Jack’s the Lad

Owen Hillman

With torrential downpours on Friday, Portsmouth Motocross Club were praying that the sun would shine down on their two-day event at West Kennett, near Marlborough recently and not have a complete wash-out as it was last year.  But by Saturday lunchtime everyone was doing a raindance as the temperatures soared unbearably high, but the riders braved the heat and ventured out onto the track for the annual PMXC Team Event.  Fifteen teams were vying for a top three trophy and even though Championship points weren’t at stake, all riders still fought hard to ensure they did their bit for their team.

The Juniors were the first to tackle the circuit and Owen Hillman pulled off two outstanding wins, his first ever in the class but an unfortunate DNF in the last denied him the overall.  Olivier Cook raced hard to catch Hillman and closed him down in race two to finish second and grabbed the last race win away from Charlie Cole to finish overall winner.  Connor Lopez finished in second overall three top-four placings awarding him the runner up spot.  Toby Saunders stayed focused only slightly slipping down the order in the last but with two third places finished in third overall, just ahead of Harry Felton who finished in fourth, a brilliant fourth in the last giving him his best position of the year.

A handful of VMX riders took to the track next and Neil Jenkinson should have been the overall winner with three great starts, but it was to be Paul Wisovik who snatched all three victories to win comfortably.  Dave Lopez chased Wisovik hard, crossing the line in second in all three races to finish in second overall ahead of Jamie Winbourne.  Winbourne chopped and changed positions with Jenkinson throughout the day but his third in the final race secured him third overall.

Luke Blanchard made a triumphant return to club level and rode to victory in all three motos with ease to be the AMX winner on the day.  Pushing hard to get close to top spot, Jono Parker-Davies ensured he secured his trademark holeshots, but settled for second overall with three second places.  Kurt Freegard kept well in contention of a top spot, choosing the 450 to battle it out on the track, and a brilliant third in race two awarded him third overall.

Jackson Evans made it look too easy to win in the Senior class, but was denied a straight set of wins.  Even with a third in the second race, he still secured the first and last race win with ease and came away the class winner.  Ignoring the pain in his hands, Jordan Carrier showed no signs of slowing and pulled off an amazing race win in the second moto, his first since moving into the Seniors and he proudly finished second overall.  Daniel Maxey battled hard and was set for three second places, a fifth in the opening race denying him, but his two other runner up spots ensured he finished in third overall.

First-class thrilling action came courtesy of the Inter Open riders, non-stop head-to-head action throughout.  Ryan Monckton ran away with the first and last race wins, just being denied a straight set of victories, but a second and two firsts ensured he was the overall winner.  George Clarke pushed himself to the limit, a rider who never gives up and pulled himself through the pack to move into second place in races one and three to grab second overall.  Billy Hare stayed consistent throughout the day, saving himself for day two, and three third places awarded him third overall.

A mass of Auto riders scattered themselves around the track, literally bouncing off left, right and centre, but Arthur Williams kept his cool and remained focused to finish first in the opening races to grab the overall win.  Jake Parker was determined to snatch a win for himself and eased his way up through the order, finished third, second and then victorious in the last to finish second overall.  Charlie Sturgess was hot on the heels of Williams in the first to finish in runner up spot, and a third and a sixth were enough to move him into third overall.

Jack Cooper

The smile on his face said it all as Inter 85 Jack Cooper finished first overall in his class, securing his first ever race win and it was well-deserved.  Cooper pushed his way up from third in race one, into second and saved the best for last to move into the winners spot and secured the overall victory, well done Jack!  Josh Barton was unstoppable in the opening races, winning both comfortably, but mechanical gremlins in the last denied him a straight set of wins but he still ended the day in second overall.  Taylor Smith rode hard and confident, a brilliant second in the first his best result of the day, and secured two further top six places to finish in third overall.

With all points transferred to the relevant teams, it was Team J who finished out in front, five out the seven riders appearing in the top three throughout the day. Team G finished in the runner-up spot with Team I finishing in third.  With all the trophies presented, riders and families disappeared into the pits for a well deserved rest and prepped themselves for the important job of Club Championship riding the next day.

Results:

Team Event:

1 Team J (Jamie Griggs, Olivier Cook, Taylor Smith, Reece Stock, Daniel Maxey, Jono Parker-Davies, Paul Wisovik), 2 Team G (Jake Parker, Charlie Sturgess, Nathan Baggott, Stephen Allison, Jamie Appleton, Peter Herring, Dave Lopez), 3 Team I (Louie Wakefield, Toby Saunders, Jake Rogers, Ryan Monckton, Jordan Carrier, Shaun Kerley, Mike Loveridge), 4 Team L, 5 Team E, 6 Team A, 7 Team H, 8 Team C, 9 Team K, 10 Team M, 11 Team F, 12 Team D, 13 Team O, 14 Team N, 15 Team B.

Individual Results:

VMX: 1 Paul Wisovik, 2 Dave Lopez, 3 Jamie Winbourne, 4 Neil Jenkinson, 5 Alan Turner, 6 Pete Appleton.

AMX: 1 Luke Blanchard, 2 Jono Parker-Davies, 3 Kurt Freegard, 4 Shaun Kerley, 5 Martin Bradbury, 6 Kevin Taylor.

Seniors: 1 Jackson Evans, 2 Jordan Carrier, 3 Daniel Maxey, 4 Rob Muscat, 5 Charlie Yarlett, 6 Tommy Walker.

Inter Open: 1 Ryan Monckton, 2 George Clarke, 3 Billy Hare, 4 Jamie Strange, 5 David Roberts, 6 James Rennie.

Inter 85s: 1 Jack Cooper, 2 Josh Barton, 3 Taylor Smith, 4 Dan Griggs, 5 Nathan Baggott, 6 Ryan Deick.

Juniors: 1 Olivier Cook, 2 Connor Lopez, 3 Toby Saunders, 4 Harry Felton, 5 Charlie Cole, 6 Owen Kerens.

Autos: 1 Arthur Williams, 2 Jake Parker, 3 Charlie Sturgess, 4 Liam Jones, 5 Jamie Griggs, 6 George Stock.

The sun was once again shining down on all the riders for day two, with plenty of championship points on offer for all those who attended.  Unfortunately despite all the efforts of the club, the water didn’t appear and the dust was soon flying, and by the end of block two it was decided to call it a day to ensure the riders safety.

The action was still thick and fast on the track in the races that went ahead, with a fight for supremacy in the Junior class coming from Camlann MacDonald and Charlie Cole who both secured a win, but it was to be Toby Saunders who took the overall win with two second places.  MacDonald and Cole tied on points, so both riders were awarded second place overall, both showing some real speed and grit out on the track.

Owen Hillman was determined to repeat his top class performance from Saturday but he had to settle for fourth overall due to a mistake in the second race, but still a gutsy third in race one and respectable fifth in race two awarded him fourth.  Harry Felton was still flying high on day two, and having to miss the next couple of rounds ensured he grabbed valuable points to finish highly, a seventh and sixth rewarded him with fifth overall.  Christopher Nuttall would have happily raced in the dust in block three but had to settle in sixth place overall.  An outstanding third in race two should have been a repeat of his first race, but a mistake left him trailing in near the back, but his high placing in the second ensured he appeared in the top six.

It was to be Neil Jenkinson’s day in the VMX class, outstanding starts ensuring he would get into the lead and he stayed there in both motos, well ahead of the rest of the field to finish in first overall.  Alan Scott had to work hard to push his way to the front of the pack, but secured second overall with two second places.  Alan Turner battled his way into third overall, having to work hard to pass his rivals, but a third and a fourth secured him the placing.

Blasting out of nowhere came Steve Rogers who was impressive on the track, ensuring his rivals remained behind him, and with a fourth and fifth finished in fourth overall, his highest position this year.  Pete Appleton tried hard to pass Turner and Rogers but couldn’t quite manage it, but still secured a fifth and a sixth to finish up in fifth overall ahead of Luke Puckett.  Puckett’s first race didn’t start off too well, stalling the bike leaving him trailing in at the back of the field, but he redeemed himself in race two to finish in third and snatched away sixth overall.

Kicking up so much dust it was difficult to place the AMX riders, but two riders dominated the front of the field.  Sean Hewett secured the first race win with Jono Parker-Davies completely devastated he finished just behind in second, but he determinedly worked his way into top spot in the second race and screamed with delight as he rode passed the chequered flag to victory, with Hewett coming in second.  With both riders scoring equal points, they were both awarded first overall.  Kurt Freegard once again stayed in contention at the top and a convincing third in the first race and a fifth in the second awarded him third overall.

Screams to put the finish flag out on the first lap unsurprisingly came from Martin Bradbury’s family as he sped toward the lapscorers in first in the second moto, and although he couldn’t keep hold of the lead he still rode strongly to finish in third to secure fourth overall.  Jamie Tranckle was riding so well in the second until he dismounted the bike mid-air, and crashed heavily which saw the race being red flagged and Jamie having to be attended by the medics, but his results still left him in fifth overall.  Shaun Kerley should have been higher up the results, but stalling it in race two saw him trailing in mid-table, but his commendable fourth in race one ensured he finished in the top six.

The dust didn’t have time to settle as the Senior class roared into action, with Jackson Evans once again the clear winner on the day.  Two easy victories rewarded him the overall.  Daniel Maxey had a job on his hands to keep Jordan Carrier behind him but pulled away to snatch two second places and second overall was his.  Still on a high from the day before, Carrier rode hard and kept his third positions in both races to finish in third overall ahead of Charlie Yarlett.

Yarlett rode the races of his life during the day, keeping well on the pace of the top three, and two fourth positions was a just-reward for some excellent riding.  Charlie finally finished the day in fourth overall and will be one to watch in future races.  Lewis Gardner was gunning for a high position, something he truly deserves after so much disappointment at the start of the season, and storming into sixth and fifth to finish fifth overall will hopefully spur him onto higher positions throughout the rest of the season.  Dale Loveridge had a great day on the track, not making a mistake to follow home Gardner in both races to pass the finish line in seventh and sixth to finish up in sixth overall.

The biggest class of the day was the Inter Open, and the action was non-stop from start to finish.  Billy Hare took both wins, but George Clarke didn’t make it easy for him as both riders finished almost level at the chequered flag, but Hare just inched his way into first.  Clarke rode a brilliant set of races and ensured he finished in second overall with two second places.  Dan Guy kept the front two well within his sights, and finished in third overall, crossing the finish line third in both races.

Another great day on the track for Harry Hinson who kept pushing his way further up the field and rode confidently to finish in fifth and fourth to finish in fourth overall.  David Roberts was set for a higher placing, a brilliant fourth in the first race ensuring he would place high up the leader board, a sixth in the second moto secured him fifth overall.  After leading the race, a disastrous crash in the first over the whoops left poor Ryan Monckton bloodied, battered and bruised but his perseverance spurred him on to finish the race, and he finished in seventh.  Pushing through the pain barrier, he moved into fifth place in the second and finished in a commendable and gallant sixth overall.

A great turnout of young Auto riders set off next with Jake Parker wanting to match big bro Jono’s achievement, and he stormed into first overall.  A brilliant second race win handed him in the overall victory.  Charlie Sturgess rode two consistent races, not putting a wheel wrong, and dashed for the finish line in second in both motos to secure second overall.  Liam Jones triumphantly won the opening race, but couldn’t match his success in the second, but a fourth was enough to be awarded third overall.

Most probably exhausted from day one’s victory, Arthur Williams still fought hard to push himself into top spot, but settled comfortably into fourth and third to end the day in fourth overall.  George Stock and James Bates went head-to-head vying for fifth spot, and with both riders finishing in fifth and sixth in the first two races, they were awarded joint fifth overall.

Josh Coleman was unstoppable in the Inter 85 class, straight into the lead and remaining out front until the black and white flag waved.  Two wins deservedly awarded him the overall victory.  Lewis Dowdeswell made a welcome return and showed everyone what they’ve been missing, a great effort at the front of the pack awarded him a second and third to secure second overall.  After enjoying the taste of victory the day before, Jack Cooper was on a high and he rode brilliantly in both races to finish in third and fourth to secure third overall.

Dan Griggs was flying in the opening moto, keeping his rivals safely tucked behind him, and a brilliant fourth ensured he finished in fourth overall ahead of Michael Denton.  Denton was pushing for a top three spot in the opening race, but the bike let him down and left him trailing in at the back in 14^th.  But Denton showed his true colours in race two and straight from the off he was at the front of the pack, finally finishing in second to finish the day in fifth overall.  Ryan Deick was quick off the start gate, and remained at the front of the field in both races, a brilliant seventh and sixth rewarded him with a sixth overall.

Results:

VMX: 1 Neil Jenkinson, 2 Alan Scott, 3 Alan Turner, 4 Steve Rogers, 5 Pete Appleton, 6 Luke Puckett.

AMX: 1 Sean Hewett / Jono Parker-Davies, 3 Kurt Freegard, 4 Martin Bradbury, 5 Jamie Tranckle, 6 Shaun Kerley.

Seniors: 1 Jackson Evans, 2 Dan Maxey, 3 Jordan Carrier, 4 Charlie Yarlett, 5 Lewis Gardner, 6 Jamie Lynam / Dale Loveridge.

Inter Open: 1 Billy Hare, 2 George Clarke, 3 Dan Guy, 4 Harry Hinson, 5 David Roberts, 6 Ryan Monckton.

Inter 85s: 1 Josh Coleman, 2 Lewis Dowdeswell, 3 Jack Cooper, 4 Dan Griggs, 5 Michael Denton, 6 Ryan Deick.

Juniors: 1 Toby Saunders, 2 Camlann MacDonald / Charlie Cole, 4 Owen Hillman, 5 Harry Felton, 6 Christopher Nuttall.

Autos: 1 Jake Parker, 2 Charlie Sturgess, 3 Liam Jones, 4 Arthur Williams, 5 George Stock /  James Bates.

Report by Kay Turner
Pictures courtesy of Karen Parker

Tags: clarke, cooper, jones, motocross, presenter, smith, water, williams