59th Steve Henshaw Gold Cup Road Races

Sunday 20th September 2009

The start of racing had to rescheduled from 11.30am to 1pm, as queues of race fans were still pouring into the circuit. An overspill car park had to be brought into action to deal with the massive influx of spectators and all of the souvenir race programmes had been sold out by the lunch break.

Sunday Morning Practice

Onboard camera supplied by www.dogcamsport.co.uk

Race 11 - Non Finalists - 'B' Final - 8 Laps

Every inch of fencing around the circuit was lined with eager fans when racing commenced with the Non Finalists ‘B’ Final run over eight laps.

Richard Gibson (600 Yamaha R6) took off like a scalded cat and pulled out a huge lead on the opening lap over Paul Owen (600 Team #98 Yamaha R6), Dave Bell (650 Kawasaki Newcastle ER6) with 18-year-old Daley Mathison (600 DDM Racing Honda CBR) holding an impressive third after his earlier 125cc tumble.

Huddersfield rider, Rodger Wibberley (600 Kawasaki ZX6R) slid off out of fourth place, at Mere Hairpin, on the second lap fortunately without injury.

Gibson, a mechanic from South Cave, near Hull, continued to extend his lead out front on the third lap, 2009 Ulster GP 250cc Podium finisher, Owen from Llangollen in Wales, held second, while Bell thrilled the massive crowd with his display of wheelies and back-end sliding on his Mini Twin Kawasaki. Mathison’s third place was coming under threat from former Auto 66 Club Champion, Daryl Campling (600 Advanced Roofing CBR). Scarborough-born, Mark Lister (600 Yamaha R6), was fulfilling a life-long ambition by making his debut at the ‘Mount’ and was holding a fine sixth place.

On the half-distance lap, Campling moved into third, while Gibson’s lead at the front was extended to five seconds. There was drama on lap five, when Gibson was forced out of the race with mechanical problems, Owen was now the new leader with an advantage of 13 seconds over Bell.

Taking his first Scarborough victory, Owen crossed the line 18.6 seconds ahead of Bell, with Campling third, Mathison fourth and Lister a fine fifth.

Race 12 - 125cc Stu Reed Trophy - 2nd Leg - 6 Laps

One interested spectator watching the second leg of the 125cc Stu Reed Trophy from the paddock, was non other than Chris Palmer, having discharged himself from hospital after having his leg put in plaster, he was cheerfully signing autographs and enjoying the atmosphere.

William Dunlop (125 PJ Flynn Honda RS) was still looking for his first win of the weekend and shot to the front of the field to lead Ian Lougher (125 Barnes/Jackson Yamaha TZ) by 0.314-of-a-second at the end of the opening lap, Lee Vernon (125 Honda RS) third, Daley Mathison (125 DDM Racing Honda RS) fourth, Pete Wakefield (125 Honda RS) fifth, Wayne Hamilton (125 Honda RS) sixth, Ray Hutchinson (125 Honda RS) seventh, Sam Dunlop (125 Honda RS) eighth, Tony Flinton (125 Yamaha TZ) ninth and Dave Guiney (125 Blanc Pak Honda RS) tenth.

The race was turning into another no quarter asked or given contest, as Lougher shaved 0.14-of–a-second off Dunlop’s lead on the second lap, while Sam Dunlop moved up to seventh ahead of Flinton with Hutchinson dropping down to ninth.

Lougher took over the lead on the fourth lap but still only a bike’s length separated the two leaders as they started the final lap. William Dunlop saved the best till last setting the fastest lap of the race in 1m 56.705, 74.958 mph, with the crowd urging him on he bravely caught and passed Lougher over the Jumps section and took the win by just 0.268-of-a-second. Vernon came home third, with Mathison and Wakefield completing the top five finishers.

Race 14 - Darran Lindsay Trophy - 2nd Leg - 8 Laps

Guy Martin had to sit out the second leg of the Darran Lindsay Trophy after his Hydrex Honda had been damaged when he clashed with Ian Hutchinson in Saturday’s first leg. During Sunday morning’s practice the machine had been suffering a misfire and new parts were being rushed to the circuit by team boss, Shaun Muir, to hopefully repair the bike in time for the feature Gold Cup race.

Ryan Farquhar needed a painkilling injection by Dr Justin Mhaka, pior to the race, to help overcome the pain of a wrist injury sustained in a practice crash at the Manx Grand Prix. With Martin absent from pole position the front row comprised of Ian Hutchinson (1000 Padgetts Honda CBR), Farquhar (1000 KMR/Harker Kawasaki ZX10R) and Michael Pearson (1000 Carryduff Fork Lifts Yamaha R1).

Farquhar got the hole-shot and led the charging pack towards Mere Hairpin, but a fired-up Pearson rode around the outside to take the lead on the steep climb up Sheene’s Rise.

Pearson led the way at the end of the first lap by just 0.373-of-a-second from Farquhar, Kiaran Hankin (1000 Quills Performance Exhausts) third and Hutchinson down in fourth, with just over one second separating the top four. Michael Dunlop (1000 Street Sweep/Marlow Construction Yamaha R1) led the battle for fifth place ahead of Gary Johnson (1000 Bartonfield’s Honda CBR), Ian Lougher (1000 Black Horse Yamaha R1) seventh, Adrian Archibald (1000 AMA Suzuki GSXR) eighth, Steve Mercer (1000 thepeoplesbike.com Yamaha R1) ninth and Keith Pringle (1000 ASPerformance.com/Precision Saw & Tool Ltd Yamaha R1) tenth.

Pearson maintained his 0.489-of-a-second lead whilst Hutchinson got his head down and reeled-in Hankin at the end of the third lap, Johnson had also moved ahead of Michael Dunlop into fifth.

Hutchinson was the only rider to lap in the 1m 46 bracket on the fifth lap and snatched second place away from Farquhar. Further down field Mercer moved up to eighth, Pringle ninth and Archibald dropped down to tenth

At the start of the sixth lap, Hutchinson sized-up an inside move at Mere Hairpin but Pearson had it covered. On the penultimate lap, Hutchinson recorded the fastest lap of the race 1m 45.815, 82.673 mph and took over the lead.

The running order on the final lap was Hutchinson leading by 1.16 seconds from Pearson, Farquhar third, Hankin fourth, Johnson fifth, Michael Dunlop sixth, Lougher seventh, Mercer eighth, Pringle ninth and Stephen Oates (1000 Hallett Aviation Suzuki GSXR) moving up into the top ten ahead of Archibald.

Hutchinson wheelied over the line in fine style, to win by 3.693 seconds from Pearson, with Farquhar completing the top three and also taking the overall victory for the two legs of the Darran Lindsay Trophy.

Overall Darran Lindsay Trophy Points

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Race 15 - 400cc / MiniTwins - 2nd Leg - 8 Laps

The second leg of the combined 400cc & Mini Twins event was a start to finish victory for Dan Frear on the 398 RMKD-prepared Kawasaki ZXR. The machine had been fitted with a new clutch during its technical inspection on Saturday evening and Frear used it to full potential to take the win by a dominant 11.2 seconds, from Dave Bell (650 Kawasaki Newcastle ER6).

Ryan Farquhar initially challenged on his 650 KMR Kawasaki ER6, but opted to pull out after three laps to rest his damaged wrist for the feature Gold Cup race.

Alex Hutchinson’s team had needed to beg, borrow and steal a few parts to make his John Bird/Roger Middleton-prepared Moto-SP Kawasaki track worthy after his crash during Saturday’s first leg, but it all proved worth while as he came home in third place, Mike Minns (650 Merlin Sidecars Suzuki SV) took fourth and Bardney retained fire fighter Ivan Lintin (650 Suzuki SV) completed the top five.

Overall 400cc / MiniTwins Points

Race 16 - Formula Two Sidecars - 2nd Leg - 6 Laps

In the first leg of the Formula Two sidecars Tim Reeves/Dipash Chauhan (600 Haith/Eastern Airways Suzuki LCR) had sliced 1.06 seconds off their qualifying time and the knowledgeable crowd were all wondering how much faster could they go in the second leg.

Tony Elmer/Darren Marshall (600 Croc A Tile/AS Broadley Decorators Ireson Yamaha) got the hole-shot but Conrad Harrison/Lee Patterson (600 Printing Roller Services Shelbourne Honda) lost out in the dash away from the line as they were literally bumped out of the way by a hard charging Reeves/Chauhan.

Elmer/Marshall were setting the pace at the front crossing the line for the first time 1.1 seconds ahead of Reeves/Chauhan, with first leg winners Conrad Harrison/Lee Patterson (600 Printing Roller Services Shelbourne Honda) down in third, David Hirst/Joe Shardlow (600 Shelbourne Honda) fourth, Tony Thirkell/Nigel Barlow (600 Mr Equipe Honda) fifth, Nick Dukes/Mike Aylott (600 Jacobs Honda) sixth, Brian Alflatt/Mike Speechley (599 Baker Suzuki) seventh, Rob/Annette Daykin (600 Ireson Yamaha) eighth, Nigel Mayers/Vicky Cook (600 Shelbourne Suzuki) ninth and John Chandler/Doug Chandler (600 Shelbourne Yamaha) tenth.

Reeves/Chauhan quickened their pace on the second lap and cut the lead of Elmer/Marshall down to just 67-of-a-second, further down field Mayers/Cook moved up to eighth ahead of the Chandler’s and the Daykin’s.

Half-distance and the order was still the same, but on the fourth lap Hirst/Shardlow retirement elevated Thirkell/Barlow to fourth and Dukes/Aylott to fifth.

Starting the final lap the gap between the two leaders was only 0.363-of-a-second, but try as he might, Reeves couldn’t find a way past and had to settle for second at the chequered flag, just 0.733s adrift of Elmer. Harrison/Patterson came home third which made the final leg all the more interesting for the overall win as there was now only five points separating the top three outfits.

Race 17 - David Jefferies Cup - 2nd Leg - 8 Laps

A full grid of 22 machines lined up for the eagerly-awaited second leg of the 600cc David Jefferies Trophy. First leg winner Michael Pearson got the power down from pole position to fire his GSMCC Honda to the front, but Ian Lougher (600 Black Horse Yamaha R6) wasn’t letting him get away this time, as he needed to beat the Irishman by more than 0.884-of-a-second to take the overall DJ Cup win.

At the end of a fast and furious first lap, Pearson led by 0.238-of-a-second from Lougher, Ian Hutchinson (600 Padgetts Honda CBR-RR) third, Dan Frear (600 France & Li Asia Trading Yamaha R6) fourth, Guy Martin (600 Hydrex Honda RR) fifth, Ivan Lintin (600 Bardney Racing Suzuki GSXR) sixth, John McGuinness (600 Padgetts Honda CBR-RR) seventh, Michael Dunlop (600 Street Sweep/Marlow Construction Yamaha R6) eighth, Stephen Oates (600 Hallett Aviation Suzuki GSXR) ninth and Adrian Archibald (600 AMA Suzuki GSXR) tenth.

Riding close to lap record pace, Lougher hit the front on the second lap and pulled out a lead of 0.420-of-a-second over Pearson, Hutchinson remained third, the hectic action had several other changes in the leader board positions with Martin moving up to fourth ahead of Frear, McGuinness sixth, Michael Dunlop seventh, Lintin eighth, Oates ninth and Kiaran Hankin (675 Quill Performance Exhausts Triumph) climbing into the top ten.

In what was turning out to be the busiest race of the meeting, Pearson crashed out of the race on the third lap exiting the Memorial, losing the front end after applying too much front brake. Luckily only suffering minor injuries to both himself and his Gabshite Honda, Pearson was able to dust himself down and get himself prepared for the feature Gold Cup race. Pearson’s demise stretched Lougher’s lead over Hutchinson to 2.177 seconds with Martin now third, Frear fourth, McGuinness fifth. Michael Dunlop sixth, Lintin seventh, Hankin making rapid progress up to eighth, Oates ninth and Archibald tenth.

In a class of his own, Lougher pushed-on breaking the Supersport class lap record on the half-distance lap in a time of 1m 47.181, 81.619 mph, extending his lead over Hutchinson to 3.784 seconds. A lap later, Lougher’s advantage had grown to six seconds, while Hankin took seventh place away from Lintin. At three quarters race distance Lougher’s gap was over seven seconds, further down field Jules Croft (600 Yamaha R6) moved into the top ten ahead of Archibald.

Lougher took the race win and the overall David Jefferies Cup victory, emphatically beating his chest as he crossed the line. His winning margin of 6.656 seconds over Hutchinson, must be one of the biggest winning margins in the ultra-competitive Supersport class at the Gold Cup races for a few years. Martin, Frear and McGuinness completed the top five.

Overall David Jefferies Cup Points

Race 18 - 250cc Lee Pullan Trophy - Final - 6 Laps

The Lee Pullan Trophy for two-stroke 250cc machines was next up on the bill of fare. William Dunlop had made some changes to his PJ Flynn Honda and was hoping it would put him on equal terms with Ian Lougher’s rapid Barnes/Jackson Yamaha TZ. The race was red flagged on the first lap after Scarborough rider, Tony Flinton, slid off on the entrance to Memorial, luckily only suffering bruising and a sore neck.

After a short delay to clean up the debris, the race was restarted over a reduced distance of six laps. Lee Vernon (250 Honda RS) has been racing since the age of 14, and despite being only 21-years-of-age has accumulated a wealth of racing experience, which he put to good use by getting a copy-book start to lead the pack around Mere Hairpin.

The report from Drury’s Hairpin had Lougher leading and he crossed the line for the first time just 0.2-of-a-second ahead of William Dunlop, Vernon third, John McGuinness (250 Padgetts Honda RS) fourth, Alex Hutchinson (250 Kelly Honda RS) fifth, Dave Guiney (250 Blanc Pak Honda RS) sixth, Ben Handley (250 Honda RS) seventh, Davy Morgan (250 CSC Racing Honda RS) eighth, Pete Wakefield (250 Honda TSR) ninth and Sandy Dranfield (250 Honda RS) tenth.

Lougher’s lead was up to half-a-second at the end of the second lap, but William Dunlop seemed to gain on him as they braked for Mere Hairpin. On the half-distance lap, William Dunlop recorded his fastest lap of the race in 1m 50.060, 79.484 mph to close the gap on Lougher down to 0.36-of-a-second. The only change in the leader board was Morgan moving up to seventh ahead of Handley.

On lap four the gap between the two leaders was again up to 0.610-of-a-second, as Lougher recorded the fastest lap of the race in 1m 50.020, 79.513 mph and it was starting to appear as if he was getting the upper hand.

Dunlop lapped 0.299-of-a-second faster than Lougher on the fifth lap to halve the gap back down to 0.311-of-a-second and the massive crowd was sensing that they had a real battle on their hands.

As they passed the paddock to start their final lap Michael Dunlop held up his brothers pit board and cheered him on. There was still nothing between them as they rounded Drury’s Hairpin, but just when it was starting to look as if Lougher had the race under control he nearly high-sided exiting Mountiside Hairpin. Much to the excited crowd’s amazement William Dunlop charged through to take the flag, just 0.228-of-a-second ahead of Lougher, which gave him back-to-back Lee Pullan Trophy victories.

Another superb ride for Vernon had him completing the podium, with McGuinness fourth, and Hutchinson now familiar with the two-stroke Honda, knocked 2.3 seconds off his best Saturday lap time, to take fifth place.

Race 19 - Steve Henshaw Gold Cup Trophy - Final - 8 Laps

Much to the massive crowd’s delight Guy Martin made the line-up for the ten-lap feature Steve Henshaw Gold Cup race. The Hydrex Honda team had got the bike fired-up just in time for the Gold Cup having discovered several problems with his Superbike’s electronics package including a crank sensor failure and a broken regulator wire which were all fixed to cure its misfire.

The front row comprised of Guy Martin on pole position, alongside Ian Hutchinson (1000 Padgetts Honda CBR-RR), Michael Pearson (1000 Carryduff Fork Lifts Yamaha R1) and Ryan Farquhar (1000 KMR/Harker Kawasaki ZX10R). The race got off to a tremendous start with an enthralling four-way battle developing between Martin, Farquhar, Pearson and Hutchinson, when the red flags came out on the third lap.

Farquhar had a big ‘moment’ exiting the Memorial complex, almost high-siding and landed heavily, head-butting his screen and hitting his chest on the tank which severely winded him. In a totally unrelated incident, Pearson high-sided behind Farquhar at the same corner, but wasn’t able to save it and hit the deck with a bang, suffering badly bruised toes, torn cartilage in his knee and muscle damage in his neck which ruled him out of the eight-lap restart.

As Farquhar limped back on to the grid to join his Kawasaki which was minus its broken screen, he received a rapturous applause from the huge crowd on the opposite banking which could be heard echoing all over the circuit. The tension mounted as all riders eyes watched the Mayor of Scarborough, Councillor Bill Chatt, drop the National flag to signal the restart of the race. Martin torpedoed away from the line with Farquhar, Hutchinson and Ian Lougher (1000 Black Horse Yamaha R1) hot on his heels.

The top four were still glued together at the end of the opening lap, with just 0.4-of-a-second splitting Martin and Farquhar, closely pursued by Hutchinson, Lougher, Gary Johnson (1000 Bartonfield’s Honda CBR) fifth, Mick Goodings (1000 Steady Away Racing Honda CBR) sixth, Steve Mercer (1000 thepeoplesbike.com Yamaha R1) seventh, Stephen Oates (1000 Hallett Aviation Suzuki GSXR) eighth, Adrian Archibald (1000 AMA Suzuki GSXR) ninth and Darren Percival (1000 DP Auto Electrics Suzuki GSXR) tenth. Michael Dunlop retired his Street Sweep/Marlow Construction R1Yamaha to the paddock with a blown head gasket.

Hutchinson was the fastest rider on track on the second lap having moved ahead of Farquhar into second place and Mercer, a bike mechanic from Maidstone in Kent, passed Doncaster heavy goods vehicle fitter, Mick Goodings for sixth.

The gap between Martin and Lougher on the third & fourth laps was still only 0.4-of-a-second, with the two leaders starting to edge away from the rest of the field. Farquhar was clearly suffering and dropped down to fourth behind Lougher.

Farquhar retired to the paddock at the end of lap five, receiving a huge round of applause from the appreciative crowd. At the front, Martin and Hutchinson were locked together in battle, forcing times down as they pushed each other to the limit, both lapping close to outright lap record pace within 0.047-of-a-second of each other.

The sixth lap was a titanic lap with the two heavyweights slugging it out in front of the cheering crowd, both riders broke the outright circuit lap record, Hutchinson lapped in 1m 45.101, 83.234 mph with Martin slightly faster in 1m 45.036, 83.286, which widened his lead marginally to 0.556-of-a-second.

On the penultimate lap, Hutchinson lapped in 1m 45.373, compared to Martin’s 1m 45.433, with only 0.396-of-a-second splitting them as they headed off on their final lap. Mark Goodings (600 Steady Away racing Yamaha R6) slid off at Mountside Hairpin, fortunately uninjured but it resulted in the yellow flags being displayed.

Martin held off a charging Hutchinson to take the chequered flag by 0.430-of-a-second, with Lougher third on the Superstock Black Horse Yamaha normally raced by Conor Cummins in the BSB Superstock Championship, Johnson, Mercer, Archibald, Goodings, Oates, Dave Woolams (998 Suzuki GSXR) and Percival completed the top ten.

As Martin returned to the paddock he was presented with a large tea mug which had been signed by the marshals and Hutchinson celebrated with a mega burn out that shrouded Mere Hairpin in smoking rubber.

A jubilant Martin was quick to praise his team for all their hard work in setting-up his bike: “We got the bike fired up just in time for the Gold Cup but I was a bit apprehensive as I was going in to the race blind. I was still learning my way around the bike. It’s really well sorted handling-wise but the electronics just don’t suit the roads, well not here anyway. We tried the traction control on Saturday but traction’s not good for around here, I was better off without it, so we turned the lot off on Sunday !. “

When asked about winning the Gold Cup seven times on the trot, Martin said : “It was an incredibly tough race, probably my toughest ever Gold Cup, as Hutchy was on my back wheel the whole way and that could be seen in both of us breaking the outright lap record. I was able to keep him at arms length though and to win again was brilliant. It's a great way to end the year and a big thanks to all my team Danny, Cammy, Johnny and to Shaun for all his support this season."

Hutchinson’s verdict on the epic race was: “I tried everything I knew to pass Martin, on a track that’s notoriously hard to overtake on, but in the end opted for a last corner bid (Mountside Hairpin) for the lead. I knew if I passed him earlier he’d come straight back at me, so I thought I’d leave it to the final Hairpin. I got right alongside him but the yellow flags were out so I couldn’t have a go at him.”   

Race 20 - 125cc Stu Reed Trophy - 2nd Leg - 6 Laps

The penultimate race of the weekend was the third and final leg of the 125cc Stu Reed Trophy. Ian Lougher (125 Barnes/ Jackson Yamaha TZ) and William Dunlop (125 PJ Flynn Honda RS) had both won one leg apiece, which made it all the more enthralling for the large knowledgeable crowd.

Lee Vernon got the hole-shot but then his Honda suddenly expired and he cruised in to retire at Mere Hairpin. Lougher took over at the front and led William Dunlop over the line for the first time with not much more than a bike’s length separating them, Pete Wakefield (125 Honda RS) third, Sam Dunlop (125 Honda RS) fourth, Wayne Hamilton (125 Honda RS) fifth, Daley Mathison (125 DDM Racing Honda RS) sixth and Ray Hutchinson (125 Honda RS) completing the depleted field.

Seasoned campaigner, Hutchinson retired to the paddock at the end of the second lap, while at the front the gap between the two leaders was still only 0.4-of-a-second.

Lougher doubled his lead on the mid-distance lap to 0.8-of-a-second, Wakefield remained a lonely third, 22 seconds behind the leaders. Hamilton and Mathison were also having a great battle of their own, the two 18-year-olds never more than a second apart.

Just when Lougher appeared to be making a break, Dunlop closed the gap back down to 0.299-of-a-second and once again the crowd sensed that the finish would be another nail-biter.

Starting the all important final lap, only 0.351-of-a-second split the battle for the lead and further down field just 0.3-of-a-second separated Hamilton and Mathison.

The report from Drury’s had Lougher leading the way, but much to the crowd’s amazement it was William Dunlop leading as they headed towards Farm Bends, staying ahead to take the win by just 0.269-of-a-second. Dunlop’s final lap was the fastest of the race, just 0.243-of-a-second outside Chris Palmer’s twelve-year-old record. Wakefield came home third, Sam Dunlop a fine debut fourth and Hamilton held off Mathison for fifth by just 0.048-of-a-second at the flag.

Overall 125cc Stu Reed Trophy Points

Gary Jess Trophy

After his two dramatic last lap wins over Ian Lougher during Sunday’s Lee Pullan 250cc Trophy and the 125cc Stu Reed Trophy, William Dunlop was awarded the Gary Jess Trophy for being judged to have given the best Irish performance over the weekend.

Race 21 - Formula Two Sidecars - 3rd Leg - 6 Laps

The last race of the weekend was by no means the least, as once again the crowd waited with bated breath for the final show down of the Formula Two sidecars. Tim Reeves/Dipash Chauhan (600 Haith/Eastern Airways Suzuki LCR) had been possible non-starters after suffering a shattered brake disc in the second leg, but they’d managed to patch it up and took their place on the front row of the grid.

As the lights changed Reeves/Chauhan bolted away from the line, but as they swept around Mere Hairpin they took an almighty shunt up the rear end from Conrad Harrison/Lee Patterson (600 Printing Roller Services Shelbourne Honda), both outfits managed to stay aboard and headed up Sheene’s Rise. Peter Allebone/John Perkins (599 Mr Equipe Suzuki GSXR) failed to start the race after seizing solid and their outfit had to be man handled off the grid.

Reeves/Chauhan drifted their outfit spectacularly out of Farm Bends to lead Tony Elmer/Darren Marshall (600 Croc A Tile/AS Broadley Decorators Ireson Yamaha) and Harrison/Patterson across the line for the first time, less than a second separating the top three outfits, David Hirst/Joe Shardlow (600 Shelbourne Honda) fourth, Tony Thirkell/Nigel Barlow (600 Mr Equipe Honda) fifth, Nick Dukes/Mike Aylott (600 Jacobs Honda) sixth, Nigel Mayers/Vicky Cook (600 Shelbourne Suzuki) seventh, Rob/Annette Daykin (600 Ireson Yamaha) eighth, John Chandler/Doug Chandler (600 Shelbourne Yamaha) ninth and Gerard Flynn/Dave Clark 9599 Flynn Suzuki) completing the field.

Elmer/Marshall were putting Reeves/Chauhan under extreme pressure on the second lap, while Harrison/Patterson retired at Memorial as a result of the front end damage they sustained in their first corner collision.

Despite setting the two fastest laps of the race on laps three and four, Reeves/Chauhan were still unable to shake off the challenges of Elmer/Marshall. The only other changes in the running order were the Chandler brothers moving ahead of the husband & wife team of Robin Daykin/Annette Daykin into seventh place.

Elmer/Marshall were pushing hard and appeared to be closing on Reeves/Chauhan, but their challenge effectively ended after they ran up the banking on the exit of Farm Bends at the end of the fifth lap. Reeves stayed ahead to achieve his goal of leaving Oliver’s Mount with a debut race win under his belt, with a winning margin of 4.077 seconds over Elmer/Marshall, Thirkell/Barlow third, Hirst/Shardlow fourth and Dukes/Aylott completed the top five.

Speaking after the race, a delighted Reeves said: "It's been an absolutely brilliant meeting this weekend and all I can really say is, wow, what an awesome circuit!. It's been superb from start to finish and I'm so glad I came and raced here, I loved the circuit from the very start and have enjoyed myself immensely, I've already made my mind up that I'm going to be back here next year.”

Overall Formula Two Sidecars Points