Tommy Searle tops SEMX Round One at Canada Heights
By Team TMX on 9th May 23
Words and photos: Dick Law
With a weekend off from national competition, current British Motocross champion Tommy Searle travelled to the Sidcup Club’s historic Canada Heights circuit to take part in Round One of the SEMX series which is the South Eastern-Centre Motocross Championship.
Searle wasn’t the only top runner who thought it was a good idea to take in the Canada Heights event and news of so many top riders racing at the popular venue travelled at the speed of light on social media and it almost looked like a British Championship round with crowds of spectators flocking to catch a look at their favourite riders.
Saturday's consistent light rain didn't affect the sandy hillside track, and by the time qualifying started on Sunday morning, the course was in prime condition for the 15-race programme. The usual SEMX rules applied with five groups of 40 riders taking it in turn to set a fast lap time with the fastest 40 going into the prestigious A group, the second fastest going into B and so on.
Searle, on his GTCI Revo Kawasaki, got the holeshot at the start of the first A race and was chased around the first turn by Joe Brookes (GRT Impact KTM), who was making a comeback to racing from injury. By the end of the opening lap, Searle had already settled into a fast pace with Liam Knight (Gabriel Holeshot KTM) moving into second after rounding the first turn in 11th.
Searle's teammate Mel Pocock was in third, with the on-form Charlie Cole (Blade Bikes Kawasaki) slotting into fourth place after a bad start.
The order stayed the same till the end of the race, with Searle taking the win by almost six seconds from Knight, Pocock, Cole, Luke Benstead (KTM), Matt Bayliss (Honda) and Brookes.
Once again, Searle got the holeshot at the start of the second A group race but this time he had Pocock on his tail till, on lap six, Cole caught Pocock and snatched second place away from him. He closed to within two seconds of Searle at the finish flag.
Pocock hung onto third place but had Knight in close company. Benstead was fifth from Brookes and Bayliss.
At the start of the third and final A-group race, Cole got the holeshot from Bradley and Knight while Searle was buried in the mid-pack with a lot of work to do.
On lap three, Knight snatched the lead from Cole, with Searle relegating Cole back another place a lap later.
With three laps to go, Searle took the lead and passed the checkered flag in first place, with Knight second and Pocock third, but both Searle and Pocock were penalised and docked a position for jumping on a waved yellow flags. So, the amended finishing positions were Knight, from Searle, Cole, and Pocock. Brookes had another excellent ride on his comeback trail, in fifth from Bradley and Bennett.
The penalties didn't make any difference to the overall positions as Searle won by seven points from Knight. Cole was third on 60, with Pocock fourth, just two points behind.
"I think this is the first centre meeting I have done, although I may have rode one to get Expert points back in the day," said a happy, relaxed Searle after the meeting. "It's been a really nice day and my little brother had been racing. He won two of his races, but I think he's been sandbagging today as he should have made the C group but ended in the Ds.
“So all the family are here in the sunshine and it's all just nice. I don't feel the best on the bike at the minute, after my injury, and I just wanted to get some races under my belt, instead of just going to the practice tracks I go to all the time. We came here with all the family, and it's been great fun.”
With two race wins and a second place, Grant Martin (Honda) won the B group by seven points from Matthew Pocock (GASGAS) and James Johnson (Honda).
It looked like no one wanted to win the C group. A win, a second and a fourth made Charlie Guttridge (Kawasaki) the overall winner, but second and third place were separated by a single point. Ricky Bowden (KTM) was second to Paul Moore (KTM. Slade Pullin (Kawasaki) won the first race but didn't start the other two while race two winner Matthew Fuller (KTM) didn’t start the last race and ended his day in fourth place overall.
It was close at the top of group D as Ryan Wooldridge (Yamaha) took the overall by just two points from Lee Scott (Honda) with David Castle (Suzuki) in third, just two behind Scott.
With three race wins, Cameron Chell (Yamaha) won group E overall from James Barabach (Honda) and Tom Owen (KTM) third.
RESULTS
SEMX ROUND ONE – CANADA HEIGHTS
ALLCOMERS A
1 Tommy Searle (GTCI Revo Kawasaki) 25 + 25 + 22 = 72
2 Liam Knight (Gabriel KTM) 22 + 18 + 25 = 65
3 Charlie Cole (Blade Bikes Kawasaki) 18 + 22 + 20 = 60
4 Mel Pocock (GTCI Revo Kawasaki) 20 + 20 + 18 = 58
5 Joe Brookes (GRT Impact KTM) 14 + 15 + 16 = 45
6 Harry Bradley (Kawasaki) 12 + 13 + 15 = 40
7 Luke Benstead (KTM) 16 + 16 + 0 = 32
8 Ollie Beamish (KTM) 8 + 10 + 12 = 30
9 Matt Bayliss (Honda) 15 + 14 + 0 = 29
10 Liam Bennett (Husqvarna) 13 + 0 + 14 = 27
ALLCOMERS B
1 Grant Martin (Honda) 22 + 25 + 25 = 72
2 Matthew Pocock (GASGAS) 25 + 18 + 22 = 65
3 James Johnson (Honda) 20 + 22 + 15 = 57
4 James Jackman (KTM) 16 + 20 + 20 = 56
5 Elliot Reeves (Husqvarna) 13 + 16 + 13 = 42
6 Rory Wootton (Honda) 9 + 13 + 18 = 40
7 Oliver Kingston (KTM) 8 + 11 + 16 = 35
8 Conner Tingle (GASGAS) 7 + 15 + 10 = 32
9 Jamie Cox (KTM) 14 + 3 + 12 = 29
10 Josh Talbot (KTM) 15 + 7 + 6 = 28
ALLCOMERS C
1 Charlie Guttridge (Kawasaki) 18 + 22 + 25 = 65
2 Ricky Bowden (KTM) 20 + 20 + 15 = 55
3 Paul Moore (KTM) 16 + 18 + 20 = 54
4 Matthew Fuller (KTM) 22 + 25 + 0 = 47
5 Paul Austin (GASGAS) 11 + 14 + 14 = 39
6 Levi May (Honda) 2 + 15 + 18 = 35
7 John Hobbs (Husqvarna) 13 + 12 + 10 = 35
8 Oliver Wooldridge (KTM) 8 + 13 + 13 = 34
9 Pierre Nakhka (KTM) 0 + 11 + 22 = 33
10 Jasper Parsons (Kawasaki) 14 + 16 + 0 = 30
ALLCOMERS D
1 Ryan Wooldridge (Yamaha) 22 + 15 + 25 = 62
2 Lee Scott (Honda) 20 + 18 + 22 = 60
3 David Castle (Suzuki) 18 + 20 + 20 = 58
4 David Farrant (Yamaha) 13 + 22 + 18 = 53
5 Troy Searle (Honda) 25 + 25 + 0 = 50
6 Henry Slevin (Yamaha) 14 + 14 + 16 = 44
7 Oliver Hughes (Honda) 15 + 12 + 12 = 39
8 Carl Ward (Husqvarna) 8 + 13 + 14 = 35
9 Cullen Hollyer (KTM) 12 + 7 + 15 = 34
10 Shaun Ballard (KTM) 16 + 16 + 0 = 32
ALLCOMERS E
1 Cameron Chell (Yamaha) 25 + 25 + 25 = 75
2 James Barabach (Honda) 20 + 22 + 22 = 64
3 Tom Owen (KTM) 8 + 14 + 20 = 42
4 Dean Harris (Husqvarna) 16 + 8 + 18 = 42
5 Billy McKnight (KTM) 22 + 20 + 0 = 42
6 Joe Clarkson (GASGAS) 18 + 18 +0 = 36
7 Bryan Hills (Honda) 15 + 3 + 12 = 30
8 David Bowden (Kawasaki) 14 + 16 + 0 = 30
9 Wayne Pither (Kawasaki) 13 + 15 + 0 = 28
10 Tim Mitchell (KTM) 6 + 5 + 16 = 27
More like this…
Video: 999lazer 125 Shootout
Two trick 125 smokers are put to the test by up n'coming youth phenom Wal Beaney
Josh Gilbert heads the ACU Eastern Motocross Championship after round one at Blaxhall
The Woodbridge DMCC hosted the Stebbings Car Superstore / PP Sports Insurance ACU Eastern Motocross Championship season opener on Sunday with Crendon Fastrack Honda's Josh Gilbert taking the win
Major Motocross Events in May 2023
A quickfire reminder of what's happening where this month