Blow me!

Three years ago, Bemsee took the MRO Championships to Silverstone, and a typhoon picked up a giant marquee, trashed it like a tissue in a tumble drier, and dumped it, canvas, scaffolding and all, smack on the track at Copse.
Marshals, riders, and everyone else, had lucky escapes.
So it was with some trepidation that the club returned last weekend.
Saturday had some sunshine and a chill east wind, but the weather demons once again subjected all and sundry to a soggy Sunday.
All power and huge congratulations to all concerned then – there were remarkably few weather-related ‘offs’, and the busy programme was completed in full.

Cutting-edge Zedders…

Suffolk rider, Andrew Saunders, entered the history books at Silverstone last weekend, becoming the first novice rider to lead a round of the British 250 MZ Championship, and, in the process, took the first podiums of his short career.

21-year-old Andy, from Wrentham, near Beccles, finished third in two of the weekend’s four races on his MZ ETZ 250 and won his class three times, to rocket into the points lead of the MZ’s Novice Championship.

Andy’s weekend started badly, his front suspension locking solid at the start of Saturday’s first race, forcing a first lap retirement.

Race two was always going to be tough after that, but he looked superb on the dry track, and rose from 26th to 13th, winning the novice class in the process.

Sunday dawned wetter than Wet Wet Wet, and Andy lined up 13th on the grid, having had no previous experience of underwater racing at the Northamptonshire circuit
So he simply had to go for it in race three, surviving a tap in the rear from a slower bike at Copse to cross the line in fourth place at the end of the first lap.
He stayed with the leaders until the end, but the best was yet to come, as he took third place from championship leader, Chris Rogers, on the line, missing second place by a hundredth of a second, and setting the fastest lap of the race on the final dash to the flag.

He gained another third in the final encounter of the weekend. The rain was heavier than ever, but Andy again impressed his fellow competitors by leading twice, and his weekend results have seen him come from 65 points adrift of Nigel Cragg, to move ten points clear of his rival at the top of the novice standings, also helping him move up from 19th to 13th in the overall championship.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more this weekend”, said Andy, “I’m leading the novice standings now, which was my main aim for this round, but to get my first podium was amazing, and then to lead as well – ahead of the current Champion – it just feels so great. It was pretty cool too, having guys come up to me after the first wet race, and asking me, a novice, about what lines I was taking in some of the corners - what a great weekend!”

Phew! What a scorcher!

Pat Sheridan was on fire at Silverstone.
Not literally, but his were performances of stunning quality, as he blitzed the field twice in the Pirelli-Metzeler Stocksport 600 Championship rounds.
Not that he won them both.
Yes, he was top of the podium on Sunday afternoon, but the first race of the day was a totally different story.
A brilliant start saw Pat lead away from the grid, but at Copse it all went a bit pear.
Down went the bike, down went Pat.
The marshals ran, the entire field disappeared off to Maggots.
Pat looked up, got up, grabbed his bike, fired it up, and gave chase.
At the end of the first lap he crossed the line light-years down on the field, but a succession of brilliant laps, at times four seconds faster than the field, dragged him back into contention.
Second place and fastest lap were his rewards, along with memories of an outstanding performance, in foul conditions.
Pat on the back, mate…

And it was Wayning in Wales…

Wayne Hamilton, a young rider from Portadown, Northern Ireland, was, as usual, in the thick of the action, as the Wirrall100 125cc Championship reached the glorious cliff-top circuit at Anglesey, North Wales.
Wayne raced to second in the first race, but gale-force winds from the Irish Sea saw lead changes on every lap in Race 2.
Despite the strong winds, Hamilton, sixth at one point, fought his way up to finish a really impressive third.
Wayne was Northern Ireland’s sole competitor in Wales, and he loved it.
“It’s been great riding in the Wirral100 125cc Championship at Anglesey.
It’s such a technical track, and it all adds to my experience. Last time out I got a DNF at Oulton Park because the crank-case flooded on the line.
I was bitterly disappointed, as I’d had such a good practice at the Cheshire track, and already had my race strategy planned. However, getting a 2nd and 3rd at the Anglesea Bank Holiday weekend made up for it all!”
Wayne currently lies 3rd in the championship table, but any of the top five could still win.
Come wind, come shine, come Wayne!