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
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.
On Wednesday 6th June the Opening round of the PAR Homes sponsored Evening Motocross series will be taking place at Cwmythig Hill nr Rhayader in Mid Wales, hosted by the Rhayader & Distract Motorcycle and Light Car Club. The event will be starting at 5:45 with practice and followed by the first race at 6:45pm. The event features plenty for spectators to do including a bouncy castle, mini bikes rides and firework display. Entries are still available for riders by visiting www.rdmcc.co.uk for more details. Admission will be £5 for Adults and Children under 14 Free.
Trials
Round two of the A.C.U. Women and Girls Trials Championship takes place in a double header along with the C and D boys Championship. Then the club will be hosting the second round of the A and B Class on the Sunday. This long weekend of trials will be taking place at Low North Park courtesy of the Scarborough & District Motor Club. Only twenty two contestants are listed, well down for a region well known for the female content of Yorkshire trials. Missing are Caz Allford, Hannah Styles, now into enduro’s, and ‘Manx Maid’ Saskia Baxter who is probably chasing villains on the Isle of Man and who won the Hook Woods opener. Emma Bristow will aim to win the adults class from Becky Cook while football starlet Danielle Whitham will be after beating Donna Fox. Local girl Nikita Smith will test Chloe Richardson in Class A. Hannah Richardson has ridden Richmond ‘winter toughies’ with great results and the Skeeby girl aims to win again but Bristol’s Victoria Payne may have other plans. Gabby Whitham should win Class C. Mansfield Maun results guru Michelle Naufahu should be on course to win the Newcomers but Vicky Lamb and Jenny Crabtree could rock the boat. Dave Chilton has planted a dozen section flags and three laps will suffice. On Saturday and Sunday the Club stage the third round in the series following on from the two West Country openers in April. Entries are up for the Luscombe Suzuki Leeds sponsored series with thirty six starters listed. Pat Galway and his vastly experienced team of youth trials organisers have twelve sections and three laps planned for the youngsters. All the big names are competing plus some really strong challengers. On top form at present Bradford’s Keiran Child could test Toby Martyn and double winner Jack Peace. Joe Faunthorpe is on a growing sprint and has just be under par, for Joe. Zac Collinson lives in Scarborough and likely to upset the results. Newton Abbott rider Billy Green should add another Medium Wheel result on Sunday but Oliver Smith and Leicester’s Daniel Slack will be somewhere near. Bradford lad Charlie Smith has been posting good results. Edward Earle and James Marshland head Class D medium and small wheels. Sunday brings round two in Class A and B age groups. On current form Jack Price starts favourite for Class A but Iwan Roberts and British Open Championship youth winner Luke Walker will test all of them. Add in Jack Stones, Rob Waite, Brad and Dec Bullock, Olly Kendra and it could be a hot day. Class B reads the same. Dan Peace will have to perform on Sunday. Nikita Smith, Sam Johnson, Tom Minta, Dominic Feaks and Matty Whelan have all posted class victories in recent weeks. Starting times on both days is 10.00 am. Low North Park features hard standing car parks, café facilities and real working toilet block, but no fresh water supplies.
Enduro
British Riders head to the Opening UEM Enduro Round. In the present economic climate coupled with high travel costs, there was some concern that the European Enduro Championship which has been so successful in recent years may suffer a decline in entries. The exact opposite appears to be the case however, and with the first round scheduled for next weekend the 26/27th May in the Trento/Venice area of Italy, it is reported that there are well over 200 entries, and surprisingly not an undue percentage of these are Italian, with over 15 other Nations having riders taking part. For the UK, ACU U23 Enduro Squad riders Rob Johnson and Jack Rowland both part of the MPS Husqvarna team will be taking part joined by fellow ACU squad member Alun Jones on his KTM and another MPS rider Jamie Lewis will be contesting the Senior class. We wish all the British riders a successful and safe weekend
Grasstrack
This Sunday SWEGA will be hosting the 2012 Grass Track British Masters Challenge at Ratcliff Farm Raddon, nr Thorverton. The event will feature Britain’s Top Solo and Sidecar Competitors competing for a place in the Masters later on this year. The day will start at 11:30am with practice, followed by the first race at 1pm. The club have been busy arranging a number of activities including a beer tent for fan’s that are camping over the weekend. The club will be broadcasting the Speedway GP Live on Saturday night in the Beer tent.
Road Racing
Steve Hix tops the ACU Clubman’s championship points’ table going into the third round of the series, part of the Derby Phoenix club’s meeting at Donington Park on May 26 and 27. The 38-year-old transport manager from Holbeach, Lincolnshire, riding an ageing 2005-model Suzuki 1000, has notched up 133 points, including four wins in the opening six races of the competition. Trailing him by just 19 points, though, is Kingsley Ruddy, the 18-year-old from Hoyland, near Barnsley, also riding a Suzuki 1000. Ruddy, the 2010 Derby Phoenix club Formula 400 champion and runner-up in the club’s 2011 Formula 600 series only switched to the big bike this season and Donington will be his third meeting. Local hero Darren Bellworthy makes a surprise return to road racing at the event. The 28-year-old from Mackworth quit the sport, midway through last year, to concentrate on his new car-spraying business. An injury to Lee Wilson, has given Bellworthy an opportunity to make this unexpected outing on his friend’s Suzuki 1000. Bellworthy, seven-times a Derby Phoenix club champion, including three Allcomers titles, could make life difficult for Hix and Ruddy. Geoff Lapworth, a BSB regular is another topliner boosting a very competitive line up. The two day meeting has a 31-race programme. Practice on Saturday starts at 9am, with racing underway shortly after 11am. There will be short practice session at 9am on Sunday, with racing starting at 9.20am.
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 motorsport spectacle it’s 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.