April 26th, 2017.

2017 Nora-MX Quad Championship, Round 2, Grittenham, Chippenham, Wiltshire.
Sunday 23rd April 2017.




The second round of the Nora-MX series moved with the sunshine to the perfectly prepared track at Grittenham in Wiltshire and, again, the leading quad club welcomed an impressive entry of over 150 riders.

The Masters Support and Novice groups were first out and the first to trial a new split gate starting system. Geoff Otway was fastest in the Masters Support qualifying with a time of 2m:14s, but he was outclassed by Ray Walker when it came to the races; Walker claimed three holeshots and three wins, leaving Otway in second. In the Novice class, Scott Berlyn qualified fastest and, whilst the holeshots eluded him, he cleaned up in all three races.

Next up the 250’s and, with Josh Birch the fastest qualifier (2m:11s), it certainly looked like he had his mojo back. His glory was short-lived however, as Penzance’s Zak Orchard on his newly purchased steed, dominated events with two hole shots and three comfortable race wins. His largest winning margin was an impressive 12m:9s in the middle race, with Shelley Smart putting in a strong performance to take the runners-up slot.

In the highly-competitive Clubman/Elite class, Rhyds Owen put in the performance of the day. Greg Thynne qualified quickest with 2m:4s ahead of Sam Norris, but Owen proved he’s beginning to get the hang of the unfamiliar MX scene with three perfect holeshots and three comfortable wins leading from start to finish. Thynne finished second.




The largest group of the day was the fiercely fought Pro/ProAm class with a field of 33 of some of the UK’s best quad riders. Club Champion George Callaway – the only rider in qualifying to break the two-minute barrier with a fastest laptime of 1m:59.6s - looked set to bounce back from his round one disappointment. He shot out of the gate in the first race, taking the holeshot and a win over Carl Bunce by 0.7 seconds, but machine problems in the second race unfortunately ended his day. Race two saw Harry Walker grab his first Pro holeshot and set the early pace with Bunce in close contention. This turned into the race of the day. Bunce took the lead and led Walker and Mark McLernon for much of the race before McLernon made his move to take the lead and win. However, with Bunce looking a certain second, Walker made his move on the last corner of the race to grab two places and a well-deserved second placing. Race three saw a clash of six quads on the first corner, and gave the opening to George Day to take the race by the scruff of the neck and build a commanding lead. Day won by 20.8 seconds over Bunce, with Mclernon, Walker and Davies all within a nail biting one second at the end. Three different race winners certainly made this Pro class a thrill to watch.

Three straight wins and the fastest lap in qualifying in the 100cc class meant Luke Berlyn kept his one hundred per cent winning start to the season. His closest rival, Robbie Wood, was king of the holeshots though with a full-house of three. Unfortunately for Robbie, he had to settle for three second place finishes in the races.

The Masters A was the last group out and Ed Davies again showed his top quality with three race wins and a hundred per cent record. Davies never looked troubled and had winning margins ranging from 18 seconds to just over 33 seconds.

Next up is Round 3 at Culham in Oxfordshire on 7th May. Riders are recommended to get their entries in on time to avoid disappointment or late fees!




OVERALL ON THE DAY RESULTS
Pro Overall:
1. Mark McLernon (3,1,3)
2. Carl Bunce (2,3,2)
3. George Day (5,4,1)

Pro Am sub class winner:
Davin Bruneel (12,8,6)

Clubman Elite:
1. Rhyds Owen (1,1,1)
2. Greg Thynne (2,2,2)
3. Aaron Pole (5,4,6)

Clubman sub class winner:
Harry Carmichael (9,3,5)

Masters A:
1. Ed Davies (1,1,1)
2. Greg Fisher (3,2,2)
3. Ben Morgan (4,4,3)

250cc Overall:
1. Zak Orchard (1,1,1)
2. Josh Birch (2,10,3)
3. Shelly Smart (6,2,5)

Masters Support:
1. Ray Walker (1,1,1)
2. Geoff Otway (2,2,2)
3. John Hall (3,3,5)

Adult Novices:
1. Scott Berlyn (1,1,1)
2. Rick Indge (2,2,2)
3. Joe Sharp (6,5,4)

100cc Overall:
1. Luke Berlyn (1,1,1)
2. Robbie Wood (2,2,2)
3. Jago Jackson (3,3,3)

100cc Auto sub class winner:
Kieran Marriott (9,7,8)

50cc Sub class winner:
Rosie Walker (22,20,20)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Pro
1. #1 Mark McLernon, 190
2. #29 George Day, 172
3. # 7 Harry Walker (U21), 159

Pro-Am
1. #70 Davino Bruneel (U21), 194
2. #39 Tom Day (U21), 172
3. #44 Jack Norris (U21), 169

Clubman
1. #193 Dean Porter, 170
2. #56 Harry Carmichael, 155
3. #153 Oliver Martin, 151

Clubman Elite
1. #110Rhydian Owen, 194
2. #43 Greg Thynne, 186
3. #13 Iestyn Rowlands, 158

Masters
1. #16 Ed Davies, 200
2. #62 Gary Aldington, 171
3. #47 Greg Fisher, 166

Masters Support
1. #13 Ray Walker, 200
2. #44 Mark Smith, 163
3. #29 John Hall, 163

250cc Open
1. #201 Zak Orchard, 180
2. #69 Catrin Davies, 172
3. #1 Scot Irons, 171

Adult Novice
1. #16 Scott Berlyn, 200
2. #73 Joe Sharp, 161
3. #14 Georgia Lent, 158

100cc Auto
1. #168 Kieran Marriott, 197
2. #77 Connor Yates, 167
3. #4 Frank Marston, 151

100cc Geared
1. #40 Luke Berlyn, 200
2. #6 Robbie Wood, 185
3. #44 Jago Jackson, 175

150cc Open
1. #7, Alfie Walker 120

50cc Auto
1. #13 Rose Walker, 197
2. #9 Olivia Dennis, 188