With the 2010 Champion George Horsley now too old to compete in the Under 10's event it would be Ipswich's Jack Chaplin who stole the thunder in the Under 10's Championships at Hethersett on Saturday with a dominant display of cycle speedway riding taking five wins from from five races.
Runner-up was local lad Mason Parkins who scored a most credible nineteen points only dropping one point to Chaplin and East Newport's Sean Bennett who flew the flag for the Welsh taking the third step of the podium with eighteen points.
Heavy rain had threatened throughout the day but it was in heat eleven the heavens opened holding up the match for a good twenty minutes while the deluge passed. With the track drains close to overflowing it would be the track staff who kept the day afloat managing to pump the water away and keep the race going. With temperatures dropping and a now wet, cut up track it would prove a challenge for the youngsters to continue with the day but it would prove to make the day, and in heat twelve the title would seemingly be decided between Jack 'Flash' Chaplin and Mason Parkins. A race of the highest order saw a great tussle between the two big hitters going head to head from the gate only for Chaplin to take the chequered flag from a strong challenge from Parkins and effectively the title barring any serious incident.
The girls Championship saw Gemma Hill take the spoils to claim Ipswich's second British title of the day beating Leicester's Chloe Whitehead into runner up spot and Alice Neighbour of Horspath into third.
Results
WILCO UNDER 10'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
Jack Chaplin (Ipswich) 20, Mason Parkins (Norwich) 19, Sean Bennett (East Newport) 18, Sam Warner (Ipswich) 17, Callum Smith (Poole) 16, Kieran Hoare (Poole) 15, Harrison Bacon (Ipswich) 13, Tyler Brinbhoff (Kesgrave) 12, Hayden Rowles (Poole) 12, Adam Turnbull (Astley & Tyldesley) 12, Jake Gray (Bretford) 10, Ryan Dunn (Bretford) 9, Gemma Hill (Ipswich) 8, Chloe Whitehead (Leicester) 7, Jimmy Wassall (Bretford) 6, Ashley Wilson (Southampton) 5
WILCO UNDER 10'S GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIPS
1st Gemma Hill (Ipswich), 2nd Chloe Whitehead (Leicester), 3rd Alice Neighbour (Horspath)
British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.