Shipton storms the 2024 Weymouth Beach Race – Race Report & Results

Shipton storms the 2024 Weymouth Beach Race

Normally, the AMCA Weymouth Beach Motocross goes hand in hand with dry, fine weather, but for the 40th Anniversary event on Sunday, it was to be a totally different story as ‘Ashley, ’ the first named storm of the season, did its very best to wreak havoc! Gale-force winds and heavy rain meant a very high tide that simply refused to retreat, making the completion of the track building on Sunday morning just about impossible!

Race Report and Images by Mike Wood

Weymouth 2024 was the maiden event for the new Purbeck MXC Chairman Mike Humphries, having replaced outgoing leader Alf Stearn, who had been at the helm for some 30 years. Naturally, Mike was very keen to make a good impression on his debut and whilst some riders were starting to raise concerns as to whether the event would even go ahead, the new Chairman, along with his Purbeck MXC members, were in no doubt that they would indeed produce the goods and that’s just what they did and in some style! Although practice got underway 90 minutes late, the 300-strong entry did still have their promised two motos.

Moto one Juniors action

With the awful early weather gradually improving, the Esplanade was again lined with thousands of loyal Weymouth Beach Motocross fans, and they impeccably observed the two-minute silence held before racing started in memory of commentator Paul Hardy and past Weymouth and Portland Lions Club District Governor Mark Lockie. So, it was now time for Jim Shipton (Mr Starter) to get the first Juniors moto of the day sponsored by Caroline Racing underway, with Curtis Roberts leading the way, followed by Lewis Scarlett, Joe Workman, Tom Ayres, Joshua Ian Lacey and Max Luckes. Whilst Roberts led the packed field from start to finish, Francis Heather moved up from 7th to take 2nd. In this opener, Ayres, Tommy Hobday, who had gated 8th, Lacey, Adam Gustafsson and Workman all finished in the frame and on the same lap total as the winner.

Tom Ayres, 2nd in the Juniors

Having spent all of the previous day helping construct the circuit with the Purbeck MXC members, local Weymouth resident Hobday then went out and won Juniors’ Moto Two. After gating in 3rd, he then quickly passed Danny Morris SNR before going after leader Scarlett, eventually taking control two laps from home. In this one, Ryan Mabey took 3rd from Ayres, Curtis Wright, Charlie Blake, Jamie Aitken and Gustafsson. After having took top honours in moto one, Roberts was a non-starter for the second clash of the day. So, in the overall verdict, it was Hobday who, much to the delight of his Weymouth supporters who took home the first-place trophy with Ayres runner-up and Heather in 3rd.

Juniors winner Tommy Hobday

Jake Carey was fastest away in the opening Seniors moto sponsored by Dirtworx Motocross and Enduro before being passed early on by Alex Harvey. Despite doing very little racing these day’s and having downgraded from Experts to Seniors status, Harvey looked extremely sharp and fast as he took control before going onto claim the win. Moving from an early 18th, Riley Saunders was to take a great 2nd in this one as Carl Luke matched Riley’s efforts with a stormer of his own going from 19th to bag 3rd. In Seniors moto one, Ben Payne was 4th with Marcus Clare 5th. In a race which featured outstanding comebacks, how about the ride by new Midwest Racing Husqvarna team member Romeo Mead who after being 32nd on completion of lap one eventually got home in a fantastic 6th!

Seniors winner Alex Harvey in moto one action

Kenzie Cole was certainly the boss in moto two of the Seniors, as he led the contest all the way to the chequered flag. Behind him though it was all going on as Payne, Jake Carey, Harvey and Saunders hotly disputed 2nd spot. On the final lap, Harvey made that position his own, with Saunders having to settle for 3rd and Carey eventually finishing 6th as Payne in 4th, and Connor Warren having a great ride in 5th provided the filling. After his moto One heroics, Mead didn’t have to work quite so hard this time, starting 14th and moving up to 7th. The top five overall trophies in the Seniors going to winner Harvey from Saunders, Payne, Cole and Mead.

Riley Saunders, 2nd in the Seniors

New for 2024 and to coincide with this being the 40th Anniversary event, there was for the first time a Weymouth Veterans Over 40’s class sponsored by Kenny Clothing, BRP Imports and what a super scrap the opening moto was to produce as Phil Mercer and Jim Davies continually swapped positions at the front. Eventually it was ‘Factory Phil’ taking the win as Casey Jones was a steaming and a rolling for 3rd with Leigh Williams, Daniel Saunders and Richard Meakin next up. Arguably in taking that 6th Meakin had produced one of the rides of the day! Falling on the opening lap his bike became hooked up with another rider’s machine. Eventually freeing his Honda mount, Meakin was in last place before getting all the way back up the leaderboard, what an effort that was! For Brian Wheeler though making his Weymouth debut and being one of the expected favourites, this opening Vets clash was a disaster! Falling early on when holding 3rd, his KTM Enduro bike eventually expired two laps from home and at the furthest point away from the pits area, meaning a very long pushback and also signalling the end of his day’s racing.

Vets Over 40’s start action with Brian Wheeler closest to camera

After their head-to-head in Moto One, Mercer and Davies were at it again in the second clash but with a dramatic conclusion. As Phil edged ahead on the final lap, Davies, in a big attempt to fight back and repass, collided with his rival. With Mercer losing momentum following the contact, Davies took the win and with it the overall, although a disillusioned Phil did still bring it home in 2nd. After his amazing comeback in the opener, Meakin had a less energetic ride, this time bagging 3rd from Saunders, Williams, Jones and Mark Morris SNR. Later in the day, Purbeck Chairman Mike Humphries declared himself very happy with the added Veterans class and stated that he definitely wants to include them again at next year’s event.

Vets Over 40’s winner Jim Davies

What a very special occasion Weymouth 2024 was to be for the Shipton generations. Jim, as per the previous 40 years, was on starters duty whilst his son David, winner of the very first Weymouth Beach race Juniors class back in 1984, rode in Sunday’s Vet’s class, and Grandson Jake competed in the Experts class, which was sponsored by Midwest Racing. And, writing the script with just about a perfect conclusion, Jake was to then go on to earn the Expert’s overall win aboard a 2008 Yamaha YZ250cc singing two-stroke in the process, beating a whole array of big 450F, 350F and 250F four. Despite only having had a couple of outings in 2024 at Farleigh and Foxhills, Shipton still looked very sharp passing leader Charlie Putman after just a couple of laps in moto one. On the Weymouth podium for the last couple of years, Henry Siddiqui started with a 3rd on Sunday ahead of Alfie Calvert, Aaron Coupland, Bradley Powell and Jamie Smith. Early on, Josh Waterman had also been in contention until disappearing from proceedings on lap nine.

Charlie Putman leading Jake Shipton in Experts moto two

Moto Two and looking for revenge, Putman led Moto Two just about all the way, and although Shipton managed to get alongside his rival and even just about nudge ahead on a couple of occasions, it looked like Putman had the victory sealed. However, Shipton produced a stunning pass with the chequered flag just about insight! Entering a corner and with four backmarkers ahead, Putman hesitated whilst Shipton kept the power on, went round the outside and just about slammed the door as they dropped into the turn; what a move! Unable to respond, a shocked Putman had to settle for another second place as Shipton brought the curtain down on the 40th Anniversary event in style, later dedicating the win to his Grandad Jim. Once again, Calvert was right in the mix, getting home in 3rd from Siddiqui, Charlie Griffiths, Rowland and Syd Putman.

Ryan Allen making a splash in the Experts contest.

With this being a charity event, at the presentation of awards, Purbeck MXC then handed a cheque over for £1,800 to Weymouth and Portland Lions Club. So, it’s massive congratulations to everyone for sticking two fingers up to storm ‘Ashley’ and getting the 40th Anniversary event done and, in some style, here’s to the next one in October 2025!

Romeo Mead 5th in the Seniors

ResultsExpert – Overall

Pos Competitor Total Points r 1 r 2
1 Jake Shipton 100 50 50
2 Charlie Putnam 94 47 47
3 Alfie Calvert 88 43 45
4 Henry Siddiqui 88 45 43
5 Bradley Rowland 78 39 39
6 Syd Putnam 72 35 37
7 Luke Oldfield 66 33 33
8 Jamie Smith 66 37 29
9 William Saunders 63 28 35
10 Bradley King 62 31 31
11 Jed Stockham 57 29 28
12 Jack Dando 56 30 26
13 Aaron Coupland 51 41 10
14 Travis Reynolds 50 25 25
15 Leighton Holmes 49 22 27
16 Olly Jones 48 26 22
17 Jack Alderton 46 23 23
18 Tom Moore 45 24 21
19 Charlie Griffiths 41 41
20 Rodney Jones 40 20 20
21 Jack Hooper 37 21 16
22 Jamie Watts 33 14 19
23 Tallon veale 33 15 18
24 Billy Wieczorek 33 19 14
25 Dean Clark 32 17 15
26 Ryan Allen 30 30
27 Joshua Senter 30 18 12
28 Sam Bailey 29 12 17
29 29 16 13
30 Brett Moore 27 27
31 Daniel Hartley 24 24
32 Harry Wieczorek 22 11 11
33 Tom Weston 13 13
34 Daniel Timbrell 10 10

Richard Meakin, 3rd in the Vets Over 40’s


Vets Over 40 – Overall

Pos Competitor Total Points r 1 r 2
1 Jim Davies 97 47 50
2 Phil Mercer 97 50 47
3 Richard Meakin 84 39 45
4 Daniel Saunders 84 41 43
5 Leigh Williams 84 43 41
6 Casey Jones 84 45 39
7 Mark Morris SNR 74 37 37
8 Chris Toulson 68 33 35
9 Anthony Doughty 63 30 33
10 Peter Skevington 60 29 31
11 Shaun Brooker 58 31 27
12 Luke Dewey 57 27 30
13 Mark Gale 57 28 29
14 Ryan Thomas 51 25 26
15 Paul Wieczorek 50 22 28
16 Lewis Scard 50 26 24
17 James Webber 49 24 25
18 Dave Nuttall 46 23 23
19 Andrew Bowles 42 21 21
20 Stuart Leicester 39 17 22
21 Jon Jones 39 19 20
22 Leonard Paget 35 16 19
23 Sam Wilson 35 35
24 Alex Luckes 33 15 18
25 Steve Palmer 30 13 17
26 Liam Abdullah 26 11 15
27 Tim Murray 24 10 14
28 Robert Nash 21 9 12
29 Ben Hickman 20 20
30 Ste Marlow 18 18
31 Andy Biles 16 16
32 Rob Hayden 14 14
33 Jason Jenner 13 13
34 Andrew Reno 12 12
35 Peter Coles 8 8

Mark Morris SNR, 7th overall in the Vets Over 40’s

Seniors – Overall

Pos Competitor Total Points r 1 r 2
1 Alex Harvey 97 50 47
2 Riley Saunders 92 47 45
3 Ben Payne 86 43 43
4 Kenzie Cole 85 35 50
5 Romeo Mead 76 39 37
6 Carl Luke 73 45 28
7 Jake Carey 70 31 39
8 Ross Walter 65 30 35
9 Connor Warren 63 22 41
10 Joe Beaumont 61 37 24
11 Marcus Clare 59 41 18
12 Henry Hearn 58 28 30
13 Marcus Alba 58 33 25
14 Cameron Doleman 55 24 31
15 Ben Boare 54 27 27
16 Bradley Hicks 51 25 26
17 Harry Titcombe 46 29 17
18 Ross Curtis 45 26 19
19 Todd Liell 44 21 23
20 Elliot Reeves 40 18 22
21 Liam Brown 35 6 29
22 James Cole 35 23 12
23 Oliver Wickers 33 33
24 Oliver Hurst 32 11 21
25 Joe Rowe 30 14 16
26 Josh Wilson 30 15 15
27 Oliver Coate 30 17 13
28 Will Haysham 30 20 10
29 Connor Tingle 29 9 20
30 Jamie Wilson 24 10 14
31 Adam Dear 24 16 8
32 Mark Wyatt 19 19
33 Sam Hooper 17 13 4
34 Adam Dixon 14 12 2
35 Andrew Hollingsworth 12 7 5
36 Lee Johnson 11 11
37 Jason Morgan 11 2 9
38 Simon Marston 11 4 7
39 Mike Bailey 8 8
40 David Thomas 6 6
41 Kieran Payne 5 5
42 Jack Allen 4 3 1
43 Matthew Close 3 3
44 Oliver Crowden 1 1

Jake Carey 7th in the Seniors


Juniors – Overall

Pos Competitor Total Points r 1 r 2
1 Tommy Hobday 93 43 50
2 Tom Ayres 88 45 43
3 Francis Heather 75 47 28
4 Curtis Wright 74 33 41
5 Adam Gustafson 74 39 35
6 Lewis Scarlett 69 22 47
7 Ryan Mabey 66 21 45
8 Charlie Blake 66 27 39
9 Noah Pocock 66 35 31
10 Max Luckes 63 30 33
11 Paul Palmer 61 31 30
12 Jamie Aitken 60 23 37
13 Joshua Ian Lacey 59 41 18
14 Mel Williams 56 29 27
15 Mark Richmond 51 25 26
16 Curtis Roberts 50 50
17 Toni Burrows 47 26 21
18 Danny Morris SNR 43 18 25
19 Joe Workman 43 37 6
20 Tom Hobbs 40 17 23
21 Jack Wajtknecht 40 20 20
22 James Harris 38 9 29
23 Freddie Lenihan 38 14 24
24 Richie Robins 38 24 14
25 Lewis Cornwall 35 13 22
26 Myles Wall 30 19 11
27 Joseph Osborne 29 12 17
28 Luke Pritchard 28 28
29 Nathan Wells 25 16 9
30 Greg Brice 23 15 8
31 Joshua Morris 21 2 19
32 Guy Pirate Turton 20 4 16
33 Tyler Jefferies 20 8 12
34 Allen Garrett 17 10 7
35 Jamie Goddard 16 3 13
36 Mark Disney 15 15
37 Charles Blundell 11 7 4
38 Linus Ayres 11 11
39 Jack Harris 10 10
40 Alex Chalmers 10 5 5
41 Ross Gould 6 6
42 Ricky Hunt 3 3
43 Zak Whitehouse 2 2
44 Adam Harvey 1 1
45 Lee Peck 1 1

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