DALE CAMPBELL celebrated his 17th birthday in style by winning all three of his races - plus the Grand Final - in the first motocross of the season at Sorel Point, St John, on Sunday.
Ben Carré, from Guernsey, took the holeshot in the first race of this Jersey Motor Cycle and Light Car Club event, and was closely followed by Campbell and Ryan Gregory who, at 14 years of age, was competing in his first adult event.
With Campbell and Gregory on 125 cc machines they were chasing the more powerful 250 cc machine of Carre and, by the third lap, Campbell had built up a good lead which was never closed by.
Harry Bertram had a disastrous first race and came away with only four points, but he was soon back in the action with the remaining races and was always in the top four.
Oliver Eden could not quite keep pace with the youngsters on the 125 cc machines, but he finished first 250 cc rider after Carre failed to finish the second race.On the third race of the day, Campbell did an extra lap and did some great acrobatic jumps on the spectator straight, which alone was well worth the £2 entrance fee.Mechanical problems plagued Dane Levée as he had a clear lead in opener of the youth 125 cc class and he did not compete again.
Robert Edwards thus took first place overall in the Open 125 cc class, while there were two newcomers in the first year 125 cc class, with James Hamelin riding well to take three firsts and a second, ahead of Ryan Temple, who won the third race .The big wheel and small wheel 85 cc class raced together, but for separate championships.
Killian Dorey had a bad start in the first race and was only in seventh place after lap one, but he gradually pulled back to win.
He recorded another win, a second and a third to earn first overall on the day.
Christopher Le Marquand and Daniel Moon both failed to finish one race each, but Moon won the remaining two races and only one point now separates them, in third and fourth.In the second race Philip Le Feuvre had the holeshot and, after being overtaken by Dorey, he was trying to secure second place from the fast-approaching Le Marquand, when the two youngsters clashed by the finish line.
Le Feuvre went spiralling over the rope, while Le Marquand was taken to the ambulance for a check over.
Thankfully, both were fit to continue racing.Dominic Cauvain is second overall, despite not winning a race.
He rode consistently all day and this paid off.
Oliver Harwood secured a second place in race two, but a poor result in race one left him in sixth overall.In the opening inter-85 cc class race Sam Bingle fell and did not finish, leaving Guernsey’s Brett Pearce to take the honours.
Bingle won the remaining races of the day from Pearce, but he is sandwiched between another Guernsey rider, Luke Lesbirel, who is in third.Stephen Le Brun recorded a second in race one, but was fifth in the next three races and is fifth overall.
Andrew Pitcher is in fourth place with a third, plus three fourth places in the new class for the youngster.The biggest class was the junior 65 cc with 18 youngsters, between seven and 11 years, racing.
Kieran Gregory recorded two wins and two seconds to earn first place overall.
Charley Mills and Dexter Le Sauvage also recorded a win apiece but the consistent riding of Toby Luce takes him into second overall, just a point ahead of Mills.
Samuel Allix also picked up a second and third place to take him into fourth place.
Lee Le Viellez also picked up a third place, but racing was always close between the youngsters and also in the thick of the action were Matthew Le Brun, Ross Pinel and Charlie Morris.Rikki Knowlton and Jack Arthur, newcomers to motocross, both improved towards the end of the day and had their own battle on the track.Michael Veloso looked as though he was going to win all the races in the automatic 50 cc class, but a fall in the second saw Matthew Rayson take the lead, and despite a gutsy fightback from Veloso, Rayson held on to win.Jacob Allix took a second, third and two fourths.
He had mechanical problems on his KTM, but was able to borrow a Husqvarna for the last race to help secure championship points.
Newcomers to the scene were Adam Harris and Connor Hamon, with Harris getting the holeshot on a couple of occasions.
Evan Perez should have been lining up with this class but the six-year-old broke his wrist the day before on a slide and is now out until May.The 50cc class were presented with trophies for the day races by Andy Le Marquand of A1 Gardens who sponsored the event.Officials thanked paramedic Jason Hamon, nurse Isabelle Hamon and the crew from St John Ambulance.
Article posted on 9th March, 2004 - 12.00am
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