What a difference a year makes! This time last year Mother Nature seriously intervened with torrential rain and reluctantly the Sidcup club had to call a halt to proceedings without a race being completed.
This year the weather was dry and unseasonably warm and on Sunday there were long periods of autumn sunshine. As we have come to expect the Sidcup club had done an excellent job in preparing the track and the heavy rain earlier in the week could only cause a couple of soft patches which hardly affected the racing.
Despite the usual crop of injuries and retirements that have occurred by this time of year there was a very healthy entry of 27 teams waiting to do battle on the Canada Heights track but before racing could begin start line positions had to be determined from timed training.
Quickest by over half a second were Richard Jenkins / Dan Chamberlain ahead of the champions, Stuart Brown / Josh Chamberlain. In third place were Jack Etheridge / Scott Grahame over two seconds slower than Brown.
When the riders left the line at the start of the first race Etheridge was tipped up within a few metres from the line and restarted virtually last. Jenkins took the holeshot from Pelling / Lloyd, Jarvis / Humphrey and France / France. A pile up on the first corner held up Keane / Horton, Franks / Franks, Parr / Haynes and Bradford / Peters among others. Brown was also held up and got away well down the field. By the end of lap one Jenkins led from France with Pelling third and the Irish team of Campbell / Graham fourth. Brown was already up to fifth, Wilkinson / Parmenter seventh and Etheridge was back in twenty first place.
Jenkins was totally in control at the front and maintained a healthy lead over France who soon came under pressure from Brown who had passed Campbell and Pelling. Wilkinson had got stuck on a tight bend and restarted in eighteenth place whilst Etheridge already up to twelfth. Jarvis was involved in an early incident and was out of the race already.
Brown tried hard to get past France but couldn’t manage it and had to settle finally for third place with Jenkins taking the win. Etheridge worked his way up to fourth place but a blown head gasket looked like he might not make it to the finish. Luckily his Husaberg motor held together and he just held off Campbell to take fourth. Wilkinson could only manage tenth place.
In the battle for second place in the championship Jenkins was now in front of Wilkinson, France and Etheridge but it was still very close.
The holeshot for race two went to Jenkins from Brown, Pelling and Wilkinson. As the riders went down to the far end of the circuit Jenkins led from Brown but Etheridge was now up to third ahead of Oldfield, Bradford, Wilkinson and France. France was soon up to fourth and closing on Etheridge. By half distance Etheridge had pulled away from France who was now under pressure from Wilkinson.
With three laps to go the leaders came up behind a tail ender and Jenkins got it wrong allowing Brown to take the lead. Brown went on to win from Jenkins with Etheridge third and France fourth.
The battle for second place in the championship now looked like it was going to Jenkins with France, Wilkinson and Etheridge being left to fight it out for the bronze medal place.
In the final race of the championship Jenkins took the holeshot from Brown with France third. Keane got an excellent start and was in fourth ahead of Pelling and Etheridge. Pelling went out on lap two with a derailed chain and Etheridge was soon past Keane. With the track now very rough in places overtaking was becoming more difficult and although Brown closed on Jenkins and was right in his wheel tracks for the last few laps he was eventually defeated by a tail ender who was easily passed by Jenkins but Brown had to wait a few seconds before he could pass.Jenkins took the win from Brown with France third and Etheridge fourth.
Jenkins took the overall win from Brown with France third. In the championship Brown had already won but Jenkins secured second place with France third just one point ahead of Wilkinson and only three points ahead of Etheridge.
So another excellent Maxxis championship finishes and congratulations to all those who have been involved. Now all the hard work starts preparing for the 2014 championship.