With three rounds of the AMCA British Motocross Championship powered by Datatag and supported by Dunlop on consecutive weekends, it’s going to reveal the riders who really are the serious 2020 title contenders. To be in that crucial final shake-up though it will require them to be right at the very top of their game, being physically, mentally and technically prepared for the challenge ahead!
Report and Images by Mike Wood
So with very little room for error, crashes and mechanical gremlins, the first hurdle in this tough trilogy took place on Sunday at Long Lane, near Telford. Taking the overall victories were Luke Burton (Geartec Honda), Jamie Wainwright (Wainwrights Plant and Haulage KTM), Shane Carless (FUS Marsh MX Husqvarna), James Lane (LRT Midwest Husqvarna) and Yarin Evans (J4M54 Practice/SRH KTM). For Burton, Carless and Evans in particular the day proved to be extra profitable as their wins hauled them up the standings and into the pole positions of their respective Championship classes.
Opening proceedings at Long Lane was a typically exciting 125cc contest as the fast starting Nathan Bache quickly hit the front chased hard by early series leader Jordan Wright and Damon Strydom. Four laps in though and Wright crashed heavily in the whoops section before Strydom then passed Bache for the lead. The man on a serious charge in this moto was Shane Carless, gating down in 12th he quickly reeled his rivals in and was about to make a move on Strydom when the race was red-flagged and halted in the closing stages. So on completion, it was Strydom taking the win and his maiden AMCA Championship success from Carless, Bache, Jimmy Margetson, Shane Holmes the 2011 AMCA 125cc Champion and Jonathan Roderick-Evans.
In moto two it was Carless taking the win after leading just about all of the way. Up until midpoint, Bache had looked the most likely runner-up until crashing heavily and snapping his handlebar clamp. Although Nathan gallantly tried to still score points it was not to be as Travis Steels took 2nd from Matt Ridgway, Chris Povey, Roderick-Evans, Wright bravely recovering following his moto one crash, Margetson and Strydom.
After having suffered from spills in the opening two moto’s, Margetson was right on it for the last clash of the day. Passing that man Bache on lap five, Jimmy took control of the contest and looked set for the win only to be passed by the hard charging Carless on the final lap and just two corners from home. In this one, Steels was 3rd with Holmes having another great ride in 4th and also getting the better of Bache, Strydom, Clinton Barrs and Luke Newman. In the Championship standings, Carless now leads the way 22 points clear of Margetson with Strydom in 3rd.
With a typically stylish and controlled performance, Luke Burton scorched to three great MX1 wins at Long Lane and thus also move to the top of the early standings. In the opening moto, Luke led from gate to flag as James Dodd slipped back to 5th after looking set in the runners-up position early on. Ashley Greedy, Adam Chatfield and Josh Waterman all relegated Doddy with the ride by Waterman being particularly eye catching as he moved menacingly up from 10th. In this ultra-competitive class, Nev Bradshaw, Corie Southwood and Tommy Alba were next up.
In a dramatic start to MX1 moto two, Bradshaw and Dodd made contact on the run into the opening turn, the result being that Dodd lost several of his front wheel spokes. So as Dodd stopped for a quick wheel change, the pack raced off into the distance with Burton again in total control. In this one, Bradshaw got his ‘big Red CR500 Honda’ up into 2nd spot with Chatfield, Greedy, Waterman and co in the mix as Benjamin Knight, Will Hughes and Scooter Webster rounded off the top ten.
With his favourite 2T Honda having blown a gasket in that moto two, Bradshaw’s participation in the crucial last MX1 moto of the day was now in serious doubt. However good friend James Painton was to come to his rescue offering the use of his own CR500. Accepting the kind offer, Neville got home in 4th as Burton passed Alba and Dodd to earn another impressive victory. Having his best ride of the day, Southwood eventually got up to take 2nd from Dodd with Chatfield, Greedy, Waterman and Hughes next in the placings. But for Bradshaw that bike loan from a generous Painton could yet prove to be absolutely crucial in the title race as it’s now very tight at the top. Just 6 points separate leader Burton, Waterman and Nev, it’s all to play for!
With another maximum score, Jamie Wainwright has marched clear at the top of the AMCA MX2 standings. In the very early stages of moto one, Wainwright had James Smith on his tail before he dropped down to 10th. So as Wainwright raced clear and Henry Williams held an equally safe 2nd spot, the main focus was on a fantastic tussle for 3rd featuring Josh Coleman, Jordan Eccles, Luke Dean, Ryan Crowder and Lewis Dowdeswell. On completion, the determined Coleman won that battle royale as Jansen Day and Cory McShane also finished inside the top ten.
Gating in 12th, Wainwright quickly got up to 5th spot in MX2 moto two before passing Day, Coleman, Dowdeswell and leader Dean. By lap three, Jamie was in control for the win but the rides of the moto came from Crowder and Eccles. After crashing early on the opening lap, Crowder came storming back from last to earn a fantastic 6th whilst Eccles recovered from 18th to bag a strong 5th.
In the last MX2 clash as Wainwright gated in 11th, Eccles made a jet propelled start to quickly earn some daylight at the front of the pack. Looking to have the contest under control he appeared well set to inflict the first Championship defeat of 2020 on Wainwright until it all went wrong with just two laps remaining. Following a crash, Jordan dropped down to 3rd just behind winner Wainwright and Crowder. Again in the mix were Coleman, Williams, Day and Dean as Lee Truman had his best ride of the day for 8th. On the podium it was Wainwright, Coleman and Eccles whilst in the Championship table Coleman now holds 2nd, 46 points off top slot and just ahead of 2T aces Crowder and Dean.
The Lane brothers again took the top two slots in the Vets class at Long Lane but were made to work hard for their spoils by the fast starting Paul Burn. In a classic moto one, Burn led the way before being passed by both Simon and James Lane. Undeterred, Paul fought back to reclaim the advantage with just two laps remaining. Then in a frantic finale, Burn again dropped to 3rd as Simon leapt past James to snatch the win on the final circuit, great action! Also starting the day in style, Sean Smith got home in 4th from John Barnes, Chris Jones, Anthony Bennett and Kev Rogers.
Burn again led the way in Vets moto two before first Simon and then James Lane took control. Unfortunately Sean Smith’s participation in the event ended in this clash following a heavy crash as Rogers, Bennett, Barnes and Brian Staples picked up some more useful Championship points.
Making a quick getaway, Simon Lane grabbed the final moto holeshot before brother James found a way through after just two laps. Form her onwards, James led all the way as Bennett had a great ride for 3rd ahead of Burn, Rogers, Jones, Barnes, Staples and Gareth Dunsford. With the Lane boy’s already beginning to break clear at the top of the title standings, Burn has now moved up into the Championship bronze medal position.
Following Sunday’s racing there’s now a new leader in the Youth class as Yarin Evans has took control. Falon Baillie was fastest away though in moto one at Long Lane before Evans surged to the front on lap two. Remaining smooth and composed, Yarin then raced onto victory 8 seconds clear of Championship pace-setter Joel Fisher as Lewis Roden took 3rd with Baillie 4th, Caleb Greaves 5th, Tyler Smith 6th and Oliver Rigby 7th.
Baillie was again the holeshot King in moto two but by the completion of the opening circuit, Fisher was dictating proceedings. From here onwards he cruised to a massive win from Evans, Greaves, Baillie, Rigby and Smith. Looking favourite to then extend his series lead even further, Fisher led the final Youth 85cc clash before it all went wrong. On lap three, Joel picked up a rear-wheel puncture and so with the tyre threatening to vacate the rim, he had to nurse his bike home for 13th place. Taking the win was Evans from Smith, Rigby and Baillie. That result meant that Evans now leads the Championship with Fisher just 13 points in arrears as Roden holds third.
Results
MX1
Pos Competitor Total Points r 1 r 2 r 3
1 14 Luke Burton 150 50 50 50
2 407 Adam Chatfield 131 45 45 41
3 272 Neville Bradshaw 129 39 47 43
4 33 Ashley Greedy 129 47 43 39
5 44 Corie Southwood 123 37 39 47
6 19 Josh Waterman 121 43 41 37
7 3 James Dodd 100 41 14 45
8 46 Benjamin Knight 97 29 35 33
9 7 Will Hughes 95 27 33 35
10 681 Tommy Alba 91 35 37 19
11 74 Sean Wainwright 90 31 28 31
12 127 Scooter Webster 87 26 31 30
13 100 Bradley Tranter 87 33 25 29
14 462 Mark Roberts 86 28 30 28
15 118 Jaydon Murphy 80 30 26 24
16 150 Aaron Patstone 77 22 29 26
17 48 Rhys Walker 70 21 24 25
18 21 Lewis Hughes 69 20 27 22
19 219 Benjamin Nicholls 62 19 22 21
20 242 Ben Walker 61 18 23 20
21 101 Tye Barrs 55 17 20 18
22 47 Rory Merchant 54 16 21 17
23 541 Corey Hockey 50 23 – 27
24 361 Pip Davies 47 24 – 23
25 111 Simon Aldridge 45 13 17 15
26 149 Jack Griffiths 45 14 18 13
27 32 Matthew Chaplin 44 12 16 16
28 59 Paul Neale 44 25 19 –
29 39 Kyle Proctor 39 10 15 14
30 32* Richard Lloyd 24 11 13 –
31 111* Paul Maile 21 9 12 –
32 496 Matthew Jones 15 15 – –
MX2
Pos Competitor Total Points r 1 r 2 r 3
1 40 James Wainwright 150 50 50 50
2 661 Josh Coleman 133 45 45 43
3 331 Jordan Eccles 127 41 41 45
4 52 Luke Dean 127 43 47 37
5 146 Ryan Crowder 125 39 39 47
6 15 Henry Williams 116 47 28 41
7 21 Lewis Dowdeswell 113 37 43 33
8 6 Jansen Day 111 35 37 39
9 90 Cory Mcshane 99 33 35 31
10 210 Lee Truman 90 26 29 35
11 8 Mark Young 89 30 33 26
12 231 Rory Jones 87 27 31 29
13 220 Josh Canton 87 29 30 28
14 910 Harvey Tillotson 83 28 25 30
15 54 James Smith 82 31 26 25
16 119 Martin Jones 76 25 27 24
17 702 Harrison Mccann 71 20 24 27
18 510 Mitchell Perry 68 23 23 22
19 46 Adam Hill 63 22 21 20
20 58 Patrick Gilligan 63 24 22 17
21 184 Billy Bayliss 61 18 20 23
22 130 Aaron Collins 61 21 19 21
23 44 Keelan Southwood 54 17 18 19
24 616 Troy Jones 54 19 17 18
25 27 Macauley Davies 46 16 16 14
26 471 Henry Dunsford 45 15 15 15
27 558 Charlie Cox 44 14 14 16
125’s
Pos Competitor Total Points r 1 r 2 r 3
1 68 Shane Carless 147 47 50 50
2 119 Jimmy Margetson 127 43 37 47
3 55 Damon Strydom 124 50 35 39
4 22 Travis Steels 123 31 47 45
5 5 Shane Holmes 114 41 30 43
6 101* Jonathan Roderick-Evans 113 39 41 33
7 27 Matt Ridgway 106 30 45 31
8 99 Clinton Barrs 105 35 33 37
9 7 Luke Newman 88 24 29 35
10 546 Max Lewis 88 33 28 27
11 68* Nathan Bache 86 45 – 41
12 115 James Angel 85 29 26 30
13 11* Chris Povey 80 37 43 –
14 101 Luke Kennett 78 25 24 29
15 90 Callum Baldwin 78 23 27 28
16 186 Olly Hathaway 77 27 25 25
17 111 Richy Roberts 68 22 22 24
18 277 Harry Ridgway 67 28 21 18
19 844 Joshua Barnett 61 21 19 21
20 148 Aaron Colley 57 26 31 –
21 117 Jordan Ridgway 56 18 12 26
22 571 Ryan Pottenger 56 17 20 19
23 133 Ben James 54 9 23 22
24 10 Ben Hunter 51 15 16 20
25 15 Joshua Fletcher-Williams 48 16 15 17
26 40 Ezra Blackwell 47 14 18 15
27 999 Conner Challinor 47 19 17 11
28 16 Jake O Gorman 43 20 – 23
29 4 Matt Tolley 42 12 14 16
30 33 Jordan Wright 39 – 39 –
31 22* Tom Cumber 38 13 11 14
32 814 Jordan Meredith 33 11 13 9
33 122 Morgan Walters 29 8 9 12
34 283 Jack Jordan 28 5 10 13
35 581 Lewis Smith 25 7 8 10
36 11 Reece Leverton 18 6 6 6
37 75 Mitchell Hartill 17 4 5 8
38 117* George Goodfellow 14 – 7 7
39 116 Jake Boote 10 10 – –
Vets
Pos Competitor Total Points r 1 r 2 r 3
1 781 James Lane 147 47 50 50
2 73 Simon Lane 144 50 47 47
3 97 Paul Burn 133 45 45 43
4 4 Anthony Bennett 123 37 41 45
5 144 Kevin Rogers 119 35 43 41
6 107 John Barnes 117 41 39 37
7 4* Chris Jones 109 39 31 39
8 22 Brian Staples 103 31 37 35
9 470 Gareth Dunsford 98 30 35 33
10 150 Michael Allport 88 29 33 26
11 38 Richard Tudor 87 27 29 31
12 723 David Edge 83 25 28 30
13 711* Guy Langmead 82 26 27 29
14 119 Russell Hartill 80 23 30 27
15 271 John Heath 78 28 22 28
16 711 Ian Jesson 70 21 25 24
17 14 Ryan Thomas 69 20 24 25
18 64 Darren Compson 60 18 21 21
19 135 Gary Hurst 59 16 20 23
20 490 Christopher Jukes 58 17 19 22
21 888 Steve Ferney 50 15 16 19
22 268 Steven Gallagher 50 14 18 18
23 194 Vince Larcombe 49 12 17 20
24 110 Sean Reynolds 48 22 26 –
25 74 John Harper 43 11 15 17
26 121 Sean Smith 43 43 – –
27 25 John Holmes 42 19 23 –
28 167 David Bullock 39 10 13 16
29 531 Russell Hurst 36 9 12 15
30 167* Matthew Evans 34 24 10 –
31 212 Andrew Watkins 33 33 – –
32 44 Sean Cossons 27 13 14 –
33 5* Stuart Brown 19 8 11 –
Youth 85/150
Pos Competitor Total Points r 1 r 2 r 3
1 2 Yarin Evans 147 50 47 50
2 135 Falon Bailie 129 43 43 43
3 907 Caleb Greaves 127 41 45 41
4 18 tyler smith 125 39 39 47
5 711 Joel Fisher 125 47 50 28
6 2* Oliver Rigby 123 37 41 45
7 69 Lewis Roden 121 45 37 39
8 33 Oakley Kettle 105 33 35 37
9 295 Jonas Brown 95 35 31 29
10 52 Cameron Woodburn 93 30 33 30
11 830 Logan Jay Powell 88 29 24 35
12 22 Rheanna Morgan-Rogers 85 25 29 31
13 22* Harley Prickett 84 28 23 33
14 212 Harry Beach 83 31 25 27
15 129 Rylee Francis 82 27 30 25
16 79 Wyatt McGregor 76 26 26 24
17 16 Cameron Chell 73 24 28 21
18 6 Solomon Levey 71 22 27 22
19 167 Jack Evans 68 23 22 23
20 50 Amber McGregor 62 21 21 20
21 601 casey kennett 56 19 19 18
22 12 George Bromley 52 17 16 19
23 127 Lewis Cooper 52 18 18 16
24 117* Tremaine Young 47 15 15 17
25 123 Charlie Hucklebridge 46 – 20 26
26 501 troy kennett 45 16 14 15
27 91* Albie Hall 37 20 17 –
