Bewdley MCC’s Grass track department hosted an excellent meeting last weekend at their Alveley venue. A nasty accident in the final heat of the 350cc solos caused the meeting to be stopped, but prior to this some great racing took place.
The 500cc solo class was incredibly tight, with three riders notching two wins out of three. Daniel Winterton, Tony Atkin and returning for the day Phil Ashcroft all were impressive in the heats, though Ashcroft’s third place in his opening ride meant that he would be third overall. Winterton and Atkin’s overall result was finally declared as a win for Winterton.
A strong entry of Quads saw some excellent racing. After disappointment last week at Bridgwater, the Wright Brothers hit the front once again. Nick Wright was unmatched in any of his heats, taking the overall victory from brother Chris.
The GT140s were boosted by entrants from the Formula Grasstrack fraternity. Glyn Stanton clinched a solid win, being beaten only once by Adam Rowson.
The 250cc solos was won by former British Champion Graham Thomas. He fought off a challenge from rapidly improving Ollie Stanford, who took three wins of his own. Due to their position in the programme, the 250cc solos were the only adult class to complete four races.
Darren Phillips got the better of Tim Curnock in a fine day’s racing in the Upright class. And Neil Copestake was faultless in winning the Pre 75 class.
Three small sidecar classes were contested keenly. Tom Marvell, partnered by the experienced former British Masters champion Carl Pugh, took the win, only being beaten in their opening ride by Jeff Measor and his crewman Gareth Tregilgas.
The Lefthand Sidecars were won by Rob Heath/Kyle Fish, who look to be in a determined mood this year. New crews Jay Sullivan/Steven Bickley and Dale Fish/Joe Holland continue to make good progress in the sport.
Shaun Hughes paired up with his father Eifion to take another 500cc sidecar victory for 2019. Phill and Tom Rowlands gave the Welsh crew plenty to think about in the heats, claiming a heat win of their own.
Junior racer Austin Riches continued his excellent start to 2019 by winning the class. He was unbeaten in four rides. He had the measure of the Childe boys all day and racked up more valuable National Gradings points.
The ill-fated 350cc solo class was deservedly won by Mark Giles, who was in tremendous form. The Kent racer went through the first three heats unbeaten and was leading the final race when it was stopped. Andy Mellish and Wayne Broadhurst had come together due to a snapped chain and fell heavily. Both racers suffered significant injuries. Barry Powell had ridden well to claim second overall. We all wish both Andy and Wayne a full and speedy recovery from their injuries.
It is a shame that the meeting ended this way as it had been very successful up to this point. And it’s worth noting that both Broadhurst and Mellish were expected to be amongst the front runners for the British title at the beginning of July- a real blow for the riders and for racing fans alike.
Congratulations to the Bewdley MCC organisers, however, for running a great club Grass track event.