Yamaha Motorcycles

Waterman whips up a storm at Coleorton! 2021 AMCA British Motocross Championship Round 6 – Race Report & Results

On what was the hottest weekend of the year so far, the Coalville MXC made their debut as hosts of an AMCA British Motocross Championship at Coleorton. And despite the continuous threat of ever-rising dust clouds, to their ultimate credit the Coalville crew refused to be defeated and were all as one certainly up for the challenge having already spent endless hours of hardwork and preparation pre-event. Despite then being forced into two big watering sessions during the event, three full blocks of hot action were eventually completed by 6.30pm. So it’s a massive well done to all the club officials and marshalls for their determination in getting the job done !

Report and Images by Mike Wood

So this was round six, and having now passed the mid-point in this super series powered by Datatag and supported by Dunlop, one man who refuses to be removed from his pole position at the head of the Championship table is MX1 leader Ashley Greedy. At Coleorton, the LHRT Kawasaki rider took another podium placing in 3rd behind winner Josh Waterman and James Dodd, two riders who are still very much in the race for the title. In moto one, it was defending Champion Luke Burton who was to take the win after Jamie Skuse had initially grabbed the holeshot in a clash which also saw Adam Wells briefly lead the way for a couple of early laps. With Wells eventually dropping down to 7th, Waterman eventually got home in 2nd after a superb race-long tussle with Luke Hawkins, Greedy and Dodd.

Ashley Greedy in MX1

Racing on his home club circuit, Burton was keen for another MX1 win in moto two and quickly he was right on the tail of fast starting early leader Will Hughes. Before the completion of lap one though there was to be drama as Hughes went down and Burton hit the carnage, thankfully both lads being able to quickly jump to their feet and continue competing! Incredibly just a single lap later and Burton tasted the soil again in exactly the same spot as his earlier tumble. Whilst Burton dropped down to 14th, at the front there was to be a stunning three-way battle for supremacy. Eventually taking the win was Waterman after seeing off Dodd and Greedy, what a high-class tussle that was! Taking a rather lonely 4th spot was Hawkins ahead of Strydom having his best ride of the season so far, Mackrel and Dean whilst Burton had to work hard for 11th with Hughes getting home in 13th.

James Dodd(292) and Josh Waterman battling it out in MX1

Dean then led the final MX1 charge in what was to be another classic contest as Greedy, Dodd, Waterman and Hawkins got through to indulge in a serious battle for honours. Three laps from home and the cool Dodd took control for the win from Waterman as Greedy encountered a few anxious moments after losing the use of his Kawasaki’s front brake but still took what could prove to be a vital 3rd spot finish. In the race for the title, just 27 points separate leader Greedy, Dodd and Waterman and with a ‘double header’ next up at Brookthorpe it’s certainly all still to play for in this one!

Nev Bradshaw, 2nd in MX2

What a dramatic contest the opening MX2 moto at Coleorton was to be as young Rossi Beard grabbed the holeshot and lead the way for three blistering laps. By lap four though the race picture had dramatically changed with Beard crashing and dropping down to 10th whilst Jamie Wainwright went out of the contest. Riding on home soil, Jamie suffered a spectacular off, cartwheeling several times before coming to a halt when holding 5th spot. At the front, Shane Carless was in control and there he remained as Henry Williams worked overtime to resist heavy pressure and hold off series leader Nev Bradshaw for 2nd. Also in the mix were Ray Rowson, Josh Coleman, Cory McShane and James Hanscomb.

Shane Carless chasing his FUS teammate Nev Bradshaw in the final MX2 clash

Despite being very battered and bruised, Wainwright started moto two and was to take a hard-earned 2nd after seeing off the challenge of both Williams and Bradshaw. At the front, though a very focussed and immaculate Carless led the contest from gate to flag as his teammate Bradshaw eventually got home in 3rd. As per moto one, all of the above names mentioned earlier got home again inside the top ten joined on this occasion by Lee Truman and Josh Canton.

Cory McShane, 6th in MX2

In a runaway battle of the FUS Marsh MX Husqvarna boys, Carless and Bradshaw quickly broke away at the front of the final MX2 moto to indulge in their own private battle. Shane had led the opening four laps before Nev scorched past to take control but two circuits later it was all change again. Struggling with cramp in his leg, Nev was overhauled by Shane and that’s the way it remained as Rowson got home in 3rd. Having his best meeting of the series so far, Coleman took a great 4th with Williams and McShane next up. The MX2 podium was a victory for the experienced riders as Carless, Bradshaw and Rowson took home the awards…

There was some major news before the commencement of Sunday’s 125cc action as the Meredith MX Fantic team announced that series leader Kieran Banks and Jordan Meredith were self-isolating and laid low due to a dose of that horrible Covid infection!. What a shame this was particularly for Banks who has been simply superb in every round so far, get well soon lads! So that meant that there would potentially be a new AMCA 125cc Championship pace-setter come Sunday night but first, they would have to wipe out the big 78 point advantage already fabricated by Banks.

Matt Ridgway in 125cc action

In moto one it was Bradley Tranter, 3rd in the series and still struggling with a shoulder injury sustained during the previous round at Hawkstone who led the way as Lloyd Morgan, 2nd in the series was in trouble and struggling down in 24th place following an excursion into the trackside rope marking. At the front, though Tranter was soon coming under pressure from Matt Ridgway and with just three laps remaining the Hardcore Racing Yamaha made his move and thus bag his first moto win of the series. Taking 3rd was Jordan Wright from Jack Timms, Joel Fisher, Tom Fish and Stuart Owen as Morgan had to settle for 15th.

Final 125cc moto start action

Despite that moto one rope incident, Morgan was to be then involved in an epic 125cc tussle in the second clash of the day. In an amazing three-way battle at the front, Tranter, Timms and finally Morgan took turns to lead. Also joining the party late on was a hard-charging Ridgway. At the flag in this red-hot contest, Timms having his best meeting of the series so far took 2nd with Ridgway passing Tranter on the last lap for 3rd.

125cc top two as Lloyd Morgan(414) lines up a pass on Bradley Tranter

Although Matt Ridgway grabbed the final 125cc holeshot, Tranter then finally Morgan took control of the race leadership. With Morgan getting the win from Tranter and eventual overall winner Ridgway, Fisher, Owen, Clinton Barrs and Tomos Wright who all wrapped the meeting up by producing strong rides. After earlier going 3/5, Wright’s day finished with a puncture when holding an early 4th. Another rider suffering last moto heartache when on course for a potential podium spot was Timms. With his front brake seized on, Jack could only watch the last moto action and must be cursing the misfortune which appears to be stopping any potential progress up the Championship table. So in the Championship battle, it’s now Morgan in control, 8 points clear of Tranter with the absent Banks still 3rd and only 48 points off the top slot. The major mover of the weekend in this series was Matt Ridgway, jumping from 7th up to 4th.

Jack Timms, 6th in 125cc

Despite being the first class out on a heavily watered track, the opening Vets moto at Coleorton ran pretty much to form with series leader Phil Mercer controlling all the way from Gary Davies, Paul Burn, Simon Lane, Sean Smith, Andrew Watkins and James Lane. The younger of the Lane brothers certainly had to work hard though for that 7th spot after initially being right down in 26th spot on completion of lap one.

With another gate to flag win in moto two, Mercer put another big 50 Championship points onto his tally as Davies and Burn again chased him home. Having a good ride in this one was Andrew Marchant in 6th whilst Brian Staples and Gareth Dunsford was also inside the top ten. The final Vets clash at Coleorton was to then provide the best of the bunch as Burn, Davies and finally, Mercer led the way. With Mercer victorious, the fast-starting Burn eventually had to settle for 4th as James Lane passed him on the final lap. In the mix again were Simon Lane, Smith, Vets Over 50’s series leader Watkins, Staples and Dunsford who all bagged some very nice points hauls…

Youth 85cc action as Oliver Rigby(2) just about gets the holeshot

Once again it was a case of the current Championship top two dominating the Youth 85cc class as Charlie Hucklebridge and Oliver Rigby controlled the Coleorton racing. Going 1/2/1, Hucklebridge was to take the overall win on the day from series leader Rigby as Tyler Smith joined them on the podium. In the opening clash, Hucklebridge led all the way from Rigby as Smith won a super race-long tussle for 3rd ahead of Logan Jay-Powell, Will Turner and Linc Hasted.

Youth 85cc winner Charlie Hucklebridge

Moto two and it was Rigby all the way from Hucklebridge, Turner, Hasted, Smith and Jack Evans. So with one apiece for Hucklebridge and Rigby it meant a last race decider for the Coleorton overall verdict, an honour which was to go eventually to Hucklebridge. Initially, though Rigby had claimed the holeshot but two laps in his Wiltshire based title rival found a way through and there he remained as Smith got home in 3rd. In the separately scored SW85cc contest, Harley Prickett took the top slot from Oakley Kettle and Harrison Davies and now also leads the Championship race by just a single point better off than Kettle.

Results

MX1

Pos Competitor Points R1 R2 R3
1 Josh Waterman 144 47 50 47
2 James Dodd 138 41 47 50
3 Ashley Greedy 133 43 45 45
4 Luke Hawkins 131 45 43 43
5 Luke Dean 113 35 37 41
6 Jamie Skuse 113 39 35 39
7 Luke Burton 113 50 30 33
8 Damon Strydom 111 33 41 37
9 Zac Stealey 94 30 33 31
10 Will Hughes 87 29 28 30
11 Jayden Ashwell 85 26 31 28
12 Adam Wells 85 37 29 19
13 Jimmy Margetson 82 28 27 27
14 Luke Meredith 77 17 25 35
15 Henry Partridge 77 24 24 29
16 James Mackrel 70 31 39
17 Mark Young 69 27 16 26
18 Benjamin Nicholls 66 20 22 24
19 Rhys Walker 64 21 20 23
20 Chris Neesam 58 15 21 22
21 Jack Griffiths 58 19 19 20
22 Tye Barrs 52 16 15 21
23 Sean Wainwright 51 26 25
24 Luke Chessell 44 13 14 17
25 Harvey Tillotson 41 18 23
26 Rory Merchant 40 22 18
27 Ted Bailey 31 14 17
28 Mark Roberts 25 25
29 Adam Harris 23 23

MX2

Pos Competitor Points R1 R2 R3
1 Shane Carless 150 50 50 50
2 Neville Bradshaw 137 45 45 47
3 Ray Rowson 131 43 43 45
4 Henry Williams 129 47 41 41
5 Josh Coleman 121 41 37 43
6 Cory Mcshane 117 39 39 39
7 Josh Canton 103 33 33 37
8 James Hanscomb 101 37 31 33
9 Lee Truman 101 35 35 31
10 Harry Linton 88 28 30 30
11 Martin Jones 82 31 24 27
12 Callum Ford 78 15 28 35
13 Keelan Southwood 78 25 25 28
14 Joe Russell 77 24 27 26
15 Sean Eckersley 76 26 21 29
16 Aaron Collins 68 20 23 25
17 Adam Hill 65 21 22 22
18 James Smith 64 22 19 23
19 Joshua Barnett 63 19 20 24
20 Brooklyn Evans 56 27 29
21 Macauley Davies 55 17 17 21
22 Troy Jones 54 18 16 20
23 Patrick Gilligan 49 23 26
24 Mitchell Perry 48 30 18
25 James Wainwright 47 47
26 Ben James 31 16 15
27 Rossi Beard 29 29

125’s

Pos Competitor Points R1 R2 R3
1 Matt Ridgway 140 50 45 45
2 Bradley Tranter 137 47 43 47
3 Lloyd Morgan 126 26 50 50
4 Stuart Owen 113 37 35 41
5 Clinton Barrs 109 33 37 39
6 Jack Timms 108 43 47 18
7 Joel Fisher 107 41 23 43
8 Tom Fish 107 39 39 29
9 Jordan Ridgway 94 30 29 35
10 Harry Ridgway 93 29 33 31
11 tomos wright 90 23 30 37
12 Luke Newman 88 24 31 33
13 Jordan Wright 86 45 41
14 Callum Baldwin 85 28 27 30
15 Yarin Evans 81 31 26 24
16 Jake O Gorman 74 22 24 28
17 Toby English 72 27 19 26
18 Ezra Blackwell 70 25 25 20
19 Olly Hathaway 69 21 21 27
20 Oliver Barnes 69 20 28 21
21 Mitchell Gregory 65 18 22 25
22 Tom Cumber 59 17 20 22
23 Joshua Fletcher-Williams 58 19 16 23
24 Mitchell Hartill 52 15 18 19
25 Jamie Smith 35 35
26 Lewis Smith 33 16 17

Vets

Pos Competitor Points R1 R2 R3
1 Phil Mercer 150 50 50 50
2 Gary Davies 141 47 47 47
3 Paul Burn 133 45 45 43
4 James Lane 125 37 43 45
5 Simon Lane 125 43 41 41
6 Sean Smith 117 41 37 39
7 Andrew Watkins 111 39 35 37
8 Brian Staples 98 30 33 35
9 Gareth Dunsford 97 33 31 33
10 Matthew Chaplin 89 29 29 31
11 Mark Hawkins 89 35 24 30
12 Richard Tudor 82 24 30 28
13 Stephen Hurst 78 21 28 29
14 Russell Hartill 75 23 26 26
15 Guy Langmead 73 25 21 27
16 Paul Biddulph 73 28 22 23
17 Andrew Marchant 70 31 39
18 Matthew Evans 69 22 23 24
19 Gary Hurst 68 18 25 25
20 Steve Ferney 61 19 20 22
21 Stephen Sankey 56 17 18 21
22 Christopher Jukes 54 15 19 20
23 David Bullock 52 16 17 19
24 Russell Hurst 48 14 16 18
25 Shaun Brooker 47 20 27
26 Stuart Brown 32 15 17
27 John Heath 27 27
28 Ryan Thomas 26 26

Youth 85’s/150’s

Pos Competitor Points R1 R2 R3
1 Charlie Hucklebridge 147 50 47 50
2 Oliver Rigby 144 47 50 47
3 Tyler Smith 131 45 41 45
4 Will Turner 127 41 45 41
5 Wyatt McGregor 113 35 35 43
6 Jack Evans 113 37 39 37
7 Linc Hasted 112 39 43 30
8 Logan Jay Powell 107 43 31 33
9 Jack Davis 105 33 37 35
10 Rheanna Morgan-Rogers 102 30 33 39
11 Harley Prickett 86 31 30 25
12 Sion Wright 85 26 28 31
13 Oakley Kettle 85 29 29 27
14 Harrison Davies 80 27 24 29
15 Alfie Bebb 76 23 27 26
16 Jonas Brown 72 25 19 28
17 Conrad Tomlinson 67 19 25 23
18 George Bromley 64 20 22 22
19 Logan Chinnock 61 21 16 24
20 Oliver Bebb 58 17 21 20
21 Amber McGregor 56 18 17 21
22 Tremaine Young 52 15 18 19
23 Rylee Francis 50 24 26
24 Josh Lansbury 42 22 20
25 Braedon McGinn 39 16 23
26 Cameron Chell 28 28

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