Daley’s Day at Darley Moor

Tuesday September 17, 2019 at 10:51am

The penultimate round of the Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Championship took place on Sunday 15th September with excellent racing conditions providing superb racing on two, three and four wheels for the spectators. In addition to regular guests, the Superkart UK Kart Championship there were two races for the national ACU 50cc Championship and amongst the Darley Moor Championship classes two 2019 Champions were confirmed.

The Peak Cup was the opening championship race of the day and would set the scene for several races throughout the day. Ash Stone (Matlock) got the hole-shot and led the field for the opening two laps until Josh Daley (Wigan) found a way through on Lap3 and was able to open a 2.4sec advantage at the chequered flag, with Rob Hodson (Wigan) following the pair home in 3rd place and Ben Scranage (Bolton) 4th. The second Peak Cup race unfolded in similar fashion, but it took Stone until Lap5 to find a way pass Daley, with Hodson 3rd again, but Richard Eglin (Derby) pipping Scranage to 4th place.

The combined Open Solo/Pre-Injection/Sound of Thunder races saw the same top three result in both, but frustratingly for Stone, in the second race Daley was unable to find a way through until the final lap. Mirroring the Peak Cup results Scranage and Eglin each recorded a 4th place. The Pre-Injection class honours were taken by Adam Walters (Derby), recording a 9th and 8th place overall whilst Rich Baker (Crewe) took the Sound of Thunder class win with 8th place overall, in the opening race.

There was shock in the combined Junior/Senior/CB500 races when Mark Brailsford (Chesterfield) was unable to maintain his 100% record in the CB500 class, recording two 3rd place finishes after 2018 CB500 Champion Daz Bellworthy (Derby) took two hard fought victories, recording the two closest finishes on the day, ahead of guest rider, Tom Fisher (Nottingham), a rider normally seen racing in the Stars at Darley races, chased him throughout, finishing just 0.26sec behind in the first race and 0.37sec adrift in the second race. George Hopper (Swadlincote), a late entry to the meeting, maintained his own 100% record, taking victory in the Junior class, winning all races he has entered at Round 2 and 6, recording a 4th and 5th place Overall. After taking two Runner-Up places, in the class, Katie Hand (Cabourne) retains her lead in the Championship, a championship with an all-female top three. Scarlett Robinson (New Mills) is 2nd in Championship after recording two 3rd places and Jamie Hank-Elliot (Birmingham), 3^rd following a pair of 4th places behind Jack Worth (Barnsley) this weekend. Senior Championship honours went to David Glossop (Wilmslow) after recording 13th overall in both races.

The combined Formula 600/Pre Injection 600 and 750 Twin races saw the first 2019 Champion decided after Stuart Bradbury’s (Kilburn) class win and a 2nd place gave him an unassailable 42point Championship lead over nearest rival, Steve Price (Cheadle) who recorded a 4th in class, in the first race, but was one of a number of riders involved in an incident at the hairpin that required the race to be red-flagged. Rich Baker (Crewe) took the overall victory in the first race, on his Formula 600 machine, but was also involved in the hairpin incident , allowing David Carson (Northwich) to take the victory in the second race by 0.6sec from Marcus Wilkin (Uttoxeter) and close the points gap in the Championship to just 5points between Baker, at the head of the table, and Carson. However, two class victories in the Lightweight/Mini Sound of Thunder races confirmed Carson to be the 2019 Mini Sound of Thunder Champion with a 56point advantage over his nearest challenger. Chris Moore’s (High Peak) two overall victories in these races allowed him to swap places with James Ford (High Peak) at the head of the Lightweight Championship table, after Ford recorded a 2nd and 4th place.

The Classic and Forgotten Era races were dominated by Jamie O’Brien (Liverpool) on his Yamaha TZ750 with two start-finish victories over James Oddy (Chell Heath) on their ‘Up To 1300cc’ class machines. The first race won by 4.6sec and the second by 2.6sec, but this included a 10second penalty for jumping the start. Tony Griffiths (Pontypridd) recorded two victories for the ‘251cc – 500cc’ class after finishing 3rd Overall in each race whilst the ‘Up To 250cc’ class was won by Championship leader Graham Oakley (Chesterfield), with a 9th and 10th overall.

John Cooke (Gnosall) dominated the ACU 50cc Championship races with two start-finish victories, winning the first by 24sec and then following this up with a 31sec advantage in the second race.

Fans of three-wheeled motorsport enjoyed the appearance of World Champions, Ben and Tom Birchall (Mansfield) using the race meeting for testing their 600cc machine. Unfortunately, multiple TT Winners, Dave Molyneux and Dan Sayle (Isle of Man) were unable to take to the grids after suffering engine problems in Practice. Unsurprisingly, the Birchall pairing took the win in the opening race, but it did give the Darley Moor regulars a chance to gauge their own speed against the World Champions. Behind Ben Knight/Dan Hughes (Macclesfield) were making up for a slower start after finishing the opening lap in 6th place they fought through to pass Allan Schofield/Steve Thomas (Wirral) on Lap7 to take 2nd place on their Formula 600 sidecar machine. In the second race, with testing completed, the Birchall’s pulled out after 4 laps and after a quicker start this time around the Knight/Hughes pairing went on to take the chequered flag, once again ahead of Schofield/Thomas outfit. The Open Sidecar class was won by Anthony Eades/Nick Roberts (Hyde) in the first race, with 7th place overall whilst Roy Tansley/Jack Fox (Derby) finished 4th Overall in the second to take the class win.

Four-wheeled motorsport fans saw Mark Gellatly (Stafford) take two start-finish victories in the Superkart UK Kart Championship races.

With fourteen championship still to be decided the next meeting at Darley Moor will see an exciting Championship finale in addition to the Stars at Darley races on 12th/13th October 2019 with many national and international level competitors.

For the Stars at Darley event on 13th October the adult admission price is £16.00 and Senior Citizens £10.00. There is ample room for spectators to camp and caravan at Darley Moor over the race weekends. The cost is £6.00 per unit per night. Camping will normally be available from 2.00 pm on the Friday evening until 12.00 noon 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 always kept on a lead during race day and the owners act in a responsible manner.

2019 Championships (After Round 6)

Junior Championship

1st Katie Hand, 70pts; 2nd Scarlett Robinson, 48pts; 3rd Jamie Hanks-Elliott, 42pts

Senior Championship

1st David Glossop, 64pts; 2nd Freddie Simcox, 48pts, 3rd Simon Hart, 16pts

Classic & Forgotten Era up to 250cc

1st Graham Oakley, 91pts; 2nd Glenn Atkinson, 59pts; 3rd Geoff Hadwin, 30pts

Classic & Forgotten Era 251cc to 500cc

1st Tony Griffiths, 64pts; 2nd Mike Lees, 54pts; 3rd George Pidcock, 37pts;

Classic & Forgotten Era 501cc – 1300cc

1st David Bradley, 58pts; 2nd Geoff Martin, 31pts; 3rd Jamie O’Brien, 26pts

Lightweight Championship