ACU British National Grasstrack Championships 2013.

Photographs

 

What a difference a year makes! One year ago, in the same part of the world, grim faces filled the Cornish landscape as overnight rain continued into the morning, causing the British Championship track to become a quagmire. Fast forward one year and the scene could not be more different! Beautiful blue skies, warm sea breezes and dry ground met this year’s riders, all of which hoped to bag themselves a British title. Practice produced an immediate talking point; the pit corner. Due to the adverse camber, the corner had produced a serious challenge to many riders. The corner appeared to throw riders out towards the fence on the exit of the bend, with riders struggling to keep the machine inside the flags. The circuit was altered slightly and riders were warned sternly that they must stay within the confines of the circuit. Only time would tell…

Race 1 (LH Sidecars) 1st. Eirwin/Alex Balman, 2nd. Martin Cuff/Steve North, 3rd. Will Penfold/Adrian North, 4th. Charlie Ridley/Harry McQuirke, 5th. Andy Pack/Michael Chittenden, 6th. Billy Penfold/Sam Black.
Even in practice, this class looked fiercely competitive with Will Penfold/Adrian North and Eirwin/Alex Balman clashing, only furthering their rivalry. But in the first race, it was Martin Cuff/Steve North who grabbed the advantage, making a lightning start, leaving the two rivals to squabble at close quarters for second. However, the Welshmen managed to break free of Will Penfold and began to catch Cuff/North. In the pit bend on lap 3, Cuff’s chair wheel lifted momentarily, forcing him wide. Balman had got himself in a position to pounce and launched an attack up the inside. Slight contact between the two outfits entering the top bend gave Balman the advantage for the final lap and he never looked like being caught from there. Further back, Pack/Chittenden made Ridley/McQuirke work hard for 4th.

Race 2 (250cc Solos) 1st. Harland Cook, 2nd. James Shanes, 3rd. Sam Radley-Smith, 4th. Jack Nelson, 5th. Mickey Allen, 6th. Trevor Clarricoats, 7th. Adam Hawker, 8th. Ashley Hill, 9th. Jon Shanes, 10th. Mark Anderson.

The two ‘favourites’ in this class would clash immediately here. It was the defending champion Harland Cook who took an early advantage. He shot out of the gate and led out of the first bend. It was a different story for Shanes, who made a poor start and had to produce a fine first bend to follow Harland out of the first bend. He then set about putting Harland under tremendous pressure, often looking like he might clash with him as the bike bucked and reared on the patchy surface. On the final lap, after looking quick out of the pit bend, Shanes clipped Harland’s rear wheel, just avoiding serious incident. A fantastic opening race with real heart-in-mouth moments throughout.

Race 3 (250cc Solos) 1st. Ben Ilsley, 2nd. Richard Warry, 3rd. Tim Greig, 4th. Mark Collins, 5th. Giles Dismore, 6th. John Weeks, 7th. Frank Yates, 8th. Gary Ball.
A great start by Tim Greig who led into the first bend. Ben Ilsley rode a determined first bend to carve through the pack and lead by the time they got back down to the pits bend. Ilsley did just enough to keep himself in front of Richard Warry, who closed on the middle of the bends. Lawrence Barber’s day started badly; he fell on the first lap.

Race 4 (500cc Sidecars) 1st.Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg, 2nd.Dave Carvill/Richard Phillimore, 3rd. Barrie Bennett/Eifion Hughes, 4th.Keith Richards/Glyn Fletcher.

The first race for the 500cc sidecars produced absolute chaos…and championship deciding chaos at that! Before the real pandemonium began, the race required a restart as Keith Richards/Glyn Fletcher jumped the start and were handed a ten metre penalty. Then the drama began. Defending champions Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg made an atrocious start, leaving Simon Beard/Ant Goodwin and Nick/Abi Radley to charge into the first bend together. Nick/Abi appeared to connect with Beard/Goodwin in the first bend, forcing Beard wide. This allowed Harvey/Hogg to catch up and the three crews were in close proximity on the back straight. More contact occurred, causing the Radley’s to pirouette onto the centre green. Simon Beard/Ant Goodwin, having been beaten up in the first bend, were ridden hard into the pit bend by Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg, forcing them to also spin in a complete circle. Beard managed to stop the bike but Ant had come off of the back of the machine. Beard realised once he got to the other end of the circuit and pulled up. All of the drama allowed Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg to get away into the lead. All this happened in the first lap. Needless to say, Simon Beard/Ant Goodwin were extremely unhappy that they had been robbed of points. The decision was taken to exclude Nick/Abi Radley from the results (they had finished in 5th after their own spin), leaving two top crews (Beard and Radley respectively) with no points from their first ride.

Race 5 (500cc Sidecars) 1st. Josh Goodwin/Liam Brown, 2nd. Mark Cossar/Dan Crawford, 3rd. Mike Read/Mark Hopkins, 4th. Rob/Sam Heath, 5th.Paul Moorcock/Craig Mathison.

After the drama of the first heat, the second 500cc sidecar heat was relatively straightforward. A fine tapes to flag win for Josh Goodwin/Liam Brown showed their intentions of winning back their crown that they won together in 2011. Disaster struck Tony Cook/Paul Smith. A machine problem coming off of the start meant that they pulled off before even reaching the first bend. Even more disappointing given that it is a new machine for Cookie. British Masters champion Mark Cossar kept Goodwin honest for two laps before Josh was able to gap him.

Race 6 (350cc Solos) 1st. Harland Cook, 2nd.Richard Smith, 3rd. Josh Dingle, 4th. Andrew Whitaker, 5th.Jake Quintrell, 6th.John Weeks, 7th. Steve Pearce.
Race 6 saw the first incident of the day. Barry Powell hit a bump awkwardly coming through the pit corner and was dumped unceremoniously onto the floor. He was to take no further part in the meeting. Harland Cook, who had led the first running of the race, once again led in the rerun and was followed by Josh Dingle in second and Richard Smith in third for four laps. Until the last bend, the race proved uneventful. Then Cook ran incredibly wide exiting the pit turn, almost collecting the safety fence (a sinister omen for what was to follow later) and just behind him Josh Dingle fell off his machine. This allowed Richard Smith through and a remounted Dingle came home third. Strange happenings in the latter stages of the race.

Race 7 (350cc Solos) 1st. Matt Etherington, 2nd. Hunter Anderson, 3rd. Mark Taylor, 4th. Andy Mellish, 5th. Lawrence Barber, 6th. Dave Meadows.
The second 350 race saw another red flag. This time, it was John Jeffries who had fallen foul to the pit corner, laying the machine down while heading towards the fence. Controversial entry Hunter Anderson can count himself lucky. He had flipped his machine on the line and had bumped the machine back to life just as the red flag came out. This meant that he could take his place in the rerun. In the restaging, Matt Etherington made a good start and although he was pressured by Andy Mellish, who tried riding around him on the pit bend, he never really looked like being passed. Trying hard to defend his title, Andy Mellish dropped the machine in the middle of the top bend, allowing Hunter Anderson to take over second place after battling Mark Taylor.

Race 8 (1000cc Sidecars) 1st. James/Dave Goudge, 2nd. Simon Heal/Terry Madley, 3rd.Joe Sturtridge/Nick Dimente, 4th. Darren Wilce/Pete Shaw, 5th. Matthew Huddy/Colin Endean.
A fairly straightforward win for James/Dave Goudge. They made an excellent start and although they were kept honest by Simon Heal/Terry Madley, they never really looked like being overtaken.Darren Wilce/Pete Shaw, mounted on a speedway bike, made a great start but were taken by Joe Sturtridge/Nick Dimente on the first lap.
The track was watered here.

Race 9 (LH Sidecars) 1st. Will Penfold/Adrian North, 2nd Charlie Ridley/Harry McQuirke, 3rd.Martin Cuff/Steve North, 4th. Eirwin Balman/Alex Balman, 5th.Andy Pack/Michael Chittenden

A tapes to flag victory for Penfold here, who looked to take the event by the scruff of the neck. The race saw a much less eventful procession, with the only notable occurance being Billy Penfold/Sam Black coming to a halt on the second lap. First time winners Eirwin/Alex Balman’s poor finish in this heat saw the championship thrown wide open.

Race 10 (250cc Solos) 1st. Ben Ilsley, 2nd. Jack Nelson, 3rd. Ashley Hill, 4th. Mickey Allen, 5th. Adam Hawker, 6th. Trevor Clarricoats, 7th. Frank Yates
The first running of the heat saw a red flag as Richard Warry came to grief leaving the start line. After such a heavy fall, he understandably struggled to get himself up.
In the rerun, it was Mickey Allen and Ashley Hill who made the gate but Ben Ilsley got up the inside of Hill leaving the first bend. Entering the pit bend, Ilsley forced a hole up the inside of Allen and then never looked like being caught. Towards the end, Hill and Jack Nelson came closer, but Ilsley appeared to have the race under control.

Race 11 (250cc Solos) 1st. Harland Cook, 2nd. James Shanes, 3rd. Tim Grieg, 4th. Mark Collins, 5th. John Weeks, 6th. Giles Dismore, 7th. Mark Anderson, 8th. Jon Shanes

Another fine start for Harland Cook took him straight to the front. James Shanes once again had to work hard for his second, rounding the entire field on the first bend. Although he hunted Cook down for four laps, he didn’t have enough to catch him. Perhaps a tapes infringement had taken place, as James Shanes made his way to the clerk of the course at the end of the race. No action was taken, however.

Race 12 (500cc Sidecars) 1st. Nick/Abi Radley, 2nd. Josh Goodwin/Liam Brown, 3rd. Simon Beard/Ant Goodwin, 4th. Dave Carvill/Richard Phillimore, 5th. Rob/Sam Heath, 6th. Paul Moorcock/Craig Mathison

A fine win for Nick/Abi Radley who put to bed the misery of their first race exclusion. They leapt out of the start and never looked like being caught. The action behind them, however was a sight to behold as Simon Beard and Josh Goodwin locked horns. The battled culminated in a tremendous final lap of sidecar racing. Goodwin, with drive off of the pit bend, got up the inside of Beard entering the top turn and tried to come underneath him. Both outfits ran wide and continued their progress on the back straight. Beard shot up the inside of Goodwin in return as the two entered the pit bend. Again, both outfits ran wide. Goodwin showed skilled track craft as he tucked back underneath Beard and beat him in the chase to the line. A fantastic race between these four racers.

Race 13 (500cc Sidecars) 1st. Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg, 2nd. Mike Read/Mark Hopkins, 3rd. Barrie Bennett/Eifion Hughes, 4th. Keith Richards/Glyn Fletcher, 5th. Mark Cossar/Dan Crawford.

Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg this time made a jet-propelled start and were gone. It was Cossar/Crawford who held second but were taken up the inside by Mike Read/Mark Hopkins on the top bend. Trying to come back on terms with Read, the masters champion span in a circle exiting the top turn, ruining his race. More misery for Tony Cook/Paul Smith. Once again, the machine hit problems leaving the start gate.

Race 14 (350cc Solos) 1st. Matt Etherington, 2nd. Mark Taylor, 3rd. Andy Mellish, 4th. Jake Quintrell, 5th. Lawrence Barber, 6th. Steve Pearce.
A devastating victory for Matt Etherington saw him take two out of two in the championship. The defending champion, Andy Mellish looked set to follow him home in second but ran very wide exiting the tricky pit bend, allowing Mark Taylor past. In truth, Mellish looked to be struggling on the circuit, and could not get past Mark Taylor. Could this be the moment that Andy Mellish relinquished his title reign?

Race 15 (350cc Solos) 1st. Richard Smith, 2nd. Josh Dingle, 3rd. Hunter Anderson, 4th. Harland Cook. 5th. Ian Parsons, 6th. Dave Meadows.
A confident win for Richard Smith put him back on track for a dream title. Hunter Anderson slotted into second whilst Harland Cook took up third. But the action was to come from the man who’d found himself in 4th. Local rider, Josh Dingle set about Harland Cook immediately, and passed him at the end of the first lap. He then set his sights on Hunter Anderson, who began to look tired on the last bend. The Cornishman dived up the inside of Anderson, snatching second on the line. Worryingly for Harland Cook, he looked exhausted at the end of the race, just free-wheeling the corners.

Race 16 (1000cc Sidecars) 1st. James/Dave Goudge, 2nd. Simon Heal/Terry Madley, 3rd. Joe Sturtridge/Nick Dimente, 4th. Darren Wilce/Stewart Togneri, 5th. Matthew Huddy/Colin Endean.
A tapes to flag victory for James/Dave Goudge who were simply spectacular. The machine lifted coming off the start and then lifted in scintillating style in the middle of the bend! Joe Sturtridge/Nick Dimente made a flying start, but were forced wide by the Goudge Brothers and didn’t look to have the power that the Goudge’s possessed. Similarly, Simon Heal/Terry Madley breezed past Sturtridge on the straight, using the might of the crossplane R1 engine. After the race, a broken dirt deflector was found on the ground.

Race 17- (LH Sidecars) 1st. Charlie Ridley/Harry McQuirke, 2nd. Will Penfold/Adrian North, 3rd.Eirwin/Alex Balman 4th. Martin Cuff/Steve North, 5th. Andy Pack/Michael Chittenden.

Race 17 produced another cracking Left Hand Sidecar race with a third different winner! Charlie Ridley/Harry McQuirke this time made a great start and led into a conjested first bend. The conjestion led to Will Penfold/Adrian North finding themselves stuck at the back. But the young Kentish crew were in a determined mood. They tucked up the inside of Andy Pack/Michael Chittenden on the top turn in the second lap, rounded Martin Cuff/Steve North on the pit bend, and then rounded their old adversaries Eirwin/Alex Balman with great speed on lap 3. Despite piling pressure on the leaders, they never managed to get by them. A tremendous effort from the champions elect.

Race 18 (250cc Solos) 1st. Ben Ilsley, 2nd. Tim Grieg, 3rd. Mickey Allen, 4th. Jack Nelson, 5th. Trevor Clarricoats, 6th. Mark Anderson, 7th. Frank Yates, 8th. Jon Shanes

A textbook start from Mickey Allen saw him lead into the first bend and lead for a lap. Once again, Ben Ilsley found a gap up the inside of Allen on the entrance to the pit bend and then gapped the pack. A good scrap ensued for second, with Tim Grieg managing to get into the coveted second spot and pull away from the others. Giles Dismore took a tumble on the top bend, but was unhurt. Three out of three for Ben Ilsley, who now led the championship.

Race 19 (250cc Solos) 1st. James Shanes, 2nd. Harland Cook, 3rd. Mark Collins, 4th. John Weeks, 5th. Ashley Hill, 6th. Adam Hawker, 7th. Richard Warry.

After following Harland Cook home twice, James Shanes was in a determined mood in the third leg. He led from start to finish. Harland Cook looked desperately tired in this race, often freewheeling into turns. Could Harland’s title challenge be finished?

Race 20 (500cc Sidecars) 1st. Josh Goodwin/Liam Brown, 2nd. Simon Beard/Ant Goodwin, 3rd. Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg, 4th. Paul Moorcock/Craig Mathison, 5th. Mike Read/Mark Hopkins, 6th. Keith Richards/Glyn Fletcher.

The race was won and lost in the first turn here as Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg were shut out of the action. This allowed Josh Goodwin/Liam Brown to pull away from the chasing pack. Putting in a good ride, Simon Beard/Ant Goodwin looked fast, keeping a fair gap between themselves and Harvey. A third place for the unbeaten Harvey blew the title challenge open.

Race 21 (500cc Sidecars) 1st. Nick/Abi Radley, 2nd. Dave Carvill/Richard Phillimore, 3rd. Mark Cossar/Dan Crawford, 4th. Barrie Bennett/Eifion Hughes, 5th. Dan Berwick/Ricky Pay
Another fantastic victory for Nick/Abi Radley. What a shame that they had dropped the first heat through exclusion. They had looked untouchable since. A tight first bend encounter occurred between Heath/Heath, Cossar/Crawford and Carvill/Phillimore. On the exit of the turn, it looked like Heath had made the break, only to suffer mechanical failure. Hands were raised instantly and the crew were narrowly avoided. Carvill/Phillimore spent the whole race fending off challenges from Cossar/Crawford who looked extremely quick on the entrances to both bends.

Race 22 (350cc Solos) 1st. Josh Dingle, 2nd. Andy Mellish, 3rd. Jake Quintrell, 4th. Steve Pearce, 5th. Dave Meadows, 6th. Ian Parsons.
A convincing win for the local boy, Josh Dingle. He led home the defending champion confidently. It was another local rider, Jake Quintrell, who had caused Mellish all sorts of problems. Mellish eventually passed Quintrell, even though Mellish was clearly struggling with conditions.

Race 23 (350cc Solos) 1st. Hunter Anderson, 2nd. Matt Etherington, 3rd. Richard Smith, 4th. John Jeffries, 5th. Mark Taylor, 6th. Lawrence Barber
The first running of the heat was restarted after disaster struck Harland Cook. As Hunter Anderson led the pack on lap 1, Cook found himself heading towards the fence on the exit of the off-camber pit bend. Inevitably, he fell heavily into the fence, putting an end to his 350 challenge.
In the restart, it was Anderson who again leapt out of the start. Looking revitalised, the young Aussie never looked like being caught, despite being chased down by championship leader Matt Etherington, and former champion Richard Smith. Had Hunter Anderson and his pit crew finally found the right setup for conditions which the Antipodean must surely have never experienced before?

Race 24 (1000cc Sidecars) 1st. James/Dave Goudge, 2nd. Simon Heal/Terry Madley, 3rd. Joe Sturtridge/Nick Dimente, 4th. Matthew Huddy/Colin Endean.
The Goudge Brothers missed the start this time which may have promised an interesting race. But they managed to draw alongside Simon Heal/Terry Madley on the exit of the first turn and had so much motor, they were able to blast past before returning to the pit bend. It was processional from there.

Race 25 (LH Sidecars) 1st. Will Penfold/Adrian North, 2nd. Andy Pack/Michael Chittenden, 3rd. Eirwin/Alex Balman.

Martin Cuff/Steve North appeared to have finished for the day as they failed to emerge for the race. Will Penfold/Adrian North and Eirwin/Alex Balman charged into the first turn absolutely together. But it was the Balman’s who broke free down the back straight. On the following lap, however, Penfold ran round the outside of Balman and exited the turn much faster than him, leading down the back straight. Any chance of a return was dashed as Andy Pack/Michael Chittenden found a way inside the Balman’s as well. At the back, Charlie Ridley/Harry McQuirke retired on lap three. A huge win for Penfold/North meant that they had one hand on the championship.

Race 26 (250cc Solos) 1st. Harland Cook, 2nd. James Shanes, 3rd. Ben Ilsley, 4th. Frank Yates, 5th. Mark Anderson.

The first time that all of the top three clashed saw them gate together, but it was a resurgent Cook who led out of the top bend and never looked like being caught by either Shanes or Ilsley. The three spread out and followed each other home. This result ensured that Harland Cook would enter the final narrowly leading the championship by a point from Ben Ilsley, with James Shanes another two points behind in third. Jon Shanes took a nasty looking fall on the last bend, but got up soon after.

Race 27 (250cc Solos) 1st. Trevor Clarricoats, 2nd. Mickey Allen, 3rd. John Weeks, 4th. Mark Collins, 5th. Ashley Hill, 6th. Giles Dismore, 7th. Tim Grieg.
Race 27 needed a rerun after John Weeks and Jack Nelson collided on the first turn. After a short delay, both emerged battered and bruised but effectively unharmed. Nelson was deemed the cause of the stoppage and was excluded. The rerun saw a convincing win for Trevor Clarricoats. Tim Grieg looked to be his closest rival, but his rear wheel seized on the entrance to the very last bend, ending what had been an impressive showing from the Lincolnshire rider. A good ride from John Weeks. After falling heavily in the first running of the heat, he rode well to hold off Mickey Allen for three laps before being taken.

Race 28 (500cc Sidecars) 1st. Nick/Abi Radley, 2nd. Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg, 3rd. Mark Cossar/Dan Crawford, 4th. Mike Read/Mark Hopkins, 5th. Paul Moorcock/Craig Mathison.
Another great start and convincing win for Nick/Abi Radley. That made it three on the spin for the father and daughter pairing. Their Eastern centre rivals, Harvey/Hogg simply had no answer to them. Mike Read/Mark Hopkins battled for four laps with Mark Cossar/Dan Crawford, with Cossar eventually forcing Read wide on the pit bend and establishing himself in 3rd.

Race 29 (500cc Sidecars) 1st. Josh Goodwin/Liam Brown, 2nd. Barrie Bennett/Eifion Hughes, 3rd. Dan Berwick/Ricky Pay, 4th. Keith Richards/Glyn Fletcher
This race saw the nastiest incident of the day. Dave Carvill/Richard Phillimore tangled with Barrie Bennett/Eifion Hughes coming out of the start. Phillimore, after falling from his outfit, was run over by Bennett/Hughes, who were understandably concerned. After a short delay, all riders involved were up on their feet and raring to go. Carvill/Phillimore, however, would not be allowed in the rerun as they had stopped the race.

In the rerun, another start line disaster occurred. This time it was Simon Beard’s miserable day being made even worse. At the start line, a serious mechanical issue was spotted by Beard, instantly realising his day was over. The race itself ran uneventful, with Josh Goodwin/Liam Brown putting themselves top of the points tally. They would head into the final with a 3 point gap between themselves and their closest rivals, Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg.

Race 30 (350cc Solos) 1st. Matt Etherington, 2nd. Richard Smith, 3rd. Josh Dingle, 4th. Mark Taylor, 5th. Andy Mellish, 6th. Lawrence Barber.

Etherington and Smith made the gate togrther and pulled away from the others. Smith tried everything to pass Etherington but just couldn’t find a way past and eventually fell back. Josh Dingle, who looked a dark horse for the championship made a poor start after coming up to the tapes late. He had to work his way around Andy Mellish on the pit bend and then got the better of Mark Taylor entering the top bend. But he couldn’t catch Smith in second. Etherington would now lead the championship convincingly for the final. Could he finally win the title that has eluded him for so many years?

Race 31 (350cc Solos) 1st. Hunter Anderson, 2nd. John Jeffries, 3rd. Jake Quintrell, 4th. Steve Pearce, 5th. Ian Parsons, 6th. Dave Meadows.
A fantastic win for Hunter Anderson would confirm him as Matt Ethrington’s closest rival. He had got to grips with a ‘proper British grasstrack’ and was looking super fast. Another fantastic 4th place for Steve Pearce meant that the Devonian had snuck into the final. A tremendous result for the 61 year old racer.

Race 32 (1000cc Sidecar) 1st. James/Dave Goudge, 2nd. Simon Heal/Terry Madley, 3rd. Joe Sturtridge/Nick Dimente, 4th. Matthew Huddy/Colin Endean.
The gating unpredictability of the JRE Suzuki saw the Goudge Brothers again head out of the first bend behind Simon Heal. A lap long battle ensued where Heal/Madley made the Goudge’s work much harder this time. But they found a gap on the inside entering the pit bend and got in front. Heal did come back at the Cornishmen but they simply had too much power under them.

Race 33 (LH Sidecars) 1st. Will Penfold/Adrian North, 2nd. Charlie Ridley/Harry McQuirke, 3rd.Andy Pack/Michael Chittenden, 4th. Eirwin/Alex Balman.

The last heat decider for the Left Hand sidecars saw Eirwin/Alex Balman have a last ditch assault at the title. They made a flying start and led into the first turn. But disaster struck the Welshmen. They span the machine round in a complete circle, allowing the rest of the pack to pass them and get away. Their slim chance of a title had left them as quickly as it had arrived. Charlie Ridley/Harry McQuirke took up the lead and a second place would be enough to see Will Penfold/Adrian North crowned British champions. However, they were to win it in style. They found a gap up the inside of Ridley exiting the top turn, turned on the power and showed Ridley/McQuirke a clean pair of heels. They rode home to a fantastic win and a British Championship. Once again, the name Penfold is on the trophy, but it’s the first time that it is Will Penfold who has won it. Some fantastic Left Hand sidecar action all day had been witnessed, and Will Penfold and Adrian North were deserved champions of Britain.

Race 34 (250cc Solo Final) 1st. James Shanes, 2nd. Harland Cook, 3rd. Ben Ilsley, 4th. Mark Collins, 5th. John Weeks, 6th. Trevor Clarricoats, 7th. Mickey Allen.

In a final that James Shanes knew that he had to win in order to take a second place, he made a cracking start. He was followed very closely by Harland Cook who tried to force an error from Shanes. Shanes, however, was in no mood to be outshone. He led the race from start to finish to confirm himself as British Number 2; one step up on last year. Harland, meanwhile did what he had to do. He kept Ben Ilsley behind him to once again be crowned British Champion for the 4th time. For Ilsley, it was his best ever result in the British Championships and clearly meant the world to him to be on the rostrum. Other action in the final included Trevor Clarricoats dropping the machine on the first bend and narrowly avoiding being run over. Overall, the results seemed a fair reflection of the days racing.

Race 35 (500cc Sidecar Final) 1st. Josh Goodwin/Liam Brown, 2nd. Nick/Abi Radley, 3rd. Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg, 4th. Mark Cossar/Dan Crawford, 5th. Mike Read/Mark Hopkins, 6th. Barrie Bennett/Eifion Hughes

A tapes to flag victory for Josh Goodwin/Liam Brown saw them take their second British title in the 500cc sidecar class. They looked unfazed all day by any of the action on track and were deserved victors. Josh will now surely look to complete 8 titles, retaking the record for the Goodwin name? In the final, Shaun Harvey/ Danny Hogg had momentarily led the Radley’s, but they came underneath Harvey/Hogg hard going into the pit turn, stealing second place. They must be wondering what might have been if they had not been excluded from their first ride. Mark Cossar/Dan Crawford rode well to collect 4th place, fending off a race long challenge from Mike Read/Mark Hopkins.

Race 36 (350cc Solo Final) 1st. Hunter Anderson, 2nd. Matt Etherington, 3rd. Josh Dingle, 4th. Andy Mellish, 5th. Mark Taylor, 6th. Jake Quintrell, 7th. Richard Smith, 8th. Steve Pearce.
Another fantastic display of adaptability saw Hunter Anderson record a third straight win in the final. But with a 3 point lead, second was enough to ensure that Matt Etherington finally won a British crown. A swansong story for Richard Smith in his retirement year came crashing down around him as he dropped his machine on the exit of the first bend. Some highly competitive action in the 350 class had culminated in a popular result.

Race 37 (1000cc Sidecars) 1st. James/Dave Goudge, 2nd. Simon Heal/Terry Madley, 3rd. Joe Sturtridge/Nick Dimente, 4th. Matthew Huddy/Colin Endean.
With the British titles decided, some may have decided to leave early and miss the last race. If they did, they made a sore decision. What a fantastic race! Once again, James/Dave Goudge made a poor start and Simon Heal/Terry Madley took up the lead. From there on, the Goudge Brothers threw everything at Heal/Madley to pass them. They tried the inside, the outside, but could not find a gap until the very final bend of the race. Heal drifted slightly wide, giving Goudge just enough room to manoeuvre the Suzuki into the inside, get the wheels in line and win the race by just the length of the wheel. A fantastic race from these two exciting crews.
And this exciting big chairs race concluded a good days Grasstrack. The club had done very well to keep the dust down on such a very hot day. The clerk of the course had played his part in keeping the racing safe, competitive and above all consistent as the day continued. We were left with six very worthy British Champions, all of whom are good Grasstrack characters. Well done to Cornwall Solo Grasstrack Club for organising a fine Grasstrack event, and well done to the riders for competing in a safe day’s racing.

Overall Results

250cc Solos
1st. Harland Cook 56pts
2nd. James Shanes 54pts
3rd. Ben Ilsley 54pts
4th. Mark Collins 41pts
5th. Mickey Allen 39pts
6th. John Weeks 37pts
7th. Trevor Clarricoats 37pts
8th. Tim Grieg 33pts
9th. Ashley Hill 27pts
10th. Jack Nelson 26pts
11th. Frank Yates 23pts
12th. Mark Anderson 20pts
13th. Giles Dismore 19pts
14th. Adam Hawker 18pts
15th. Richard Warry 15pts
16th. Jon Shanes 11pts
17th. Sam Radley-Smith 9pts
18th. Gary Ball 4pts

350cc Solos
1st. Matt Etherington 56pts
2nd. Hunter Anderson 55pts
3rd. Josh Dingle 49pts
4th. Richard Smith 46pts
5th. Andy Mellish 42pts
6th. Mark Taylor 41pts
7th. Jake Quintrell 39pts
8th. Steve Pearce 31pts
9th. Lawrence Barber 26pts
10th. Dave Meadows 25pts
11th. Harland Cook 20pts
12th. Ian Parsons 20pts
13th. John Jeffries 18pts
14th. Andrew Whitaker 8pts
15th. John Weeks 6pts

500cc Sidecars
1st. Josh Goodwin/Liam Brown 33pts
2nd. Shaun Harvey/Danny Hogg 27pts
3rd. Nick/Abi Radley 26pts
4th. Mark Cossar/Dan Crawford 18pts
5th. Barrie Bennett/Eifion Hughes 17pts
6th. Mike Read/Mark Hopkins 16pts
7th. Dave Carvill/Richard Phillimore 13pts
8th. Keith Richards/Glyn Fletcher 10pts
9th. Simon Beard/Ant Goodwin 9pts
10th. Paul Moorcock/Craig Mathison 8pts
11th. Dan Berwick/Ricky Pay 6pts
12th. Rob/Sam Heath 5pts

1000cc LH Sidecars
1st. Will Penfold/Adrian North 30pts
2nd. Eirwin/Alex Balman 21pts
3rd. Charlie Ridley/Harry McQuirke 20pts
4th. Andy Pack/Michael Chittenden 15pts
5th. Martin Cuff/Steve North 12pts
6th. Billy Penfold/Sam Black 1pt