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Last Updated: Nov 28th, 2010 - 10:22:29 |
A capacity crowd packed into the Towerlands Centre in Braintree over the Christmas weekend to see the first-ever staging of dirt-track motorcycling event at the equestrian arena: the Braintree Bonanza Short Track championship, the first time also the sport of US-style Flattrack racing had been staged at an indoor venue anywhere in Europe.
And with an estimated 200 souls locked out such was the demand to see this hugely exciting brand of dirt-track racing, one with an historical bent could be forgiven for making a comparison to the debut of oval motorcycle racing across the county in Epping Forest all of 82 years ago! That massively-well attended event back in 1928 launched a revolution which brought the sport of Speedway to the attention of hundreds of thousands and the organisers of the Bonanza meeting must be confident of similar returns for their Short Track brand. Certainly none of the 1,000 plus inside Towerlands last Sunday (27th. December) could have been disappointed at the spectacle which unveiled itself before them.
On show were the UK’s top Road Racers in Isle of Man 2009 winner, Steve Plater and the runner up at the world-famous TT races last year, Gary Johnson; four-times British grasstrack champ, Paul Cooper; from Speedway, former Lakeside Hammer, Paul Hurry plus Team GB World Cup riders, Lewis Bridger and Eddie Kennett; as well as the cream of Europe’s specialist Flattrack racers.
And the festive nature of the event certainly wasn’t to blunt any of these racers’ competitive streaks: non-contact stuff this certainly was not – with thrills and spills a plenty as positions and reputations were fought over in a truly frenetic 16 heats main event!
Top man in qualifying, points-wise was Aidan Collins, runner-up in this year’s Short Track UK championship and from impeccable dirt track racing stock: his famous Cheshire-based family having produced the 1976 World Speedway champion in Peter Collins, and Aidan’s father (and Peter’s brother) Les failing by only one position to achieve the same feat, six years later. Collins junior took three emphatic wins in his qualifying riders - best of all, his second outing where he tracked down fast-starting twice GB Under 15s champ (now a senior) Tom Woolley to put in a tremendous last lap dash to victory. Similar excitement two races later where the hugely exciting Johnson caught CCM rider Richard May in a thrilling finish. But besides Collins, the most impressive performer was Sussex-based former GB Under 21 Speedway champion (a title won when a Rye House Rockets rider) Ed Kennett whose incredible ability to hold the inside line whilst others bucked and bored like riding runaway steeds (with the current holder of that national junior Speedway title, Bridger seeming like he was atop a bronco suitable to the equine surroundings), marked him down instantly as a major contender. Kennett won two of his three qualifiers with local favourite Hurry, top Flattracker Glyn Pocklington, the raring road-racer, Johnson and the hugely versatile Rusty Hodgson all returning heat wins too.
The aim was the top 16 to make it to the semis and such was the competition that some of the biggest names found themselves by the wayside. Formerly a runner-up in both the UK and European championships at Short Track, Tim Greig missed the cut as did Victor ‘Raging’ Bull – a win in his third outing not enough to compensate for a fall and non-finish in his previous ride. And literally squeezed out of contention was reigning Short Track UK champ, Peter Boast: who found himself with nowhere to go in an unlucky heat 13 and had a nasty coming together with the track fence. A second fall for the normally hugely reliable Boast meant he wasn’t to figure in the semis.
Semi one was similarly eventful with the one-time Arena Essex man Hurry trying to live up to his name in the first staging only to high-side it extravagantly and end in a heap. Showing how tough these boys are he was back up for the restart with the dominant Collins carrying on his winning ways from Pocklington pushed all the way by one-time national Sidecar champ, Derek Brindley capturing the third automatic slot in the Grand Final.
Kennett reigned equally supreme in his semi ahead of the Italian stallion, Marco Belli (surprisingly the three times UK champ and 2008 European master wasn’t to win a heat all afternoon) and Sheffield Speedway man, Paul Cooper carrying on from his impressive qualifiers (where he’d won his third ride) to take the automatic berth.
The Last Chance race which followed was what it said on the tin with Hodgson and Johnson the two benefiting from a repechage route to the Final: Johnson just holding off his TT rival, Plater.
So to the hugely highly-anticipated final and a first clash between the two young guns, Collins and Kennett. And it was the latter who was lightening itself from the gate and holding that inside line in almost magnetic fashion, the Coventry Bees Speedway man tore away to build up a lead. Collins quickly overhauled Pocklington (though how he stayed on his bike as he wheelied frantically on lap three astonished the captivated crowd) and with this race a 12 lap marathon all was not lost as Collins set off in determined pursuit of Kennett. But Eddie was to remain steady and, exhausted, the indoor racing specialist (he’d twice been a winner at the Speedway meetings held at the Brighton Centre earlier in the noughties) held on to take the chequered flag as champ. Collins was a fully-deserved runner-up with Pocklington a hugely impressive third from Belli. Crowd-pleaser Johnson was actually last in the Final but picked up the plaudits as most exciting rider.
And excitement was certainly the word as what is now hoped to be an annual event served up a real Bonanza for the huge crowd.
In the two undercard events, the Junior title went to Tim Neave from Short Track first-timer, Ben Chatterton. Meanwhile in the very entertaining Mini-bikes class Victor Bull made up for some of his disappointment in the Main event by finishing second behind national champ, Darren Trapmore – though mention should be made of Mark Richardson who won two races but was forced by injury out of the final race.
Result:
1st. Kennett; 2nd. Collins; 3rd. Pocklington; 4th. Belli; 5th. Cooper; 6th. Hodgson
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