On Saturday Buxton Speedway hosted the final round of the British Under 15 Championship and it was Manchester lad Jason Garrity who lifted the crown after coming from behind to take victory in the final race of the last round in the series.
The competition had been cut to just four rounds with the postponement of the round at Redcar and it all came down to the Buxton round with four riders still with a shot at becoming the Champion. In the 250cc class, joint leader Nathan Stoneman was a late withdrawal and this gave Rhys Naylor an opportunity to take the title with a good performance.
Garrity took the opening race in a time of 58.2 seconds, not too far off the usual Conference League pace, as he set about overcoming John Resch’s two-point advantage in the chase for the title. Behind him Joe Jacobs came in second but he needed an off-day for the others to improve on his fourth place in the standings. Resch showed that he was up for the fight by winning his opening ride in Heat 2. Kyle Haworth, making his debut in the competition, won Heat 3 with Jack Butler being excluded after a fall. The fourth of the title contenders James Sarjeant led Heat 4 until Marc Owen passed him at the end of the third lap and the winner from the Weymouth round held on for the win.
Garrity made it two wins out of two next time out as he defeated Haworth before race winners Owen and Resch met in Heat 6. It was Haworth, taking his third ride, who made the most of starting from the inside gate to edge ahead on the first turn and the race came to a halt when Resch went down on the fourth turn with Owen colliding with the stricken rider’s bike. Resch was excluded and Haworth made the start again in the re-run and kept his composure to put in four controlled laps to hold off Owen for his second win. Sarjeant won his second outing in Heat 8 to move onto five points, one behind Garrity, and keep the pressure on but Jacobs pulled out of the meeting with a hand injury after a fall in his third ride to leave the title chase down to three riders.
Resch’s chances also took a dent as he could only manage second place in his third outing while Garrity had to come from the back to win Heat 9. Sarjeant came to the tapes in the following race needing a victory and he did just that to take it to the final race to decide the winner of the title. Haworth’s second place in Heat 10 was enough for him to finish on the rostrum on the day but all eyes were on Garrity and Sarjeant in the final race to see who would take the British Championship.
It was the Sheffield youngster Sarjeant who got away the better from the inside gate but Garrity kept the throttle wide open and roared inside his opponent as they entered the third turn on the second lap. The move proved decisive as the lad from Ardwick went away to win and punched the air in joy as he crossed the finish line to the cheers of the crowd who braved the damp conditions to watch the youngster race. Garrity won the round with 12 points with Sarjeant second with 10, the same as Haworth in third. Garrity took the British Championship with 48 points, two ahead of Sarjeant with Resch third on 43.
In the 250cc class, Rhys Naylor had an easier ride as his main opponent Nathan Stoneman was unable to compete but he still had to do the business as Conor Dwyer was just four points behind with Ben Morley a further three back of Dwyer. There were thrills from the first race onwards as Brandon Freemantle led the opening race until he clipped the fence as he exited the second turn on the last lap and he careered onto the centre green and out of the race. Morley defeated Dwyer in Heat 2 before Naylor won his opening race in the next one.
Daniel I’Anson beat Morley in Heat 4 but that was his only defeat on the day as he amassed 11 points to claim his second win in the Championship. Naylor scored zero in his second outing as he locked up on the fourth turn and left the track before a win put him back on course for the title. In his last race he was beaten by I’Anson but it was enough for the top spot overall. A run-off was needed between Naylor and I’Anson to decide the rostrum places on the day and I’Anson had that won until he slid off on the third turn with one lap to go. Naylor’s second place on the day gave him a final total of 50 points in the Championship with Stoneman second on 46 and Morley took third place with 45 points.
This Sunday the youngsters will be at it again as a Buxton Hitmen team take on a Carmarthan Dragons side in an Under 16’s Challenge that has been very kindly sponsored by Neil & Angela Watson of Renaissance Property Management with Barry Simpson of Simpson Racing UK also lending his support with some stuff for the riders. The meeting starts at 3pm and there will also be a 250cc mini-meeting after the main event. Many of the boys who competed in the British Under 15 Championships, including Garrity and Sarjeant, will be out on track along with some riders who have had a season of Conference League racing and it promises to be a good afternoon’s entertainment as they take part in a team competition rather than competing on an individual basis.
The Buxton side will include Ashley Morris, stepson of former Hitman Neil Painter while the Dragons will have Scott Meakins, son of Carmarthan promoter Gordon Meakins, in their line-up.
