Tonfanau - August 26 Race Report

Chris Mort (Honda 600) added another hat trick to his season’s tally of wins at Tonfanau, as he regained the Crewe and South Cheshire club’s 450-110cc Open championship.

Mort, who was big bike champion at the Welsh circuit in 2015 and 16, made it nine wins from nine starts to end the season 20 points clear of his closest rival, Josh Williams (Honda 600).

It was Adrian Williams (Kawasaki 1000), though, who provided the toughest opposition to Mort in this third and final round of the series.

In race one Williams had reduced the leader’s advantage from two and half seconds to just over two fifths on the eighth and final lap, setting the fastest lap of race in the process.

Josh Williams was third home, nearly 13 seconds further back.

Reigning 450-1100cc champion, James Evans (Pro-Bike Racing Yamaha 600) lost any slender chance he may have had of retaining his crown on the fifth of eight laps when he crashed out at the hairpin, in the wet conditions, whilst battling with Williams for third place.

Mort continued to dominate the meeting, beating Adrian Williams by over seven seconds in race two and by more than eleven seconds in the third, setting the fastest lap in both.

Josh Williams was third in both races, with Evans, having repaired the superficial damage to his machine, grabbing fourth place each time out.

Those results were enough to give Evans third place in the final championship table, 36 behind Mort.

Do not tell the organizing club that we have a long, hot summer.

The first of four meetings had to be cancelled and the remaining three, including this one, effected by rain, wind and the cold.

Caron Roberts (Bultaco) said it was not the best day for racing, but nonetheless this Fast Lady won all three of her day’s races to take the Classic 250 Single Cylinder class championship for the first ever time.

She ended the season 45 points ahead of her closest rival, Sarah Measures (Greeves).

Roberts did not go out in the Forgotten Era 250 races and that, coupled with the absence of Paul Tye, who was at the Classic TT, left Phil Leatherland an easier task that it might have been, to claim that title for the second season in succession.

For his first race grid positions were set up depending on engine capacity, with Yamaha FZRs and Suzuki GXRs taking up the front row and the smaller capacity machines at the rear.

Leatherland selected peg 18 out of 18, not the best start to the meeting, Faced with a wet track and rain, he managed to fluff the start losing ground on the pack, not his usual starting mode.

After eight laps he had pulled through to ninth overall and first in his class on the Tuning Works RGV Suzuki 250.

He was seventh overall next time out, once again winning his class.

The track had dried well for the final race, though there was the threat of more heavy rain.

Leatherland made a demon start, riding around the all too familiar traffic jam at the first corner and made up a few places.

He crossed the line behind second race winner Phil Millard on his ZXR400, to take seventh place and a hat trick of class wins. in 7th overall with a hat trick of class wins.

Unlike Caron Roberts, Sarah Measures did race in a second class and came so close to winning the Classic 251-500 title on her Yamaha 500.

Lucky Adrian Day was fortunate enough to be given the win after his bike had broken down in the second race after it had been red flagged.

With the Honda sidelined Day failed to score points in race three, but Measures, who had three third places, still came up five points short.

Just seven points covered the top three in the Minitwins going into the final round.

After a dramatic day’s racing Dave Evans took the title, by six points from Darren Raybould, with Martin Robbins third, 15 behind Evans after failing to score points in race two after winning the first and third outings.

Six wins from his last six rides gave Martin Clare victory in the Steel Frame 600 class, beating Karl Brandon by a comfortable 17 points.

John Price was out to make up for last season’s slip up and win both the 400 Supersport and the Forgotten Era 251-500 series.

Practice was trouble free.

His first race of the day was the 400 Supersport. He led from start to finish in the miserable wet conditions, beating the opposition by 12 seconds and clinching the crown for the fourth season in succession.

Price had the same result in race two and decided to give the third race a miss.

He had a slender six-point lead going in to the first Forgotten Era Race. From tenth on the starting grid he charged through to take the lead and went on to beat his main rival, Phil Millard, by over a second.

Price decided to stay behind Millard in race two, and crossed the line less than a fifth of a second down on Millard.

Price second the grid for the crucial third race, crossing the line third overall, behind two big bikes, but more than five seconds in front of Millard regaining his title.

Steve Birtles had won the Forgotten Era over 501cc championship three times in the past four seasons and after another tough year he clinched crown number four.

He could not stop Paul Stones winning two of the day’s three round, but two second places and a single victory were enough for him to top the championship table and beat Paul Myler by 14 points.

Ted Cornes needed just a single point to win the Classic 250cc championship for the third year in a row.

He finished third in the class on his Suzuki in his first race to notch up another eight points and move to an uncatchable position.

Geoff Hadwin won the day’s three races to end the season seven points adrift.

Kevin Burton took two wins and a second in his three 50cc outing, but it was Derek Betts who took the championship with a sixth, an eighth and a fifth.

Mick Crompton had already made sure of the Classic over 501cc championship, but to rub it in he won two more to add to his season’s impressive tally.

Gary Wilson retained his Sidecar crown, this year with Mark Griffiths in the chair of the Windle Suzuki outfit, instead of Sue Taylor.

Wilson could not prevent Craig Hauxwell and Dickie Williams (CKJ Windle 600) racing unbeaten through the day, but that made no difference to the outcome.