Wolves bite back!
By TMX Archives on 28th May 09
EXACTLY a year ago, Wolverhampton and DAC suffered a major disappointment when its promotion of an IMBA European Sidecar and AMCA Motocross Championship round was washed out by torrential Bank Holiday rain.However, instead of standing still and feeling sorry for themselves, club members reacted in the best way possible by immediately slapping in an application to promote the same event in 2009.
Typical of the Wolves club, it regrouped and came back bigger and stronger to promote another superb event and a track that on one of the hottest days of the year so far still allowed the riders to race to their full potential.
So the reward for effort was a bumper crowd and an abundance of quality racing which saw IMBA Sidecar victory for Dutch pairing Jarno Van de Boomen and Henry Van de Weil, who just edged out top Brits Simon Bradford and Marc Cooper.
Brilliantly joining Bradford on the podium were fellow Brits Jamie Stevens and Scott Grahame while Steve and Stewart France took a great fifth overall
Tony Grahame/ Neil Friary finished 13th, Andy Grahame/ Melissa Griffin 15th, Colin Griffiths/ James Morrell 17th, Stewart Lines/ Neal Bann 19th and Stephen Evans/ Ian Griffin 21st.
Over in the AMCA MX Solo Championship action, Brad O'Leary and Lee Dunham both increased their respective advantages at the head of the MX1 and MX2 tables with another consistent performance at Cleobury. On a day of thrilling action though, it was young Brad Turner and the experienced Phil Mercer who took the overall wins.
Report and Pictures: MIKE WOOD
Despite feeling a little jaded after racing in a French International meeting on Thursday, Bradford got the IMBA Sidecar action off to a great start as he claimed the holeshot in the opening moto but after leading for lap one was then quickly overhauled by flying Dutchman, Van de Boomen.
As the leading duo then blasted themselves well clear of the pack to indulge in a thrilling tussle for race leadership which raged for the entire duration, Gerton Kops and Ronny Van de Lagemaat held third.
The British crews though, desperate to produce a strong performance for their home supporters, were in great form in the opener as Stevens and France locked horns for the right to finish fourth while Lines and Tony Grahame hotly disputed tenth place.
As the moto reached its closing stages, at the front Boomen increased his advantage to earn the first IMBA win of the hew season with Bradford maintaining a safe second spot. Although Kops took third, he came under some late intense pressure from Stevens, as France finished fifth.
In the battle for tenth, Lines eventually edged out Tony Grahame while next best was Griffiths in 17th spot.
Although Lines disappeared after just one lap of moto two and Tony Grahame crashed out on lap three, Bradford was flying the AMCA flag in style as he led the pack from start to finish. Boomen slotted into second spot some 7.6-seconds in arrears. Once again, Stevens produced another very impressive ride to earn a strong third while France was right in the frame with a superb fifth.
Just outside the top ten there was a Griffin family battle with Melissa partnering 51-year-old former British speedway champion, Andy Grahame to 12th spot, one place ahead of Ian Griffin and Stephen Evans.
So, it was all down to a last moto to decide who would claim the overall IMBA victory. Who would earn top honours, Bradford for Great Britain or Van de Boomen representing Holland. Well, much to the delight of the patriotic home supporters, Bradford grabbed the all-important holeshot but unfortunately his lead only lasted for just over one lap before former GP rider, Boomen, took control.
From that point onwards, the Dutchman stretched his advantage to earn a richly deserved win although the Brits still produced another typically gutsy performance as Bradford took second and Stevens third while France was again inside the top ten, posting a eighth place finish. Next best was Lines in 11th, Tony Grahame 13th, Griffiths 18th, Andy Grahame 22nd and Stephen Evans 23rd.
In the opening AMCA MX1 championship race, Charlie Hollis claimed yet another holeshot. However by the completion of lap two, series leader Brad O'Leary had out-braked Hollis to take control of proceedings. He was quickly followed through by Ben Saunders while Clinton Barrs, David Campbell, Brad Turner, James Russell and David Wright were all charging hard inside the top ten.
However after moving briefly up to second spot, Saunders then fell twice, dropping back to tenth.
As the race reached its closing stages, Hollis collided with Barrs, losing valuable places, but all eyes were on the very impressive Turner as he moved menacingly up into second.
On the final lap, Turner even threatened to earn a dramatic victory as he only just failed in his attempt to reel in leader O'Leary. Also finishing the moto with a late charge, Saunders regained his composure following his earlier spills to get back up to secure third at the flag ahead of Barrs, Campbell and Truman.
While Barrs struck the start gate, relegating himself to last spot, and Campbell seized the gearbox on his Kawasaki, it was to be Saunders who led the second MX1 clash of the day closely followed by Hollis, Alan Pearce, Wright, Elliot Barrs, Turner, O'Leary and Robert Harries. Although the contest was now only three laps old,
Clinton Barrs had already remarkably moved from last back up to tenth, the real excitement was up at the front as Turner was stylishly picking off his rivals to move up into third. After then seeing off Hollis, the Ride MX Yamaha youngster timed his challenge to perfection by eventually passing leader Saunders on the final lap to earn a great win. With another determined performance, O'Leary slotted into an eventual third spot with Hollis fourth, Clinton Barrs a great fifth, Elliot Barrs sixth and Truman seventh.
After his moto two problems, Campbell with help from Phil Mercer's spannerman, Luke Brown, and Mel of MTR, frantically switched suspension from his broken bike to a spare, unused machine just in time to start the final MX1 clash. Making a great start, the experienced Scotsman slotted the new machine into fourth behind Hollis, Clinton Barrs and James Russell with Truman fifth and Turner sixth, just ahead of Saunders. O'Leary's progress had been halted by a brief clash.
For full report and pictures see T+MX News, May 29
IMBA EUROPEAN SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 1 – Hungry Hill, Cleobury Mortimer (Wolverhampton & DAC)
MOTO ONE: 1 Jarno Van de Boomen/ Henry Van de Wiel (NL), 2 Simon BRADFORD/ Marc COOPER (GB), 3 Gerton Kops/ Ronny Van de Lagemaat (NL), 4 Jamie STEVENS/ Scott GRAHAME (GB), 5 Steven FRANCE/ Stewart FRANCE (GB), 6 Cor de Laat/ Keuben (NL), 7 Martin Krieg/ Roland Peterer (CH), 8 Ton Van Keulen/ Marcel Van Wanrooji (NL), 9 Luc De Scheemaeker/ Martens (B), 10 Stewart LINES/ Neal BANN (GB), 11 Tony GRAHAME/ Neil FRAIRY (GB), 12 Werner Pflugshaupt/ Michel Bruno (CH), 13 Kropf/ Kobel (CH), 14 De Kort/ Van Steenberge (B), 15 Markus Reipen/ Heuken (D), 16 Cor van Berlo/ Van de Putten (NL), 17 Colin GRIFFITHS/ James MORRELL (GB), 18 Andy GRAHAME/ Melissa GRIFFIN (GB), 19 Latre/ Viane (B), 20 Christian Hentrich/ Stefan Effertz (D),... 24 Stephen EVANS/ Ian GRIFFIN (GB).
MOTO TWO: 1 BRADFORD, 2 Boomen, 3 STEVENS, 4 Kops, 5 FRANCE, 6 Van Keulen, 7 Pflugshaupt, 8 De Kort, 9 De Laat, 10 Hentrich, 11 Scheemaeker, 12 A GRAHAME, 13 EVANS, 14 Van Rooji/ Vaes (NL), 15 Reipen, 16 Kreig, 17 GRIFFITHS, 18 Latre, 19 Gerhard Franke/ Olivier Raskin (D), 20 Stodkli/ Grichting (CH),... 25 T GRAHAME.
MOTO THREE: 1 Boomen, 2 BRADFORD, 3 Stevens, 4 Scheemaeker, 5 Van Keulen, 6 De Laat, 7 Kops, 8 France, 9 Kreig, 10 Hentrich, 11 Lines, 12 Pflugshaupt, 13 T Grahame, 14 Van Rooji, 15 De Kort, 16 Kropf, 17 Reipen, 18 Latre, 19 Griffiths, 20 Coen/ Minnoye (B),... 22 A Grahame, 23 Evans.
OVERALL & SERIES STANDINGS: 1 Boomen 174 points, 2 Bradford 168, 3 Stevens 147, 4 Kops 138, 5 France 129, 6 Van Keulen 127, 7 De Laat 123, 8 Scheemaeker 117, 9 Kreig 103, 10 Pflugshaupt 103, 11 De Kort 92, 12 Hentrich 91, 13 T Grahame 78, 14 Reipen 76, 15 A Grahame 73, 16 Krop 71, 17 Griffiths 70, 18 Van Rooji 69, 19 Lines 68, 20 Latre 68, 21 Evans 64, 22 Van Berlo 63, 23 Coen 56, 24 Vereist 40, 25 Franke 40, 26 Franke 40.
NEXT ROUND: June 14 – Rognee, BELGIUM.
SOLO CHAMPIONSHIP NON-QUALIFIERS OVERALL: 1 Sam Callow 10 points, 2 Jamie Thompstone 9, 3 Paul Coward 8.
EXPERT SUPPORT: 1 Peter Weaver 60 points, 2 James Shand 54, 3 Graham Nicklin 142.
AMCA MX2 MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 3 – Hungry Hill, Cleobury Mortimer (Wolverhampton & DAC)
1 Phil Mercer (Delkevic Kawasaki) 60 + 60 + 54 = 174
2 Lee Dunham (MotoXtreme Kawa) 54 + 54 + 60 = 168
3 Jack Taylor (Proppa Gear4 KTM) 50 + 43 + 50 = 143
4 Matt Porter (Select Homes Honda) 47 + 47 + 45 = 139
5 Robert Clitheroe (Yamaha) 41 + 50 + 47 = 138
6 Sean Frayne (Honda) 43 + 33 + 43 = 119
7 Jonathan Slesser (Honda) 45 + 39 + 27 = 111
8 Luke Spence (KTM) 29 + 45 + 35 = 109
9 Shaun Pearce (Peter Jones Honda) 27 + 37 + 39 = 103
10 Scott Mathia (Doodson Suzuki) 37 + 35 + 25 = 97
11 Simon Lane (LTR Kawasaki) 39+18+37=94, 12 Ben Smith (KTM) 24+24+31=79, 13 Jamie Dobson (MTR Honda) 8+29+41=78, 14 Carl Benjamin (Thornbury Kawasaki) 19+31+24=74, 15 Paul Neale (Kawasaki) 25+21+26=72, 16 Brad Nixon (Honda) 35+27+10=72, 17 James Shaw (Delkevic Kawasaki) 26+26+18=70, 18 Chad Yarranton (Cradley Kawasaki) 16+23+29=68, 19 James Lane (LTR Kawasaki) 33+20+12=65, 20 Dale Halls (KTM) 31+25+8=64, 26 Brandon Benjamin (Thornbury Kawasaki) 14+15+15=44, 27 Christopher Hill (Honda) 17+16+11=44, 28 Scott Smith (Honda) 18+12+13=43, 29 Shane Holmes (KTM) 0+41+0=41, 30 Ryan Morris (KTM) 0+19+21=40.
RACE ONE: 1 Mercer, 2 Dunham, 3 Taylor, 4 Porter, 5 Slesser, 6 Frayne, 7 Clitheroe, 8 Simon Lane, 9 Mathia, 10 Nixon, 11 James Lane, 12 Halls, 13 Spence, 14 Pearce, 15 Shaw, 16 Neale, 17 Ben Smith, 18 Lancaster, 19 Neesam, 20 Scrivens.
RACE TWO: 1 Mercer, 2 Dunham, 3 Clitheroe, 4 Porter, 5 Spence, 6 Taylor, 7 Holmes, 8 Slesser, 9 Pearce, 10 Mathia, 11 Frayne, 12 Carl Benjamin, 13 Dobson, 14 Nixon, 15 Shaw, 16 Halls, 17 Ben Smith, 18 Yarranton, 19 Clark, 20 Neale.
RACE THREE: 1 Dunham, 2 Mercer, 3 Taylor, 4 Clitheroe, 5 Porter, 6 Frayne, 7 Dobson, 8 Pearce, 9 Simon Lane, 10 Spence, 11 Marchant, 12 Ben Smith, 13 Yarranton, 14 Slesser, 15 Neale, 16 Mathia, 17 Carl Benjamin, 18 Bellis, 19 Scrivens, 20 Morris.
SERIES STANDINGS after 3 (of 8) rounds: 1 Dunham 442 points, 2 Porter 392, 3 Mercer 374, 4 Frayne 347, 5 Clitheroe 303, 6 Mathia 267, 7 Spence 266, 8 Holmes 259, 9 Slesser 252, 10 Payne 247, 11 Carl Benjamin 246, 12 Pearce 235, 13 Taylor 227, 14 Simon Lane 222, 15 Dobson 216,...
NEXT ROUND: June 21 – Kerry (Druids MXC).
AMCA MX1 MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 3 – Hungry Hill, Cleobury Mortimer (Wolverhampton & DAC)
1 Brad Turner (Ride MX Yamaha) 54 + 60 + 60 = 174
2 Ben Saunders (Delkevic Kawasaki) 50 + 54 + 54 = 158
3 Brad O'Leary (Proppa Gear4 KTM) 60 + 50 + 47 = 157
4 Charlie Hollis (Proppa Honda) 39 + 47 + 50 = 136
5 Clinton Barrs (Delkevic Kawasaki) 47 + 45 + 39 = 131
6 Tim Truman (Doodson Suzuki) 43 + 41 + 41 = 125
7 James Russell (Homer Honda) 37 + 37 + 43 = 117
8 David Wright (Honda) 35 + 39 + 29 = 103
9 Jamie Powell (KTM) 41 + 19 + 37 = 97
10 Richard Meakin (Proppa Honda) 27 + 35 + 35 = 97
11 Danny Blakeley (250 Silvester Yamaha) 29+33+31=93, 12 Alan Pearce (Suzuki) 33+25+33=91, 13 David Campbell (Corby Kawasaki) 45+0+45=90, 14 Michael Reynolds (Yamaha) 23+29+27=79, 15 Matt Gordon (Honda) 31+26+21=78, 16 Andrew Summerton (Suzuki) 19+24+26=69, 17 Elliot Barrs (Marsh Suzuki) 26+43+0=69, 18 Martin Jones (250 Kawasaki) 25+20+23=68, 19 Steven Bailey (SCCD KTM) 20+22+25=67, 20 Sean Eckersley (Husqvarna) 16+27+24=67, 26 Craig Chamberlain (Suzuki) 18+15+13=46, 27 Robert Harries (Yamaha) 14+31+0=45, 28 Stuart Rawlings (Artdeans Honda) 8+17+18=43, 29 Nick Batcock (Yamaha) 13+18+12=43, 30 Graham Hill (250 Honda) 11+12+9=32.
RACE ONE: 1 O'Leary, 2 Turner, 3 Saunders, 4 Clinton Barrs, 5 Campbell, 6 Truman, 7 Powell, 8 Hollis, 9 Russell, 10 Wright, 11 Pearce, 12 Gordon, 13 Blakeley, 14 Meakin, 15 Elliot Barrs, 16 Jones, 17 Crowder, 18 Reynolds, 19 Hookham, 20 Chappel.
RACE TWO: 1 Turner, 2 Saunders, 3 O'Leary, 4 Hollis, 5 Clinton Barrs, 6 Elliot Barrs, 7 Truman, 8 Wright, 9 Russell, 10 Meakin, 11 Blakeley, 12 Harries, 13 Reynolds, 14 Eckersley, 15 Gordon, 16 Pearce, 17 Summerton, 18 Crowder, 19 Bailey, 20 Hookham.
RACE THREE: 1 Turner, 2 Saunders, 3 Hollis, 4 O'Leary, 5 Campbell, 6 Russell, 7 Truman, 8 Clinton Barrs, 9 Powell, 10 Meakin, 11 Pearce, 12 Blakeley, 13 Wright, 14 Reynolds, 15 Summerton, 16 Bailey, 17 Eckersley, 18 Jones, 19 Egan, 20 Gordon.
SERIES STANDINGS after 3 (of 8) rounds: 1 O'Leary 422 points, 2 Hollis 387, 3 Saunders 369, 4 Turner 357, 5 Clinton Barrs 357, 6 Truman 310, 7 Campbell 308, 8 Russell 305, 9 Powell 282, 10 Elliot Barrs 262, 11 Pearce 237, 12 Meakin 229, 13 Blakeley 220, 14 Bailey 213, 15 Rawlings 186, ...
NEXT ROUND: June 21 – Kerry (Druids MXC).
First corner MX2 action sees Jack Taylor (10) in the thick of the battle, with Sean Frayne (5) and Lee Dunham (2) in close contention.