SMITH HEADS THE PRO EXPERT CHAMPIONSHIPAFTER OPENING ROUND

Last Sunday the 2015 Phoenix Tools Ifly Premier Motocross Championship got underway with the opening round at Whiteway Barton, Kingsteignton where the morning began with a lot of drizzly rain in the air, but that didn’t deture the many spectators who were in attendance and were entertained with a full entry in all classes.

 

The Expert class for 2015 consisted of two Championships in the shape of a pro expert class and an expert class which was stacked with talent and included a couple of Wildcard entries.

 

The Pro expert class was really thrilling and was to produce three different winners during the day. Alex Snow on the Phoenix Tools/Ifly Husqvarna was to win the opening race after taking the lead from the first corner, but he had to be at his best as the D S C Cornwall Kawasaki of Sunny Thompson was to push him for a couple of laps early on and a late surge from Shane Carless on the Oakleaf Motorsport Honda towards the end of the race was to put Snow under a lot of pressure.

 

It wasn’t the best of starts for Snow in the second race, but it was for wildcard Lewis Trickett on the MBO Sport Yamaha who with a clear track in front of him stormed away at the front. Snow was to make good progress, but on lap 8 his bike had a problem and was steaming and he had to pull up. James Harrison on the Phoenix Tools Ifly Husqvarna and the Tony Maunders Racing Suzuki of Jamie Skuse were to have a real ding dong mid race with Skuse eventually moving into 2^nd who towards the end of the race had another Phoenix Tools Ifly Husqvarna of Alfie Smith closing in, but it was Trickett who took a convincing win from Skuse.

 

Carless had the best start in the last race and led for the first couple of laps before Snow who was out on his spare bike got the better of him, but a man on a mission after not the best of starts was Smith who was absolutely flying who by midrace was lapping nigh on two seconds quicker than the leading two. Smith caught and passed Carless and a lap later was to pass Snow to take the lead and from that point went on to take the chequered flag and with it became Championship leader after the opening round.

               

Ty Kellett on the S J Hodder Husqvarna was in fine form onboard his 2-stroke as he was to notch up a hattrick of wins in the expert class to become the early expert Championship leader.

               

In the Over 35 Championship class there was no stopping defending Champion Nick Life on the Gibbs Performance/St Blazey Yamaha who was to lead all three races from the off and was to set a blistering pace in all three races which he won by some considerable margins. Rick Hanson who this year was on a Readypower KTM was his nearest rival who also rode at a fair pace who was rewarded with a hattrick of second places.

               

The Over 40’s Championship saw many new faces on the scene, and this included Terry House on the Crescent Suzuki who was soon to show that he is a threat in 2015 as he took the first two races by storm, but it was Richard Green on the T R Engineering Yamaha who denied him in the last race along with wildcard Leigh Williams who took 2^nd from House who ended up finishing in 3^rd.

               

In the Over 50’s class defending Champion Mark Gleadhill carried on where he left off in 2014 and was to put up a fine display of riding and took a hattrick of wins, but there was good rides from both Steve Lyons and Sammy Doble.

               

In the Junior Championship class there were many new riders including many riders who were having there first ride in the Adults. The Junior Championship class was to produce some of the best racing on the day with young 15 year old Jamie Carpenter on the Phoenix Tools Ifly Husqvarna winning the opening race, but Jamie was to go down in a mayhem in the second race just four corners in to the race and was way down the field. Wildcard Bill Farleigh was to lead the proceedings in this one and looked to have it in the bag, or that was what everybody was thinking. Carpenter really had the throttle wound back and was on a mission and was easing his way up through the field and by the start of the last lap was right with Farleigh pressing for the lead and the pressure got to Farleigh as he dropped it exiting the u-turn and through went Carpenter who took an excellent win. In the last race it was Farleigh who initially led the race for one lap, until he was overhauled by Carpenter on lap 2 and from there Carpenter didn’t look back and was to go on to notch up the win to make it a hattrick on the day.

 

Report and Photos by Dave Rich

 

RESULTS

Phoenix Tools Ifly Pro Expert Championship

Race 1

1^st Alex Snow (350f Phoenix Tools/Ifly Husqvarna) 2^nd Shane Carless (450f Oakleaf Motorsport Honda) 3^rd Alfie Smith (350f Phoenix Tools/Ifly Husqvarna) 4^th Jamie Skuse (450f Tony Maunders Racing Suzuki) 5^th Sunny Thompson (450f D S C Cornwall Kawasaki) 6^th James Harrison (250f Phoenix Tools/Ifly Husqvarna)

Race 2

1st Lewis Trickett (250f MBO Sport Yamaha) 2^nd Skuse 3^rd Smith 4^th Carless 5^th Harrison 6^th Todd Kellett (250f D T off Road/S J Hodder Honda)

Race 3

1^st Smith 2^nd Snow 3^rd Carless 4^th Skuse 5^th Thompson 6^th John May (350f St Blazey Husqvarna)

Tony Maunders Expert Championship

Race 1

1^st Ty Kellett (250 S J Hodder Husqvarna) 2^nd Luke Sturgeon (450f KTM) 3^rd Josh Taylor (250F Gibbs Performance KTM) 4^th Fraser Wakeford (450f Gabriel Insulation Services Honda) 5^th James Kensington (250 Tony Maunders Racing KTM) 6^th Luke Hill (450f Hill Power Racing Honda)

Race 2

1^st Kellett 2^nd Hill 3^rd Taylor 4^th Ryan Redwood (450f Honda) 5^th Kensington 6^th Sturgeon

Race 3

1^st Kellett 2^nd Charlie Putnam (250f Phoenix Tools/Ifly Husqvarna) 3^rd Redwood 4^th Hill 5^th Kensington 6^th Taylor

M D Racing Over 35’s Championship

Race 1

1^st Nick Life (450f Gibbs Performance Yamaha) 2^nd Rick Hanson (350f Readypower KTM) 3^rd Stephen Elford (450f Gabriel Insulations/Chichester Honda) 4^th Jamie Deadman (450f Gibbs Performance KTM) 5^th James Knatchbull (450f Suzuki) 6^th Martyn Tucker (450f SR75/Molson Suzuki)

Race 2

1^st Life 2^nd Hanson 3^rd Elford 4^th Richard Marsh (450f Honda) 5^th Tucker 6^th Knatchbull

Race 3

1^st Life 2^nd Hanson 3^rd Knatchbull 4^th Marsh 5^th Elford 6^th Tucker

M D Racing Over 40’s Championship

Race 1

1^st Terry House (450f Crescent Suzuki) 2^nd Leigh Williams (450f KTM) 3^rd David Ford (350f Projuice KTM) 4^th Chris Brown (450f Cheddar Mx Store Honda) 5^th Richard Green (450f T R Green Engineering Yamaha) 6^th Justin Carpenter (250 Husqvarna)

Race 2

1^st House 2^nd Williams 3^rd Ford 4^th Brown 5^th Carpenter 6^th Green

Race 3

1^st Green 2^nd Williams 3^rd House 4^th Brown 5^th Rob Lewis (350f Tony Maunders Racing KTM) 6^th Carpenter

M D Racing Over 50’s Championship

Race 1

1^st Mark Gleadhill (250 Honda) 2^nd Steve Lyons (450f Honda) 3^rd Sammy Doble (300 M D Racing KTM) 4^th Graham Beale (250 KTM) 5^th Dave Watson (250 Honda) 6^th Ryan Pugsley (250f KTM)

Race 2

1^st Gleadhill 2^nd Lyons 3^rd Doble 4^th Adrian Toy (150 KTM) 5^th Watson 6^th Shaun Annetts (450f Branson/Annetts Honda)

Race 3

1^st Gleadhill 2^nd Doble 3^rd Lyons 4^th Toy 5^th Watson 6^th Annetts

Tyremarks Junior Championship

Race 1

1^st Jamie Carpenter (350f Phoenix Tools/Ifly Husqvarna) 2^nd Bill Farleigh (250f KTM) 3^rd Dan Hartley (450f Kawasaki) 4^th Luke Craig (250f KTM) 5^th Bradley Barfoot (450f Yamaha) 6^th Billy King (250f Kawasaki)

Race 2

1^st Carpenter 2^nd Farleigh 3^rd Craig 4^th Harry Mitchell (250f Yamaha) 5^th King 6^th Hartley

Race 3

1^st Carpenter 2^nd Craig 3^rd Farleigh 4^th King 5^th Mitchell 6^th Luke Smith (125 Yamaha)

Junior B

Race 1

1^st Liam Poll 2^nd Stuart Barfoot 3^rd Josh Griffiths 4^th Curtis Mears 5^th Matt Wells 6^th George Edwards

Race 2

1^st Reagan Skinner 2^nd Mears 3^rd Kieran Yorke 4^th Barfoot 5^th Maverick Smith 6^th Doug Wynne

Race 3

1^st Skinner 2^nd Yorke 3^rd Smith 4^th Mears 5^th Dale Lyons 6^th Jamie Dixon

Junior C

Race 1

1^st Aiden Newitt 2^nd Darren Brock 3^rd Richard Grills 4^th Giles Richards 5^th Daniel Budd 6^th Ben Botterill

Race 2

1^st Brock 2^nd Grills 3^rd Newitt 4^th Connor Hill 5^th Botterill 6^th Budd

Race 3

1^st Newitt 2^nd Richards 3^rd Hill 4^th Adam Barfoot 5^th Budd 6^th Lewis Smith