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Cannock at Abbotts Bromley
AMCA (South Staffs) Group                                                            report & pics by Vanessa Tighe

Ex ACU rider Brad Turner has his eye on the AMCA MX1 Championship crown this year and made a stunning start with a hat trick of wins in the MX1 Qualifiers at Abbotts Bromley last Sunday.  Brad joined the AMCA last year and spent it wisely keeping his nose to ground, familiarising himself with the tracks in preparation for his 2009 assault.

To accommodate the South area Qualifiers, Experts and Juniors were split into unlimited classes with only the Seniors getting their own MX1 and MX2 races.

For once, weather reporters had it spot on and it was a glorious day for racing.  The track looked in good shape at the start of the day, with the rhythm section altered making it smoother to ride and better all round.  The track did rough up as the day progressed but it took a beating from the quality and volume of racing.

A littering of red flags delayed proceedings a little, a couple associated with the start gate, which failed a few times, and one for veteran rider Malk Palmer, who hit the deck after having his back wheel clipped.  He is now enjoying a well-earned rest, courtesy of Burton Hospital, receiving treatment for a punctured lung.  Get well soon.

An impressive field of riders took to the start for the first of the two-leg MX1 Qualifiers.  All eyes were on Brad Turner, riding his familiar 808 plate.  He didn’t disappoint, taking all three wins with comfortable leads.  Stratford Pyramids rider Jamie Wilson looked in great form and led the opening moto for a lap but couldn’t quite match the pace of Turner. 

A 3-3-2 scorecard however saw him finish the day in second place.  Alan Pearce was always in the mix and finished just three points behind in third.

Competition was red hot in the first of the Experts unlimited, with Craig Chamberlain, Dale Halls and Jonathan Slesser battling it out all day.  Chamberlain led the pack out in the opening moto, with Halls nipping into the lead early on but with Slesser breathing down his neck, he lost it momentarily allowing Slesser to take the lead.

Slesser’s blistering form continued throughout the day with the overall in the bag.  Chamberlain and Halls followed him home for second and third respectively.

Simon White was on the ball in the Experts Unlimited Group Two, taking maximum points from three races.  Despite following home Joe Wright in the first two races, seasoned rider Graham Nicklin took second overall as Wright failed to score points in the final moto.  Dave Livesey took the final podium place.

With a win apiece in the MX1 Seniors, three riders battled it out for the top spot.  Rhys Cook was the eventual victor after a win in the final moto consolidated his earlier runner up spots.  Matt Davis took second place with Michael Allsopp just two points behind in third.

The MX2 Seniors saw some competitive racing with no clear-cut winner in evidence, the overall going to David Corbett after a hard fought win in the final moto.  Tom Marsh secured the runner up spot with Jamie Wilson completing the line-up.

Home rider Lewis Cole took the overall in the Juniors Unlimited Group One with a 2-1-1.  Bradley Chilton’s consistent form saw him runner up across three races for second place with third going to Grant Harrison.

Tough competition in the second Juniors Unlimited Group left it all to ride for in the final moto, as Daniel Butlin stepped up to the plate with a win for the overall.  Tom Roeton took second with James Smith third despite tying on points, the best place finish in the final moto coming into play.

Craig Perks took the overall in the Inter Juniors and looked set for a clean sweep but just lost out to second place Oliver Brockley in the final moto.  Jordan Pratt rode well for third place.
Cannock ran a very well organised meeting, excellent timing from the finish of one race to the start of the next.  Red flag incidents were dealt with very quickly.  The quality of racing across all groups was outstanding and is testament to why this venue gets filled to capacity very quickly.
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