Portsmouth MX Club - Culham - 2 Day Event + Round 8 Summer Series - 21 & 22/05/2011

Culham 2 Day Meeting
Report by Kay Turner
Portsmouth Motocross Club
Fun Day / Round 8 Summer
21st & 22nd May 2011
Images courtesy of click466.co.uk

Portsmouth Motocross Club hosted the highly anticipated two-day event at the outstanding Culham circuit recently in the heart of Oxford, with numbers bountiful on both days, with the racing spectacular as ever. With a number of the groups filled up to their maximum, the Club were proud to fit in 48 races throughout the weekend, with action red-hot from start to finish, unlike the temperatures that struggled over the two days with a biting wind to cool off the riders as they came off the track.

Saturday was a day of “practice” for everyone, with the hope of some riders winning a trophy as they joined forces to ride in pairs. There was no sign of slowing down even for the fun day especially in the opening moto with the AMX riders barging their way up the hill. Luke Blanchard seemed unbeatable as he powered into the lead from the off, securing the overall win, but assuming another victory was his in moto two, he slowed down to let backmarkers pass him only to realise it was Zac Blackwell and Matt Bayliss who sped passed to finish in first and second. Blackwell was hot on Blanchard’s heels to finish runner up on the day, with Bayliss in third.

The Senior riders were equally as impressive in speed and skill, with Liam Garland going at a blistering rate two win the opening races. George Clarke, Tommy Alba and Dan Maxey were all vying for a top position, with Clarke managing to secure the last race win to finish in second overall. Alba pushed hard to grab a win but had to settle for second place in races one and two to secure third overall.

A great number of Inter Open riders were out next with Jack Eldridge dominant at the front of the pack, winning the first two motos with each to secure the overall. Jordan Bachelor on home turf gradually worked his way up the leaderboard going from third to first as the day wore on, a great win in the last securing him second overall. Ollie Osmaston should have placed higher but a disastrous second moto pushed him to the back of the pack but two commendable second places still rewarded him with third overall.

Consistent but hard riding by Henry Siddiqui rewarded the talented youngster with a straight set of wins, an easy first overall on the day in the Inter 85 class. Jamie Carpenter made a welcome return appearance and put in a good performance on the track, following Siddiqui home in each moto to bag second overall. Charlie Way was once again at the front of the pack, prominent on the 150 powering it hard to finish in third in each moto.

Some great battles in the Junior class came next, with Charlie Cole as usual leading the rest of the pack from the off, but for once didn’t have it all his own way as he only managed to secure two wins but still grabbed the overall. Archie Osmaston was right in the thick of the action and kept focused to secure the last race win to take second overall. Gary Ashley tried his utmost to grab a win but settled for second in race two, doing enough to secure third overall.

The Autos were full on the gas in the next moto with an awesome head-to-head battle between Liam Brosnan and Luke Williamson. Williamson grabbed the first win but Brosnan stormed into the lead in the closing races to secure the overall victory, with Williamson as runner-up. Ollie Cole rode hard to keep Harry White off his tail and pushed himself into third place in all motos to secure third overall.

The VMX rode their own race at the weekend with the old-timers showing the youngsters how it’s done. Darren Noyes had a battle on his hands to keep Shaun Hayles from grabbing his first place place, but secured it perfectly in all races to take the overall win. Hayles pushed hard to finish in second overall, narrowly missing out on a straight set of second places, as Jason Turner snatched away the runner-up spot in moto two, giving him vital points to secure third overall.

The AMX Novice and EVO riders joined forces for the final race with the older machine powering his rider home to the first race victory. Jason Hopgood remained dominant at the front of the pack to finish in first, second and second to take the overall win in the EVO class. Gary Turner and Martin Turner weren’t related but united together to take over second and third spot in the class. Mark Groves lost a place or two as the day wore on, but with a brilliant third in race one he did enough to grab the win in the Novice class. Lewis Lee had a disappointing third race and should have easily won following his brilliant second race win but still scored enough points to finish runner-up in the group, with Gary Carter staying consistent in the top six to finish third overall.

There was no disputing the overall winning pair at the end of the day, both Liam Garland and Jack Eldridge winning their groups, their combined scores awarding them “Culham Best Pair 2011”. With trophies awarded to the top pairs, and holeshot awards handed out, everyone enjoyed a relaxing albeit chilly evening and prepared for the next day of racing.

After a good night’s rest the riders awoke to a perfectly prepared circuit with the overnight rain ensuring the dust wouldn’t fly although the amount of riders due to hit the circuit, the water wouldn’t stay for long. Another great line-up of AMX riders revved impatiently at the bottom of the hill for the gate to drop with Blackwell once again at the front of the pack to win race one, but mechanical issues in race two cut his race short. Matt Bayliss was absolutely storming and powered to the front in the closing races, keeping a rampaging Blackwell, Daniel Latham and Lloyd Pettett off the top of the leaderboard, securing two wins to take home the overall. An outstanding performance by young Pettett who returned to club level to show off his speed, a brilliant second in race one rewarding him with second overall. Latham pushed his way into the runner-up spot in race two, and kept fighting all the way in the other races to finish in the top four to secure third overall.

The action was once again non-stop in the Seniors with Dan Maxey leading the way in race one, but Liam Garland soon stamped his mark on the class as he dominated in the remaining races to secure two wins and the overall. George Clarke was riding at his best and staying firmly in his seat, he stayed focused and finished runner-up with two second places. Maxey stayed in amongst the front runners after his first race win, adding a fourth and third to take home third overall.

The gate was nearly full in the big wheeled 85 group, Jack Eldridge once again leading the way until bike problems in moto three saw him taking an early bath. Liam Knight had a much better day on the track, and proved himself as he led the way in races two and three to secure the wins and took the overall victory. Jordan Bachelor once again had to work his way through into the higher placings, just missing out on a win on the day, but finished on a high in second place to secure second overall. Oliver Osmaston battled hard with the leading trio, grabbing second place in the opening race, a third and a fourth adding to his results to reward him with third overall.

The smaller wheeled class doubled in size on Sunday, with the added excitement of Michael Ellis joining the top three from the day before. Brilliant battles with Henry Siddiqui kept the spectators eyes glued to the track, both ridings securing a win. But Siddiqui grabbed the last race win, and even with a heavy tumble on the last jump he did enough to secure the overall, with Ellis finishing in second overall. Jamie Carpenter chased the top two hard and followed them closely home to take home third overall.

The Junior class was nearly a carbon-copy of the previous days racing, with the three same riders involved in the chase for the lead. Charlie Cole once again reigned supreme with two wins to again secure the overall victory, but Gary Ashley tasted victory in race one to ensure he placed highly. Sharing the spoils with Archie Osmaston, both riders finishing in second and third in the remaining motos, Ashley’s win just pushed him ahead to finish in second overall, with Osmaston in third.

Liam Brosnan and Luke Williamson were at it again in the Autos, with both riders powering the front of the field from the drop of the gate, the duo each securing a race win in the opening races. But Brosnan found the extra power to pull away in race three to secure the win and took home the overall victory, with Williamson once again finishing in second. Harry White had his racing head on for the day, and ensured he would get the better of Ollie Cole, storming into third place in races two and three to end the day in third overall.

Another great turnout for the VMX boys who groaned to see Darren Hansford and Paul Spacagna turn up to join in the fun, but Darren Noyes wasn’t phased by the new arrivals and powered into the lead again for the opening motos. Unable to restart the bike in race three left Hansford to take over the lead but Noyes still did enough to secure the overall victory. Jason Turner was once again flat out, and pushed Noyes all the way to the finish line, finishing runner-up in motos one and two to finish in second overall. Hansford let the other boys enjoy their time at the front in race one, but focused hard in the remaining races, and stepped into his usual spot in race three to take up the lead and win the race to secure third overall.

Without one spare gate in the Novice and EVO class, there was going to be mayhem on the track, but with all the riders away safely, with Paul Kirby taking over the lead in the Novice class to secure the overall. Scotty Sanders made a brilliant debut in the class, straight into first place, enjoying a taste of victory to spur him on as he remained in the top three for the rest of the day, securing second overall. Lewis Lee worked his way through the field, powering hard to secure a fourth, third and second, rewarding his hard efforts with third overall. Evo rider Louis Reid’s day was cut short after a great win in the opening moto, leaving Gary Turner to take over at the front. Winning the class overall, he secured the second race win with ease, and battled all day with Jason Hopgood who remained in the top three to secure second overall. Rob Foden had a great day on the track, and ended his day on a high by taking the last race win, working his way up from fifth in race one, and ending the day in third overall.

Results:
SATURDAY
EVO: 1 Jason Hopgood, 2 Gary Turner, 3 Martin Turner, 4 Dave Moore, 5 Mike Matthews, 6 Jeremy Coomer.
AMX Novice: 1 Mark Groves, 2 Lewis Lee, 3 Gary Carter, 4 Paul Keet, 5 Louise Powell, 6 James White.
VMX: 1 Darren Noyes, 2 Shaun Hayles, 3 Jason Turner, 4 Tony Hale, 5 Tony Noyes, 6 Jason Cooke.
AMX: 1 Luke Blanchard, 2 Zac Blackwell, 3 Matt Bayliss, 4 Rob Muscat, 5 Lloyd Pettett, 6 Nicky Watts.
Seniors: 1 Liam Garland, 2 George Clarke, 3 Tommy Alba, 4 Dan Maxey, 5 Mit Bligh, 6 Fraser Viner.
Inter Open: 1 Jack Eldridge, 2 Jordan Bachelor, 3 Oliver Osmaston, 4 Steven Robinson, 5 Joe Jefferies, 6 Charlie Putnam.
Inter 85s: 1 Henry Siddiqui, 2 Jamie Carpenter, 3 Charlie Way, 4 Jamie-Lee Burges, 5 Jay Muscat, 6 Leigh Lidster.
Juniors: 1 Charlie Cole, 2 Archie Osmaston, 3 Gary Ashley, 4 Liam Jones, 5 Jayden Wooloff, 6 Charlie Razzell.
Autos: 1 Liam Brosnan, 2 Luke Williamson, 3 Ollie Cole, 4 Harry White, 5 Louie Wakefield, 6 Austin Wild.

TOP 6 BEST PAIRS:
1 Liam Garland / Jack Eldridge, 2 Luke Blanchard / Harry White, 3 Shaun Hayles / Jay Muscat, 4 Charlie Cole / Gary Carter, 5 Jason Hopgood / Charlie Putnam, 6 George Clarke / Joe Jefferies.

HOLESHOT WINNERS:
Auto – Liam Brosnan, Juniors – Gary Ashley, Inter 85s – Jamie Carpenter, Inter Open – Jack Eldridge, Seniors – Dan Maxey, AMX – Luke Blanchard, AMX Novice – Ian Chesterman, EVO – Dave Moore, VMX – Shaun Hayles.

SUNDAY
EVO: 1 Gary Turner, 2 Jason Hopgood, 3 Rob Foden, 4 Mike Wheeler, 5 Martin Small, 6 Alan Turner.
AMX Novice: 1 Paul Kirby, 2 Scott Sanders, 3 Lewis Lee, 4 Mark Groves, 5 Paul Hatch, 6 Marc Pearce.
VMX: 1 Darren Noyes, 2 Jason Turner, 3 Darren Hansford, 4 Paul Spacagna, 5 Tony Hale, 6 Jason Cooke.
AMX: 1 Matt Bayliss, 2 Lloyd Pettett, 3 Daniel Latham, 4 Tom Moore, 5 Nicky Watts, 6 Wildman Willis.
Seniors: 1 Liam Garland, 2 George Clarke, 3 Dan Maxey, 4 Chris Bayliss, 5 Fraser Viner, 6 Jordan Carrier.
Inter Open: 1 Liam Knight, 2 Jordan Bachelor, 3 Oliver Osmaston, 4 Josh Coleman, 5 Joe Jefferies, 6 Steven Robinson.
Inter 85s: 1 Henry Siddiqui, 2 Michael Ellis, 3 Jamie Carpenter, 4 Charlie Way, 5 Alex Hoyland, 6 Stefan Millward.
Juniors: 1 Charlie Cole, 2 Gary Ashley, 3 Archie Osmaston, 4 Liam Jones, 5 Charlie Razzell, 6 Daniel Sultana.
Autos: 1 Liam Brosnan, 2 Luke Williamson, 3 Harry White, 4 Ollie Cole, 5 Louie Wakefield, 6 Austin Wild.

Young Callum Clarke had a good coupld of days on the track, just finishing outside the top ten on each occasion

Darren Noyes, overall winner on both days in the VMX class

Gary Dalton in the big wheeled 85 class didn't have the best of weekends due to illness but still found himself inside winning a trophy in the best pairs on Saturday

A great result for Junior rider Daniel Sultana who crept into the top six on day two

Bradley Foley in the Juniors worked hard to move his way up the leaderboard on Sunday, narrowly missing out on a top six position

A great ride by old-timer Shaun Hayles who gallantly gave up his ride on Sunday to lend the bike to Zac Blackwell

Inter 85 rider Henry Siddiqui was unbeatable throughout the weekend, although a tumble on Sunday denied him a set of six straight wins, but still won each day overall

A brilliant performance by Inter Open rider Jack Eldridge not only awarded him the overall on Saturday but also rewarded him with the title of Best Pair on Saturday along with team rider Liam Garland

It was great to see former Pompey rider Daniel Latham back at his old club, blasting his way around the circuit to finish in third overall in the AMX class

AMX rider Nicky Watts powered into the top six on the day his son was due to be born, but a true motocrosser doesn't stop racing for anything & romped home to fifth overall

A packed Novice & Evo class speed around the track, with Marc Pearce (27) leading the way ahead of Scotty Sanders (60)

Inter Open rider Oliver Osmaston remained in the top 6 throughout the weekend

A disastrous first race for AMX rider Gareth Padgett left him trailing at the back of the pack, but he came back at full strength in race two to finish just outside the top 6

Paul Kirby secured the overall victory in the AMX Novice class with two first places

A great 5th place in the second race secured Steven Robinson a top six overall for Steven Robinson

Auto rider Luke Williamson had a great battle with Liam Brosnan throughout the weekend, narrowly missing out on the overall victory

George Clarke (161) leading the Senior group up the hill at the start, with Mit Bligh (457) edging closer to the front of the pack

Bike problems denied AMX rider Zac Blackwell from repeating his first race win on Sunday, but still bounced back to finish in 2nd in the final moto on borrowed machinery

Good pics, shame about that logo!!!

I quite like that logo!