No Payne, No Gain! Portsmouth MXC Club Championships Round 9

Despite the recent high temperatures, Portsmouth MX turned up to a totally soaked Grittenham circuit for their latest summer championship round. Although the dust reared its ugly head later in the day, the stacked field of riders put on some great racing.

The Rookies were first to go, with Travis Reynolds shooting straight out the start gate to take an early lead. But he couldn’t hold back Cullen Scott who blasted through the mud to stay clean ahead of the rest of the field, three comfortable wins rewarding him with the overall. Reynolds followed behind and took away second overall with three consistent seconds. Jesse Wren had a battle on his hands to keep Jamie Watson from snatching his positions, but kept a cool head to stay in front, going 3-4-4 to snatch third overall.

In the VMX class, the Wroxton Rocket Billy Hazell showed everyone who was boss, totally dominating the class. Quickly moving into the lead, he led the majority of laps to take all three race wins and the overall. Mark Morris was once again a challenger for the lead, keeping Hazell in his sights in each moto. Three second places secured him second overall. Neil Grant was out the gate like a scalded cat, leading the pack until succumbing to Hazell’s speed. Going head-to-head in each moto with Tony Hale, Grant got the upper hand to take third overall, going 3-4-3.

MX2 rider Ryan Turner was once again out the gate like a bullet, but was pushed back as Charlie Razzell, Luke Kennett and Archie Hicks powered their way to the front. Razzell rode the track like he was on rails, not showing the track or his rivals any mercy as he worked his way into the lead to score a perfect trio of wins and took home the overall. Kennett tried to hold off Razzell’s charge but settled for second spot, keeping the leader within reach, going 2-2-2 to finish second overall. Archie Hicks worked his way up the leader board in each moto, consistent finishes in third place rewarding him with third overall.

The action came thick and fast in the MX1 class, with top class riders gracing the front of the field. Bradley Wheeler soon found his feet and took his regular spot in first place, holding the others at bay in each moto to secure the overall win with three firsts. George Purchase had a disastrous day, after a perfect opening moto, two DNFs left him out of the running. But Nicky Watts was on fine form, not putting a wheel wrong, chasing Wheeler down to the finish line. Going 4-2-2 he was rewarded with a brilliant second overall. There was no holding back Dan Lawler, who powered his way straight into third spot from the drop of the gate, and remained consistently quick throughout the day. Going 3-3-3 he secured third overall.

A couple of red flags delayed proceedings in the Big Wheel 85cc class, being the biggest class of the day providing with exhilarating racing. Brook Jenner made his presence known from the drop of the gate, and battling hard with Max Brazier and Oliver Ruddock, he remained focused and charged into the leaders spot, going 1-2-1 to take the overall. Cody Spacagna was on fire all day, absolutely lighting quick starts rewarding him with brilliant finishes. Narrowly missing out on three straight third spots, he went 3-3-4 to claim second overall. A disastrous crash for Oliver Ruddock left him in a heap on the first corner, but he picked himself up and dusted himself off to claw his way back to 10th spot. Normal service resumed in races two and three, grabbing a win and a second to secure third overall.

It was a four-way chase for the lead in the Small Wheel 85cc class, but Connor Williams saved the best for last, a brilliant set of motos rewarding the youngster with his first overall of the year. Gradually working his way up from fourth to first, he proudly took home first place ahead of Finley Yorke-Williams. Yorke-Williams had the class in his grasp, securing the first two race wins with ease. Ending up in fifth place in the final moto saw his win taken away, but still finished in a gallant second overall. Jack Parker rode the race of his life, but was frustrated he couldn’t grab another second spot after his great result in race one. Going 2-3-3 he still secured third overall.

There was no disputing the winner in the Junior 65cc class, Alfie Payne. Such a talented young rider and a powerhouse on the track, he led from start to finish, a flawless performance, securing all three race wins and the overall. Fabian Junior Morrison was hot on the leaders heels, super-quick and a great race from young Junior, seeing him go 2-2-2 to secure second overall. It was close for third overall between Arash Deering and Casey Kennett, but it was to be Kennett’s day, riding superbly to secure two third spots and third overall.

Last out were the Auto’s, with Marley Alder taking up his usual residence in first spot, two wins in the opening motos looking good for the overall. But a disastrous start in race three saw him out of the top three, and his hopes of another overall dashed. Jack Dugmore was waiting in the wings, and chasing Alder down in the first two motos two races to finish in second, he pushed himself straight to the front in race three and rode hard all the way to the finish flag to secure not only the race win but the overall. Alder finished in second overall. Ryan Clift is definitely one to watch, another holeshot and so close to another race win, he was at the top of his game all day, three confident and consistent third places rewarded him with third overall.

Results:

VMX: 1 Billy Hazell, 2 Mark Morris, 3 Neil Grant, 4 Tony Hale, 5 Brook Alder, 6 Rob Topp.

MX2: 1 Charlie Razzell, 2 Luke Kennett, 3 Archie Hicks, 4 Ryan Turner, 5 Jordan Woodward, 6 Craig Carwright.

MX1: 1 Bradley Wheeler, 2 Nicky Watts, 3 Dan Lawler, 4 Jake Penny, 5 Andrew Walker, 6 Callum Allison.

Rookies: 1 Cullen Scott, 2 Travis Reynolds, 3 Jesse Wren, 4 Jamie Watson, 5 James O’Mara, 6 Jack Milsted.

BW85: 1 Brook Jenner, 2 Cody Spacagna, 3 Oliver Ruddock, 4 Max Brazier, 5 Harrison Jepson, 6 Joel Kremer.

SW85: 1 Connor Williams, 2 Finley Yorke-Williams, 3 Jack Parker, 4 Gino Taffurelli, 5 Louis Sheasby, 6 Rowan Brock.

65s: 1 Alfie Payne, 2 Fabian Junior Morrison, 3 Casey Kennett, 4 Arash Deering, 5 Aston Over, 6 Alfie Young.

50s: 1 Jack Dugmore, 2 Marley Alder, 3 Ryan Clift, 4 Toby Bond, 5 Riley Northcote, 6 Tommy Phillips.

Report by Kay Kennedy

Pictures by Click 466