Title drama at Drayton! 2021 AMCA British Motocross Championship Finale – Race Report, Results and Final Standings

.

On conclusion of what was a simply crazy weekend at Lower Drayton during the final rounds of the AMCA British Motocross Championships, the 2021 title winners have now been decided. So its many congratulations to Ashley Greedy, Shane Carless, Kieran Banks, Phil Mercer, Andy Watkins, Ollie Rigby and Oakley Kettle on your eventual victories, welcome to the roll of honour.

Report and Images by Mike Wood

Full of drama, controversy, tantrums and great racing, the fun began right from the off in MX1! Going into this finale of the series sponsored by Datatag and supported by Dunlop, just 13 points separated the top two of Ashley Greedy and Josh Waterman with James Dodd and Luke Hawkins also right in the mix. The first drama came when Greedy and Waterman made contact, in turn, two of moto one with the Honda rider falling. Quickly up and restarting, Waterman was on a chase as Greedy led all the way to the flag. With Luke Burton, Dodd and Hawkins next up, Waterman got back to 5th as Damon Strydom, Adam Wells, Sion Talbot, Zac Stealey and Will Hughes started the weekend with strong rides.

In an explosive and very fiery MX1 moto two it then really kicked off! At the same corner of the opening race coming together, Greedy drove hard under Waterman resulting in the Honda rider careering off the track and into the Lower Drayton undergrowth. Restarting last, Waterman now had it all to do as a super four-way battle developed at the front with Hawkins, Dodd, Greedy and Burton regularly swapping positions. But in another late development, as that fast leading quartet lapped Waterman and Greedy had already received the black flag to stop, the shenanigans were far from over.

Still seething after that turn two incident, Waterman waited before driving across the front of Greedy and blocking his progress. With Burton finally taking the win and the overall verdict in this crazy contest, the results were announced that both Greedy and Waterman had been disqualified for their actions. However, following protests, Waterman was later reinstated and that changed the Championship chasing picture. After having led the series since round one, Greedy had now dropped to 2nd and level on 1397 points with Dodd, just 4 behind Waterman with Hawkins also only a further 13 points in arrears.

Thankfully after that very stormy day one, Sunday was relatively calm as a very determined Greedy went to work, immediately regaining his series lead. Blasting right around the outside of the pack, in turn, one, he then passed the fast-starting Hawkins before racing onto the opening moto win. With Waterman taking 3rd after Dodd had crashed very hard on the final lap, day one victor Burton started with a 5th. With a replica of that very daring blast right around the outside of the pack, in turn, one, Greedy led MX1 moto two with a superb gate to flag win from Hawkins, Burton, Dodd and Waterman. That meant Greedy was now 10 points clear in the race for the title with one moto to go.

And the determined and hungry LHRT Kawasaki rider then wrapped up the 2021 MX1 crown in style with another rapid victory in the final race. Still very battered and bruised from that day one crash, Waterman was unfortunately on his way to hospital so didn’t compete in this last moto, thus allowing both Dodd and Hawkins to overhaul him in the Championship standings. The three ‘Double Header’ events throughout the season also counted towards an AMCA Superclass title and with the points added up in that one it was Ultimate Wheels/Thunderroad Honda star rider Dodd taking the top honours from Hawkins and Greedy.

Luke Burton leading Josh Waterman in MX1

Just 15 points separated FUS Marsh MX Husqvarna teammates Shane Carless and Nev Bradshaw in the MX2 class going into this final event. And those two very fast lads started the weekend by producing an absolute cracker, Nev getting the holeshot before Shane came through for the win with Henry Williams, Rossi Beard and Wildcard rider Jake Preston on a FUS Husqvarna 2T mount next up. If moto one was good though, what followed was an absolute classic as Williams led the way and defied Bradshaw and Carless for six pulsating laps. Eventually Carless came through for another win as Bradshaw also managed to overcome the talented Apex GasGas UK youngster.

MX2 start action featuring Nev Bradshaw(272) and Harry Linton

After Carless had won Sunday’s opening moto from Bradshaw, Williams, Corey Hockey making a very welcome return to racing following a long injury absence and Josh Coleman, there was to be a few anxious moments in the FUS camp. With the series leaders bike sick and time running out, Shane was forced to jump aboard his spare bike for MX2 moto two. Feeling rather uncomfortable, Shane then completely lost the use of his back brake early on due to stone damage, but still somehow got home in 4th as Nev bagged a richly deserved race win to thus keep his title hopes very much alive. However, after swapping his suspension over from his main race bike to the spare mount, Carless was right back on the full gas for the last moto of the series. In that one though, initially, Bradshaw had again led the way only for his Husqvarna’s subframe to break causing him to grind to a halt as electrical connections came apart! So that superman Carless caught and passed Williams for the final victory of the MX2 campaign with Rory Jones, Coleman and Brooklyn Evans chasing hard.

That result meant that it was Carless the MX2 Champion, his third consecutive AMCA title success after bagging the MX1 crown in 2019 and 125cc glory in 2020. In fact you can make that four titles as Shane also picked up the AMCA MX2 Superclass win for results gained during the ‘Double Header’ events, what a massive achievement that is!. Although naturally disappointed to have lost his amazing 100% record of earning top-three moto placings and podium spots at every round in 2021, Nev Bradshaw still finished as the AMCA MX2 series runner-up with the equally consistent Williams 3rd.

Just 12 points separated the 125cc series top two of Bradley Tranter and Kieran Banks and by the end of day one at Lower Drayton, that gap had been halved. In the opening moto it was Tranter who made the better start, leading the contest for three laps before fast Wildcard rider Matt Bayliss came through for the win. Crucially after gating in 4th, Banks passed Tranter to get home in 2nd with Matt Ridgway, Jack Timms and Jordan Wright next up. In the second clash on day one, Bayliss led all the way with Banks, Tranter, Wright and Timms following him to the flag.

With it all still to play for, day two started with the 125cc lads making plenty of noise on the start line before practice in memory of the late Jude Morris, a very fitting tribute. When racing commenced, moto one on day two produced a repeat of Saturday’s top three results before the series standings were then turned on its head by a very dramatic second 125cc clash. Crashes and a hotly disputed sticking start gate stopped the first couple of attempts to run the moto. Then in take three, Tranter crashed hard whilst leading, causing the race to be red-flagged. With the battered and bruised Six10 Motorsport KTM rider feeling concussed and being assessed by the medical team, at the fourth time of asking the moto was finally underway.

And although Bayliss glided to another smooth win, Banks on his super Meredith MX Fantic took 2nd ahead of Ridgway, the fast-starting Wright, Timms and Jordan Ridgway. That result meant that Banks now just about had the 125cc title in his pocket, 47 points clear at the top and just required to finish the last moto and get it confirmed. And in his own typically classy style, Banks easily got the job done with a comfortable 2nd place behind Bayliss. So in the final title standings, it was Banks the Champion on 1514 points with Tranter still maintaining the runners-up spot on 1417 and Ridgway 1399, Jordan Wright 1343, Timms 1319 and Joel Fisher the 2020 Youth 85cc Champion making an impressive impact in the 125cc class on 1303 next up. Special mention to Fisher for also lending his spare bike to fellow 125cc competitor Jake O’Gorman on day two.

Going into the final event with a 59 point lead, Vets star rider Phil Mercer quickly got down to business at Lower Drayton. In moto one, he led all the way ahead of his closest rival Gary Davies who was out on his big red 500c Honda in preparation for this weekend’s mega Farleigh Castle event. Unfortunately, Gary’s bike suffered from a split exhaust system so it was quickly placed back into the crate! In this opener, James Lane took 3rd from Paul Burn aboard a borrowed bike, Simon Lane and Sean Smith. With ‘Factory Phil’ then also winning moto two on Saturday it meant that he carried a 65 point advantage going into day two.

Maintaining his relentless consistency and speed, Phil then won both of Sunday’s opening two moto’s after overcoming a fast-starting Simon Lane to thus wrap up what was his 4th AMCA title. On both day’s at Lower Drayton, the podium was completed by Davies and Burn. Despite those two placings on the box though, Burn could not quite overhaul reigning Vets Champion James Lane in the race for the bronze medal position of the Championship standings.

In the separately scored Vets Over 50’s contest, Andy Watkins, a double AMCA Champion back in 1997 and 1998 added another title to the bag. Having led this series for most of the duration after early pace-setter Kev Rogers was injured, Andy finished the job in hand. On day one at Lower Drayton though it was Gareth Dunsford who took the overall top slot before normal service was resumed on Sunday. In the final Championship standings, Brian Staples took 2nd with Dunsford 3rd. Despite being Over 50, the very experienced Watkins also performed well in the main Vets class, eventually going on to claim 7th spot.

Incredibly going into the Lower Drayton event just 3 points was the difference at the top of both the Youth 85cc and SW85cc classes. In the main Youth contest, second-placed Charlie Hucklebridge then turned the deficit into a 2 point advantage in his favour on day one. Despite a crash in qualifying, Charlie went 1-2 on day one with title rival Ollie Rigby recording 2-3. Although Jack Evans won the second clash on Saturday, he had to settle for 5th overall as Benjamin Sullivan bagged the final podium spot.

After that promising start for Charlie on day one though, Sunday was to prove to be a bit of a disaster! Crashes and back brake mechanical issues saw him in last place finishes on both occasions. Battered and bruised, Charlie sat out the final clash of the series and Rigby took full advantage. Riding with style and speed, Rigby was superb on Sunday, starting with a 2-7, the Edge-One Motocross KTM lad finished in the best way possible by bagging a moto win. Although Sullivan had still taken the overall win on the day and Alfie Crealock-Lovell also made the podium, more importantly, a jubilant Rigby had been crowned the 2021 AMCA Youth 85cc Champion. Despite his day two heartache, Hucklebridge finished as the series runner-up with Jack Davis in 3rd.

Over in the SW85cc class, Oakley Kettle was simply on fire throughout the entire weekend, continuously making fast starts and really mixing it with those big-wheeled bikes. On day one, Oakley overhauled his title rival and leader Harley Prickett by 7 points. Then on the deciding second day with another superb performance, Oakley opened that gap up to a title-winning 19 points. Taking 3rd in the SW85cc Championship was Harrison Davies ahead of Oliver Bebb and Logan Chinnock.

Results

Saturday Round 10

MX1

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2
1	Luke Burton	97	47	50
2	Luke Hawkins	90	43	47
3	James Dodd	90	45	45
4	Will Hughes	74	31	43
5	Zac Stealey	74	33	41
6	Sion Talbot	74	35	39
7	Damon Strydom	70	39	31
8	Mark Roberts	67	30	37
9	Adam Wells	66	37	29
10	Josh Waterman	66	41	25
11	Henry Partridge	62	27	35
12	Mark Young	61	28	33
13	Rhys Walker	55	25	30
14	Charlie Kent	51	23	28
15	Rory Merchant	50	24	26
16	Ashley Greedy	50	50	–
17	Jack Griffiths	49	22	27
18	Tye Barrs	45	21	24
19	Jimmy Margetson	29	29	–
20	Harvey Tillotson	26	26	–

MX2

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2
1	Shane Carless	100	50	50
2	Neville Bradshaw	94	47	47
3	Henry Williams	90	45	45
4	Jake Preston	84	41	43
5	Rory Jones	80	39	41
6	Corey Hockey	72	33	39
7	Harry Linton	72	35	37
8	Brooklyn Evans	64	31	33
9	Lee Truman	62	27	35
10	Martin Jones	59	28	31
11	Mitchell Perry	58	29	29
12	Josh Coleman	57	37	20
13	Sean Eckersley	56	26	30
14	James Hanscomb	53	25	28
15	Keelan Southwood	50	23	27
16	Adam Hill	50	24	26
17	Aaron Collins	47	22	25
18	Macauley Davies	43	19	24
19	Troy Jones	43	20	23
20	Joe Russell	43	21	22
21	Rossi Beard	43	43	–
22	Henry Dunsford	39	18	21
23	Lewis Dowdeswell	30	30	–

125’s

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2
1	Matthew Bayliss	100	50	50
2	Kieran Banks	94	47	47
3	Bradley Tranter	90	45	45
4	Jordan Wright	82	39	43
5	Jack Timms	82	41	41
6	Luke Newman	72	33	39
7	Aaron Colley	67	30	37
8	Tom Fish	66	31	35
9	Jordan Ridgway	66	35	31
10	Clinton Barrs	66	37	29
11	Joel Fisher	58	25	33
12	Yarin Evans	58	28	30
13	tomos wright	57	29	28
14	Jonathan Roderick-Evans	53	26	27
15	Olly Hathaway	50	24	26
16	Joe Wright	50	27	23
17	Jordan Meredith	45	23	22
18	Mitchell Gregory	44	20	24
19	Ezra Blackwell	43	22	21
20	Matt Ridgway	43	43	–
21	Harry Beach	37	19	18
22	Oliver Barnes	37	21	16
23	Jake O Gorman	35	15	20
24	Mitch Brooks	35	18	17
25	Mitchell Hartill	32	17	15
26	Stephen Plant	30	16	14
27	Toby English	25	–	25
28	Joshua Fletcher-Williams	19	–	19

Vets

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2
1	Phil Mercer	100	50	50
2	Gary Davies	94	47	47
3	Paul Burn	88	43	45
4	James Lane	88	45	43
5	Simon Lane	82	41	41
6	Sean Smith	78	39	39
7	Craig Chamberlain	72	35	37
8	Gareth Dunsford	70	37	33
9	Andrew Watkins	68	33	35
10	Matthew Chaplin	62	31	31
11	Brian Staples	60	30	30
12	Richard Tudor	56	27	29
13	Russell Hartill	56	29	27
14	Gary Hurst	54	26	28
15	Guy Langmead	53	28	25
16	Steve Ferney	49	25	24
17	Stephen Sankey	47	24	23
18	Kevin Rogers	46	20	26
19	John Ball	44	22	22
20	David Bullock	42	21	21
21	Ian Jesson	23	23	–

Big Wheel 85’s

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2
1	Charlie Hucklebridge	97	50	47
2	Oliver Rigby	92	47	45
3	Benjamin Sullivan	84	45	39
4	Linc Hasted	80	30	50
5	Jack Evans	78	41	37
6	Jack Davis	76	35	41
7	Wyatt McGregor	73	43	30
8	Rheanna Morgan-Rogers	66	33	33
9	Alfie Crealock-Lovell	60	17	43
10	Sion Wright	60	29	31
11	Tyler Smith	55	27	28
12	Will Turner	54	25	29
13	Richard Jones	53	28	25
14	Tallis Price	47	24	23
15	Harry Bebb	46	22	24
16	Rylee Francis	46	26	20
17	Jonas Brown	45	23	22
18	George Bromley	38	21	17
19	Amber McGregor	37	19	18
20	Conrad Tomlinson	34	15	19
21	Tremaine Young	34	18	16

Small Wheel 85’s

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2
1	Oakley Kettle	72	37	35
2	Harrison Davies	66	39	27
3	Harley Prickett	57	31	26
4	Oliver Bebb	37	16	21
5	Logan Chinnock	35	20	15

Sunday Round 11

MX1

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Ashley Greedy	150	50	50	50
2	Luke Hawkins	141	47	47	47
3	James Dodd	131	43	43	45
4	Sion Talbot	121	39	39	43
5	Mark Roberts	105	31	33	41
6	Damon Strydom	104	28	37	39
7	Zac Stealey	99	35	29	35
8	Will Hughes	99	33	35	31
9	Adam Wells	95	37	30	28
10	Henry Partridge	94	29	28	37
11	Mark Young	91	30	31	30
12	Josh Waterman	86	45	41	–
13	Luke Burton	86	41	45	–
14	Rhys Walker	79	27	23	29
15	Rory Merchant	79	26	26	27
16	Tye Barrs	74	23	25	26
17	Jack Griffiths	73	24	24	25
18	Harvey Tillotson	60	–	27	33
19	Charlie Kent	25	25	–	–

MX2

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Shane Carless	143	50	43	50
2	Henry Williams	139	45	47	47
3	Jake Preston	127	37	45	45
4	Josh Coleman	121	41	39	41
5	Rory Jones	115	39	33	43
6	Brooklyn Evans	107	33	35	39
7	Harry Linton	103	35	37	31
8	Lee Truman	99	31	31	37
9	Neville Bradshaw	97	47	50	–
10	Mitchell Perry	93	28	30	35
11	Martin Jones	89	30	29	30
12	Sean Eckersley	85	29	28	28
13	James Hanscomb	84	26	25	33
14	Corey Hockey	84	43	41	–
15	Aaron Collins	80	24	27	29
16	Adam Hill	78	27	24	27
17	Keelan Southwood	77	25	26	26
18	Macauley Davies	71	23	23	25
19	Troy Jones	67	21	22	24
20	Henry Dunsford	64	20	21	23
21	Joe Russell	64	22	20	22

125’s

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Matthew Bayliss	150	50	50	50
2	Kieran Banks	141	47	47	47
3	Matt Ridgway	133	43	45	45
4	Jordan Wright	127	41	43	43
5	Jack Timms	117	39	41	37
6	Joel Fisher	109	33	35	41
7	Luke Newman	105	37	33	35
8	Tom Fish	99	29	31	39
9	Jordan Ridgway	97	31	39	27
10	Toby English	89	28	28	33
11	tomos wright	89	21	37	31
12	Clinton Barrs	86	30	27	29
13	Ezra Blackwell	79	23	26	30
14	Mitchell Gregory	75	22	25	28
15	Joshua Fletcher-Williams	67	20	23	24
16	Aaron Colley	64	35	29	–
17	Mitch Brooks	64	16	22	26
18	Stephen Plant	59	15	19	25
19	Jake O Gorman	47	17	30	–
20	Bradley Tranter	45	45	–	–
21	Jordan Meredith	43	19	24	–
22	Aiden Woodman	39	18	21	–
23	Joe Wright	27	27	–	–
24	Olly Hathaway	26	26	–	–
25	Oliver Barnes	25	25	–	–
26	Yarin Evans	24	24	–	–
27	Harry Beach	20	–	20	–

Vets

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Phil Mercer	150	50	50	50
2	Gary Davies	137	43	47	47
3	Paul Burn	133	47	41	45
4	Simon Lane	129	41	45	43
5	James Lane	129	45	43	41
6	Sean Smith	113	39	39	35
7	Andrew Watkins	105	33	33	39
8	Craig Chamberlain	104	37	30	37
9	Matthew Chaplin	103	35	35	33
10	Brian Staples	89	31	31	27
11	Gareth Dunsford	87	28	29	30
12	Russell Hartill	81	26	27	28
13	Richard Tudor	80	29	20	31
14	Gary Hurst	78	24	25	29
15	Steve Ferney	73	23	24	26
16	Stephen Sankey	69	21	23	25
17	John Ball	66	20	22	24
18	David Bullock	66	22	21	23
19	Kevin Rogers	64	27	37	–
20	Guy Langmead	53	25	28	–
21	Nigel Woodman	30	30	–	–
22	Richard Vincent	26	–	26	–

Big Wheel 85’s

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Benjamin Sullivan	141	50	50	41
2	Oliver Rigby	134	47	37	50
3	Alfie Crealock-Lovell	131	37	47	47
4	Jack Evans	129	45	39	45
5	Wyatt McGregor	125	41	45	39
6	Tyler Smith	110	43	41	26
7	Jack Davis	107	31	43	33
8	Will Turner	103	35	31	37
9	Sion Wright	102	39	33	30
10	Linc Hasted	96	25	28	43
11	Rheanna Morgan-Rogers	86	26	29	31
12	Richard Jones	81	28	25	28
13	Rylee Francis	78	24	27	27
14	Harry Bebb	74	27	22	25
15	Tallis Price	73	23	26	24
16	Amber McGregor	64	21	21	22
17	Conrad Tomlinson	56	17	19	20
18	George Bromley	54	18	17	19
19	Tremaine Young	53	19	16	18
20	Jonas Brown	45	22	23	–
21	Charlie Hucklebridge	30	15	15	–

Small Wheel 85’s

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Oakley Kettle	103	33	35	35
2	Harrison Davies	89	30	30	29
3	Harley Prickett	76	29	24	23
4	Oliver Bebb	57	16	20	21
5	Logan Chinnock	38	20	18	–

Final Championship positions(top ten)

MX1 1 Greedy 1547 points 2 Dodd 1528 3 Hawkins 1525 4 Waterman 1487 5 Burton 1399 6 Stealey 1196 7 Hughes 1146 8 Strydom 1117 9 Jamie Skuse 1103 10 Mark Young 1076.

MX2 1 Carless 1644 points 2 Bradshaw 1575 3 Williams 1526 4 Rossi Beard 1227 5 Coleman 1221 6 Rory Jones 1188 7 Truman 1184 8 Linton 1075 9 Martin Jones 1051 10 Sean Eckersley 1050.

125cc 1 Banks 1514 points 2 Tranter 1417 3 Matt Ridgway 1399 4 Jordan Wright 1343 5 Timms 1319 6 Fisher 1303 7 Newman 1217 8 Fish 1181 9 Barrs 1172 10 Tomos Wright 1097.

Vets 1 Mercer 1691 points 2 Davies 1613 3 James Lane 1485 4 Burn 1469 5 Simon Lane 1411 6 Smith 1315 7 Watkins 1286 8 Staples 1146 9 Chaplin 1142 10 Richard Tudor 1116.

Vets Over 50’s 1 Watkins 1586 points 2 Staples 1471 3 Dunsford 1457 4 Steve Ferney 1228 5 Gary Hurst 1209 6 Mark Hawkins 994 7 David Bullock 943 8 Kevin Rogers 840 9 John Heath 707 10 Andrew Prosser 699.

Youth 85cc 1 Rigby 1524 points 2 Hucklebridge 1422 3 Davis 1338 4 McGregor 1306 5 Evans 1274 6 Hasted 1162 7 Kettle 1144 8 Morgan-Rogers 1127 9 Wright 1126 10 Turner 1111.

SW85cc 1 Kettle 1634 points 2 Prickett 1615 3 Davies 1588 4 Bebb 1427 5 Chinnock 1316 6 Caiden Bailie 616.