Darling Clements' time
By TMX Archives on 30th Oct 08
GEORGE Clements (450 Husqvarna) blew the opposition into the weeds as he won all three Expert races at the eighth and final round of the Southern Supermoto Championship at Lydd, in Kent, on Saturday.While Clements was doing it in the Expert class, Justin Bateman cleaned up in the Intermediate category, again taking all three wins, and the 2008 championship.The weather is always unpredictable in this most south-eastern part of the country, but the club was lucky as the scheduled Saturday race was run in dry, if a little overcast, conditions.
Clements led the pack into the first turn at the start of race one with Ryan Dixon and Darren Lee chasing after him, but by the end of lap two as the leading pair pulled away, Dean Hillier had caught and passed Lee and set off after the front-runners.
At half-distance, Clements had a three-second lead as Dixon and Hillier battled over second and Lee drifted back to a lonely fourth while Ben Robb and Simon Ovenden disputed fifth.
Clements crossed the finish-line six-second clear of a smooth riding Hillier, with Dixon and Lee filling the next two places
Race two was a carbon copy with Clements shooting out in front from the start. However, this time Hillier was in his wheel tracks, followed by Dixon and Lee, with Robb playing a waiting game. Just three-laps into the race, Clements had already opened up a sizable gap over Hillier who was coming under increasing pressure from Dixon as Robb caught and passed Lee for fourth spot.
Dixon took second from Hillier at around mid-race, as Robb was closing in on the leaders and Lee slipped back into a battle for fifth with Ovenden and Mike Cherret.
So, Clements took his second win of the day by nine-seconds from Dixon, Hillier and Robb.
It was Hillier's turn to get the holeshot in the final Expert outing of the year, but his time at the front was short lived as he had to roll off the gas in turn three and Clements took full advantage and went into the lead.
By the halfway stage, Clements had already opened up a five-second advantage over Dixon and Hillier with Robb closing in to make it a three-way battle for second.
It all went wrong for Hillier and Robb, though, with just three-laps remaining. The nut
holding the final drive sprocket came lose on Hillier's bike, costing him all drive. Right around the next corner, Robb lost the front end and crashed into the tyre wall.
Robb remounted to finish seventh while Hillier waited after pushing the sprocket back on the spline and crossed the finish line 12th.
Meanwhile, Clements claimed his third win of the day with Dixon second and Lee third.
When all the points where added up Clements was the 2008 Expert champion with Dixon second and Lee third.
SOUTHERN SUPERMOTO CHAMPS
Rd 8 – Lydd International Raceway
EXPERT
Race One: 1 George Clements (450 Husqvarna), 2 Dean Hillier (450 Honda), 3 Ryan Dixon (505 KTM), 4 Darren Lee (450 Honda), 5 Ben Robb (450 Honda), 6 Simon Ovenden (540 KTM).
Race Two: 1 Clements, 2 Dixon, 3 Hillier, 4 Robb, 5 Lee, 6 Ovenden.
Race Three: 1 Clements, 2 Dixon, 3 Lee, 4 Paul Angear (450 Honda), 5 Ovenden, 6 Gardener.
Final Series Standings: 1 Clements, 2 Dixon, 3 Lee, 4 Jones, 5 Brad Davey, 6 Mike Cherret.
INTERMEDIATE
Race One: 1 Justin Bateman (450 Honda), 2 Steve Spring (450 Honda), 3 Richard Langrish (450 Honda), 4 Adam Tofield (450 Honda), 5 Steve Valintine (550 Aprilia), 6 John Gilbody (650 Husaberg).
Race Two: 1 Bateman, 2 Tofield, 3 Langrish, 4 Spring, 5 Valintine, 6 Leigh Field (450 KTM).
Race Three: 1 Bateman, 2 Valintine, 3 Tofield, 4 Field, 5 Gilbody, 6 Steve Tilbury (450 Honda).
Final Series Standings: 1 Bateman, 2 Valintine, 3 Tofield, 4 Spring, 5 Tilbury, 6 Jones.
NOVICE
Race One: 1 Dave Blanks (250 KTM), 2 Nick Hewitt (525 KTM), 3 Andy Goodsell (450 Suzuki), 4 Terry Saunders (450 Honda), 5 Simon Fox (450 Honda), 6 Snowy Wilson (450 Honda).
Race Two: 1 Blanks, 2 Goodsell, 3 Hewitt, 4 Saunders, 5 Fox, 6 David Evans (450 Honda).
Race Three: 1 Blanks, 2 Goodsell, 3 Hewitt, 4 Evans, 5 Saunders, 6 Fox.
Final Series Standings: 1 Hewitt, 2 Russell Drew (450 Honda), 3 Goodsell, 4 Bernard Wright (450 KTM), 5 Evans, 6 Wilson.
Youth 125cc/ 250cc
Race One: 1 Lewis Cornish (250 Honda), 2 Justin Bateman (250 Honda), 3 Shaun Church (250 Kawasaki), 4 Robert Hartley (250 Honda), 5 Sam Gilbody (250 Honda), 6 Robert Harris (125 Yamaha).
Race Two: 1 Cornish, 2 Bateman, 3 Church, 4 Hartley, 5 Gilbody, 6 Danni Field (250 KTM).
Race Three: 1 Bateman, 2 Cornish, 3 Church, 4 Hartley, 5 Gilbody, 6 Field.
Final Series Standings: 1 Church, 2 Bateman, 3 Hartley, 4 Gilbody, 5 Field, 6 Harris.
YOUTH 85cc
Race One: 1 Jordan Holiday (150 Honda), 2 Kane Robson (85 KTM), 3 Joe Collier (150 Honda), 4 Ashley Saunders (85 Honda), 5 George Tilbury (85 KTM), 6 Megan Barry (85 Honda).
Race Two: 1 Holiday, 2 Robson, 3 Collier, 4 Tilbury, 5 Saunders, 6 Burry.
Race Three: 1 Holiday, 2 Collier, 3 Robson, 4 Pitchers, 5 Saunders, 6 Tilbury.
Final Series Standings: 1 Robson, 2 Tilbury, 3 Pitchers, 4 Berry, 5 Saunders, 6 Holiday.
FOR FULL REPORT SEE T+MX NEWS, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008
Justin Bateman (14) takes the lead as the Inters blast around the first bend.