British Supermoto Silverstone Rd8

Round Eight of the British Championship took place at the Silverstone Circuit along with the British Superbike Championship with some of the BSB boys popping down to the Stowe Circuit to watch the racing. Unlike the support racing for the GP weekend in June when the circuit remained wet, round eight would see favourable weather for the riders all weekend and see some spectacular racing with only one round remaining a couple of the championships were claimed at this round. Next on the calendar for some will be Supermoto Des Nations followed a week later with a strong contingent of British Riders in the Superbiker Event at Mettet

Quads
The most consistent rider at this round was Emma Mackin who bagged three first placed finishes in the 450 class, and finishing fourth on track in race two. But for the majority of riders in both classes it was a mixed bag of results with several crashes for Gareth Thomas, most notably in the second race while lying in second spot he embedded his machine in a tyre wall. Neither Craig Kilner nor Mark Donnelly could complete race two and in the final Terence Mackin and Ed Giddings did not complete the race, but the two fastest rider on the track throughout the day were Craig Kilner and Gareth Thomas
In the Open Class the race wins went to Craig Kilner, Cathal McCarten and Matt Lawry respectively though none of these three could take top three places all day, while Mike Taylor without a win on the day had two second [laced finishes which would certainly assist with the points. Gareth put up a good show but suffered with mistakes in every race. In the 450 class Emma dominated the day, and was closely followed by her dad in second place in both race one and two, but with Terrence out of the running in the final Mark Beevers took the advantage and second placed podium finish after lying in third for the first two races. Similarly Luke Holman moved in to third place in the final after two fourth places earlier in the day. All the other riders had a good mix of results though Chris Wright clinched fourth in the final with David Holman in fifth.

Quad 450 Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Emma Mackin 2. Mark Beevers 3. Luke Holman 4. Chris Wright 5. David Holman

Quad Open Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Matt Lawry 2. Mike Taylor 3. Gareth Thomas 4. Craig Kilner 5. Cathal McCarten

Junior
Tom Booth Amos was heading up the juniors this weekend and as ever he also led a few of the 250 class finishing first in the Junior races and fifth and sixth out on the track, he confidently won each of his three races. Ashley Rudd who would normally rank in second struggled to keep Daniel Drayton at bay and Daniel took second in race one, Daniel then had to battle hard for second place again in race two exchanging places with Ashley several times and in the final race of the day Daniel secured second with Ashley having problems, and it was Matt Raven who made up the final podium position after improving over five seconds on his lap times during the day

250
Ben as ever was first off the mark but Ryan Rudd did not give up the chase and followed Ben with only three tenths of a second over the line. These two were fourteenth seconds clear of third placed Davey Todd who was himself clear from Stuart Sharp and Leigh Field. Race two was different again with Ben and Ryan both off their machines on the first lap; Ben rejoined the pack in eleventh place while Ryan struggled to get back on track and came back in a few laps adrift. This left the front spot to Davey Todd who was eight seconds clear from Stuart Sharp, Lee Field was in third place from Ashley Saunders who would be displaced by the Junior rider Tom Booth Amos who finished first in class but fifth on the track. Ben Stafford charged through the pack and pushed hard to take third position from Leigh Field. Then in the final race of the day Ben would take the honours again with Ryan Rudd in second and Davey Todd in third, these top three riders would be clear from Stuart Sharp in fourth who was followed closely once again by Tom Booth Amos.

250 Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ben Stafford 2. Ryan Rudd 3. Davey Todd 4. Stuart Sharp 5. Leigh Field

Junior Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Tom Booth Amos 2. Daniel Drayton 3. Matt Raven 4. Ashley Rudd 5. Dylan Henderson

Michelin Cup
Brad Hardy had been dominant in race one of the Michelin cup in his quest to secure the title at this round, and a clear lead from Karl Geary Snr and Rich Jennings saw him take maximum points. In race two Harry Kampz had a five second lead over the line with Rich and Bradley in second and third from Steve Ellis once again in fourth place. In the final race of the day Brad failed to get his machine started and would forego the points leaving Harry to take his second win of the day and Rich to collect another second place with Steve Ellis making the third place on the podium in the final race. Karl Geary Snr stayed up in the top five all day to maximise on points. For other it was a mixed bag, Alan Henderson had both a sixth and a sixteenth placed finish, while James Wood had seventeenth but his highest placed finish was eleventh. More consistent throughout the day were Kyle Wingate and Bob Hart

Michelin Cup Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Harry Kampz 2. Rich Jennings 3. Steve Ellis 4. Karl Geary 5. Dan Spencer

450 Elite
In the first Elite race of the day there were three fallers with Richard Blakeman being the first then later in the lap Richard Sharp and then followed Dougie Cunningham. Richard Blakeman found himself with the most places to make up from the back of the grid while Dougie managed to rejoin in tenth position and Richard Sharp rejoined in eleventh. Live five and six were lively for James Addy and Ben Robb as they exchanged places and these two were almost inseparable in this first race. Dougie Cunningham made his way back to sixth position battling with Dale O’Connor on the way. The second race got underway but a fall from David Hartley saw a premature finish and David was then unable to continue. The top six positions were fairly static though Richard Blakeman did manage to push through to fourth position in this shortened race. The top three riders stayed static for all three races despite many changes of places throughout the day, with the top three places being taken in order by Chris Hodgson, James Addy and Benn Robb. Richard Blakeman made up for his two falls in the first with two fourth place finishes, while Lewis Cornish had an excellent day in the points with three consistent and well defended fifth place finishes. Dougie Cunningham and Richard Sharp had some difficulties but finished in sixth and seventh in the final.

450 Elite Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Chris Hodgson 2. James Addy 3. Ben Robb 4. Richard Blakeman 5. Lewis Cornish

Open Clubman B
Tom Hallam led from the start of the race and pulled away from Hein Basson and both these riders were well placed to move up to the A croup for race two with a commanding lead over the rest of the two dozen riders. Lee Pantling would then be on pole with Lee Peet and Jack Raines. Lee would It would be Lee Peet and Andre Craddock who would move after taking first and second in race two leaving Lee Pantling once again on pole for the final with both Gregg Whitmee and Kris Norris within half a second offering a great start to the third race of the day. Josh Harvey, Sam Roberts and Steve Abbott would then be having a battle of their own for the front. The start at the front wouldn’t help Lee who had to retire in lap three after spending all day at the front of the pack. Sam Roberts would set the fastest time in the final lap but he would still not be able to finish inn front of Kris Norris. Gregg Whitmee would maker up the third podium place and have a really good gap back to Phil Dacres who was being chased by Paul Maskell and Andy McKnight. Kris and Sam had worked hard from their finishing positions on race one in twenty first and twentieth places respectively but this\was reflective of Phil Dacres and Andy McKnight who also finished well down the running in race one to come back and finish in the top five.

Open Clubman A
Rob Dickens led the first race but retired with what appeared to be machinery problems so it would be Alan Henderson fastest out on the track chasing first placed Dan Spencer. Ben Hallam had a safe third while Ben Topliss and Tim Johnson battled for fourth. Dan Spencer would lead the second race but come under pressure from Alan Henderson and Tim Johnson and fastest out on the track again; Alan would get by to take the second win of the day though Dan and Tim would not be far behind. Paul Reynolds was fairly comfortable in fourth with Ashley Saunders three seconds adrift in fifth position. Paul Reynolds started well in the final and was in second position until he retired in lap four, Rob Dickens once again struggled and would take home points for this round but this was not the best of showings for him. Ashley Saunders pulled it out the bag for the final taking the win with Alan Henderson taking the fastest lap in all three races today and collecting second position for the second time. Tim Johnson once again would come in third with Marcus Haynes having his best finish of the day in fourth. Ben Topliss had a mixed bag with a fourth, fifth and eleventh, while Joe Edwards claimed two sixth placed finishes. Hein Basson had an excellent day to finish in tenth place following a move up from the first B group race

Open Clubman B Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Kris Norris 2. Sam Roberts 3. Gregg Whitmee 4. Phil Dacres 5. Jack Raines

Open Clubman A Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ashley Saunders 2. Alan Henderson 3. Tim Johnson 4. Marcus Haynes 5. Ben Topliss

Open National
The National race was highly charged from the off as the top positions swapped from lap to lap. Steve Hall had the lead but within half as lap Harry Kampz had taken to the front. The battle would continue for the whole of the race which ended with a collision for the leading pair. Rich Jennings was the fastest rider in this race and would take third position followed by Sam Gilbody and Karl Geary Jnr who had stayed in these positions throughout the race. Keith Topliss had an early fall and retired from the first race. Race two got underway and Rich Jennings took to the front and despite an earlier fall Steve Hall and Harry Kampz would take to the track and remain constant in second and third but pressured throughout the race by Karl Geary Jnr. As the race progressed Rich pulled out a lead from the following three riders who also had a good cushion from fifth placed Brad Hardy on Steve Ellis’s bike while Ryan Rudd passed Sam Gilbody late in the race to take sixth position. In the final race Karl Geary Jnr took the final win of the day with Steve Hall and Harry Kampz close behind and a couple of seconds adrift was Rich Jennings in fourth. Rich had set the fastest lap on two of the outings today but a determined Harry Kampz would set the lap in a quest for the front spot in the final. Ryan Rudd improved as the say went on finding fifth in the final race while Keith Topliss retired from two out of three races.

Open National Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Karl Geary Jnr 2. Steve Hall 3. Harry Kampz 4. Rich Jennings 5. Ryan Rudd



Open Elite
In the first of the Elite races James Addy took the early lead but within two laps Chris Hodgson took to the front and pulled out a lead in his quest to consolidate the championship at this round. Chris maintained a healthy lead from James who was also unlikely to be caught by the next three battling riders. Lee Williams, Richard Blakeman and Dougie Cunningham were swapping places almost every lap with Dougie eventually getting hold of third while Richard pressured Lee for the rest of the race.
Dale O ‘Connor moved in front of Lee Rudd while Andy Mitchell looked very comfortable in the top ten. John the Bong took eleventh position from Davey Todd over the line while neither Richard Sharp nor Chris Walker would finish while Simon Bentley also had machinery problems. In to the second race and James Addy would lead with Chris Hodgson hot on his heels, this pair had a gap top Dougie Cunningham followed by Richard Blakeman and Lee Williams. Richard Sharp was pulling back positions quickly following his puncture in race one and had managed to get himself into seventh place by lap four. Simon Bentley had retired by lap three and he would be followed by Chris Walker and Andy Mitchell retiring in lap seven. A little mistake from James allowed Chris Hodgson into the lead with three laps remaining and despite only a half second lead Chris still took the win. The rest of the top ten remained quite static after the third lap with John the Bong and Kev Drayton having a good battle in the latter stages of the race for twelfth position. Chris Hodgson led the final race once again with James Addy and would pull out a good lead from James just as James pulled out a good lead Richard Blakeman who was in battle with Dougie Cunningham for third and Lee Williams led Lewis Cornish in fifth. Chris extended his lead while Richard Blakeman shook off the attention of Dougie Cunningham to give himself a breathing space but the pair had closed up again by the final lap leaving Lee Williams was secure in fifth place. Chris Walker retired once again and this would be one of his most unfortunate rounds, and Graeme Norris also retired in this race. Chris Hodgson went on to win the final race followed by James Addy but a fall in the last lap within sight of the finish line for Richard Blakeman would see Dougie Cunningham take third place for the third and final time at this round and Lee Williams crossed over the line in fourth leaving Richard in fifth. Ben Stafford had his best finish of the day in sixth position while Dale O’Connor took away two seventh placed finishes, and both Davey Todd in eighth and Chris Lambourne in ninth had their highest placed finishes of the weekend, but disaster struck for Lewis who started the day with two sixth place finishes he had to settle for fifteenth in the final.

Open Elite Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Chris Hodgson 2. James Addy 3. Dougie Cunningham 4. Lee Williams 5. Richard Blakeman

650 Superlites
Ian Biswell would be looking to stay in front after a win in race one, but in race two he would be followed by Ian Gibbons though Simon Nutter would be in third. Sadie Redfearn was in fourth place early in the race and needed to keep Justin Perry at bay, but going into lap three Sadie would unfortunately have to retire. At the front Ian Biswell kept Ian Gibbons and Simon Nutter at bay while Danny Kerwood had his hands full keeping Ken Walton behind him as he pushed for fourth position. Over the line Ian Gibbons would take the second win of the day leaving Ian Biswell in second while Danny managed to keep Ken Walton behind him but by only two tenths of a second. It was however Simon Nutter who would set the fastest lap in the second race of the day. Joe Ellis had to also retire from this race.
Ian Gibbons was the fastest on the track in the final race of the 650 Superlites and would claim his second win of the day, with Ian Biswell once again a close second. Danny Kerwood had moved up to take third keeping the door shut on Joe Walton with Ken Walton having strong finishes with fifth in both the second and final race



Open Superlites
Phil Lee led the first Open superlite race and held off Dave Dixon for the best part of the race before conceding first to take a second place finish. The next few drivers had remained close behind the battle at the front and Jonathan Bennett would take third leaving Ben Dimmack in fourth. The top four had a gap of eight seconds back to fifth placed Colin Griffiths who had Mark Richardson and Matthew Dimmack behind him by a couple of seconds. Race two and Dave Dixon would lead from start to finish though Phil Lee would not let up the pressure and kept as close as he could setting the fastest lap time along the way finishing in a very close second. Despite the very close racing the only passing in this race was done by Julian Fearn as he dispatched Alan Bott with a couple of laps to go, while Ben Dimmack had retired in lap two. Phil Lee managed to take the final win of the day from Dave Dixon and pull out a two second lead and these two had a healthy lead from the consistently third placed Jonathan Bennett, while Matt Dimmack had his best finish of the day coming over the line in fourth closely followed by Alan Bott

650 Superlites Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ian Gibbons 2. Ian Biswell 3. Danny Kerwood 4. Joe Walton 5. Ken Walton

Open Superlites Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Phil Lee 2. Dave Dixon 3. Jonathan Bennett 4. Matthew Dimmack 5. Alan Bott