This week’s ‘What’s on Weekly’ features a selection of just a few events taking place around the country over this weekend and next.
Motocross
After a hugely successful opening round at Milton MX Park three weeks ago, the ACU British Youth Nationals Series moves on to Salters Lane Motoparc in Lincolnshire this weekend, for round two of the premier British youth championship. Salters Lane is a hard pack track that features tabletops, whoops, step-downs, and a range of different corners that will challenge all classes and all abilities. Safety is also a major factor in the track choice this season, with Salters Lane ticking all the boxes for fast, exciting and, most importantly, safe racing. In the open class Dan Thornhill and Brad Todd will be looking to reduce the championship lead of Liam Garland, who dominated last time out on his Kawasaki KXF250 to take the overall win. It was another Kawasaki that took the honours in the BW85cc class, with Todd Kellett racking up three wins on Saturday and two second places on Sunday to leave the opening round at the top of the championship standings. Kellett took 219 points, with Josh Coleman and Robert Yates second and third on 194 and 189 points respectively. The Honda Xtreme Academy podium was also closely fought, with Josh Gilbert's two wins on Sunday giving him the advantage over Adam Day and Michael Ellis. Taylor Hamal emerged as the stand out rider in SW85cc class. Riding the Pope Racing KTM and carrying number 23, he took four out of the five wins to lead the championship by 28 points from Alexander Brown and Keenan Hird. In 65cc junior Christopher Mills and Gary Ashley were separated by just 15 points at the end of two days of racing, but it was in the Auto class that the competition was closest. Louie Kessel took victory with 219 points, barely a whisker ahead of Bobby Bruce's 210, and Jack Grayshon's 202. The individual victories were shared between Kessel, who took three, and Bruce, who took the other two events. "We got the ACU British Youth Nationals Series off to a fantastic start at Milton MX Park, with some brilliant racing over the two days, but we're not about to rest on our laurels," declared Gareth Hockey, Director of RHL Activities. "We'll be going all out this weekend to make round two even better than the opening round, both for the riders and their families." "We picked up a lot of good ideas from both the riders and their families last time out and some of those ideas we'll start implementing this weekend. This is important, because working in partnership with the riders and their families is the best way to return the British Youth Nationals Series to what it once was; a breeding ground for future world champions." "I'm looking forward to another great weekend of close and exciting racing and I'm sure the same is true of everyone coming to Salters Lane for round two of the ACU British Youth Nationals Series."
Admission to each British Youth Nationals round is £5.00 for spectators, with children under 12 admitted for free. Riders looking for a wildcard entry to round two of the British Youth National Series at Salters Lane, should call RHL Activities on 01873 840640.
The Premier mx team have had to change the venue for round 4 of the Phoenix Tools Premier Motocross Championship which was scheduled to take place this Sunday May 20th. Originally the event was to take place at Wrangaton, Nr Ivybridge, but unfortunatley due to certain reasons the decision was made to run the event at Little Silver Moto Parc, Exeter. Entries are still being taken in all classes so if you want to ride give Mel Martin a call on 01626 365335.
This weekend Round four the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship heads to the Northampton circuit of Milton MX Park, hosted by ACU Events Ltd. With four classes of action on display there is sure to be plenty to keep you entertained. Over recent months the Milton MX Park has seen a number of slight changes to the circuit layout and surface to help racing flow. One of those changes is the introduction of a large amount of wood chippings. With three round of the Championship already in the bag, there has already been a number of twist and turns. Sunday’s action starts at 8:45am with Practice and the first of eight Championship races starting at 12:15pm. For more information please visit the Official Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship website on www.MXGB.co.uk
Trials
This weekend Dirtbike-Action will promote The Rock Oil TRC Trial for the second round of the ACU/Doodson/TRC Trucks supported British trials championship. This year sees some major changes to the venues sections mainly brought about by the rule change to no stop. Section designer Graham Jarvis has had to get his thinking cap on to bring the best out of Westwood and its natural terrain. As usual he has put the time in and worked his magic creating new sections and revising some of last year’s which suit the new rules . Graham was a multi British Championship winner so he knows as well as anyone what is needed. After the surprises in the first round in Scotland, we will soon be able to see what Westwood can offer to the championship. John Kerwin welcomes onboard as the main sponsor Rock Oil and he says thanks to Rob Sheldon the northern area distributor for all of the help. If you visited this trial last year you could not help but have been impressed with the presentation. Westwood proved to be popular with the crowds last year with and is easily reached off the M1 at JNC 36 near Barnsley. All of the sections are no more that a 2 minute walk from the start and the whole course is less than 1.5 km. This year the organisers have improved the car parking for spectators. With trade stands, catering, and ample toilets come and see the action this weekend.As with all of the BTC rounds in 2012 practise takes place on Saturday between 2.30 pm and 5.30pm with the trial starting Sunday with the Expert class at 9.30 am. All the top riders from Round 1 are entered with James Dabill keen to get back to his winning ways after losing out to Michael Brown and Gary Macdonald at the opening round. John Crinson was the winner in the Expert class and he will have a whole host of people chasing him down this time with Sherco’s Richard Timperley leading the way.
Enduro
This weekend sees the UK’s top enduro racers compete in the penultimate event of the 2012 Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship as series organisers GMC Events team up with Enduroland for a not to be missed event at the exciting Manor Farm venue, Northants. With the Manor Farm venue proving popular with competitors in all classes during 2011 the BSEC series will once again make use of the fantastic terrain on offer, mixing a plentiful supply of grass tracks with natural woodland and numerous man-made obstacles. Despite the recent heavy rain, a track inspection earlier this week has revealed that aside from one or two wet areas the majority of the track is in prime condition having not been used in over five months. After his double victory at Saints Well, Mid Wales, TM’s Jordan Rose enters rounds seven and eight as the Elite class leader. Fresh from his outstanding performances at the recent Spanish and Portuguese rounds of the Enduro World Championship, Jordan will be hoping his newfound speed will carry him to further BSEC success this weekend. However, with many riders also keen to steal a win in the BSEC Elite championship, Rose will face stiff opposition at Adstone. Of those eager to secure victory are the KTM duo of Tom Church and Daryl Bolter. Both riders have now reached peak form as the championship passes the halfway point and at round five and six both pilled the pressure on Rose. This weekend they too will be focused on reaching the top step of the podium. In the Under 23 class the fight for victory between Gas Gas’ Danny McCanney, KTM’s Jonny Walker and Husaberg’s Alex Rockwell is sure to rage on this weekend. With three race wins to date it’s McCanney that currently leads the way.
With it all still to play, for the penultimate venue for the British Sprint Enduro Championship at Enduroland in Adstone, Northampton, is the place to be this weekend. Further information can be found at the championship’s website www.enduro-sprint.com. Admission will be adults £10.00 each, includes championship programme. Under 14 year olds free. Overnight camping £10.00. Racing starts at 9.30am both days. A sighting lap (starts 9.00am) and four timed laps will take place during the morning session before a 30-minute break. A three-lap afternoon session will then take place. Catering & Toilet facilities will be available on site. On Sunday the event will end with a prize giving ceremony.
Grasstrack
The British Motorcycle Federation and Auto Cycle Union in conjunction with The Mid Cornwall Premier Motorcycle Club will be hosting the Opening Two rounds of the 2012 British Track Racing series. The 19th and 20th May will see the Track Racing Championship return to the East of England Showground at Peterborough. With 20 pairings all aiming to make a solid start to the new season it is sure to be a great event. With reigning Champions Mark Cossar and Carl Blyth facing plenty of pressure from matt Tyrrell and Mark Courtney and many others. Besides the opportunity to watch some first class track racing, all ACU members benefit from a special ticket deal negotiated with show organisers The Mulberry Group. For those who prefer to camp and make a weekend of it the offer is even better... Campers can gain access to the site from 14.00 on Friday 18th May and enjoy live bands on both Friday and Saturday evenings. Another new innovation for 2012 includes a Blues, Booze & Bikers area which as the name would suggests offers Blues music together with 20 real ales and 4 real ciders to choose from and this is in addition to the main hall entertainment with great headline cover bands including Limehouse Lizzy, the ZZ Tops and Dr & The Medics to name but a few, so plenty of choice for every taste! The BMF Show in May is Europe’s largest outdoor show and is attracting crowds in excess of 42,000 over the weekend with over 3,500 choosing to camp for the entire weekend.
Road Racing
The next round of the Road and Track and 4 Parks Championship will take place at Mallory Park this weekend. Practice will commence shortly after 09.00am and the first of 18 races at approx 11.00am. The Championships are really livening up with James Cowton and Gavin Lupton fighting for the Formula Two Championship, currently both share the top position which will make it more interesting at this meeting. Regular Mark Goodings leads the 600 Championship with Richard Gibson the current open champion leading the big class. Admission is dealt with by Mallory Park Circuit, advanced tickets are £11 or £13 on the gate. Visit www.mallorypark.co.uk
Supermoto
Coming to Blyton Park on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd of June is round three of the British Supermoto Championships. This truly spectacular, all action bike sport is where high speed tarmac racing meets off-road dirt jumps to really test a rider's skill and bike control. A supermoto bike is basically a heavily modified motocross machine with the off-road wheels, tyres, suspension and brakes replaced by road-race parts. To top it off the engines are then tuned for maximum performance, which allows the talented supermoto racers to pit their skills against his fellow competitors. If you are still unsure as to what supermoto is, think of it as two-wheeled rallycross with 28 riders tacking huge jumps and dirt berms on slick tyres before heading onto the twists and turns of the tarmac section of the circuit. Obviously bike set up is important but this high-octane sport is still mainly about the skills of the fearless riders as they slide their 120+ mph machines into the tarmac turns and then lay rubber as they accelerate hard down the next straight. As a motosport spectacle its tough to beat as you can get real close to the action and smell the boiling brakes and tortured rubber only feet away from the action. Joining the two-wheel action are supermoto quads on Saturday and the awesome superbike powered Superlite buggies during Sunday's races. Practice and qualifying get under way on Saturday with the first bike out on track at 10am at the recently resurfaced Blyton Park circuit with racing both days starting around 11.15 am. The best thing for spectators though is the fact that thanks to NORAsport, admission is only £5,00 per person. So if you fancy avoiding the weekend garden centre rush then head down to Blyton to view the best racers in the country in action.
If your club is running an event in the coming weeks and would like to be a part of this feature please contact Richard Blyth on pr@acu.org.uk with details of your event.