Round 4 of the 2023 H & N Supplies ltd Formula Grasstrack championship was basked in glorious sunshine in the Shropshire countryside.
Report by Ross Wharton – Images courtesy of Ben Whitehouse and Dylan Wassall
The historic Grasstrack venue of Chetton once again played host for the Steve Mildoon memorial meeting and what a meeting it was. The fast and technical circuit created some superb racing across the 7 categories.
The E-Bike class saw Lilly Bence return to her best form. Although she had to work hard against FGA newcomer Levi Collins. Both riders shared top spot after the heats with 3 wins and 3 2nds each but it was Bence who won the final to take top spot overall. Dalton Wright still leads the championship after a 3rd place finish and Kobi Gutteridge took part in his 2nd meeting of the year to take 4th.
Once again, the Auto Cadets put on a magnificent display. Dakota Wright came out on top after dropping one point to Alfie Shipp in the opening race. Wright would not be beaten for the rest of the afternoon. Shipp would take 2nd despite a fall and re-mount in his 3rd ride. And 2022 champion Charlie Dowd would take 3rd place after having to re-group from a fall in his first ride. Lucas Astley continues to improve, having some great battles with Dowd and just missing out on 3rd place in the final. Astley was to be awarded Rider of the Day for his efforts. Bewdley’s Kaylem Bourne raced consistently to 5th place. Chloe Davis was the sole Cadet rider but put in a great performance against the rapid auto cadets which Davis calls a swarm of angry wasps!
Finley Theobald continued his Cub class dominance. The cubs were mixed with the Junior category, But Theobald was unfazed, taking 7 wins from 7 rides. Archie Whitelam came 2nd despite a fall in his 3rd ride. Logan Price would be 3rd with Jessica Cox taking 4th.
The Junior class was looking like another win for Ollie Binns but the super smooth multi champion would hit mechanical gremlins off the start in his 3rd race, which would ultimately cost him a place in the top 3. 2022 Champion Joe Crewe would take the win, only dropping 3 points throughout the day. Max Derrick returned to action and was showing some of the form he’s capable of by taking a solid 2nd place with Somerset’s Jack Baker battling hard for 3rd overall. Binns was Tied for 4th with Jack Crewe, Meaning the final would be the decider. Binns would finish 3rd behind Joe Crewe and Theobald, taking 4th overall.
The Senior Class continues to impress, with some fantastic racing throughout the field of 31 competitors. The top 8 riders were separated by 3 points after their 6-point scoring rides. The Top 3 were tied, and the Steve Mildoon memorial final would decide what order they would finish in.
Phil Thomas looks to have his mojo back, after returning to racing this year following a year recovering from serious injuries. He would share top point scorer with Champion Wayne Broadhurst and the super smooth riding Kevin Gwillam. Mark Scopes made the trip over from Woodbridge to take 4th whilst Multi youth champion Sam Hall was sat on 45 points with the multi-British champion Graham Thomas. Colin How and Max Broadhurst would take the final 2 spots in the final, sharing 44 points.
In the Final, Graham Thomas and brother Phil made the best of the starts, but Wayne would charge hard underneath them into turn 1 running them and himself wide, opening the door for Kevin Gwillam and Max Broadhurst to dive passed them all. Wayne would re group to chrge after son Max and Gwillam but another hard move into turn 1 on the 3 lap left the champion hitting the dust, gifting the last rostrum spot to Graham Thomas. Broadhurst Junior would cross the line in 2nd, a fantastic achievement for the youngster from Bayston Hill. The smooth riding Gwillam was a deserved winner on the day as well as taking the Steve Mildoon Shield.
David Meredith’s return to racing started well, but a troublesome misfire would hinder the veteran from Romley finishing 9th overall. David Binns would round out the top 10 after a quintet of 2nd places.
Spare a thought of FGA Stalwart Sam Flowers who was making a rare on track appearance. After putting in many hours with the track build, the man from Albrighton had two hard falls, resulting in a trip to hospital for a check up on his shoulder.
The FGA celebrates its 50th Anniversary with a weekend of racing on 17th and 18th June at Alveley, Shropshire. More information at www.formulagrasstrack.com
Results
Ebike – 1st L. Bence 45, 2nd L. Collins 45, 3rd D. Wright 35, 4th K. Gutteridge 26
Autos – 1st D. Wright 47, 2nd A. Shipp 39, 3rd C. Dowd 36, 4th L. Astley 32, 5th K. Bourne 26
Cadets – 1st C. Davis 48
Cubs – 1st F. Theobald 48, 2nd A. Whitelam 46, 3rd L. Price 44, 4th J. Cox 42
Juniors – 1st Joe Crewe 45, 2nd M. Derrick 43, 3rd J. Baker 41, 4th O. Binns 40, 5th Jack Crewe 40, 6th I. Collins-Bullock 30, 7th L. Cox 29, 8th M. Alexander 29, 9th Chrly Athur 17
Seniors (Top 10) – 1st K. Gwillam 47, 2nd P. Thomas 47, 3rd W. Broadhurst 47, 4th M. Scopes 46, 5th G. Thomas 45, 6th S. Hall 45, 7th M. Broadhurst 44, 8th C. How 44, 9th D. Meredith 40, 10th D. Binns 40.
