Apr
Round 1 Supported by Demon Tweeks
RDH Auctions National Twinshock Championships
Round 1 Supported by Demon Tweeks
Polesworth TSC
Stipers Hill, Polesworth
Report Geoff Shuttleworth
Pictures Andrew Boardman
The opening round of this years RDH Auctions sponsored National Twinshock Championships was hosted by the Polesworth Twinshock Club at their Stipers Hill track. It was testament to the clubs hard work in the weeks before the event that it actually went ahead, as several other events up and down the country were cancelled due to waterlogged land. The sandy terrain had been extensively graded, but was inevitably soft in places which gave the 240 riders plenty to think about in the sticky practice. The meeting started in overcast conditions, but as the day wore on the sun came out and the track eventually dried out.
The MD Racing Over 50’s kicked off the 2010 season with its first ever full gate of 36 riders, and it was one of the new boys Phil Ryan who showed his class with two race victories and a third to take the overall. Reigning champion Martin Snape stayed with Phil in all three races and got better as the day went on taking the third leg for second overall. Brian Littler took third with two thirds and a second, ahead of the furthest travelling rider Irelands Davy Johnston in fourth.
The MD Racing Over 60’s raced alongside the Over 50’s and it was business as usual for current champion Jack McEwan who had a hat trick of race wins, but new ‘kid’ on the block Maurice Wharton pushed him all the way with three seconds and Alan Deer took three thirds.
The eagerly anticipated revamped Wulfsport Top 20 Experts didn’t disappoint, and first to show was Racebase rider Simon Gower, who led race one from start to finish, from last years runner up Howard Standfield, and Gary Parker debuting the Marsh C&J completing the top three, with Roy Wells in fourth. In race two the gremlins hit Gower and Standfield, and Wells capitalised taking the leg from new boy Wayne Butt, with Russ Watson coming through to third at the flag, with Alan Eaves fourth. In the final leg Butt got the holeshot, only for Wells to pass him on lap two to take the overall, Parker came through to take second at the flag from Butt and Eaves.
Some of the Toughsheet Recycling 125 riders suffered with the energy sapping conditions, but it didn’t affect runaway winner Sean McCrea who had a clean sweep with three wins. The only rider who came close to him was RDH Raceteam rider John Davis with two seconds. Graham Appleton eventually took runner up despite charging from the back of the field in race two. Dave Ellis took the final podium place with three consistent rides.
In the Falcon Shocks 250 class it was a real battle at the front with Tom Holland looking a dead cert for the overall after his first two race victories, but machine trouble in race three dropped him to fourth overall. This left guest rider Jon Cowgill to take his first overall victory with two seconds and a third, and series sponsor RDH’s Richard Wood claimed second overall, from hard charging Mick Armstrong who had led leg two in third.
The CI Sport Intermediates class is always an unknown until after the early rounds, but taking first blood in races one and two was Phil Martindale, but a fall in leg three saw him drop to third overall. This gifted the overall to Llanelli’s Dan Evans, who had battled for the lead all day, and finished with three seconds. Race three winner Neil Eardley took second overall finishing top three all day, from Chris Woodward in fourth.
In the Cheshire County Crossers Veterans class Prestons reigning champion Gary Parker led every lap bar one to take three comfortable victories on his Honda, with Steve Ward trying everything he could to close the gap at the front. Ward eventually took second overall, but was beaten in race three by Alan Eaves who grew stronger as the day went on. Special mention should go to Daryl Wilkinson on the only two stroke who took fourth overall.
There was another full line up for the LPE Clubman class, and the unluckiest rider of the day was Paul Kelly who but for a fall whilst leading race on would have taken the spoils. This left Lloyd Griffiths to take his first ever overall with two wins and a second. In race one Stuart Hodder followed Griffiths over the line, and two further consistent rides gave him second on the podium. Rob Paine had his best result to date taking fourth overall.
In the Motolink Yamaha Evolution class it was Michael Smith who took the honours with two race wins and a second to Roy Wells in race one. This class looks wide open this year, although Smith does look the real deal, but Richard Chinn on the 250 always shines and took second overall with a brace of thirds and a second in the finale. Third overall and the CNR Burrows Transport Rider of the Meeting award went to new boy Derek Read who finished in the top five all day. Wells eventually took fourth overall with Paul Coward fifth.
The second round is on April 18 at Gale Common, Whitley, Selby hosted by the NOE MXC.
MD Racing Over 50’s
1 Phil Ryan 2 Martin Snape 3 Brian Littler 4 Davy Johnston 5 John Bennett 6 Steve Farthing
MD Racing Over 60’s
1 Jack McEwan 2 Maurice Wharton 3 Alan Deer 4 Bill Brown 5 Ray Hartill
Wulfsport Experts Top 20
1 Roy Wells 2 Wayne Butt 3 Russ Watson 4 Alan Eaves 5 Gary Parker 6 Ian Nott 7 Matt Murphy 8 Russ Hartill 9 Sean Dodders 10 Gary Murfin
Toughsheet Recycling 125’s
1 Sean McCrae 2 Graham Appleton 3 Dave Ellis 4 John Davis 5 Adrian Hoskins 6 Chris Rowlands
Falcon Shocks 250’s
1 Jon Cowgill 2 Richard Wood 3 Mick Armstrong 4 Tom Holland 5 Lee Hartill 6 Steve Shambrook
CI Sport / DEP Pipes Intermediates
1 Dan Evans 2 Neil Eardley 3 Phil Martindale 4 Chris Woodward 5 Aaron Stephenson 6 Mark Connole
Cheshire County Crossers Veterans
1 Gary Parker 2 Steve Ward 3 Alan Eaves 4 Daryl Wilkinson 5 John Iddon 6 Phil Daley
LPE Clubman
1 Lloyd Griffiths 2 Stuart Hodder 3 Paul Kelly 4 Rob Paine 5 Tom Siebert 6 Scott Curtis
Motolink Yamaha Evolution
1 Michael Smith 2 Richard Chinn 3 Derek Read 4 Roy Wells 5 Paul Coward 6 Andy Hinchcliffe
CNR Burrows Transport Rider of The Meeting
Derek Read
