Robert Hamilton takes overall Expert honours at the penultimate round of the G&G Ross Irish Motocross Championship while Andy McKee becomes the first Irish champion of 2011 winning the Clubman MX2…
Every now and then Mother Nature will do her upmost to throw a spanner in the works and when the penultimate round of the G&G Ross Irish Motocross Championship arrived at Seaforde, Co Down it almost turned into a day of riders slipping and sliding their way around the hillside circuit. Overnight rain had left riders facing an early morning mud bath as they rolled out onto track for practice. With conditions failing to improve for the first block of racing, the track was revised when the opening Grade C MX2 race resembled scenes of the legendary 1998 Foxhill’s Motocross des Nations as many riders became stranded on the treacherous hill climbs. The change in course also brought with it a change in weather, dramatically improving conditions and opening up the track for better lines and better racing.
With conditions far from pretty, the Expert class took to the start line for their opening race. A good start would be a must to stay out of trouble. The G&G Ross Yamaha of Robert Hamilton was fastest out of the blocks and gladly grabbed the holeshot, with Stephen Kelly and Ricky Watt next in line. Getting squeezed tight in the first turn, AJ Plumbing’s David Gorman lost the fight with the tyre wall and was the first to hit the deck, which also collected Ed Allingham. Gorman would put on an impressive charge from last to work his way to fourth at the flag. With clear vision Hamilton was out front putting in some fast laps but a returning from injury Gary Gibson was making inroads into Hamilton’s lead. By mid-distance it seemed like the lead might change hands but Robert had both race pace and fitness on his side and eeked out a comfortable lead that he’d hold to the end. Championship leader Tommy Merton worked his way into third while BodyTech’s Richard Bird would drop from fourth to fifth after crashing late on in the race. TMC’s John Meara was first of the MX2 brigade.
Hamilton's winning races but needs a miracle to win the championship
With conditions significantly drier, Gibson showed he’d lost none of his reaction times while sitting on the sidelines and grabbed the initial holeshot though Hamilton quickly took over. For two laps, Gibson shadowed his every move as Bird moved into third followed by Gorman, Merton and Allingham who in a race within the race was leading MX2. Eyeing up a pass, Gibson pushed his way through to the front and set about chasing his first win of the season. But body language can tell a lot and soon it seemed clear that Gibson was running out of steam. A mistake was coming and after crashing not once but twice he was out of contention. The race was now back on as Hamilton inherited the lead, though this time he had stronger company from Bird and Merton. With the two-lap board out, a mistake from Merton turned the trio into a duo but no matter how close Bird got, Hamilton had enough left in the tank to keep him covered taking his second win of the day. Allingham rode the socks off his MX2 machine for 4th overall and 1st MX2.
Again Gibson opted for the far outside starting gate and again he grabbed the holeshot but mistakes would drop him initially down to fourth and eventually to seventh. Finally upfront the roles were reversed as Bird found himself out front with Hamilton chasing. This time Bird would control the pace not allowing Robert to come within range of a pass preventing a Portavogie hat-trick. Merton would settle for a comfortable third though again Allingham would come close to his rear wheel at the chequered flag with David Gorman fifth.
McCormick went 2:1:1 for Semi-Expert Overall
In Semi-Expert, it was Glenn McCormick that secured overall honours with two wins and a second. But it was championship leader Ryan Glover that bagged the opening win taking advantage of early pace setter Jordon Martin’s dismount just three laps from home. McCormick worked his way to second fending off Andrew Gill in third. For race two, McCormick was quickly out front setting a pace the others struggled to follow. Martin made no mistakes this time to finish second while David Russell worked his way to third ahead of Gill and Gordon Clarke in fifth. For the final race, McCormick didn’t have it all his own way as Gill held station out front for the first three laps. Soon though McCormick took control of proceedings and earned his second win of the day. Gill settled for second while Martin took care of third.
With just six races left in the championship chase, Clubman MX1 had become a two-horse race between Martin Portis and Chris Lappin. Leading into Seaforde Portis held just an eight-point advantage over Lappin, but leaving it he would find himself four in arrears. Wild card Gary Price was the first spoiler in the mix grabbing a muddy first moto win while Lappin battled through for second. It was Bobby Watts who became spoiler number two as he won race number two, with Chris Lynd beating Lappin to the flag for second while Portis finished fourth. Lappin would thankfully win the final race with a late race pass on Portis two-laps from home to take control of the points chase with one round remaining.
Andy McKee is your 2011 Clubman MX2 Irish Champion
With ten-wins and 18 podiums out of 21 starts, Seaforde saw the crowning of the first 2011 Irish Motocross champion as Andy McKee nailed down the Clubman MX2 championship with one round to spare. Being pretty much the rider to beat, the penultimate round of the championship was again kind to McKee as he wrapped up the championship with two wins and a second. Aaron Ashton was the only rider to prevent a McKee hat-trick as he took the chequers in moto two. Jordan Wade rounded out the podium with three steady rides for third overall.
The G&G Ross Irish Motocross Championship concludes at Gormanstown, Co Meath on September 24th, and the premier title still up for grabs it’s promising to be a season ending showdown.
Race Results: HERE
Championship Standings: irish 11 rd 7