May 8th 2017.

Round 2, Sunday May 7th, Culham Moto Park, Oxfordshire

DEFENDING CHAMP MCLERNON BACK ON TOP

An impressive 38 British championship contenders lined up for the second round of the Cromwell Trucks British Championship at a well prepared Culham circuit yesterday.


Reigning champ Mark McLernon stormed his way back to the top of the leaderboard with two wins and a second place on the challenging riverside track. He heads to the third round with a slender two point lead over championship rival Paul Holmes.

McLernon was fastest in qualifying with a time of 2m:17.4s, with George Callaway just 0.15 seconds behind. He carried this speed into the first moto, taking the race by the scruff of the neck and a start to finish win. He was well supported by his fellow Irishmen Justin Reid and Leon Rogers who posted an all-Irish 1-2-3.

Race two started with Welsh youngster Dafydd Davies taking the holeshot and leading the familiar contenders of McLernon, Holmes, Carl Bunce, Callaway and Leon Rogers for a few laps. However, as the race developed the McLernon/Holmes battle took to the front of the field and was set to go to the line. Holmes saw the win slip away in the final stages when he picked up a puncture, leaving McLernon to take the chequered flag in first position.

A storming start to race three by Callaway, who quickly built up a commanding lead, was brought to a halt when he suffered from electrical problems. A hard-charging Holmes had picked his way through the pack and took the win by just over 33 seconds - the largest winning margin of the day. McLernon took a good second with wildcard Sheldon Seal coming through the field, after a mixed day, to grab the third spot.

The racing was tight too in the Under-21 group. An on-form Daffyd Davies and Harry Walker had clearly shaken off their unfortunate opening round and took first and second on the day, knocking James Bevan off the championship lead in the process. Belgian Davino Bruneel proved his credentials as a wildcard and took the third place on the podium.

The Rookie class was well contested too, with Callum Bates taking the honours after swapping to a Yamaha. Ireland’s Blake McCormick finished second and Brad Frost third.

Championship positions;
1. #1 Mark McLernon, 72 points
2. #2 Paul Holmes, 65 points
3. #151 Leon Rogers 53 points

U21 championship;
1. #15 Dafydd Davies, 72 points
2. #7 Harry Walker, 67 points
3. #70 Davino Bruneel, 52 points


Round 3 will be held at Landrake, Cornwall on 21st May, with round four of the Nora-MX championship.

Words: Pete Chell. Images: Nora-MX