Thunder in the Wolds
Cadwell Park – Thundersports GB Championship – Final Round
Report by David Gowshall
The final round of the Thundersports GB Motorcycle Championships took place at Cadwell Park last weekend with a packed programme of 31 races planned, to decide 21 championships.
The championships had been severely curtailed due to COVID restrictions, with planned rounds at Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Anglesey and an earlier planned visit to Cadwell Park all cancelled in 2020.
With double points available and three and four races in some classes over the weekend at the “Thunder in the Wolds” meeting, there was plenty of incentive for the championship contenders in every class, and competitive action was guaranteed.
With the weather forecast not good for the afternoon’s action; this photographer set off early to catch the qualifying action and races up to lunchtime on Saturday.
Qualifying took place in very tricky conditions, with the track surface wet from overnight rain. Getting some temperature into the tyres at 9.00 am was also particularly difficult. The riders tentatively made their way around the circuit, but lap times were well down on the “norm”.
Tyre choice for the racing action, which started at 11.40 prompt, was very difficult, as despite dry overhead conditions, parts of the circuit, particularly in the Woodlands section, were still very wet. A lot to think about for the riders.
The lack of yellow and red flags throughout the morning was a compliment to the skill of those taking part and perhaps the fact riders were consolidating their championship positions in these conditions ready for the following day, and the “Orange Army” were kept relatively quiet.
Despite double points being available for those who had taken part in all the previous rounds, which could result in huge gains, pushing too hard in “iffy” conditions could result in equally huge losses.
Spectators, rather sparse in numbers, perhaps put off by the weather prospects, were kept up to date by commentators John Ward and Keith Roisetter, who, as well as keeping up with the on-track action, were busy on their calculators throughout the weekend, working out the various permutations in relation to the championship contenders.
With a cold wind blowing across the circuit I headed to the sheltered parts still available to spectators, hoping to get some shots on my 150-600mm zoom lens, which has proved so versatile this season.
Hopefully, next season, Hall Bends, for instance, will become available, safety fence permitting, and I will, once again need to use a smaller lens.
Having bagged some shots in a busy morning, and with the black clouds gathering and the light fading, this photographer headed home. Some Pistonclick colleagues hardier than I stuck it out in the afternoon, during which heavy rain fell, the last monsoon like downpour, leading to the abandonment of the last race, which started in virtual darkness.
Another early morning Sunday start, which fortunately included an extra hours’ sleep as the clocks were put back, this time with unbroken sunshine in evidence, took in some early rising riders taking advantage of their 8 minute warm up sessions, this time in near perfect conditions.
Racing got underway twenty minutes earlier than that scheduled, as the last race planned for the previous day, featuring riders from the Armed Services, which will be the subject of a separate article, was re-run.
With slightly less wind, bright sunshine and a cheeseburger from the catering van at Chris Curve for breakfast, I headed enthusiastically to the Parkland section of the circuit, in which my large lens is in its element.
The weather had brought out lots more spectators to what was the last conventional motorcycle racing day of the 2020 race calendar at the “mini Nurburgring”, and virtually every class championship was still “up for grabs”.
The crowd were treated to an exceptional days racing, particularly the third race of the weekend for the 500 Sportsman Elite riders.
With the two protagonists for the title, 2019 champion Grant Whittaker (#1) and Josh Leaning (#121), together with the impressive Daniel Swift (#7), all locked in a race long battle, before Whittaker went out at the Hairpin on the last lap, leaving Swift to lead Leaning over the line by just 0.348 seconds.
Leaning then went on to win the fourth race of the meeting in some style, clinching the title from Whittaker.
Local rider Craig Neve (#22), proved unbeatable in the GP 1 Elite class, winning all three of the feature races on his BMW 1000.
Ineligible to score double points Neve was followed home in every race by Brendan Mallender #66, whose weekend haul of 120 points enabled him to overcome another local rider Adam Reavill, from Grimsby, to take the highly coveted title.
In the 600 Sportsman Elite class, consistent rides to a second and two fourths, sealed the honours for #34 Arnie Shelton on his Kawasaki 600.
Joe Talbot #19, who celebrated his 17th birthday during the week before the meeting, once again impressed with two race wins and a sixth place.
Joe, who lives in Warrington, is definitely one for the future, having won both the 2019 Thundersports GB GP3 / Superteen and 2020 Pirelli 600 Super Series Championships already in his short career, as well as finishing a highly creditable 7th place in this year’s BSB 600 Superstock Championship.
Daniel Forbes #145 who took tenth in last month’s Steve Henshaw Gold Cup at Oliver’s Mount, was also in excellent form all weekend, taking successive GP1 Sportsman class victories, winning the category championship as a result.
In the 600 Sportsman class Stephen Thomas led the way with 8 victories from 11 races and Ben Grayson (#19), having built up a strong points return in the earlier rounds did enough to seal the 600 Sport title.
Thomas Morris, who had the remarkable record of finishing on the podium in every one of the races held during the season, dominated the 600 Freshman championship.
2019 Golden Era Supersport champion Ryan Garside recorded his only non-finish of the season in the 2nd race of the weekend.
Ashley Thompson who was riding with a broken shoulder after high siding at Hall Bends took full advantage to snatch the title by just 15 points.
Editor’s note. Garside had won one race and had a comfortable 30 second lead and 50 points in the bag but his battery died at the bottom of the mountain.
With the bike misfiring he made it to the crest only for the bike to totally die with no other option he parked up to watch #16 Luke MacRae pass him to take the race win and the championship slip away.
Kieran Smith was Mr. Consistency with four second places over the weekend in the Thundersports GP 1 Classic category, which netted him the necessary points to clinch the title.
Gethin Edwards task was made somewhat easier when his nearest rival Matty Whelan failed to finish in two of the four Golden Era Steelsport races held over the weekend, finishing with 428 points, and #18 Carl Vickers saw out the season well to clinch the Golden Era Veterans class.
In the Golden Era Superbike category, it was Nick Williamson #61 on his Honda who earned his championship trophy with a series of consistent finishes.
Steven Butterworth took home the Thundersport 500 Sportsman championship trophy and Karl Foster overcame Paul Manning, who had led the Thundersport 500 Seniors championship table prior to this weekend, with four brilliant rides with three first places and a runner up spot netting him 190 points and the silverware.
Neville Lorimer (50#) ended his Thundersport GP1 Cup season well with a 45 point lead over runner-up Austin Webster, who recorded four third places at the final meeting.
Max Lofthouse (24#), with 9 victories in the 14 race series earned the GP2 Supertwins title and Robert Childs was top of the pile in the Stocktwins class.
The closest finish in the Thundersports series came in the GP2 Junior Cup, where Finley Arscott’s 9th place in the final race was just enough to clinch the title by just one point from Joe Howard, who despite recording the fastest lap in the race could only manage 7th place, finishing less than a second off the sixth place that would have given him the title.
Howard had the consolation of taking the GP3 Superteens title in the process. Congratulations to all the champions who took silverware home and a big thank you to everyone who took part in a thoroughly entertaining and well organised meeting.
Thundersports GB racing has continued to thrive despite COVID-19 and is now apparently beginning to gain international recognition with Valentino Rossi apparently turning up for an outing.
Despite the COVID restrictions, racing of all types have continued at MSVR circuits with limited attendances, for which spectators and photographers, like myself, are truly grateful.
Although the 2020 season is rapidly drawing to a close, we can now, hopefully, look forward to a full 2021 season, with renewed enthusiasm, and I for one, cannot wait for the three race BSB weekend meetings planned, not least the “Party in the Park” at Cadwell due to take place next August.
I’ll be spending the close season searching out a new camera body to replace my ageing Canon 450D, which, hopefully, will get its last run out at the Cirrus Research Stages Rally, due to held at Cadwell Park, on the 22nd November.
During these dark winter nights I’ll be bringing some order to the thousands of shots I’ve taken in this shortened season, producing a 2021 Calendar with my best 12 shots to put up proudly in the study at home, improving and expanding my website deegeemotorsportphotography.co.uk, and beginning, assuming we are rid of COVID-19, to plan my photography expeditions for 2021 as the various motorsport championship venues and dates become available.
Hopefully armed with a new camera, there are still one or two UK circuits I’ve got to tick off, including Anglesey and Croft, and I’m desperately hoping forest rallying will finally return in 2021 in the UK after no action whatsoever since March.
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