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All content © Bob MuIIins | ||
  SUDBURY MOTOR CYCLE CLUB Dave Roper Memorial Event A Sunny and windy day greeted the 106 riders for the seventh Dave Roper Memorial Event this year being a Cross Country Enduro for the first time being held at Foxborough Quarry Sible Hedingham. A fresh course was constructed with a Spinney, open hilly fields with lots of cambers to emulate the legendry Tye Farm track. The entry was split into three groups of Championship / Experts, Clubman and Evo / Twinshock / Pre 65 and each group rode in three events to decide which final they raced in. Championship & Experts riders lined up for events 1, 4 and 7 to decide which final they qualify for. With event 1 being a warm up one so was down to the other two events. Jason Morland took the lead from the start with Brad Tomlin and Brendan Mayers hot on his heels and these three riders battled it out throughout the 15 minutes however towards the end Tomlin slipped past Morland to take the win with Mayers third. In the next event Mayers took the lead followed by Morland and Tomlin but as the event went on Mayers came unstuck letting Morland and Tomlin through and with a lap to go Tomlin got the better of Morland with Mayers third. In the Clubman first event it was a win for Harry Moore with Kevin Palmer 2nd and Richard Squirrell 3rd and in the second event it was another win for Moore, 2nd Palmer and 3rd Lee Monger. Gary Gladwin was untouchable in the Evo/Twinshock & Pre 65 events winning both by a long distance. Louie Leneord Price took 2nd place in both events while Don Blackman took 3rd in one and Nathan Charrington took 3rd in the other.
Andy Mason shot into the lead in the Non Qualifiers Final followed by Gary Drage with Ben Marsh and Ben Roper following. Nathan Charrington was making up ground after a poor start passing Roper, Marsh and Drage and set about catching Mason who had a big lead. Charrington who is nearly 40 years younger than Mason rode his heart out and with two laps to go caught and passed Mason to take the win. Mason had to settle for 2nd with Drage 3rd making another Sudbury 1-2-3.
Bev Roper presented champagne to the first three in each final and thanked everyone for supporting the event. RESULTS
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The
first final was the Evo/Twinshock/Pre 65 machines and from the start Gladwin
took the lead which he extended lap by lap although in the latter stages
Rick Roper was gradually catching him up but had to settle for 2nd behind
Gladwin while Phil Whiting finished third making it a Sudbury 1-2-3.
The
Premier Final event was what everyone was waiting for with three riders
hungry for the win. It was Mayers who took the lead followed by Morland and
Tomlin and what a battle these three had. Mayers looked comfortable in the
lead and look he could take the win but once again he had slipped around the
course which let Morland, Tomlin, Brad Woodroffe and Alex Rampton through.
However it was Morland dominating and started to increase his lead but
Tomlin was having nothing of it and was gaining on Morland but it seemed
impossible for him however with second wind he managed to catch and pass
Morland to secure his third win at a Dave Roper Meeting. Morland finished
2nd, Woodroffe 3rd Mayers 4th and Will Hughes 5th. Alex Rampton had a spill
while in 4th place at the beginning of the last lap and several riders past
him before he could get his bike started but carried on to finish 13th.
