Bridgestone British Masters Rd 5: Monster Mountain
By Team TMX on 14th Aug 24
Round five of the Bridgestone British Masters, Powered by Rock Oil, travelled to the lofty heights of Monster Mountain in South Wales for what proved to be a problematic weekend of action.
On Friday, as the teams and riders started to turn up, the sun was out, and it was sweltering. However, as those attending began to wake up on Saturday, they faced low clouds, or it could have been mist, which made it impossible to marshal the event. You couldn't see from one marshalling point to the next. So, qualifying and racing were delayed until it cleared and vision improved. Then it was postponed again, and yet again.
It was 11.30 before qualifying, and racing could be started as the sun poked its head through the melting grey clouds. With no finishing time stated, the organisers just went for it and fired off qualifying and racing like bullets from a machine gun. It was all over by 7.30, and everyone had a late evening meal.
Day two on Sunday started well, apart from the start straight being overwatered until mid-afternoon when an unfortunate crash on the deteriorating track caused a stoppage that would have lasted an hour and a half. At that point, the organisers, after consulting with the first aid personnel and with the riders' safety in mind, abandoned the rest of the meeting, and everyone got to go home early.
Of the races that did run, the Experts only had one race.
Josh Spinks (M Williams KTM) got the holeshot from Tom Grimshaw (Apico Honda), Carlton Husband (Phoenix Even Strokes Kawasaki), and the fastest in qualifying, Taylor Hammal (Crendon Tru7 Honda). But as they came around to complete the first lap, Grimshaw had been off, lost his crash helmet peak as he did it, and was now behind Hammal and Husband.
Also in the wars was Charlie Cole (Phoenix Evenstrokes Kawasaki), who had tangled with another rider and was at the back in the very last position.
As Hammal started to close in on the leader Spinks, local rider Glen Phillips (Kawasaki) began to slip back from his sixth-place start. Series leader James Dodd (Marsh Honda) spent all race charging around the long track in fifth, not passing anyone and not coming under the threat of being passed.
At the front of the race, Hammal had caught Spinks and was applying a lot of pressure until he found a way past and into the lead on lap seven. Hammal crossed the finish line almost seventeen seconds clear of Spinks; as Grimshaw re-passed Husband, the pair came home in third and fourth positions.
Josh Coleman (Concept Racing Yamaha) started the race in eighth place on his two-stroke but finished seventh after Cole passed him on the last but one lap.
“I have been enjoying riding the 450 and was looking forward to getting more used to it here today,” said Hammal, “Unfortunately, a rider has had a bad crash, and there are now some concerns about track safety, and it’s too dangerous, but that’s motocross. I didn’t get a good start, and Josh Spinks does go well, considering he's not full-time anymore. But when I did get past him, I knew I could pull away. I was going to change something on the bike for the second race but will have to save that for another day."
Spinks was philosophical about being passed by Hammal and said, “I wouldn’t expect to be able to hold off these young riders nowadays. I am really busy with the work side of my life in coaching and I don’t get to ride much in the week, so to roll up and not be far off the winning pace is OK. I am happy with that, and not having the fitness at the end of the race is something I must accept as I am getting on a bit. But all in all, it's been good. The track was tricky. Hardpack where you didn't expect it that gave you wheelspin, but I have ridden other tracks that you would call more sketchy. As to cancelling the second half of racing, I can't comment, but from what I hear, the concerns were about some injuries, and I hope those who were hurt have a speedy recovery. But I did like the challenges of the track.”
Third-placed man Grimshaw said about his day, “I didn’t get a good jump on the gate but quickly moved into second, but a while later, I tucked the front near the finish and lost a couple of positions. It was a good ride back to where I started, but the other two were gone when I got to third place. I was looking forward to race two. I must say I was a bit disappointed about the track preparation today. They sort of filled in the holes. Coming down the straight, there were big holes that had just loose dirt filled in them from yesterday, hiding them. We could have seen the holes if he had left it. It raced well, but there were areas you had to be very careful in".
Wildcard rider Travis Steels (GASGAS), with two wins and a second place, won the Amateur MX1 class from Brad Wheeler (MX Vice Even Strokes Yamaha), who didn’t finish out of the top three all weekend. Race two winner Ben Knight (KTM) struggled in race one as he slipped from second to seventh.
It was a close finish in the Amateur MX2 class as Raife Broadley (Fantic), with two race wins and a second place, beat wildcard rider Rory Jones (IDS KTM), who had a win and two seconds place by just two points. Jonathan Roderck-Evans (Concept Yamaha) had three strong rides for third overall.
Another wildcard rider, Yarin Evens (KTM), won all three Clubman races in great style. Behind him, Scott Bates (IDS Kawasaki) and Colin McLuckie (Honda) fought all weekend for the last two places on the winner's podium.
Charlie Richmond (JP KTM) dominated the 125cc race with three race wins, but behind him, Matt Bayliss (S Briggs GASGAS), Will Haddock (MJW K-Tech KTM) and Damon Strydom (FUS Mash Honda) filled the following three places and were separated by just six points.
At the time of the stoppage, only two of the MXY2 races had been run. Jamie Keith (Yamaha), a wildcard rider, won both from Harrison Greenough (KTM) and Austin Beasty (O’Neal KTM). Lewis Proud (SRH KTM) was fourth, with Max Corke (KTM), Shane Jones (Apex Motopark GASGAS) and George Corke (KTM) filling the following three places, all on 91 points.
Yet another wildcard rider of Finley Pickering (Husqvarna) won the ever-competitive Big Wheel 85s. At the same time, championship leader Joel Winstanley-Dawson (Castle Trucks KTM) messed up his first start of the weekend, finishing eighth, but made up for it in the next two of his races to finish second overall. Maison Jones (KTM) was third, just two points behind Winstanley-Dawson.
With three race wins from his three starts, Arthur Moore (RMJ SJP KTM) won the overall in the Small Wheel 85s and increased his lead in the championship, while Harley Marczak (KTM) kept his championship hopes alive with his second overall. Leo Wilson (Lyme Design GASGAS) was third overall but just two points behind Marczak. With sixth overall, Nixon Coppins (Yamaha) slips back to third in the championship.
Cohen Jagielski (KTM) dominated the Junior 65s with three race wins, while wildcard riders Caleb Ross (Husqvarna) and Jett Gardener (KTM) chassed Jagielski home in each of the three races for second and third places. They were separated by just two points going into the last round.
Bridgestone British Masters Round 5 - Monster Mountain Results
Experts
| 1 | Taylor Hammal | Crendon Tru7 Honda | 45 |
| 2 | Josh Spinks | M Williams KTM | 43 |
| 3 | Tom Grimshaw | Apico Honda | 41 |
| 4 | Carlton Husband | Phoenix Even Strokes Kawasaki | 39 |
| 5 | James Dodd | Marsh Honda | 37 |
| 6 | Charlie Cole | Phoenix Even Strokes Kawasaki | 35 |
| 7 | Josh Coleman | Concept Racing Yamaha | 34 |
| 8 | Rory Jones | KTM | 33 |
| 9 | Henry Williams | FUS Marsh Honda | 32 |
| 10 | Glen Phillips | Kawasaki | 31 |
Championship Positions
1 Dodd 304, 2 Williams 284, 3 Cole 255, 4 Jones 222, 5 Husband 207, 6 Spinks 174, 7 Steels 171, 8 Mills 168, 9 Thornhill 158, 10 Coleman 144.
Amateur MX1
| 1 | Travis Steels | GASGAS | 45 + 43 + 45 = 133 |
| 2 | Brad Wheeler | MX Vice/ Even Strokes Yamaha | 43 + 41 + 41 = 125 |
| 3 | Ben Knight | KTM | 34 + 45 + 43 = 122 |
| 4 | Jaydon Murphy | Yamaha | 37 + 39 + 37 = 113 |
| 5 | Josh Greedy | Moto33 Yamaha | 35 + 37 + 39 = 111 |
| 6 | Josh Canton | Yamaha | 41 + 30 + 31 = 102 |
| 7 | Simon Booth | Acerbis KTM | 31 + 34 + 33 = 98 |
| 8 | Daniel Maule | Hatchet MX Yamaha | 26 + 35 + 35 = 96 |
| 9 | Seth Manners | Chambers GASGAS | 39 + 24 + 32 = 93 |
| 10 | John Joe Wright | Kawasaki | 32 + 27 + 34 = 89 |
Championship Positions
1 Manners 750, 2 Greedy 734, 3 Knight 725, 4 Wheeler 691, 5 Booth 642, 6 Maule 615, 7 Crellin 534, 8 Millard 495, 9 Smith 430, 10 Wright 406.
Amateur MX2
| 1 | Raife Broadley | Fantic | 45 + 45 + 43 = 133 |
| 2 | Rory Jones | IDS KTM | 43 + 43 + 45 = 131 |
| 3 | Jonathan Rodenick-Evans | Concept Yamaha | 41 + 37 + 37 = 115 |
| 4 | Aaron Ongley | Kawasaki | 32 + 39 + 41 = 112 |
| 5 | Josh Bassett | KTM | 37 + 34 + 35 = 106 |
| 6 | Leon Ongley | Fantic | 22 + 41 + 39 = 102 |
| 7 | Kayde Rayns | Yamaha | 34 + 35 + 33 = 102 |
| 8 | Mitchell Warhurst | KTM | 35 + 32 + 30 = 97 |
| 9 | David Plank | KTM | 39 + 33 + 22 = 94 |
| 10 | Tye Jones | Dynamic Air Kawasaki | 28 + 31 + 34 = 93 |
Championship Positions
1 Broadley 823, 2 Rodenick-Evans 691, 3 Plank 643, 4 Ongley 604, 5 Bassett 595, 6 Rayns 529, 7 Putnam 529, 8 Wren 499, 9 Armour 488, 10 Collins 467.
Clubman
| 1 | Yarin Evans | KTM | 45 + 45 + 45 = 135 |
| 2 | Scott Bates | IDS Kawasaki | 43 + 34 + 43 = 120 |
| 3 | Colin McLuckie | Honda | 41 + 39 + 32 = 112 |
| 4 | Nathan Heath | KTM | 39 + 35 + 33 = 107 |
| 5 | Kyle Briggs | Yamaha | 23 + 41 + 39 = 103 |
| 6 | Ryan Farrell | Honda | 34 + 33 + 35 = 102 |
| 7 | Jamie Collins | Difts Media Yamaha | 32 + 31 + 37 = 100 |
| 8 | Elliott Pugh | Kawasaki | 37 + 24 + 34 = 95 |
| 9 | Dan Chapman | Honda | 27 + 26 + 41 = 94 |
| 10 | Matt Jones | KTM | 25 + 37 + 31 = 93 |
Championship Positions
1 Bates 784, 2 Chapman 688, 3 Collins 660, 4 Fisher 623, 5 Clarkson 613, 6 McLuckie 594, 7 Pugh 554, 8 Loveridge 547, 9 Young 538, 10 Bell 498.
125cc
| 1 | Charlie Richmond | JP KTM | 45 + 45 + 45 = 135 |
| 2 | Matt Bayliss | S Briggs GASGAS | 43 + 39 + 43 = 125 |
| 3 | Will Haddock | MJW K.tech KTM | 37 + 43 + 41 = 121 |
| 4 | Damen Strydom | FUS Mash Honda | 39 + 41 + 39 = 119 |
| 5 | Lewis Spratt | KTM | 41 + 35 + 35 = 111 |
| 6 | Christopher Bayliss | KTM | 35 + 37 + 37 = 109 |
| 7 | Daniel Brough | RUTZZ KTM | 34 + 32 + 33 = 99 |
| 8 | Joe Grainger | Husqvarna | 33 + 30 + 31 = 95 |
| 9 | Louis Perrin-Brown | KTM | 32 + 31 + 31 = 94 |
| 10 | Troy Willerton | TM UK TM | 31 + 33 + 30 = 94 |
Championship Positions
1 Richmond 801, 2 Bayliss 792, 3 Strydom 738, 4 Haddock 715, 5 Brough 590, 6 Perrin-Brown 483, 7 Granger 477, 8 Phillips 460, 9 Wright 454, 10 Willerton 414.
MXY2
| 1 | Jamie Keith | Yamaha | 45 + 45 = 90 |
| 2 | Harrison Greenough | KTM | 43 + 43 = 86 |
| 3 | Austin Beasty | O’Neil KTM | 39 + 41 = 80 |
| 4 | Lewis Proud | SRH KTM | 41 + 33 = 74 |
| 5 | Max Corke | KTM | 32 + 39 = 71 |
| 6 | Shane Jones | Apex Motopark GASGAS | 34 + 37 = 71 |
| 7 | George Corke | KTM | 37 + 34 = 71 |
| 8 | Beau Brown | Boandock Racing KTM | 33 + 35 = 68 |
| 9 | Jack Wilson | Lyme Design GASGAS | 35 + 29 = 64 |
| 10 | Finley Boxall | Loscue Electrical KTM | 31 + 31 = 63 |
Championship Positions
1 Brown 701, 2 Greenough 672, 3 Beasty 643, 4 Jones 628, 5 Wilson 501, 6 Boxall 485, 7 Sulley 460, 8 Rayns 453, 9 Conway 439. 10 Carron 430.
Big Wheel 85
| 1 | Finley Pickering | Husqvarna | 45 + 43 + 45 = 133 |
| 2 | Joel Winstanley-Dawson | Castle Trucks KTM | 33 + 45 + 41 = 119 |
| 3 | Maison Jones | KTM | 39 + 41 + 37 = 117 |
| 4 | Alfie Herron | L+R Herrow Husqvarna | 34 + 33 + 43 = 110 |
| 5 | Jack Leese | GASGAS | 37 + 34 + 39 = 110 |
| 6 | William Evans | KTM | 32 + 37 + 35 = 104 |
| 7 | Kameron Greenhalgh | Greenhaigh Transport Husqvarna | 35 + 35 + 33 = 103 |
| 8 | Olly Waters | KTM | 43 + 15 + 39 = 97 |
| 9 | Charlie Mitchell | KTM | 31 + 30 + 31 = 72 |
| 10 | Jaden Hill | KTM | 27 + 32 + 32 = 91 |
Championship Positions
1 Winstanley-Dawson 765, 2 Waters 705, 3 Greenhalgh 693, 4 Jones 654, 5 Stapley 614, 6 Leese 571, 7 Piggford 524, 8 Self 448, 9 Evans 425, 10 Williams 418.
Small Wheel 85
| 1 | Arthur Moore | RMJ SJP KTM | 45 + 45 + 45 = 135 |
| 2 | Harley Marczak | KTM | 37 + 43 + 43 = 123 |
| 3 | Leo Wilson | Lyme Design GASGAS | 39 + 41 + 41 = 121 |
| 4 | Arthur King | KTM | 35 + 39 + 37 = 111 |
| 5 | Ethan Gawley | Ethan Gawley Racing KTM | 34 + 35 + 33 = 102 |
| 6 | Nixon Coppins | Yamaha | 41 + 20 + 39 = 100 |
| 7 | Henry Lewis | Emdire Construction GASGAS | 33 + 31 + 35 = 99 |
| 8 | Keedan Williamson | Husqvarna | 29 + 33 + 34 = 96 |
| 9 | Harry Hall | Hewiton Plant KTM | 26 + 37 + 32 = 95 |
| 10 | Harry Cuddy | Husqvarna | 31 + 30 + 30 = 91 |
Championship Positions
1 Moore 802, 2 Marczak 793, 3 Coppins 779, 4 Wilson 691, 5 Hall 622, 6 Williamson 603, 7 Gawley 595, 8 Butterfield 574, 9 Thorpe 532, 10 Lewis 529.
Junior 65
| 1 | Cohen Jagielski | KTM | 45 + 45 + 45 = 135 |
| 2 | Caleb Ross | Husqvarna | 41 + 43 + 41 = 125 |
| 3 | Jett Gardener | KTM | 43 + 37 + 43 = 123 |
| 4 | Elliott Shawyer | Airport Autos KTM | 39 + 41 + 35 = 115 |
| 5 | Forrest Roberts | MX Goat KTM | 37 + 35 + 37 = 109 |
| 6 | Charley Wilcock | NORA CRS KTM | 35 + 31 +39 = 105 |
| 7 | Ronan Watson | Husqvarna | 32 + 39 + 34 = 105 |
| 8 | Alfie Cotter | GASGAS | 30 + 33 + 33 = 96 |
| 9 | Tommy Wood | KTM | 29 + 32 + 32 = 93 |
| 10 | Sydney Williams | MGMX KTM | 34 + 29 + 30 = 93 |
Championship Positions
1 Shawyer 763, 2 Watson 738, 3 Jagielski 630, 4 Wilcock 615, 5 Williams 592, 6 Roberts 589, 7 Cotter 535, 8 Chorley 524, 9 Peaty 487. 10 Thompson 484.
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