Wat' a cracking Little Silver
By TMX Archives on 21st May 09
The ACU Express Insurance British Youth Motocross championships moved south to the Little Silver circuit in Devon for round three. The long trip by some, was greeted to an excellent laid out track, and a freshly mown paddock area. The small band of tireless workers from the Little Silver Motocross Club worked hard all weekend, to make sure the track and the facilities were excellent, even though the weather didn't help on Sunday morning after heavy overnight rain. But that didn't stop the racing, and some gritty and courageous riding there was.Report and Pictures: BRYAN ATKINSON
First to the line after qualifying were the PAR Homes sponsored Youth Open boys, and series leader Dangers Josh Waterman was in for a fight to retain his lead in the championship, as back-on form Par Honda Luke Hawkins hit the front, with Kawasaki rider Connor Walkley on his tail, Richard Carter was lying third into the first corner with Waterman just behind him in fourth.
Walkley hit the front on lap two as Hawkins had a moment, but hard on his back wheel was Water-man who on lap three took over at the front and went on to take his first win of the day.
Hawkins re grouped and took second place with Walkley settling for third. Matthew Bayliss took fourth after a battle with Carter who came in fifth. Race two and Waterman hit the front never to be headed and to take his second race win, leaving Harry McKenna and Jack Rowland to fight for the second place. Rowland took the second place, with Hawkins coming through the pack to take third and Danny McCanney taking fourth.
Race one in the Big-wheel 85 class saw Nathan Watson take the lead into the first corner, with young flyer Adam Sterry hard on his back wheel, closely followed by Sunny Thompson and series leader Ryan Houghton. Thompson took Sterry on lap two and gave chase to hunt down Watson, but Watson had gone on one of his charges and took the win. Thompson took second place and Houghton took third. Race two and the battling Scot Fleming took the lead ahead of Houghton, Ben Howell and Watson, but on lap three Houghton took over the lead, with Howell also getting past Fleming in second, Fleming was then took by Watson on lap five and had to battle to take the fourth place.
In the Small-wheel 85's Ben Watson continued where he left off at Leuchars, to take the race lead in race one, with Callan Cooper and >>> <<
Conrad Mewse must have thought his worst nightmares had come as Connor Hughes hit the front in race one of the Cobra backed Junior 65 class, Sid Evans was in second and Henry Williams in third. Mewes was in fourth but soon chased down the pack in front to take the lead after both Evans and Williams had both lead the race, only to make mistakes and let Mewes take over on lap three, and go on to win race one. Williams claimed second and Evans the third.
Race two and this time Williams hit the front and pulled a good lead ahead of Keet in second and Evans in third. Mewes was behind Aaron Pipon in fifth on lap one but soon took all in front of him to chase after Williams, Hughes had followed Mewses in his chase, but Williams held on after some pressure from Mewse to take the win, Mewse took second, with Hughes in third just ahead of Evans in fourth.
Race one of the Adult Clubman/Expert Class went to the only Expert in the class, Ryan Pottenger, with Clubman Peter Eccles second and Jason Rowlands third. Race two and Pottenger again took the win ahead of Eccles and Rowlands.
Day two and with heavy rain overnight the track had to be altered as the rain had turned some parts into a mud bath. But excellent work by all, meant the racing could continue, a shortened track for the Small-wheel and 65cc class was implemented and racing got underway, with the Youth Open class out first.
Jack Rowland took a start to finish win in race three, with Waterman finishing second after a hard charge through the field, Bayliss took third ahead of Hawkins in fourth. Race four and Rowlands hit the front again, with Waterman and Hawkins just behind. Hawkins took the lead on lap four only to dump it and let Rowlands back in the lead. Waterman pipped Rowlands on the last lap to take the win, with Sean McDonald third. Race five and Hawkins took a start to finish win, with Waterman second and Walkley in third. Waterman had done enough to take the overall, with Hawkins second and Rowlands third.
Ryan Houghton took all three race wins in the remaining three races of the Big-wheels, after battling in race three with Jake Millward and Sunny Thompson who claimed the second and third places. Race four and it was again Millward who claimed second, with Jordan Godwin and Adam Sterry finishing third and fourth. Race five and Luke Norris and Thompson were battling it out for the honours, Norris took second, Thompson third, just ahead of Ben Howell. Houghton took the overall ahead of Millward second, Thompson and Howell finished third and fourth, James Dunn finished fifth and little Michael Eccles sixth.
Race three of the Small-wheel 85's saw yet another win for Ben Watson with Connor Clark second and Tom Neal third. Race four and there was a shock as Clark hit the front with Watson in second place ahead of Cooper in third. The race had to be stopped mid race after a bad spill by Scot Richardson, which let Watson take the win ahead of Clark and Cooper third. Race five and Watson took another race win to take his unbeaten run to 19 out of 19 races, Neal finished second and Cooper and Clark third and fourth.
Conrad Mewes continued his winning ways in the 65cc class as he took a race three victory, ahead of Will Keogh in second and David Galvin in third. Race four and Henry Williams took another start to finish win, Mewse was in second but lost it after an infringement of the rules put him eventually down in fourth. Aaron Piper was awarded the second place and Sid Evans third. Race five and Evans hit the front, with Jack Camwell in second, Williams and Keet were third and fourth closely followed by Mewes. Mewes made his move and went into the lead on lap four and went on to win the race with Williams second and Evans in third. Mewes claimed the overall ahead of Williams in second and Evans in third.
Peter Eccles claimed Race three and four wins in the Adult Clubman class, only losing out in race five to Zac Stealey who took race five. Ryan Pottenger took the overall in the Experts clubman class, while Eccles took the overall from Zac Stealey in second and Gary Pottenger third in the clubman class.
After finishing third in race one in the Big-wheel 85cc class, Ryan Houghton upped the anti and stormed to four race wins and the overall.
ACU EXPRESS INSURANCE BRITISH YOUTH MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Rd 3 – Little Silver Moto Park, nr Exminster
(Little Silver Moto Club)
PAR HOMES YOUTH OPEN
1 Josh Waterman 45 + 45 + 42 + 45 + 42 = 219
2 Luke Hawkins 42 + 40 + 40 + 38 + 45 = 205
3 Jack Rowland 36 + 42 + 45 + 42 + 35 = 200
4 Connor Walkley 40 + 35 + 36 + 36 + 40 = 187
5 Daniel McCanney 38 + 38 + 35 + 34 + 38 = 183
6 Aaron Jenner 32 + 36 + 32 + 35 + 31 = 166
BIG-WHEEL 85cc
1 Ryan Houghton 40 + 45 + 45 + 45 + 45 = 220
2 Jake Millward 35 + 36 + 42 + 42 + 36 = 191
3 Sunny Thompson 42 + 34 + 40 + 34 + 40 = 190
4 Ben Howell 31 + 42 + 36 + 36 + 38 = 183
5 James Dunn 32 + 35 + 33 + 35 + 35 = 170
6 Michael Eccles 28 + 33 + 38 + 33 + 30 = 162
PAR HOMES SMALL-WHEEL 85cc
1 Ben Watson 45 + 45 + 45 + 45 + 45 = 225
2 Callan Cooper 40 + 40 + 40 + 40 + 40 = 200
3 Tom Neal 42 + 42 + 38 + 34 + 42 = 198
4 Connor Clark 34 + 34 + 42 + 42 + 38 = 190
5 Corie Southwood 32 + 35 + 36 + 32 + 35 = 170
6 Robert Davidson 31 + 32 + 33 + 35 + 31 = 162
COBRA JUNIOR 65cc
1 Conrad Mewes 45 + 42 + 45 + 38 + 45 = 215
2 Henry Williams 42 + 45 + 35 + 45 + 42 = 209
3 Sid Evans 40 + 38 + 38 + 40 + 40 = 196
4 Will Keogh 36 + 35 + 42 + 28 + 36 = 177
5 Aaron Piper 38 + 34 + 29 + 42 + 29 = 172
6 Connor Hughes 35 + 40 + 18 + 35 + 38 = 166
ADULT EXPERT
1 Ryan Pottenger 45 + 45 + 45 + 45 + 45 = 225
ADULT CLUBMAN
1 Peter Eccles 45 + 45 + 45 + 45 + 42 = 222
2 Zac Stealey 34 + 40 + 42 + 42 + 45 = 203
3 Gary Pottenger 0 + 36 + 35 + 40 + 40 = 151
4 James Purchase 36 + 34 + 00 + 38 + 38 = 146
5 Jason Rowlands 42 + 42 + 40 + 0 + 0 = 124
6 Andy White 40 + 38 + 36 + 0 + 0 = 114
NEXT ROUND: June 20/21 – Dean Moor, nr Workington, Cumbria (West Cumbria MCC).