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Fast Eddy Racing
Winter Championship
Third round
Bicton

Words & images: Tim Tighe

Brad Freeman showed his European Championship winning style and speed on Sunday with a dazzling display and two race wins around a chilly Bicton Farm on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.

Winter finally caught up with Fast Eddy’s Winter championship as a cold wind blew across Bicton Farm on Sunday, interspersed with just a few occasional glimpses of sunshine.

The weather was cold but the racing was hot for this third round of the series, which was a moto-duro format, with three groups of riders each having two races.

Bicton was in perfect condition and a light shower at the start of the day cleared quickly with no lasting effects as the Youth riders left the line for the first of their 45-minute races.

Sion Hughes and Lewis Hurdsman were wheel to wheel off the line but Hughes just edged ahead by the second corner to accelerate into the distance and take a well-deserved victory in the BW85-150 class. SW85cc’er Jamie Williams posed an ever-present threat and was circulating less than two seconds a lap slower than Hughes. Scott Draper was third as an unlucky Cory Cookland spent most of the race crashing and returned to the paddock to compose himself. It was a good move because as the second race ran its course he had secured third spot behind Hughes and Williams.

Hughes won the BW85’s class from Scott Draper while Williams took the SW85 win ahead of Adam James and Lewis Hurdsman. Jack Sandland topped the 65cc’ers in both races ahead of Jonas Brown and Tom Dyson, good going from Dyson in his first ever enduro race.

The first adults race held the Veterans B, Sportsman and Novice riders with the Vets first off the line. David Williams took the hole-shot and then proceeded to lead the race from start to finish. Williams rode so smoothly it looked as if he were simply trail riding, not hitting the deep berms but squaring the corners and keeping it all tight and smooth. It paid off as he went on to win the second race in the same manner. Shaun James tailed Williams throughout the opening race and took a well-deserved second spot with Frankie White-Edwards in third but it was ever-improving Sportsman Nick Whitehead who followed Williams home in the second race as Sean Taylor completed the top three line-up.

Will Farrow was absolutely flying in the Novice class, taking two class wins and the overall win in class. Dan Leadbetter pipped Josh Lucy to second place by just two points in a very competitive and close run class.

With Brad Freeman and Lee Sealey sitting on the start it came as a slight surprise to see Harry Edmondson smoke em off the line at the start of the second adult groups race. The Experts, Clubman and Vets A all upped the pace of the first two races and Edmondson’s surprise attack came as a shock to a few in the front line of riders. Lee Sealey soon took the lead but then it was really on between Freeman and Sealey for the whole hour of racing. Freeman eventually pulled a three-minute lead with his fast and flowing style with Sealey in second. All the action wasn’t just between these two. Harry Edmondson and Henry Yardley were hammer and tongs at it with Edmondson slightly ahead. He lost the front end in a tightish corner and hit the deck with Yardley just feet behind him with nowhere to go except over the prone body of his close friend and rival.

Edmondson remounted none the worse for wear but his challenge was done at that point as Yardley went on to take third spot. Max Ditchfield, Sam Nunn and Jordan Ridgway were all in the mix in the following group. Ben Murphy’s return didn’t start well as he crashed on the start and Freeman ran over him but he managed to get back onto the start for the second race and what a race it turned out to be.

Freeman made his intentions clear as he rode fast and hard all around the berm on the first corner to exit yards ahead of his closest rivals Sealey and Murphy. There was no catching the new European Champion so attention shifted to the race for second and third spot, which was extremely close. Sealey and Murphy were alongside each other many times throughout the race until Murphy hit a tree and lost 40 seconds but he soon caught up with Sealey and tried a ‘do or die’ move on one of the last corners which didn’t go as planned so he ended up third behind second placed Sealey. Henry Yardley took fourth ahead of Max Ditchfield and Harry Edmondson in the Expert ranks.

Cole Cookland’s win in the Clubman class first race showed he is getting to grips with his new 125, edging out Ryan Phillips by just 10 seconds as James Palmer put on a great show to take third in class. All the Fast Eddy ex-Youth riders are really showing what they are made of in the adult ranks. Phillips got his revenge in the second race with a convincing win as Will Bayman took second and Cookland third. Phillips won the class overall with Cookland second and Charlie Chater third following two very consistent rides.

Jack Twentyman’s long drive was rewarded with a win in the first race after battling Chris Wagstaff all race long. Gary Skelding held a solid third in class but in the second race it was Waggy who reversed the running order to take the win and overall class win on tiebreak rules as Twentyman matched him on points. Skelding once again nailed third ahead of a hard-charging Kev Freeman and Colin Griffiths.

Although the day was bitter cold the racing was superb across all classes. On cold days it is always difficult to restart a second race after an hour or so rest but everyone rose to the challenge around a Bicton course that was outstanding.

Well done Fast Eddy and the crew.

Results
Overall after two races