All aboard the Tranter train! AMCA British Motocross Championship Round 9 – Race Report, Interviews and Results

.

It’s nine down with one event to go in the 2021 AMCA British Motocross Championship. And, following the latest action held at Long Lane, near Telford on Sunday, it’s still certainly very tight at the top in the race for the seven titles on offer! At present, Ashley Greedy, Shane Carless, Bradley Tranter, Phil Mercer, Andy Watkins, Oliver Rigby and Harley Prickett are leading the respective title chases, but there’s still plenty of work to do!

Feature Image courtesy of Mike Wood

Following heavy rain showers on the previous day, conditions were rather heavy during the early exchanges on raceday before the sun then put in a welcome but unexpected appearance, thus rapidly drying the track and making the going absolutely prime! First in action was the big bike MX1 class and after the very much in-form Luke Hawkins had posted the quickest qualifying time, Josh Waterman, another rider in current red-hot form was to grab the first of a holeshot hat-trick and lead moto one.

Despite Waterman coming under early heavy pressure from the defending AMCA MX1 Champion Luke Burton in that opener, he eventually managed to build a gap at the front and race onto the win. With Burton in 2^nd, current series leader Greedy bagged a solid 3^rd followed home by James Dodd, Jayden Ashwell, Hawkins and Adam Wells. Whilst Waterman enjoyed the win, the meeting was already over for the unfortunate Luke Meredith. Having recently recovered from Covid, the Kawasaki rider crashed on turn one, suffering a broken arm, get well soon Luke!

As the gate dropped for moto two, it was again Waterman who was quickest away but on the second circuit, Josh crashed hard, remounting in 6^th. At the front it was Hawkins taking the win from Burton, Greedy and Ashwell who in the closing stages had to work overtime to fend off the recovering Waterman. With Dodd in 6^th, Jamie Skuse was next up after recovering from a very painful moment in the opening clash when he got his leg stuck in a fellow riders back wheel!

Making amends for that moto two tumble, the fast Waterman then led the last MX1 clash of the day from gate to flag. Again showing fantastic consistency, series pace-setter Greedy got home in 2^nd with Hawkins 3^rd. Having easily his best round of the series, Wells got home in 6^th with also a special mention to 15 year-old Harvey Tillotson. Having been injured for most of the campaign, young Harvey is back and mixing it with the big boy’s, earning a solid 12^th overall at Long Lane. On the podium it was Waterman, Greedy and Burton who after enduring a recent lean time by usual very high standards was delighted to be back on the box. Having led the series right from round one, Greedy is still topping the Championship table on 1047 points from Waterman just 13 behind on 1034, Dodd 1007, Hawkins 994 and Burton 916.

It was to be the FUS Marsh MX Husqvarna one-two again in the MX2 racing at Long Lane as Shane Carless went 1/1/2 to take the overall win ahead of his teammate Nev Bradshaw who recorded a 2/2/1 scorecard. Making their intentions perfectly clear, Shane led the opening moto all the way ahead of Bradshaw. Running very true to form, next up in this first clash were Henry Williams, Rossi Beard, Josh Coleman, Lewis Dowdeswell and Lee Truman.

In moto two, 2T mounted Bradshaw was the holeshot master as Carless on the booming 250F giving chase. While the fun was beginning at the front, title contender Williams was making a very uncharacteristic mistake, falling on lap one and so finding himself right at the back of the field. Whilst Williams began the long charge upfield, at the front Carless eventually took over the race leadership on lap five and there he remained for another crucial victory. Beard took 3^rd with Coleman, Harry Linton, Dowdeswell, Truman and Rory Jones earning top ten finishes, Williams eventually came through for a 9^th place finish.

Stretching that Husqvarna throttle wire to the max, Bradshaw again took theMX2 holeshot in the last moto but this time he was not to be denied and in determined fashion took the win. Early on Carless had chased him hard and narrowed the gap right down but when about to challenge for the lead, Shane stepped off and briefly dropped down to 3^rd. Quickly the series leader was back onboard to repass Williams as Beard, Jones and Coleman finished the day with strong performances. So Sunday’s results means that Carless will carry a 15 point advantage over Bradshaw going into the finale with Williams 997, Beard 884, Coleman 736 and Truman 714 completing the top six at present.

Wildcard rider Charlie Palmer on the GasGas led the early exchanges of the opening 125cc clash at Long Lane ahead of Matt Ridgway and series leader Bradley Tranter. Riding on his home club circuit and backed by an army of supporters, Tranter was though in a very determined mood and hungry for glory. Three laps in and he surged to the front before holding off Palmer and scorching onto an important win. Crucially in this one, his closest title rival Kieran Banks had to work very hard to move through stubborn traffic after gating in 7^th. Eventually finding a way past Joel Fisher, Harrison McCann, Clinton Barrs and Ridgway, Fantic mounted Banks had to settle for 3^rd.

In 125cc moto two there was drama on the opening lap as Banks was right down in 21^st whilst Tranter had made another supersonic start to tuck into 2^nd place behind leader McCann. By the completion of lap one, Tranter had then moved into pole position but the man on the move in this moto was the very fast KTM pilot Bayliss. After falling on turn two of the opener, Bayliss took just four laps to become the race leader in this one before gliding on to take the win. Tranter though was in the big points again with a strong 2^nd ahead of Ridgway, Timms, Palmer and Banks.

Phil Mercer(200) leading the opening Vets moto ahead of Paul Burn(97)

Young Palmer then led the last 125cc clash for two laps before Bayliss came scorching through and take total control then racing onto a big win. Early on Tranter had looked like further increasing his title chasing advantage over Banks. Whilst the KTM rider was in a solid 3^rd, Banks was surprisingly circulating down in 8^th but it soon was to change! With Tranter dropping to 5^th, Banks produced a very strong finish, moving in the opposite direction and get home in that 3^rd spot. On the Long Lane podium it was Tranter from Palmer and Bayliss whilst the Championship table now shows Tranter leading on 976 points with Banks 964, Ridgway 901, Fisher 827, Jordan Wright 824 and Timms 810 in the hunt.

Vets series leader Phil Mercer started his Long Lane adventure in style with a great gate to flag victory. Taking 2^nd was Mercer’s closest title rival Gary Davies with Simon Lane, Paul Burn and Andy Marchant next up. After an earlier tumble, James Lane was to produce a great effort and get home 6^th whilst Sean Smith who also crashed and on a bike which looked distinctly second-hand took a gritty 12^th. In the big points again, Over 50’s Vets series leader Andy Watkins got his day off to an impressive start bagging 7^th in this one.

Vets moto two and it was again Mercer all the way from Davies as the fast starting Burn took 3^rd from the Lane brothers James and Simon. Having another consistent ride, Marchant took 6^th with Smith on a repaired bike in 7^th. Saving the best until last, the final Vets moto was an entertaining affair as Burn, Mercer and finally Davies all took turns to lead. In the closing stages, Mercer tested just about every available line in an effort to try and find a way past Davies bit it was not to be! Phil though did claim another overall win and extend his lead at the top of the standings to 59 points. Davies is still in 2^nd on 1082 with James Lane 968, Burn 948 and Simon Lane 900 the closest challengers. In the race for the Vets Over 50’s crown, former AMCA Champion Andy Watkins now as a 94 point advantage with Brian Staples and Gareth Dunsford next up.

Youth 85cc action from Benjamin Sullivan(448), Charlie Hucklebridge(123) and Jack Evans(167)

Going into Sunday’s event, 14 points separated the Youth 85cc top two of leader Oliver Rigby and Charlie Hucklebridge. Taking the overall win at Long Lane with another composed and calculated maximum score, Hucklebridge has now got the gap down to just 3 points. Grabbing the holeshot though in moto one was Jack Evans before Hucklebridge came sailing through after the completion of the opening lap. Gating in 6^th, Benjamin Sullivan took 2^nd with Rigby 3^rd, Wyatt McGregor 4^th and early leader Evans 5^th. Also in the frame were Will Turner, Jack Davis and Sion Wright. Sullivan was fastest away in moto two but in a repeat of the opener, young Hucklebridge took just one lap to move into pole position before racing onto the win as Rigby finished runner-up.

In a super final moto, Evans, Sullivan and eventual winner Hucklebridge all took turns to lead the way. This was a particularly impressive win for Charlie having earlier dropped down to 7^th after making a mistake before coming back for victory. In the closing stages he also had to hold off a very determined and brave Rigby who is still recovering from a collarbone injury as Sullivan took 3^rd from Davies, Evans, Tyler Smith and Turner. In the separately scored SW85cc contest, it’s also just 3 points splitting the top two title chasing riders with Harley Prickett ahead of Oakley Kettle.

The Championship table toppers have now just two weeks to plan their strategy and decide just how they are going to get over that final finish line and go onto claim the titles. The finale at Lower Drayton on September 4^th and 5^th is a ‘Double Header’ weekend so that means five moto’s each and a possible 250 vital points to be contested, it’s going to be tense, dramatic and very exciting!

Results

MX1

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Josh Waterman	141	50	41	50
2	Ashley Greedy	137	45	45	47
3	Luke Burton	137	47	47	43
4	Luke Hawkins	134	39	50	45
5	James Dodd	123	43	39	41
6	Jayden Ashwell	121	41	43	37
7	Adam Wells	109	37	33	39
8	Jamie Skuse	103	31	37	35
9	Will Hughes	103	35	35	33
10	Damon Strydom	89	29	29	31
11	Zac Stealey	88	27	31	30
12	Harvey Tillotson	87	28	30	29
13	Mark Young	83	30	25	28
14	Jack Griffiths	74	23	27	24
15	Rory Merchant	73	24	23	26
16	Tye Barrs	71	22	26	23
17	Chris Neesam	68	21	22	25
18	Rhys Walker	53	25	28	–
19	Karl Haycock	51	–	24	27
20	Jimmy Margetson	33	33	–	–
21	Adam Harris	26	26	–	–

MX2

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Shane Carless	147	50	50	47
2	Neville Bradshaw	144	47	47	50
3	Rossi Beard	131	43	45	43
4	Henry Williams	123	45	33	45
5	Josh Coleman	123	41	43	39
6	Lewis Dowdeswell	111	39	39	33
7	Lee Truman	109	37	37	35
8	Harry Linton	104	26	41	37
9	Brooklyn Evans	94	33	31	30
10	Rory Jones	93	17	35	41
11	James Bates	90	31	28	31
12	Martin Jones	89	35	29	25
13	James Hanscomb	85	29	30	26
14	Sean Eckersley	83	28	27	28
15	James Smith	78	30	26	22
16	Adam Hill	76	24	25	27
17	Mitchell Perry	71	23	19	29
18	Keelan Southwood	66	18	24	24
19	Aaron Collins	65	19	23	23
20	Macauley Davies	62	20	22	20
21	Troy Jones	62	22	21	19
22	Joe Russell	60	21	18	21
23	Taylor Johnson	38	–	20	18
24	Joshua Barnett	27	27	–	–
25	Pip Davies	25	25	–	–

125’s

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Bradley Tranter	138	50	47	41
2	Charlie Palmer	135	47	41	47
3	Matthew Bayliss	133	33	50	50
4	Kieran Banks	129	45	39	45
5	Matt Ridgway	129	41	45	43
6	Jack Timms	117	35	43	39
7	Harrison Mccann	113	43	33	37
8	Clinton Barrs	105	39	31	35
9	Joel Fisher	101	37	37	27
10	Jordan Wright	98	30	35	33
11	Jack Cox	87	29	28	30
12	Jordan Ridgway	86	28	29	29
13	Tom Fish	84	26	30	28
14	tomos wright	80	27	27	26
15	Yarin Evans	80	31	26	23
16	Luke Newman	69	24	14	31
17	Olly Hathaway	67	25	17	25
18	Conner Challinor	64	19	23	22
19	Jordan Meredith	61	21	16	24
20	Oliver Barnes	55	18	20	17
21	Jake O Gorman	54	12	22	20
22	Ezra Blackwell	53	16	19	18
23	Mitchell Gregory	51	17	15	19
24	Joe Wright	47	22	25	–
25	Callum Baldwin	47	23	24	–
26	Harry Ridgway	42	–	21	21
27	Jayden Caesar	40	13	12	15
28	Aaron Colley	33	15	18	–
29	Mitchell Hartill	30	14	–	16
30	Joshua Fletcher-Williams	20	20	–	–
31	Owen Pitts	13	–	13	–

Vets

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Phil Mercer	147	50	50	47
2	Gary Davies	144	47	47	50
3	Paul Burn	133	43	45	45
4	Simon Lane	127	45	41	41
5	James Lane	125	39	43	43
6	Andrew Marchant	119	41	39	39
7	Andrew Watkins	107	37	33	37
8	Sean Smith	101	29	37	35
9	Gareth Dunsford	96	30	35	31
10	Matthew Chaplin	95	35	30	30
11	Brian Staples	92	33	26	33
12	Richard Tudor	90	31	31	28
13	Russell Hartill	77	27	24	26
14	Matthew Evans	74	26	25	23
15	Gary Hurst	73	23	23	27
16	Steve Ferney	68	22	22	24
17	Stephen Sankey	66	21	20	25
18	Kevin Rogers	56	–	27	29
19	Kevin Sanders	56	28	28	–
20	Guy Langmead	45	24	21	–
21	Andrew Prosser	38	19	19	–
22	Paul Biddulph	38	20	18	–
23	Richard Vincent	29	–	29	–
24	John Heath	25	25	–	–

85’s

Pos	Competitor	Points	R1	R2	R3
1	Charlie Hucklebridge	150	50	50	50
2	Oliver Rigby	139	45	47	47
3	Jack Evans	127	41	45	41
4	Will Turner	117	39	41	37
5	Jack Davis	108	37	28	43
6	Tyler Smith	103	33	31	39
7	Logan Jay Powell	101	27	43	31
8	Sion Wright	95	35	30	30
9	Benjamin Sullivan	92	47	–	45
10	Oakley Kettle	92	26	37	29
11	Alfie Bebb	89	30	26	33
12	Harley Prickett	89	28	33	28
13	Linc Hasted	88	29	39	20
14	Rylee Francis	87	31	29	27
15	Tallis Price	84	24	35	25
16	Wyatt McGregor	78	43	–	35
17	Rheanna Morgan-Rogers	78	25	27	26
18	Harrison Davies	70	22	24	24
19	Harry Bebb	69	23	23	23
20	Logan Chinnock	60	19	19	22
21	Oliver Bebb	60	18	21	21
22	George Bromley	57	21	18	18
23	Conrad Tomlinson	55	16	20	19
24	Tremaine Young	49	15	17	17
25	Brody Biggs	45	20	25	–
26	Amber McGregor	39	17	22	–
27	Jayden-Lee Bryant	14	14	–	–