On Sunday, 1st September, the Devon Classic Motorcycle Club hosted their third and final Scramble event for 2024 at Smeatharpe in Devon, which was called the DC-24 Dash. A lot of thought had gone into the track’s layout, and it was to be well approved by the many competitors who had entered. The track had been watered the previous day to control the dust which was for sure to be a problem if they didn’t water it and just after practice a light drizzle was to water the track for them abit more which was to produce some excellent racing for the many spectators who were in attendance.
Race Report and Images by Dave Rich
In the Pre 60 class, the 650 Trisba of Jeremy Lile took the win in the opening two races. In the last race, it was the 600 BSA of Sean Hawker who took the win, which gave him the overall victory from the 350 Velocette Viper of Alfred Busby, who had been consistent in all three races. Lile took third overall.
In the Pre 65 under 350cc class, there was no stopping the 350 Hickie BSA of Colin Hickie, who was to dominate all three races with fellow 350 Hickie BSA rider Ian Baldock taking a hattrick of second place finishes behind Colin to take second overall with third overall going to the 250 Triumph of Andy White whereas in the over 350cc class it was Chris Hacker on his 650 Rickman Triumph Metisse who took the overall with two wins and a third with Thorne Pett taking second overall on his 500 Jawa MRD by one point from Steve Iles who did win the last race on his 649 Triumph Metisse.
The Pre 68 class saw another Hickie competing in the shape of Luke, who on his 500 Hickie BSA took the overall, but he was pushed hard in the opening race by the 500 BSA Victor of Paul Webb, who did pass Luke to take the lead, but a mechanical problem was to put pay to Webbs race and the day which gave Hickie the win who was to win the other two races as well, but there was a good battle on for second overall with Kevin Willmer on his 441 BSA Victor and Mike Jones on his 360 CZ Twinport going into the last race tied on points so it was to go down to the wire which was exactly what it did with a good tussle mid-race but in the closing stages Willmer got away from Jones and took second in the race to give him second overall by two points from Jones who was third overall.
In the Pre 74 under 250cc class, it was Kevin Spencer on his 250 CRM Honda who was to win the opening two races, but he was denied a clean sweep of wins in the last one by the 250 CR Husqvarna of Sam Roe but it was Spencer who took the overall from Roe with Matty Taylor on his 250 CZ ending the day on the same points as Richard Hall on his 250 Single port CZ, but it was by virtue of the better result in the last race that gave Taylor third overall, whereas in the over 250cc class it was Martin Stephens on his 360 MX Yamaha who took the overall with two wins out of the three races with Louis Harmer consistent yet again taking second overall on his 450 WR Husqvarna and Neil Aldridge on his 380 CZ taking third overall with three good rides.
The Pre 78 class saw Steve Dagger on the 400 IT Yamaha win the opening race, but he had no answer to the 500 CCM of Nathan Jones in the other two races, who was to take the overall by one point from Dagger with the 250 YZ Yamaha of Steven Phillips taking third overall.
The Twinshock A class was set to be fast and furious as usual, with Kristian Marshall out on a 490 Monda, which he had only purchased the previous evening, getting the best start from the 490 YZ Yamaha of George Bowerman, but not the best of starts for one of the favourites in this class and that was Luke Hill on his 500 CR Honda who had got boxed in at the first corner and had to work his way up through the field which was what he did and soon caught and passed Bowerman and was now closing in on Marshall at the front, but Marshall kept Hill at bay and took the win by literally a second with Bowerman taking third. In the second moto again, it was Marshall with a good start who was leading going into the first corner, but Marshall didn’t exit the corner in the lead as his ignition cable had snapped, which was to end his race and into the lead was now Hill who with a clear track in front of him was to power away at the front. There was a good tussle mid-race between Bowerman and Ryan Hooper on his 490 Maico MX, with Hooper eventually shaking Bowerman off and went on to take second, with Bowerman settling for third. In the last race, Marshall had repaired the Monda, but this time, it was Hill from the off who led and really had his throttle wound back, and he needed to as Marshall was staying with him all the time, but in the end, Hill used all his experience and didn’t panic and held off a late charge from Marshall and took the win with Marshall just a second off Hill taking second with Bowerman a distant third. Hill took the overall from Bowerman, with Hooper third overall.
The Twinshock B class was to produce three different winners in the shape of Max Corps on the 490 YZ Yamaha and Owen Rogers, with the last race being won by Richard Tapscott on his 250 Red Rocket Honda by the closest of margins, beating Corps by just .269 of a second which at the end of the day left Tapscott and Corps tied on points for the overall but with that brilliant finish in race three with Tapscott just beating Corps he took the overall with Ryan Collins on the big 500 XR Honda taking third overall.
In the Twinshock C class, Nick Saunders won the opening race on his 250 CR Husqvarna. The other two races were won by Ben Dyer on his big 604 KTM. With a fifth in the opening race, Dyer took the overall from Chris Stone, who put together three consistent rides on his 465 Yamaha, taking second overall, with Shaun Thomas on his 440 Maico third overall.
The Twinshock D class produced three good races. The opening race was won by Jason Winstanley, and the other races were both won by Jason Broomfield. Broomfield was to take the overall title, with Jack Courtney taking second. Winstanley ended up third overall.
In the Twinshock E Class, it was a battle royal as to who was going to end the day with the overall as both Luke Trim and Jeremy Knight were tied on points after a win and a second each in the opening two races. These two were soon at it in the last race, and there was virtually nothing between them all through the race, with Trim just holding off Knight to take the chequered flag by two seconds to give him the overall, with Robert Stone taking third overall.
In the Novice class, there was no stopping Mark Mead’s 480 CR Honda, who was to take a hattrick of wins and take the overall, with Paul Ebsary taking second overall by two points from Andrew Jodrell, who was third overall.
The Ladies class saw a fine display of riding from Eleanor Calby, who was to take all three race wins to give her the overall, with second overall going to Mia Milsom, who had a hattrick of second place finishes, and third overall going to Claire Chapman, who was third in all three races.
Results
