The Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Club are readying themselves for Round 5 of 7 of their Club Championship which takes place on Sunday 13th August 2017, at the Darley Moor Motor Sports Centre, near Ashbourne, DE6 2ET. There are plenty of classes in which local competitors are in with a chance of collecting the silverware at the end of the season.
To date Jamie Pearson (Derby) has amassed the highest number of points in any one class, sitting at the top of the Pre Injection (Up To 1300cc) table with 72 points, after winning all races so far. However, this does not mean he is home and dry with the Championship ‘in the bag’ as the same number of points are still on offer and a small error, or mechanical breakdown could see his 41 point advantage over Andrew Lowe (Stone) and Mark Brailsford (Chesterfield) a further 4 points adrift, reduce significantly, if either could capitalise on it. Lowe is in a similar position to Pearson in the Pre Injection 600 class, although with just a 24 point lead over Dan Milner (Hope Valley).
At the other end of the scale Dan Knight/Matthew Rostron (Northwich/Formby) are leading Howard Baker/Mike Killingsworth (Sutton Coldfield/Lincoln) by just 1 point at the head of the Formula 600 Sidecar championship, so this class will certainly go down to the wire.
The closest of the solo championships is the Steel Framed 600 class which has Steve Price (Cheadle) leading from joint 2nd place men, Dean Ephgrave (Hucknall) and Wally Bradbury (Chesterfield) by just 6 points.
There are three riders who will be trying to maintain their advantage at the head of two championships this forthcoming weekend; David Carson (Northwich) holds a 14 point advantage over Chris Moore (High Peak) in the Formula Darley Championship, with Joe Walton (Preston), 3rd and needing to close a similar gap to Moore. In the Mini Sound of Thunder Championship Walton has a 16 point deficit over Carson, with Jack Petrie (Bournemouth) a further 11 points behind, in 3rd place. Whilst Chris Moore is 2nd in the Formula Darley standings he does hold a 29 point lead in the Lightweight class over Graham Wilson (Kidsgrove).
Ben Scranage (Bolton) has just a small advantage in both the Peak Cup and Open Solo classes. In the Peak Cup he leads Steve Procter (Wakefield) by 8 points, with Jim Hodson (Wigan) a further 2 points adrift, in 3rd. The Open Solo class sees him with just a 6 point advantage over Julian Tillotson (Bolton) with Andy Taylor (Chesterfield) a further 9 points behind.
Lloyd Shelley (Burntwood) heads both the Formula 600 and Sound of Thunder classes; a 12 point lead over Procter in the F600 class, whilst he has managed to double that gap in the SoT class, over Jamie Medhurst (Long Eaton) with Jamie Horner (Newark) a further 6 points back in 3rd.
This season has brought some fantastic racing and with just the final three rounds remaining that is sure continue and with General Admission at just £12 (Senior Citizens £8 and Under 16’s free) it can be a cheap day out for all the family. Practice starts at 1000hrs, with the first race scheduled for 1130hrs.
Or, make a weekend of it; there is ample room for spectators to camp and caravan at Darley Moor over the race weekends. The cost is £5.00 per unit per night. Camping will normally be available from 4.00 pm on the Friday evening until 10.00 am on the day after the meeting or by special arrangement with the circuit management – Call 01335 343833.
Darley Moor is one of the few circuits in which dogs are welcome, provided they are kept on a lead at all times during race day and the owners act in a responsible manner.
2017 Championship standings after Round 4 Peak Cup 1st Ben Scranage, 38pts; 2nd Steven Procter, 30pts; 3rd Jim Hodson 28pts;
Open Solo 1st Ben Scranage, 42pts; 2nd Julian Tillotson, 34pts; 3rd Andy Taylor, 25pts;
Open Sidecars 1st Anthony Eades/Keith Box, 54pts; 2nd Brian Wilson/Mike Fairhurst, 32pts; 3rd Ray Thomas/Neil Aslaksen, 21pts;
Lightweight 1st Chris Moore, 69pts; 2nd Graham Wilson, 40pts; 3rd Gavin Mills, 16pts
Formula 600 1st Lloyd Shelley, 54pts; 2nd Steven Procter, 42pts; 3rd Matthew Zschiesche, 19pts
Formula Darley 1st David Carson, 52pts; 2nd Chris Moore, 38pts; 3rd Joe Walton, 22pts;
Formula 125 1st James Bull, 51pts; 2nd Ben David, 25pts; 3rd Jake Hopper, 25pts;
Formula 600 Sidecars 1st Dan Knight/Matthew Rostron, 50pts; 2nd Howard Baker/Mike Killingsworth, 49pts; 3rd Richard Hackney/ Andrew Mitchell, 25pts
Steel Framed 600 1st Steve Price, 42pts; 2nd Dean Ephgrave, 36pts; 3rd Wally Bradbury, 36pts
Pre Injection 600 1st Andy Lowe, 63pts; 2nd Dan Milner, 39pts; 3rd Chris North, 26pts
Mini Sound of Thunder 1st David Carson, 49pts; 2nd Joe Walton, 33pts; 3rd Jack Petrie, 22pts
Sound of Thunder 1st Lloyd Shelley, 54pts; 2nd Jamie Medhurst, 30pts; 3rd Jamie Horner, 24pts
CB500 1st Paul Sawyer, 56pts; 2nd Andy Whale, 45pts; 3rd Shay Commins, 26pts
Classic 250 1st Geoff Hadwin, 66pts; 2nd Andy Wilson, 37pts; 3rd Gary Whitman, 30pts
Classic 350 1st Simon Collins, 54pts; 2nd Mark Cockerton, 43pts; 3rd Brian Prescott, 22pts;
Classic 500 1st Oliver Presswood, 47pts; 2nd Dave McCoy, 39pts; 3rd Frank Melling, 18pts
Classic 1000 1st David Bradley, 63pts; 2nd Mike Harding, 25pts; 3rd Andrew Lee, 12pts