The 2025 H&N Supplies Ltd. Formula Grasstrack Championship returned to Ledbury on Saturday 10th May for Round 2, for the Tom Thomas Memorial meeting, with a promise of great weather and even better racing.
Words and Images by Andy Falconer
The top three seniors from Round 1 continued their excellent form as soon as the tapes went up, with Wayne Broadhurst, Kevin Gwillam and Andrew Rowson all recording three straight wins in their first three rides, respectively.
Adam Hawker entered the break just two points behind the leading trio, with an impressive win and two second-place finishes before the interval.
Anthony Rowson recorded a hat-trick of second places, including behind his brother, Andrew, in Race 12, with the latter taking the chequered flag. Den Edwards was tied on points with Anthony, riding really well and getting the better of Rowson & Elwyn Beedles in Race 20.
Elwyn Beedles maintained his lightning starts throughout the heats and continued to ride well on his return to Grasstrack racing.
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Following the break, Anthony Rowson and Elwyn Beedles went toe to toe in Race 25, until Beedles lost his steel shoe, causing him to run wide, giving Anthony Rowson a golden opportunity to nip up the inside for the lead, which he took with both hands to claim a good win.
Drama unfolded in Race 26, with championship leader Wayne Broadhurst having issues before the start and being unable to get his bike fired up before the race. Putting an end to his sparkling form so far this season, Broadhurst was unfortunately unable to continue in the meeting, denting his championship progress.
Kevin Gwillam didn’t need telling twice, and took maximum points in Race 26 and his final two heats to record a maximum six wins out of six on the day. With exceptional gating and smooth riding, Gwillam looked set for a strong performance in the A final.
Andrew Rowson also continued well after the break, winning his next two outings and battling hard with Adam Hawker in race 41, with Ledbury’s Hawker keeping ahead of both Rowson brothers. Hawker completed his heats just three points behind Gwillam and was clearly in contention for a strong finish.
Elwyn Beedles’ starting kept him in contention all afternoon with a race win in his fifth ride, putting him fourth in the standings before the finals.
Trentham’s Glyn Edwards had a strong performance after the interval, being one of only two Seniors to win all three races in the second half of the day, putting him right in the mix with Colin How, Anthony Rowson, Den Edwards & Charlie Glaze.
The Senior C final saw Theo Copestake take a win against Isaac-Collins Bullock, Archie Palmer and Sue Dowling. Copestake was unfortunately only able to take part in his final three races out of the heats, and would have no doubt been pleased to turn his day around with a win in the Senior C.
Kieran Swindells completed a good day, taking the win in the Senior B final ahead of Peter Evans & Steve Stait, who rounded off the top three.
The Senior A final didn’t disappoint, with Gwillam making an electric start from gate one, with Andrew Rowson, Nathan Alder and Hawker in hot pursuit. Rowson pushed hard to keep with Gwillam, but it was the Hadley-man who took a commanding victory. Andrew Rowson took a strong second place, to continue his good form in the Championship, and Adam Hawker an impressive third. Gwillam now takes the lead of the Championship, with Andrew Rowson in second and Adam Hawker third.
The Juniors class saw LJ McAlinney making his FGA debut, really putting his stamp on the championship with four wins from his six rides, and ending the heats tied on points with Archie Whitelam. John Cox was fast out of the start and further built on his result at round one on his return to racing.
The Final for the Juniors saw LJ McAlinney take the win, with Archie Whitelam unfortunately falling at the end of the first lap, thankfully escaping without injury, and John Cox taking second place.
In the Cub’s class, Kaylem Bourne had a great start to the day, winning all three of his opening rides ahead of the fast-starting AJ Bence and Lucas Astley. Bence dug deep, producing some fantastic starts and excellent track craft to keep himself at the front, ending the heats at the top of the standings.
In the final, it was Bourne who hit the front after battling past AJ Bence, and Lucas Astley taking third.
Albie South and Dakota Wright produced some excellent racing throughout the day in the Cadets, both riders completing their races with 45 points apiece after three race wins each. Lewis-Powell took a third place in his opening ride but took a nasty tumble in his second ride and took no further part in the meeting following his accident. The Cadet final promised to be exciting, with South getting the better of Wright to stand on the top step at the end of the meeting.
Kobi Gutteridge was on new machinery for round two and proved to be unbeatable all day on his KTM. He produced some excellent passing, right around the outside of the track, and was clearly enjoying racing around the Sparrington Farm venue. Dalton Wright and Lilly Bence had an afternoon battling against each other, trading places in the heats with Noah Bakewell in fourth place with a DNF in his fifth race. On to the final, Gutteridge completed his unbeaten day with a commanding win, sealing his first win in the Autos class. Lilly Bence returned to the podium, on her first finish in the Autos class, taking second place ahead of Dalton Wright and Noah Bakewell.
The E-Bike class saw Reggie Goodwin start the day off with a win in the first race, ahead of JJ Falconer. Falconer however came on strong following the opening ride and took the chequered flag in all five of the remaining heats to take maximum championship points.
Falconer rounded the day off with a win in the E-Bike final, while Goodwin had bike gremlins that caused him to fall but re-mount in the final.
The FGA Championship moves to Chetton near Bridgnorth for Round 3 on the 7th June.
Final Standings :
Seniors (Top 10): Kevin Gwillam (48), Andrew Rowson (47), Adam Hawker (45), Den Edwards (41), Colin How (40), Elwyn Beedles (42), Anthony Rowson (40), Glyn Edwards (37).
Juniors: LJ McAlinney (44), John Cox (38), Archie Whitelam (44).
Cubs: Kaylem Bourne (39), AJ Bence (42), Lucas Astley (39).
Cadets: Albie South (45), Dakota Wright (45), D Lewis-Powell (6).
Autos: Kobi Gutteridge (48), Lilly Bence (37), Dalton Wright (41), Noah Bakewell (25).
E-Bikes: JJ Falconer (47), Reggie Goodwin (43).
Championship Standings :
E-Bikes: 1= JJ Falconer (49), 1= Reggie Goodwin (49).
Autos: 1= Kobi Gutteridge (48), 1= Dalton Wright (48), 3. Noah Bakewell (44), 4. Levi Collins (25), 5. Lilly Bence (24).
Cadets: 1= Albie South (49), 1= Dakota Wright (49), 3. D Lewis-Powell (23).
Cubs: 1= AJ Bence (46), 1= Kaylem Bourne (46), 1= Lucas Astley (46), 4. Caelan Ratcliffe, 5. Charlie Dowd (24), 6. Chloe Davis (0).
Juniors: 1. Archie Whitelam (49), 2. John Cox (47), 3. LJ McAlinney (25), 4. Roman Ratcliffe (23).
Seniors (Top 10): 1. Kevin Gwillam (79), 2. Andrew Rowson (77), 3. Adam Hawker (75), 4. Den Edwards (72), 5. Elwyn Beedles (71), 6. Colin How (70), 7. Anthony Rowson (66),
8. Kieran Swindells (63), 9. Wayne Broadhurst (59), 10. Peter Evans (57).
