Back on the Bank Holiday Sunday, 26th May, the North Devon Atlantic Classic Motorcycle Club ran its first Scramble in 2024, which was the Roar on the Moor event at Yarde Gate Nr North Molton in Devon.
Report and Images by Dave Rich
The track had been changed in places from the previous year with some technical bits and some fast sections and was run in reverse to other years, which proved very popular with the many competitors who were in attendance which included top Enduro stars from Devon in the shape of eight times winner and current World Enduro Grand Prix Champion Steve Holcombe, former British Enduro Champion Alex Snow, and current British and European Enduro Championship leader Dan Mundell. Rain had fallen prior to the meeting which made things a bit slippery at the start of the day and further showers during the meeting made things very difficult in places but never the less the racing was pretty good to watch for the many spectators in attendance.
The Classics were run together as a mixed group where in the Pre 60 class it was a good weekend for Jack Wyatt on his 500 BSA Japsa who took the overall with two wins and a second with Jeremy Lile on his big 650 Tribsa T110 taking the other win and with it gave him second overall and third overall went to the 500 Triumph Mettisse of Trevor Townsend.
In the Pre 65 class there was some really good racing, especially in the opening race as Chris Hacker on his 650 Triumph Rickman Mettisse pulled off a brilliant pass on the last corner to take the win from Thorne Pett on his 500 Jawa MRD, but Pett was untroubled in race two and took the win from Hacker so it was tired on points going into the last race and it was Hacker who took the win from Pett to give him the overall with Ian Baldock on his 350 Hickie BSA with three consistant rides taking third overall.
In the Pre 68 Class there was no stopping the 500 BSA Victor of Paul Webb who notched up a hattrick of wins beating the 360 CZ Twinport of Mike Jones in all three races who took second overall with third overall going to the 470 BSA 440V of James Townsend.
The Pre 74 class saw a fine display of riding from Marcus Denham on his 380 CZ who once he hit the front didn’t look back and took a convincing hattrick of wins with the 450 WR Husqvarna of Louis Harmer being consistant in all three races taking second behind Denham in all three races to give him second overall with third overall going to Adrian Bence on his 400 MC Maico.
The Pre 83 125 class saw some good battles in all three races but at the end of the day it was a 1,2,3 for YZ Yamahas as Gary Benham took the chequered flag in all three races with Lee Sawatzki taking second overall with Nick Ponting taking that third spot on the podium.
The Evo Pre 89 class was stacked with talent and was to produce some quick racing and making his first appearance at this venue, was a legend in his own rights on his big 500 CR Honda was Brian Wheeler, who did get the holeshot in the opening race and looked to be pulling away on the opening lap, but too much speed into a canvered lefthander saw him drift off the track which gifted the lead to Matt Holcombe on his Cr 125 who was closely followed by the CR 250 of Dan Mundell who was to pile the pressure on Holcombe as they entered the second lap and found away pass and from there Mundell went on to take the chequered flag with Steve Holcombe on his CR 125 after passing Matt Holcombe in the closing stages taking second.
In moto 2 again it was Mundell once he hit the front who was the man to beat and trying to do that was Steve Holcombe who was to give his all, but it was to no avail and Mundell took it from Steve with Alex Snow on his CR 500 taking third. The last moto was the best race in this class, with virtually nothing separating the leading three riders which was Mundell, Snow and Steve Holcombe, who were thrilling the spectators with some close racing in the end, Mundell held strong and made it three wins out of three with Snow less than a second at the line behind Mundell taking second and Steve taking third just half a second behind Snow. Mundell took the overall from Steve Holcombe, with Snow third overall.
After the first block of racing, there was a memorial race in memory of Andy Sollars, with the top 5 in all previous races invited to take part in what is now known as the 743 race. This race was well supported and included last year’s winner Luke Hill, but unfortunately for Luke he was late down to the start and was to miss the start and was way down the field with it all to do. Dan Mundell wasted no time in this one, and once he hit the front, he was absolutely flying and was lapping considerably quicker than his rivals and went on to win the race by some fifteen seconds from Snow, with Steve Holcombe taking third.
The Twinshock A class saw Welshman Joel Hughes on the 510 Husqvarna with the best start in the opening race just ahead of the 560 KTM MX of Scott Faulkner, with Steve Holcombe who was out on a CR 250 Honda Red Rocket in this class tucked in third who didn’t waste any time and was soon breathing all over Hughes for the lead which he took by the end of the opening lap, but all eyes were on local kingpin Luke Hill on the big 500 CR Honda who was flying up through the field after not the best of starts and was to catch Hughes mid-race and were soon to be trying to catch Holcombe at the front but Holcombe was too strong and took the win from Hill with Hughes third. In race 2 we saw Hill left on the line with a mechanical problem which was the end of his race and leading the way was the two Holcombe’s with Steve eventually easing away at the front to go on and take the win from Matt with Faulkner this time taking third. In the last race, this time it was the 250 Beta of Matt Holcombe who had the early lead from Steve, which turned into a battle royal for the first lap before Steve found a way past and, from there, went on to make it a hat-trick of wins with Matt finishing second just ahead of Hill who took third. Steve Holcombe took the overall with a clean sweep of wins, with Matt Holcombe second overall and Faulkner taking a well-deserved third overall.
In the Twinshock B class, Alex Buckingham took a clean sweep of wins on his 250 CR Honda. Harvey Lowe’s 250 CR Honda Red Rocket finished on the same points as Keith Jones’s 504 KTM MX, but by virtue of the last race result, Lowe took second overall.
In the Twinshock C class, we had three different winners in the shape of Noah Matthews, Alex Richards, and Chris Stone, but at the end of the day, consistency is the name of the game, with the overall going to Ade Dark on his 560 KTM MX with second overall going to the 250 CR Honda of Richards who piped Tim Milton on the 490 YZ Yamaha by one point taking third overall.
In the Twinshock D class, Max Corps on the 490 YZ Yamaha took two convincing wins in the first two races but was a nonstarter in the last race, which was won by Leigh Townsend on his 560 KTM. With a sixth and a third in the other two races, Townsend took the overall from Ray Hooper and Jake Bristow.
In the Twinshock E class, there was no stopping Greg Stephens on his 430 CR Husqvarna, who took a hattrick of wins with Jeremy Knight on his 400 RM Suzuki with a clean sweep of second place finishes taking second overall with third overall going to Jack Pellow on his 250 YZ Yamaha.
Results
