By Racing across day two of this year’s Barry Sheene Festival held in drying, dry, wet conditions, had a bit of everything!
Six races not held on Saturday, moved into Sunday’s racing itinerary, meaning a mammoth twenty races timetable.
Given the amount of competition bouts due to take place, organisers made the decision to hold just one morning warm-up session for all solo classes, before racing commenced.
BSB fan favourite, 79-plate carrier Storm Stacey scooped his first real roads meeting, affiliated victories, winning all three Bathmate Super Moto contests.
Stacey, fourteenth in last season’s British Superbike Championship, beat to victory in each of the five-lap encounters, 2019 Steve Henshaw Gold Cup runner-up, Mike Norbury.
SMT Racing’s Rob Hodson returned to winning ways and how, taking his Oliver’s Mount wins tally to twenty-four, following Pub & Kitchen Super Twins/Super Mono x3, HMH Civils Supersport Race 2 successes.
On route to being-declared, Supersport Race 2 winner, after the race was red flagged due to an incident at Farm Bends involving Shaun Buckle, Hodson had set what proved the fastest lap of the event, 1 minute 49.868 seconds.
Jim Hind placed second behind Hodson and would also finish second in the final 600cc competition bout, this time having to give best to Franco Bourne, who excelled again on the Cowton Racing Kawasaki.
Joe Yeardsley (Mistral Racing Kawasaki), the 2023 Senior Manx Grand Prix winner, having his first North Yorkshire roads outing in over a year, flew to opening Potter Plant Hire Classic Superbike race victory.
10.4 seconds plus behind Yeardsley was Classic SBK races two & three winner, Aran Sadler.
Stephen Gorton took overall Road Racing News Lightweights/400cc 4-Strokes race wins times three, Liam McPherson, Richard Hughes, Dominic Herbertson, shared CB 500 honours whilst 125/Moto 3 category spoils were x3 claimed by widely respected German rider, leading Two Strokes category tour-de-force Chris Meyer.
600 BMW energised Greg Lambert/Andrew Haynes obtained a duplex of yesteryear Sidecar race glories with the third, final three-wheeling encounter taken by Scarborough first-timers, Bellas Vincent propelled Danny Quirk/Sharon Reeves.
The single L.May Plant Support race which had just five starters, following an incident on the warm-up lap, saw Michael Knorr gain Oliver’s Mount race winners club membership, with Christian ‘Bomber’ Slater, Chris Stuart second, third, 6.858, 11.798 respectively adrift.
Feature race wise, the Barry Sheene Classic, saw a new Oliver’s Mount ‘Major’ Champion crowned in the form of County Durham’s Aran Sadler.
Sadler piloting C.A.H Reps sponsored Suzuki equipment, mastered testing inclement conditions, going onto finish the reduced to six-laps race, 2.974 clear of second-place attainer, local hero Paul Marley.
Joey Thompson, leading the Team York Suzuki challenge finished third with veteran Scottish racer Roddy Taylor fourth. Scott Aitkin, Steve Birtles took fifth, sixth, Whitby’s Kristian Didelot obtained seventh with Liam McPherson, Dominic Herbertson, Mike Bampton eighth to tenth.
Four more riders made it to the chequered flag, Chris Meyer (P11), Richard Hewitt (P12), Thomas Bradshaw (P13) and Ian Carter (P14).
Overall, an entertaining, intriguing day of racing at a true unique motorsport jewel in North Yorkshire, Oliver’s Mount.
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
