Formula Grasstrack moved to Shawbury, Shropshire for the 2nd round of the H & N Supplies Ltd. Championship on Saturday. Rain overnight and mid-way through the meeting made conditions tricky, but it didn’t stop the rider’s putting on a fantastic show.
Race Report by Ross Wharton – Images courtesy of Ben Whitehouse and Andrew Clarke
Despite the rain, officials managed to get a 61-race programme which included the Tom Thomas Memorial finals completed by just after 5pm and credit must be given to them and the competitors.
A depleted E-Bike category saw Dalton Wright as the sole competitor. Dalton completed every ride without a glitch to seal 25 championship points.
The Auto Cadet class is becoming an extremely competitive category for 2023 and it was Dakota Wright’s turn to take to the top step after putting in a superb performance to take maximum points. Wright would have to work hard with Round 1 winner Alfie Shipp putting him under pressure in most heats. Shipp had to settle for 3rd place after a fall in his 4th ride. 2022 champion Charlie Dowd was consistent all afternoon taking 2nd place. In the Final, Wright would take the win ahead of Shipp and Dowd respectively.
In the Cadets, Chloe Davis Was the sole representative for most of the afternoon after AJ Bence withdrew following his 2nd ride. Davis was mixed in with the Auto Cadets and had some close races with Lucas Astley and Kaylem Bourne.
The Cub class was mixed in with the Juniors and Finley Theobald made light work of the conditions to seal a 6-ride maximum and went on to win the final. Archie Whitelam’s return to FGA action proved fruitful with a 2nd place overall despite a fall in his 3rd ride where he pushed home for 3rd place. 2022 cub champion Logan Price took 3rd place in his first ever wet grassrack meeting. Jessica Cox coped well in conditions to take 4th.
Ollie Binns continued his junior class dominance and wasn’t beaten by another junior all afternoon. Somerset’s Jack Baker continued his improvement by taking 2nd overall but would miss out on a final podium position with a fall. Jack Crewe pipped champion brother, Joe to 3rd place. However, the brothers would swap positions in the Final.
A Senior line up of 31 riders’ put on some superb racing through out the field but it was Wayne Broadhurst who continued his winning form to take maximum points in the heats. Graham Thomas made his return to racing after missing the start of the season due to Covid and would take a solid 2nd place. Also making his 2023 debut was David Binns who produced some spectacular passes to take 3rd. Sam Hall and the returning Kevin Gwillam would be tied for 4th, However Gwillam opted to sit the final out gifting Hall 4th overall. Proving how close the FGA is, the top 5 were separated by 3 points! Colin How and Phil Thomas were tied for 6th place, however, Thomas also opted to miss the final meaning How would take 6th. Chris Timms is certainly proving to be the dark horse of 2023. The Cycle Speedway ace took 3 2nds and 3 3rds to finish 8th overall. Mark Scopes and Adam Hawker were tied for 9th. Scoped would have finished on the same points as Gwillam and Hall had it not been for a fall in his 2nd ride. It was probably the race of the afternoon, Gwillam and scopes side by side, not giving an inch for 3 and a half laps until Scopes fell exiting turn 2 and unable to finish.
In the Tom Thomas Senior final, Broadhurst flew from the gate and wasn’t headed to take victory. Graham Thomas would take a comfortable 2nd in his dad’s memorial final after choosing to borrow brother, Phil’s machine. Mark Scopes would take some consolation from the afternoon with a 3rd place.
Further down the field, Max Broadhurst would be left wondering what might have been. The youngster started the day with 2 second place but then suffered to falls, before finishing with two wins before winning the B final.
Regular front runners Andrew Rowson and Marcus Crutchington both had a disastrous afternoon, both suffering mechanical issues which plagued their scoring.
Results
E-bike – 1st D. Wright 48
Autos – 1st D. Wright 48, 2nd C. Dowd 36, 3rd A. Shipp 35, 4th L. Astley 32, 5th K. Bourne 20, 6th A. Salisbury 14.
Cadets – 1st C. Davis 48, 2nd AJ Bence 14
Cubs – 1st F. Theobald 48, 2nd A. Whitelam 41, 3rd L. Price 37, 4th J. Cox 15
Juniors – 1st O. Binns 48, 2nd J. Baker 44, 3rd Jack Crewe 42, 4th Joe Crewe 40, 5th L. Cox 33, 6th I. Collins-Bullock 31
Senior (top 10) – 1st W. Boradhurst 48, 2nd G. Thomas 47, 3rd D. Binns 46, 4th S. Hall 45, 5th K. Gwillam 45, 6th C. How 42, 7th P. Thomas 42, 8th C. Timms 39, 9th M. Scopes 38, 10th A. Hawker 38
Tom Thomas Finals
Auto – 1st Dakota Wright, 2nd Alfie Shipp, 3rd Charlie Dowd
Cubs – 1st Finley Theobald, 2nd Archie Whitelam, 3rd Logan Price.
Juniors – 1st Ollie Binns, 2nd Joe Crewe, 3rd Jack Crewe
Seniors – 1st Wayne Broadhurst, 2nd Graham Thomas, 3rd Mark Scopes
