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Birtwhistle bangs in Greenfield win! 2022 Indian Motorcycles DTRA Flat Track Nationals Round 1 – Race Report & Results

Round one of the 2022 Indian Motorcycles Flat Track National championship took place on the 9th and 10th of April at the fantastic Greenfield Dirt Track in Lincolnshire. The season definitely started with some arresting racing as round one kicked off with the TT.

Report by Anna Butler – Images courtesy of Braking Point Images

Racing was fast and unrelenting from heat one with the added excitement of the TT jump. And in light of covid restrictions being lifted since last season, the DTRA saw the welcome return of our European club members with representation from Spain, France and Belgium.

The new season promises lots of shake-ups, with the perfect storm of new riders, the return of the European contingent, a second season of the Electric DTE class and the introduction of the Vintage Evo Class (1975-1985). With three vintage classes now included, the pits were stacked with some beautiful bikes.

But let’s get to the racing.

The Pro Class was action-packed from heat one with the return of 2019 European champion Ferran Sastre. In the final, the holeshot went to Jack Bell but it was Gary Birtwistle who quickly took the lead with Ferran Sastre close behind him. Gary Birtwistle took the overall win followed by Ferran Sastre in second and Jack Bell in third.

In the Inters Class, flat track newcomer Jake Edey dominated throughout the day with fast lap times in qualifying and a clear win in the final. Second place was taken by Kevin Kennedy and third place by Charlie Kelly whose 2022 season is his first in the adult classes.

With an abundance of new riders in the Rookie Class, racing was great to watch. First place went to Luke Potter who won all his heats then took the final, second place was taken by DTRA newcomer Keelan O Carrol and third place to Gareth Ashman.

The DTRA Electric class saw great representation again for the first round of 2022 with Alan Birtwistle dominating all day. Newcomer to the class, Gille Leenknegt on the Trevor Motorcycle from Belgium was riding well in the heats but a mistake in the final stopped him from achieving a podium spot. Alan Birtwistle took first place in the final, followed closely by Colin McCabe. Third place went to the DTRA’s 2021 Rookie champion James Woodroffe.