By Top draw conditions, Scarborough specialists starring, regular lap times under two minutes summed up the opening day’s qualifying, racing at a sun kissed Barry Sheene Festival.
In great form throughout qualifying sessions, Tom Weeden, the 2016 Senior Manx Grand Prix winner, went onto haul race victories x3.
Victorious in opening Potter Plant Classic Superbike contests, Weeden into double figures Oliver’s Mount wins wise, also captured the afternoon’s sole HMH Civils Supersport race, helped ten-fold by a new PB middleweight category lap-time of 1 minute 48.841 seconds.
Early race leader, Trickbits Racing’s Ryan Dixon took second, 5.279 behind Weeden with TH Racing’s Joey Thompson, astride Darran Lindsay tribute liveried Honda apparatus third.
Joey ‘Yorkshire’ finished two places higher in the prior Pub & Kitchen Super Twins race, holding off pole-sitter, the already spotlighted Weeden and Scotsman Johnny Stewart to take his Scarborough wins to twenty-six.
Stuart Hall commanded the Two-Strokes category whilst Stephen Gorton, Dan Sayle, Ricky Martin, Russell Brook, Richard Molnar chalked up respective opening 400cc, 125/Moto 3, CB 500, Classic 350, Classic 500 encounter honours.
Scarborough newcomer Brad Burn (Royal Air Force Motorsports) caught the eye via an impressive run to L. May Plant Support Race 1 glory, beating to P1, Mike Knorr and OC Graphics Racing’s Oliver Dean.
Onto three wheeling superheroes and a crowd pleasing F2 Sidecars curtain raiser, with the Ramsdens Steve & Matty, Kieran Clarke/Rob Coppock, Race Two conquerors Carl Fenwick/Jake Roberts battling it out.
Ultimately getting the verdict were the father and son Ramsdens pairing, keeping at bay Fenwick/Roberts (eventual third place finishers), the charging Clarke/Coppock (second place finishers), who joined an exclusive group of crews to lap Oliver’s Mount inside 1 minute 56 seconds.
Clarke/Coppock would join the Scarborough winners circle in the day’s only J. Hughes Plant Classic Sidecars race, comprehensively winning by fourteen seconds plus over TT greats Dave Molyneux/Dan Sayle.
Third place clinchers, debutants Guido Reichmuth/Zita Reichmuth with their distinctive sounding MRE Ducati outfit, are the first top three finishers in this decade at Scarborough from Switzerland.
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
