Mixed Weather, Fantastic Racing & 1 Champion at Darley Moor

Tuesday September 10, 2024 at 10:04am

What a day for Rounds 7 and 8 of the Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Club Championship on Sunday 8^th September 2024 at the Darley Moor Sports Centre; a day of two halves weatherwise, five races decided, at the head of the field, by less than 0.5sec, only five competitors taking both class victories, from seventeen classes and the first champion of 2024 crowned.

Closest finish of the day came in the second Open/Formula 600 Sidecar race, with an overall victory margin of just 0 .09sec! However, there was no sign in the first race of anything being so close after Howard Baker/Mike Killingsworth (Sutton Coldfield/Lincoln) secured a start – finish victory on their Formula 600 outfit, almost 12sec behind were the Open Class Winners, Alan Molyneux/Rob Coppock (Ormskirk/Runcorn). The Open Class victors were quickest off the line in the second race, with Baker/Killingsworth in close pursuit, but both teams were dropped down a place by Dan Knight/Ash Gibson (Congleton/Denton) on Lap2 , 4^th place finishers in the morning on their Formula 600 machine, came through from 3rd to lead Lap2. Molyneux/Coppock then reclaimed the overall lead on Lap4, only for Knight/Gibson to take it back on Lap5 and hold the lead across the line until the final lap when Molyneux/Coppock pipped them on the final run to the flag to take victory by the tiny margin. The best seat in the house was occupied by Baker/Killingworth who had to settle for 3^rd overall, 2^nd in class, but never more than 1sec behind both outfits from Lap3 onwards, finally crossing the line 0.6sec behind the overall winner.

The opening race of the day, the combined Twins race, up to 650cc and 655cc – 700cc, saw Daniel Pearson (Brough) quickest off the line and lead for six laps until Anthony Thane (Stoke on Trent), both on ‘up to 650cc’ machines, making up from being 5^th after Lap1, then 3^rd on Lap2 and moving into 2^nd place on Lap6, 2.4sec behind Pearson, but closing the leader down and passing him on Lap7 and stretching out a margin of 2sec at the end of the 8lap race. Championship leader of the 655-700cc class, David Carson (Northwich) was down in 7^th after the opening lap, 0.4sec behind fellow class rival Tom Hodge (Chorley). Lap3 saw Carson move just ahead of Hodge, then into overall 4^th by Lap4, with Hodge 7th, 3^rd on Lap7 and Hodge matching his progress, in 4^th place and their finishing positions after 8laps, separated by 3sec, but the Class victory being enough for Carson to be crowned 2024 Champion. The second encounter saw a quite different race, without Carson not making the grid, Pearson was quickest off the line, securing a start – finish victory, but Hodge, making a better start was overall 2^nd for the entire race, taking the 655-700cc Class victory, just 1sec behind Pearson.

The Pearson, Hodge and Carson trio were also out in the combined Wilson Trophy/Darely Cup/Forgotten Era races although Hodge having a different machine out and challenging for points in the Forgotten Era class, whilst Pearson and Carson were against each other again in the Darley Cup class. Although in different classes this time Pearson was this time in pursuit of Hodge from the opening lap, separated by just over a second after Lap1 at the head of the field. By Lap4 Hodge had managed to put a backmarker between them, Hodge now nearly 3sec ahead of Pearson. At the end of the penultimate Lap Hodge was enjoying a 5.5sec overall lead, but after an ‘incident’ on the final he crossed the line in overall 4^th, but still the first Forgotten Era machine, whilst Pearson took the Overall victory and Darley Cup honours, with Carson taking 2^nd in the Darley Cup class, 5^th overall. Wilson Trophy and Stoke on Trent competitors, Matt Zschiesche and Jordan Poole, were locked in a battle from Lap2 onwards, never separated by anymore than 0.2sec throughout. With Zschiesche always having the advantage the pair held 4^th and 5^th from Lap2 until Lap6, Lap7 3^rd and 4^th, then after Pearson’s error on the final lap they finished 2^nd and 3^rd respectively. The second race played out different with Pearson quickest off the line on his Darley Cup machine, followed by Peter Fell (Burton on Trent), competing for Wilson Trophy honours, 2^nd, Adam Sherriff (Barnsley) on his Forgotten Era machine, 3^rd after the end of Lap1. Fell moved to the front on Lap2, with Pearson 2^nd, until Sherriff moved into 2^nd on Lap3, then into the lead on Lap4, with Fell just 0.7sec, behind and Pearson a similar distance behind, still 3^rd. The trio stayed in these positions until the flag, never split by more than 1.5sec, but with Fell just 0.1sec behind the overall winner at the chequered flag. Carson, Hodge and Zschiesche had to settle for 4^th, 5^th and 7^th places overall.

Another trio from these races were also to battle it out in the combined Lightweight and Honda CB500 Championships; Fell challenging for the Lightweight title, whilst Poole and Zschiesche were on their CB500 machines. A little more clearcut for Fell this time with two start-finish victories, whilst Poole was to come out on top, this time, of yet another battle with Zschiesche. Poole with the faster start, 2^nd 1sec ahead of Zschiesche in 3^rd and remaining this way until Iain Davis (Ashbourne) chasing the pair, on his Lightweight machine, managed to split them on Lap5, finally finishing in that order; Poole, 2^nd, Davis, 3^rd and Zschiesche, 4^th. Their second race would see Fell take another start-finish victory, with Zschiesche this time leading Poole throughout for 2^nd and 3^rd place, but taking the CB500 victory, whilst Davis was languishing down in 13^th after the opening lap, but taking 2^nd place in the Lightweight class, 8^th Overall.

The combined Open Solo/Pre-Injection Open Solo races saw somebody return to the head of the field for the first time in a while Richard Eglin (Derby) hit the front on Lap4, after finishing the opening lap in 4^th. Eglin chasing the faster starting Matt Bell (Sheffield), 1^st , Adam Walters (Derby), 2^nd and Mark Goodings (Doncaster) 3^rd after Lap1. Eglin moved into 2^nd on Lap2 before taking the lead on Lap4 and holding it until the final lap when Bell reclaimed the lead, leaving Goodings and Walters 3^rd and 4th respectively and all on Open machines. The first of the Pre-Injection machines was Mark Brailsford (Chesterfield) 5^th overall after battling with Daniel Stubbs (Derby) throughout the race and passing him on the last lap to claim the class victory by just 0.16sec. The second race saw Walters lead after Lap1, from Bell, Goodings 3^rd and Eglin 4^th, Brailsford 5^th and Stubbs 6^th. The top3 switch around on Lap2, Bell leading, Goodings, 2^nd Walters 3^rd until Lap5 when Goodings hit the front and stretched out a 5sec lead at the flag, leaving Bell and Walters 2^nd and 3^rd, with Eglin 4^th. On this occasion Stubbs got the better of Brailsford, passing him on Lap3 and keeping the advantage for Pre-Injection honours.

The Bell/Goodings/Eglin/Walters quartet were to feature in the opening Ben Godfrey Trophy race, albeit for Walters a short-lived in this one after finishing Lap1 in 2^nd place he failed to finish Lap2. No mistakes, or machine failures for Bell who secured a start – finish victory, with Eglin inheriting 2^nd from Walters, until Goodings passed him on Lap3 where the positions stayed until the chequered flag. The second race may have seen Bell complete another start – finish victory, but this was yet another hard-fought battle with Goodings, who had passed Walters on Lap2 , then set about reducing the 1.3sec gap to Bell. With the help of recording the fastest lap of the race on Lap3, 0.3sec quicker than Bell’s fastest, he could only bring the gap down to the leader to just 0.43sec at the flag.

Goodings and Carson were also to do battle in the combined Open 600/Pre-Injection 600 races although in the first race neither saw the front, the pair finishing the opening lap 3^rd and 4^th respectively, behind the fast starting Adam Mather (Nottingham) and Joe Holdsworth (Huddersfield) who were involved in a close battle at the head of the field, split by less than 0.5sec until Lap5 when Holdsworth was able to stretch out a 7sec advantage after hitting the front on Lap4. All these competitors were on Open 600 class machines, whilst Pre-Injection 600 honours were being battled out lower down the field, throughout the race, between Nick Clare (Winsford) and Adam Sheriff, in 7^th and 8^th on Lap1 and finishing in the same positions but split by just 0.07sec at the flag. The second race saw Holdsworth make the quicker start and hold the overall lead until Goodings, 2^nd on Lap1 had bridged the gap and take the lead on Lap6, but the pair then battled it out until the chequered flag, split by just 0.2sec, with Goodings taking his second win of the day. Whilst together after Lap1 Sheriff had managed to put a rider between him and Clare by Lap2, eventually finishing Overall 6^th and Clare 9^th, with over 10sec separating the Pre-Injection competitors.

For this meeting there was an additional class to squeeze into the race day programme and schedule with a Round of the ACU Ultra Lightweight Championship featuring a few competitors from the regular Darley Moor ‘catchment area.’ Claiming maximum points from his entry was Max McGlone (Hull) who led all but two of the opening laps in the second 8lap race. The first race saw a start – finish victory and finish 10sec ahead of the nearest challengers, Max Chambers (Nottingham) and Morgan Fulop (Bolton) who engaged in a race-long battle for 2^nd place. Chambers was quicker of the line and held the advantage for the first 4laps, until Fulop took over for several laps, but could not hold onto the advantage when it mattered, Chambers passing him on the final lap to take 2^nd place by just 0.06sec. The second race saw Jay Gilbert (Warrington) quickest off the line and hold the advantage over McGlone until Lap3, but Gilbert wasn’t going to let him get away and tried to stay with him, eventually finishing 2.6sec behind after the 8laps. The battle for 3^rd place was a race-long four-way one involving Gilbert, Chambers, Paul Livesey (Glossop), Fulop and Will Greenway (Cleobury Mortimer). Greenway being the only rider not to head the battle, which eventually finished in favour of Chambers 3^rd, Livesey 4^th, Fulop 5th and Greenway 6^th.

Moving on to the next meeting, the Stars at Darley season finale held over the first weekend of October, 5^th – 6^th, which will see a number of special guests challenging for the Star of Darley title, plus just the ‘small’ matter of fourteen champions to be determined and with 60 points at stake a lot can change. Be sure not to miss it, tickets and camping can be sorted via www.darleymoorstore.com with food and refreshments available at the Chequered Flag Café over the weekend.

Championship Standings (after Round 8)

Forgotten Era & Classic up to 500cc

1st Steve Price, 120pts; 2nd Iain Davis, 90pts; 3rd Mike Lees, 58pts

Forgotten Era & Classic up to 1300cc

1st Adam Sheriff, 117pts; 2nd Martin Davis, 48pts; 3rd Tom Hodge, 35pts

Wilson Trophy

1st Peter Fell, 90pts; 2nd Matt Zschiesche, 88pts, 3rd Jordan Poole, 76pts

Darley Cup

1st David Carson, 106pts; 2nd Nick Clare,80pts; 3rd Mark Pattinson, 30pts

Ben Godfrey Trophy

1st Matthew Bell, 117pts; 2nd Mark Goodings, 93pts; 3rd Adam Walters, 76pts

Open 600cc 2024