The UK weather was not playing nice in the run-up to the meeting and with Saturday night bringing hail and heavy rain it looked doubtful that the meeting would go ahead.
But the CJMX team pulled together and the Coventry Junior Motocross Club’s 2014 season kicked into life at Mepal Moto Park, all be it with fairly challenging conditions.
Despite the weather there was some great racing and a good turnout with regular CJMX riders going up against some of the best sand riders in the UK, including the young talents of Dan Thornhill, Callum Green and Charlie Heyman – all ready to take on the Mepal sands.
First out to tackle the conditions were the Autos and it would be prove to be a great test of skill for the young guns. It was all about Charlie Reynolds and Kayde Rayns though as they battled hard to flag through the conditions both having spills throughout the day.
Kyle Ingram was always a danger showing good speed but the conditions ultimately proved too tough for the youngster. Further down the order Neo Mcartney and Harry West were fighting away and it would be fair to say both riders did well to finish the day in the tricky conditions. At the end it was Charlie who took the overall win with Kayde and Kyle close behind.
In the juniors all eyes were on Charlie Heyman who has been showing great speed recently in the build up to the 2014 season. However it was Harvey Cashmore who took the spoils battling through the wind and rain making little mistakes on his way to overall victory.
Hedley Longford managed to snatch second from Heyman after a rough start to his day but patience and consistency paid off in the end. Heyman started off on high, riding well in his first outing but little errors proved costly and he slipped to third overall.
In the Small Wheel class Reece Martin and Connor Fish led the way with their first race of the day. In the closing laps Connor broke under pressure making a mistake, allowing Martin to come past only to loose the front end himself on the very next corner – handing the lead back to Connor. Jacob Bell was looking cool in third staying upright and finishing every race ending the day with a smile. Martin took the overall win just ahead of Connor and Jacob just behind him.
Callum Green was simply unstoppable in the Big Wheel class. The sand expert dominated, showing exactly how to master the rough conditions. George Grigg-Peittett was not far behind showing great speed in every race, fending off Dylan Spencer who was looking good on his new Husqvarna. Louis Reynolds was looking good in the sand too claiming fourth overall not far off Dylan in third.
The MXY2 class saw Mitchell Warhurst take the overall win in impressive fashion seeing of his challengers and mastering the Mepal track. Michael Ellis and Jack Seabourne both had good days finishing second and third respectively. Albie Wightman and Cory Green had their own battle behind the leading trio, finishing fourth and fifth overall.
Dan Thornhill took the spoils in the MX1 class showing great speed and style hitting his lines every lap and riding consistently each time out of the gate. Ben Stevenson came home in third overall just ahead of Ben Hayward and Scott Bates who were battling it out for the last spot on the podium. It was Hayward who came out on top, snatching third overall demoting Bates to fourth.
In the MX2 class it was Luke Newman who grasped the overall win fending off Nathan Dixon and Daniel Neale who came away with second and third overall. Jake Lord was looking good in tough conditions but didn’t quite have enough to get a foot on the podium.
The Clubman class – new for 2014 – saw John Measham take the first overall win from Brode Rogers and Dean Evans. Measham rode extremely well battling with veteran riders Ste Marlow for most of the day.
The Veteran’s race was dominated by one man, Ste Marlow. The ex AMCA championship rider mastered the conditions kicking off his day on a high with the opening win and staying there for the remainder, claiming the overall. Alan Edwards came away with a second overall after a challenging day not only riding but marshalling too! Third overall was Jason Holland who was riding well, mixing with a couple of clubman riders on his way to a podium finish.
Everyone was happy to see the chequered flag after a great but cold day of racing and I think it would be fair to say everyone will be hoping for better weather next time out at FatCat on Sunday February 9.
