Scottish Motocross Championship Round Two - Clayshant
By Raymond Thomson/Madmaxmedia on 18th Apr 24
Scotland has no shortage of great tracks and Clayshant is one of the best. Ironically, it’s probably nearer for the Irish and North of England riders than half of the Scottish riders who all made their way to Clayshant for the second round of the championship. There was a bumper entry and a mouth-watering lineup in most classes, but the main attraction will always be the premier classes. The MX1 and MX2 lineups would see some of the best riders in the country battle it out for bragging rights to see who can impose themselves on the championship.
The weather did its best to challenge the organisers, but Johnny Hamilton and Dennis Amor and his team made sure nothing was left to chance to make sure the race would run. Andrew Slavin who owns the track worked tirelessly to prepare the circuit as the deep sand soaked up all the rain and with some last-minute sunshine and wind, the race was on!
The action got underway on Saturday with the Autos class that is sponsored by FXR. Ellik Miller got back to winning ways with a strong performance, winning race one by over 30 seconds before relenting to Finlay Hoskisson in race two. But Miller eased the overall with another win in race three. Hoskisson took second overall with Jake Sayers third. Although the track was shortened for the Autos, the whoops and step-up jump gave them a feel for the bigger track. As ever, the mums and dads were there to make sure the youngsters kept moving.
FXR also backed the 65cc class and it was Isaac Arnold who set the pace in qualifying and turned that into two easy race wins. However, it was Cole Mcauley who would steal the overall with consistent riding. Arnold’s poor result in race three demoted him to second spot. There was a tie for third, but Thor Simpson took the podium as Jack Quin narrowly missed out.
James McCann continued where he left off at Tain in the Plews Tyres-supported SW85 class. He dominated again and the overall was the same as Tain as Alfie Lawrie and Harry Hall did their best to keep him honest. It could have been a very different podium as the top six of the chasing pack were all swapping positions throughout the day but the top three powered through.
The Plews Tyres-backed BW85s saw Malachi Allan have another successful meeting with an easy overall win. He pushed hard throughout the three races to make sure the rest of the pack couldn’t catch him. Ollie Holland secured another third podium spot after finishing in the same position at Tain, but it was not to be for Leo Self this time as he couldn’t finish higher than fourth overall even after winning race one. Andrew Piggford took the runner-up spot on the podium.
Stirlings Powersports back the Youth 125/250 races and Ulster visitor Lewis Spratt used his considerable experience to secure the overall with three comfortable race wins – it was nice to see him back in Scotland. Loius Perrin-Brown edged out Zach Pearson as he improved upon his results from Tain. Jaden Anderson just couldn’t match Pearson but his third in race one hinted he has more to come as he gets to grips with riding his new bike.
In the 250F class, Jack Meara enjoyed round two and his riding style suited the track. Running 1-1-2 in the three races meant his consistency made for an easy overall win. The racing was frantic at times with the two classes being mixed and Matt Fearnly was the best of the rest with two second places. Charley Irwin edged out Alex Henderson for third as they both finished on level points but Irwin had the better last race. Rhys Whyment’s blistering pace couldn’t produce a result as he ended up with a last-lap crash after a cross-rutted jump. He still finished top five and the switch of bike manufacturer after round one has shown he’ll be challenging for the top spot in round three.
The 2 Stroke 125/Open class has the backing of Drysdale Motorcycles and while Ryan Waggot and Andrew Pohlen swapped race wins it was Waggot who came out on top. Louis Tobin was rewarded a podium for his efforts and it was good to see him on a two-stroke.
In the Open class, Bailey Johnston got the jump on his peers with some aggressive riding. Ryan Thomson’s return to racing demonstrated he’s almost back to his best as pushed Johnson all the way and managed a great race win in race two. Jordan McCaw secured the final podium spot ahead of Richard McKeown and Fraser Norrie, as the fast Vets were there to capitalise on any errors.
The opening Adult Support was run during a spell of torrential rain. The heavy downpour didn’t deter John Adamson as his blistering pace gapped the field. John only turned out for race one so it was Ross ‘Bunga’ Rutherford who capitalised in race two and he improved his lap times in doing so. Race three had a severely depleted field as the weather took its toll as the riders saved themselves for Sunday but Lee Cameron braved the elements to bag the race win in race three with a dominating ride.
The next day dawned bright and dry much to the relief of the racers, organisers and fans.
The Drysdale Motorcycles supported Vets races saw Kevin McBride, Barry Gray and Mickey Graham battle it out all day in the Over 40 class and they swapped race order many times in the three races. McBride and Gray were the race winners, but McBride’s dogged determination won out.
In the Over 50s, Morton Hannah benefitted from a Richard Millar DNF in race one. Although Millar would win the next two races, he couldn’t catch the top three overall on points. John Crathers and Andrew Leask finished on the same points but the high-flying Crathers came third in the last race and bagged second overall behind Hannah. Tommy Drysdale couldn’t quite break into the top three, but he never gave up pushing.
The Over 60s saw Les Winthrope continue his winning run as Ian Wilson and Stephen Pollock renewed their battle from Tain for podium places.
Drysdale Motorcycles isn’t shy when it comes to supporting the sport and also sponsors the Adult B and C classes. With a late entry on a borrowed 125, Myles Reid had better luck in the C class than he did at Tain after blowing out his sump plug there. The ex-MX2 rider had been racing in the Bs but as they were full, he entered the C class and showed his class. One point separated the next three riders and Dylan Dobbie managed second overall even with a poor third race. Charlie McCann beat Mathew Bruce in the last race to bag third overall.
Last round B class winner Josh McCorkell won two races at Clayshant but didn’t make it to the podium. His first race placing cost him a good overall. Scott Paterson’s consistent riding meant he finished in the top spot. Lewis Spratt and Alex Henderson had the same placings across the three races, but it was Spratt would take second with a better third race result. You could’ve been forgiven for mistaking the Bs with MX1/2 with the overall class of rider which made for some great spectating.
In the Safe Access Highland MX2 class, Charlie Heyman didn’t have it all his own way at Clayshant. After one poor start and a race collision, he had to ride extra hard in both those races to secure the overall. He was a safe bet, and the bookies' favourite and proved he was on course for his first Scottish Championship.
The depth of field was impressive though with Glenn McCormick, Bailey Johnston and Ryan Thomson, all battling it out for those remaining podium places. Thomson narrowly missed out to Johnston after being overhauled by Heyman in the last race. Jamie Law made a welcome return to racing in Scotland as the vet finished on the same points as Kyle McNicol who returned after illness kept him out of round one.
In the Safe Access Highland MX1 class Tristan Purdon and John Adamson renewed their rivalry from round one. They both had their work cut out trying to better Conrad Mewse who returned from injury as he didn’t pass the medical for Tain. Mewse rode faultlessly. He simply did what he does best.
Adamson had a tough day having to ride through the pack and also deal with a burst radiator and rear suspension issues, but he couldn’t quite overhaul Purdon even after the South African champion left the track one lap early thinking the race was over. Luckily, he noticed just in time and Jason Meara missed out on beating him after he crashed as Purdon re-joined the track. The top 10 riders in MX1 read like a who’s who from British Motocross. Martin Barr and Ben Edwards also had their challenges but served up some great racing.
The next round of The Scottish Championship will be at Achnashelloch MX Track near Lochgilphead on May 4/5.
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