Freezing temperatures but plenty of action to keep a large holiday crowd happy as Market Rasen’s Peter Boast claimed his third win in four years at the annual Christmas Cracker Short Track motorcycle meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway in Scunthorpe on Saturday (27/12/08).

That the joint sponsors were Pozzani water and Silkolene oils was altogether appropriate as track preparation was somewhat akin to pouring oil on troubled waters with a deep overnight frost wrecking havoc on a recently re-laid shale surface.  This created surprises aplenty in the fast and furious format of the main event: where fields of 12 riders mounted on an extraordinary range of bikes and from an equally large a range of different motorcycling disciplines, did battle with the aim of a place in the 12 lap Grand Final.  There was some chagrin among the Speedway faithful on the packed terraces that former Scorpions favourite, Tai Woffinden failed to appear.  That disappointment, though, was more than made up for by the amazing display of dirttrack racing put on by Road Racing legend, star of the 2008 Isle of Man TT races: Steve Plater.  The Woodhall Spa-based racer stormed to the Final, demonstrating his extraordinary versatility in the most difficult of conditions.  It was a true sporting master’s lesson to others who might baulk at such problematical racing dilemmas.  Foremost among these were the choice of tyres - with the normal dirttrack tyres really not going to do the trick with the dirt lifting off the surface due to the frosty conditions.  Making light of that additional problem, though, were former Speedway rider and member of that world famous Manchester racing dynasty, the Collins family, Aidan Collins who made the Final; along with the brightest star in the British youth dirttrack firmament, Tom Woolley.

Woolley from Burton has twice reigned supreme in the UK Youth Short Track championship and claimed the inaugural ACU British Under 15s championship in the fast-growing discipline at Peterborough’s East of England Showground in September.  Recently turned 16, this was Woolley’s senior début and mounted on the 450cc CCM FT machine the youngster was the star of the day, attaining a hugely creditable eighth in the Grand Final and scooping the accolade of top performer sponsored by Helmets4U. 

Aside from Plater’s powerhouse performance, Collins’ heroics and young Woolley’s oh-so impressive debut, it was to prove an afternoon for the smaller machines on view: the 200cc to 300cc machines finding themselves able to compete ably with their much larger and potentially more powerful counterparts due to the tricky track conditions.  Horncastle’s Karl Willerton was mounted on the main event’s smallest machine, a 200cc KTM yet just missed out on the rostrum; with Honda-mounted, Chris Fairburn (a champion at the Lincolnshire-based sport of Sand Racing) just behind in fifth.  For the fourth year running, the Road Racing brother of one-time Scunthorpe Speedway rider Benji, Dijon Compton steered his 250cc Yamaha to a lofty position in the overall rankings.  Fairburn was selected by sponsors Triple A Racing as top newcomer – whilst it was eventually left to one of the Short Track series’ most experienced practitioners, Tealby’s Tim Greig to mount the closest challenge to the dominant Boast.  The Final was a dramatic affair with the likeliest challenge to front rower Boast expected to come from unexpected comeback star, Tony Primmer.  But the Australian who starred for the world-famous Wimbledon Speedway club in the late 1980s, unfortunately crashed out on the second turn; and the restart saw a three-way Lincolnshire battle for supremacy with Boast prevailing from Greig who passed Plater late on.

A new attraction for the festive crowd was a unique Best Pairs event complete with ‘Le Mans’-style race to the machines and relay handovers: the protagonists mounted on the delightfully nippy 150 X-Trail Flattrackers (regularly used in indoor action at Lincoln’s city-centre, Gridline Racing, near Pelham Bridge).  Skegness-based Glyn Pocklington, partnered by one-time European Superstock Champion from Sheffield, Karl Harris took the honours in this fun-packed event from Boast and Plater with Woolley and multi-national Grasstrack champion and Sheffield Tigers Speedway star, Paul Cooper claiming the third spot on the rostrum.

Finally there was four-wheeled action in the Welbourns of Wisbech Quads with double national champ Alan Hooker from Caistor claiming victory ahead of Boston’s Chris Wright.  Providing a great lift for the fans braving the unsurprisingly wintry conditions was a heartening showing by literally the only member of the fairer sex in action: with Chesterfield’s Mandy Renshaw holding off the challenge of the younger Hooker brother, Mark to claim a rapturously-received third place overall.

Silkolene Pozzani Short Track Grand Final Results
1st Peter Boast             450 Suzuki
2nd Tim Greig                450 ASR Honda
3rd Steve Plater             450 HM Plant Honda
4th Karl Willerton           200 KTM
5th Chris Fairburn          250 Honda
6th Dijon Compton         250 Yamaha
7th Aidan Collins            450 BVS Honda
8th Tom Woolley            450 CCM

Welbourn's Quads Results
1st Alan Hooker             350 Banshee
2nd Chris Wright            300 Honda
3rd Mandy Renshaw       350 Banshee

Slipstream Motorcycles 150 X-Trail Flattrack Best Pairs Results
1st Glyn Pocklington & Karl Harris
2nd Peter Boast & Steve Plater
3rd Tom Woolley & Paul Cooper