Pioneer'ing spirit
By TMX Archives on 27th Feb 08
WAYNE Smith, riding his 450 Pioneer Emberson Yamaha, won the unoriginally titled British Open Motocross Championship at the weekend at a very fast Little Silver track, just outside Exeter, Devon. However, Smith was pushed all the way by reigning British Under 21 champion, Ray Rowson (450 PAR Homes Honda) and the two champions finished on equal points at close of play. Smith claimed the top step on the podium because of his higher finishing position in the second race.
While Smith and Rowson were slugging it out in the new Open class, local rider Alex Snow took both Under 21 championship races, the second after a race-long duel with Kristian Whatley.
In the British Ladies Championship, title favourite, Natalie Kane, riding a Suso Suzuki
annihilated the opposition by qualifying just over 12 seconds faster than any other rider, and then by storming to two very convincing moto wins.
The last minute switch from Matchams Park to the Little Silver track brought mixed reaction from the riders with the majority complaining that the hill-side track was too fast, virtually featureless, and not very technical, resulting in one-line racing.
However, a reasonable crowd paid to come through the gate and watch some good racing on a track where you could see almost all of the action.
The weather for the time of year couldn't have been much better with forecast rain holding off and the track so dry that the organisers were actually watering it into the late afternoon on Saturday.
OPEN CLASS
Fast starting Bryan MacKenzie got the holeshot at the start of the first Open class race of the 2008 series and led the pack round the first lap as a whole group of riders lay in two separate heaps in turn one.
On one side of the turn, second fastest in qualifying, Glen Phillips had his KTM tangled up with Mark Hucklebridge's Kawasaki, while on the other side, Nathan Parker, John May and Luke Mellows were some of the names caught up in a second clash.
However, as the pack came round to complete the first lap, MacKenzie had a small lead over Jordan Rose, with Rowson third and Smith fourth.
Danny Smyth was fifth with Alex Rach sixth, while Hucklebridge was already up to 16th after his first turn problems, with Phillips 28th.
Rose went missing after four laps, and Rowson and Smith started to close on leader MacKenzie at the half way stage.
Hucklebridge was up to eighth place and was closing in on Jim Murro, who was having his first competitive ride for almost a year, while Phillips was up to 14th.
On lap eight (of 12), both Rowson and Smith found a way to demote MacKenzie, with Smyth now in fourth
place and Rach fifth.
Rowson took the win by just under seven seconds from Smith and MacKenzie, with Smyth and Rach filling the next two places, and Hucklebridge a creditable sixth.
Once again, MacKenzie got the holeshot in race two, but this time he was followed round the first lap by Smith, Rose and Michael Phillips, with Rowson down in seventh place, just behind Hucklebridge.
Rose's bike came to a stop on lap four on one of the many uphill sections, but was reluctant to start despite all his efforts to bring it back to life.
He finally managed to get it going by bump-starting it down the hill, but it was running sick and he made his way back to the paddock area.
MacKenzie was in trouble on lap five as Smith, Rowson and Hucklebridge all passed him, and a lap latter he pulled out.
At the halfway stage Rowson was doing his utmost to reel in Smith, but it wasn't happening.
Just behind, Hucklebridge was on a charge and was closing in on the leading pair.
Michael Phillips was fourth and Rach moving into fifth with Scott Probert in tow.
In the closing stages, Hucklebridge closed on and almost passed Rowson, but in the end it was Smith who took the win by almost three
seconds from Rowson, with Hucklebridge only inches behind in third.
After racing, Phillips said: "I was going into the first turn beside Mark (Hucklebridge) as we both had a good start. When we went into the first corner he seemed to lose his front wheel and went down, and I went into him and came off too. I fell off twice in the first lap as well, so I was riding like a real muppet!”
Hucklebridge had a slightly different version: "I don't know what happened at the start. I was going into turn one and I don't know whether I hit a bump wrongly, or someone tagged me. So I had to fight my way from the back again and I am getting fed up with that.
‘‘After the race they tried to do a noise test, but a race was going on and they couldn't get a good >>>
reading so they did it after the race finished. I just scraped through so that's OK!”
Overall winner Smith: "In the first race I got cross-threaded over one of the jumps and the bike threw me off, but the clutch lever dug into the ground which, luckily kept the engine running so I didn't loose much time.
"In the second race, after Bryan (MacKenzie) had dropped out, I just kept the pace up and my head down. I have been training hard since the end of last session, apart from two weeks off at Christmas, and have never felt better and fitter at the start of the racing year.”
Rowson said: "I just got tired in the second race as I am still not used to the 450 power and was almost hanging off the back going up the hills. However, I have the same number of points as Wayne (Smith) so that's OK.”
BRITISH OPEN MOTOCROSS CHAMPS
Rd 1 – Little Silver MP, nr Exminster
(West Devon MCC)
1 Wayne Smith (Pioneer Yamaha) 22 + 25 = 47
2 Ray Rowson (PAR Homes Honda) 25 + 22 = 47
3 Mark Hucklebridge (Motoxtreme Kawasaki) 15 + 20 = 35
4 Danny Smyth (Wiseco Honda) 18 + 15 = 33
5 Alex Rach (Eurotek KTM UK) 16 + 16 = 32
6 Michael Phillips (NA Robinson KTM) 9 + 18 = 27
7 Scott Probert (Relentless Suzuki) 10 + 14 = 24
8 Glen Phillips (JSC KTM) 11 + 13 = 24
9 Richard Lawson (Twisted7 Kawasaki) 14 + 10 = 24
10 Jim Murro (STR Honda) 8 + 12 = 20
11 Bryan MacKenzie (Twisted7 Kawasaki) 20+0=20, 12 Wayne Garrett (Moto-One Suzuki) 13+5=18, 13 Luke Hill (Maunders Kawasaki) 12+4=16, 14 Oliver Sandiford-Smith (CCM) 3+11=14, 15 Richard Mike Jones (Servo KTM) 6+6=12, 16 Alex Rockwell (Danger UK Honda) 7+3=10, 17 Nathan Parker (STR Honda) 0+9=9, 18 John May (Meredith Suzuki) 0+8=8, 19 Luke Meadows (???) 1+7=8, 20 Jamie Skuse (Honda) 5+0=5, 21 Will Worden (JD KTM) 4+0=4, 22 Kevin Wells (RJ&I Wells Honda) 0+2=2, 23 Jordan Carter (Stone Supplies Honda) 2+0=2, 24 Brett Hillman (Thunderroad Suzuki) 0+1=1.
RACE ONE: 1 Rowson, 2 Wayne Smith, 3 MacKenzie, 4 Danny Smyth, 5 Rach, 6 Hucklebridge, 7 Lawson, 8 Garrett, 9 Hill, 10 Glen Phillips, 11 Probert, 12 Michael Phillips, 13 Murro, 14 Rockwell, 15 Jones, 16 Skuse, 17 Worden, 18 Sandiford-Smith, 19 Carter, 20 Meadows.
RACE TWO: 1 Wayne Smith, 2 Rowson, 3 Hucklebridge, 4 Michael Phillips, 5 Rach, 6 Danny Smyth, 7 Probert, 8 Glen Phillips, 9 Murro, 10 Sandiford-Smith, 11 Lawson, 12 Parker, 13 May, 14 Meadows, 15 Jones, 16 Garrett, 17 Hill, 18 Rockwell, 19 Wells, 20 Hillman.
SERIES STANDINGS after 1 (of 6) rounds: As Overall above.
NEXT ROUND: Apr 6 – Whiteway Barton, Kingsteignton (Tamar Valley MC).
PAR HOMES BRITISH UNDER 21 MX CHAMPS
Rd 1 – Little Silver MP, nr Exminster
(West Devon MCC)
1 Alex Snow (KTM UK) 25 + 25 = 50
2 Joseph Dark (Meredith Suzuki) 18 + 20 = 38
3 Kristian Whatley (NA Robinson KTM) 13 + 22 = 35
4 Ashley Greedy (PAR Honda) 15 + 16 = 31
5 David Games (Eurotek Honda) 14 + 15 = 29
6 Danial Preston (Kawasaki ) 20 + 9 = 29
7 Josh Waterman (Team Green Kawasaki) 16 + 12 = 28
8 Darren Shears (St Blazey Suzuki) 12 + 14 = 26
9 Shane Carless (PAR Honda) 22 + 0 = 22
10 Matthew Moffat (Eurotek KTM) 0 + 18 = 18
11 Ben Magee (One 11 Suzuki) 5+13=18, 12 Alan Keet (KTM) 3+11=14, 13 James Lassu (Lassu Suzuki) 4+8=12, 14 Ashley Thomas (Ride MX Yamaha) 6+5=11, 15 James Cottrell (Suso MVRD Suzuki) 8+3=11, 16 James Dodd (Sandiford Honda) 9+2=11, 17 Ashley Wilde (Sandiford Honda) 11+0=11, 18 Robert Hamilton (Pioneer Yamaha) 0+10=10, 19 Mel Pocock (Utag Yamaha) 10+0=10, 20 Brad Cavill (Stevens Yamaha) 0+7=7, 21 Chad Yarranton (Kawasaki) 1+6=7, 22 Richard Cannings (Wadsworth Kawasaki) 7+0=7, 23 Christopher Bastick (KRM Honda) 0+4=4, 24 Lee Skinner (Phoenix Honda) 2+0=2, 25 Ross Hill (Poole Yamaha) 0+1=1.
RACE ONE: 1 Snow, 2 Carless, 3 Preston, 4 Dark, 5 Waterman, 6 Greedy, 7 Games, 8 Whatley, 9 Shears, 10 Wilde, 11 Pocock, 12 Dodd, 13 Cottrell, 14 Cannings, 15 Thomas, 16 Magee, 17 Lassu, 18 Keet, 19 Skinner, 20 Yarranton.
RACE TWO: 1 Snow, 2 Whatley, 3 Dark, 4 Moffat, 5 Greedy, 6 Games, 7 Shears, 8 Magee, 9 Waterman, 10 Keet, 11 Hamilton, 12 Preston, 13 Lassu, 14 Cavill, 15 Yarranton, 16 Thomas, 17 Bastick, 18 Cottrell, 19 Dodd, 20 Hill.
SERIES STANDINGS after 1 (of 6) rounds: As Overall above.
NEXT ROUND: Apr 6 – Whiteway Barton, Kingsteignton (Tamar Valley MC).
BRITISH LADIES MOTOCROSS CHAMPS
Rd 1 – Little Silver MP, Devon
(West Devon MCC)
1 Natalie Kane (Suso MVRD Suzuki) 30 + 30 = 60
2 Louise Williams (KTM) 25 + 27 = 52
3 Hannah McLeod (KTM) 23 + 25 = 48
4 Danielle Hipgrave (KTM) 21 + 19 = 40
5 Megan Lewis (Yamaha) 13 + 21 = 34
6 Lesa Dranfield (Yamaha) 17 + 17 = 34
7 Amber Saunders (Yamaha) 10 + 23 = 33
8 Rose Wyatt (Kawasaki) 15 + 15 = 30
9 Kerry Wilson (KTM) 27 + 0 = 27
10 Vickie Parkin (Suzuki) 19 + 0 = 19
11 Georgina Hayhurst (Suzuki) 9+9=18, 12 Emma Hucklebridge (Kawasaki) 4+13=17, 13 Laura Ward (Yamaha) 6+11=17, 14 Amanda Irving (Robinsons KTM) 7+10=17, 15 Hollie Pentelow (Kawasaki) 11+6=17, 16 Laura Farrow (Honda) 8+8=16, 17 Helen Morgan (Suzuki) 3+7=10, 18 Louise Sheppard (Kawasaki) 5+5=10, 19 Becky Rowlinson (Honda) 2+0=2.
RACE ONE: 1 Kane, 2 Wilson, 3 Williams, 4 McLeod, 5 Hipgrave, 6 Parkin, 7 Dranfield, 8 Wyatt, 9 Lewis, 10 Pentelow, 11 Saunders, 12 Hayhurst, 13 Farrow, 14 Irving, 15 Ward, 16 Sheppard, 17 Hucklebridge, 18 Morgan, 19 Rowlinson.
RACE TWO: 1 Kane, 2 Williams, 3 McLeod, 4 Saunders, 5 Lewis, 6 Hipgrave, 7 Dranfield, 8 Wyatt, 9 Hucklebridge, 10 Ward, 11 Irving, 12 Hayhurst, 13 Farrow, 14 Morgan, 15 Pentelow, 16 Sheppard.
SERIES STANDINGS after 1 (of 2) rounds: As Overall above.
FINAL ROUND: Aug 31 – Cusses Gorse, Wilts (Promoter tba).
For full report and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, February 29, 2008