On Sunday 2nd of August, the Woodbridge DMCC hosted round 5 of the ACU Eastern Centre Championship, sponsored by Stebbings Car Superstore and Rackhams Auto Body Centre, at Blaxhall. The track had undergone some additional work by incorporating an added loop to the circuit around halfway into the lap. An exciting 12 race schedule awaited with plenty of top wildcards entered looking to gain valuable track knowledge ahead of the final British Championship round in a few weeks.
In the Expert qualifying session all eyes were on the timing screen as everyone waited to see what sort of time would be set on the new track layout! To answer that, Charlie Richmond set a blisteringly quick 2.07.650, which was 2.6 seconds quicker than anyone else in the class and really set up an interesting dynamic for the 3 championship races that followed!
In Premier class race one it was Jake Rackham who grabbed the holeshot but could only hold the lead for a lap before Richmond came flying past. Expert championship leader Tom Grimshaw didn't have the best of starts and had a lot of work to do as he was outside of the top 25 on the opening lap. Travis Steels and Bayliss Utting both got out of the gate well and cemented their place in the top five alongside Callum Murfitt. Max Broadbelt started to pick his way through and soon broke into the top 5 passing Murfitt and Steels, while Bayliss Utting passed Rackham for second. Rackham then ran into issues and dropped out of the top five on the final few laps. Richmond looked immaculate at the front and took the win by over 30 seconds back to Utting in second. Broadbelt finished third ahead of Steels in fourth and Grimshaw a fantastic fifth after charging through the pack.
Premier class race two would see Max Broadbelt lead early on but this time not only was Richmond close by but Grimshaw was as well. It took just a lap before Richmond gained the lead with a slick pass and Grimshaw soon followed as he looked to latch onto the
ever-quickening Richmond. Jake Rackham and Callum Murfitt once again were up at the sharp end alongside Luke Benstead who was showing his speed in moto two. Charlie Richmond led for the rest of the race and never came under too much pressure securing the race victory ahead of Tom Grimshaw in second. Broadbelt posted another solid third place finish ahead of Rackham and Murfitt.
The final Premier class race would see drama from the get go. It was Max Broadbelt who once again flew from the gate and into an early lead, with the rest of the pack chasing him down. Richmond looked for a quick pass and maybe was trying too hard as he highsided on the exit of the woods and allowed Grimshaw to tip toe around and into second. Richmond picked himself up off the floor and set to work on bringing down the gap that had formed.
Grimshaw wore down Broadbelt and made his way into the lead while every lap the youngster Richmond was getting closer and he soon caught and then passed Broadbelt to set up a mouth-watering final few laps. Grimshaw, who was riding smart as his championship lead was still on the line, managed to hold off the hard charging Richmond to claim his first race win of the day. Richmond finished a valiant second ahead of Broadbelt in third and Murfitt in fourth. Luke Parker came home in fifth with a fantastic ride to end the day.
The Expert overall would go to Richmond with 72 points as he carried on his fine form in 2026. Tom Grimshaw would take second overall with 63 points and Max Broadbelt in third with 60 points.
In the Junior Championship class it was Archie Stapley who took three race wins and dominated on his 125cc Yamaha for a full 75 points. Second overall went to Charlie Hobden with a steady 62 points and in third was Jack Camwell with 54 points.
In the Support B class, it was Aaron Smith who finished first overall with a 2-1-1 ahead of Callum Lake in second with a 4-4-4. In third overall was Brad Watts with a 6-5-2.
The Support C class was won by Josh Faulkner with a 1-1-6 ahead of Sam Philpott in second with a 3-10-1. In third was Alfie Hoare with a 4-7-2.
The Woodbridge DMCC would like to thank all riders, officials, marshals and medics for their hard work in the hot conditions to put together another successful day at Blaxhall in the Eastern Centre.
The Final Meeting at Blaxhall in 2026 will be held on Sunday 27th of September for RD8 of the Motul MXGB ACU British Motocross Championship. The club looks forward to welcoming you back soon!
Race Report by Stefan Hicks
Images courtesy of Carl Humphrey - CWH Media