Dean leads Fox hunt
By Team TMX on 8th Jul 15
Completing what has been a testing schedule with three title rounds in just four weeks, the riders chasing AMCA Championship glory were in action at the famous Foxhill circuit on Sunday.
In a meeting superbly presented by Faringdon MXC and watched by a large crowd, the event not only included racing for the main AMCA MX1 and MX2 series but also the AMCA Two-stroke and Veteran Championship classes.
The day started on a dry track and under a clear, sunny sky then finished in rain which made conditions treacherous.
The MX1 boys were first into action and despite being just 27th in timed qualification, Paul Burn made a supersonic start in moto one.
He grabbed the holeshot before being quickly overhauled by Luke Dean, Richard Cannings, Luke Mellows and Clinton Barrs.
Four laps in Cannings soared to the front as Mellows encountered problems with the rear tyre on his KTM.
With the rubber struggling to stay attached to the rim, Mellows slipped right back to a final 32nd place and lost vital ground in his bid to retain the MX1 title.
Dean also picked up a rear puncture and had to settle for third, with Cannings took the win ahead Clinton Barrs.
In a superb finish to MX1 moto one, Elliot Barrs – after gating 18th – stormed through to snatch fourth from Brandon Benjamin right on the line.
Pick of the rest was Luke Meredith, who went from 28th up to eighth, just behind Scott Bates and Andrew Smart.
While Dean controlled moto two from gate to flag, Mellows and Cannings fought out a great scrap for second, which Cannings won with four laps remaining.
Benjamin and Smart again had solid rides to bag fourth and fifth respectivel, while Elliot Barrs, Clinton Barrs and Burn were going for it in a titanic struggle for sixth which went all the way to the flag with Elliot just getting the verdict.
With conditions at their worst Burn grabbed another holeshot in moto three before being relegated by Dean, Mellows and Cannings.
Making a mockery of the slippery Foxhill climbs and drops, both Dean and Mellows were on a mission and they dropped Cannings.
It was a clear two-horse battle for the win and in the closing stages Mellows turned the heat up by finding some extra grip and speed to pass a startled Dean on the final lap.
Dean responded by regaining the advantage in breathtaking fashion on the final downhill before the flag to snatch a very narrow victory.
For two riders though the day did not conclude quite so satisfactorily as Elliot Barrs picked up a rear wheel puncture and crashed, suffering nasty lacerations to his hand while Benjamin was also another puncture victim.
So on the podium it was another victory for Dean ahead of Cannings and Clinton Barrs who was enjoying his best result of the season to date.
In the Championship chase, a determined Cannings still leads the way, 16-points clear of Dean, with Mellows a further 69 points in arrears.
FOR FULL REPORT AND PICS SEE TMX NEWS, THURSDAY JULY 9, (ISSUE 1979)
