DTRA National Dirt Track Championships Round 2 May 16-17

Round two of the 2015 DTRA (Dirt Track Riders Association) race series moved to Peterborough Speedway for a special two-day event at the MCN Festival of Motorcycling. Not only did this event feature two days of hard fought flat track action, but also included the Trans-Atlantic Trophy featuring some of the legends of the sport from the USA, including Dave Aldana, Kevin Schwantz and Jay Maloney, who all came to take on Britain’s best. Sunshine and a well-groomed track provided the perfect setting for an amazing weekend of flat track racing.

The Trans-Atlantic Trophy was made up of four rounds all with heats and finals, with each featuring 10 riders racing 12 laps. In round one it was good news for Team GB as they took the top three spots. Oliver Brindley blew the doors of the competition with Tim Neave taking second and Aidan Collins third. Round two saw Team US take the win with Jay Maloney moving into the lead after Alan Birtwistle’s bike stopped on the final corner. GB’s Brindley and Collins took second and third respectively.

Round three saw GB’s Collins lead from the start only to be caught napping on the final turn when Maloney snuck through for a Team US win with Brindley third. In the final round Birtwistle representing the US got a flying start to move into the lead. He held off Brindley who took second with Maloney third. At the end of the four events Team GB took the win with 226 points over the USA who scored 220.

The Pro Class delivered fast and furious action as Collins got the holeshot ahead of Brindley and Birtwistle. Collins looked solid but Brindley pushed hard trying to find a way through. Behind, Neave passed Birtwistle to move into third but the pair continued to fight it out all the way to the line. At the front Collins held strong for the win with Brindley second and Neave held off Birtwistle for third.

The Vintage Class final saw Paul Harrison take the early lead followed by Frank Chatokhine and Anthony Brown. Behind, Guy Sutherland started to work his way through as he moved into second. It was a closely fought race but Sutherland managed to get to the front and take the win. Chatokhine showed his usual race swagger in second and Harrison rounded out the podium.

The Thunderbike Class the race was stopped after a crash put hot favourite Guy Sutherland on the floor and out of the race. The restart saw Geoff Cain blast to the front in dominant form. Behind, George Pickering chased hard constantly looking for a way past. In doing so he left the door open at the wrong moment allowing Tom Clemans to move into second. While this was going on Cain kept the gas on and rode to victory. Clemans held on to second with Pickering third.

In the Restricted Class final Conor Bolsover led from the start. Gary Birtwistle pushed hard in second with Ross Herrod in third. Bolsover rode well and kept the doors closed on Birtwistle, who despite his best efforts, had to settle for second. Herrod cruised home unchallenged in third. The Rookie Class saw Daniel Kafta shine as blasted to the win. Richard Rowden rode well for second with Andrew completing the podium line-up.

The Minibike Class saw Leah Tokelove grab the holeshot and lead from the first turn. Alfie Collett chased hard in second and the two pulled away from their competition with Geoff Cain in third. Robert Neave passed Cain to move into third, and with just one lap to go Collett managed to make the pass to take the win. Tokelove held strong for second with Neave third.

Skye Adams was in dominant form in the Youth Senior Class as she led the way. Toby Hales moved into second with Ben Neave third. Adams opened up a gap and took the win. Hales rode a smart race to second with Neave third. The Youth Intermediate Class saw Strom Stacy ride well to take the win. Second was George Hopper with Joe Burden rounding out the podium. The Youth Junior Class was won by Leon Collier.

The one off Dash for Cash race, with £500 up for grabs, attracted a large field. The final saw Neave, Birtwistle and Brindley lead the charge. Neave was on fire but Brindley was hot on his tail. The pair then pulled away from their competitors eventually catching and passing the back markers, which added to the drama. This time the 16-year-old was unable to find a gap and had to settle for second leaving Neave to take the £250 first prize. The battle for third was hard fought with Maloney managing to pass Birtwhistle for the final cash prize slot.

Round three of the DTRA series takes place at Eastbourne Speedway on June 14. For more information, see Dirttrackriders.co.uk.