Race Reports
2014 R9 Glenfarg
GLENFARG RACE REPORT 5-10-14
BY Joe Mclean
THE FINAL ROUND OF THE SCOTTISH TWINSHOCK SCRAMBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS ON SUNDAY WAS A REAL MANS EVENT. THE WEATHER WAS EXCEPTIONALY GOOD FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR,THE TRACK LAYOUT WAS SECOND TO NONE AND THE FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE COULD NOT BE BOUGHT .AS USUAL THE OLD CODGERS,THE OVER 50s WERE OUT FIRST AND WHAT A BLAST FROM THE PAST THIS WAS ,A LOT OF TODAYS RIDERS RACED IN THE NEXT FIELD TO THIS ONE OVER 35 YEARS AGO AND YOU COULD HERE ALL THE STORIES OF LONG AGO FROM THE WISE MEN IN THE PITS BEFORE THE OFF,.DAVE PULLAR CONTINUED HIS RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF PERFECTION AND REELED OFF 3 STRAIGHT WINS ,SCOTT NAPIER AND STUART BAIRD WERE HIS MOST SERIOUS CHALLENGERS BUT HE HELD THEM OFF TO CLAIM THE OVERALL AND THIS YEARS CHAMPIONSHIP,IN THE MINOR PLACINGS,JIMMY GRIEVE ,JOHN RUTHERFORD AND JOCK CAMERON WERE GIVING IT WHAT FOR WITH GREIVE COMING OUT ON TOP IN THIS Battle.
The pre 77 were up next and Richie Mcfadden and John Fraser were going hell for leather in races 1 and 2 with a win and a second each but in the final encounter Fraser succumbed to the dreaded chain failure which gave Mcfadden the win and the championship this year, further back Don Fullerton and the fast gating Gary Britton were having a right ding dong with the new kid on the block Colin King ,IT WAS A CLOSE FOUGHT ENCOUNTER IN ALL 3 RACES WITH FULLERTON JUST EDGING IT.
IN THE 4 STROKE CLASS WE SAW A NEW FACE IN JIM COLLIGAN ON THE JOE Mclean 510 HUSKY LEADING THE REST A MERRY DANCE WITH 3 WINS WITH CALLUM WILSON AND FINLAY WHITE HAVING A TIGHT FIGHT ALL DAY ENDING UP SECOND EQUAL OVERALL WITH CLUB CHAIRMAN RICK CALDWELL CLAIMING 4TH .
GRAEME SMITH TOOK THE OVERALL IN THE 250 TWINSHOCK CLASS WHICH SAW HIM CLAIM THIS CHAMPIONSHIP BUT IT WAS A NAILBITING FINISH TO WHAT HAS BEEN A LONG SEASON WITH YOUNG PRETENDER GRAEMS MILLER JUST GETTING PIPPED IN THE LAST RACE TO ALL THE SPOILS THAT GO WITH BEING A CLUB CHAMPION
IN THE OPEN TWINSHOCK CLASS WE HAD A SURPRISE ENTRY IN THE GUISE OF TOP BRITISH CONTENDER ,BRIAN MCKENZIE, WHO WAS OUT ON PAUL CHIAPPA,S SPARE BIKE AND WHAT A CROWD PLEASER THIS WAS AND BOY DID HE ROAST THE ASS OF THE OLD MAICO WITH 3 WINS , IT TOOK HIM A COUPLE OF RACES TO MASTER THE START ON THE OLD DOG BUT MY GOD ONCE HE SET SAIL THERE WAS NO STOPPING HIM ,CHIAPP RODE WELL FOR 3 SECOND PLACES WITH BRIAN ALLARDYCE FILLING THE LAST PODIUM SPOT.
THE OVER 40s WAS A REPEAT OF THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS RESULTS WITH GORDON FORBES LOOKING LIKE THE CLUB STUBBLE SPECIALIST TAKING 2 WINS AND A SECOND FOR THE OVERALL FROM THE NEW CHAMPION DAVE WATSON ,AND GRANT MCCLURE IN THIRD JUST AHEAD OF NEW MEN IN THIS CLASS MIKE VANDERMERWE AND WULLY PENTLAND .WATSON RODE WELL TO WIN RACE 3 AND SHOWED HE WILL BE A FORCE TO RECKON WITH NEXT YEAR WHEN HE MAKES THE BIG MOVE TO THE TWINSHOCK 500 CLASS.
TAM GRANT AGAIN SHOWED WHY HE IS THE EVO SUPREMO WITH CONSISTENT SCORING AGAIN TO TAKE THE OVERALL AND REGAIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR 2014 .GAVIN ROBERTSON MADE A RARE APPEARANCE ALSO AT GLENFARG BUT HAD ENGINE GREMLINS IN RACE 1 BUT CAME OUT ON A CR 500 IN RACES 2 AND 3 AND SHOWED THE CROWD WHY HE IS THE NEW BRITISH EVO CHAMPION WITH 2 EMPHATIC WINS . GORDON MORRISON ,NOT TO BE OUT DONE HOLESHOT RACE 3 AND HELD ON GALLANTLY FOR THE 2ND PLACE AND SECOND IN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP AHEAD OF THE UNLUCKY ALLAN REAID WHO BLEW A GASET AND HIS CHANCES OF A GOOD OVERALL IN RACE 3 WHILST LYING IN 3RD .
THE 125 EVO CLAS HAS BEEN HOTLY CONTESTED ALL YEAR BUT NEW CHAMP PETE ONEILL SHOWED WHY HE HAS THE CROWN BY SHOWING THE YOUNG WHIPPER SNAPPERS THE ROAD HOME IN ALL 3 RACES TO TAKE THE OVERALL AND THE CROWN ,HE WAS MADLY CHASED IN ALL 3 BY ANDREW WHITE,BRIAN COLLIGAN AND WILLIE PENRICE ,THEY ALL HAD A GO AT ONEILL BUT COULD NOT GET HIM OFF THE TOP PERCH AND SO THE RECORD BOOK NOW SHOWS ONEILL AS THE TIDDLER SUPREMIST FOR 2014 .
THE 2 STROKE MODERN MOB WERE NEXT UP AND WHAT A LIVELY LOT THIS IS ,YOUNG MEN,OLD MEN AND EVEN GORGEOUS BURDS APPEARING ON THE LINE FOR THIS CLASS ,IT WAS JIMMY HARLEY HE IS ACTUALY A CROSS OF ALL THREE THAT TOOK THE RACE WIN IN RACE 1 CHASED HOME BY MATT OSINSKI AND JIM KERR. JIM MACMILLAN TOOK RACES 2 AND 3 FROM OSINSKI IN 2 AND TOM DICKIE IN RACE 3 BUT THE OVERALL WENT TO OSINSKI WITH HARLEY TAKING THE SECOND WITH HIS CONSISTANT RIDING AND TOM DICKIE IN 3RD.
THE DAY MEMBERS RACES WAS WHAT THE CROWD HAD BEEN WAITING FOR WITH MCKENZIE AND ROBERTSON LINING UP WITH A HOST OF OTHER GOOD RIDERS THIS WAS SURE TO BE WORTH WATCHING.IN RACE 1 MCKENZIE TOOK A QUICK LEAD FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY ROBERTSON AND BOY WERE THEY MOVING ,LEAVING THE CHASING PACK IN THEIR WAKE ,DAVID PLANK WAS THE BEST OF THE REST IN RACE 1 WHICH SAW MCKENZIE WIN WITH ROBERTSON PULLING OUT WITH A LAME BIKE. ROBERTSON APPEARED ON A TATTY LOOKING CR 500 AND CLEANED UP RACES 2 AND 3 WITH MCKENZIE WATCHING FROM THE SIDELINES AS HE HAD BIGGER FISH TO FRY IN THE TWINSHOCK CLASS .DJ BRUCE PUT IN A GOOD PERFORMANCE IN FRONT OF HIS LAME DAD AND TROPHY SPONSOR OF THE MEETING ,DONNY WHO INJURED HIS LEG AT AN EARLIER MEETING .THE FINAL OUTCOME WAS PLANK TAKING THE OVERALL FROM DJ AND S.PATTERSON IN THIRD.
IN THE MONOSHOCK CHAMPIONSHIP CLASS IT WAS JASON MARTIN THAT TOOK THE BULL BY THE HORNS WITH 2 WINS AND A SECOND,COLIN MCLUCKIE SPOILING THE MARTIN CLEAN SWEEP.MARTIN LOOKS TO BE GETTING BACK TO HIS FORMER SELF AFTER A RECENT LAYOFF TO GET WED AND START A FAMILY BUT NOW SEEMS TO BE ON THE BALL AS HE SHOWED WHAT A GOOD RIDER HE IS WHEN FIT. MCLUCKIE PUT IN THREE STRONG RIDES TO SECURE SECOND OVERALL FROM MARK WILSON IN THIRD AND CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER ROSS FITZSIMMONS AND CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER UP SEAN DOHERTY TYING FOR 4TH .THESE MONOSHOCK BOYS SURE KNOW HOW TO ENTERTAIN AND HAD THE CROWD GOING WILD WITH SOME OF THE HIGH SPEED STUFF THAT THEY FEARLESSLY TACKLED THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
THE CLUB RAN 2 GRAND NATIONALS AT THE END OF THE MEETING FOR THE GARY ALLAN MEMORIAL TROPHIES AS OUR USUAL BOXING DAY SCRAMBLE HAD TO BE REARANGED DUE TO THE LOSS OF THE FORFAR TRACK IN DECEMBER .FIRST UP WAS THE TWINSHOCK G.N. AND PAUL CHIAPPA WAS THE MAN ON A CHARGE HERE AS HE LED FROM START TO FINNISH WITH GRAEME MILLER THE MAN GIVING CHASE BUT TRY AS HE MIGHT HE JUST COULD NOT TAG BACK THE FLYING TALLY,THIRD WAS GARY WHYTE WHO HAD A RACE LONG BATTLE WITH HIS YOUNG COUSIN FINLAY .
THE MONOSHOCK G.N. WAS JUST AS EXCITING AS ALL THE PREVIOUS RACES,GORDON MORRISON ,THE KING OF HOLESHOTS TOOK THE EARLY LEAD BUT WAS RELENTLESSLY PURSUED BY JASON MARTIN ,ROSS FITZSIMMONS AND MARK WILSON,THEY EVENTUALY OVERCAME THE TIRING MORRISON AND FINISHED IN THAT ORDER WITH THE UNLUCKY MCLUCKIE IN 5TH HAVING TO REMOUNT AFTER A GET OFF TO FINISH JUST AHEAD OF JIM MACMILLAN IN 6TH .
THE CLUB WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OUR SUPPORTERS IN 2014 AND LOOK FORWARD TO A BETTER 2015 THANKS
RESULTS