A Bick in the Mud
April 14, 2008
Sunny blue skies bode well for a good day of racing for the 150 riders who arrived for the fourth round of Portsmouth Motocross Clubs Summer Series at Swanmore recently. But the rain clouds soon rolled in and several torrential showers nearly put a halt to the proceedings. But all riders bravely battled on through the mud to put on a great show of talent on the track.
The Juniors were the first to tackle the freshly graded circuit with a number of riders contesting for the lead. Finding his regular place at the front of the field was Jake Deacon who took the first two wins, an unfortunate spill in the last denying him a straight set of firsts, but still took the overall victory. A superb day for Josh Bunter who was in close contention for a win and with a second and third, took home second overall. Taylor Smith rode at his best throughout the day, keeping fully focused on the leader ahead. An outstanding second in the final moto plus a third in the first rewarded him with third overall.
Bike problems left regular winner Josh Coleman struggling in race one, but soon got back to his usual positions in the remaining races, confidently passing the chequered flag in the last to take the win. A second in race two awarded him ample points to finish in fourth overall. Lewis Dowdeswell once again placed high up the leader board, three confident top six finishes awarding him fifth overall. A top-class finish on the day for Taylor Hammal, who ignored the mud’s attempts to slow him down, and passed the finish flag in third. Adding a tenth and sixth to his impressive third, Hammal was awarded sixth overall.
The small bunch of Auto riders found riding conditions demanding but the mud didn’t deter Olivier Cook from finding his way to the front of the pack in each moto. Three straight and impressive wins awarded him the overall victory. Jay Ellis fought hard at the front of the pack, confident riding rewarding him with high placings. A brilliant second in treacherous conditions in race three plus a third in race one saw him taking home second overall. A confident return by William Easey saw him staying well ahead of the remainder of the field, his focus set on catching the leader. A fourth, second and third rewarded him with third overall.
A brilliant result of third in race two ensured Ben Richards would place highly among the talented bunch of Autos, and continuing to work hard around the track to stay at the front of the pack, he finished in fourth overall. Liam Jones once again remained consistent and battled hard throughout the day, three top six finishes rewarding him with fifth overall. Charlie Cole first race proved what a fine young rider he is, passing the chequered flag in second. Even struggling to pass the finish line in the final race, Cole still notched up enough points to finish in sixth overall.
Even with only a handful of Inter 85 riders on the track, the racing was still jam-packed with action. Billy Hare continued to dominate the field, three straight wins well ahead of any other rider resulted in another overall victory. David Roberts was a force to be reckoned with, trying to keep his sights on the leader, and three second places rewarded him second overall. Andrew Hutchison was hot on Roberts heels and a consistent set of third places left him undeniably in third overall.
An outstanding and highly-merited result for Daniel Lawler who battled his way through the field to remain amongst the front-runners. An excellent fourth in race three rewarded him with fourth overall. Michael Denton was set for a straight set of fourth placings, riding his heart out throughout the races, but a nasty crash in race three left him trailing near the back of the field but his opening races ensured he finished in fifth overall. Sam Baggott showed true perseverance throughout the day, progressing into fifth place in the closing motos to finish in sixth overall.
The VMX were next to roar around the adapted circuit, with a close battle at the front of the field between Paul Williams, Shaun Brooker and Karl Arnold. Pulling away from the remainder of the field, Brooker impressively took the last race win, and with two second places, took the overall win. Looking good for the victory, Paul Williams did just enough to keep Brooker behind him in the opening motos, two wins ensuring a high finish. A fourth in the last gave him vital points to finish up in second overall. Karl Arnold rode a great set of races, pushing the leading duo hard, and snatching second in the last awarded him third overall.
A true master in wet and muddy conditions, Alan Scott saved his best performance for the closing moto of the day, in the torrential rain. Placing well in second for the majority of the race, he stayed hard on the gas to finish in third, and with two fourth placings added to his points tally, he ended the day in fourth overall. An impressive opening moto saw Richard Paine close to the leaders and passed the flag in third. Two fifth places in the remaining motos ensured fifth place was his. Shaun Skeates kept on the pace of the leading pack, remaining consistent throughout the day in the slippery conditions, and two sixths and a seventh resulted in him finishing sixth overall.
No one could deny Chris Southcott the overall victory in the AMX. Three astounding and dominant wins ensured the talented rider would finish in first overall. Wes Hallawell’s brilliant starts ensured he would remain at the front of the field during the meeting, and his effortless riding style placed him in second in all three races, and rewarded him with second overall. Sean Lock rode impressively throughout the day, keeping the bike at the front of the pack well ahead of his rivals. A fourth and two thirds awarded him third overall.
Challenging hard for a win, Jamie Tempest once again had a brilliant opening moto, staying consistently in third place to finish the race in the position. But he likes to add a bit of extra pressure into his game, and after finishing fourth in the second, he had to battle his way back to the front of the field after disappearing mid-race. Fourth overall was finally awarded after he passed the chequered flag in fifth. Aaron Bowden was on top form throughout the day, keeping on the pace in each race. Two fifths and a sixth resulted in him finishing fifth overall ahead of Shaun Kerley. Consistent finishes ensured a high placing for Kerley, although a last corner tangle with Kelvin Russell could’ve meant disaster. But remaining firmly in his seat and with two sevenths and a sixth, he finished in sixth overall.
A brilliant Senior turnout provided some thrilling action on the track, but there was only one rider who would be at the front. Chris Bick was in his element in the muddy conditions, and led from start to finish in all three motos, a clear winner. Michael Greenfield stayed in contention at the front of the field, keeping his rivals at bay, and two second places secured him second overall. Jake Hassell remained on top form throughout the day, battling hard to keep in touch with the leader, and with a brilliant second in race two, third overall was awarded.
Steadily improving his results throughout the day, visiting rider George Purchase finished in fourth overall, his results including a sixth and a seventh. Working through the pain barrier, Gareth Padgetts opening moto proved he is a force to be reckoned with in the highly competitive Senior class, but injury scuppered his chances of placing higher throughout the remaining motos, but his brilliant second in race one ensured he finished fifth overall. Jake Myers rode a brilliant race in the second, well in contention of placing even higher, but settled for fourth. Finding conditions in the last race more difficult that expected, his high finishes in the opening motos ensured he would finish sixth overall.
Last out were the largest group on the day, the Inter Open class. Unstoppable and proving a master in his class, Rob Muscat couldn’t be caught, and with three straight wins took the overall victory. A close battle pursued between Daniel Maxey and James Rutter. Maxey took second overall thanks to his perseverance to stay an inch ahead, and with two seconds took the higher placing. Rutter kept his nose in front in race one to take second place, taking home third overall, after battling hard in race three to come from mid-pack mid-race to finish third.
Oliver Paine rode his socks off to keep well ahead of his rivals, and things were going to plan until race two when a nasty crash down the hill left his fingers squashed and the rider in agony. But he picked himself up and dragged himself through from nearly last to tenth. Fully recovered for race three, he added another fourth placing to his fourth from race one to finish fourth overall. A gutsy and brilliant effort from Jack Scarlett saw him making no mistakes throughout the day, an impressive fifth in race two his highest placing of the meeting. Finishing high up in the appalling and treacherous conditions in the last race of the day, Scarlett finished in fifth overall. Obviously loving the muddy conditions, Ben Dowdeswell pushed himself to the limit in the final moto, moving up from ninth in his opening races to finish the day on a high in fifth place, to take home sixth overall.
Report by Kay Turner
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