From across the Valleys they came - as local interest in a unique dirt track racing event at Amman Valley in South Wales threatened to deluge Round Three of this year’s Silkolene Short Track UK championship. 

A deluge of another type – from a dramatically cloud-filled sky – also played its part; but on a weekend of flash floods across the region, the dark cinders of the half-mile trotting circuit held up brilliantly and some sensationally fast racing thrilled public and racers alike.

The most inclement of mid-June weekends did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds marvelling at the first sight on these shores for many a year – not since Kenny Roberts rode at a half-miler at Haldon in Exeter back in the late 1970s - of multi-cylinder machines exceeding 100mph going into the heavily-banked corners of a US-style half-mile flattrack.

With such speeds, the loose-surfaced cinders and a variety of machines stretching from Richard Atkins’ 125cc Yamaha right up to Steve Hazell’s near-legendary 1200cc Harley with only a back-brake in operation, the power-sliding and passing was of quite breathtaking proportions.  The Harley-Davidson Thunderbikes event for the real monster machines proved a particular winner with the crowds with victory going to current series leader Peter Boast mounted on a 650cc Suzuki but only after a monumental handle-bar to handle-bar battle with his old adversary, Harley’s own Marco Belli.

In the main Short Track event – sponsored by the country’s leading motorcycle lubricants company, Fuchs-Silkolene - there were thrills and spills aplenty.  Top British Speedway rider Andrew Moore – he rides for title favourites Swindon in the Sky Sports Elite League – was a high-profile casualty when he suffered a big crash in his third ride in the qualifiers trying to manoeuvre past Boast on one of the Amman track’s sweeping bends.  A suspected broken thumb put the Lincoln man out of the meeting and is a major blow to his overall title aspirations.

And that’s especially the case as series leader, the Italian Belli took advantage of another rival’s misfortune in the Grand Final to strengthen his grip on this year’s STUK championship.  Honda-mounted Glynn Pocklington had bettered the Varese-based speedster in the heats but crashed heavily in the Final with Belli the main beneficiary of the re-started race.

Behind Belli, the most titanic of struggles ensued with Yorkshire’s Steven Hall on his KTM prevailing for his best-ever STUK championship round position and the ever-improving Victor Bull a surprise third

In the CCM Junior Cup, Burton-born teen, Tom Wooley cemented his grip on the inaugural event for 12 to 15 year olds (all mounted on identical 230cc youth flattrackers provided by the Preston-based company) with a third consecutive round victory.  Finally, there was four-wheeled action too: with the high-powered Quads seeing Alan Hooker from Lincolnshire steering his 350cc Banshee to success to move into to second overall in the race for the Welbourns Short Track Quads championship.

Silkolene Short Track UK Championship Round Three
1st Marco Belli 6 Kawasaki
2nd Steve Hall 77 KTM
3rd Victor Bull 15 Yamaha
4th James Heaton 70 Husaberg
5th Pete Boast 54 Suzuki
6th Tim Greig 10 Honda

CCM Junior Championship Round Three
1st Tom Woolley 93
2nd Ben Clews 4
3rd Alf Hyde 72

Harley Davidson Thunderbikes Round Three
1st Pete Boast 54 Suzuki
2nd Marco Belli 6 Harley Davidson
3rd John Lee 76 Honda

Welbourns Quad Championship Round Two
1st Alan Hooker 4
2nd Adrian Smith 2
3rd Steve Pantrey 5