Going for the Pontrilas Gold'
By TMX Archives on 15th Aug 07
WITH the Sidecars and Quads having lost round eight of the series to the floods, everybody is looking forward to the penultimate round of the CCM backed British MMX Championship at Howton Court, Pontrilas, this Sunday, August 19, where all four classes will be in action, Four-stroke, Under 21, Quad and Sidecar.
All of the classes have raced at the circuit, seton a steep hillside overlooking the Golden Valley just north ofAbergavenny, before and produced some spectacular action, and with thecircuit having received some minor tweaks and alterations everything islooking good for some serious entertainment.
With reigning Four-stroke champion Brad Andersonaway on Grand Prix duties in Ireland, championship leader, PAR Honda'sWayne Smith will be looking to fend-off the challenges of MotoXtremeKawasaki's Mark Hucklebridge and extend his 44 point lead at the headof the table, while Danny and Jody Smyth will be looking to make a movetowards the top three in the series, both riding for the Wiseco Hondasquad.
The big four-strokes are super quick around thePontrilas circuit and will no doubt be taking the whoop section two orthree jumps at a time to gain an advantage.
Under-21 series leader Ray Rowson will be gladthat wild-card Elliot Banks-Browne is back at the GP's, after narrowlymissing out to him twice at the last round, and he will be looking totake his Molson Kawasaki to two more race wins and extend his sizeablechampionship lead.
Alex Snow made his first appearance on the podiumthis season at Dean Moor last time out and will be pushing hard torepeat that performance on the Relentless Suzuki, while Relentlessteammate Jamie Law picked-up an injury in Cumbria that kept him out ofthe results, but he still holds second in the standings and will belooking to maintain that.
Joining the racing for the first time in 2007 isformer world 85cc champion Steven Clarke, fresh back from his LorrettaLynn's success in USA, and no doubt he will be running towards thefront and could upset the applecart.
John Mitchell is holding on to the lead of theQuad championship, aboard his ATV World Yamaha, heading to Pontrilas,but he will have to fend off the challenges from former champion,Interlock Honda rider Paul Winrow, as well as Mercuria Yamaha's Dutchstar Joe Maessen. All three are within a slender 17 points of eachother and will be looking to gain some sort of advantage going in tothe last round.
John and Mark Watson will start the day with a27-point advantage at the head of the Sidecar championship and will nodoubt be looking spectacular as ever as they clear the big Pontrilastable-top, heading for what they hope will be a maximum points score onthe day.
With current champions Stuart Brown and LukePeters sidelined due to an injury to Stuart, Scott Wilkinson and GaryBurt will be piling on the pressure to try and cut the Watsons' slenderpoints advantage.
Andy Eastman and Steve Kirwin have been having abrilliant season and will be trying to hold on to their 11-pointadvantage over John Lyne and Peter Grilling, while Thijs and Roy Dirkswill once again be making the trip over from Holland to try and liftthemselves up from 11th in the current standings.
Practice and qualifying will get underway atPontrilas with the Sidecar class at 9:00am and the first race, theSidecars again, going off at 12:30pm
The Howton Court circuit can be found on the A465midway between Hereford and Abergavenny and will be signed from bothdirections. Adult entry is 10 and there are concessions forpensioners, children and family groups.