Report: Pirelli British Masters
By Jason Bellinger on 16th Mar 16
Buildbase Hondas dominated both Pro classes at last weekends opening round of the Pirelli British Masters of Motocross series and a re-vamped Culham Moto Park in Oxfordshire as Graeme Irwin and Kristian Whatley topped the MX1 class and Martin Barr and Lewis Trickett did likewise in MX2 for a complete lock-out of the top two steps of the podiums.
The weather was kind to the organisers as after early morning fog that saw Saturdays qualifying held up for a while, the sun came out and shone almost like a spring day. However, the newly made ‘green' track suffered from use and after rutting up on the face of the jumps the last race for the smaller wheeled riders was cancelled on safety grounds and will be run at a future round.
Irwin got the holeshot at the start of the first combined MX1/MX2 race with team-mate Whatley in his wheel-tracks as Ryan Haughton and new GP rider Alex Snow filling the next two places as Elliott Banks-Browne was down in eighth place and the first of the MX2 riders, Steven Clarke was in fifth.
By lap three the leading riders stayed in the same order as Irwin and Whatley stretched away from Houghton, with Banks-Browne up to fourth place as Snow got pushed back to fifth.
Clarke was now sixth, but had an on form Barr closing fast on him as Brad Todd and Trickett were third and fourth in the MX2 chase.
With three laps to go Banks-Browne found a way passed Houghton, pushing him back to fourth and, with a lap to go Snow relegated him one place further as the finishing order for the MX1 class was Irwin, from Whatley, Banks-Brown, Snow and Houghton.
Barr had passed Clarke for the MX2 win with four laps left, leaving Clarke second from Lewis Tomes, Trickett and Kieran Banks.
Once again Irwin got the holeshot at the start of the second race from Banks-Browne and Sunny Thompson, as Whatley slid off his and completed the lap back in 11th spot and with some work to do.
Barr was the first of the MX2 riders, in sixth, with Bryan Mackenzie in his shadow.
With the race just three laps old Whatley, who was on a bit of a mission had already passed Snow and was in third place and closing on the second place man Banks-Browne while Barr and Mackenzie still fought over being the first MX2 rider as Trickett dropped in behind them from twelfth place at the start.
With four laps to go Whatley was in second pushing Banks-Browne back to third as Snow had a massive get-off handing fourth place to Haughton which is how the top four MX1's crossed the finish line.
Barr was the first MX2 in fifth on the track, from Mackenzie, Trickett and Liam Knight (Dyer and Butler KTM).
"For the first time this year I suffered a bit of arm pump, which I'm guessing is down to this track being sort of hard pack,” said a happy Irwin. "After I got holeshot I just rode my own pace and got the win with Kristian (Whatley) right behind me, and keeping me honest.
"I got the holeshot again in race two, but I think Kristian went down at the start and the pressure was off me a bit, so again I just rode my own race but I knew he was going to be fast in that race so I have to keep an eye on him. I am pleased with the way I am riding at the moment and my confidence is high so all I need to do now is carry it into next weekend's Maxxis round, but that's not going to be easy.”
From top step of the podium MX2 winner Barr said: "It's been another really good weekend here at the Pirelli Master and I am so pleased with my Buildbase Honda. I was third fastest in qualifying and I backed that up with two MX2 wins, so it can't get much better than that.”
In a closely fought Amateur MX1 class, Brad Cavill took the overall without winning a race as others fell all around him.
Race one winner Jacob Joyce notched up two fourth places and a third for second overall, just four points behind Cavill. After a third and two wins crashed Henry Siddiqui crashed from second place in his last race of the day and ended in 14th – his hopes of the overall gone – with Scott Banks in fourth place.
With two wins and two second places, wild-card Adam Wells stormed to the overall win in the Amateur MX2 class with race four winner Michael Ellis, who didn't finish out of the top three, second. Race four winner Joe Jeffries messed up in race one and had to come from 27th on the opening lap to finish sixth, but with that result went his chance of the overall.
Closest finishing of the weekend was the 125 Two-strokes as Will Worden and Jim Davies shared the win's with two each, but Worden backed up his wins with two second places where Davis was second in the last race but just couldn't find a way to pass third place man overall Corey Hockey in race three and had to settle for third in the race and second overall – just two points behind Worden.
There was no stopping Howard Wainwright in the MXY2 class. Only a pass by Callum Green on the last lap of race two stopped him from the clean sweep.
Drew Roe didn't finish out of the top three all weekend for a strong second overall with Mitchel Warhurst third on the box.
As for race two winner Green? He crashed at the start of Sunday's opening race and came round in last place to finished in a de-tuned 17th place. He failed to start the final race.
Dominic Lancett dominated the Big-wheel class by winning all three of his races, while Gary Ashley and Aaron McLoughan were left to fight over the runner-up spot with just a single point separating the pair come the end of the weekend.
Louis Thomas spent most of the weekend in around fourth place for fourth overall while Declan Hunter had a great ride in his first race where he finished second, but couldn't repeat it and had settle for fifth overall, this time.
No one else got a look in when it came to Small-wheel 85cc as wild-card, Bobbie Bruce, won all three races in style as Jack Lindsay followed him home in each race for second overall. Harrison McCann notched up three third places for the last step on the podium.
The poor little Junior 65cc riders did suffer most from the changing track conditions, but that didn't stop Alfie Jones from taking three strait wins from his three starts with Bed Pratt following him over the finish line two out of the three times. Billy Moriarty had three top six finishes for third overall with Keyde Rayns just missed out on the podium.
