Wednesday June 1, 2011 at 12:51pm
The Easter break and brilliant sunshine saw really good entries in all classes for the second round of the British Supermoto Championship at the Three Sisters Circuit in Wigan. The conditions stayed perfect all weekend and led to really close racing and an action packed weekend for those watching. Tony Brock and Alison made a return to the paddock and collected over £600 in sponsorship for a forthcoming Charity Bicycle ride in aid of The Mountain Rescue Team who so ably assisted him with his injury last year.
Quads
Sixteen quads were in the line up and this would guarantee action all round the circuit, and in the first race it was Aaron Ebbitt who led with Multiple Swiss Champion Christophe Cuche close behind, Mike Taylor then made up the trio who would battle for the top three places throughout the race. Midway through this race a challenge on second spot saw Christophe swap places with Mike and then quickly catch it back again allowing Aaron to pull out a little lead, while Mike then dropped back to fourth leaving Cathal McCartan to take third place. Gareth Thomas took a fifth place finish with a clear lead from Craig Kilner and Matt Lawry. In the second race Aaron held Mike at bay once again with Christophe and Cathal in third and fourth, and while Gareth held on firmly to fifth place he was never going to challenge the top four but he had a clear lead from Craig Kilner in sixth. All of the action was with the top four and when the penultimate flag came down there would be a final push from Mike Taylor, and despite setting the fastest lap early in the race he still had to chase Aaron down the long straight out of lunar but couldn’t make the pass, he still battled right to the line with Aaron taking the flag by less than two tenths of a second.
In the final race the action was there from the start with Mike Taylor spinning out leaving the front door open, followed very shortly by Aaron and Christophe having a coming together and leaving the race open for Gareth Thomas. It took a while for Aaron and Christophe to get separated and the pair lost precious time on the track. Cathal McCartan however was the rider who took the advantage to finish the final race in first place followed very closely by Mike Taylor then Gareth Thomas for the top three trophy positions in the Open class. Terence Mackin capitalised on points finishing fourth with Christophe taking fifth place out on the track, though these two would also take first and second place in the 450 championship with Emma Mackin taking third
Quad Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Cathal McCartan 2. Mike Taylor 3. Gareth Thomas 4. Terence Mackin 5. Christophe Cuche
250
Ben Stafford had a clear win in the first race with little contention, and in the early stages Stuart Sharp held Ryan Rudd at bay before Ryan made a move and settled down in second spot. This then left Stuart in third but very soon he would come under pressure from Davey Todd who would secure third place over the line with Stuart still close in fourth. Another good race for Ben in the second with a seventeen second lead from Ryan Rudd and this time round it would be Stuart Sharp in third with Davey Todd in fourth.
The final race of the day and this mirrored the earlier races with Ben and Ryan at the front and Stuart Sharp managed to hold on to third for the trophy leaving Davey Todd again in fourth. Neil Crayston finished the day with fifth place finish in all three races and Ashley Saunders in sixth across the board.
Junior
Thomas Booth Amos had another good round and in the first race he had a clear lead from Ashley Rudd in second spot who was followed by Matt Raven and Matt Carter with Daniel Drayton chasing a lap down after stalling his machine on the grid. Thomas took the win once again in the second race with Ashley Rudd in second and the next three paces would be made up of Matt Raven, Matt Canter and Daniel Drayton and the final race was similar with the top three static though Daniel moved up to fourth in the final race.
250 Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ben Stafford 2. Ryan Rudd 3. Stuart Sharp 4. Davey Todd 5. Neil Crayston
Junior Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Tom Booth Amos 2. Ashley Rudd 3. Matt Raven 4. Daniel Drayton 5. Matt Carter
Michelin Cup
Bradley Hardy had the hole shot in the first Michelin Cup race but Chris Lambourne showed his skill as he made it to the front by lap three to then stretch out a nine second lead buy the finish flag. Bradley held firm for as long as he could but Van Meerhaeghe and Nick Gemzoe would find their way into second and third spot with Bradley in fifth place a second in front of Kyle Wingate and Steve Ellis. Lee Peat led a good battle further down the pack to take twelfth place with Brian Able making it past Karl Angell and Marcus Haynes. Race two and the top two were the same as the first race with this time Bradley Hardy holding onto third place and Ryan Metcalfe had a much better race to finish in fourth with Nick Gemzoe slipping down to eighth. In the final race Chris Lambourne led from Chris Meerhaeghe early in the race but over the line the tables were turned going into the penultimate lap and Chris lost the lead. Bradley Hardy held onto third for the second time today then Ryan Metcalfe led Steve Ellis over the line.
Jason Metcalfe had his highest finish of the day with a ninth in the final with Ryan taking two fourth places, Whilst both Kris\Norris and Nick Gemzoe suffered with positions as the day progressed.
Michelin Cup Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Van Meerhaeghe 2. Chris Lambourne 3. Brad Hardy 4. Ryan Metcalfe 5. Steve Ellis
450 Elite
Matt Winstanley was the fastest Elite rider in practice and he stuck to the pace and held the lead throughout race one. Chris Hodgson had a couple of falls in practice but was on it for race one passing Ben Robb early in the race to take and secure second place. Both Matt and Chris by now had a good clear run and the battles were behind them as Ben Robb led James Addy and Sami Salstola from Devon Vermeulen. The finishing positions were Matt from Chris then Ben Robb with David Hartley only a whisker in front of Devon Vermeulen. Craig Venske finished sixth with Lewis Cornish in seventh.
Richard Sharp had lost places and found himself having to move up from sixteenth to finish fourteenth whilst James Addy similarly had to move from fourteenth to tenth, while Phil Gee retired from race one.
In race two Ben Robb had the best start but Matt would soon get by to once again pull out a clear lead with Sami Salstola pushing through for second and Chris Hodgson still holding on to a top three finish with third. Craig Venske had a much better finish in fourth position with Ben finishing back in fifth from his first place early in the race. Matt was clear again in the final race with Craig Venske and Chris Hodgson in second and third early on in the race after Ben Robb departed from the top three, with
James Addy, Sami Salstola and Richard Sharp all battling to hang on to the leaders. Lewis Cornish fell on the first lap but couldn’t make up ground on the pack, while Sami found himself demoted to fifth position after overtaking on a waved yellow flag, whist James Addy managed to loose third place over the line as he pulled up too short leaving Chris Hodgson to take third. A great Round for Matt Winstanley but for the championship Chris Hogdson would reap the most points with Venske close behind. Both James Addy in and Richard Sharp improved over the day to be back at the front while David Hartley and Ben Robb had a day of mixed fortunes but collected valuable points.
450 Elite Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Matt Winstanley 2. Craig Venske 3. Chris Hodgson 4. James Addy 5. Sami Salstola
Open Clubman
Ashley Saunders and Karl Angell moved up after finishing at the front of the first Clubman B Race, with Ashley being clear by over eight seconds in the lead, this left Darren Corkett and Sam Roberts to challenge for the early lead in race two. It was Sam who then had the best race taking the move up by finishing clear of Barney Lovett and despite setting the fastest lap Darren Corkett would have to rely on a good start in the final race to take the winning trophy, while Greg Whitmee, Tim Johnson and Paul Maskell were only a second apart as Gregg crossed the line in fourth place. In the final Clubman B race Tim Johnson, Andre Craddock, Matthew Tiernan and Phil Dacres were all in the running for the final win of the day and positions changed throughout the race with Matthew setting the fastest lap to take the final win of the day from Andre and Tim. Another close day of racing with many individual battles as the riders tested both the machines and their own skill level.
In the Clubman A group both races one and two would be dominated by Graeme Wiles and James Wood who were in first and second in both races, though Graeme had a clear lead in both. Dan Spencer, Alan Henderson, Mark Richardson and Jason Metcalfe were all waiting to pick up third placed points and it was Mark in race one and Dan in race two who would take that position.
Mark Richardson did his best to secure sixth place but Rob Dickerns would take the honours for that one, while Joe Edwards led four riders over the line in tenth, with little more than a second separating him from Andy Wood, Anton Shaw and Ben Topliss.
By the Final Raced Graeme led once again with Dan Spencer and James Wood, but James let go of his third placed position in the final lap to Mark Richardson and he had to settle for fourth. While even more unfortunate was Jason Metcalfe loosing control of his machine within sight of the final flag, even though his bike carried on he lost out on valuable points in the final race. Marcus Haynes improved on the day to finish fifth, while Ashley Saunders finished in seventh from his start earlier in the day in the Clubman B Group in close battle with Andy wood and Alan Henderson, Joe Edwards once again keeping Anton Shaw at bay for tenth.
Open Clubman A Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Graeme Wiles 2. Dan Spencer 3. Mark Richardson 4. James Wood 5. Marcus Haynes
Open Clubman B Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Matthew Tierman 2. Andre Craddock 3 Tim Johnson 4. Phil Dacres 5. Start Goring
Open National
Sam Gilbody had a runaway lead in the first National race from Dave Jolly who had a very good race clear in second for the whole race, leaving Steve Hall to cross the line in third. Micheal Craig and Van Meerhaeghe were battling for fourth and the early fourth placed Harry Kampz finished in thirteenth. In the second race an early fall for Keith Topliss and Paul McNamara round Lunar Bend meant neither would compete in the second race. Steve Hall led the restart with Michael Craig and Dave Jolly, and as the race progressed the positions would not change, Neil Crayston would take fourth with Stuart Scarlett in fifth. Bradley Hardy took ninth once again and Sam Gilbody would this time slip down to tenth with Ryan Metcalfe and Van Merrhaeghe to battle for eleventh place and these three were only separated by two tenths of a second. Quinten McLaughlin found himself being shown the Black Flag with his loose exhaust causing problems.
In the final National race Steve Hall secured the win with Oliver Kemp displacing Michael Craig to take second position. Neil Crayston had been in a good position all day to head for a trophy but he finished once again in fourth place. Bradley Hardy had a good progression throughout the day to finish sixth in the final with Ryan Metcalfe also improving considerably to take seventh though out of the top runners Ollie Kemp had by far made the most moves to take home the second place trophy.
Open National Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Steve Hall 2. Oliver Kemp 3. Michael Craig 4. Neil Crayston 5. Harry Kampz
Open Elite
Craig Venske took the lead early in the first elite race followed by James Addy and David Hartley while Chris Hodgson fell in the first and found himself at the back of the pack with it all to do he managed to pull back to tenth over the line, while Richard Blakeman and Richard Sharp also fell going in to lap two with Richard Sharp coming back from twenty fifth place to twelvthe. James Addy continued to pressure Craig for the lead and these two were followed closely by David Hartley and the visiting Devon Vermuelen. Leaving a gap to fifth placed Ben Robb then Douglas Cunningham. Lee Rudd led the tight pack of Dale O’Connor and Richard Sharp. Positions at the end of race one were Craig Venske, James Ady and David Hartley.
In the second race David Hartley would lead from James Addy and Devon , with Craig Venske, Lee Williams and Chris Hodgson close behind and this group remained a tight pack for most of the race. Craig Venske had pressured and took second spot in the eighth lap and looked to reel in David with one lap to go, and at the start of the final lap he made his move to take the second win of the day from David Hartley and James Addy. Chris Hodgson had a much better race to finish in fourth in front of Devon and then Lee Williams in sixth position. Ben Robb had a good comfort cushion in seventh place clear from Richard Sharp leading Robert Hartley, Lewis Cornish and Chris Walker. all of whom at some point in the race had had to battle with Andy Mitchell who finished in thirteenth. Richard Blakeman got a sore throat shouting at the competition to move out of his way as he took fifteenth after a back of the pack start following his retirement with machinery damage after a fall in race one. Devon Vermeulen had been unlucky not to finish higher up after holding on to third position for the first four laps.
Craig Venske opened the final race in front with Chris Hodgson and then James Addy, David Hartley had an excellent days riding and sat in fourth position at the start of the race in front of Lee Williams who was suffering a wrist injury and Ben Robb. Chris Hodgson could not get past Craig Venske and James Addy lost third place to David Hartley who had a great day claiming third with only two laps to go. Ben Robb was another rider who had a great weekend to finish in fifth while Lee Williams only let go of sixth place to Richard Sharp on the last lap. Eighth to eleventh place saw a good few battles with Devon taking the honours from Douglas Cunningham while Andy Mitchell slipped down from his hold on eighth to finish ten seconds clear of Kevin Drayton in fifteenth. Simon Bentley, Chris Lambourne and Ben Stafford were the next three riders over the line with only a second to pull them apart on a day when the majority of the riders could exploit the great riding conditions.
Open Elite Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Craig Venske 2. Chris Hodgson 3. David Hartley 4. James Addy 5. Ben Robb
Superlites
With Ben Dimmack missing and Dave Dixon having to sit it out for the day, it was down to Julian Fearn who had an excellent start in the first race and would hold on to the lead for the whole race with the nearest machine being that of Phil Lee, while Alan Bott pushed in to third followed by Colin Griffiths. The top places were not to change though Julian did pull a little lead from Phil Lee while Phil Redfearn had been in fourth early in the race he would be fifth over the line with Mike Bayliss and Matthew Dimmack finishing sixth and seventh without any change of position this race. Tony Turner was unfortunate and had to retire on lap two while doing so well.
In the second race there were fewer place changes and Phil Lee took to the front followed by Alan Bott and Julian Fearn who passed the early third placed machine of Ian Biswell to secure the top three positions to the end of the race. This left Colin Griffiths and Matthew Dimmack in fourth and fifth with a clear gap from the sixth placed machine of Mike Taylor. Tenth position had Harvey Longdon, Ian Gibbons and Joe Ellis all queuing up for the points with Danny Whitmee, Paul Hudson and Danny kerwood having their own battle behind.
In the final race of the day Phil Lee secured his third and final win followed by and excellent race from the young Alan Bott who had a great weekend though the position may have been dampened by the fact that Phil Lee was driving so well to take it to a winning position in the race and following this pair for a trophy was Matthew Dimmack in the third placed machine over the line.
Superlite Open Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Phil Lee 2. Alan Bott 3. Matthew Dimmack 4. Colin Griffiths 5. Julian Featn
Superlite 650 Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ian Biswell 2. Phil Redfearn 3. Ian Gibbons 4. Tony Turner 5. Joe Ellis