The Clarkes of Walsham Sponsored 2 Day event at Great Hockham for the Norfolk & Suffolk Junior Motorcycle Club quickly turned from a highly anticipated, action-packed weekend into a rather damp affair. After three weeks of glorious sunshine, the weather turned, as forecasted, and the track gradually deteriorated forcing the committee to make the unpopular decision to cancel the second day.

The Autos started proceedings with birthday boy Tai Elvin-Andrews having his first race. Having failed to score any points he must take consolation from the fact that only half the field finished the final race of the day as conditions deteriorated rapidly after the lunch-break. Experienced Thomas Dutton scored a maximum, Callum Mitchell and Thomas Davey battled with the latter coming out on top, finishing 4th.

Kane Fisher, looking pretty in pink as usual this year, strolled to another maximum this year, followed by a much improved Ashley Rudd, and a hard-chasing Max Bickers. A massive crash in race 1 caused Connor Mountain not to score and, unusually for him, end the day well outside the top 10. Connor Bunkle chased hard through the pack from his trademark anti-holeshot in race 2 and the difficult to pass Josh Bryenton ended just behind Jack Youngs after Jack fell hard in the opening race hurting his knee.

Ben Cole topped the Small-Wheels, 1 point ahead of Declan Whittle. Ben’s trip to the floor at the first corner of the second moto saw him rejoin dead last. Some fearless riding meant that he ploughed through the sand (and most of the field) to heroically end lap one inside the top ten and the race in sixth. Tyler Gray’s puncture meant that he struggled through race one but winning the second and being runner-up in the final moto placed him third overall. A disappointed Phil Price struggled to come to terms with the rapidly changing conditions, while Blair Herring, Greg Dawson, Jay Hillier and Joe Dawson swapped positions to produce close results at the end of the day.

Young Connor Stoker, obviously still suffering after a big get-off the week previously, uncomfortably brought his Yamaha home mid-pack in all three races. At the sharp end Robert Hales, Shaun Southgate and Kieran Snowling traded places in the Big-Wheels.

The usual suspects hit the front and hotly contested the 125’s. George Foames came out on top with Will Beevor trailing Bruno Van Dyke. Outside the top six, the next 10 riders finished closely with just 10 points difference between Daniel Kemp in 7th and Harvey Mutton in 16th.

In the Adult group; a broken chain in the second heat meant that the perennially happy Justin Green finished 11th, missing out on a trophy in only his second meeting by just one place. Rindy Frost scored a holeshot in race 2 but slid downfield as Paul Bennett ruthlessly dominated the day’s events.

Report by Jon Bunkle

Pictures by Tracey Hales

AUTOS

1st James Dutton
2nd Jake Barsby
3rd Travis Smith
4th Thomas Davey
5th Callum Mitchell
6th Fred Clements
7th Louis Thomas
8th Freddie Bond
9th Tai Elvin Andrews

Junior 65′s
1st Kane Fisher
2nd Ashley Rudd
3rd Max Bickers
4th Edward Elers
5th Kyle Jenkins
6th Harvey Thomas
7th Connor Bunkle
8th Aidan Bunning
9th Shane Lock
10th Ben Nolan

Small Wheel
1st Ben Cole
2nd Declan Whittle
3rd Tyler Gray
4th George Ellis
5th Lewis Wigger
6th Ellis Macbain
7th Ben Stafford
8th Thomas George
10th Albert Van Dyke

Big Wheels
1st Robert Hales
2nd Shaun Southgate
3rd Kieran Snowling
4th Ryan Powley
5th Luke Parker
6th Aidan Wigger
7th Ben Watling
8th Callum Pitcher
9th Charlie Downes
10th Glen Carson

Schoolboys
1st George Foames
2nd Bruno Van Dyke
3rd William Beevor
4th Travis Frost
5th Sam Wakeham
6th Thomas Mustard
7th Daniel Kemp
8th Tristan Hales
9th Freddie Lankester
10th Harley Moss

Adults
1st Paul Bennett
2nd Mark Rudd
3rd Mark Bunning
4th Rindy Frost
5th Craig Parker
6th Paul Richardson
7th Ian Adams
8th Steven Barsby
9th Andy Herring
10th Richard Beevor

This weekend’s 11th round of the Remedies Bar Motocross Championship has been called off.The event was due to be staged at Wrangway, near Wellington, but the track is waterlogged.

Officials have not yet decided whether to reschedule the round for another date.