MX Diary: Acerbis back on track
By Sean Lawless on 26th Apr 17
After a three-week break the Acerbis Amateur Nationals blasts back into action for round three with its traditional May Bank Holiday date at Hawkstone Park.
A favourite on the championship calendar, the unforgiving sand circuit is as tough a test as the riders will get all year with all eight classes facing five blocks of racing across the Sunday (April 30) and Monday (May 1) programme.
In the Vets Over 40s class the big question is can Danny ‘Magoo' Blakeley make it a hat-trick of overall wins or will reigning champ Brian Wheeler manage to keep it rubber-side-down in every race and avoid any technical issues?
Wheeler has won seven of the nine races staged this season but Blakeley's consistency sees him heading to Hawkstone with a five-point advantage. Richard Collins is 21 points behind Wheeler in third.
Defending champion Alan Eaves leads the Roberts Plant Over 50s but so far he hasn't won an overall this season after following home Warren Berthiaume at Mildenhall and then losing victory at Culham on a tie-break to series newcomer Andy Watkins.
Eaves holds a three-point lead over Berthiaume with third-placed Adrian Lewis 49 points behind Eaves.
The Paradise MX-backed MX1 class is in danger of becoming a two-horse race with Andrew Wilson, following a dominant performance at Culham, holding a slender four-point lead over Lewis Meadows. Cory Nemeth, winner of the opening round, is third but has slipped to 36 points off the pace after a couple of low scores last time out.
In the Craigs Motorcycles-backed MX2 class Ashton Dickinson has been the stand-out star so far with an unbeaten nine wins from nine starts which have lifted him 22 points clear of James Lassu.
Lassu, making a comeback from injury in 2016, has up to now been riding a mostly-stock YZF and if his tuning kit has arrived in time will be aiming to apply pressure on the runaway leader.
Scott Hamilton sits third but despite a strong showing at Culham is already 65 points behind the leader.
With reigning Ladies champion Stacey Fisher moving into the 125cc class it's Chelsea Gowland, returning to the championship this season, who leads with eight wins from nine starts.
Despite this she's only 16 points ahead of Beth Farmer with Nadiya Jones a further 26 points behind.
Winner of the opening round, Lewis Dowdeswell backed this up with second at round two and leads the Moto Connection 125cc class by 23 points from Chris Povey with Graeme Parker just two points behind in third.
After missing the opening round, Jasper Hill took the overall at Culham but is out of title contention.
It's even closer in the 250cc Two-stroke Open class where Scotland's Paul Johnston leads Ryan Davin by 14 points. The pair are evenly matched and although Johnston won the opener he then tied with Davin at round two.
Luke Gidney sits third another 29 points off the leader's pace.
Cool Cumbrian Ben Walsh has won the opening two rounds in the CCM-backed Junior Open class to lead by 38 points from consistent John Cooper with Ross Neville close behind in third.
Hawkstone Park is situated just north of Shrewsbury and will be signposted off the A53 and A49. Postcode is SY4 4NA. Practice starts at 9am both days with the racing getting under way at 10.15am.
