July 9th, 2019.


Two young Scottish lads lifted major British titles at Cusses Gorse last weekend at the final round of the seven-round championship series run by NORA-MX.

Scottish Borders schoolboy Robbie Wood (14), supported by SortOil UK and Wulfsport, won the ACU 250cc British Championship by 43 points, adding his name to the likes of Dillon, Sinclair and Orchard, all young riders now racing at the top level of the sport in the UK. Wood had been leading the championship from round three, despite challenges from talented teenagers Luke Berlyn, Alfie Walker and Dylan McKenna, but it was Berlyn who posed the greatest threat, come the final round. A fifty-point lead over Berlyn meant that Wood needed two incident free races to clinch the title, and the day started well with a moto one holeshot and win. Race two saw the pair swopping position twice over the holeshot corner, but Wood’s lead and points advantage quickly diminished as a rear puncture restricted his speed. Not entirely sure if he had done enough, Wood took the holeshot on the third moto, again closely pursued by Berlyn, who got the advantage on lap 2, in a race reminiscent of the pair in the 2017 season when they regularly battled for top two positions in the 150cc championship, which Berlyn eventually won.

This time though, with Berlyn taking the win on the day, it was Wood who emerged to take the coveted British crown, a goal that was set in 2017 when a plan was hatched between Justin Reid and Wood’s father Andrew to create a Can-Am Husqvarna 250cc hybrid. Some creative engineering from the Northern Irish Champ, combined with the engine building skills of SCT delivered a race-quad that hasn’t missed a beat for two seasons. Wood’s 2018 “practice season” on the 250cc bike took him to runner-up position behind Northern Ireland’s Jack Young, strengthening his resolve to go one better this year.

Wood is one of only two Scots who took on the challenge this year to travel the 900-mile average round trip each race weekend. Gary Atkinson (24) from Fife is the other, and his commitment paid off to when he won the ACU Clubman British Championship by a mere five points from Thomas Yates. Atkinson’s biggest challenge was at round one at Wroxton in April, when, despite taking the top spot in qualifying, mechanical issues left him without any points at the end of the day. He made up for it at the double-header at Grittenham with four wins in six motos, setting the scene for a spectacular season’s racing with the dogged Yates, as well as Lewis Rowles and Ryan Walters. By the penultimate round, Atkinson had climbed to second and had Yates in his sights. But with interloper Alfie Walker threatening to steal some points away from Atkinson, it took till the last race of the last event for him to clinch it.

Both Wood and Aktinson also compete in the northern based NETT and QRS championships, so head to Dean Moor for the Connor Smith Memorial event on July the 20th and 21st before another long trip south to Pont de Vaux where Atkinson is tackling the Kenny Contest single handed, while Wood, because of his age, will enter the Maxxis Kids Quad section of this iconic event.


Pictured - #6 Robbie Wood leads #40 Luke Berlyn in the 250 Open