Excitement was high for the big trip up north to Duns, Scotland and what a cracker of a trip it was! With very close racing across all classes, round three punished a few but rewarded many others. The Open Class were the first to take on the track. 

Open Class

Qualifying 

The first qualifying session was an interesting one as everyone was looking to see how the big power pros would handle the change in track. But there was no surprise when Mark McCann put his Polaris RZR Pro XP firmly in the top spot with a blinding lap time that nobody could touch. Following him was Sean Haran and Paul Severn. Fifth was taken by rookie Tom Welbourn on the same second as the expert in fourth. Jess Barker just missed out on the top rookie spot and had to settle for sixth. Martin Hales led Nick Barker home to land seventh and eighth. Ninth place went to Louis McGuffog followed closely by Adrian and Callum Loveridge in tenth. 

Race One 

Mark McCann never looked back leading from the first corner to the last. Shaun Jenkinson held second as some of the other big names dropped down the pack. Tom Welbourn was the leading rookie, matching the fastest lap of the leading experts with second place rookie Nick Barker only just behind. Louis McGuffog pushed up the field to fifth ahead of rival Martin Hales in sixth place with Dave Watson just seconds away in seventh. Paul Severn had 4wd problems back in eighth leaving him with some  work to do after the first session, could he get back to front in the later races? Joe Chilvers looked to have found some consistent pace crossing the line in ninth ahead of Olly McGuffog in tenth. A great race and hopefully the start of a great day for the open racers. 

Race Two 

This was a race that saw consistency reign supreme. All the top four cars broke clean and held position from the start to the finish. Mark McCann took the win with Shaun Jenkinson second. Tom Welbourn led home the rookies followed by Nick Barker in second and David Watson third. Olly McGuffog managed to jump up to sixth. Richard Burke also made solid progress into seventh ahead of struggling expert Severn in eighth. Rianna Harris in ninth had a great battle for the whole session with teammate Joe Chilvers both enjoying a good day and giving us a great battle to watch. 

Race Three 

This session was a battle of attrition but again the consistency of the top five was impressive. First place stayed with Mark McCann once again followed by fellow expert Shaun Jenkinson. Tom Welbourn again led the rookies in a three-race clean sweep. Joe Chilvers had another great session taking fourth in class. David Whitmore pushed up the field with some much-improved lap times bringing a far stronger result. Rianna Harris dropped slightly but remained in eighth place ahead of Olly McGuffog in ninth as Gary Whitby closed off the grid as the last of the finishers. A great race for many of the rookies for sure. 

This was a solid day for the Open Class with consistency being the key to success. Well done to the rookies who gave some great mid pack racing. The championships just got much more interesting. 

Overall Results

Experts  

1st – Mark McCann #64 (Polaris Pro XP)

2nd – Shaun Jenkinson #70 (Polaris RS1)

3rd – Paul Severn #7 (Polaris Pro XP)

Fastest Lap Bonus Point – Mark McCann #64

Clerks Driver of The Day – Mark McCann #64 

Rookies

1st – Tom Welbourn #74T (Polaris Pro XP)

2nd – Nick Barker #40 (Polaris RS1)

3rd – Dave Watson #120 (Polaris Pro XP)

Fastest Lap Bonus Point – Tom Welbourn #74T

Clerks Driver of The day – Tom Welbourn #74T

1000 Rookies

This class has been a pleasure to watch this year with some real talent coming through. This event was set up nicely for battles up and down the pack so would it deliver? It was time to find out. 

Qualifying

It was no surprise to see championship leader Jacob Wilson pick up where he left off at the last round. Top spot was his with a time that wouldn’t be out of place in an expert session. Henry Proctor pushed hard in second place but just couldn’t bridge the gap falling short by the smallest of margins. Next home was Corban Ross taking third place. George Hales dropped off his best form slightly in fourth holding off Richard Scott in fifth. Nick Barker joined the session taking sixth place – just to see where he would feature should a class move become an option. Rio Longdon was next over the line in seventh ahead of Lee Cowan making his first appearance in the 2022 season. Sam Lloyd had a good start to his day taking ninth place ahead of Darren Longdon in tenth. 

Race 1 

Jacob Wilson was off and wasn’t hanging around for anyone, securing the first win of the day. Henry Proctor pushed on, but he couldn’t improve on second. Rio Longdon had a great session and moved up to third spot pushing Corban Ross down to fourth. Anthony Green had a great race coming from way down the pack to finish in fifth.  Darren Longdon was next over the line in sixth chased home by Bradley Price in seventh. Simon Medleycott began his charge and managed to push up to eighth. Declan Whitmore progressed to ninth ahead of struggling George Hales and Jason Medleycott marked the last of the finishers. 

Race 2 

Race two saw another clean get away from the pole sitter Jacob Wilson and yet again he didn’t look back. Henry Proctor again pushed on setting a lap time close to the leader but just couldn’t find enough to take the race win. Rio Longdon challenged early but dropped off in third place as the session progressed, always aware of Simon Medleycott behind him in fourth. George Hales had a far better session pushing through to fifth whilst holding off Declan Whitmore in sixth place. Sam Lloyd had a decent session holding on to seventh place ahead of the last of the finishers Darren Longdon in eighth.

 Race 3 

This session was the end of a long day for some. Jacob Wilson didn’t need to be told twice and broke away to take his third win in a clean sweep. Henry Proctor remained solid and took the second spot, taking a great haul of points from the round overall. Rio Longdon had a consistent session and held the third spot doing enough to make the place his overall. George Hales made the best of a bad day taking fourth. Lee Cowan took a solid fifth ahead of Simon Medleycott in sixth. Sam Lloyd  and Declan Whitmore marked the last of the finishers in a solid day for the rookie class. Well done everyone.

Overall Results     

1st – Jacob Wilson #7 (Polaris RS1)

2nd – Henry Proctor #222 (Polaris RS1)

3Rd – Rio Longdon #4 (Polaris RZR 1000) 

Fastest Lap Bonus Point – Jacob Wilson #7

Clerks Driver of The Day – Jacob Wilson #7 

1000 Experts

This class never ceases to amaze and is always the one to watch. 

Qualifying 

Mark McCann took pole on one of his early laps. William Buller bagged a solid second proving the pace is there once again. Tom Fletcher placed third, followed by Mack Priestwood claiming a solid fourth. Robert Lloyd and Kevin Haran were split by only two tenths in fifth and sixth; Lewis Scotney closing off the grid.  

Race One 

The flag was raised and seven corners later Tom Fletcher became the race leader. Mark McCann tried hard but couldn’t improve on second place and was chased closely by Mack Priestwood in third. William Buller dropped from second to fourth as his lap time seemed to just drop off the pace. Kevin Haran had a decent session but couldn’t break into the top four. Lewis Scotney marked the last of the finishers in this fiercely competitive class.  

Race Two 

Tom Fletcher was off and took his second win of the day. William Buller improved massively back to second spot, pushing Mark McCann to third. Mack Priestwood had another consistent session proving he is on the pace taking fourth spot again. Kevin Haran was next home, holding fifth place. Robert Llyod returned to a sixth spot leaving Lewis Scotney closing off the grid in seventh. Another great race setting up a classic finale.  

Race Three 

Race three really was the grand finale. Tom Fletcher broke away and seemed to be home free until he realised  his fuel cap was open. Having to leave the track to secure the cap saw Tom fall to last place. Kevin Haran took full advantage and a well-timed joker lane saw him take the race lead. Mark McCann held on to second spot pushed hard by Mack Priestwood. Tom Fletcher pushed hard but fourth was the best he could. William Buller was the fifth side-by-side home after an unlucky joker saw him drop from second to fifth place. Robert Lloyd pushed on but was unable to catch Buller in fifth. What an amazing race to finish a great weekend.

Overall Results

1st – Tom Fletcher #59 (Polaris RS1)

2nd – Mark McCann #64 (Polaris RZR 1000)

3rd – Kevin Haran #53 (Polaris RS1) 

Fastest Lap Bonus Point – Tom Fletcher #59

Clerks Driver of the day – Tom Fletcher #59

Massive thank you to everyone who made the event a success! Next stop the Lakes, let’s do this!