Grand Masters
By Mike Wood on 2nd Mar 12
2011 was another successful year for the AMCA-promoted Wulfsport British Masters, with more than 400 different riders scoring Championship points as the countrys top Pro,Youth and Amateur competitors locked horns in six hotly-contested meetings, all chasing a share of the biggest overall prize fund in European motocross.So heres the lowdown on a thrilling season which unfolded on some of Britains top circuits, full of great racing and numerous close finishes in all of the eleven classes on offer.
Round 1: Mallory Park
THE major benefactor during round one was without doubt American GP star Zach Osborne who blasted to all four Pro-class moto victories, earning himself a cool £2,000 in the process.
But while the talented Bike it Cosworth Yamaha pilot deservedly took the headlines, Michelin Amateur MX1 rider Darren Fowden also produced a perfect maximum score.
Aboard his new Proppa.com KTM – the reward for topping the 2010 MXY2 class – Dan Thornhill started the defence of his title in style, with overall victory at Mallory.
Other winners during round one were Jamie Dobson, Ricky Lethaby, Jamie Thompstone, Chris Neesam, Curtis Blamey, Henry Siddiqui and Darryl Lee.
One contest which was to prove particularly intriguing and set the stall for a fantastic season-long battle to come was the DK Off-Road Kawasaki MX2 class, as Paul Neale just edged out Gareth Padgett.
Round 2: Pontrilas
With Zac Osborne away on GP duty, Brad Anderson – enjoying one of his most profitable seasons in English racing – stepped-up to comfortably bag both Pro MX1 victories at Pontrilas and lead home Alex Snow and Ross Hill.
Over in Pro MX2, Matthew Moffat just edged out Bryan MacKenzie and Stuart Edmonds to earn an early advantage in the Championship table.
Despite being forced to borrow bikes, Jamie Dobson blasted to another overall win in the GSP Products sponsored Amateur MX1 class.
There was once again overall success for Neale, Thompstone and the immaculate Thornhill.
On what was a hot Easter weekend, the Raceworld.com Amateur MX2 class provided an abundance of super racing and four different moto winners in Martin Jones, Sam Smith, Zac Stealey and Charles Statt, campaigning his two-stroke TM.
Round 3: Whitby
After Pontrilas in the West, the next stop for the AMCA Wulfsport Masters team was the spectacular Skelder Bank circuit at Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast.
Topping the bill were two of the country's current hottest motocross stars in Brad Anderson and Elliot Banks-Browne.
And,the dynamic duo certainly delivered the goods by ripping to maximum points in their respective Pro MX1 and MX2 classes.
Also starring at Whitby were Daniel Brough and Graddie Featherstone who both recorded unbeaten performances on their way to respective Amateur MX1 and Big-Wheel 85cc class wins.
Mechanical failure in the opening race of the weekend restricted DK Kawasaki MX2 Masters leader Paul Neale to sixth overall, with Gareth Padgett not only taking the win ahead of Lee Clarkson and Jamie Tranckle, but also now
topping the Championship table.
In Michelin MX2, Jamie Thompstone also tasted defeat for the first time and had to settle for third overall behind Jack Jones and Emerson Jones. For Scott Acerbis MXY2 leader Dan Thornhill there were no such problems, as he marched relentlessly on with yet another top slot.
FOR FULL REVIEW AND PREVIEW SEE T+MX MARCH 2
