Short Track Racing
Short Track Racing: McGuinness & Plater in action at Christmas Cracker.
By Admin
Dec 16, 2007, 20:35

Motorcyle racing fans have a festive treat to set pulses racing with the annual staging of the Robspeed Short Track Christmas Cracker at Scunthorpe Speedway stadium on Sunday 30th. December.  

Short Track, which has staged three enormously successful national series now, is Europe’s fasting growing motor-cycle sport and the Normanby Road track in Scunthorpe is one of its spiritual homes.  Despite the local Scorpions side reigning supreme in Speedway’s national Conference League, winning the Grand Slam of team competitions for two years running, last December’s Short Track Christmas Cracker meeting there actually holds the crowd attendance record; and that’s set to go this time with a hugely talented field of stars from across the motorcycle racing disciplines lining up at the tapes.

Short Track draws on the influences of both the early pioneers who brought oval-based dirt-track motor bike racing to the UK 80 years ago now and the hugely popular US discipline of Flattrack; and sees a field of 36 riders line up on especially adapted Supermoto, Motocross, Enduro or Dirttrack machines with just a rear brake, to do battle in races of up to 12 riders over 12 frenetic laps for this prestigious title sponsored by Robspeed Motorcycles of Grimsby.

No event on the motorcycling calendar anywhere in the UK matches the field of the Robspeed Christmas Cracker for variety - with stars brushing off the winter cobwebs to do battle in a line-up packed with leading exponents from the disciplines of  Road Racing, Superbikes, Motocross, Supermoto and Speedway – with no less than eight national champions in this year’s field!

Back for a second year is an absolute legend from the world of Road Racing: Morecambe-based John McGuinness.  A hugely entertaining Grand Finalist last time out, the versatile McGuinness is a former British 250cc Road Racing Champion, a race winner at Daytona and holds the record as the fastest rider in the 100 year history of the Tourist Trophy contested annually on the Isle of Man: 13 times a champion at the world-famous event, McGuinness was in the top two in all four major disciplines at this year’s centenary TT.

Aiming to achieve such legendary status, having been voted best newcomer on the Isle of Man this year and racing at the Cracker event for a third year running is AIM Yamaha Superbikes star, Steve Plater.  The racer from Woodhall Spa, Lincs is a twice British champion having claimed both the Powerbike and National Supersport titles and recently claimed victory for the second year running out in the Far East at the Macau GP.  Runner-up in this year’s World Endurance title race, Plater has impressed around the tighter confines of Normanby Rd. for two winters running now and will be very keen to add this title to his hugely impressive racing CV. 

Joining Plater from the world of Superbikes is fellow local star, Guy Martin from Caistor.  Martin is a three times winner of the Cock o’ the North and is 2007 Ulster GP winner.  Another former national champion is 1995 British title winner, Matt Llewellyn from Leicester; and completing the Superbikes brigade is 25 year old local speedster, Ben Wilson. Wilson from Kirton in Boston was one of the outstanding performers on his Short Track debut in last year’s Cracker event, winning the plaudits as the most exciting rider on view.

The Superbikes lads will have the strongest of challengers to their aspirations to triumph on the dirt from a quintet of top riders who make their living on the surface.  Leading the way is Britain Under 21 international, 18 year old Simon Lambert.  Boston-born and currently based in Gosberton Risegate in Spalding, Lambert enjoyed his finest moment of his fledgling Speedway career at the Scunthorpe track back in July leading the Barracudas to the Conference Pairs championship. 

Returning to the scene of that glory Lambert finds himself up against home rider, Benji Compton; plus three Premier League stars: Redcar’s hugely versatile Rusty Hodgson, Ricky Ashworth from the Sheffield Tigers and King’s Lynn Stars’ Adam Allott.  Double league-title winner with the Scorpions, Benji Compton has impressive family support at the Cracker from Road Racing sibling, Dijon who has remarkably finished on the rostrum in both of the last two years when mounted on by far the smallest bike in the field, a 125cc Yamaha - showing how important track craft is in this uniquely varied form of dirt-track racing.

Supermoto is represented by the former British 450cc champion, Scunthorpe-based Leighton Haigh.  Meanwhile, a quintet of top flattracking stars riders form the phalanx of Short Track specialists aiming to uphold the pride of their sport by claiming this prestigious crown.  Glynn Pocklington will be brimming with confidence after a successful 2007 series when he was fourth overall and a winner last time out at Scunthorpe back in October.  He will be joined by fellow Skegness speedster, Justin Hargate, twice a rostrum man in last season’s title race. 

Joining the Skeggy pairing will be the Market Rasen duo of Peter Boast and Tim Greig – both former winners on the Scunthorpe circuit; and from Stamford comes the up and coming,” Victor “raging” Bull.  Bull was fifth overall in the Short Track UK championship last year including two rostrum positions; and will be one of the favourites to step up to the plate at the Robspeed Christmas Cracker and in the 2008 series. Greig, meanwhile, was second in this year’s European Short Track series; while STUK's main man Boast is a real Mr. Versatile having ridden Flattrack in the US, the TT on the Isle of Man, Speedway with the Sheffield Tigers and has been a rostrum man in the World Ice Racing championship.  Proving he's still a force to be reckoned with, Boast is the reigning British Thunderbikes champion.

Finally, adding an antipodean flavour to proceedings is be a legend from down under, three times Australian Dirt Track Champion Nigel Arnold, making his UK track debut.

Providing supporting four-wheeled action will be the hugely exciting Short Track Quads class.

The meeting sponsored by Robspeed Motorcycles, North-east Lincolnshire's only authorised Kawasaki, Yamaha, Peugeot and Aprilia dealer; in association with Silkolene, Harley Davidson, Helmets4U and Performance Bike is at Scunthorpe Speedway Stadium, Normanby Road, Scunthorpe, DN15 9YG on Sunday, 30th December - start time of 1.00 pm.

Prices - Adults £10, Concessions £8, Juniors (12-5) £4 , Children under 5 years - free, Family ticket £20.