WIRRAL HUNDRED’S SEASON STARTS

As published in full or in part on the ACU (News) & UK Clubsport websites

 

Overview

The Wirral Hundred club is synonymous with early season race meetings at Anglesey and the meeting last Sunday (26th March) could hardly have been better with the club’s best-ever entry for a March meeting, dry, sunny weather with the stunning backdrop of snow on the tops of Snowdonia, only a handful of fallers, and some top-class close racing.

 

 

In the Powerbikes class, heat winners were Manxman Dan Kneen (BMW), getting in some valuable track-time ahead of his roads and national championships campaigns, and former national Superstock 1000 contender and circuit-specialist Johnny Blackshaw (Kawasaki), who is restricting his appearances this year to W100 and other selected events. In the final Blackshaw came out on top, ahead of Kneen, with Irishman Alastair Kirk third. In the newly-introduced Pre-2009 / Pre-Electronics Powerbikes category, the heat wins were taken by Chris Ganderton and Owen Hunt; in the final Anglesey-resident Ganderton won from John Jackson with Hunt third, whilst Steve Moss was the fastest of the Golden Era bikes aboard his 750 Suzuki.

 

 

The Paul Bland Motorsport Formula 600 class attracted 50 entries and the heat wins were taken by Chris Eden and Jamie Devine. Eden, starting only his third season of racing, did the front-running for much of the race, but a missed gear-change saw him relegated to third, with 2016 champion Jamie Devine taking the win just ahead of the ever-reliable all-rounder Adrian Kershaw. Excitement all round in the SSR Suspension Golden Era Supersport class where Ray Stevenson claimed his first victory and then did it again in the second race; Dave Marsden and Steven Beale each had a 2nd and a 3rd behind him.

 

 

Kershaw also showed his versatility by winning both 500cc Allcomers races aboard his now ageing 400 Kawasaki, both times ahead of Keith Jackson (450 Tigcraft). 2016 champion John Price (400 Kawasaki) fell in race 1, but recovered some of his pride with a 3rd place in race 2, whilst Myles Wasley (250 Honda) claimed a 3rd and a 4th. Price made no mistakes in both of the Forgotten Era races with two comfortable wins ahead of Paul Tye. There was an international flavour to the 650 Twins races with Irishman Mark Hanna impressively winning both races from Angleseyman Barry Evans and Manxman Jamie Williams.

 

 

The Pre-Injection races saw two epic battles between Joe Ravenscroft and Chris Ganderton, split in that order by fractions of seconds in both races, ahead of. Dan Kneen on one of the Classic TT 750 Kawasakis in 3rd place.

 

 

Unfortunately the Classic Bike and Sidecar races were poorly supported at this meeting, but for the record Hefyn Owen and Bob Owen each took a Classic victory, whilst Gary Knight & Dan Evanson were the best of the Sidecars.

 

 

Unfortunately a big oil spill resulted in the last two races of the day – the Senior Open and the Junior Open - being abandoned; the club has announced that these two races will be run at the club’s next Anglesey meeting on 24th & 25th June.

 

 

The club has also announced that, as part of the Anglesey circuit’s 25th anniversary celebrations, it is planning to include its Formula 600 class in a combined car-bike meeting on Sunday 24th September. Sponsors are being sought for this and the intention is to run a two-leg event, similar in nature to the club’s popular Anglesey Grand, held each year in October.

 

 

 

 

Other Wirral Witterings

CTC and BRA

18 new or returning riders satisfactorily completed our course / assessments during Saturday’s activities, including several who had never been to Anglesey before and several who intend making their debuts at Oulton! Big thanks to all those who helped, either in the classroom or out on track.

 

 

Test Day

The sun shone, the sea sparkled, and the birds sang – what better way to kick off the 2017 season? 134 riders agreed, making it our busiest Test Day yet. There were hardly any fallers, and the only real injury was to Rob Mitchel-Hill’s shoulder; it is hoped he makes a speedy recovery and is back racing with us again soon.

 

 

Doctors

A family illness meant that we had to source two replacement doctors for this weekend and it was a tad unusual to secure the services of two ex-riders to fill the gaps. To all three doctors, thanks again.

 

 

Quote of the weekend

from Hefin Smith, the Deputy Clerk of the Course at precisely 5.09pm as the Senior Open went away on its warm-up lap: “We are doing well here, we will be finished by 5.30”. Two minutes later Barry Dimelow was dumping the equivalent of the entire cargo of the ‘Torrey Canyon’ in the middle of the track at Rocket. Hefin got some inevitable stick but he wasn’t wrong – we were finished by 5.30!

 

 

Teenagers Award

to 15years old Myles Wasley with his 3rd and his 4th in the 100-500cc Allcomers races.

 

 

Pensioners Award

to Pete Kelly, our seasoned judge - lap scorer - good bloke on the pitwall. With his van out of commission, he decided to ride to the event on two-wheels, the first time he had done such a silly thing, since our race meeting at Oulton Park on Easter Monday 1967, yes 50 years ago!

 

 

First booby prize of the weekend

to those who thought it was acceptable behaviour to leave litter and rubbish, including old tyres, strewn across the paddock and some of the garages at the close of play on Sunday. We apparently did inherit some of the mess from those involved in Friday’s Track Day, but surely we can leave the place tidier than we did. Please.

 

 

Second booby prize of the weekend

to the decision-makers, who decided it was a good idea to introduce extensive road works on the A55 on Sunday, just in time to seriously disrupt many of our journeys home. The fact that it made the News on BBC Wales shows how bad it was.

Dave Francis – March 2017