Wednesday August 3, 2011 at 9:48am
Round Six of the British Supermoto Championship was held at the Three Sisters Circuit and was kindly sponsored by the “Dirt Team”. The weekends racing got underway with glorious sunshine and the track layout saw plenty of action throughout all of the grids with riders from the Channel Isles and the World Championships joining in the action.
Quads
The first quad race saw a battle between Gareth Taylor and Mike Taylor and Gareth took the honours which left Aaron Ebbitt in third spot some ten seconds adrift. By race two Aaron had the lead followed by Mike Taylor with Gareth sitting this one out after lending his Quad to the unfortunate Cathal McCarten for the second race following his earlier machine failure. Craig Kilner would be in third place early in the race followed by Matt Lawry and Colin Forsythe. The top five would see no more position changes before the final flag, with Terence Makin the first of the 450 riders coming over the line in sixth with a pack of 450 rider behind made up of Chris Wright, Mark Beevers and Luke Holman. While Jonathan Dennan was first rider to retire and was followed by Colin Jackson, Michael Muldoon and Emma Mackin who had been second in class behind her dad in the first race. In the final Craig Kilner took the finish flag improving on his seventh placed finish in race one; Aaron Ebbitt took second place which left him with a first second and third on the day; with Colin Forsythe having his best finish of the day in third. Gareth Thomas may have been the fastest on the track but could only work his way up to fifth in the final.
In the 450 class Terence Mackin had the first two wins but Chris Wright would take the final win of the day with Luke Holman working his way up on the day to finish in third. Mark Beevers did well in fourth with Sam Hodgson taking away fourth, fifth and sixth placed finishes on the day.
Quad Open Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Craig Kilner 2. Aaron Ebbitt 3. Colin Forsythe 4. Matt Lawry 5. Gareth Thomas
Quad 450 Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Chris Wright 2. Terence Mackin 3. Luke Holman 4. Mark Beevers 5. Sam Hodgson
250 Championship
Ben Stafford had a challenge this week from the Channel Isle with Eddie and Steve Pasco joining the championship for this race. Despite the opposition Ben would lead the race with Eddy Pascoe in second and Davey Todd in third. Ryan Rudd had to settle for fourth leaving Stuart Sharp to have the better of the battle with Ian Bremner. Leigh Field held onto seventh despite a close battle throughout the race with Neil Crayston and junior rider Tom Booth Amos. In race two Eddy Pascoe retired before the start with a puncture and Ben Stafford went on to take the win from Steve Pascoe by over eleven seconds. Ryan Rudd would take a comfortable third with Davey Todd in close contention after making up four places from the start. These two riders had a clear cushion from Stuart Sharp in fifth then Ian Bremner in sixth. In the final race of the day Ben Stafford would finish in the top spot once again taking three clear wins on the day, and whilst on this occasion Ryan Rudd was in second place the battling Pasco brothers were both intent on the second place finish. Steve had been in front of his brother at the start of the race and despite position changes he would finish in front of Eddy in the final with the second place finish leaving third to Eddy and pushing Ryan Rudd in to fourth position. The next battle in this race was between Neil Crayston and Lee Field for eighth position. Davey Todd and Ryan Rudd were both consistent top five finishers on the day.
Junior Championship
Tom Booth Amos as ever led the junior race followed by Ashley Rudd, Daniel Drayton and Matt Raven. In race two almost all of the juniors would have a go at leading the class, with Daniel Drayton leading for four laps before Ashley made a move and then in the penultimate lap Tomas Booth Amos made his way past both these riders to take the win over the line from Ashley Rudd and Daniel Drayton who was holding a 250 rider at bay before Matt Raven crossed the line.
Tom Booth Amos had a clear sweep in the juniors despite a fall in race two, which left Ashley Rudd to take all three second place finishes though not without a battle, the best of which was in the final when he exchanged places with Daniel Drayton on every lap. Daniel collected three third place finishes on the day with Matt Raven taking a clean sweep again in fourth.
250 Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ben Stafford 2. Steve Pasco 3. Eddy Pasco 4. Ryan Rudd 5. Davey Todd
Junior Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Tom Booth Amos 2. Ashley Rudd 3. Daniel Drayton 4. Matt Raven
Michelin Cup
Despite a great start from Steve Ellis his lead position would be pecked away over the course of the race and see him finish in ninth place. Ben McLusky was the first rider through to the front though Bradley Hardy was on the move to finish in third behind Ben as James Barette who was fastest in the race came over the line in first with only three tenths of a second to spare. Oliver Kemp moved up to finish in fourth clear from Harry Kampz while Jamie Black in sixth led Rich Jennings and Lee Le Feurve over the line.
It was Bradley Hardy who led the second race from Ben McLusky who would be the winner of the second race with Oliver Kemp moving up to second place and leaving Bradley in third. Harry Kampz had another good race this time moving up to fourth with Rich Jennings in fifth. This left James Barette five seconds adrift in sixth position followed by Jamie Black. In the final race Bradley Hardy took the lead from Harry Kampz and Oliver Kemp, with race two leader Ben McLusky at the back of the pack following a fall in the first lap, but he would work his way up to eleventh over the course of the race. Bradley had been set for the win in the final but Harry Kampz would be the victor with Ollie Kemp taking second place again on the day and Bradley had to settle for third after being held up by a fallen rider. James Barette whilst the fastest in this group fell and would only take fourth position in the final and Rich Jennings would finish in fifth.
Michelin Cup Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Harry Kampz 2. Oliver Kemp 3. Brad Hardy 4. James Barette 5. Rich Jennings
450 Elite
Riders from the World Championship were taking a break this weekend and they joined the 450 Elite riders on the day. Chris Hodgson though would make it difficult in the first race and as Matt Winstanley and Craig Venske found themselves at the rear of the grid it would be Sami Salstola who would be challenging Chris for the front spot and Sami would claim first position from Chris in lap eight. James Addy had the second spot before Sami came through leaving James in third in front of Ben Robb who was being chased by Richard Sharp. As Richard Blakeman broke free of Lewis Cornish for seventh position Lewis came under pressure from Dougie Cunningham, and the fast moving Craig Venske and Malachi Mitchell Thomas. From this point there would be no further position changes in this first race.
In race two it would be Sami in the lead from the start but Matt Winstanley would make a move on lap two to secure the second win of the day leaving the battle at the front between James Addy and Chris Hodgson, Chris would take the third spot in the seventh lap but it would be Ben Robb over the line in fourth place with another solid ride from Richard Sharp taking fifth place once again being chased by Craig Venske. Fourteen laps in the final would see Matt take his second win of the day followed by Sami once again and Chris Hodgson. Ben Robb found himself penalised for a jump start after a fantastic days racing he would have to be content with a bag full of points for his consistent finishes. James Addy and Richard Sharp stayed in contention with the leaders for all three races while Craig Venske suffered once again with a mixed bag after a troubled round five.
450 Elite Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Matt Winstanley 2. Sami Salstola 3. Chris Hodgson 4. James Addy 5. Ben Robb
Open Clubman B
Joe Edwards sat on pole for the first race of the day, but a failure to select any gear meant he would be left on the grid. Lee Marchant and Scott Wright were the two riders who would make a very early move up to the Clubman A group as they were clear from Sam Roberts in who was in third being chased by Joe Edwards. Joe would have to redeem himself with a front row start in race two and he made the break at the front and very quickly stretched out a lead from Sam Roberts and Dave Auker. Lee Peat has pushed up to third place by the fifth lap. In the final race Sam Roberts could not hold off Ross Mailer as he took to the front and there he would stay until the final lap when Sam would take the final win of the day in this group. Ross Mailer did very well with a second placed finish from twelfth in the first race of the day. Dave Auker couldn’t move up but did have three top five finishes on the day.
Open Clubman A
Tom Hallam led from start to finish in the first clubman A group but he was pressured by Marcus Haynes throughout the race. Andre Craddock and Rob Dickens slipped down from third and fourth positions early in the race, which left third position open for Anton Shaw to move up three places to fill with Tim Johnson taking fourth. Mike Taylor soon found his feet as he picked off Ben Topliss and then Rob Dickens in the final lap to finish in seventh. Tom Hallam had been leading the second race but a fall in the third lap at the table top left him retire from the second race and as Anton Shaw was the second place rider and he would go on to win the race from Tim Johnson and Andree Craddock in third., Marcus Haynes took fifth with Dan Spencer managing to make the move up to fourth place. Dan would go on to have a very convincing win in the final race from Anton Shaw and Paul Reynolds and Barry Brudenell who had the fastest lap in the race came home in fourth place. Scott Wright made the most of his early move up to finish ninth in the A group while Joe Edwards got to grips with his gearbox to finish in twelfth.
Open Clubman B Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Sam Roberts 2. Ross Mailer 3. Dave Auker 4. Paul Maskell 5. Phil Dacres
Open Clubman A Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Dan Spencer 2. Anton Shaw 3. Paul Reynolds 4. Barry Brudenell 5. Tim Johnson
Open National
Ollie Kemp made the best start in the first national race but Ben McLusky and Brad Hardy were both on the pace as they had been during Saturdays racing and they would dominate the top three. Ben took the win with Ollie in second and Bradley moved up from fifth to finish in third, Karl Geary also moved up to fourth displacing Charlie Mills while a mistake from Harry Kampz left him in sixth at the end of the race. Race two and a fall for Sam Gilbody left him unable to continue, and the second race really shook up the front runners with Ben McLusky well out of the running Ollie Kemp would take the second win of the day and Charley Mills would take second position. Third place was claimed by James Barette as he moved past both Steve Hall and Brad Hardy. There was a significant gap back to sixth placed Keith Topliss who was under pressure from Karl Geary Jnr and Lee Le Feurve.
The final National race of the day and Ollie Kemp would secure his second victory of the day and despite chasing hard, James Barette could not close in on Oliver and was closely followed by Charley Mills who had his best finish of the day in third. Ben McLusky had an excellent finish in fourth from twelve on the grid and he wasn’t the only rider making up time as Harry Kampz managed eighth position from seventeenth on the grid. Neither Steve Hall nor Brad Hardy could finish in the top five in the final.
Open National Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Oliver Kemp 2. James Barette 3. Charley Mills 4. Ben McLusky 5. Lee Le Feurve
Open Elite
Chris Hodgson was on fine form for the first Elite race and he held the front spot for the whole race, his early challenge was from James Addy then by lap three David Hartley had moved in to second leaving James in third closely followed by Lee Williams. Richard Sharp crashed out and had to rejoin at the back of the pack and Craig Venske had a similar fate the following lap. In fifth place Richard Blakeman led Dougie Cunningham and Craig Venske and this was a battle that would run to the penultimate lap when Craig crashed out with one lap to go. Dougie took fifth with Richard in sixth place ahead of Lewis Cornish and Ben Stafford.
Race two and Chris Hodgson would start on pole followed by David Hartley, while Craig Venske would not join the start. Chris Hodgson led but David Hartley and James Addy were tagged in very close as the top three left a gap back to Lee Williams who had created a cushion from Dougie Cunningham. These top five positions would remain unchanged with only six tenths of second between the top three. Richard Blakeman was in sixth place, seven seconds adrift of the top five with Lewis Cornish having a good finish in seventh place for the second time on the day and he was closely followed by Chris Walker, Lee Rudd, Richard Sharp and Robert Hartley. The Pasco brothers had been locked in battle but were separated in the latter stages as Eddy finished in twelfth place closely followed by Dale O’Connor, Kevin Drayton, Graeme Norris and John Earnshaw. In the final race Chris had the lead this time followed by Lee Williams who was on his tail and clear from James Addy and David Hartley. Ben Stafford fell in the fifth lap but quickly remounted for valuable points. Kevin Drayton found him self two laps adrift after struggling to restart his machine. Chris Hodgson took away all three wins with David Hartley having the next best points with all three second placed finishes. Lee Williams finished third in the final while a fall from James Addy left him in seventh place. Richard Blakeman had a great day of finishes though his impromptu ride around the paddock was less than welcomed by those of a nervous disposition. A mixed bag today for Richard Sharp but a great return from his fall, but Lewis Cornish had solid finishes in seventh and eighth on the day while Simon Bentley had to retire following problems with his brakes.
Open Elite Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Chris Hodgson 2. David Hartley 3. Lee Williams 4. Dougie Cunningham 5. Richard Blakeman
650 Superlites
Tony Turner was on pole for the first of the 650 superlite races and despite his best efforts and the fastest lap he could only finish in second behind Joe Ellis, but the top five were almost inseparable for the whole race. With Mike Bayliss in third and he was followed by Ian Gibbons and Ken Walton over the line while in seventh Phil Redfearn was under pressure from Justin Perry. The second race saw very little by way of position changes though Tony Turner made sure he held on to the front spot and pulled out a nice cushion from Joe Ellis to win the race by over six seconds. Joe Ellis held firm in second spot with Mike Bayliss and Ian Gibbons once again third and fourth over the line. Tony Turner had another good win in the final with a five second lead, and for the first time on the day Ian Gibbons finished in the top three with a second place in the final with Joe Ellis making the top three all day with a third place in the final after his earlier first and second placed finishes
Open Superlites
Ben Dimmack had a clear win in the first Open Superlite race from Matthew, and these two stretched out a clear lead from Harvey Longden and Toby Taylor. Ben and Matthew were playing out at the front in the second race and it was Matthew who would lead in this race, these two would stretch out a clear lead from Harvey Longden and Toby Taylor. Mid way through and Jonathan Bennett would find his way in to fourth place leaving Toby and Colin Griffiths behind though the five were almost inseparable. Matthew and Ben had been inseparable with only three tenths of a second over the finish line sixteen seconds ahead of the pack. The final race was hard fought and after leading the race for four laps Ben Dimmack was replaced by Jonathan Bennett who dropped out of the running in the sixth lap leaving Matthew Dimmack to take the lead and win for the second time of the day. Colin Griffiths then had the advantage of loosing Ben and Jonathan from the front of the pack, allowing him to step into second place with Danny Whitmee gaining excellent points and a trophy for third. Alan Bott was unable to finish a race at this meeting
Superlites Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Tony Turner 2. Ian Gibbons 3. Joe Ellis 4. Mike Bayliss 5. Ian Biswell
Superlites Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Matthew Dimmack 2. Colin Griffiths 3. Danny Whitmee 4. Mike Taylor 5. Harvey Longden