BMX National Series, Round 3
21 May 2006 | Tredgar | Report Rich Eames
'Who left the taps on?'
Wales; It brings so many images to mind, rolling hills, coal mines, rugby, sheep and for the first time, national series BMX racing!!
Yes, it was time to hit the land of the dragons to race the much hyped and eagerly awaited track at Tredegar to give the unsuspecting Welsh public their first taste of our particular brand of fun. The unfortunate part was that the Welsh public stayed in and watched telly cos' it did nowt but rain!! Oh did it rain!! Stories abounded of people arriving and having tents blown away or waking up in a puddle and it caused a lot of people to pack up and leave before racing even started. I know we can't do anything about it, and what will be will be, but can we schedule the next Welsh national for July or August? We might not drown then?.
Anyway,enough about the weather. How was the racing? Well, numbers were down so it gave those brave/stupid enough to stay an opportunity to pick up some extra points. In the 6 and unders Lewis Hipkins took the win from Daniel Blanche. Someone obviously remembered to pump up his lad's tyres this week - right Chris?
The 7's saw Luca Premola on top of the pile but what of Kye Whyte? A crash and a suspected broken ankle saw Peckham's little dynamo miss the win, hope he's OK for Cheddar. Harley Taylor took the two spot.
The 8's went to Reece Brownson tracked all the way by Joshua Moore and Paddy Sharrock who's still recovering from a fractured jaw at Cheddar. Six weeks off a bike? Yeah right?
The 9's was all Jack Clarke from Mid Lancs with Alex Pullen and Fred Devereux in hot pursuit but it wasn't enough to stop Jack from taking the points. The 10's saw Anthony Trower on the deck yet again as Zack Stevens pulled away to win from Lewis Ferguson and Oliver Fay. I'm sure 'Trousers' will be back on it at Cheddar though.
Jacob Roberts got the snap in the 11/12's but couldn't capitalise on it from gate eight and it was left to Bradley Minns to take an early lead. Bradley left the door wide open in turn two and Reece Hoggatt went sailing (almost literally) past him and into the lead which he never gave up. Ben Clarkson took third and Eliott Pullen fourth.
13/14 was all Matty Masterson from gate to line, no one else got close. 15/16 saw first straight carnage as Steven Sewell went down hard and Alix Deakin just couldn't take evasive action quick enough and hit the deck as well. This left Josh Cheetham to smooth his way to the line with Daniel Price in two and Cal Strickland in three.
Junior Men saw Jonathan Roberts chalk up another win for Groove Racing as Shaun Issit went into turn one and ended up exiting left for an unexpected swim in the infield. Lee Bromfield took a second and Ryan Thorne third place. This class will go all the way to the wire, guaranteed!
19 and over; could Shanaze Reade do it again? Answer; yes she did! Russ Kirk kept her somewhat honest down the first straight but there wasn't enough in the tank to get by her the rest of the way round. John Lillingstone got third on the day but it was all Shinny yet again as she proved the first two wins were no fluke. Come on lads, has anyone got what it takes to beat her?
Masters; Only eight riders in this one and it was Shaun Andrews who crossed the line first followed by Matt Hodkinson who looked like he lost interest halfway round in the final. Miles Kirby took a third and the Warlock fourth.
In the girls racing Lauren Stack took the 7-9's, Charloote Green the 10-12's and Ashby Gibson the 13-15's. Junior Female saw Lauren Smith's early practice pay off with a win over Ria Goodman and sister Ellie. The girls are definitely getting faster, no doubt about it.
Heaven forbid I should leave the 25 and over ladies out of a race report, it was all going Abi Hill's way till the final straight bit her and off she went to let Vanessa Real and Nikki Spiers through for the top two places.
In 16-29 cruiser Daniel Thorne survived a major moment early on in the day and held it together for an overall win. 'Regional' Roy Sutton got his 'Groove' on (oh I crack myself up!) and took second with Juan Watney doing his patented 'falling over all by himself' trick to take fourth.
30-39 Cruiser was all Ian Sharp who proved he was 'sharp' enough (oh I crack myself up part 2!!) to open a huge lead and cross the line first. James Christie was somewhat confused by the weather as it rains mineral water where he lives but he staved off his confusion long enough for second place. Milly Milburn had been on the 'special pies' and was flying till a crash produced a Didier Drogba inspired dive'n'slide and he finished seventh.
40+ Cruiser saw the return of Mike Pardon from his worldly travels and proceeded to open the turbo boosters and take a lead to shock the rest of the class. It wasn't to last very long as the last straight voodoo struck again and off he went leaving Ady Warden to take the win. This class should get pretty hectic once Shaun Calvert and Jamie Vince return?.hurry up chaps!
Elite Men only had 14 riders but there was no shortage of action. Final one saw Bloomy turn hit the nitrous button to go 'Too Fast' and leave the rest of the class 'Too Furious' (oh I crack myself up part 3!!) that they couldn't catch him with Liam Phillips and Mr Mapp taking two and three. Final Two was all Lemon's but not without some serious pressure from Bloomy with Laurence being Mr Consistent in the top three. Final three had Bloomy in front again with Lemon on him like custard on sponge cake, it wasn't to be as Bloomy held on for the overall win. Now Bloomy has a 'proper job' it seems as if its only a matter of time before he gets into some real form and this win follows a Euro final in Germany so I think we'll see a lot more from him before the season is out.
So there you have it, the first Welsh national was a success, if a somewhat wet success but look at it this way; its one you'll never forget. Next stop Cheddar...deja vu!
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