Rogan roars to victory! 2026 Formula Grasstrack Championship Round 8 – Race Report & Results

Round 8 of the 2026 AllClear Services Ltd Formula Grasstrack Championship brought the Kevin Challinor Memorial meeting to Pontesbury on Saturday 19th September, and it produced one of the finest Senior contests of the entire season. With local favourites Graham Thomas and Phil Thomas both racing in front of a home crowd, the afternoon built into a captivating battle between the Thomas brothers and championship leader Wayne Broadhurst, a battle that, agonisingly for the home riders, they could not quite win.

Race Report by Andy Falconer – Images courtesy of DSM Photos

Pontesbury is home territory for both Graham and Phil Thomas, and with a good crowd willing them on, the brothers produced arguably their most complete performances of the season. Time and again throughout the afternoon’s heats, both riders found themselves locked in battle with each other and Wayne Broadhurst, trading positions and pushing each other all the way.

Graham Thomas was the closer of the two, finishing the meeting on 46 points to Broadhurst’s 48, the narrowest of margins across a full afternoon of racing. Phil Thomas was not far behind in third with 45 points, meaning the gap between Broadhurst at the top of the podium and both Thomas brothers could be measured in the slimmest of fractions. For all their efforts, though, neither brother could find a way past the champion, and Broadhurst’s remarkable unbeaten record continued into an eighth round, now standing at a perfect 280 championship points from eight meetings contested.

It was nonetheless a wonderful day for the Thomas family and for Pontesbury as a venue, with both brothers giving the home crowd every reason to cheer, even if the script would not quite allow for a fairytale home win. Kevin Gwillam continued his own consistent season in fourth, with Adam Hawker fifth and Ben Crabtree an excellent sixth with his first-ever A final. Colin How, Glyn Edwards, Den Edwards and Andrew Rowson, marking a fine return to action for the Rowson family, completed the top ten.

Sam Crabtree rounded out the finishers just outside the top ten, continuing a solid campaign, while the meeting also featured impressive showings further down the order from the returning Anthony Rowson and Senior debutant Glyn Stanton.

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Cruz Harris continued his sensational form in the E-Bike class, taking another commanding victory at Pontesbury to extend his run of consecutive meeting wins to four, dating back to Round 4. It is a streak that has utterly transformed his championship campaign, and Harris’s dominance shows no sign of easing.

Harry Wicks produced a fine second-place finish, continuing to push Harris every step of the way, with Hadlee Jones third on the day. Despite the result, Jones retains his overall E-Bike championship lead on 159 points, with Harris closing to within 13 points in second on 146. Reggie Goodwin was fourth at Pontesbury, with Blake Woolley and Maddie Adams completing the field in fifth and sixth.

The Auto class produced one of the more unusual results of the season. Kobi Gutteridge won the Autos Final itself, but it was Louie Price, racing in only his first meeting of the 2026 championship, who took the overall meeting victory on points, a superb result on his debut. Harry Worrall was third on the day and continues to lead the Auto championship comfortably on 164 points.

Isla Gannon’s consistent season continued with fourth place at Pontesbury, keeping her second overall in the standings, with JJ Falconer completing the entry in fifth despite battling hard with Gannon and picking up speed and confidence on his machine.

There were no Cadet entries at the Kevin Challinor Memorial meeting. Dalton Wright’s unbeaten championship record of 124 points from five rounds contested remains unchanged.

Rogan Woolley continued his outstanding championship campaign with another maximum score in the Cubs class, further extending his lead at the top of the standings to 169 points. It was, however, the return of Lucas Astley that provided the standout story of the class. Back in action for the first time since his Round 5 injury, Astley wasted no time reminding the field of his quality, taking a fine second place on his comeback and moving to 142 points in the championship, still very much in title contention.

Lillie-Mai Warwick took third overall to remain second in the championship standings on 153 points, with Lilly Bence and AJ Bence completing a competitive five-rider Cubs field.

With all three of the championship’s Junior riders back together at Pontesbury, Archie Whitelam took full advantage to record yet another victory, maintaining his unbeaten record and moving to 150 championship points. John Cox Jr. was a strong second on the day, retaining second overall on 142 points, while Jessica Cox completed the podium in third, continuing her encouraging form since returning to the championship.

The championship continues on Saturday 10th October, returning to Sparrington Farm, Ledbury for Round 9. Regulations are now available, and organisers have confirmed free entry for all Youth competitors, with reduced entry fees of £20 for Seniors.

Regulations are available at www.FormulaGrasstrack.com and via the Formula Grasstrack Group on Facebook.

Round 8 Meeting Results

Seniors (Top 10)

E-Bikes

Autos

Cubs

Juniors

Championship Standings After Round 8

Seniors (Top 10)

E-Bikes

Autos

Cadets

Cubs

Juniors