Carless full bore at Boraston! 2021 AMCA British Motocross Championship -Race Report & Results

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Hosted by the very hard working Teme Valley MXC, Boraston in Shropshire was the venue for the eagerly awaited opening round of the AMCA British Motocross Championship powered by Datatag and supported by Dunlop.

Report and Images by Mike Wood

With all the classes stacked full of quality, the typically unpredictable British weather though failed to play ball and read the good times script!! Following 24 hours of almost continuous rain, the circuit had become an absolute quagmire thus even creating doubt amongst some riders if the event would be able to go ahead!

Thankfully though the big watering can in the sky stopped pouring and conditions dried remarkable quick to thus enable this Championship round to be completed. Because of the Covid pandemic, some of the planned pre-series Championship qualifiers had been cancelled so this meant that the final places on the series start grid for MX1 and MX2 were still to be decided on the day before the hunt for the 2021 AMCA titles could commence.

Early 125cc moto one action featuring Matt Ridgway(27)

So after prolonged practice and qualifying sessions and a slight rerouting of the circuit due to the awfully heavy going, it was finally time for the real action. Yes the track was naturally sticky, technical and very knarly creating a whole maze of big, intimidating ruts but the riders were undeterred and put on a great show, pushing their effort and energy levels to the max in a bid to lay down a marker for the rounds to come! Well done to all riders and the organising Teme Valley MXC for persevering and getting the job done!

In the two blocks of planned racing Ashley Greedy(MX1), Shane Carless(MX2), Bradley Tranter(125cc), Phil Mercer(Vets) and Shaun Mahoney(Youth) took the respective overall wins and are now the riders who will hold the series red plates going into round 2 at Nympsfield.

MX1

Josh Waterman and James Dodd took the moto wins at Boraston but it was Ashley Greedy who bagged the overall win with a brace of 2nd places. Having recently switched for FUS Marsh MX Husqvarna over to LHRT Kawasaki, Ashley was joined on the box by Luke Hawkins and Luke Burton, the defending AMCA MX1 Champion.

Fast Welshman Greedy was to quickly stamp his authority on MX1 moto one as he led Burton, Mark Young, Hawkins, Jamie Skuse and James Mackrel. Greedy continued to hold control right up until lap 7 when he was relieved of the lead by Waterman. Earlier in the moto, Josh was down in 8th but timed his ride to perfection before claiming the first win of the season. Suffering from arm pump, Greedy held on to still bag 2nd from Burton, Hawkins and Adam Chatfield, a late addition to the class after replacing Tommy Alba on the Ultimate Wheels/Thunderroad Honda team. Having an eventful opening ride of the new season was James Dodd, after stalling at the start and suffering a sticking front brake, he then stormed back with a strong performance to get home in 9th.

Jamie Skuse was the quickest rider away in moto two but by the completion of the first circuit, Dodd was in control and that’s where he remained to bag a great win. Taking 2nd again was Greedy from Hawkins and Burton who had worked his way up from 10th then getting himself locked into a great battle for Chatfield. Also inside the top ten were Skuse, Adam Harris, Corie Southwood who had crashed on turn one in the opening clash, Waterman suffering from a bent front brake disc and Will Hughes.

MX2

Having already picked up the MX1 and 125cc titles in successive seasons, Welsh ace Shane Carless started the 2021 MX2 AMCA Championship campaign in spectacular style with a brace of comfortable moto wins. Joining on the Boraston podium was young Henry Williams and Nev Bradshaw on the 250cc 2T Husqvarna.

This class featured an intriguing mix pitting experience v youth and the youngsters certainly played a big part in Sunday’s racing. Rossi Beard also two-stroke mounted took 5th overall including a moto two when he came from last back to a superb 8th. Also in mix was Josh Peters who got home in 7th overall on his AMCA Championship debut.

Brooklyn Evans grabbed the moto one holeshot and led the charge for two laps before Carless who had earlier comfortably posted the fastest qualifying time came through to take control. With Henry Williams holding off Nev Bradshaw in a super battle for 2nd, Beard started his maiden AMCA Championship season in style by scoring a great 4th just ahead of the very experienced Ray Rowson. Also starting with a strong ride in this first MX2 clash of 2021 were Jaydon Murphy, Lewis Dowdeswell, Rory Jones, Josh Coleman and another debutant Josh Peters.

With Beard falling on the opening turn of moto two and with it all now to do, Williams and Bradshaw briefly took turns to lead the way before the super-fast Carless came gliding past! Having stormed to a massive 30 seconds victory in moto one, Carless was right on it again in this one with Williams in 2nd and his FUS Marsh MX Husqvarna teammate Bradshaw proving to be his closest challengers. With rain again falling and making conditions a little tricky, Rowson took 4th from Alfie Jones, Adam Collings,young Peters and Beard, getting back up to a super 8th following his earlier tumble.

125cc

There was to be a new name standing on top of the 125cc Championship podium on Sunday as a delighted Bradley Tranter scored his maiden overall win with a superb 1/2 scorecard. Runner-up was AMCA debutant Kieran Banks on the very rapid Fantic machine. The fast starting Jonathan Roderick-Evans claimed 3rd. After a long layoff from the sport, Tom Fish returned in style by taking 4th overall.

Despite being forced to jump aboard his spare bike, Tranter took victory in the first 125cc moto of the season after Jonathan Roderick-Evans had claimed the initial holeshot. Having his maiden AMCA Championship ride, Banks grabbed third from Bailey Johnston, Jamie Smith and Jack Timms who had to work very hard for his first points of the new season when finding himself down in 15th during the early stages.

Jordan Wright and Tranter were the early pace setters in moto two but Banks on that very quick Fantic machine was already charging hard. By lap four, Kieran was hitting the front and quickly increasing his advantage before racing on to earn his first AMCA Championship win. Whilst he was naturally delighted with that result, the biggest smile of the day certainly belonged to Tranter who by finishing 2nd was also confirmed as the overall victor in 125cc round one, well done Bradley!! With Roderick-Evans also confirming a place on the podium, Wright, Matt Ridgway, Tom Fish and Harrison McCann finished their day with a big points haul. For both Ridgway, who’s bike mysteriously ground to a halt in moto one when holding 3rd and Wright who could only manage 15th, this moto two result proved particularly crucial.

Vets

Factory Phil Mercer was back in town on Sunday and despite being very close to his 50th birthday showed that he has not lost any of his old style and speed. Although Paul Burn grabbed the holeshot in both moto’s, it was Mercer who comfortably took the wins ahead of Gary Davies. Taking the final step on the podium was the defending Champion James Lane.

Paul Burn led the opening Vets clash of 2021 for three laps before being passed by both Mercer and Davies. Lap seven and Burn then disappeared from proceedings. At the front, Phil in his own, smooth untroubled style was cruising to victory as Gary Davies had to see off the very determined Lane Brothers, James and Simon. Next up was Kevin Rogers, 3rd in the 2020 Vets series, Richard Tudor, Andrew Watkins and Sean Smith.

Burn again was quickest to react off the start in moto two, this time leading for three laps before as per the first clash then being overhauled by Mercer and Davies. On this occasion though, Burn held on to get home in 3rd with the reigning AMCA Vets Champion James Lane. For Simon Lane though this moto was to prove disastrous as his Husqvarna’s clutch expired and overheated on lap 5.
Youth.

New rider in the AMCA series Shaun Mahoney was in simply fantastic form on his debut at Boraston, comfortably winning both moto’s. After briefly leading moto two, Charlie Hucklebridge eventually scored a 4/2 to earn a richly deserved 2nd overall ahead of Kalvin Kelly in 3rd.

It was Oliver Ruddock who claimed the moto one holeshot before Shaun Mahoney found a route through on a typically frantic opening lap. From here onwards it was Mahoney all the way as Kalvin Kelly grabbed third from Charlie Hucklebridge, Alfie Crealock-Lovell, Lewis Proud and Oliver Rigby.

Hucklebridge was the quick kid off the block in moto two leading for a couple of laps before the fast Mahoney came through. Comfortably then racing onto victory, Hucklebridge remained in a strong 2nd spot despite suffering from rear brake fade on his KTM machine. Right in the mix in this second clash were Rigby,Jack Davis, Kelly, Proud and Wyatt McGregor. In the separately scored Small-Wheel 85cc class, Oakley Kettle was the top performer ahead of Harley Prickett and Caiden Baillie.

Delve into the Full overall results from the weekends 2021 AMCA British Motocross Championship opener at Boraston.

Results

MX1

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2
1	Ashley Greedy	94	47	47
2	Luke Hawkins	88	43	45
3	Luke Burton	88	45	43
4	James Dodd	83	33	50
5	Josh Waterman	83	50	33
6	Adam Chatfield	82	41	41
7	Jamie Skuse	78	39	39
8	Adam Harris	67	30	37
9	Mark Young	64	37	27
10	Will Hughes	59	28	31
11	Mark Roberts	56	31	25
12	Aaron Patstone	55	29	26
13	Zac Stealey	54	25	29
14	Adam Wells	53	23	30
15	Corie Southwood	52	17	35
16	Sean Wainwright	48	24	24
17	George Sim-Mutch	47	27	20
18	Jake Parker	44	16	28
19	Henry Partridge	43	21	22
20	Jayden Ashwell	41	22	19
21	Damon Strydom	40	19	21
22	Jimmy Margetson	40	26	14
23	Ben Hunt	38	15	23
24	Ieuan Barrett-Harris	35	20	15
25	Luke Meredith	35	35	–
26	Ben Margetson	34	18	16
27	Lewis Hughes	32	14	18
28	Rory Merchant	27	10	17
29	Thomas Merton	24	11	13
30	Rhys Walker	24	13	11
31	Benjamin Nicholls	21	9	12
32	Tye Barrs	18	8	10
33	Jack Griffiths	16	7	9
34	Chris Neesam	14	6	8
35	James Bates	12	12	–
36	Paul Maile	11	5	6
37	Luke Chessell	7	–	7

MX2

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2
1	Shane Carless	100	50	50
2	Henry Williams	94	47	47
3	Neville Bradshaw	90	45	45
4	Ray Rowson	84	41	43
5	Rossi Beard	78	43	35
6	Alfie Jones	70	29	41
7	Josh Peters	68	31	37
8	Adam Collings	67	28	39
9	Lewis Dowdeswell	67	37	30
10	Jaydon Murphy	64	39	25
11	Rory Jones	62	35	27
12	Josh Canton	59	26	33
13	Cory Mcshane	58	30	28
14	Josh Coleman	57	33	24
15	Harry Linton	56	27	29
16	Sean Eckersley	51	25	26
17	Lee Truman	44	23	21
18	Callum Ford	42	24	18
19	Keelan Southwood	41	19	22
20	Mitchell Perry	39	20	19
21	Nathan Claughan	38	18	20
22	James Hanscomb	38	21	17
23	James Angel	37	22	15
24	Martin Jones	36	13	23
25	Brooklyn Evans	31	–	31
26	Joshua Barnett	28	12	16
27	Pip Davies	27	15	12
28	Matthew Bath	27	16	11
29	Adam Hill	23	9	14
30	Ben James	19	10	9
31	Josh Greedy	18	8	10
32	James Smith	18	14	4
33	Billy Bayliss	17	4	13
34	Patrick Gilligan	17	17	–
35	Joe Russell	16	11	5
36	Richy Roberts	13	6	7
37	Aaron Collins	11	5	6
38	Alfie Rickwood	10	2	8
39	Ben Griffiths	7	7	–
40	Steffan Hooper	6	3	3

125’s

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2
1	Bradley Tranter	97	50	47
2	Kieran Banks	95	45	50
3	Jonathan Roderick-Evans	92	47	45
4	Tom Fish	74	35	39
5	Harrison Mccann	74	37	37
6	Jack Timms	72	39	33
7	Jordan Wright	69	26	43
8	Jamie Smith	67	41	26
9	Bailey Johnston	64	43	21
10	Lloyd Morgan	59	24	35
11	Stuart Owen	59	31	28
12	Joel Fisher	57	33	24
13	Luke Newman	55	30	25
14	Clinton Barrs	54	27	27
15	Nathan Bache	52	23	29
16	Harry Ridgway	51	29	22
17	Aaron Colley	50	19	31
18	Max Lewis	47	28	19
19	Jamie Powell	46	16	30
20	Matt Ridgway	41	–	41
21	tomos wright	41	18	23
22	Olly Hathaway	40	25	15
23	Toby English	38	22	16
24	Callum Baldwin	32	20	12
25	Jordan Meredith	31	13	18
26	Lewis Roden	31	14	17
27	Conner Challinor	31	17	14
28	Ezra Blackwell	28	8	20
29	Jake O Gorman	24	15	9
30	Harry Beach	22	9	13
31	Mitchell Gregory	22	11	11
32	Kieron Cooke	21	21	–
33	Joshua Fletcher-Williams	20	10	10
34	Yarin Evans	14	6	8
35	Kyle Briggs	12	12	–
36	Ben Hunter	7	7	–

Vets

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2
1	Phil Mercer	100	50	50
2	Gary Davies	94	47	47
3	James Lane	88	45	43
4	Kevin Rogers	82	41	41
5	Andrew Watkins	76	37	39
6	Sean Smith	72	35	37
7	Richard Tudor	72	39	33
8	Richard Vincent	63	33	30
9	Matthew Chaplin	59	28	31
10	Gareth Dunsford	59	30	29
11	Anthony Bennett	57	22	35
12	Christian Seldon	56	29	27
13	Brian Staples	55	27	28
14	Mark Hawkins	52	31	21
15	Russell Hartill	50	25	25
16	Guy Langmead	46	24	22
17	Paul Burn	45	–	45
18	Ryan Thomas	44	21	23
19	Simon Lane	43	43	–
20	Steve Ferney	42	23	19
21	Matthew Evans	40	20	20
22	Stephen Elford	39	15	24
23	Paul Biddulph	36	18	18
24	Ian Jesson	33	16	17
25	Sean Reynolds	33	19	14
26	Gary Hurst	32	17	15
27	Stephen Hurst	29	13	16
28	David Bullock	27	14	13
29	Simon Baldwin	26	–	26
30	Robert Prosser	26	26	–
31	Christopher Jukes	12	–	12

85’s

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1
1	Shaun Mahoney	100	50
2	Charlie Hucklebridge	90	43
3	Kalvin Kelly	88	47
4	Oliver Rigby	82	37
5	Jack Davis	78	35
6	Lewis Proud	78	39
7	Alfie Crealock-Lovell	76	41
8	Wyatt McGregor	67	30
9	Harry Bebb	64	31
10	Oakley Kettle	61	33
11	Logan Jay Powell	57	28
12	Cameron Chell	56	26
13	Sion Wright	54	29
14	Alfie Bebb	52	25
15	Rylee Francis	47	21
16	Harley Prickett	47	27
17	Rheanna Morgan-Rogers	45	23
18	Oliver Ruddock	45	45
19	Caiden Bailie	42	19
20	Will Turner	41	20
21	Harrison Davies	41	24
22	Jonas Brown	38	22
23	Jack Evans	37	13
24	Logan Chinnock	35	16
25	Tallis Price	35	17
26	Linc Hasted	31	–
27	Josh Lansbury	31	18
28	Oliver Bebb	28	14
29	George Bromley	26	15
30	Jaden Hill	23	8
31	Conrad Tomlinson	22	10
32	Amber McGregor	22	12
33	Tremaine Young	20	11
34	Sion Owen	17	9