Hill strikes twice at Berrynarbor! North Devon Atlantic Classic Scramble – Race Report & Results
Over the weekend of August 7th & 8th the North Devon Atlantic Classic Motorcycle Club hosted their annual two-day meeting of Classic, Twinshock and this year rounds 4 & 5 of the Pre 83 Partridge Ventilation 125 British Championship at their picturesque venue of Sloley Park, Berrynarbor, Nr Combe Martin in Devon.
Report and Images by Dave Rich
The track was very dry prior to the meeting and water was put down on the Friday and it was looking in fine sted early Saturday morning ready for practice before the heavens opened which made things a bit damp and slippery and hard going especially on the uphill section and because of this the club decided to take the uphill section out before racing commenced.
Saturday
In the Pre 74 up to 250cc class, it was the 250 Bultaco of Stuart George who put together three good races and took a clean sweep of wins with Jonathan Pickett and Paul Andrews battling it out in all three races behind him and at the end of the day they were tied on points, but with Pickett beating Andrews in the last race it was to give him second overall.
Neil Hammersley and Richard Palmer battling it out in the Pre 74 Over 250 class
The Pre 74 Over 250cc class saw some of the best racing of the day and with it produced three different winners. The opening race saw current 2021 Pre 74 British Championship leader Kristian Marshall on his 380 CZ take the win from the Cheney BSA 500 of Greg Speed with Adam Butt on his 350 BSA taking third. In the second moto, this turned into a three-way thriller towards the end of the race between Speed who was leading, Marshall and Butt with Marshall all over Speed in the closing stages looking to get through, but Speed held on to take the win by half a second with Butt a close third. The last race was full of drama with Butt leading for most of the race before Marshall took over, but on the last lap heading up to the last corner Marshall hit a bump and with it twisted his knee which was to let Butt through to take the win and also Tim Dallaway sneaked through on the line to take second from Marshall, but Marshall had done enough to take the overall by two points from Butt.
In the Pre 60 class, there was no stopping the 650 Trisba of Ian Lovelock who notched up a hattrick of wins but there was some close racing between Jed White also on a 650 Trisba and the 650 Triumph Metisse of Paul Arnold who ended the day 2nd & 3rd overall respectively.
The Pre 65 class was to produce three different race winners with Colin Hickie on his 350 Hickie BSA being gifted the opening race by Martin Coleman who had led for most of the race before on the last lap his 500 BSA ran out of petrol. The second moto saw the BSA full of fuel this time and it showed as Coleman won this one from Hickie, but the last race was won by Matt Fry on his Cheney Jawa 600 who beat Coleman by a whisker at the line and with good results in the first two races it was Fry who took the overall.
No 35 Christopher Hacker under pressure from No 404 Luke Hickie in the Pre 68 class on the Saturday
The Pre 68 class saw a fine display in the opening two races from Christopher Hacker on his 441 BSA Victor with Luke Hickie on his 500 Hickie BSA finishing second in both races, but in the last race Hickie took the chequered flag from Martin Kemp on his BSA Faber 500 and with Hacker finishing back in 5th it was Hickie who took the overall.
In the Twinshock A class, there were some of the South West’s top riders including one of Devon’s best in the shape of Luke Hill who had plenty of local support. The opening race started with great drama as Hill on his CR500 Honda led into the opening corner followed by the 600 Hickie BSA of Luke Hickie with Dorset’s Terry House on his Fasthouse 490 Maico on the outside but exiting the corner both Hickie and House slid out on the grass and tangled which left them ending up in the hedge. Hill had a clear track in front of him and was to ease away to take a comfortable win from the 440 Maico of Kristian Marshall. In the second moto House was a nonstarter suffering a bit from his first race incident. Just as in the opening race, things were again tight going into the first corner, but Hill kept out of trouble around the outside and was to emerge at the front and was soon in a rhythm, but a battle was to emerge behind Hill between Hickie and Marshall with Marshall eventually bringing it home in second. In the last race this time it was Marshall who was missing on the line after picking up a knee injury in a Pre 74 race earlier and the question was could anyone deny Hill a clean sweep of wins and the answer was no as Hill again emerged out of the first corner at the front and soon eased away, but soon up into second had come Tim Dallaway on his BSA 500 who was to lap roughly at the same pace as Hill for most of the race, but Hill held strong to make it three wins from three and clear overall winner.
Terry House and Luke Hickie took an excursion in the opening Twinshock A race on Saturday
In the Twinshock B class, there were some good battles in all three races with the opening race being won by James Reeves on his 250 Honda beating the 560 KTM of Ade Dark by some ten seconds. In the second moto, this time it was Chris Stone who led initially on his 465 Yamaha from the 465 Suzuki of North Devon rider Greg Pascoe with Reeves tucked in third. Pascoe was all over Stone on the second lap and fought his way past on the veranda section to take the lead, but he had to hold off Stone for the rest of the race and Stone had Reeves to keep at bay as he came on strong on the last lap, but it was Pascoe who took the win by a second from Stone with Reeves a close third. In the last race there was no stopping Reeves as once he hit the front, he was to pull away all the time and took the win by a considerable margin and with it took the overall on the day.
No 148 Greg Pascoe and No 46 Chris Stone in action in the Twinshock B class on Saturday
The Twinshock C class saw a fine ride from Paul Winstone on his 250 Honda who was to blitz the rest of the field in all three races.
On Saturday it was Round 4 of the Pre 83 125 British Championship which saw the current Championship leader going into round 4 Jake Chamberlain on the Yamaha increases his Championship lead after dominating all three races.
Sunday
Sunday was a better day even though the rain had fallen during the night, but with a swift breeze in the air, the track was soon to dry and just as the day before there was some close racing.
The Pre 74 up to 250 class saw a fine display of riding from Luke Winn who didn’t compete on the Saturday as he put together three good races to take a hat-trick of wins.
Stuart George on his 250 Bultaco in the Pre 74 up to 250 class
The Over 250 Pre 74 class got underway without overall winner on the Saturday Kristian Marshall who had pulled out after his knee had swollen up overnight and it was Greg Speed who took the opening race after a race-long battle with Adam Butt who was a close second with Tim Dallaway eventually coming through to take a distant third. In the second race, Speed was to pull out after two laps with a bike problem and it was Butt who took the win from Dallaway. In the last encounter, it was a better start in this one for Wayne Partington on the 380 CZ who was to give chase after Butt who had led from the start, but Butt was lapping nigh on two seconds quicker than the rest of the field and took the win and the overall.
Adam Butt on his 350 BSA took the overall in the Pre 74 over 250class on the Sunday
Ian Lovelock continued where he left off from Saturday in the Pre 60 class and took yet another hattrick of wins, but Sunday saw a better result for local rider Trevor Townsend on his Triumph 500 who took a hattrick of second-place finishes.
The Pre 65 class saw a real battle for the overall as they went into the last race as Martin Coleman had taken a win and a fourth whereas Matt Fry had also taken a win and a third so Fry had a two points advantage over Coleman, so all Coleman had to do was to win the last race which he did from Fry which gave Coleman the overall by one point.
Martin Coleman on his BSA 500 who clinched the Pre 65 class on the Sunday on the last race
Christopher Hacker as he did on the Saturday was victorious in the opening two Pre 68 races but was denied a clean sweep in the last race by Martin Kemp but with Hacker finishing in second this was to give him the overall.
The Twinshock A class on the Sunday was just as it was the day before with Hill dominating the proceedings with another hattrick of wins with Philip Peaster on his 465 Yamaha finishing well in all three races to take second overall from Scott Faulkner by one point.
Just as the day before the Twinshock B class produced some good racing with James Reeves again taking the overall, but Reeves only won the opening race as he was beaten in the other two races by Greg Pascoe, but with Pascoe only finishing in fifth place in the opening race he had to settle for second overall.
Paul Winstone was on fire again in the Twinshock C class and put together three good wins with Mark Lapham on his 480 Honda taking second overall with three consistent rides ahead of Jonathan Pickett who ended the day third overall.
No 35 Stuart Spalding and No 441 Nathan Kingcome in action in the Pre 83 125 Championship
Round 5 of the Pre 83 125 British Championship saw Jake Chamberlain take no prisoners again as he increased his Championship lead even more after making it six wins on the bounce, but the battle was on behind him for second overall as both Nathan Kingcome and Stuart Spalding went into the last race on the same points, so it was a battle to the line which went to Kingcome who took second in the race with Spalding third.
Results
Saturday
Sunday
