rd, but 2sec back on Ashton, then the chase begins and by Lap7 he is on Ashton’s back wheel, 0.08sec the difference as they cross the line. With backmarkers aiding him once more Trezins makes his move on Lap8 and was able to stretch out a 3.6sec advantage for a clear 2^nd place.

The Open 600 saw Matt Zschiesche and Jack Worth claim a win and 2^nd place each and whilst Zschiesche was able to record a start-finish victory in the first encounter, 2^nd place was not an easy result for Worth. Finishing the opening lap in 3^rd he dropped a place in a close battle with Stephen Parsons (Carnforth), chasing Adam Mather (Nottingham) down, in the Runner-Up spot. Lap5 saw 0.5sec between Mather and the Worth/Parsons battle, then Worth claims 2^nd place on Lap6, with Parsons then dropping Mather to 4^th on Lap7. Worth finishing 1.3sec behind Zschiesche, but 1.7sec ahead of Parsons and Mather a further 1.6sec back. The second race saw Tim Walsh (Chinley) lead after the opening lap, with Zschiesche 2^nd and Worth down in 5^th. Zschiesche then took the lead on Lap2, whilst Worth moved up into 4^th on Lap3 and 3^rd on Lap5, with Jordan Poole in 2^nd. Lap7 sees Poole, still 2^nd, just 0.2sec behind Zschiesche, with Worth 1sec further back. Worth moves into 2^nd on Lap8, 0.3sec behind the leader and then heads Zschiesche across the line by 0.15sec on the penultimate lap and goes on to take the win by 0.28sec from Zschiesche, with Poole 3^rd, just 0.3sec back.

Not to be outdone by their two and three wheel counterparts, regular guests to the Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Clubs meetings, the Superkarting UK Clubman Championship also had two excellent races with John Faulkner (Lincoln) beating Rob Austin (Uttoxeter) by 0.95sec in the first race and just 0.4sec in the afternoon’s race.

Another excellent day’s racing, with sunshine again and the next meeting for the Club is the 4^th August, so surely the same again?

2025 Championship Standings (after Round 6)

Golden Formula 400

1^st Stephen Gorton, 75pts; 2^nd Steve Price, 48pts; 3^rd Corey Brown, 48pts

Wilson Trophy

1^st Stephen Gorton, 90pts; 2^nd Mike White, 62points; Corey Brown, 60pts

Darley Cup

1^st Josh Froggatt, 81pts; 2^nd Benjamin Dale, 69pts; 3^rd David Glossop, 58pts

Ben Godfrey Trophy

1^st Matthew Bell, 90pts; 2^nd Adam Walters, 72pts; 3^rd Mark Ball, 39pts

Open 600cc

1^st Matt Zschiesche, 71pts; 2^nd Stephen Parsons, 70pts; 3^rd Jordan Poole, 56pts