Two curtains will be coming down this weekend in Wiltshire as the 2023 Acerbis Amateur Nationals stages the final round of their 2023 Championship, and the Cusses Gorse MX track hosts its final ever 2-day race event before the venue closes for good.
Feature Image courtesy of Matthew Rudd Photography
With all of that in mind, a bumper entry is expected which could make things a little fruity when it comes to the final series standings, with it all to race for in many classes.
MX1, though looks to be going the way of Jack Beniston who has been quality all year long and has wracked up a 79 point lead going into the final round. If things go to plan Jack could wrap up the title on Saturday, taking the pressure off him for Sunday, but James Hutchinson, who sits in second won’t want to let his championship rival rest easy and will be doing all he can to keep the pressure on and hope for a mistake. Third spot looks to be going to Ed Briscoe but like Beniston he still needs to score points to keep the chasing pack at bay.
In MX2 Lee Sealey has a pinky on the cup but his 47-point lead can evaporate pretty easily if he is not careful and he has two determined characters behind him in Jake Winnard and Alfie Calvert who will be ready to pounce and capitalise on any mishaps or poor results that go Sealey’s way.
The top three places look seemingly set in the Open 2 Stroke category with Josh Spinks holding the number one spot by 72 points over Rory Jones who has 34 points on James Dent. Between them and the rest is a massive 132 points so these three will be left to duke it out over the top three positions but it will be hard to prise the title off of Spinks who has been in incredible form this year.
Another rider looking odds on for the title is Damon Strydom in the 125’s. Damon has been riding on a crest of a wave in 2023 and a couple of strong Saturday moto’s will see him claim the title. In second Ash Harland has a 54 point advantage over young gun Ryan Waggott who has Harry Barker right up his exhaust pipe and in series contention for a podium being just 21 down on the number 3 spot.
Grace Richards has notched up a gigantic 100 point lead in the Ladies coming into Cusses and is another rider that just needs to chalk up two solid Saturday moto’s to be standing on the top step of the podium come Sunday afternoon. Who will be joining Grace on the box though is the big question as Rebecca Newham, Grace Packham and Nadiya Jones are separated by just 32 points so an intense battle for podium positions.
The big question in the Vets Over 40’s is can Ryan Voase replicate Jett Lawrence by making it a perfect season?? Like his Australian counterpart Voase has gone through every moto unbeaten and will be keen to keep that record up having almost already secured the title. Danny Tollett and Lee Martin will want to stop Voase but also have each other to contend with as they fight over second in the championship with only four points separating them.
The tightest title fight is in the Vets Over 50’s where Richard Miller and Simon Bonser are divided a slender four points going into this weekend’s Cusses finale so this will be a great class to watch. Ady Bradley holds third but Ewan Johnston is just 27 points behind so it’s still all to race for in the battle for the final podium spot.
It looks likely there will be a double celebration in the Voase camp come Saturday night with Ryan’s son Riley leading the charge in the Junior Open class with only 5 points needed in the opening moto for him to claim the victory. Dan Nevitt looks like he has second in the bag while Ben Hughes with a good weekend could secure third.
For those wishing the spectate tickets are £5 per person per day. Under 15’s free
WEEKEND CAMPING – £10 CAMPING Vehicle pass + £5 per person for the weekend. Under 15’s Free
