The Culham Moto Park (OX14 3DT) in Oxfordshire is set to play host to a Bridgestone British Masters scorcher, with the series running round 4 of their 2024 Championship at the fantastic circuit situated on the banks of the River Thames this weekend, 20th and 21st july.
Feature Image courtesy of Dick Law
To quote Forest Gump, the expert class is a bit like a box of chocolates in the fact that “you don’t know what you are going to get.” Round 1 saw Conrad Mewse rule the roost, round two was the turn of Josh Spinks, and Chris Mills maxed out at round 3. For all of these riders, this has been the only round they have raced, so they are out of title contention.
One rider, though, who is in the hot seat is James Dodd, who, as it stands, holds a 15-point lead in the title fight over Henry Williams. Behind this duelling duo is a hefty gap to the third-place rider, Chambers Racing’s Dan Thornhill, who missed round 3 alongside Phoenix Even Strokes Kawasaki rider Charlie Cole, who is 16 down on Thornhill and chasing the podium spot. Two riders present at Hawkstone Park for round three and chalking up the points were Ash Greedy and Lewis Hall, who could still have a say on the destination on the podium places if they pull out some good results in the remainder of the season.
It’s super tight at the top of the highly competitive 125cc class, where Matt Bayliss is holding a slender 7-point lead over young gun Charlie Richmond. Bayliss was in epic form at Hawkstone and will need more of the same to fend off Richmond and the likes of Damen Strydom and Will Haddock, who both have their eyes on the number 1 spot with three rounds to go.
Seth Manners put the hammer down at Hawkstone, where he won the Amateur MX1 class and the red plate with it. Josh Greedy, Ben Knight, and Dan Maule are snapping at his heels, though.
Raife Broadley has been in sensational form in the Amateur MX2 category, not finishing outside the top two in the twelve motos contested thus far. This consistency means he holds a whopping 97-point lead over Jonathan Rodenick-Evans, who is, in turn, duking it out with Syd Putnam and David Plank for the number two spot, with just ten points separating them.
The always-rammed Clubman class sees Round 1 and 2 winner Scott Bates with the upper hand and a 42-point cushion over second-placed Dan Chapman. The rider to watch out for could be Lee Clarkson in third, who put in a fantastic winning performance at Hawkstone Park. This is the Clubman class, and anything can happen, and any one of a dozen riders could up their game and pull off the win at Culham.
Four riders are still in contention for MXY2 honours, with Beu Brown leading the charge after grabbing the round 3 victory. Austin Beasty, Harrison Greenough and Shane Jones all have what it takes to win motos and rounds, so this class is brewing up to be a cracker this weekend.
Joel Winstanley Dawson is the Big Wheel 85 series leader, with some consistent results throughout the series. However, he has yet to break the top two in a moto, which he will look to do at Culham. With his raw speed, a win could be on the cards, but he will need to keep the likes of Kameron Greenhalgh and Olly Waters at bay to do that. If Alfie Geddes-Green and Zane Stephens return to the fold, this feat could be made a whole lot tougher.
There is a three-rider faceoff in the Small Wheel 85s when it comes to the championship, with Harley Marczak, Nixon Coppins, and Arthur Moore separated by just 13 points. As it stands, Marczak holds the advantage, but these three are super closely matched, and this battle is set to rage hard in Oxfordshire this weekend.
Barring a Round 1, Moto 1 DNF, Cohen Jagielski has been unstoppable in the Junior 65cc class this year, notching up 11 wins on his way to the championship lead. His DNF, however, means that Elliott Shawyer is only 15 points behind, and with his speed, he could well claw back some points this weekend if he puts the hammer down. Ronan Watson can’t be counted out either and looks comfortable in third, but he has his eyes firmly set on moving up the rankings.
Spectators are welcome for a charge at the gate
Running order
Order :
Saturday 9am
MXY2 Youth
Clubman
Big Wheel 85cc
Small Wheel 85cc
Junior 65cc
125cc
Amateur MX1
Amateur MX2
Sunday 9am
Expert Open Free Practice & Timed Qualifying
MXY2 Youth Sighting Lap & back to the Park Ferme
Clubman Sighting Lap & back to the Park Ferme
MXY2 Youth Race
Big Wheel 85cc Sighting Lap & back to the Park Ferme
Clubman Race
Small wheel 85cc Sighting Lap & back to the Park Ferme
Big Wheel 85cc Race
Junior 65cc Sighting Lap & back to the Park Ferme
Small Wheel 85cc Race
Junior 65cc Race
Expert Open Race
125cc Sighting Lap & back to the Park Ferme
Amateur MX1 Sighting Lap & back to the Park Ferme
125cc Race
Amateur MX2 Sighting Lap & back to the Park Ferme
Amateur MX1 Race
Amateur MX2 Race
Sunday 2nd Block
MXY2 Youth
Clubman
Big Wheel 85cc
Small Wheel 85cc
Junior 65cc
Expert Open Race 2
125cc
Amateur MX1
Amateur MX2
