Norasport Gimoto National Open Championship

The first C group race saw Gareth Middleton take the early lead though he could not hold onto it and slowly slipped down the pack, as Keith Topliss came through first to pass. Before long Robert Hartley had taken the lead from Keith and then he would pull out a clear gap to secure the first win of the day.

Shaun McCarthy worked his way up from sixth place to finish in second and take a move up to the B group for race two. John Anderson who finished in eighth position set the fastest lap of the race. Keith Topliss would then start on pole for the second race with Martin Bennett along side.

But Ian McCreadie would be the first over the line on lap one followed by Lee Machin and Dan Spencer. As Ian pulled out a lead he was helped along by Lee Machin’s spectacular fall in the off road section, which saw him concede second spot to Dan Spencer. But John Anderson who had been fastest in race one, put in the fastest lap in the second race and rocketed from tenth to first spot by the penultimate lap. This would secure the win for John with Ian McCreadie collecting a well deserved second place finish. Dan Spencer came home third with Martin Bennett in fourth, as Keith Topliss conceded fifth to Paul Reynolds.

Dan Spencer started at the front for the final race but Paul Reynolds took the lead straight away with Martin Bennett in second leaving Dan in third. These positions would not stay static as the top three all exchanged places at the front. By lap four Dan Spencer held the lead with Martin in second and Paul Reynolds back to third, with Keith Topliss fourth.

Alan Naylor was eighth after lap one, and steadily moved up taking fifth place over the line for the very last time. The first top six riders were extremely close for the early laps the first B group racer, before David Auker pulled away to take a clear lead from Steve Alford in the fourth lap. Steve Alford then lost ground to Steve Ellis and in turn both riders lost ground to David Jolly who would finish in second place to move up groups with race winner David Auker.

Steve Ellis and Steve Alford would stay close in third and fourth chased by Craig McNab and Peter Bennett. The second B group race was led by Peter Bennett, Steve Ellis and Steve Alford, within a few laps Peter had an astonishing lead to secure the win and leaving the other riders to fight it out for second place. It would be Craig McNab who would finish in second with Dean Wingate in third from Steve Ellis and Steve Alford.

Dean Wingate had pole for the final with Steve Ellis on the front row once again, but Steve Alford would have the early lead. By lap two Dean Wingate led the race and would maintain the lead for the rest of the race and take the win, Steve Alford held onto second until lap four when he would be replaced by Craig Brisby in second. Over the line Dean had first place, Craig in second and Steve Alford in third, followed by Steve Ellis who couldn’t manage a trophy position despite being at the front all day. Jack Hannath pipped Kyle Wingate for fifth position in the last lap.

Carl Shield had the best qualifying time and could not be out beaten in the first A group race of the day. In the first lap he was followed by Andy Mitchell and James Addy, despite Andy setting the fastest lap time he could not hold onto second place, and conceded to James Addy going into the fourth lap. Scott Woodacre had been in contention in fourth place but a collapsed wheel bearing meant and couldn’t finish the first race. Back at the front Carl, James and Andy had a clear lead from a lonely Richard Sharp in fourth place.

Chris Babbitt held onto fifth place but was not without challenges from Chris Walker. Lee Cunliffe had a fall on the straight and finished at the rear of the pack. In race two Andy Mitchell led for a short while until Carl Shield took the lead and began to pull out a gap. James Addy never stopped pushing Andy for second spot and put in the fastest lap and also claimed second place in the penultimate lap.

This left Carl with a very secure win, James second and Andy Mitchell third. Richard Sharp held fourth again without challenge and Chris Babbitt took his second fifth place finish. Chris Walker fell and lost some ground but still finished in ninth; while Craig Richardson ended up at the rear following his fall after his excellent tenth place in race one.

In the final race Carl once again came out in the lead, followed by James Addy and Andy Mitchell. In lap two Richard Sharp fell and lost ground down to tenth place, while Andy Mitchell fell moments later and remounted in twelfth place; both riders quickly moved back up the field.

James Addy then led Carl Shield and Scott Woodacre, with Chris Babbitt in fourth and Will Moore in fifth. In lap six disaster struck for Carl Shield who had rode brilliantly all day, as he dismounted in spectacular style and took an early bath in a rather large puddle. In the eighth lap Chris Babbitt lost four places and would have to fight back, contending with Andy Mitchell as he too aimed for a top three finish. Andy Mitchell managed third place but dropped back down again into seventh in the tenth lap to regain fifth at the finish.

Over the line was a jubilant James Addy from Scott Woodacre and Chris Walker. Lee Cunliffe was in fourth in front of the battling Andy Mitchell in fifth. Andy Mitchell had led the championship by eight points going into this round but lost ground by a very slim margin to James Addy, leaving the championship to be decided at Cadwell Park.

Congratulations to Jaki and Paul as Mr Kane Bump made an appearance on Sunday.

Final Race Result Open A Group 1. James Addy 2. Scott Woodacre 3. Chris Walker 4. Lee Cunliffe 5. Andy Mitchell Final Race Result Open B Group 1. Dean Wingate 2. Craig Brisby 3. Steve Alford 4. Steve Ellis 5. Jack Hannath Final Race Result Open C Group 1. Dan Spencer 2. Paul Reynolds 3. Keith Topliss 4. Alan Naylor 5. Paul Scott