Wayne Broadhurst secured the 2025 Formula Grasstrack Association Championship, with another perfect race card of unbeaten rides, as has been his custom throughout the season and also took the Kevin Challinor Memorial award.
Report by Andy Falconer – Images courtesy of DSM Photos
Local racer Graham Thomas pushed for the win at the Station Road venue in Pontesbury, dropping only a single point at the interval stage, having only been beaten by Broadhurst in their opening ride against each other.
Jack Crewe took his first race win of the season, heading into the break tied on points with Sam Hall and other Pontesbury racer Andrew Rowson, all just two points behind the leader.
Minsterley’s Colin How took first blood in the battle for second in the overall championship, tallying 21 points from his first three rides, joint with Glyn Edwards, who recorded a trio of second places in the first half. Fellow silver medal hopeful Adam Hawker rounded out the top eight, just one point behind How.
Phil Thomas took two wins out of three in his home race, but an unfortunate sixth place in his second ride put him ninth at the halfway point, level with Stoke’s Sam Crabtree.
The Juniors class saw John Cox claim victory in the championship, despite being beaten on the day by his returning younger sister Jessica. Archie Whitelam put on a great performance, winning the first seven of his eight races and also the final, which saw him do enough to take second place in the championship standings. Roman Ratcliffe was the only rider to get the better of Whitelam on the day, but had to settle for bronze in the championship.
The 2025 Cubs champion, Lucas Astley, produced some fantastic racing with Caelan Ratcliffe throughout the day. The latter did just enough to finish the heats a solitary point ahead of Astley, with Ratcliffe also taking the spoils in the final. Kaylem Bourne tried hard throughout the day but couldn’t quite keep on the pace of the leading duo, aside from in the final, when he was able to split the battling duo at the front and secured third place in the championship.
AJ Bence took a solid second place in the championship, but was unable to make any ground on the top three on the day. Newcomer Lillie-Mai Warwick made some lightning starts on her racing debut and will no doubt be one to watch next season!
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Dakota Wright took the season’s honours in the Cadets class, despite being behind Albie South in the day’s heats. South suffered a cracked crank casing, putting an early end to his streak of four straight race wins and his hopes of victory on the day. Albie’s efforts throughout the season were enough for him to take silver ahead of Lilly Bence in the final championship positions.
The Autos class championship was sealed by younger Wright-brother, Dalton, who showcased his impeccable form of eight straight race wins, and took the chequered flag in the final to boot. The absent Noah Bakewell’s consistency through the year meant he took second in the Autos championship. After a year of ups and downs, Kobi Gutteridge took a strong second place on the day, whilst learning to ride a different bike, battling in each race, and securing third place in the championship standings. Harry Worrall had another strong outing, getting ahead of Gutteridge in the second Autos heat.
The E-Bikes saw Reggie Goodwin take the Championship ahead of home-hero JJ Falconer, who had to settle for silver. Goodwin set the tone of the day with his fast starts, with Falconer chasing him down in each race. Despite getting close on several attempts, Falconer could find no way past until in the E-Bikes final, where he was able to get the better of his fellow E-Bike racer and take the flag in front of his home crowd.
The second half of the Senior programme saw Wayne Broadhurst hit the front without looking back in the remaining three heats, crowd-pleasing all the way with his trademark sideways style. Graham Thomas took a single win out of his last three, with Phil Thomas getting the better of Graham in race 28, and Phil recorded three straight wins after the break. Jack Crewe took another race win after the mid-point, along with two seconds to put him in third place going into the Finals ahead of Phil Thomas.
Glyn Edwards turned the tables on Colin How in the second half, taking fourth pick ahead of the Minsterley-man, with Adam Hawker still unable to claw back the one-point deficit. Andrew Rowson took eight in front of his home crowd following an afternoon of battling.
The Senior D final saw top spot claimed by Isaac-Collins Bullock, a silver lining during a day of mixed fortunes following machine troubles, and borrowing bikes from Elwyn Beedles to get him through the programme. Nigel Bowkett and Peter Evans took second and third, respectively.
Ben Crabtree took the win in the Senior C final, with Nick Chadwick fending off the Glaze brothers for second place, with Oliver Glaze getting the better of brother Charlie for bragging rights and third place. Theo Copestake took fourth place from Sue Dowling and Archie Palmer, with Russell Hall being a non-starter.
Den Edwards claimed the honours in the Senior B final, after an uncharacteristically quiet day for the Telford-based rider. Sam Crabtree pushed him every inch of the way, with Anthony Rowson having to be content with third ahead of fellow home favourite Elwyn Beedles. Marcus Crutchington took fifth spot ahead of Chris Chadwick and Nathan Alder, with Sam Hall unable to start.
The Senior A saw a jubilant Wayne Broadhurst complete his clean sweep, followed by Graham Thomas in second and Jack Crewe third. Crewe did enough to hold off the charging Andrew Rowson to take his first top-three finish of the season. Colin How rode his trademark inside line to keep himself ahead of Adam Hawker and ultimately beat Hawker to second place in the championship. Glyn Edwards was unfortunate not to score in the A Final, and local man Phil Thomas was unable to start.
With the 2025 FGA Championship drawing to a close, there is just one meeting left remaining on the FGA calendar – a Halloween Spooktacular meeting at the Leamington Spa Victory Moto Park venue on Saturday, 1st November. Entries are now open, with the closing date set as Saturday, 25th October.
Results
Seniors (Top 10)
1. Wayne Broadhurst – 48, 2. Graham Thomas – 45, 3. Jack Crewe – 44, 4. Andrew Rowson – 41, 5. Colin How – 42, 6. Adam Hawker – 41, 7. Glyn Edwards – 43, 8. Phil Thomas – 43, 9. Den Edwards – 32, Sam Crabtree – 31.
Juniors
1. Archie Whitelam – 47, 2. Roman Ratcliffe – 43, 3. Jessica Cox – 36, 4. John Cox – 30.
Cubs
1. Caelan Ratcliffe – 45, 2. Lucas Astley – 44, 3. Kaylem Bourne – 37, 4. AJ Bence – 30, 5. Lillie-Mae Warwick – 24.
Cadets
1. Dakota Wright – 44, 2. Albie South – 40, 3. Lilly Bence – 38.
Autos
1. Dalton Wright – 48, 2. Kobi Gutteridge – 41, 3. Harry Worrall – 37.
E-Bikes
1. Reggie Goodwin – 48, 2. JJ Falconer – 42.
Final Championship Standings
E-Bikes
1. Reggie Goodwin – 197, 2. JJ Falconer – 194, 3. Kody Pay – 25.
Autos
1. Dalton Wright – 198, 2. Noah Bakewell – 179, 3. Kobi Gutteridge – 164, 4. Harry Worrall – 139, 5. Levi Collins – 73, 6. Lilly Bence – 46, 7. Arlo Bourne – 41.
Cadets
1. Dakota Wright – 196, 2. Albie South – 148, 3. Lilly Bence – 142, 4. Darcy Lewis-Powell – 45.
Cubs
1. Lucas Astley – 193,2. AJ Bence – 184, 3. Kaylem Bourne – 165, 4. Charlie Dowd – 49, 5. Caelan Ratcliffe – 96, 6. Lillie-Mae Warwick – 21, 7. Jessica Cox – 20.
Juniors
1. John Cox – 190, 2. Archie Whitelam – 170, 3. Roman Ratcliffe – 96, 4. LJ McAlinney – 48, 5. Joe Bain – 48, 6. Jessica Cox – 23, 7. Royston Totty – 21.
Seniors (Top 10)
1. Wayne Broadhurst – 320, 2. Colin How – 295, 3. Adam Hawker – 290, 4. Den Edwards – 274, 5. Elwyn Beedles – 252, 6. Glyn Edwards – 235, 7. Andrew Rowson – 233, 8. Marcus Crutchington – 222, 9. Anthony Rowson – 218, 10. Charlie Glaze – 206.
