Carson And Goodings Top the Winners List at Darley Moor Round 5

Yet another day of close racing at the Darley Moor Motorsport Centre, near Ashbourne, when the Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Club hosted Round 5 of their Championship on Sunday 10^th September 2023.

Competing in six races each David Carson (Northwich) and Mark Goodings (Doncaster) both had a very busy of day out on track and in the Paddock, whilst ensuring their machines were in fine fettle and ready for the demands that the engines, brakes and suspension would suffer whilst out on track.

The first race of the day saw Goodings continue his season long battle with Matt Bell (Sheffield) and Daniel Stubbs (Derby) over the inaugural Ben Godfrey Trophy, in memory of the 2017 Stars at Darley winner.  The timesheets show Bell enjoying a start – finish victory, with Goodings passing Stubbs on the second lap to move into 2^nd place, 3secs behind the leader.  However, with the help of recording the fastest lap of the race on Lap6 of 8, Goodings was on Bell’s wheel tracks on the final couple of laps, eventually crossing the line just 0.16sec behind at the flag, with Stubbs a further 8sec back.  The afternoon’s race saw Goodings make a blistering start, having a 5sec lead over Bell and Stubbs, but disaster struck on Lap3 which he failed to finish, leaving Bell to take a 13sec victory over Stubbs.  So going into the meeting Goodings needed to make-up a 5point deficit to Bell, lying 2^nd in the standings, but now Bell enjoys a 19point lead over Stubbs, with Goodings a further point behind.

The second race of the programme was the Wilson Trophy, in memory of lifelong Darley supporters Allan and Joyce Wilson, and this provided yet another close finish.  Championship leader Peter Fell (Burton on Trent) was quickest off the line and enjoyed a 1sec advantage over Jordan Poole (Stoke on Trent) at the end of the opening lap, but disaster hit once more and he failed to complete Lap2, allowing another Stoker on Trent competitor, Matt Zschiesche, who had already found a way pass Poole to inherit the lead.  From then on, the spectators were kept entertained with this pair at the front, who were never split by any more than 0.5sec and despite producing the fastest lap of the race on the final circulation Poole could not get pass Zschiesche, finishing just 0.11sec behind at the flag, with Aaron Howe (Derby) a further 11sec back in 3^rd.  The second encounter saw Poole lead the opening 3laps, with Howe 2^nd on the opening lap, but demoted to 4^th by the end of Lap2 when first Zschiesche and then Fell moved ahead.  Zschiesche then went from 3^rd place on Lap3 to leading briefly on Lap4, until Fell hit the front on Lap5 and was able to stretch out a victory margin of 4.5sec at the chequered flag, over Zschiesche, with Poole just another 0.16sec behind in 3^rd spot.

Next up in the programme was another new for 2023 championship, the Darley Cup, but on this occasion, David Carson gave no thought to the paying spectators whilst he enjoyed a start – finish victory, with almost a 15sec advantage over those behind.  Leaving Adam Green (Washington) and Andrew Herd (Preston) to provide the entertainment with a battle from Lap3 onwards, the pair finally being split by just 0.5sec, with Green taking 2^nd place.   The afternoon’s race was a whole different story, Carson finishing the opening lap down in 6^th place, whilst Herd led until Lap3, after Chris Stuart (Nottingham), absent from the first race, went from 3^rd on Lap2 to lead Lap3 and began to stretch out an advantage over whoever was in 2^nd spot.  Initially, that was Herd until Lap5 when Stephen England (Burnley) went from 4^th to 2^nd, then on the penultimate lap, Lap9, Carson crossed the line in 2^nd, 2.5sec behind Stuart.  With yet another Fastest Lap on the final lap Carson caught and passed him, crossing the line 0.02sec ahead to secure the double victory and extending his Championship lead from 10pts to 19pts over Green, with England a single point further back.

The Classic and Forgotten Era race was next up and again providing some excellent action for the paying spectators.  The opening race saw Adam Sheriff (Barnsley) quickest off the line, closely followed by Mark Brailsford (Chesterfield), both riders competing in the 500 – 1300cc class, the pair never separated by anymore than 0.5sec until the final lap when Brailsford, again producing the fastest lap at the end to pass Sheriff and stretch out a 1sec lead at the flag.  The tables were turned in the second race with Brailsford quickest off the line and holding a slim advantage until Lap7 of 10, when Sheriff hit the front and held it until the chequered flag, finishing 0.6sec ahead of his title rival and setting up a grand finale at the final double header with both competitors on the same points.  With two Overall 3^rd places, Steve Price (Stockport) took the 500cc Class honours and Iain Davis (Ashbourne) with an Overall 5^th and 4^th took the 250cc class victories.

The two busiest racers of the weekend Mark Goodings and Dave Carson lined up together in the Formula 600 races and it was Carson who was quickest off the line in the first, holding the lead for the opening five laps.  Initially, it was Chris Stuart 2^nd , until Goodings passed him on Lap3 to take the challenge to Carson, just 0.1sec split the pair as they finished Lap5.  With Goodings hounding Carson down he was then able to make a pass stick on Lap6 and open a 2.3sec cushion by the chequered flag, with Stuart a further 2sec back in 3^rd and Jack Worth (Barnsley) a similar distance back in 4^th.  Worth was fastest off the line in the next race, holding the advantage over Goodings, 2^nd, Carson 3^rd and Stuart 4^th after the opening lap.  Carson made a move on Goodings on Lap2, then Lap3 saw the pair drop Worth, from 1st to 3^rd place and begin to open a lead over the rest of the field, but themselves split by just 0.1sec.  Lap6 saw Goodings hit the front and despite Carson giving it his all on the final lap, recording another Fastest Lap, Goodings took the victory by just 1sec, Worth and Stuart 3^rd and 4^th respectively.

Next up was the combined Lightweight and CB500 race with a welcome return for the 2021 Junior Cup Champion Jamie Hanks-Elliott (Birmingham) competing on her Lightweight machine and producing an excellent overall start – finish victory.  Behind Hanks-Elliott there were four CB500 competitors, Matt Zschiesche and Jordan Poole in close combat throughout, with Zschiesche holding a slim advantage throughout and taking overall 2^nd, with Poole just 1sec behind.  The second Lightweight machine home was another former Junior Cup Champion, Katie Hand (Cabourne) the 2019 title winner, 6^th Overall and locked in a fierce race-long battle with Kyle McKinna-Brown (Stockport).  The second encounter saw championship leader Peter Fell line-up on the grid with his Lightweight machine, but that did not deter Hanks-Elliott who was still able to lead the opening laps, with Zschiesche and Poole locked in yet another battle over CB500 honours.  Unfortunately for Fell, who finished the opening lap down in 10^th place Overall, but undeterred he set about an impressive climb through the field, constantly lapping over 0.5sec quicker than anybody else.  By Lap6 he was into 2^nd place, 2.8sec behind Hanks-Elliott.  On Lap8 he set the fastest lap of the race and was able to take the lead, opening a gap of 3sec over Hanks-Elliott.  Zschiesche then took the honours in the CB500 class, with Poole, 4^th Overall, 0.4sec back.

The combined Open Solo/Pre-Injection Solo races were next and Matt Bell and Mark Goodings opportunity to battle once more.  The opening laps saw a frantic battle between the pair, with Bell holding the advantage until Lap4, when he was passed by Goodings and then able to stretch his lead of 5.5sec to take the Open Solo victory.  Taking an Overall 7^th place Stuart Bradbury (Belper) was the first Pre-Injection Open Solo machine home.  The second race saw a similar pattern with Bell leading until Lap5, then aided by backmarkers hampering Bell, Goodings was able to open a 20sec lead at the chequered flag.  Once again Bradbury was the first Pre-Injection machine home in 7^th place.

Following this, fans of three-wheeled motorsport were treated to a very dominant display by the Dan Knight/Ben Hughes (Congleton/Longholt) pairing in the combined Open Sidecars/Formula 600 outfits recording two overall start-finish victories.  The first with a 24sec margin and the second with a 37sec margin after lapping over 3sec, per lap, quicker than anybody else on the grid!  Steve Thomas and Danny Lewis (Wirral) took the Open Sidecar honours, recording an Overall 4^th place in the opener and Overall 2^nd in the second encounter.

The final race in the programme saw David Carson equal Mark Goodings’ tally of four victories at Round 5, with two battling rides in the combined 700c Twins/Pre-Electronic 600 races after finishing Lap1 in 5^th and 4^th respectively.    The first race saw Nick Clare (Winsford) quickest off the line, with Adam Sheriff and Josh Froggatt (Worksop) chasing .  Lap2 saw Froggatt into 2^nd and Carson move up to 3^rd before hitting the front on Lap3 and just managing to stretch a lead of 1sec at the flag and leaving Froggatt and Clare to battle for 2^nd.  Froggatt came out on top in the first race, taking 2^nd Overall and 2^nd 700cc Twin home, whilst Clare recorded overall 3^rd, but was the first Pre-Electronic 600 machine home.  The final race of the day saw Froggatt quickest off the line and holding the lead for two laps, when Carson made his move from 3^rd on Lap2 to lead Lap3 and stretch out a lead of 3sec at the flag.  Holding 2^nd place from Lap1 Adam Sheriff’s Pre-Electronic machine only dropped to 3^rd on Lap3, but he fought back to take an Overall 2^nd, top 600 machine with an advantage of 13sec over Froggatt’s 700 Twin.

Now with that sort of action throughout the day it is a shame the final meeting is getting closer, but it is a double header with Rounds 6 and 7 taking place on Saturday 7^th October and Sunday 8^th October alongside the new style Stars at Darley event, but you will have to wait until a little closer before we can reveal who has already registered to compete in the traditional season finale.

As usual the action on track will begin at 10am, with advance tickets available at www.darleymoorstore.com: Adults £15 and Seniors £12 or £28 and £22 for a weekend ticket, whereas on the gate prices are £18 Adults and £15 Seniors or £34 and £28 respectively for the weekend tickets.

Championship Standings (after Round 5)