8th September - Three Sisters
Both triumph and disappointment were apparent for reigning champion and Classics stalwart Tony Benson (67) as the day progressed, and the return of Hambleton’s Mark Butterworth (2) was certain to shake things up a little. Benson set out full of good intentions, but niggling problems with the K4 Honda made for an eventful day.
The ‘Culcheth Captain of Classics’ made his usual textbook start in the opening race and led away the field with Jonathan Nell (157) hot on the chase, but gearbox selector trouble cost Benson dearly in terms of time. Butterworth increased the gap every time Benson selected neutral, and became the eventual victor although Benson managed to achieve a close second place.
Race 2 was also eventful, and certainly hard work as each class was extended by an additional 2 laps, turning into a real test for riders in the sweltering afternoon heat. A repeat battle looked likely for Butterworth and Benson, who had worked to repair the gearbox problems he encountered in the earlier trophy race. Benson’s start looked promising, but it was clear that the ‘gearbox ghost’ was still haunting him as he selected neutral yet again on the approach to Paddock Bend and displaying an angry head shake to his entourage watching from the pits. Butterworth grabbed his chance and cruised past, pulling away as he approached the Esses. As if that wasn’t enough, the Honda K4 developed running issues and appeared to lose power as the race went on. By lap 6 the bike had exhausted, coughing and spluttering its way around the course before finally coming to rest as it struggled its way up the steep mountain curve. Clearly very disappointed, Benson would have possibly finished with a couple of points had the afternoon races not been extended, but this was not to be and victory was handed to Mark Butterworth, however Jonathan Nell now heads the points table after finishing 3rd, with Benson 3 points behind.
Meanwhile, Sue Stelfox (81) had a good race of her own on the beautiful Norton ES2 Special and a battle with Darren Whittaker (125) saw her take the flag just under a second behind him.
Bikepics.smugmug.com Rookie Class
Newcomer Lorna Winstanley (313) showed remarkable development with both confidence and racecraft as the Rookie race began, and hard work on the previous test day has certainly paid off. For a good lap or so, Winstanley managed to keep the (usually quicker) Martin Clare (5) as well as the second half of the grid off her case, until Clare saw his chance and ran around the outside. Although eventually finishing 14th, Winstanley can feel herself developing into a decent racer, as the perfect track conditions enabled her to knock 3 seconds off her best lap time. At the front however, Liam Weston (77) and Mike Bampton (80) battled hard for the win, and Weston took the top podium spot a fraction of a second over Bampton. Richard Whitton (321) showed he was back on fairly fast form aboard the SRAD following a short break after the birth of his child, but steadily slipped down to 8th as the race drew on. Drama almost ensued on the final lap at Dunlops Corner as Clare (5) almost took out team-mate Stuart Hilton (23) as the pair exited, but thankfully both got round safely with Clare finishing 6th and Hilton taking the flag in 7th.
PDMCC Marshals Club Twin Cylinder/350cc – 750cc Production
Minitwin supremo Paul Turner (97) had a run for his money as the young Thackeray brothers chased him down on the well sorted Aprilia RRV450s. Turner is a regular winner and master rider of all things twin cylinder, the Carole Nash sponsored SV650 only eligible for the Production class due to being ‘minitwin illegal’ but had his work cut out as Jamie Thackeray (194) constantly pursued his every move from start to finish. A breathtaking but brilliant battle was certain as J. Thackeray was right on Turner’s back wheel from the first lap, and his younger brother Luke was not too far behind.
Immense confidence and a perfect race gave J. Thackeray a race win with brother Luke in second with a gap of 0.6s, and a very unusual 3rd for Paul Turner. The Twin Cylinder class (for minitwin legal machines) brought about a very fast and well deserved win for Stockport’s Jake Povah (52) and a decent 4th place for Roy Morris (160) on his return to competition. Dominic Herbertson (771) was over the moon with 3rd and was having a fantastic time at his PDMCC debut, but Preston’s Michael Wilkinson (187) could have almost certainly improved his result if it wasn’t for a lull in confidence with corner entry, resulting in outbraking himself and almost overshooting the tighter corners on occasions.
Moto GD Steel Frame 600
Gordon Draper (13) expected to put his usual performance in on the freshly tuned CBR, and an eventful 5 laps saw plenty of action. Draper got an excellent start, and the ever-improving Stuart Poulton (46) was ready to take him on, even though a mysterious wrist injury (along with continuing recovery from injuries sustained in a big Anglesey crash) prevented him from riding at his best. The pair had an excellent battle although a result was called following a huge crash at Lunar involving David Jones (112) putting out the red flag, leaving a disappointed Poulton literally spitting distance from Draper and settling for 4th place and behind the number 13 machine. Mark Rayment (62) became the winner just under a second ahead of Mike Bampton (80) and Stephen Smith (116) looked ready to have a good go although got a little excited approaching the hairpin, outbraking himself and almost dropping his machine on the ground.
Another chance for Draper came in race 2 as he and Mark Rayment (62) resumed the classic battle. Draper headed straight to the front and pulled away sharply as he wound the power on, standing the CBR up on its back wheel as the horses were unleashed. A very close scrap followed but Draper’s Honda had the power, taking the flag 1.046 seconds ahead of Rayment. Mike Brampton had a lonely ride into 3rd place, and James Leatham (21) showed that his confidence has returned following a spill (earlier in the year) with a fantastic ride and a steady 8th place.
Jules Embroidery Up To 500cc
Bolton’s Scott Dootson had a very good, solid yet steady first outing on a 400, borrowing an immaculate Yamaha RD400 YPVS from Chris Alty to see how the bike feels and hinting that a change may be on the cards. The usually lightning-fast 2 stroke racer took it easy with champion Alty’s prized machine (albeit on in a long list) and was watched from the pits by his ‘quite nervous’ father Dave as he navigated the Wigan circuit. Even though he was merely using the race as a bit of a test (after also using the earlier Single Cylinder race to gently run in the freshly rebuilt RS125) he still had a good battle with Sam Edwards (32) and brought the Yamaha home in 10th, just ahead of Sunni Wilson (26) who was frantically catching up the rest of the grid following a starting error. The Aprilia 450s performed well as usual, and the Thackeray brothers took the top 2 spots and a good ride from Alex Baker (122) secured him in 3rd place. The same scenario was to be in race 2, and the Thackerays led throughout with Baker chasing, but the gap between Baker and the brothers from York increased as backmarkers were caught and the afternoon heat got the better of both tyre and rider. That said, Baker looks increasingly confident on the 450 in only his 3rd competitive season, and although he prefers the power of the bigger bike, he still loves to compete on his 125 when he can.
Jamie and slightly younger brother Luke took the first 2 podium spots, and Baker was a good few seconds behind but the youngster from Lathom is certainly one to be watched. Darren Higson’s 250cc smoker was a force to be reckoned with alongside Keith Povah (78) on his RVF, but Povah’s 4 stroke power gave some nailbiting battles with Higson and both riders crossed the line literally side by side.
WORDS: CRAIG EVANS
PICTURES: D-Pix.co.uk and JACK WOLFENDALE