Reports Skegness Beach Race
Written by MIKE WOOD Monday, 14 November 2011 00:00
Skeg-tastic,Skeg-tacular,Skeg-Vegas,just how can you even begin to describe what was another superb AMCA Skegness Beach racing weekend?.
During the inaugural event back in 2010,an estimated crowd of 14,000 was in attendance.For the 2011 bash,the AMCA and SECWHA(Skegness East Coast and Wolds Hospitality Association) pulled out all the stops to again ensure another massive,roaring success with crowds flocking to the seaside town and watch two days of great sand racing,all for FREE!!.
Not only was the action top class,but the prize fund kindly offered by SECWHA,Michelin,Massive Racing,Spiral Graphics and Muk Junkie was pretty tasty too!!.Bagging the lovely £1,000 cheque after topping the main solo class was Boost Racing KTM star Nathan Parker,fighting off youngster Nathan Watson,Matthew Moffat,Neville Bradshaw and Dan Thornhill.Other winners in this super AMCA Skegness extravaganza were Anthony Dean(Veteran solo),Ben Watson(MXY2),Alfie Bowtell(Youth 85cc/150cc),David Vass(Quads) and Richard Chandler/Liz Millet(Sidecars).
So,back to day one of super Skegness,and the AMCA kept their promise of producing a longer,more technical circuit for 2011 as main sponsors Roberts Plant Engineers supplied the machinery and manpower to assist beach racing guru Rob Meek in designing the layout.First to display their skills on the East Lincolnshire sand were the MXY2 Youth group with Danny Wright leading the charge from Gareth Artus,Ben Watson,Tom Doughty,Samuel Fern and Brad Thornton.Lap two and Wright was out of contention with the immaculate Watson now in control.From here onwards,Watson turned up the gas before blasting to a big,stylish victory,completing two laps more than his closest rivals.Eventually taking 2nd spot in this class was Tony Saunders who had circulated down in 12th place during the early exchanges.Rounding off the top six in this opening race of Skegness 2011 were Doughty,Artus,Max Pinny and Bradley Clay.
Next up was a two-hour battle for the combined Quads and Sidecar class.John Mitchell was to lead the opening six laps before seizing his quad.So,taking full advantage was David Vass,making the long journey from his Scottish base well worthwhile,totally controlling the remainder of the contest and thus earn victory.After finishing as Quad class runner-up in 2010,Peter Gallagher produced another great effort to repeat that performance and again get home in 2nd spot.At the finish,Vass and Gallagher had managed a total of 26 laps,one better than Martin Edey and Clyde Thompson whilst Aaron Pole,Shaun Murphy,Michael Brewis and Scott Woodhead were also right in the mix.As the Quad pilots strutted their style,David Petty/Tom Andrews were the early pace-setters in the Sidecar class for the opening three laps before disappearing from proceedings.From here onwards,Richard Chandler/Liz Millet took control,racing onto a great victory,completing 17 laps,one more than Adam Field/Paul Hutchman and Peter Lawry/ Andy Strutt.
Last up on day one was the Youth 85cc/150cc class,competing on a slightly shortened circuit in a titanic one hour blast.As the pack hit dune one,it was Alfie Bowtell in control and there he brilliantly remained.However right on his tail during the closing stages and charging hard was Mitchell Meadows.Indeed Meadows was to match the rapid Bowtell’s final lap total.For virtually the entire duration of the contest Meadows in turn had to work hard and see off Oliver Benton,Jon Hunt and Jack Camwell.Four laps from home though,Camwell was to drop back to 9th with both Troy Willerton and Todd Ritchie finishing strongly to earn a well deserved 4th and 6th places respectively.
Day two and it was all about the main three hour solo blast.Although there was disappointment with enduro king Paul Edmondson a non-starter due to him not having a suitable bike available,the list of late entries provided plenty of compensation and included ACU Maxxis British Championship star Neville Bradshaw and also Wolverhampton and England speedway rider Tai Woffinden.With Nathan Parker,Matthew Moffat,Matt Burrows,James Lassu and super quick teenage stars Nathan Watson,Dan Thornhill and Ryan Watson also in the mix,this looked set to be a thriller!!.
Any three hour event is always sure to be not only a severe test of both endurance,strength and skill but also a game of strategy,getting the timing of those all-important fuel stops correct.Whilst eventual winner Nathan Parker got it spot on,Nathan Watson,Matt Moffat and Neville Bradshaw(twice) ran dry!!.Indeed Watson’s shortage of fuel was to prove to be particularly costly as he was also docked a lap for entering the refuelling area at the wrong point!!.
Not only was the fuel stops critical,but also the need to get over that big first dune and avoid the almost obligatory early traffic jam!!.Avoiding any such carnage was Jordan Rose,who aboard his 300cc TM pulled out a dream start and lead the charge but by the completion of lap one,Nathan Watson was now to be the pace-setter and the pilot to catch,incredibly riding the very same Honda machine that had carried his brother to victory in the MXY2 class on day one!!.Chasing Watson in the early stages were Lewis Meadows,Rose,Lassu,Parker and Moffat.Right up to lap ten,young Watson controlled until that pivotal moment when he ran out of fuel just after the time control point and decided to push back to the pits for more octane!!.
For the next two laps,Moffat led the way until he too ran dry,thus enabling Parker to now take over the pole position.From here onwards,Parker controlled right to the finish with Watson,Moffat and Bradshaw all fighting to climb back up the leaderboard. After his impressive start,Meadows eventually disappeared on lap 27 whilst Suzuki Youth GB rider Dan Thornhill was rapidly moving in the opposite direction,starting in 13th and getting up to earn a great 5th.With Steven Smyth,Stuart Houlston,Ryan Watson,Lassu and Michael Hand all finishing inside the final top ten,the 11th placed finisher was none other than Mr David Vass,winner of the previous day’s Quad contest!!. Unluckiest rider of the day,well Matt Burrows snapped a chain on lap one before remarkably getting all the way back to an incredible 7th spot,only to then be forced to retire on lap 32!!.
On completion whilst winner Parker enjoyed the natural elation of victory and that lovely £1,000 prize,Watson. Moffat and Bradshaw were left to reflect on what might have been,although the latter was very sporting in commenting on the superb quality of the Skegness event.Already the AMCA have announced a provisional date of November 17th/18th for the 20122 race.So get that date in your diary and come and enjoy the very special Skegness Beach racing weekend!!.
Mike Wood (www.moto-action.co.uk) e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Results
