The NORA MX Club hosted the seventh and final round of the NORA Sidecar MX championships of 2022 at Culham in Oxfordshire. It was part of another fantastic two-day quad championship event which incorporated the sixth round of the NORA sidecar Championship.
After the rain over the past week the track was in great condition and the weather was kind. Day one saw some rain overnight which helped with the dust, and day two was cloudy with no further rain, racing conditions were great.
In the sidecar class, it was great to see Dan Foden back from QMX Des Nations with a Silver Medal, he had stand in passenger Jack Wilkinson in the chair for the weekend. As a GP team they couldn’t win NORA championship points but joined the regular teams in three great races. At the start of the day, Taylor Whitt / Sam Marshall were just 15 points ahead of Tony Grahame/ Ryan Henderson, so the battle for the championship lead was on.
In race one Dan Foden / Jack Wilkinson took an early lead blasting ahead to take their first win of the day. Tony Grahame / Ryan Henderson tucked into a safe second, behind the battle was on for third. Paul Pelling / Mike Curnow held third and were chased by Taylor Whitt / Sam Marshall, but they couldn’t find a way past. Tony Murch / John Murch stayed close in fifth.
In race two it was Dan Foden / Jack Wilkinson who led from bend one to take a second great win. Tony Grahame / Ryan Henderson charged into second with Paul Pelling / Mike Curnow third. Jack Rogers/ Ryan Beavis held fourth until Taylor Whitt / Sam Marshall passed, but they still couldn’t find a way past Paul Pelling / Mike Curnow.
In the final sidecar race of the day Dan Foden / Jack Wilkinson once again dominated, taking their third win of the day. Tony Grahame / Ryan Henderson held second from the start. Paul Pelling / Mike Curnow tucked into third with Taylor Whitt / Sam Marshall close behind, but that wasn’t enough to clinch the championship – They scored equal points with Tony Grahame / Ryan Henderson, but they had won the most races across the season, just snatching the championship from them. A great season of racing from both teams.
After another fantastic weekend we look forward to the prize giving and watch out for the Nora MX plans for next season.
Report and Photos by Tracy Thacker