MX…Wilden Lane Round 5 Report

Gruelling winter conditions welcomed a torrent of riders to Wilden Lane last weekend (19th & 20th November) for round 5 of the winter championships. After 24 hours of heavy rain tracks all over the UK, let alone within just minutes of the circuit were cancelling their meetings but Wilden wouldn’t be defeated opening its gates where others couldn’t…

The mornings practice sessions saw a tough challenging track test the riders but by the first block or racing the sands had churned and the track was prime. Some top riders had turned out including Adult A championship front runner, Corey Hockey. Who was looking to add more points to his already impressive championship tally. Nadiya Jones was looking to get back on top after a disappointing ride last time out but she wouldn’t have it easy in the B group with Jack Vincent and James Park both looking fast in practice. The junior groups were compact but quality fields with Cory Flynn and Robbie Scott shaping up for another dog fight in the BW85. Jack Dando & Jake Davies were the stand out names in the 65cc with both riders showing great form in recent weeks. Nobody could have predicted how close the racing would end with just single points splitting to top three in several classes.

The 65cc class topped the programme kicking off the day with their opening race. Jake Davies made his intentions clear from the start getting the hammer down early but Jack Dando was getting to grips with the tricking conditions fast catching Davies and passing him at the mid-point dominating there forth. Race two saw Davies come out with a mature head riding a consistent pace throughout clinching the second race win and setting himself up nicely for the overall. Harry Beech was finding faster lines all the time on his new KTM getting the better of Dando for second in race two. Final time out and Davies wrapped up the overall with a final race win and 130 points to his championship challenge. Beech managed to steal second overall from a fading Dando in third.

In the SW85cc class the pace was fast and the racing close. Anyone of three riders were capable of taking the overall. Toby English kicked off his day in the perfect way taking the race one win ahead of a fast charging Charlie Palmer. Billy Austin rode a fantastic opening race keeping up right were others were falling, opening his account with a well-earned third. Race two saw Arai Elcock join the party grabbing the second race win ahead of Palmer and English. With the track at its toughest Palmer stepped up his game once more taking the final race win and clinching the overall by just 4 points ahead of Elcock in second. English rounded off the SW podium in hard fought third overall.

Cory Flynn took the win in the BW 85cc group after a mixed days results. Two race wins set him up perfectly for the overall leading into the final race of the day but a small mistake out of sight saw him drop to the back of the field with a lot of work to do. Charging through he managed to claw his way back to fourth which was enough for the overall. Robbie Scott was unlucky not to finish higher in the overall standings after a DNF in race one hampered his final points haul. The final race saw Scott’s best result as he flew out the gate pulling the pin early and gapping the field on his way to an impressive race win. Lee Percy rode a consistent day netting a second overall with 118 points, just two points better than Callum Baldwin in third who ran into trouble in the final race.

The adult B riders provided the best action of the day with a fantastic 3 way battle for the overall between James Park, Nadiya Jones and Jack Vincent. Park and Jones split the wins between them in the opening two races but race three saw the fight reach its peak. All three

riders got away from the gate well in the final race with Vincent pulling the holeshot. Park & Jones were hot on his heels looking to challenge with every corner, eventually the fast pace at the front saw Park drop off but the battle between Vincent & Jones was closer than ever. In the closing stages all three riders closed up with once again with anyone of them looking like could win. Entering the final corner on the final lap Jones made a cliché move slipping past Vincent in amongst the back markers taking the race win and the overall by just a single point. Park had to settle for third overall but that was no easy feat in a high intensity class. Callum Charnock took the 2-stroke class win getting in the mix at the front with the B group riders at times.

Declan Hunter was out to impress in the Rookies once again taking a pair of wins on his way to the overall. He didn’t make it easy for himself though fighting through small mistakes that hampered his progress in the first race. A healthy 128 points was enough for the win though and a welcome addition to his championship campaign. Aaron Patstone & Harry Wichman had an epic fight for second overall with Wichman just edging out Patstone at the flag. Wichmans first race win would prove to be the deciding factor as the last two races would see Patstone bag a pair of seconds enough to bring him within a point of second.

The adult A class saw one man dominate the day. Corey Hockey took three races wins looking comfortable in the tricky conditions all day long. An off in the final race could have put an end to his run but he remounted and composed himself getting back on the pace fast as possible. Luke Houghton was looking more like himself after missing last weekend’s remembrance meeting riding 3 solid races to take second overall. Harry Bradley was unlucky to finish off the podium after two great rides in the first two races but a flat battery ended his challenge in the final race. Another rider hitting bad luck was Aled Bellis scoring two seconds but a DNF in the final race. With Bradley and Bellis dropping out of contention, John Barnes stepped up to take third after staying up right where others fell. Craig Perks just missed out on a podium spot but a third in the final race showed he had the pace.

The battle for the C group was another hotly fought contest between Wez Cooper and Casey Buckley. Both riders were on a different level to the rest of the field with Buckley looking the fastest of the pair. The overall slipped away from Buckley in the second race though as he ran into bike troubles would see him score a DNF. A 2-1-4 result was enough for Cooper to wrap up the overall with luck very much on his side. Danny Lamb was left feeling cheated after falling out of the lead on the penultimate lap in race two. A second in the final outing wasn’t enough to rekindle the points he needed for a podium. Ryan Strachan rode a gutsy performance to take third overall just behind Matt Mills in second.

Not only was the big track in full winter beast mode but the beginners track too with surface puddles and tricky conditions testing the beginner’s skills. The 65cc novice field was full of talent with a few main track regulars choosing to stick on the small track this week. Malachi Stock seemed to love the winter conditions taking the overall in a dominant fashion ahead of an ever faster Ethan Lochrie. Ashton Phillips rounded off the novice 65cc podium in third overall just ahead of Will Turner in fourth. In the BW auto class it was Ben Casey that came out on top of another epic day battling with Rueban Allway. Aflie Dean was another rider loving the challenging conditions taking a well-deserved third overall. The SW riders had the hardest day with puddles and ruts deeper than there wheels could manage. Kyle Hancox

came out on top in class ahead of Riley Ray Barrow taking his first podium of the season. Rounding off the podium in third overall was Bailey Williams with another impressive ride.

Wilden MXC role onto Hilton Park next weekend for a 2 day meeting. Saturday is an open practice day followed by round 5 of the winter championships on Sunday. Last time out at Hilton the track rode fantastically with ruts and lines developing all over the track. The introduction of a new sand section was a welcome challenge and will be a key part of the track once again this weekend. One thing is for sure, Wildens On!.