BSSO Lydden Hill
The annual visit to Lydden Hill is always eagerly awaited by both riders and spectators alike. The Kent circuit is in a natural amphitheatre with virtually every part of the lap visible to spectators around the one-mile circuit.
The annual visit to Lydden Hill is always eagerly awaited by both riders and spectators alike. Paul Green brings us the latest racing news and action.
This weekend the race was bathed in great weather so everything was set for a great weekend of scooter racing.The standards classes grid saw a around 20 riders taking part, which is still quite a spectacle around the Lydden Hill Circuit.
Group 4 is seeing a mini renaissance with numbers bolstered at the meeting by Chris Geyton who, although not fully fit, has returned after surgery resulting from a long-term injury. Nonetheless, he was a welcome sight. Dave Bristow has a new engine, thanks to the help of Austrian sponsor Michael Powolotti. Dave was tight-lipped about the power output, but he did let on that the spread of power was very broad and the power didn't go off during the races, which was evident by his
three wins and fastest lap over the weekend. However, SRP rider Jason Metivier made him work very hard for it, especially in the second race where the gap across the line was just 0.14 seconds. Metivier took two second places and Geyton took three third places across the weekend.
Group 4Evo is proving slow to take off, but when it does it could be a great class. Peter Molkenthin took three wins over the weekend in class, with Stuart Day having issues, which unfortunately caused him non finishes.
The Production Class continues to provide the biggest class and as always results in some cost-effective and competent racing for both Lambretta and Vespa scooters. True to form, Graham Tatton continues to edge faster and faster,
and took another race win. Previous champion DSC rider Justin Price is still the man to beat, however, and he took two wins from the weekend, despite Tatton taking the fastest lap of each race, showing just how competitive this class can be. Behind them, Dave Delaney on the production Vespa took two podium finishes, but a non finish in the second race blotted his weekend. Stephen Hamilton is also on a Vespa small frame, which is well suited to the Lydden circuit. He had a strong weekend including a podium, courtesy of Delaney’s DNF. Behind them the likes of Pat Wickham, Shaun Nickells and Rob Fielder all had solid weekends with little to choose between them. Newcomers Hodgetts and Offland are consistently improving and achieving reliable finishes, and show that racing can be enjoyed no matter where you are finishing and is such a buzz that you are smiling all weekend. The second grid of special class machines saw around 15 riders over the weekend with several riders from the standard classes making the most of a second entry for the opportunity of more track time and race experience.
Currently, Group 6 is the second biggest class and has always features some very
trick and very fast scooters. Warren Wilkinson took three wins to consolidate his championship position, although he was pushed all the way by the combination of Steve Wright and Stuart Day, proving that age is no restriction to speed. Wilkinson is really impressing in his first year riding geared scooters after making the switch from autos. Despite Wilkinson’s youth, if you have veterans like Wright and Day on your tail you really have to be riding hard, which he certainly did and was the only rider to dip into 49-second lap times, which is an average speed of 72mph and is very quick around Lydden. Behind them, Justin Price, Jason Metivier and Dave Bristow had a very mixed bag of race results over the weekend, but provided some great racing between them.
Lydden is the venue for the now traditional Memorial Race. Unfortunately, this year’s race didn’t have such a full field, but Warren Wilkinson was flag-to-flag winner to take the coveted award. Although John Woods was the only rider on an auto special over the weekend, he used it well to chase Wilkinson and take a great second place. In third was Damon Tunnicliffe, who turned up for this race to try and take another win, having been a winner in previous years. He certainly showed that he still has what it takes.
The British Scooter Championship next heads to Wales and then it’s a return to its spiritual home at Three Sisters, which is a love/hate experience for many riders.