Wednesday July 6, 2011 at 2:54pm
A return to Blyton Park and the new Driving Centre gave the opportunity of a full weekend of racing and round Five of the British Championship was sponsored by Lee Rudd. This would be the first Supermoto event with the circuit under the ownership of Richard Usher, who was watching the action at this really fast track. The weekend’s weather was outstanding and a hog roast on Saturday night made this weekend a really social one, the riders appreciated the newly laid tarmac and the redesigned track and every class offered brilliant entertainment, not least the superlites on Sunday.
Quads
Aaron Ebbitt was in form at Round five of the championship and won race one by over four seconds from Matt Lawry leaving Gareth Thomas and Cathal McCarten to fight for the third position which Gareth claimed less than half a second on front of Cathal with Craig Kilner two seconds adrift in fifth. Emma Mackin had a good race finish in sixth position on the track, but was also the first of the 450 machines leading both her brother Terence and Mark Beevers over the line. In race two and Aaron would stall his machine on the gird and a full lap later he managed to rejoin the race in fourth position. Gareth Thomas had already begun to stretch out a lead from Matt Lawry and Cathal McCarten and as the race progressed Gareth would pull out almost eight seconds on Matt, though the top three positions would not change despite Cathal setting the fastest lap time. Terence Mackin this time was the first 450 machine over the line in fourth place with Emma the second 450 in sixth place. Emma led three other riders, Mark Beevers, Joe Hodgson and Jonathan Dennan over the line and they could only be separated by a second. Similarly Iain Russell, David Holman and Michael Muldoon spent the whole race battling for twelfth place. Matt Lawry led the final race from Gareth Thomas and Terence Mackin, with Emma in fourth place. Cathal McCarten was missing from the line up following a blown engine in race two. But as the race progressed and it was Gareth who pulled away at the front, second to fourth placed riders were hard to separate until a mistake from Terence left Matt chasing Gareth with Aaron in third and Emma Mackin in fourth. These positions would stand with Craig Kilner fourth in class but fifth on track with Emma Mackin having and excellent set of finishes today. Joe Hodgson had a great finish in sixth and held off Luke Holman in seventh. Once again Iain Russell led a close pack of riders to finish in his highest position today in eleventh.
Quad 450 Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Emma Mackin 2. Luke Holman 3. Jonathan Dennan 4. David Holman 5. Andrew Dixon
Quad Open Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Gareth Thomas 2. Matt Lawry 3. Aaron Ebbitt 4. Craig Kilner 5. Joe Hodgson
250 and Junior
Race one and Ben Stafford was dominant at the front with over fifteen seconds in hand over the line from Ryan Rudd who himself had a good cushion from third placed Davey Todd. As ever the junior rider Tom Booth Amos was in the midst of the 250 riders. Stuart Sharp had machinery problems that would only worsen ad the day went on and the mysterious gremlins would leave him at the back of the pack by the final race. Matt Raven battled well at the back with Dylan Henderson, though in race two Dylan was unfortunate and had to retire with a puncture. He would come back in the final race and for the first time on the day finish in front of Matt. Ryan Rudd would win the second race of the day even though Ben Stafford was the fastest out on the track; he was playing catch up from a fall early in the race and would finish third only a second behind Davey Todd. Ashley Saunders had moved up well finishing fourth on this occasion and managed to push up to third in the final.
In the final Race Ben would be the rider out in the front for the final 250 race, with a really good lead from Davey Todd and then Ashley Saunders. Davey had a fall in the first lap but restarted straight away without loosing too much ground. As the race got underway Tom Booth Amos had a fall for the second time on the day in the same position on the track, and struggled to get restarted. This left Tom with a really good race on his hands as he had to move back up the track and finish seventh on the track. Davey Todd would be in second place and this time it was Ashley Saunders who would take up the podium position with Ryan Rudd in fourth and Leigh Field having his best finish of the day in fifth.
Tom Booth Amos had the top spot in all three junior races with Ashley Rudd claiming all three second place finishes and Daniel Drayton taking each of the third placed finishes, leaving Matt to take the better of the points from Dylan.
250 Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ben Stafford 2. Davey Todd 3. Ashley Saunders 4. Ryan Rudd 5. Leigh Field
Junior Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Tom Booth Amos 2. Ashley Rudd 3. Daniel Drayton 4. Dylan Henderson 5. Matt Raven
Michelin Cup
A really good day for Brad Hardy saw him take two wins and a second place in the Michelin Cup, though Rich Jennings would also be looking for the win in each race. Rich was in the battle at the front in all three races, but after winning race one he had to concede to Brad in the second race and would take a third in the final as Steve Ellis claimed the second place finish by a good margin. Harry Kampz was consistent with three fourth place finishes on the day, and James Wood secured two fifth place finishes, the first was over the line in the second race snatching the fifth place from Will James as Will celebrated on one wheel. Kris Norris tried out a few bikes before he came good with a sixth placed finish in the final race of the day, with Kyle Wingate in seventh though his best finish had been a fifth in race one
Michelin Cup Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Brad Hardy 2. Steve Ellis 3. Rich Jennings 4. Harry Kampz 5. James Wood
450 Elite
Chris Hodgson had the early lead in race one and stayed in front of Craig Venske for the whole race with James Addy tagging on in third place and these three riders pulled a clear lead at the front. These would be the final positions at the front with Richard Blakeman adrift in fourth though he was clear from fifth placed Richard Sharp who got past Ben Robb pushing into a sixth place finish with Lewis Cornish finishing in seventh. In race two Craig Venske had a puncture on the start line but managed to re join the race on lap three. Meanwhile Chris Hodgson went in to the lead with James Addy on his tail; these two were clear at the front from Dougie Cunningham and Ben Robb with Richard Sharp in fifth. Richard Blakeman and Dale O’Connor had a fall in the first and had to make up time, while Ben Robb also had a fall in the dirt in the fifth lap. Richard Sharp would move up to third by end of the race and David Hartley would finish in fourth with Lewis having his best finish of the day in fifth. The final race and the one two would be Chris Hodgson under challenge again from James Addy, and this is how the race would end with James only two tenths of a second off the leader. Ben Robb had a better race to finish in third followed by David Hartley. This was not the day for Craig Venske as a fall in the first lap would see him retire.
450 Elite Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Chris Hodgson 2. James Addy 3. Ben Robb 4. David Hartley 5. Douglas Cunningham
Open Clubman
Rich Jennings had a great day on Saturday and kicked off Sunday with a second place finish from Ben Topliss in the Clubman races. Ben would not be so fortunate for the rest of the day after he was hit with machinery problem. Rich would go on to take the second and final win of the day, in race two he was followed by Dan Spencer and in the final the second place went to Shaun McCarthy who had started the day badly and this was a fitting end to a difficult days racing. James Wood and Rob Dickens had shared the three fourth placed positions on the day while David Auker slipped to sixth in the final after third place finishes in both the first and second race. the only other two riders consistently in the top ten were Tim Johnson and Anton Shaw who would both benefit from the points to add to their championship tally.
Open Clubman Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Rich Jennings 2. Shaun McCarthy 3. Dan Spencer 4. James Wood 5. Rob Dickens
Open National
Bradley Hardy held the front spot for the first National Race, but he would be challenged throughout the race by Oliver Kemp and these two would swap paces a few times until they both fell in the final lap and allowed Steve Hall though for the win. Steve on a borrowed bike had been sat in third for the whole race and was I a prime position to take the lead, Sam Gilbody also went through to take second while Brad rejoined to take third place over the line. Harry Kampz and Steve Ellis were the next two riders over the line while Oliver Kemp had to restart his stalled machine and came over the line in sixth.
In race two despite a good start from Bradley Hardy, Oliver Kemp found himself ready to take the flag followed by the race one winner Steve Hall and then Brad in third. Harry Kampz had another fourth placed finish and Sam Gilbody did well to finish in fifth after a poor start. In the final race another good start from Bradley but it was Ollie who would take to the front and stretch out a comfortable lead and Brad lost second position to Steve Hall but these two riders would not have any challenge from Steve Ellis who was this time in fourth place. Ollie would take home three wins this weekend with Steve Hall having the first win followed by two second place finishes and Brad who had raced so well on Saturday had to be content with three third placed positions. Steve Ellis took fourth after a mixed bag of results along with Michael Craig in fifth. Both Dave Jolly and Sam Gilbody would retire from the final race of the day.
Open National Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Oliver Kemp 2. Steve Hall 3. Bradley Hardy 4. Steve Ellis 5. Michael Craig
Open Elite
James Addy had been fastest in practice though the top five were all within a second of each other, but on the track Chris Hodgson took to the front and held off Lee Williams, James Addy and Craig Venske for ten very hot laps. The top four were to race very hard but the positions would not change and they had a good cushion from David Hartley and Dougie Cunningham. Andy Mitchell had a really good race and finished in eighth place. Simon Bentley had an excellent race to finish fourteenth while Kevin Drayton made up seven places after a first lap incident to finish fifteenth leaving behind him four battling riders who were led by Chris Lambourne and Dean Wingate.
In the second race both James Addy and Craig Venske were out at the front and as Craig challenged for the front he fell leaving no room for James who also went down. This left the door open for Chris Hodgson to lead the race followed by Lee Williams and they were followed by David Hartley and Dougie Cunningham, and fifth and sixth places were held by Richard Sharp and Andy Mitchell. These top six positions would not change. Lewis Cornish held his position to take seventh place closely followed by Graeme Norris and Richard Blakeman and then James Addy would push up to finish in tenth place only a tenth of a second off Richard Blakeman. Simon Bentley had held eighth early in the race but was extremely happy to finish in eleventh place at the end of the second race.
Going into the final race Craig Venske would start in fourteenth and James Addy in tenth with both riders keen to get into a podium position. Pole position would go to Chris Hodgson who had already had five wins this weekend and he would want to claim the final win of the day. Chris was in the front once again followed by Lee Williams and David Hartley but by the first passing Chris would be followed by David Hartley and then Lee Williams now in third position. Dougie Cunningham would come under pressure from James Addy who had moved swiftly up to fifth spot within a lap as Venske moved up to seventh. Chris had a little lead but David and Lee were both pushing hard. By the seventh lap David Hartley was reeling in Chris Hodgson with James Addy now up to third position. The top three were clear from fourth placed Lee Williams who was being chased by Venske. Although the running at the front was really fast the passing was difficult, and despite his best efforts James would have to stick with third position. Lee Williams rounded off an excellent weekend with fourth, with the less than fortunate Craig Venske in fifth. Dougie Cunningham had three very good finishes as did Richard Sharp and Richard Blakeman non of whom were ever out of the top ten. Lee Rudd had a fall early in the day and struggled to make the pace, with Dale O'Connor having to work with borrowed machinery. as for mid pack riders who have their fair share of battles on the track, Lewis Cornish had two finished just outside the top ten with a lucky seventh thrown in, Robert Hartley piped Kevin drayton on points on the day, and Ben Stafford struggled with the fast straights even though he worked as hard as he could with his 250 machine.
Open Elite Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Chris Hodgson 2. David Hartley 3. James Addy 4. Lee Williams 5. Craig Venske
Superlites 650
Joe Ellis led the first 650 race followed by Ian Biswell, and behind was all action as most of the mid pack were at one point avoiding one machine or other. Phil Redfearn finished up midway through the race parked up in the field while Ian Biswell took a cone around the track for a third of the race but still came over the line in second, while Mike Bayliss started third and despite the mayhem he regained third place over the line with Tony Turner also having a sterling race to finish in fourth.
In race two Tony moved up to lead the race after the first lap and would be followed by Ian Biswell with only a short gap back to Joe Ellis in fourth and Ian Gibbons who was close on his heels. The top four were set until the flag and the next on the track was Mike Bayliss some ten seconds adrift in fifth, three seconds later it was Ken Walton.
The final race and Tony would start at the front but couldn’t hold the position and Ian Biswell took the lead position with only a few laps to go. With two laps to go it didn’t look like Tony would have enough time left to challenge for the front and Ian Biswell would take the win from Tony and Ian Gibbons, the next over the line Joe Ellis and Mike Bayliss who had taken the fifth place from Sadie Redfearn in the dying stages of the race, and also set the fastest lap of the race.
Superlites Open
Jonathan Bennett led the first race but was under pressure from Ben Dimmack and these two were clear of a pack of four led by Phil Lee and Alan Bott. As the race progressed the top six would close in on each other for a couple of laps then Julian Fearn would drop down the pack after a touch with Alan Bott, which left Alan to start at the rear for race two. Ben Dimmack was finding it difficult to pass Jonathan and in the final lap he tried at every opportunity but couldn’t make the move stick and Jonathan would take a well deserved win from the frustrated Ben Dimmack. Phil Lee took third with Colin Griffiths and Danny Whitmee in fourth and fifth.
In race two Ben Dimmack had a lead which secured him the win. Behind him was a three man battle of Phil Lee, Colin Griffiths and Alan Bott but Phil spun out early in the race and lost ground which allowed Colin and Alan back through to second and third. The top three were then determined even though Alan would try for second place, the intervention of a backmarker meant he would not be able to move from third with Phil holding on to fourth clear from Danny Whitmee and Toby Taylor.
In the final race Alan Bott passed Ben for the lead but after a coming together Colin Griffiths would take the lead from this pair, leaving Ben to chase Colin hard but Phil Lee was within a whisker of the front runners in third position. The top three were running extremely close but had a gap from Julian Fearn. With only two laps to go under pressure Colin found himself in third place as both Ben and Phil came through, but within half a lap Colin had regained second spot and Ben Dimmack would win the final race of the day from Colin then Phil. Julian had his best finish of the day in fourth with Danny Whitmee in fifth position well clear of Toby Taylor who was being challenged by Alan Bott.
Superlites 650 Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ian Biswell 2. Tony Turner 3. Ian Gibbons 4. Joe Ellis 5. Mike Bayliss
Superlites Open Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ben Dimmack 2. Colin Griffiths 3. Phil Lee 4. Julian Fearn 5. Danny Whitmee