Race Reviews – 2019
Childe’s Play!
The Famous Chetton venue was host to Wrekin Grasstrack club & Formula Grasstrack’s first meeting of the 2019 season. In near perfect conditions after a small rain shower in the morning.
In the cub class, it was a Childe Family 1-2 with William Childe winning with a 7-ride maximum from Ethan Childe in 2nd place. 2018 Auto Cadet champion Ollie Binns improved throughout the day to take 3rd place ahead of Wrekin rider’s Joe Crewe and Harry Fletcher.
Billy Budd made his Junior category debut and what a way to start the 2019 season, taking 4 straight wins only dropping 4 points in the last two rides before going on to win the final. FGA newcomer Jake Breeze raced his way to a fantastic 2nd place ahead of former champion Sam Hall who was using his new machine built for 2019. The Class produced some fantastic racing with the fast-starting Gino Casale scoring consistently to take 4th place despite a hard fall in his last point scoring ride. In the Re-run, Newcomer Ryan Bow also took a tumble but managed to walk away. The final was geared up to be a battle between Whitchurch club rider’s Hall and Budd. Both making good starts, it was Budd who took the win.
The opening heat of the Senior’s was an insight into what was to come. The Fast starting Andy Binns making Liam Ashcroft work extremely hard to try and get by, entering turn 3 on the final lap, Ashcroft tried to get inside Binns but the surface was still damp and Ashcroft slipped off handing Binns the win and losing valuable points that would ultimately cost him the overall victory. 2018 Champion Martin Adams was in superb form, only dropping one point to Ashcroft in his 4th ride but it was Kinnerley’s Glyn Stanton who would take the top step on the day, riding to a 6 ride Maximum after some tough rides through out the day. Binns would take 4th place after losing out to Ashcroft in the final for 3rd place. 5th place went to Colin How who was struggling to make starts but still managed to take two race wins to finish level on points with Rob Southwell and Marcus Crutchington. Crutchington missing out on the A final on countback whilst How held off Southwell’s challenge in the A final. Crutchington’s consolation was a tapes to flag win in the B final ahead of Dave Binns. This class produced some fantastic racing all day on a superb racetrack.
Round 3 takes place at Alveley on 8th June More information can be found on the Formula Grasstrack Facebook page or www.formulagrasstrack.com
Results
Cubs
1st W. Childe 36 2nd E. Childe 27 3rd O. Binns 23
Juniors
1st B. Budd 32 2nd J.Breeze 26 3rd S. Hall 25
Seniors
1st G. Stanton 36, 2nd M. Adams 35, 3rd L. Ashcroft 32, 4th A. Binns 32, 5th C. How 31, 6th R. Southwell 31, 7th M. Crutchington 31, 8th D. Binns 30, 9th J. Jones 27, 10th J. Higham 26.
Gresford Weekender 2019
Whitchurch MCC once again hosted a tremendous Formula Grasstrack two-day event in sunny North Wales. The Gresford venue which has become a popular track on the calendar created some fantastic, close racing on both days.
Saturday’s meeting was Round 4 of the 2019 Championship with Sunday being the Re-run of round one which was rained off in April.
Saturday’s Cub class was won by Crewe’s Ollie Binns. Binns on a new machine was in outstanding form taking 7 straight wins and looking like he could go on to clinch the title come the end of the season. In 2nd place was Ethan Childe who chased Binns hard in the early heats. Last spot on the rostrum went to William Childe whilst Joe Crewe saw off Harry Fletcher’s challenge for 4thplace.
The Junior Class was a closer contest than the Cub’s. The top three from Round 2 at Chetton were once again the front runners with Shrewsbury’s Jake Breeze taking first blood in heat 1 ahead of Billy Budd whilst Sam Hall took 3rd. However, in the coming heats Budd and Breeze were to suffer non finishes as a result of falls, leaving Sam Hall to close the gap on the points table. Budd did manage to edge out the other two to take the win by one point. Breeze and Hall went into the final tied on points, but Breeze rode a fantastic race to take victory gifting him 2nd overall. A great achievement for the 2019 newcomer.
In the Senior Class, Champion Martin Adams was in superb form to go through the heats unbeaten however, Dave Binns matched this, leaving the final to decide the winner of the day. Glyn Stanton took 3rd overall 4th place went to Rob Fortune, returning to FGA after many years riding a new Pit bike engine machine, he consistently scored top three finishes all day. 5thwent to the fast-starting Nick Bull whilst Keith Murfin took 6th and final spot for the A final. Adams would show his style in the final, racing away from the start to lead Stanton and Fortune. Entering turn one on the final lap Fortune’s attempt to make it to the front ended in disaster, sliding off into the loose on the outside leaving Dave Binns to take a consolidating third place.
Results
Cubs
1st O. Binns 36, 2nd E. Childe 28, 3rd W. Childe 24, 4th J. Crewe 19 5th H. Fletcher 13
Juniors
1st B. Budd 28, 2nd J. Breeze 27, 3rd S. Hall 27, 4th O. Childe 17, 5th R. Bow 17
Seniors (Top 10)
1st M. Adams 36, 2nd D. Binns 36, 3rd G. Stanton 34, 4th R. Fortune 31, 5th N. Bull 30, 6th K. Murfin 28, 7th S. Mace 28, 8th J. Childe 26, 9th J. Higham 26, 10th N. Murfin 24
Gresford Weekender 2019
Sunday’s Round one Re-run saw a similar line up to Saturday although Liam Ashcroft was a notable entry. Having been due to ride Saturday, he was stranded in Bulgaria due to his flight being delayed.
Once again, Ollie Binns rode to a 7-ride maximum despite Ethan Childe applying more pressure throughout the meeting. Both riders showing superb track craft to put on a great display of racing. William Childe would claim the last podium spot with Joe Crewe riding consistently to 4th spot ahead of Harry Fletcher who suffered machine gremlins all afternoon.
Billy Budd took top spot in the Juniors, making life hard for himself after a fall in his 4th ride to blot his unbeaten run. Tying on points with Budd was former Champ, Hall with Jake Breeze taking third spot. Budd would g on to beat Hall to the line for the win in the Final.
Glyn Stanton would take the top honours in the Seniors only dropping one point to Liam Ashcroft in their final point scoring ride. Ashcroft took 2nd spot after a slow start in his first race, finishing third behind Steve Mace & Dave Binns. Third place was to be decided in the final between Rob Fortune and Dave Binns. Steve Mace improved on his Saturday result to take fifth ahead of Marcus Crutchington and Stroud’s Mark Furley. The final was a fantastic end to the day. The Top 7 charging to turn one with Ashcroft and Fortune coming out in front. The two would go bar to bar for 4 laps with Fortune looking to be getting away. Ashcroft had other ideas though, cutting back to the inside entering the last corner to snatch victory away from Fortune. Stanton was a spectator to the front two, taking a third.
Hard luck stories of the day go to Martin Adams whose day was plagued with mechanical gremlins, denying him a place in the top 7, finishing 8th overall. Kim Maddocks suffered a suspected broken arm after a heavy fall, colliding with the stricken John Higham in the 4th ride and Nigel Bowkett also went home bettered and bruised after a fall in his 4th outing.
Congratulations must go to the Rider’s of the Weekend. Ollie Binns & Ethan Childe. Both being awarded with Pro Green MX cleaning goodies by the Whitchurch Club.
Next Meeting is at Alveley on 13th July
Results
Cubs
1st O. Binns 36, 2nd E. Childe 30, 3rd W. Childe 24, 4th J. Crewe 18, 5th H. Fletcher 12
Juniors
1st B. Budd 30, 2nd S. Hall 30, 3rd J. Breeze 22, 4th O. Childe 20, 5th R. Bow 14
Seniors (Top 10)
1st G. Stanton 35, 2nd L. Ashcroft 34, 3rd R. Fortune 33, 4th D. Binns 33, 5th S. Mace 30, 6th M. Crutchington 27, 7th M. Furley 27, 8th M. Adams 24, 9th G. Finlow 23, 10th K. Murfin 23
Hall to the Max!
Wrekin Grasstrack club held round 5 of the 2019 FGA championship at the familiar Alveley venue near Kidderminster.
Good weather conditions produced close racing across all three classes. In the 9-12 Cub class, Ollie Binns once again took the top step although he didn’t have things his own way, dropping 4 points in the heats despite taking 3 race victories. Binns did take the victory in the final, however. William Childe would score 30 points on his was to 2nd place, 2 ahead of Ethan Childe. Wrekin Man Joe Crewe was to finish 4th, taking home valuable championship points.
In the Junior Category, Sam Hall turned on the form which brought his two Junior titles in 2016 & 2017, taking a 7-ride maximum. Championship leader Billy Budd rode consistently to 4 seconds and 2 thirds, to take 2nd whilst 2019 Newcomer Jake Breeze suffered a no finish in his first ride but continued the day with 2 thirds, 2 seconds and a 4th to take third. The junior championship is close now with Budd 4 points ahead of Hall who has a slender 1-point lead over Breeze.
Liam Ashcroft took his first championship win of 2019 after tying with Champion Martin Adams on 36 points before the final. Dave Binns took third after only dropping 2 points all day. Marcus Crutchington put in his best performance of the year with a 4thplace, finishing ahead of Colin How and Rob Fortune. In the winner takes all A final, Ashcroft got the better of Adams who could only finish third with Fortune separating the two. Adams now has a 4-point championship lead over Dave Binns with Marcus Crutchington sits in third. Stanton and Ashcroft have both dropped one round and sit in 4th and 5th respectively.
The next Round takes place on Saturday 3rd August at Hampton Hall, Near Malpas.
More information at www.formulagrasstrack.com or www.facebook.com/formula.grasstrack
Results
Cubs
1st O.Binns 34, 2nd W. Childe 30, 3rd E. Childe 28
Juniors
1st S. Hall 36, 2nd B. Budd 28, 3rd J. Breeze 21
Seniors (Top 10)
1st L. Ashcroft 36, 2nd M. Adams 36, 3rd D. Binns 34, 4th M. Crutchington 31, 5th C. How 30, 6th R. Fortune 29, 7th G. Finlow 29, 8th S. Flowers 29, 9th J. Higham 28, 10th S. Mace 27pts.
Marvellous Martin Matches Mace
Formula Grasstrack enjoyed a fantastic day of racing when Whitchurch MCC hosted the Jonathon Rodgers Memorial meeting & Championship round 6 at their Hampton Hall venue near Malpas on the Cheshire/ Shropshire border.
The racing was close throughout all the classes on a superb track, showcasing the FGA at it’s best.
Although the Cub class was a depleted entry due to the ACU youth Championship being on the same day, Harry Fletcher and Joe Crewe took full advantage, Fletcher holding Crewe at bay throughout the heats to take 6 straight wins. Crewe closed the gap as each race went on but saved his best until the final to take his only win of the day.
This year’s Junior class has produced some fantastic racing, Billy Budd, Sam Hall & Jake Breeze providing some close racing with nothing between them on track. This time out, Hall took victory only dropping 4 points throughout the afternoon. He started off by reeling off 3 wins, coming from behind to pass Budd and the fast-starting Breeze. Budd struggled in the first 3 rides but turned his day around to take 3 wins in the last 3 races before the final. Hall would take the final honours holding off Budd with the returning Gino Casale taking 3rd after Jake Breeze took a tumble. 2019 newcomer Ryan Bow taking 5th, after improving all afternoon.
The Senior class provided the best racing of the year and it came with some surprises, starting with champion Martin Adams being relegated to 3rd in heat 1 by the quick starting Colin How & Steve Mace. Mace’s gating would prove to be his trump card as he only dropped two points to How and Adams respectively putting in his career best FGA performance. Adams would match Mace’s score, going unbeaten at his heat one blip. After the heats, there was a 3-way tie between Championship front runner Glyn Stanton, Rob Fortune & Nick Bull. All three dropping 5 points on their way to a final decider. Joining the top 5 would be Gary Finlow and the Superb riding Jack Budd.
With the prestigious Jonathon Rogers Memorial Trophy up for grabs, the A final was geared up to be the race of the day but Adams was lightning from the tapes to take a clear lead for the first 2 laps, However, Fortune set about chasing the champion, using all his track craft to close the gap. Adams held on, taking victory on the day from Mace, who couldn’t mount a challenge. Fortune would take 3rd place points with Stanton ruing his slow gating in 4th. Nick Bull had his best meeting taking 5th. Gary Finlow edged out Jack Budd for 6th overall with his fantastic 3rd place in the final.
Notable performance by Luke McCormick, scoring consistently to take 8th overall and a B final win.
Disappointment for Colin How who Seized his Honda engine in his 3rd ride after having a win and a 2nd place.
Round 7 takes place at the same venue on 24th August.
Results
Cubs
1st H. Fletcher 42, 2nd J. Crewe 36
Juniors
1st S. Hall 38, 2nd B. Budd 36, 3rd J. Breeze 33, 4th G. Casale 22, 5th R. Bow 22
Seniors (Top 10)
1st M. Adams 40, 2nd S. Mace 40, 3rd R. Fortune 37, 4th G. Stanton 37, 5th N. Bull 37, 6th G. Finlow 35, 7th J. Budd 35, 8th L. McCormick 32, 9th R Southwell 31, 10th K. Murfin 28pts
Hall’s Full House
Sam Hall and Liam Ashcroft would race their way to 7 ride maximums at Whitchurch MCC’s 4th Formula Grasstrack meeting of 2019. The Hampton hall track was to be slightly bigger than last time out, making racing faster throughout all classes.
Ollie Binns made a welcome return to the FGA after missing the last round. Binns would make hard work of it by having a non-finish in his opening ride leaving Wolverhampton’s Harry Fletcher to take victory ahead of Joe Crewe. Binns would then go on to have a faultless 5 wins in a row but had to leave before the final to head to Silverstone for the Motogp. Fletcher would narrowly see off Crewe for the win in the final.
The Junior class goes from strength to strength with some incredibly close racing between the top 4 riders. Fast starting Jake breeze would take to the front in every ride only for Hall and Budd to close in on the youngster from Churchstoke. Hall making hard work of his 7 wins would edge past Breeze, but Budd would have no answer to him, leaving Breeze to take 7 2nd places behind Hall. Championship leader Budd would have to settle for 3rd overall with Slough youngster Gino Casale taking 4th. Ryan Bow suffered mechanical issues all afternoon, coming home in the final point scoring position. Budd now has a slender 1-point lead over Hall with potentially 3 rounds remaining.
Liam Ashcroft would go on to dominate Senior proceedings. Like Binns, he was missing from action last time out and has missed 2 of the 7 rounds completed, which has hindered his championship challenge. Ashcroft would take a 7-ride maximum with relative ease, Passing his opponents with grace. In the meetings he has competed in, he’s only dropped 6 points in total too. Colin How would come home in 2nd place overall after seizing a big end bearing last time out, he made up for it, dropping 1 point in each of his opening two rides to Ashcroft and Rob Fortune. How would make Ashcroft work hard for the victory in the final despite a severe misfiring machine. Championship leader Martin Adams would chalk up 4 wins from 4 rides before dropping 2 places in his fifth ride to Ashcroft and Marcus Crutchington. Crutchington closing in on Adams on the final lap before beating him by half a wheel to the line. Glyn Stanton and Rob Fortune tied for 4th place after the 6-point scoring rides on 32 points each. Stanton would get the better of Fortune in the A final to take 4th overall. Shrewsbury’s Steve mace was unable to match his round 6 performance despite having 3 wins, a 4th place in his 3rd ride would leave him with 6th overall. Crutchington would narrowly miss out on the A final, taking 7th place overall after having to win the B final to take the position, tying with Jack Budd and Mark Furley after the Heats. Furley would take 8th with Budd 9th. Luke McCormick would round out the top 10 in only his 5thGrasstrack, the Motocross rider has learnt quickly and would also be picked for the ProGreen MX rider of the Day.
Round 8 takes place on 14th September at Minsterley MC’s new venue at Shawbury. Signposted off the A53 between Shrewsbury and Shawbury. For more information visit www.facebook.com/formula.grasstrack or www.facebook.com/minsterleymc
Results
Cubs
1st O. Binns 30, 2nd H. Fletcher 29, 3rd J. Crewe 27
Juniors
1st S. Hall 36, 2nd J. Breeze 30, 3rd B. Budd 23, 4th G. Casale 16, 5th R. Bow 7
Senior (Top 10)
1st L. Ashcroft 36, 2nd C. How 34, 3rd M. Adams 33, 4th G. Stanton 32, 5th R. Fortune 32, 6th S. Mace 30, 7th M. Crutchington 28, 8th M. Furley 28, 9th J. Budd 28, 10th L. McCormick 27
Binns Wins Again!
Minsterley motor club hosted round 8 of the 2019 FGA championship at their new Shawbury venue near Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
The sun shone all afternoon as Ollie Binns Stormed to a 7 ride maximum despite having to come from behind to beat Ethan and William Childe to 2nd and 3rd respectively. The two Childes fighting for positions throughout the afternoon with Ethan coming out on top after William hit a DNF in his 5th ride. Ollie Binns continued his domination of the class with another fine maximum and sped his way to the Tom Thomas Cub Memorial final win.
Once Again, the Junior class produced some fantastic racing. FGA returnee Eli Meadows look to be struggling in his opening two rides. Struggling to get his own machine running smoothly, Meadows borrowed a bike from Wayne Broadhurst for his 3rd Ride. After a hard fought 2nd and then a 4th, Meadows soon got used to Broadhurst’s machine to fire in 5 straight wins to once again take away the Tom Thomas Memorial and the John Broadhurst Memorial Trophy for the 4th year running. Junior Championship front runners Sam Hall and Billy Budd both had a difficult day at the new venue. Hall took two race wins before a fall in his 5th ride leaving him tied on points with Gino Casale for 3rd place. Budd had a more consistent day, riding to 2nd overall despite having to leave before the final to make a Stoke speedway fixture. The final saw Meadows romp to victory ahead of Casale, who earnt himself the Curran-Bennett Award with Hall finishing 3rd in the final and 4th overall. A DNF for Jake Breeze in his 3rd ride denying him of valuable points and relegating him to 5th overall.
Phil Thomas made a fine return to the FGA going unbeaten in his 6 heats giving him 1st overall but was denied victory in his own father’s memorial trophy by fellow club member and 2018 senior champion Martin Adams. In an ironic twist, Thomas clinched Adams’ father award, the Geoff Adams memorial Trophy. Wayne Broadhurst made his return to Grasstrack after a 4-month sabbatical through injury. Broadhurst was unbeaten up until leg 5 when he faced the formidable Thomas. Thomas stormed to a fine victory leaving Broadhurst to drop one point however, Broadhurst would get revenge by winning the winner takes all Minsterley club final. 3rd place on the day went to championship leader Martin Adams. Despite tying on 45 points with Liam Ashcroft, Adams won the final to clinch 23 vital championship points. Ashcroft battled hard for 5th in the final giving him 4thplace overall. Crewe’s Dave Binns rode consistently to beat Glyn Stanton to 5th overall after a tie-on points. Minsterley Chairman Steve Mace took 7th place with Colin How in 8th.
Whitchurch Host Round 9 of the 2019 championship on 28th September at Malpas. More information at www.facebook.com/formula.grasstrack
Results
Cubs
1st O. BInns 48, 2nd E. Childe 38, 3rd W. Childe 34
Juniors
1st E. Meadows 44, 2nd B. Budd 35, 3rd G. Casale 34
Seniors (Top 10)
1st P. Thomas 48, 2nd W. Broadhurst 47, 3rd M. Adams 45, 4th L. Ashcroft 45, 5th D. Binns, 6th G. Stanton, 7th S. Mace 38, 8th C. How 36, 9th A. Binns 36, 10th M. Crutchington 36