That Was Snow Joke
April 08, 2008
The beginning of April started off on a chilly foot, with riders waking up to inches of snow across the South. With so many race meetings cancelled due to the atrocious weather, Portsmouth made the brave decision to go ahead with the third round of their humorously named Summer series at the popular Henstridge circuit in Somerset.
190 riders arrived during a snow blizzard to a well-prepared but surprisingly dry track. Unbelievably, dust was being kicked up toward the latter stages of the meeting, but snow showers throughout the day ensured the dust didn’t create any problems.
A full line up of Inter Open riders put on a great show for the freezing spectators. Mathew Bayliss led from when the gate dropped to the finish flag, taking a straight set of impressive wins to win overall. But Jansen Day kept hot on the pace to keep his sights on Bayliss’s rear mudguard and crossed the line in second in all three motos to take runner-up spot. Having to work himself through the field in the final moto spurred Rob Muscat on to ensure he took up his usual placing at the top. Two thirds and a fourth secured Muscat third overall.
Lloyd Pettett stayed hot on the top three riders tails, chasing Muscat down in each race, but took the upper hand in race three to cross the line in third, and with his two fourth places took fourth overall. Zac Alsop rode consistently well all day, finish fifth in each moto to finish in fifth overall. A determined effort by Oli Paine paid off, seeing him chase down Alsop in each moto to push himself further up the leader board. Two sixths and a seventh awarded him sixth overall.
Joe Jefferies showed no mercy around the track, and from the start line he led the rest of the pack to finish in first in all three motos, and number one spot was his. Jake Deacon rode consistently, keeping his nose ahead of his rivals and three third places secured him second overall. Billy King’s impressive second place in race two secured him third spot, two fourth positions awarding him valuable points.
Daniel Knight kept hard on the pace to keep himself well within the top six, and with a sixth, fourth and fifth ended the day in fourth overall. Second overall was guaranteed for Tyron Cleaver after passing the chequered flag in second in the first and last races, but an unfortunate 17th position in race two pushed him down into fifth overall. Lewis Dowdeswell continued to impress the spectators, gaining three top ten positions, a fifth in the second his highest position, and he was awarded sixth overall.
The Autos braved the sub-zero temperatures to speed around the track, with Olivier Cook once again reigning supreme, three clear wins awarding him first overall. True class and with potential championship-winning style, Buddy Shipton kept hard on the pace to cruise passed his rivals, two fourths and a magnificent second awarding him second overall. A disastrous second race left Oliver Consterdine out of a higher placing, but with two impressive second places following his holeshots, third place overall was awarded.
Jay Ellis continued his excellent run of outstanding positions on the track, gradually carving his way through the field throughout the day, ending the day on a high by passing the finish line in third, and was awarded fourth overall. A brilliant third in race two gave Charlie Cole a great advantage over his fellow riders, and staying high up the field rewarded his efforts with a fifth overall. Ben Richards remained consistent and worked hard for his placings, pushing himself to the limit in the final moto to finish in fifth, and took home sixth overall.
Exhilarating AMX action followed, with over 30 riders battling hard for supremacy on the track. Lewis Hall notched up two wins to secure overall victory. Leading from the off ensured Chris Southcott would place high on the leader board, and with his results improving throughout the day, ending up second in moto three, Southcott finished second overall. Josh House joined fellow rider Hall in the top three, battling hard with Southcott and completely confusing the lapscorers due to the similar numbers, House tucked three top ten positions under his crash helmet, and finished in third overall.
Fourth overall was awarded to Tom Moore who was in hot pursuit of the leading pack, battling hard with Aaron Bowden in the opening motos. Race three saw Moore out in front from the off, and he held the lead brilliantly for half of the race. Only two riders were able to pass the rapid and talented rider, and he remained just behind the front two for the remainder of the race to finish up in third. A brilliant win in race two ensured Jamie Tempest would be appearing in the top six, but unable to re-start the bike again in race three, leaving him trailing down in 20th position, left him lower down the order than truly deserved. He finished the day in fifth overall. An outstanding start for Aaron Lovelock saw him challenge for the lead in race one, finally finishing up in second. Race two was less productive and scuppered his chances for a higher overall finish, but he still managed to finish sixth overall.
Unsurprisingly Chris Rose led all three VMX races, but Paul Williams soon took over the lead to secure three race wins to reign supreme in the veterans class. Shaun Brooker stayed hot on his heels, but once again a stalled engine lost him valuable time, but he maintained his super-fast speed to finish in second overall, a second, third and fourth awarding him impressive championship points. Richard Paine saved the best for last, slotting confidently into second place in the final moto to take over third overall.
Shaun Skeates battled hard throughout the day with Paine to take over the higher positions, succeeding in race one to finish in fourth, but had to settle following in behind Paine in the closing races. Finishing fourth, fifth and third awarded Skeates fourth overall. Ian Holdaway progressed further up the leader board throughout the day, a brilliant fifth in the final moto a sign of what the rider has on offer, and took home fifth overall. Doug Carrier rode consistently well throughout the meeting, although dropping back in race left him in a lower position than he could’ve possibly achieved. A sixth and a seventh in the other two races awarded him sixth overall.
The mighty Jake Shipton returned to his former Club to completely dominate the Senior class, each race seeing the talented rider at least half a lap in front of his rivals. Even easing off the throttle to let them play catch-up, Shipton took three impressive wins to award the ex-Club Champ first overall. Jake Hassell continued his great run of top finishes, two second places securing him second overall. An outstanding result for George Gough who remained a force to be reckoned with at the front of the pack, an impressive fourth in race three awarding him third overall.
Dean Cummings pushed hard in all three races, a brilliant fourth in race two in this highly competitive group his best result on the day and ended up in fourth overall. A disastrous start and first race for Jackson Evans left him trailing way back in 24th place, but he redeemed himself and rode at his best to chase down Shipton. A second and third ensured fifth overall was his. Ben Griffiths rode well in all three races, a fifth in the final moto boosting his points tally to leave him in sixth overall.
Last but by no means least, the Inter 85s roared off the start, an amazing and highly-entertaining battle pursued between Liam Knight and Billy Hare. After finishing runner-up in race one, Hare took the bit between his teeth and turned on the gas to stay at the front of the field, notching up two wins to take first overall. Knight stayed well in contention and with one win under his belt, his two second places secured him second overall. Chris Bayliss stayed hot on the heels of the front runners, and riding a consistent set of races, he passed the chequered flag in third in all motos to take home third overall.
David Roberts had a brilliant day on the track, finishing fourth in all three motos, chasing Bayliss all the way around the track. Consistent and well fought positions awarded him fourth overall. Three fifth places saw Andrew Hutchison rapidly pursuing Roberts and Bayliss, and a steady and confident set of races rewarded him with fifth overall. Oli Jones tried his utmost to pass Oli McMurray but McMurray stood his ground. Jones finally succeeded in moving into sixth position in race three after an unfortunate spill by McMurray and snatched sixth overall away.
Report from MOTO reporter Kay Turner
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