It was fast, it was furious, and the racing was great, and yes, it was a very fitting tribute to an extra special lady, Sylvie Pattison. This may have been the only meeting of 2026 from Grasstrack Banter Promotions, but they certainly produced the goods and in some style! Fifty-seven races were completed with very little incident, all played out in front of a big, appreciative crowd, so it’s a massive well done to Banter Promotions.
Race Report and Images by Mike Wood
The Sylvie Pattison celebration offered racing for just about every class, ranging from Youth to Adult, on modern and classic machines and three sidecar groups. Although recent weather conditions have been relatively warm and dry, the organising club had watered and prepared the Whaddon Farm circuit to just about perfection and the racing strip was in prime condition and ready for the action to commence.
The first class out on track was the Youth Autos and Cadets, and it was Alfie Shipp taking top Cadet honours with an unbeaten score, winning all four heats ahead of Dalton Wright. Also scoring maximum points was Auto’s winner Levi Collins. With Collins in control, the battle to earn the runners-up slot was intense as Leighton Ponton and Kody Pay matched each other on the results count. In a last heat decider, Ponton then just got the better of Pay to thus earn the verdict.
In the Youth Junior class, Brayden Blyth won all four heats ahead of Harry Little, Dakota Wright and Daisy Torres. The final Youth class was for the Intermediates, and what stunning action they were to serve up! With the entry boosted by the late inclusion of Kane Newby, Archie Rolph and Ollie Binns following the postponement of their scheduled British Youth speedway Championship round at Buxton, these lads certainly showed just why they are the stars of tomorrow! Attacking the track with speed, aggression and style, Binns won the opening heat despite being under intense pressure from Newby. In the remaining three clashes, Newby took the wins but was chased all the way by Rolph, Binns and Finley Theobald. Archie Whitelam was also scheduled to compete in this class, but a fall in practice curtailed his involvement.
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250cc solos and Luke Harris was back to his very best, storming to victory in the opening three heats ahead of the current British Champion Ashton Vale, Thomas Vining, Luke Wicks and Jake Breeze. In the last clash, Vale was fastest away but quickly the very rapid Harris found the grip and speed to move into control and was looking nailed on to complete his maximum score. However, in a dramatic finale, Harris’ bike was to then shed a chain on the very last bend, thus handing the heat victory to Vale. Such was the pace of the front two, though, that Harris still had time to coast over the finish line in 2nd place and also earn a richly deserved overall victory.
Doubling up, Vale also competed in the 350cc class, but again he had to settle for the runners-up spot! In this one, it was a super quick Cameron Taylor in control. The Gloucestershire lad was in top form, winning all four clashes and in some style! Taking 3rd overall on the podium and posting some very impressive rides throughout the meeting was Luke Clifton, whilst Steve Garside, Tim Curnock and Will Thurlby were consistently competitive.
What fantastic action the 500cc solo class was to produce on Sunday, with a quality, stacked entry. Making a grasstrack return and having his first UK outing on the green stuff for four years, Max Perry won his opening two heats in style as Alfie Bowtell and Mickie Simpson also scored wins. After being successful in his first two rides, Perry then looked well on course to make it a hat-trick when leading his third outing, only for his bike to come to a halt after his exhaust had come adrift! Despite that hiccup, he still just about qualified for the final along with both Bowtell and Simpson. Also comfortably making the final was the smooth, stylish Darryl Ritchings, who had been right on the gas and showing great consistency with a hat-trick of 2nd placings. Jordan Derrick, Dylan Huthwaite and Will Thurlby joined the above riders in the big winner-takes-all final after accumulating solid points throughout proceedings.
In that big final, Bowtell was fastest away and led the charge into turn one, but Perry had elected to ride the inside line, and by the exit, he was already hitting the front. Whilst Max quickly stretched his advantage, Bowtell, Ritchings and Simpson were having a right royal scrap for 2nd place. Entering the final lap, it was still going on, but then in the very last corner, the result was turned on its head! With the chequered flag in touching distance, arm pump struck Perry, and he lost control before falling, thus allowing Ritchings to snatch the win from Simpson, Bowtell, Derrick, Huthwaite, Thurlby and Riches.
Over in the GT140’s, Ian Clark was in simply supreme form, winning all four heats, then leading the final from gate to flag. Once again, the GT140’s did not disappoint, producing plenty of close, very competitive racing. Whilst Clark dominated the heats, Mark Scopes, Luke Wicks, Kevin Gwillam, Kevin Bundock and Stuart Main were always right in the thick of the excitement, with the race 35 battle between Scopes, Wicks and Gwillam producing one of the highlights of the day. Indeed, those three riders were to be at it again in the final, producing a simply rip-roaring tussle. As Clark galloped off to victory, Scopes took a very hard-earned 2nd spot from Wicks, Gwillam and Bundock.
Completing the solo programme was the Uprights and Pre-75 Open classes. In the Uprights, Tony Atkin went through the card, winning all four heats and the final. Although Tony was in control of proceedings, the likes of Jason Prynne, Dave Mears and Luke Tuck were the entertainers. Prynne had also won his first heat of the day before, following a super three-way scrap; he just got the better of Mears and Tuck in the final to earn the runners-up spot. In that final, Mike Dowling got home in 5th and Tim Mount in 6th.
After winning the Uprights, Atkin looked like making it a double by topping the Pre-75 Open as he won his opening two rides. However, on this occasion, it was not to be as his bike ground to a halt when out in front of his third outing. Despite then returning to winning ways in his last outing, it was only enough to earn 4th overall as Dave Hammond took the overall verdict from John Weeks and Graeme Brown.
At the Sylvie Pattison Celebration, there were to be Sidecar classes for Clubman, 500cc and 1,000cc Right-Hand crews. Arguably, the most dramatic and exciting of those three classes at Whaddon Farm was a tough, highly charged and all-action Clubman class! With one of the expected favourites, Mark Courtney/Leon Torres, withdrawing from the meeting after their outfit’s frame broke during practice, it was Brian Hatch/Lew Wharton who won the opening race before the fun really started! In the next one, Luca Whitelam/Ant Goodwin had a big contact in the first turn with Frankie Courtney/Conor Measor. Whilst Whitelam’s outfit then refused to restart, Courtney raced onto victory with Barry Smith/Karl Beddingfield chasing. Beddingfield had also entered both the 250cc solo and Pre-75 Open solo classes, but an awkward fall in his first 250cc heat saw him then only ride for the rest of the meeting with Smith in the Clubman sidecars. Indeed, Smith, who was having his first outing behind the bars with Beddingfield in the chair, was right in the thick of the action, including a super tussle with Hatch during leg three, but it was all about those enthusiastic youngsters, Courtney and Whitelam! Following another contact in leg three, a contest which on this occasion Whitelam won, the tension was red hot for the final. And following the course of the earlier exchanges, the two warring drivers were on it again in a no-holds-barred battle which saw yet more big contacts, going right at it to earn the overall win! In a truly incredible final, it was Courtney who took the win from Whitelam, Smith, Hatch, Paul Jasper/Ash Pierce and the new teenage pairing of William Offen JNR and Joe Hand.
Taking out a late entry, current 500cc Sidecar British Champions Josh Goodwin/Scott Goodwin totally dominated this class by winning all four heats and thus bagged the overall verdict in style. Earning 2nd with a solid showing was Barrie Bennett/Rowan Lucas, with the final podium place going to Shane Freeman/Tobi Vere. Suffering from gearbox selector issues, Richard Webb/Ant Goodwin had to settle for 4th overall after earlier recording both a brace of 2nd and DNF results.
Finally, to the 1,000cc Right-Hand sidecars, and it started in thrilling fashion as John Hand/Adrian North produced a great ride to catch and then pass Paul Whitelam/Richard Webb on the final bend and thus snatch the win. Hand also won his second outing before getting home 3rd in his last heat behind Whitelam and Clint Blondel/Lewis Davies. After that earlier first heat defeat, Whitelam then won his next two and topped the qualifiers for the deciding final. In that one, it was to be Whitelam all the way as Hand, and Will Penfold/Rick Pay engaged in a great scrap for 2nd. With Shaun Hoskin/Alan Hoskin then stopping and riders competing under yellow flags, it became unclear whether, in the heat of the battle and at the time of the incident, Hand and Penfold had actually swapped positions! So, the verdict of the clerk of the course was that they should both be credited with a joint 2nd place finish, a sensible decision, as Blondel and Simon Beaney/Brook Fowler were the next finishers over the line!
Results
Autos Youth 1 Levi Collins 40 points 2 Leighton Ponton 34 3 Kody Pay 34.
Cadets Youth 1 Alfie Shipp 40 points 2 Dalton Wright 36.
Juniors Youth 1 Braydon Blyth 40 points 2 Harry Little 36 3 Dakota Wright 32 4 Daisy Torres 28.
Intermediates Youth 1 Kane Newby 39 2 Archie Rolph 35 3 Ollie Binns 34 4 Finley Theobald 28.
GT140’s FINAL 1 Ian Clark 2 Mark Scopes 3 Luke Wicks 4 Kevin Gwillam 5 Kevin Bundock 6 Stuart Main 7 Murrie Collins 8 Tom Beer 9 William South 10 Lee Harding Also rode 11 Patrick Holford 12 Lindon Bowley.
250cc 1 Luke Harris 39 points 2 Ashton Vale 37 3 Thomas Vining 32 4 Luke Wicks 27 5 Jake Breeze 25 6 Dan Miller 18 7 Adam Hawker 16 8 Stuart Main 14 9 Stuart Bridges 8.
350cc 1 Cameron Taylor 40 points 2 Ashton Vale 36 3 Luke Clifton 30 4 Steve Garside 25 5 Tim Curnock 22 6 Will Thurlby 21 7 Karl Miles 18 8 Chris Brook 13 9 Steve Dowling 7.
500cc FINAL 1 Darryl Ritchings 2 Mickie Simpson 3 Alfie Bowtell 4 Jordan Derrick 5 Dylan Huthwaite 6 Will Thurlby 7 Austin Riches 8 Max Perry Also rode 9 Luke Tuck 10 Jody Hodgson 11 Mark Headling 12 Thomas Vining 13 Mike Goddard 14 Max Derrick and Jack Crewe.
Uprights FINAL 1 Tony Atkin 2 Jason Prynne 3 Dave Mears 4 Luke Tuck 5 Mike Dowling 6 Tim Mount 7 Jack Westbrook 8 Stuart Allen 9 Nickolaj Kennett 10 Kevin Beer Also rode John Chaldecott.
Pre-75 Open 1 Dave Hammond 36 points 2 John Weeks 32 3 Graeme Brown 31 4 Tony Atkin 30 5 Mick Norton 24 6 Daniel Spencer 20 7 Frank Iszard 16 8 Karl Beddingfield 6.
1,000cc Right-Hand Sidecar FINAL 1 Paul Whitelam/Richard Webb 2 joint John Hand/Adrian North and Will Penfold/Ricky Pay 4 Clint Blondel/Lewis Davies 5 Simon Beaney/Brook Fowler 6 Shaun Hoskin/Alan Hoskin DNF. Also rode Peter Lloyd/Andi Wilson.
500cc Sidecars 1 Josh Goodwin/Scott Goodwin 24 points 2 Barrie Bennett/Rowan Lucas 18 3 Shane Freeman/Tobi Vere 14 4 Richard Webb/Ant Goodwin 10 5 Chris Neame/Zoe Pay 10.
Clubman Sidecars FINAL 1 Frankie Courtney/Conor Measor 2 Luca Whitelam/Ant Goodwin 3 Barry Smith/Karl Beddingfield 4 Brian Hatch/Lew Wharton 5 Paul Jasper/Ash Pierce 6 William Offen JNR/Joe Hand Also rode 7 Ben Andrews/Chloe-May Watts.
