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BYMX Championship - Round Four - Dean Moor Results
21 June 2010
Connor and Albie back on track
With Oliver Osmaston the red hot favourite for the Small
Wheel 85cc title unfortunately nursing a broken arm
and not even making the start line at Dean Moor -
it meant all four youth classes in the Express
Insurance BYMX series were well and truly back in the
balance just as the Championship reached it's mid
point. Hosted efficiently by West Cumbria
MCC round four went twist and turn crazy in the
85cc divisions, but did anyone fully step up to the plate to
swing the championship fortunes their way?
Well it's fair to say with all five Moto wins in the youth
Open division Connor Walkley certainly did ! And Albie
Wilkie's return to top form puts him back in the box seat in
the Junior 65cc chase.
The Junior 65 competition was real tight affair coming into
round four and needed someone to take the series by the scruff of
the neck. Up to now injury had halted the progress of series
favourite Albie Wilkie but on Dean Moor's slippery slopes the
exciting youngster put on a near faultless but above all
entertaining display , carding four wins from five races. Second
place was taken by Taylor Hammal who, along with Wilkie, gapped the
rest of the field in all five motos and thoroughly deserved his
victory in heat three after Wilkie faltered on the last lap.
Keenan Hird stitched together a sterling third place result after
injuring himself on Saturday and completing the rest of the weekend
with a swollen ankle. The two Alex's - Walton and Brown - produced
their best performances of the season in fourth and sixth
respectively whilst fast gating Brandon Sharples was a highly
commendable fifth.
With series leader Oliver Osmaston absent there was ample
opportunity for the emerging talents of the BYMX to stake their
claim for championship honours and they did not disappoint with a
weekend full of enthralling races. Albion KTM's Josh Gilbert topped
the podium after beating Conrad Mewse in a last race decider but
not before a migraine on Saturday threatened to blow his chances
entirely. Gilbert recorded two race wins to overhaul fellow double
race winner Mewse by a single point. Suzuki's Robert Yates had an
up and down weekend by his standards but pulled together enough
points to grab third by the end of play. Misfortune halted the
progress of Jay Lamb (crashes) and Sid Evans (spilt fuel line) but
the pair were strong enough to score fourth and fifth
overall.
Lamb was so impressive he was awarded the Express Insurance Top
Gun award for his weekend's efforts. Rounding out the top six was a
consistent Sam Braithwaite.
The big wheelers gave us another weekend of classic racing,
heart stopping moments together with some misfortune
that tightened up the championship considerably. Adam Sterry
and Ben Howell were in impeccable form winning two races apiece,
showing the rest of the field the short way round Dean Moor. Honda
mounted Sterry emerged victorious from KTM star Howell by four
points and now leads the series standings.
Proppa.com Honda rider Liam Garland held off Ben Watson for third
overall after some gritty race-long performances. Watson had
intermittent bike problems but was well beaten by the men in front
and had to settle for fourth overall. Fifth place man James
Harrison could have scored higher but for bike failure in race four
headed off fellow Honda rider Rob Davidson in sixth.
Team Green's Connor Walkely may have been off the pace at the
previous round but he was back with a bang as he stormed to his
first five race clean sweep since he was racing a small wheeled
machine. While Walkely was untouchable the race for the podium was
as frantic as ever. It was left to Tom Kelly to head the chasing
pack, although he made hard work for himself having to charge from
the back on more than one occasion.
Nathan Watson took until race four to find his usual form but his
second place in the final race proved to be just enough to steal
the final spot on the podium. Danger UK's Harry McKenna was in
magic form but a couple of slight errors on Sunday prevented him
reaching higher than fourth overall. Fifth and sixth positions went
to Gary Sharp and Luke Norris who found themselves in the thick of
the action all weekend.
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