If it wasn’t hot enough in Lochgilphead at the weekend, the riders turned up the heat in all classes. From Auto’s to MX1, the racing was full of drama. In every class, the results went right down to the wire. The track had been worked on in the weeks leading up to the race and widened to make for better racing. With temperatures soaring over the two days, it needed plenty of water to keep the dust down. With the track prepped, the scene was set, and the racing did not disappoint the busy crowd who had turned out in numbers to see some non-stop action.
Autos
Harris Curran showed his speed in the first round was no fluke as he was fastest in qualifying and got three Holeshots sponsored by AMD. He would have a battle on his hands as Jack Martin would ultimately spoil his day by taking the overall for the weekend after the two battled it out over the four races to finish equal on points. With Jack taking the race win in the last race on Sunday after Harris had hit the dirt and bent his helmet peak down so his view was impaired, it meant on count back, Jack got the overall. There were some spirited rides throughout the class as the nature of the autos always involves a few minor thrills n spills to keep the mums and dads on their toes! Brodie Bennet managed to edge out Hunter Haldane after a last lap spill cost Hunter the last podium place.
65’s
The racing stepped up a gear in the 65’s as a thrilling last race saw Alfie Lawrie secure the overall after a dogged and determined ride. The pace setting Aaron Todd looked like he would breeze the weekend as he qualified fastest, four places above Alfie, but as fate would have it, it was not to be. He had to settle for second overall. Ethan Gawley was in the mix as the top three all won a race, and he was always there in case any of them slipped up. Lyall Rutherford was the best of the rest as he took fourth overall. Some way back on points but it’s his first season on the 65 so an impressive start for the youngster.
85SW / 85BW
The 85’s are always great to watch. Hard to tell sometimes who’s riding what class and there were a few SW riders showed they are worth watching! It was a masterclass from Malachi Allan and the SW stole the show with Robbie Scott and Jaden Anderson running up front in the combined race all weekend. The luckless Kyle Graham missed out on a podium, but he kept putting in the laps as the hard pack track took its toll on a few riders.
The BW was dominated by Robbie McCulloch with four class race wins. Charlie McDonald’s solid riding gave him an easy 2nd place and Aaron Tait edged out Owen Bennett as Owen’s last race limited his chances of a final podium as he suffered a bike problem. Checoby Rainey just missed out on a higher placing as a creditable third in the last race just fell short by 2 points of overhaling Owen.
Youth Rookies
Charley Irwin’s weekend was nearly spoilt in the last race with a poor start, but he charged through the pack to secure a third place and bagged the overall. Lee Cameron’s 2,2,2,1 was not quite enough to overhaul Charley but proved he’s got the speed and consistency to battle Charley this season. Logan Ferguson proved it’s not a two horse race this year, but he couldn’t turn the AMD holeshot into a race win in the final race as Lee caught and passed him. More to come from this class and it’s historically been the class to watch but the other classes have caught them up!
2 Stroke (Saturday)
A buoyant entry at the first round proved that the inclusion of a 2-stroke class was a great addition to the ScotMX meeting. Lochgilphead saw a reduction in numbers, but the racing was just as dramatic and intense. Dylan Carnegie’s return to racing showed he’s not lost his speed as he ragged his 250 KTM round the track. Grabbing an AMD holeshot and screaming “woo hoo” as he rounded the first left hander and almost losing it as he had a bar to bar slapper, but he kept it pinned and never looked back. Missing from the ‘mylaps’ results but Steven Craig ran a ’07 CR125 up against the 250’s and bossed them every race. The screaming 125 grabbed everybody’s attention and his jaw dropping ride made him rider of the meeting for me. The retro Fox gear looked superb as well. Steven would finish 2,4,2 but that wasn’t reflected in the official results. Logan Hendry looked like he was loving the two stroke 250 and pushed hard all day and was rewarded with the win in race three. Jack Taylor’s return to racing dramatically improved from Round 1 as he breezed the final podium slot. With the Arbroath crew cheering him on from the side lines, he proved there’s more to come. Greg Maxwell had a quiet weekend with a distant 4th in the class, but he’ll bounce back next round.
Adult Support (Saturday)
The striking kit worn by Billy McKenzie made him the standout rider before he’d even started the bike. The distinctive black and orange contrasted his Kawasaki perfectly and his riding was as immaculate as his kit. Billy blasted out the gate, rode hard for a few laps then coasted to three race wins. Aiden Bruce charged hard but couldn’t match the pace of Billy Mac. The second place was a given for Aiden and Fraser Norrie’s solid riding was enough for the final podium. The next three riders were within a point of each other as the rest of the field scrambled for positions.
Vets o40/o50/o60
The Scottish Twinshock club were well represented as some of their top riders were back to compete the in the ScotMX vets. Brian Alexander showed why he’s the man to beat at both clubs as he won the overall in the o40’s comfortably on the big KXF450. Overconfident and over jumping the tabletop at one point, he managed to save it by using the start straight to brake before he lost it. Fraser Watson pushed hard and secured the second spot and Mark Mason was rewarded for his efforts with a podium place. Hard to tell what class is racing with the three age groups so it was a pleasant surprise for him. The o50’s is always a hard-fought win and the holshot specialist, Gordon ‘Montana’ Morrison got the bragging rights this time as he got the overall win. He didn’t get all the AMD holeshots as Ian Wilson grabbed the final AMD holeshot of the day. He hopes his son Reece, Downhill MTB World Champion gets to see the evidence! The holeshot wasn’t enough as the top three all finished in the same running order each race as Morton Hannah would finish in front of Ian on his new Honda fourstroke. A rare sight but he suits the four stroke Honda.
The o60’s was won by Paul Chiappa showing there’s plenty life left in the multiple Scottish Twinshock champion.
Adult ‘C’
Traditionally, there’s never a standout rider in the C class as there’s usually a different winner in every race but Lewis Carey stamped his authority on the class with three impressive wins. John Kenny rode hard and improved on a nervy few laps in qualifying to edge out the fast-starting Dale Hynd by 2 points. Gary Lockyer had a great third race as he grabbed the AMD holeshot and ran in front before being overhauled but his third place was enough for a solid 4th overall.
Adult ‘B’
The B class has always had strength in depth and having Elaine MacEachern, the ACU British Champion attend the meeting was a real boost for all the kids watching to inspire them. Local to Lochgilphead, her track knowledge and hard work ethic would stand her in good stead to take on the packed class. There’s great rivalry through the classes and Myles Reid and Rory Johnson who are the best of pals got to bang bars and see who had bragging rights. Myles secured two race wins to Rory’s one and the overall as his super smooth style showed the track could be conquered. Elaine would get herself right in the mix as she battled with Rusty Robertson, Jamie Clarke and Rory Johnson for the podium places. Rusty was always going to threaten for the top spot, but it was Myles day. He did enough to beat Jamie on count back as the pair finished on equal points. The unfortunate Irishman had a nightmare crash in the third race which cost him dear. Elaine missed out on the top four as she was beaten by a couple points by Rory, but she rode her heart out and pushed all day bagging a second place in the last race.
MX1 / MX2
What a mouth-watering line up it was in the MX1 (sponsored by Carnegie Fuels) and MX2 (sponsored by Safe Access) combined race. If you were to ask anyone in Scottish Motocross who their favourite rider was in the past 10+ years, no doubt it would be Ross Rutherford, Billy Mackenzie or Shaun Simpson (barring a few notable exceptions, BryMac/Stephen Sword). I can’t think if they’ve ever been in the same race recently or if ever, but the planets aligned, and they were all at Lochgilphead to race. Shaun had bragging rights in qualifying, but Billy was within a second of him. The first race had some real drama when Billy jumped the start gate and Shaun went end over end after Owen Hendry went down. The race was red flagged 20 seconds later as MX2 hopeful, Gregor Campbell went down hard after being hit by another bike, so they all got to line up again. This time, Billy grabbed the AMD holeshot legitimately and did his best to hold Shaun off, but the flying Scotsman showed why he’s still the man to beat. Ross ‘Bunga’ Rutherford would have his hands full all day trying to fend off the super-fast Lewis Hall on his two-stroke bike as the diminutive Englishman would spoil the scots party. Lewis, racing in the MX2 class, finished second in the first race beating Billy Mac to third. He would win the MX2 overall easily on the day with Steven Craig a distant second but considering the punishing riding he had done on Saturday, understandable in the heat! Jack Arthur’s season is on track as he gets the most out of his RMZ Suzuki. He lamented the first race re-start as he was running at the front when it was red flagged. Logan Hendry, back on a four stroke KTM managed to edge Ewan Kermack for the fourth spot. The pair battled hard all day but Hendry came out on top.
The top three MX 1 riders showed their class. The gnarly old school hard pack track did not phase them. They gave the track and each other respect and it was down to race craft and experience who would win the overall on the day. Simpson showed exactly why he is in the Top 3 in the British MX Championships. Shaun and Billy shared the AMD Holeshots but ultimately the three race wins for Simpson proved his dominance. Billy’s return to racing the British MX Championship has not doubt maintained his riding level and apart from Simpson, he had no competition all weekend. It was great to see Bunga getting back to race fitness after his knee operation last year. The remaining podium place was never in doubt for the multiple Scottish Champion. Aiden Bruce raced hard as ever and beat Dylan Carnegie into fourth overall. Dylan had swapped his two stroke for a 450 KTM and the MX1 championship sponsors son showed he still had the desire to race. Club sponsor Dyce Carriers Ltd were well represented in the MX2 class as a swap over to a KXF 250 gave Seth Moir a new lease of life.
Round 3 of the ScotMX Championship, powered by Milwaukee will be at Duns Motocross May 14th/15thMay. Entries are open and available www.scotmx.com
Words and Photo by Raymond Thompson
