Sparks Fly at Motoland
By Images: Chris Monk on 5th Aug 26
The Amped EMX Sparks British Masters broke new ground at Round Four with a first-ever visit to Motoland near Bath – and the venue wasted no time in making its mark.
With three tracks running flat-out across the weekend to cater for the championship’s ever-expanding mix of electric balance bikes, electric motocross and petrol classes, the event had a real festival feel. More importantly, it delivered on track too, with tight racing, last-lap drama and plenty of standout performances across the board.
At the sharp end, consistency proved just as important as outright speed. In the E3 class, Jimmy Smith turned a single race win into overall victory thanks to a relentlessly solid scorecard, edging out championship leader Marley Jobson, while Cameron Raynes’ double moto success secured him third. It was a theme repeated throughout the weekend – win when you can, but score every point available.
Elsewhere, there was no doubting the dominance of Colby Fletcher in E5. Five wins from five starts and maximum points told the story, although the youngster still found time to entertain with a few crowd-pleasing wheelies along the way.
Perfect scores were a recurring motif. Frankie Hargreeves (E6 Junior), Miles Boucher (E8 Youth) and Harvey Thomas (85cc Big Wheel) all completed clean sweeps of their respective classes, underlining just how high the bar has been set at the front this season.
If outright dominance grabbed the headlines, the junior ranks provided the heart. The balance bike classes were as fiercely contested as ever, with multiple race winners and margins often down to just a handful of points. Poppy Meredith’s recovery ride to overall victory in the 250W class and Jimmy Smith’s narrow three-point success in the 400W division highlighted just how competitive the youngest categories have become.
There was also plenty of edge-of-the-seat action in the small-capacity youth ranks. The 50cc Small Wheel class went right down to the wire, with Jacob Perkins edging championship leader Amiyah Haughton by just two points after a dramatic weekend that saw the latter repeatedly fight back through the pack.
Across the site, the racing never really let up. From the stacked 65cc class – where Louis Odwyer came out on top ahead of a deep field – to the ever-entertaining PW50 category, Motoland delivered two days of non-stop action that kept riders, families and spectators fully engaged.
With Rounds Five and Six set to return to the same venue, the championship doesn’t have to wait long to do it all again. And if Round Four was anything to go by, Motoland’s place on the EMX Sparks calendar already looks well and truly secured.
