Woodford welcomes classic motocross season opener
By Brian Crichton on 13th Mar 24
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The Northampton Classic Club cranks the national classic motocross scene into action with the season opener at Woodford on Sunday, March 17. The event celebrates the club’s 10th anniversary of running classic scrambles at the Northamptonshire track.
The colour, glory and noise of yesteryear will be evoked by scramble machines from the 1950s through to the 1980s and races include the first round of the Greeves National Championship.
Practice starts at 9.30am with the first of 20 races planned for 10.30am. Spectator admission is only £5 and children up to the age of 12 are free. The admission price includes a race programme and there are refreshments and toilets on site along with loads of free parking. The track is near J12 of the A14 - set your satnavs for NN14 4HY.
Local ace Greg Speed from Wellingborough is well-named. A national championship class rider, he is renowned for his fast starts and the way he flies on his 500cc Cheney Triumph twin.
Other local stars include Robbie Wilson from Corby who is expected to be competing on a twinshock 250 Yamaha two-stroke in the pre-1974 class. Wilson rode in the main British Classic Championship series last year and will compete again in 2024. He and Speed take on riders from all over the country.
Machinery is divided into seven classes, from pre-1960 to 1974-1982 twinshocks. The competing classics include a mighty and valuable 1972 500cc Clews Stroka four-stroke single belonging to Lanacashire’s Ian Stainton, 1981 125cc six-speed Italian Fantic (Chris Hardy), 1964 Jawa Metisse (Gene Womack), American 175cc Can-Am (Kevin Bownes), made-in-Essex Greeves Challenger 250s (Jos Goddard and Dave Watson), 250cc Honda/500c Husqvarna (Dan Evans), and a monster 1958 600cc Matchless twin whose giant rider Steve Billot makes it look like a toy.
In the competitive Greeves races, Watson is the current champion and Goddard is a former champion. So, you can expect a top-class fight in each of the three Greeves races. The series is being run in honour of former rider Dave Harper who worked at the Greeves factory in Thundersley, Essex, and sadly died last year.
Welshman Dan Evans, multi-times Welsh classic champion, rides in the pre-1974 class and is a likely winner on a 1973 250cc Honda two-stroke. He faces stiff opposition from fellow Welshman Nathan Jones.
Former Kettering motorcycle dealer Colin Hill is the Clerk of the Course. Anyone interested in becoming a marshal on the day can contact him via the club’s Facebook page.
Here’s to mud in your eye and nostalgia in your heart at Woodford on March 17.
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