A big weekend, 20th- 21st June 2026, for the Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Club with their first two-day meeting of the season and in the new format of points allocated for every race, effectively four Rounds of the sixteen Round Championship season all held in very warm, dry weather conditions.
Saturday
The Golden Supersport class were the first machines to the grid and Ben Dale (Warrington) made it clear that he would be looking to close the 22point gap to Jonathan Trezins (Wisbech) after finishing the opening lap 2sec ahead of the championship leader. As the 8-lap race progressed Dale was able to stretch the advantage over each lap, finally crossing the line 9.5sec ahead of Trezins. The afternoon’s race was played out in a similar manner, although Dale’s opening lap gave him a 4sec lead over Trezins. His pace throughout the 8laps saw the gap grow, once more, back to Trezins, and the rest of the pack, finishing 13sec ahead at the flag and the only competitor to break into the sub-1-minute lap time, not just a little, but breaking into the 58sec laps. The 3rd place championship battle between Martyn Cooper (Stoke on Trent) and David Wilson (Leyland) saw Cooper come out on top in both races, but he had to work hard for it. The opening race saw Cooper lead the first lap, but Wilson moved ahead on Lap2 and was able to get a 2sec ‘cushion’ within a couple of laps, then Cooper fought back, passing Wilson, to secure 3rd place, on the final lap. Wilson held the advantage for the first half of the second race, but midway through Cooper slotted into 3rd place again and they battled it out to the chequered flag, Cooper taking 3rd place by just 0.3sec.
Dale was out again in the Open 600 races, but Championship leader Ricky Tarren (Swadlincote) was able to maintain his lead, finishing Lap1, just 0.4sec ahead of Dale, with David Carson (Northwich), 2sec back. The gaps were increased as the race progressed, Tarren finishing with a 2sec advantage over Dale, with Carson a further 14sec back. The second encounter saw Dale lead the opening lap, before Tarren hit the front on Lap2, opening an 8sec lead, over Dale, by the time the chequered flag came out. Whilst Carson had to work harder for his 3rd place, finishing Lap1 in 6th, then 5th on Lap2 through to Lap6, but then into 3rd place on the penultimate Lap, finally crossing the line 20sec behind the race-winner, Tarren.
Once again, Carson was one of the busier competitors on race weekend, out in the SuperTwins/MiniTwins class and the Darley Cup class, on a second machine. The first combined SuperTwins/MiniTwins race proved straightforward for the Northwich based racer, quickest off the line and finishing the opening lap with a 0.4sec lead, over Jamie Badhams (Wellington) , with the first MiniTwin, in the hands of Anthony Thane (Stoke on Trent), 3rd, a further 0,8sec behind. The trio stayed in this order throughout the 8lap race, with Carson finally enjoying a 14sec margin over Badhams and Thane 2.7sec back, claiming the MiniTwin victory. The afternoon’s race proved vastly different, with Thane at the front, Badhams, 2nd and Carson, 3rd, on the opening lap. Badhams dropped Thane to 2nd on Lap2, then Carson dropped him to 3rd on Lap3 and set about reducing Badhams 1.7sec lead. Not an easy task, but finally taking the lead on the penultimate lap, then with the aid of a backmarker, crossed the line with a 3sec advantage. After following the leading trio from the opening lap Richard Fogg (Bolton), on a SuperTwin machine was able to pass Thane on Lap5, for 3rd place, with Thane taking the MiniTwin victory, in 4th place, Overall.
Ant Porter (Chesterfield) took advantage of the Lightweight Championship leader’s absence, taking two victories, but the first race provided some excellent entertainment for the spectators in the opening laps. Steve Price (Stockport) led for the opening 3laps, with Porter in close contention, finally finding a way pass on Lap3, then extending the advantage to just over 2sec at the flag. Their second race saw Porter finish the opening lap with a 1.5sec lead, over Price, and again continued to stretch the advantage to 9sec at the finish line, after the 8laps.
Lining up with the Lightweight machines were the Street Stock machines, a new class aimed at young riders, with nobody born before 31st December 2005, permitted, so far there have been several signing-up for the class and this meeting saw14year olds Hudson Cooper (Sheffield) and Ollie Pearson (Derby), son of former regular Jamie and nephew to multiple Darley Champion, Shane taking to the grid. The class is obviously aimed at helping young riders get into racing and this weekend proved taking to the track is the best experience you can have with both their times improving throughout the weekend. Cooper took the first race honours, finishing 6th Overall, with Pearson 7th, 12sec behind. The second race saw them finish Overall 4th and 5th, respectively, but Pearson was just 2sec behind.
The combined Darley Cup and Wilson Trophy races saw Trezins, Wilson, Carson and Martyn Cooper competing for Darley Cup honours, whilst Porter and Hudson Cooper were amongst the Wilson Trophy competitors. Trezins led from the opening lap, with Carson tailing him until Lap7, when he was forced to retire with brake issues, handing the distant Runner-up spot to Wilson, almost 25sec behind, with Martyn Cooper 1sec back. First of the Wilson Trophy machines was a very impressive Hudson Cooper, who finished the opening lap in 7th place, overall, dropping to 8th on Lap2, but then started to pick his way through, 6th on Lap4, 5th Lap5 and 4th Overall on the penultimate lap, with the second Wilson Trophy machine, of Porter, 8th Overall. The second race was better for Carson, recording a start-finish victory, with Martyn Cooper chasing him throughout, finally finishing 9sec back in 2nd. After finishing Lap1 in 5th spot, the first Wilson Trophy machine was again, Hudson Cooper, 4th on Lap2 and into 3rd on Lap3, Porter again the 2nd ‘Trophy machine, but 9th Overall, over 30sec behind the class victor.
Closest finish of the day was followed an epic battle in the Honda CB500/Suzuki Bandit 600 between Championship leader, Richard Hughes (Wolverhampton) and a returning Zac Leigh (Middlewich). After the opening lap Hughes ‘enjoyed’ a 0.4sec lead over Leigh, the same gap after Lap2, extended very slightly after Lap3, but Lap4 saw Leigh move ahead, a 0.1sec ‘lead’ as they crossed the line, with the same gap over the next two laps. After passing backmarkers on Lap7, Leigh’s advantage had stretched to all of 0.4sec, but that was halved on the final lap. Their second race played out a little different with Hughes ensuring his championship lead was not going to be threatened, crossing the line, ahead, but only just, reaching a full 1sec after Lap5 and 1.8sec at the flag.
The Open Solo and Ben Godfrey Trophy races saw the welcome return of a member of the Hodson family, with Rob’s (Wigan) entry to the meeting, but despite his track knowledge another visitor, John Ingram (Wigan) certainly made sure he was going to be fighting for any silverware, although no points would be awarded to Hodson. The first Open Solo race saw Club regular, Matt Bell (Sheffield) quickest off the line, leading the pack at the end of the opening lap, with Ingram, 2nd; Adam Walters (Derby), 3rd,Hodson, 4th and Mark Goodings (Doncaster) , 5th. Positions were similar as the crossed the line at the end Lap2, other than Hodson and Walters swapping places, for 3rd and 4th, respectively. Lap3 found Walters dropped to 5th place, everyone else remaining static. Ingram hit the front on Lap4, whilst Hodson found a quicker route, than Bell, through backmarkers, to move into 2nd spot, 2sec behind Ingram. Lap6 saw Ingram with a 3sec advantage over Hodson, but after putting the fastest lap of the race in on the penultimate lap, Hodson had reduced that to 0.3sec at the start of the final lap but, could not get any closer as the pair crossed the finish line. This quintet next lined up for the first Ben Godfrey Trophy race and again it was Bell who was quickest off the line and leading at the end of Lap1 with Hodson 2nd, Ingram 3rd, Goodings 4th, Walters 5th and Ricky Tarren, on a 600, in 6th place. Lap 2 saw Bell dropped to 3rd by Hodson and Ingram, 1st and 2nd, whilst the rest remained in the same positions. Ingram then hit the front on Lap3, dropping Hodson to 2nd. All positions remained the same, as they crossed the line for the remainder of the 8laps, with the gap between the leading pair only being stretched out to 0.8sec at the chequered flag. Open Solos, Race 2 and once again Bell was off the line quickest, with Hodson, Ingram and Goodings separated by 1sec after the opening lap. Positions remained the same until Hodson found a way past Bell on Lap3, then Ingram failed to finish the 5th lap, putting Goodings into 3rd spot, with Walters 4th, through to the chequered flag. The second Ben Godfrey Trophy race saw Bell, unsurprisingly, lead the pack across the line after the opening lap, with Hodson, Walters and Goodings in tow, until Hodson moved into the lead on Lap2 and positions static through to the flag.
Onto three-wheeled motorsport and the opening race saw Andy King/Andrew Miller (Broughton Gifford/Leamington Spa) head the field throughout, on their Open class outfit, up until they failed to finish final lap, leaving Mark and Amelia Berry (Bolton), who had been closing the leaders down, to take the Overall victory on their Formula 600 class machine. Less than 1 sec behind, the Open class outfit of Alan Molyneux/Courtney Anderson (Rufford/Houghton le Spring) to secure the class victory. The Molyneux/Anderson outfit was quickest off the line in the second race, finishing the opening lap with the Berry machine remarkably close behind, but by the end of Lap2 they were in front, with a 0.5sec cushion and stretching it out to 3sec at the chequered flag.
A fantastic day’s racing, some competitors needing to spend time solving issues/repairing damage into the evening to get sorted and ready to go again Sunday morning.
Sunday
The Golden Supersport class kicked off the race action again and it was the Ben Dale show, again, with support from Jonathan Trezins in both races. Dale taking two start-finish victories and Fastest laps, with Trezins trailing him throughout, 7sec back from Dale in the opener and 5.5sec in the afternoon’s race.
Dale was next out in the Open 600 races, but the ‘the tables were turned’ and he had to play a secondary role to Ricky Tarren, who won both races with margins of 5.5sec and 6.6sec over Dale, with David Carson taking 3rd place on both occasions.
Jonathan Trezins’ opportunity for maximum points came in the combined Darley Cup and Wilson Trophy races, again two start-finish victories and fastest laps, ahead of David Carson’s two 2nd places, finishing 15sec and 10sec behind, with Martyn Cooper, 3rd on both occasions. Hudson Cooper finished 4th overall on both occasions, but claimed the Wilson Trophy victory, his nearest challenger, again, was Ant Porter, 9th and 7th Overall.
David Carson’s turn for victory came in the combined SuperTwin/MiniTwins class, another competitor, Jamie Badhams playing a support role, with Carson taking start-finish victories and fastest laps, Badhams following him home in 2nd on both occasions, on SuperTwin machines. Liam Clements and Anthony Thane shared the MiniTwins honours, although Clements benefitted from Thane not making the grid in the opening race, whilst Clements finished 2nd to Thane in the second.
Ant Porter’s turn for a double victory, although not two start-finish victories, by the smallest of margins, came in the Lightweight class. Only Steve Price, on the opening lap of the first race, headed Porter, but had to settle for two 2nd places, 1.5sec and 8sec back from Porter at the chequered flag. Alongside the Lightweight machines, on the grid were the Street Stock competitors which saw Hudson Cooper record two more class victories, with Ollie Pearson, 2nd, just 2sec behind in the first, but 20sec back in the second race. Cooper recording a total of eight class victories over the weekend, with domination in Street Stock and Wilson Trophy.
The Honda CB500/Suzuki Bandit 600 class provided Richard Hughes with two start-finish victories over Zac Leigh, who was 2nd on both occasions, both sharing a Fastest Lap apiece.
The Open Solos, the final solo class with a double victor, but this was not a start-finish one. As per Saturday’s races, Matt Bell was quickest off the line, completing the first lap with only Rob Hodson and Mark Goodings within 1sec of him and Sam Johnson (Brigg), a further 1sec back. Lap4 saw Hodson take the lead and stretch out an advantage of almost 6sec over Bell, leaving him to defend his position over Goodings and Johnson, who ensured any mistake from Bell would see both capitalising, but that wasn’t to be. The second race, Bell out front until Lap4 , again, when Hodson hit the front, Goodings 3rd and Johnson 4th. However, the final lap saw Goodings squeeze through to drop Bell to 3rd place, split by just 0.2sec, with Johnson a further 6sec back. These four were back out front in the first Ben Godfrey Trophy race and whilst Hodson recorded another start-finish victory the action behind him provided some excellent entertainment. With Johnson, 2nd, Bell, 3rd and Goodings, 4th after Lap1, on Lap2 Bell moved ahead of Johnson, they then remained in that order until Lap5 when Goodings dropped Johnson down to 4th. Several more laps in that order, then Goodings made the move on Bell to secure 2nd spot, on the final lap, the trio split by just 0.5sec, 9sec behind Hodson. The second Ben Godfrey race, the final race of the weekend, provided the closest finish of the whole weekend, with Bell, after crossing the line, each lap, at the front, but the victory over Goodings, was just a mere 0.11sec, despite recording the fastest lap of the race on Lap5.
Sidecars: and both classes recorded start-finish victories for the same teams, but each pairing taking an Overall win apiece. The first race was won, overall, by Mark and Amelia Berry on their Formula 600 machine, finishing 4.5sec ahead of Alan Molyneux/Courtney Anderson’s Open class outfit, with their nearest F600 challengers Richard Butler/Derek Taylor in 3rd place, a further 7sec back. The second race saw Molyneux/Anderson take the Overall victory, 3sec ahead of the Berry’s, whilst the nearest Open class challengers, Keith Waddington/Kyia Illman (Barnsley/Crewe) were 5th Overall, over 40sec behind.
Overall, some fantastic racing, with the trophy haul being shared amongst a smaller than usual number of competitors, but one of the highlights of the weekend must be seeing the improvement in both 14year olds, Hudson Cooper and Ollie Pearson over the weekend, stars for the future.
Unfortunately, it is now seven weeks until Rounds 9 and 10 are scheduled for Sunday 9th August 2026, which means plenty of time to get those advanced tickets booked via www.darleymoorstore.com.
Race days – Adults £18 (£15 in advance), Seniors £14 (£12 in advance)
Weekend tickets – Adults £34.00 (£28 in advance; Seniors £28.00 (£22 in advance)
Camping is also available at £10 per night from Friday night through to Monday morning. Advance tickets at are available now, just visit www.darleymoorstore.com.
The Chequered Flag Café, open to all, every weekend, but with longer hours on a race weekend (Friday 2pm – 8pm, Saturday 8am – 8pm, Sunday 8am – 6pm) and with its own set of very regular customers.
2026 Championship (after Round 8)
Wilson Trophy
1st Ant Porter, 92pts; 2nd Freddy Oakley, 60pts; 3rd Hudson Cooper, 60pts
Darley Cup
1st Jonathan Trezins, 105pts; 2nd David Carson, 73pts; Paul Evans, 56pts
Ben Godfrey Trophy
1st Matt Bell, 50pts; 2nd Mark Goodings, 79pts; 3rd Stephen Parsons, 50pts
Open 600cc
1st Ricky Tarren, 117pts; 2nd Benjamin Dale, 71pts; 3rd David Carson, 60pts
Open Solos
1st Matt Bell, 102pts; 2nd Mark Goodings, 68pts; 3rd Jordan Rushby, 46pts
Golden SuperSport 600
1st Jonathan Trezins, 100pts; 2nd Benjamin Dale, 90pts; 3rd Martyn Cooper, 64pts
Mini Twins & GP250
1st Anthony Thane, 105pts; 2nd Liam Clements, 77pts; 3rd Ewan West, 43pts
Super Twins
1st David Carson, 105pts; 2nd Paul Evans, 72pts; 3rd Russell Dodds, 70pts
Lightweight Class
1st Ant Porter, 108pts; 2nd Steve Price, 86pts; 3rd Freddy Oakley, 60pts
Honda CB500 & Suzuki Bandits
1st Richard Hughes, 108pts; 2nd Shane Watson, 58pts; 3rd Zac Leigh, 51pts
125cc Street Stock
1st Hudson Cooper, 60pts; 2nd Ollie Pearson, 48pts
Formula 600 Sidecars
1st Mark Berry/Amelia Berry, 90pts; 2nd Richard Butler/Derek Taylor, 78pts; 3rd Lee Eastell/Mark Eastell, 41pts
Open Sidecars
1st Alan Molyneaux/Courtney Anderson, 108pts; 2nd Keith Waddington/Kyia Illman, 76pts; 3rd Anthony Eades/Ash Gibson, 36pts
Report by Brian George
Photos by Tony Else