The Sporting
T S I L C Y C R O T MO
..published monthly
orting motorcycling
News for social and sp
September 2021
Enduro, Grasstrack, Motocross, Road Racing, Speedway, Sprinting and Trials news
CONTAINS OFFICIAL EVENT ENTRY FORMS
The Sporting
MOTORCYCLIST
is published monthly and is available through your Clubs or by direct subscription
Editor
(ACU Southern Centre) John Bramall
16 Gifford Close, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 6PJ T: 01329 823282 E: johnbramall246@btinternet.com
Editor
(ACU South Midland Centre) Bob Twigg
2 Harwood Close, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, AL8 7SN E: bobtwigg@ntlworld.com
Editor & Advertising and Distribution
(ACU South Eastern Centre) Andy Wood 30 Westways, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6AA Tel/Fax 01732 865380
E: anmarprintingservices@gmail.com
Printed by
Anmar Printing Services, Edenbridge, Kent
SEPTEMBER 2021 VOL. 21 ISSUE 9 PUBLISHED ON THE 1ST OF EACH MONTH
All material for TSM should reach the editor by the tenth day of the month preceding publication.
FROM THE EDITOR'S CHAIR n By Bob Twigg
Greetings to all riders who are looking forward to getting their legs over again (what have I said)? On a more disturbing note, recently there have been instances of riders turning up at motocross meetings with brand new crash helmets that do not display an ACU sticker, make no mistake the organisers are quite within their rights to turn you away. All helmets used in speed events MUST show an ACU gold sticker. The senior technical officer at an event has the power to impound for the day any helmet he considers to be not in a fit condition to be used. If you are buying a helmet from a dealer and it does not have the required sticker ask the dealer why and suggest they get the helmet approved by the ACU. If you have an accident and your helmet is without the sticker you and the club are at serious risk of penalties, so be warned! We have all seen at events that include youngsters Dad's that believe their offspring will be the next Tony Bou or Jeff Smith, please Dads when you are at a meeting let you kids enjoy riding, I have seen kids reduced to tears by parents that tell kids off for what gear they were in , or not overtaking another rider or using the wrong line in trials. You must let the kids enjoy themselves, I remember talking to a marshal at a motocross who admitted their child's Dad has never ridden a motorbike! Sad that is. The Berkhamsted clubs National youth trial at Round Rocket was a really good event, the electronic marking system worked well with the results coming out soon after the last rider had finished. The sections were tough and some of them had to be eased as Saturday night rain and some more on the Sunday morn' needed modified hazards. It was great to see folk from all over the country there, some from as far away as Oban and the IOM, well done all. As we get back to something like normal, good luck to riders, organisers and officials, fingers crossed we will see an end to restrictions very soon, enjoy your riding!
Contributions in this issue: Alan Turner, Jim Connor, Mike Wiseman, Neil Emmott, Tom Grimshaw, John Sapsard, Roger Ashby, Vicki Tidd, Bob Twigg, Andy Wood, Gloria Moss, Richard Thomas, Bob Dyer Would you like to contribute? Please send to the editor, contact details on page 3.
Cover Photo: Steve and Izzy Saunders Photo by: Mick Auger
Post reports about what is happening with motorsport in your centre.
facebook.com/thesportingmotorcyclist 3
Tidd Trials Q By Vicki Tidd With the arrival of two Tidd boys, we hoped that they would share in our passion for trials riding. We brought Mason an Oset 16 for his 4th birthday and spent much of the following year practicing at local trials grounds, with him gaining in confidence and us picking both Mason and the bike up hundreds of times!! Mason's first trial was with Berko MCC at Nash Mills, when the aim was simple, to have fun and finish, of which he did both. Mason grew very quickly and this meant progressing up through the bike sizes much quicker than we had anticipated. He moved on to an oset 20 at 6 years old and this was a real turning point with the extra power and bigger wheels providing the perfect combination for really getting stuck in. We joined Surrey School boys shortly after this, with Mason skipping the rookie route and riding the beginner route. 10
He was unbeaten on this route for all of the autumn and winter 2019 taking the win in both championships, an incredibly proud moment, and 2 wonderful pieces of silver wear to the
saw a 4 year old Thomas first started competing in trials at Berko MCC and Surrey schoolboys. He has had an absolute blast picking up a number of wins, but most importantly having lots of fun. 2021 has seen both boys being very kindly supported and sponsored by Andy Rich at MK Off Road and Central Scanning Limited. This has been a great opportunity to meet new people, ride at new venues and support a small family business. Both boys have competed in the West Midlands Oset cup organised by MK Off Road, with the first round bringing a double victory. It is very easy to lose sight of what the sport is all about and there can often be a lot of pressure for the younger children to perform and succeed at all costs. We have tried to avoid this, retaining the importance of fun and family. collection. Christmas 2020 gave us a dilemma, with a 7 year old Mason now too tall for the oset 20. We deliberated the Beta 80/Oset 24 bike choice for many hours, but opted for the lighter oset 24. Mason moved up to the novice route with the restarting of trials in 2020 and has experienced the highs and lows of riding the bigger bike. In the last 9 months, Mason really has exceled on his oset 24, pushing his bike to its limits (much to the detriment of our wallets) and hitting obstacles way beyond his years. The next part of the journey has begun, with Mason now learning to master his beta 80. Thomas has grown up knowing no different. Everywhere Mason rode, Thomas came to watch. He got on oset 16 when he was 3 and yet again there was no stopping him. During lockdown he had lots of bike time, learning the basics of how to control the bike. March 2021,
11
Kent Kings Speedway News
Len Silver receiving Hall of Fame Award from Scott Nicholls. Credit Oddshots Photography
Q By Neil Emmott Len Silver Enter the Hall of Fame. Kent Speedways co-promotor Len Silver is the latest inductee into British Speedway's Hall of Fame. The veteran Kent Speedway co-promoter received the honour with the presentation of the commemorative framed race jacket at the home meeting v Eastbourne from seven times British Champion and current TouchTec Kings' skipper Scott Nicholls. On being presented with the honour Len commented, "When I was presented with the induction to the Speedway Hall of Fame memorabilia before the meeting against Eastbourne, I was gobsmacked that I had been chosen and I am humbled by the honour." Paul Hurry Hangs Up His Speedway Kevlars Kent were rocked by the news that Paul Hurry has decided to call time on his speedway career. When telling the team and its fans Paul said "Following several attempts by myself to overcome some of my old injury problems that affect my ability to race, I have today decided 38
to step down from the Kings team in order that the club can improve their performances. In spite of not doing as well as I had hoped, I have enjoyed being part of what I consider to be one of the greatest clubs in the league. I thank you all for your support". Following the news of Paul's retirement Kent moved swiftly to bring in Australian International star, Troy Batchelor. Alongside Troy the Kings round off the team with the inclusion of teenage Grass Track Star Jake Mulford who fills the void left by Tom Bacon's earlier retirement. Home Meeting Reviews: July 27 The swashbuckling Pirates from Poole raided the home of the Kent Kings and left with all available points. After heat 3 the Kings were 10-8 up on the Pirates but then the south coast raiders took charge and were never headed again. The Kings defended their decks gallantly, but by heat 11 they trailed by 8 points. By the time the Pirates headed home their treasure haul included a 14 point win over the Kings.
Final Score: Kent Kings 38 – Poole Pirates 52. August 3 Eastbourne came to Kent and stole an away win in the fashion of a Premiership Football Team. After nicking an early goal with a 2-4 point advantage in heat 1, they parked the bus and 9 of the remaining 14 heats ended in a draw. The Eagles took the point advantage in a further 3 heats while the Kings could only outscore the Eagles in 2 of the 15 heats. A 5-1 win for the Kings in the final heat 15 was not enough to claw back the early deficit. Final Score: Kent Kings 43 – Eastbourne Eagles 47. August 10 The Edinburgh Monarchs came a long way south to try to steal the crown jewels from the Kent Kings, but they were sent away with a single league point. In a closely fought contest the Kings were never headed by the Monarchs. The visitors from North of the Border only managing to secure three heat advantages. With the Monarchs taking an unexpected 1-5 advantage in the final heat, it was not enough to close the gap that had opened up during the meeting. Final Score: Kent Kings 46 – Edinburgh Monarchs 43. August 17 Kent Kings made easy work of stopping the Berwick Bandits taking anything during their attempted raid on Central Park. With the first three heats ending in a 5-1 in for the Kings, the writing was on the wall for the Bandits. By heat 8 the Kings had stretched their advantage to 20 points. There was no fight back on the cards for the Bandits as they only managed to take any point advantage in just 2 of the 15 heats, a 2-4 in heat 9 and a consolation 1-5 in heat 15. This one was over before it had barely got started. Final Score: Kent Kings 57 – Berwick Bandits 33. August 24 For a second home meeting running, Kent Kings stopped the visiting Newcastle Diamonds from cutting through Central Park. Kent took maximum points (5-1) in 6 of the 15 heats while the Diamonds could only manage to take heat point advantages in 3 races, and only one of those was a 1-5 win. By heat eight Kent were well ahead having scored double the points of Newcastle. The second part of the meeting saw
Troy Batchelor prepares for his Kent debut. Credit Neil Emmott a minor fight-back by the Diamonds in where they gained their three heat advantages, but with the Kings taking two of their maximum point races in heats 13 and 15 they proved to strong for the visitors from the north east. Final Score: Kent Kings 56 – Newcastle Diamonds 34. August 30 Birmingham (4pm – Bank Holiday Monday), see next Month's TSM. September Fixtures: 07 Scunthorpe - Championship 14 Leicester - Championship 21 Kent Royals v Berwick – National League 28 Kent Royals v Belle Vue – National League October Fixtures: 05 Kent Royals v Leicester – National League 12 Kent Royals v Armadale – National League 19 Kent Royals v Mildenhall – National League 39
The Sporting
MOTORCYCLIST
A monthly publication written by enthusiasts for enthusiasts
Subscription Form
Would you like to receive The Sporting Motorcyclist? Please complete your relevant details below or we can email you a subs form, address below. Simply fill in this form and return by post with either a cheque (made payable to “The Sporting Motorcyclist”) or pay via bank transfer, using the payment reference of "your name TSM" (HSBC Bank Sort code: 40-20-35 Account Number: 91051687):
Andy Wood, 30 Westways, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6AA Choose your subscription (NEW RATES from January 2021) : 2nd class post
Please tick
12 issues - £26 • • • •
1st class post
Please tick
12 issues - £30
The Sporting Motorcyclist Contains: Entry forms and regulations for Motocross, Trials, Enduro, Grasstrack events Information on the management of the sport in your centre Previews and reports on events Action photos
• • • •
Official news from the ACU and over 160 clubs in the Southern, South Eastern and South Midland Centres Fixture lists / championship tables Social events Your contributions?
Name: .......................................................................................................... Address: ...................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... ..................................................... Postcode: .............................................. Tel. No.......................................... Email:.................................................... Please contact us immediately if your details change.
Please complete the following for our records (Delete non-applicable) 1) Are you a competitor / non competitor ? 2) Motorcycle Club: _______________________________ 3) Interest(s): Trials / Motocross / Grasstrack / Speedway / Enduro / Roadracing / Sprint / Hillclimb / Roadriding Your details are only used by The Sporting Motorcyclist for administration purposes, they are not shared with any third party and are held securely in line with the Data Protection Act 1998. This form is valid from January to December 2021
Form generated for September 2021 issue
Send membership queries to: anmarprintingservices@gmail.com