Race Report & Images by Raymond Thomson – Madmaxmedia

No stranger to motocross, Johnny has built some of the best tracks for racing all over the country. Building on Stuarts success, JDH has used his extensive contacts in the Motocross industry and drafted in a good number of new sponsors as well as maintaining the loyal supporters of the series. There had been a buzz around the tracks and it quickly spread to the four corners of the UK and some of the best riders in the country have signed up to race and commit to doing the championship. The crowds were met with an impressive set up in Tain as the trackside barriers and start line back drops resembled that of a British or even GP track.

Jack Quinn Auto
Saturday 3rd March

It’s all about the youth on Saturday. There’s always thrill and spills and the deep sand of Tain would keep the parents on their toes. No shortage of exciting racing, it was a great way to open the championship.

Auto’s

Shirlaws – KTM Aberdeen have come on board to sponsor the youngsters. The wee ones looked box fresh with their new kit and there was a buzz around the paddock as the Auto’s got underway. With Jack Martin moving on as 2022 Champion, it was all to play for. Aiden Anton set the pace in qualifying but bike issues on the line in race 2 would end his day. Jack Quinn failed to set a time in qualifying but stormed to three race wins. Ashton Bain’s consistency would reward him with second as Ellis Easton just did enough to grab the final podium

65’s

FXR have committed to support the junior race and the popular brand certainly brightened up the paddock. It was no surprise that the diminutive Lyall Rutherford qualified fastest but he had a challenging first race with bike problems. This allowed Alex Fraser to win the first race but a poor second race meant he would finish overall second behind Rutherford as he powered quite comfortably to three wins in the remaining three races. Cole McAuley did enough to stay ahead of Vinnie Anderson as their dad’s cheered them on trackside. Both dads had their chance to shine on Sunday.

Lyall Rutherford

85’s SW/BW

CiSport are part of the championship this year supporting some of the best racing in the championship. The 85’s always provide bar to bar racing and Tain was a tough test for the riders.

SW

Robbie Scott grabbed the fastest lap in qualifying just ahead of Malachi Allan but after sharing race wins between them, they finished on equal points. Allan got the overall as he won the last race, but it will be a hard fought season as the pair promise to battle it out all the way. Ricky Barrack proved his journeys south racing has brought him on as he finished third only one point ahead of Alfie Stott who gained some great experience last month racing in the Arenacross.

BW

Hayden Statt showed his speed and class as he disappeared from the pack in every race. His speed was incredible and would have put him up front in most classes! The fast starting Jaden Anderson proved he can grab the AMD Holeshots and he ran comfortably in second ahead of Jaxon Haswell.

Rookies 125/250

The Youth Rookies class provides a great platform for the young riders to prepare themselves for the bigger classes. With Shirlaws Motorcycles onboard, they’ll enjoy some rewards for their hard work. Ryan Waggott and Jack Fletcher provided some great racing for the crowd. Swapping race wins, Ryan enjoyed three of them and as the riders came together on one corner, Jack was robbed of sharing the spoils. However, as both riders were riding different classes, they would run out winners in their respective class. Waggott finished well ahead of Ryan McKinney but the mixed class was fraught at times as the 250 four strokes mixed it with the two strokes. Louis Perrin-Brown bagged the final podium spot. In the 250 class, Troy Flockhart enjoyed the class win in race one, but he couldn’t match Fletchers speed to take the overall. Three solid seconds was good enough as he nursed a hamstring injury. Ryan Lowes rode well to secure third as he changed from two stroke this year.

Adult Support / 2 Stroke Open

After race one, the Two Stroke race sponsored by Slavin Plant Hire & Construction Ltd joined the Adult Support and the mixed class gave a lot of riders the chance to bed themselves in for Sunday. Dylan Carnegie ran out winner in the Two stroke class and in the Adult Support, Carlton Husband, no stranger to Tain, proved he would be the man to beat in MX2.

Sunday 4^th March

Vets 40,50 and 60

Niall Mcauley dominated the O40’s class as his smooth riding style made sure he had no drama’s in the deep sand as he finished every race 25 seconds ahead of his fellow vets. Jamie Black more famous for his suspension these days showed he can still mix it but couldn’t quite beat multiple winning vet Barry Gray who showed he’s still the fastest scot. In the O50’s, holeshot expert Gordon ‘Montana’ Morrison was limited to 1 holeshot for the day as Barry Gray took the cash but he did take the overall ahead of Morton Hannah. The Scottish Twinshock riders did battle it out and stayed ahead of Alasdair McGowan who had a sold day. The stalwart of the vet class, Ian Wilson secured the O60 overall and he got tore into the new season.

Adult C

Logan Adsley was 10s ahead of the rest in Qualifying and it was no surprise he turned that into the overall in the C class. He was pushed in race 2 William Anderson who finished right behind him and in race 3, he was beaten by Daniel McDonald and Anderson. They would both finish second and third respectively as Adsley used his Arenacross experience to get himself ready for the season.

Adult B

With a number of riders choosing to drop down from MX1 and MX2 into the B class for 2023, it promised to be a tightly fought class. Jamie Clark out qualified the pack and the fast starting Irishman did his best to run top three in every race but a DNF in race three meant the long journey home with nothing to show for it. Another Arenacross rider John Kirk showed he meant business by winning all three races and dominating the class. Scott Paterson return to racing was profitable as he comfortably ran behind Kirk. Jake Hall improved in every race to round out the podium. Special mention to Elaine Maceachern finishing top 5 behind Logan Ferguson as she looked impressive in her first race of the season, setting herself up well for racing the Women’s British Championship.

John Kirk B Class

MX1 / MX2 Combined Race

With a massive prize fund, it was no surprise that the MX1 and MX2 classes were packed. Billy MacKenzie was sporting the red plate #1 on his new Kawasaki and was up for defending his title.

MX2 Safe Access Highland Ltd

In the MX2 class, Carlton Husband ran away with the overall. He looked smooth riding on the Saturday on the Adult support and continued that into Sunday. He pushed hard in all three races mixing it with the MX1 riders all day. His Phoenix Evenstrokes Kawasaki teammate Sam Atkinson would finish second overall narrowly ahead of Brad Anderson as he enjoyed being on the podium on his new two stroke. He’s just getting it dialled in and promises to come back stronger for the next round. Daniel Hutchinson also placed well ahead of Ryan Thomson who was delighted to get back to racing after a tough 2 years and multiple wrist surgeries.

Carlton Husband

MX1 Carnegie Fuels

Shaun Simpson looked to be in a determined mood as he took no prisoners in qualifying. He was over 1.5 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Brad Todd. It was current Scottish MX Champion Billy MacKenzie that blasted out the gate first in race 1 but he only held that place for a lap as Simpson powered through to take the win. In race 2, it looked like no one could beat Simpson, but he crashed out whilst in the lead and ended his day. This left ASA GasGas rider John Adamson and Gabriel SS24’s Tristan Purdon to battle it out and after clashing in race 2, it was Adamson who got up first to take that win but it cost him a radiator. He was able to finish that race and change it out before race 3.

Another rider who would miss out was Jay Hague. He took a heavy tumble in race 1 as his bike lay on the track for a short while with steam pouring out of it. Ben Edwards looked fresh and the Carnegie Fuels rider certainly got his season off to a great start by being fast and consistent. His podium place was well deserved but he couldn’t live with Adamson and Purdon and they were in a battle for that coveted overall. John Adamson came out on top after an intense race and his determination was there to see. Brad Todd must have felt robbed as his clutch disintegrated in race 2 and resulted in him finishing behind MacKenzie. After a poor race 1, Billy got his mojo back to finish 4^th overall and keep his sights on back to back championships. Ross Rutherford and Tony Craig showed there’s still riders outside the top 5 that will challenge to the bitter end so it’s shaping up to be a hard fought championship.

With Dyce Carriers, Site Sealants, AMD on board along with all the new sponsors including ACTIPH Water, Scottish Motocross has never been better placed to show the rest of the UK how it’s done. They say money talk but so does results and there’s a good number of riders wanting to prove a point.

The next round of The Scottish Championship will be at Rhynie (nr Aberdeen) 29^th / 30^th April

AMD Contract Services Ltd have proudly supported the ScotMx championship which is the official Scottish ACU Motocross Championship for the past 3 seasons with the AMD Holeshot awards for all the youth and adult classes, fastest qualifier (youth) and AMD youth and adult rider of the year awards. AMD have watched as the championship has grown from strength to strength under the very passionate and experienced promoter, former Grand Prix rider and National champion Stuart Flockhart and his team at ScotMx.

Well done ScotMx from all at AMD Contract Services Ltd on a fantastic series and congratulations to all the newly crowned 2022 SACU Scottish Motocross Champions.

This meant that the traditional two-day meeting took one week to resolve. Of course, not ideal for some, but it gave ScotMX the opportunity to re-run the popular Super Mini-Cup along with the normal adult races and give the young guns an audience to display their talents. They would have to ride impressively to match their big brothers as the Carnegie Fuels MX1, and Safe Access MX2 promised to be the race of the season so far. The list of names was growing throughout the week as a few seasoned riders dusted off their boots. They would have a hard slog as some of the nation’s brightest talents had travelled from far and wide to race one of the best tracks in the UK let alone Scotland. With another hot day being forecast, track owner Scott Gardner had a busy time preparing the sand track to be able to handle the hot temperatures. Having a sprinkler system that gives 100% track coverage was a major bonus and proved to be invaluable as the afternoon temperatures started to soar.

Vets

Newcastle-based Vet Micky Graham had his first race at ScotMX this season after running in another series down south. He admitted he had missed running at the club and relished riding at one of his favourite tracks. Having won the ScotMX Vets championship last year, he would be the man to beat on the day and Brian Alexander did just that in race 1. Brian was fastest in Qualifying and turned that into a race win. Micky got his overall back on track by beating Brian in the next two races although Brian was waiting to pounce on any mistake. The final podium in the O40’s class was Kevin McBride. In the O50’s, Tony ‘Mad Dog’ Whitelaw made a winning return to ScotMX after a season-ending injury last year kept him out. He scuppered Gordon ‘Montana’ Morrison’s ideas of AMD Holeshot to race win as the pair would battle it out over the three races. Mad Dog versus Montana, there could be only one winner, and as we know, every dog has its day, and it was a mad one at Doune! The final podium went to Ian Wilson. His consistency paid off as he managed to fend off Craig Smith by a single point. With O60’s rider Paul Chiappa missing the meeting due to an injury, this left the door open for Douglas Garrick to grab the overall ahead of Davey Dick in the O60’s.

Adult ‘C’ Class

Another strong display by Louis Tobin saw the diminutive teenager breeze past the fast-starting Dale Hynd in each race. Dale would grab the AMD Holeshots but was soon passed by the super quick kid. Dale managed to maintain second in each race but finished 20+ seconds behind the leader in every race. Jordan Kerr’s first race was poor as he could only finish 8th but his two second places in the remaining races were enough to secure third overall as the pack took turns to chase him. Series leader John Kenny was best of the rest as the fast fifer just needs to sort out his starts to improve his overall results. Martyn Lyell was a point behind John as somehow, he managed to do a whole race with his holeshot device engaged. David Murray and Brian Anderson fought it out for the top 6 spot. Solid result for Brian as it was his first race in over a year, but David’s higher placing meant he beat Brian on countback.

Adult ‘B’ Class

No easy races for championship leader Myles Reid at Doune. The three races had a different winner each time, but it was Myles that managed the better results on the day. Euan Watson showed he had some great speed and loves riding sand, but he was pipped by Matty Fry who had a worthwhile trip over from Ireland by grabbing all three AMD Holeshots and never out of the top three all day. Myles never look flustered, though, as he kept the young riders at bay on his way to the overall as Matty narrowly missed out. There were only four points between the top three; it was that close! Rusty Robertson had a tough day as Ryan Garthwaite, and Jake Hall finished ahead of him in 4th and 5th.

Super Mini Cup

The second running of the popular Super Mini Cup saw Lewis Spratt make the journey across from Ireland to Scotland this week as he had been racing all season in England. It was a good day for him as he won both Super Mini Cup races. Malachi Allan did his best to push but just couldn’t match Spratt. The rest of the pack were someway back but enjoyed some close racing. Jaden Anderson’s return from injury was on track with a third in race one, but Charlie MacDonald and Robbie Scott finished ahead of him in the second race to push him back to overall 5th. Charlie and Robbie swapped race positions in both races, which ultimately meant Charlie would end up with the final podium position. Great result for Robbie Scott finishing fourth as the lads all grouped together on the finish line to bump fists and show their mutual respect on and off the track. Great to see some spirited racing and friendship off track.

MX1 / MX2

The line up alone on paper was mouth-watering. There was a lot of anticipation not only with the fans, but you could feel the buzz in the paddock as the riders were mingling and exchanging the customary banter. When the gate drops, the bullshit stops, and that’s exactly the way it panned out in the races. Fat Cats the week before had seen some tight racing, and it carried over to Doune for a few of the riders. Shaun Simpson was the obvious fans favourite as the popular Scotsman can still beat the best of them on his day but having matched Shaun last week (on points) John Adamson had other ideas. Shaun, John and Billy MacKenzie all qualified within 1s of each other, and all three were in the mix for the AMD Holeshots. In the first race, Shaun and Jay Hague got wheels tangled at the first corner, which led to both of them having to charge through the pack to minimise the potential points loss. Hague, now on a 450 Honda, followed Simpson through the pack, but neither of them could catch and pass Tristan Purdon and John Adamson, who edged the win. Incredible effort from Simpson but he ran out of laps. He did manage to catch Billy MacKenzie, who ran in third all race until Shaun got past. In race 2, Adamson passed Simpson on the second lap and ran at the front all race. He won by 2 seconds as Simpson looked like he would put on a late push, but Adamson held him off. Tony Craig was running in third, until a 6th lap crash ended his race. Tristan Purdon had to come through from mid-pack after a bad start to take third as Billy Mac proved he still had plenty in the tank to keep pushing. Ross ‘Bunga’ Rutherford, riding a brand new YZF450, came from 12th through to 5th. Simpson finally got the reward of a race win in the final race as he looked strong and won by 5s. Adamson suffered from a leaking exhaust manifold but still held on just ahead of Purdon as Billy Mac got another 4th. Hague finally broke in to the top 5 as he had shown promise all day. John Adamson had the bragging rights this week ahead of Simpson as the impressive Purdon continued his solid riding. Billy Mac was a clear 4th and Ben Edwards battled with Jay Hague all day and took the 5th place ahead of the Honda rider.

MX1 MX2 Start

The MX2 race was just as manic as the two northeast of England riders showed they were up in Scotland to do some serious racing. Carlton Husband and Sam Atkinson travel and race together most weeks and loved the short drive north. It would be Sam’s day as he would finish ahead of his elder race teammate as the pair ran 1,2 all day. Wildcard rider Bryan MacKenzie chose Doune as a warmup race for his upcoming VMXdN race later in August for Team Scotland. Having not turned a lap since the last VMXdN in August 2021, he had two impressive 3rd places. Suffering with some serious arm pump, he faded in race three but had done enough to beat local rider Andrew Pohlen. Pohlen finished 1 point ahead of David Plank, who had his first foray at ScotMX having favoured racing in England for the past few years. He was suitably impressed by the racing and enjoyed a third in the final race. It’s hard to believe Ayden Smith was racing in the Youth / Rookies last year, but the championship winner proved he has potential by taking the top 6 place ahead of series leader Steven Craig.

2 Stroke / Adult Support (Combined)

The normal schedule was reversed at Doune, so the Two Stroke Championship was up first. The race was combined with the Adult Support, and overall numbers were limited to suit the race schedule. The two-strokes were on the gate first to give the championship riders the benefit of a clear track. Dylan Carnegie and Fraser Norrie would battle it out for the overall with Dylan coming out on top. Norrie pushed him all the way, and the racing was frantic at times. The nature of the two-stroke racing always makes for real ding dong duals throughout the class. The Hendry brothers had a battle for third, and Owen only very recently got himself a bike just to race the class, but he couldn’t outdo his younger brother Logan, who has raced the entire series. Ewan Kermack managed to blast out front in the third race and run upfront as he split Greg Maxwell and George Stewart to grab 5th behind Greg. The pair are usually inseparable, but Ewan relished riding the deep sand.

The Adult support had a great number of fast riders making up the gate who would ultimately catch the two-stroke riders and get in the mix for the overall race wins. The staggered start behind the two strokes would see Billy Mackenzie push hard as he had his work cut out to fend off Ben Kennedy and Ryan Mawhinney as the youngsters did their utmost to match his speed. All three riders would take a race win each and hunt down their 2 stroke counterparts. It must have been hard for the spectators to work out who was winning at times, but for the neutral observer, the racing was hectic and exhilarating.

Youth / Rookies

Another thrilling class is the Youth / Rookies. Charley Irwin was on a mission to continue his dominance in the class, and the deep sand of Doune suited his riding style perfectly. Charley had to push through the pack in race one to beat Lee Cameron who was riding a borrowed bike as his race bike developed a terminal fault in qualifying. Luckily, he got to grips with the bike very quickly and did his best to maximise his points even after he cased a jump and damaged his ankle in race 1. Kyle Peel got the final podium with some great consistent riding and did enough to stay ahead of Logan Ferguson, who had a disappointing first race dropping from third to sixth and limiting his chances of a podium. Graham Haddow also had a poor first race, but his return from long-term injury shows promise as he managed a third in race 2. I’m sure he’s happy to break into the top 5 and will continue to improve. Benas Blazevicius rounded out the top 6 and showed some real speed throughout the day.

85 Small Wheel / 85 Big Wheel

Another rider coming back from injury was Jaden Anderson. He sustained a serious head injury riding his BMX bike a few weeks ago, but he was back doing what he does best. His best wasn’t good enough though, as Malachi Allan had other ideas. It was another master class from Malachi as he would dominate all day, winning all three races by a mile. Another good ride from Robbie Scott got him the final podium place as Kyle Graham and Jamie McKee fought it out for 4th. Jamie’s third in race 2 wasn’t quite enough to overhaul the wee Irish lad. Jay Baker had some thrills n spills on his way to sixth.

In the BW class, Ryan Haddow rode like a demon in race three after he picked the bike up at the first corner and rode hard through the pack to take the overall. Charlie Macdonald couldn’t match Ryan’s speed at Doune, but he did enough to stay ahead of James McGowan. Robbie Peace and Aaron Tait had good solid performances and broke into the top 6; Harry Nunn has been making steady progress throughout the year.

65’s

Bali Black took his first-ever race win in race two at Doune and showed there’s more to come as his consistency was rewarded with a great win as he lead every lap and never looked threatened by Aaron Todd in that race. Aaron has had the best record in the 65’s all season, and he showed why he’s the lad to beat in race 1 and 3 as Alfie Lawrie had a quiet day by his standards. Charlie Casselden was only a point behind Alfie, but his final race let him down as he couldn’t recover enough places after a bad start to overhaul Alfie. George “Doodle” Dryden day started off with a second corner crash which meant a hard slog to battle through to 8th. His day did improve as he showed some good speed, but overall 5th was the best he could muster. Liam Everard matched Doodle on points but finished behind him in the final race, which meant 6th overall for the day.

Autos

Cole McAuley enjoyed another visit over to Scotland with a 2,1,1 for his efforts. Although Jack Martin edged race 1, Cole would dominate the next two races as Martin blew the chance of the overall with a first corner crash in the last race. Aiden Anton secured the final podium with two great 3rd places in the first two races and just managed to outdo Hunter Haldane by a single point as his last race didn’t go to plan. Harris Curran pipped Liam Hannah to 5th as Liam’s third in the final race just wasn’t enough to improve his result.

Round 6 of the ScotMX Championship, powered by Milwaukee, continues on 13th/14th August at Clayshant Motocross. Entries are open and available www.scotmx.com

Report and Images by Raymond Thomson – Madmaxmedia

With a great entry numbers-wise, the ScotMX Team had their work cut out to keep the two day race meeting on track and they did so very professionally. Rhynie has a long history of being one of the top tracks in Scotland and it was obvious there had been some serious preparation gone into making sure the event would be a success. Typical “four seasons in one day” weather but it didn’t dampen the mood as the crowd marvelled at the racing on offer.

Autos

The AMD holeshot awards are always hotly contested but for Rhynie, the sponsors took a new approach. Along with awarding a holeshot for each race, for this round they put up additional cash for the fastest qualifier. Liam Hannah bagged the rewards with ease as he was 1s clear of Jack Martin, but it was Jack who would come out on top over the weekend. His fast starts and three race wins on Saturday put him beyond the pack. He would come home third on the Sunday after a hard fought race but the Wulfsport rider increased his championship lead. Hunter Haldane’s season went from strength to strength and the four second places confirmed that consistency is the key. Liam Hannah had a great race win on Sunday which bodes well for the future but it wasn’t enough to secure the overall third podium spot as Harris Curran’s solid riding was good enough.

65’s

Aaron Todd and Alfie Lawrie served up some cracking racing for the crowd. At one point, race commentator Campbell Chatham said it was the best racing of the day for him on Saturday. The pair shared 2 wins and 2-second places each, but as Aaron won the last race, he took the overall. He had earlier won the AMD holeshot money, so he went home a happy lad. Ethan Gawley did well to grab the final podium considering he hit the gate in the last race and rode like a demon from 19th to 5th on Sunday. Bali Black rode well but couldn’t overhaul Ethan. He did manage a race podium in the final race on Sunday with the well-deserved third place. Some plucky riding from George ‘Doodle’ Dryden saw him 1 point behind Bali as this class gets tighter as the season progresses.

Small Wheel & Big Wheel 85s

In the small wheel class, Malachi Allan was fastest in qualifying by 3s but he couldn’t match Robbie Scott’s blistering starts in the races. Robbie’s three wins on the Saturday set him up for the overall and although Malachi won the final race, it was Robbie’s weekend. It’s taken a while for the pack to catch up to Allan as he has dominated the series all season. Alfie Stott had another consistent weekend with four thirds. Newcomers to the class, Kyle Graham and Kian McGill battled it out for 4th with the wee Irish lad edging out his Scottish pal on count back.

The Big wheel riders had their hands full trying to fend off their small wheel counterparts in the combined races with Robbie and Malachi winning outright but in the BW class, Charlie McDonald won with James McGowan hot on his heels. Charlie was never out of the top three as James faltered slightly in the last race. Zac Newlands also had a great battle to stay ahead of Aaron Tait by one point as he took the final podium place.

Tough weekend for Robbie McCulloch as his aspirations of a top three came to a halt at the start of race three as he got caught up on the start straight and had to pull out due to injury.

Youth Rookies

It was a masterclass from Charley Irwin as he turned a 5s lead in qualifying into four race wins. He pushed hard in every race to demonstrate he meant business. The rest of the pack battled it out to see who would come out on top and it was Lee Cameron who proved he’s not far behind Charley and managed to edge out Logan Ferguson. Rider of the day for me was Graham Haddow who had his first competitive SACU race in two years. Having suffered a horrific injury at a practice track, he rode extremely well to secure fourth ahead of local lad Caydan Mearns who lost his podium chance when he lost his front end in the last race.

2 Stroke (Saturday)

That unmistakable smell of two stroke oil filled the air on Saturday. The race actually has two classes, up to 150cc and Open class. In the 150 race, Harris Campbell took the overall on his CR but it was the Open two stroke that provided the thrills. Logan Hendry ragged his 250 KTM round Rhynie and beat Fraser Norrie by a point to secure the bragging rights. Norrie’s final race win wasn’t enough to grab the overall, but he was some way ahead of Dylan Carnegie who had an uncharacteristic race one finished down the order. George Stewart and Greg Campbell continued where they left off at Duns swapping places each race, but Maxwell missed out on the top 4 by 2 points. Steven Rennie’s day was over early as he crashed out of the first race after blasting out the gate and running first.

Adult Support (Saturday)

Aaron Carroll’s return to competitive racing got a major boost this weekend. Aaron used the Adult support race to dial into the track and with Billy MacKenzie suffering a DNF in race 2, and Tristan Purdon choosing to sit out race three, it gave Aaron the overall. He had pushed in every race and battled in the top 5 all day. With 10 MX1 and MX2 riders in the Adult Support race, it was a great set of races for the crowd to watch and see what was on offer for the main event on Sunday.

Vets o40/o50/o60

Barry Gray had an eventful return to ScotMX. The seasoned vet had his hands full in all three races as he battled with Fraser Watson and Gordon ‘Montana’ Morrison for the race wins. As usual, Barry came out on top, but his wins were hard-fought as Montana, the holeshot specialist managed to hold off Gray for long periods before being passed. Bearing in mind, that they race in different classes, they would both run out overall winners. With Gray winning the o40’s, Fraser Watson did enough to comfortably hold off Nigel Smorfitt who enjoyed his first visit podium. In the over 50’s, Ian Wilson ran out second to Montana and Morton Hannah came third. Wilson enjoyed running at the front in race three before eventually being passed by Gray near the end of the race. There’s a clear pattern forming in the o50’s with that top 3. Popular vet Paul Chiappa wrestled his KTM round Rhynie to win the o60’s.

Adult ‘C’

The ‘C’s top 5 is beginning to look familiar. With Dale Hynd getting out the gate in every race, he’s glad he’s made the comeback this season. The only rider to spoil his party was Louis Tobin. It didn’t take Louis long in each race to get out front and once he did, there’s no catching him. A well-deserved overall in front of Dale. Martin Lyell has cemented his results in each round and his consistency is starting to pay off, the final podium slot proved this. John Kenny is always in the mix and promises to deliver more so his peers need to keep an eye out. Logan Adsley’s spirited riding broke him into the top 5 and he’s another rider making measured improvements.

Adult ‘B’

The class had some of the best races of the day with Myles Reid showing no signs of faltering. 2022 has been his year so far and he literally has “Style for miles”. His riding may look effortless but under that calm exterior, he had to ride with real grit to fend off Rusty Robertson and Jamie Clarke in particular, as the pair battled hard every race. Ivan Williamson narrowly missed out on the podium by one point behind Clarke as the Irishman took a tumble in race 2 dropping to 15th but fighting back to 5th. Williamson gained 7 or 8 places in every race so just needs a better start to get on the podium. Ewan Watson took a lot of positives away from the day as it looks like the young rider is getting back to his best.

MX1 / MX2

The Carnegie Fuels MX1 and Safe Access MX2 races featured multiple Scottish/British and South African championship winning riders. Shaun Simpson, Billy McKenzie, Tristan Purdon, Ross Rutherford, Ben Edwards, Tony Craig and Elaine MacEachearn. Current ScotMX Championship leader Billy MacKenzie needed a strong performance to maintain his lead in the MX1 class and in MX2, Steven Craig would have to deal with visitors Ben Kennedy and Sam Atkinson who promised to spoil his day.The Safe Access MX2 race saw Sam Atkinson and Ben Kennedy make their first appearance in the 2022 season. They both rode hard up against the MX1 bikes and topped the MX2 class with Sam getting the upper hand. Now back fully fit after an early season injury, Sam used the Adult support on Saturday to check over the track and it paid dividends. Ben Kennedy continued to show he can mix it with the best as he managed to finish ahead of series leader Steven Craig whos urgent racing style was enough to finish third. Logan Hendry had a solid weekend after racing the two stroke on Saturday and commanding his four stroke to fourth on the Sunday.

The Carnegie Fuels MX1 promised much and didn’t disappoint and the top 6 riders showed the entire race field what’s possible on a motocross bike. Although MacKenzie came away from the meeting still the overall championship leader, the pack are catching up fast. Having missed the first round, Shaun Simpson is hard on the heels of Ross Rutherford in second and one DNF from Mackenzie for the overall. It wasn’t all about Shaun at Rhynie as multiple South African MX1/MX2 Champion Tristan Purdon pushed him all day. Tristan got to see Simpson in full flow in race 1 as he blasted out the gate and increased his lead every lap finishing nearly 20s ahead of the pack. Race 2 was a stark contrast for Shaun as Purdon got passed him on Lap 2 and with Simpson hitting a back markers wheel, he dropped his bike and although he charged hard, was not quite able to make up such a deficit but still finished 8s off the leader.

Race 2 also saw Ben Edwards and MacKenzie tangle with Edwards coming off worse. He left the track and when he re-entered he’d raced out with track limits and received a 1 minute penalty for doing so. Ross ‘Bunga’ Rutherford got the better of MacKenzie over the three races as the pair also had some intense battles but Bunga came out on top to finish fourth behind Edwards whose penalty wasn’t enough for him to lose the podium behind Purdon.

The last race saw Simpson take the overall but had the crowd hugging the barriers as they watched the race unfold.

Round 5 of the ScotMX Championship, powered by Milwaukee will be at Doune Motocross Saturday 9th and Saturday 16th July. Entries are open and available www.scotmx.com

Duns Motocross Rd 3

14th / 15th May 2022

Duns Motocross is based at Langton Lees Farm near Duns. Not far from the border with England, it is in a prime location and within striking distance for those travelling from far afield. There were a good number of Irish and English riders in attendance and a marvellous opportunity for some of the countries best riders to shine. The local riders renamed the track “Snuds” as it was being run backwards and it was a welcomed change as the feedback was positive. The great weather played a vital part over the weekend and the team were on hand to maintain it as required which made for some great racing. The Dalkeith Police came along on Sunday to show their support for the Off-Road community and joined in the action by helping the race start team. With the rise in motorcycle thefts, the Police wanted to share the pro-active work they have been doing with the riders and the community and listen to their feedback.

Autos

Jack Martin and Harris Curran would resume their championship battle at Duns but Cole Macauley proved he meant business making the trip over from Ireland. Jack Martin’s qualifying times were impressive, he was 4s ahead of Harris and 7s ahead of Cole but the Wulfsport sponsored rider’s day would be spoilt by the flying Irish lad. Jack blasted out the gate in the first race with the AMD Hole-shot and won easily but Cole would bag the next two races to set up a thrilling final race on the Sunday. Jack crashed on the second corner after getting the holeshot and by the time he got going again, he had to fight through the pack to get a 4th place in the final race. Cole easily won the final race and secured the overall. With Jack doing enough to bag second place, there was all to play for for the final podium. Harris Curran had a heavy crash in the 2nd race and had to have his bike lifted off him but he battled on and finished the race coming home in 9th. Hunter Haldane’s consistent riding and a great 2nd in the last race meant the final podium place was secured. Harris rode bravely on Sunday and his 3rd place in the final race was enough for an overall 4th. Liam Hannah had a solid weekend not far behind in 5th.

65’s

Aaron Todd turned fastest in qualifying into the overall win with a convincing performance. Alfie Lawrie pushed him all weekend but Todd just edged it with three wins to Alfie’s one. His three second places made for the overall second and the diminutive Lyall Rutherford would take the final podium. He did grab the first AMD Hole-shot and ran in front for sometime, but Todd and Lawrie would overhaul him. Still a great start to the season for the wee lad. Charlie Casseldon pipped Ethan Gawley by one point for the fourth place. Ethan did have a promising second race where he ran in second so there’s more to come from him this season.

85SW / 85BW

Malachi Allan continued his domination of the 85 Small Wheel class with four confident wins. Jaden Anderson did his best to push Malachi with 2 AMD Holeshots but Allan was too strong. Robbie Scott was in the mix for overall second but Jaden’s solid riding kept him at bay. Cole Rennie and Alfie Stott had a ding dong battle all weekend and finished on equal points. Cole secured overall 4th on count back so Alfie had to settle for 5th.

The Big Wheel class saw some equally close racing as James McGowan beat Robbie McCullough by one point. McCullogh’s two race wins wasn’t enough as two thirds couldn’t overhaul McGowans win and three second places. Charlie MacDonalds final race win on the Sunday grabbed the final podium ahead of Aaron Tait but his performance paid dividends. He had hoped for a podium with a third and second in the first two races but two fourths limited his overall chances. Robbie Peace had four fifth places for the 5th overall.

Youth Rookies

Lennox Dickinson’s foray over to Scotland was a successful one. He dominated the Youth/Rookies race with four easy wins. Fellow Irish rider Charley Irwin’s party was spoilt by local lad Jack Fletcher. Riding in his first rookie season, he showed his 125 KTM was more than a match for the 250f bikes he was pitted against. Charley Irwin was well placed to capitalise on any mistakes but had to settle for the final podium. Kyle Peel’s two third places was enough to make sure he beat Lee Cameron into fifth by a single point.

2 Stroke (Saturday)

The two stroke class had some of the most exciting racing on Saturday. The first race had to be red flagged after Jack Taylor took himself out with a heavy crash. Logan Hendry had a commanding lead in the first race until the race was red flagged. After the restart, Logan crashed heavily going into the second corner and this ultimately spoiled his intentions of wining the overall. The top six riders provided some entertaining racing for the crowds on Saturday as they diced for position. Ayden Smith showed his class by winning all three races but the other placings were hard fought as Steven Rennie’s rare race outing showed he could still run up front. Dylan Carnegie’s return to racing proved he’d not lost his speed by finishing third. George Stewart and Greg Maxwell traded places all day but George had the bragging rights. Steven Craig proved his CR125 could rip round any track and get to the front of the pack but a mechanical in race 2 spoiled his fun and that of the eager onlookers who love watching the 125 being ragged round the track.

Adult Support (Saturday)

The adult support gave a few of the main runners on Sunday a chance to bed themselves in. Ross ‘Bunga’ Rutherford made it look easy as he rode flawlessly. Adam Slavin enjoyed a run out as he did enough to secure overall second. Elaine Maceachern’s spirited riding earned her the final podium ahead of Seth Moir who’s two second places was enough for a 4th even though he sat out the last race as did Gregor Campbell who got some much needed bike time after his crash at Lochgilphead took him out for the weekend but he rode solidly and with two thirds he proved he was fit for MX2 on Sunday.

Vets o40/o50/o60

Niall Macauley spent Saturday chasing round track watching his son Cole racing in the Autos and he completed the double on Sunday by winning the Vets O40’s by a good margin. Brian Alexander pushed hard all day but couldn’t match the Irishman’s speed. Alan Deans rode well to secure the final podium place.

The o50’s was battled out by the usual suspects. Gordon ‘Montana’ Morrison always does his best to grab the AMD Hole-shots in whatever race he’s in and although he hit the start gate hard in race 3, he did enough to secure the overall. Ian Wilson and Morton Hannah fought for the second place and it was the 2019 World Vet Wilson that got the honour. Hannah, still getting to grips with his CRF after riding a 2 stroke CR for years got third overall. Paul Chiappa was in the mix in the main race and finished first in the o60’s ahead of Douglas Garrick.

Adult ‘C’

The ‘C’s normally have a different winner every race as the racing is close but Louis Tobin won all three races on Sunday. He had to push through the pack in race 1 and only just caught the fast starting Dale Hynd as the AMD hole-shot specialist couldn’t secure the win. Considering it’s Dales’s first season back after a long lay off, he’s got more to come. Hynd was impressive with a 2,2,3 for overall second. Adam Curran did enough with his two thirds to hold off Matin Lyell by one point to land the final podium position.

Adult ‘B’

The B class was another that was dominated by one rider. Myles Reid looked super smooth as he eased past the early front runners in each race. Riding with a back injury, he was able to gap the pack and stay in front in all three races. Jamie Clarke was desperate for a race win but couldn’t quite match Myles but held off Rory Johnson who also pushed every race. Ivan Kerr enjoyed the trip over from Ireland and was not far off the front runners. He did well to stay ahead of the rest of the pack as the tightly contested class is always hard fought.

MX1 / MX2

Shaun Simpson proved he’s still the man to beat as he turned on the style in every race. No first corner crashes this time like Lochgilphead and he grabbed all three AMD hole-shots and lead every lap of every race. It was a bumper pay day for Simpson as he secured the bonus payout for doing so. It was a much needed workout for Shaun as he continues to race the Revo British Championship along with Billy Mackenzie who did try to push Simpson early in each race but would get passed by Ben Edwards who made a welcome return to racing the ScotMX Championship after winning the Carnegie Fuels MX1 class last year. Mackenzie got the final podium ahead of Ross ‘Bunga’ Rutherford although Ross did manage a third ahead of Billy in race 2. Aaron McCarroll has also recently returned to racing after a long lay off and showed he still has the speed to compete at a good level. The Chambers Racing rider improved each race and managed to overhaul Bunga in the last race. Bunga still finished ahead of McCarroll who ended up with a creditable overall 5th in MX1.

The Safe Access MX2 race saw Carlton Husbands first trek up north this season and it was a profitable one. He dominated the class and was in the mix with the MX1’s bikes in the combined race finished ahead of some of the big guns. Steven Craig was over a minute behind Husband in race 1 and Ayden Smith, riding in MX2, rode out of his skin to get the third place in race 1. He won the Youth/Rookies last season and showed he has bags of potential riding the fourstroke bike. Craig would end up with the overall second for the day with two 2nd places. Logan Hendry put the disappoint of his 2 stroke crash on the Saturday with a hard fought overall third riding hard and finishing only a few seconds behind Husband in race 3. The second place was enough to secure his place on the podium. Jack Arthur’s consistency meant he was able to finish ahead of Gregor Campbell as he put the disappointment of Lochgilphead behind him as Duns saw a return to form with a third in race 2.

Round 4 of the ScotMX Championship, powered by Milwaukee will be at Rhynie Motocross 11th / 12th June. Entries are open and available www.scotmx.com

Report and pictures by – MadMaxMedia

Lochgilphead Rd 2

23rd / 24th April 2022

If it wasn’t hot enough in Lochgilphead at the weekend, the riders turned up the heat in all classes. From Auto’s to MX1, the racing was full of drama. In every class, the results went right down to the wire. The track had been worked on in the weeks leading up to the race and widened to make for better racing. With temperatures soaring over the two days, it needed plenty of water to keep the dust down. With the track prepped, the scene was set, and the racing did not disappoint the busy crowd who had turned out in numbers to see some non-stop action.

Autos

Harris Curran showed his speed in the first round was no fluke as he was fastest in qualifying and got three Holeshots sponsored by AMD. He would have a battle on his hands as Jack Martin would ultimately spoil his day by taking the overall for the weekend after the two battled it out over the four races to finish equal on points. With Jack taking the race win in the last race on Sunday after Harris had hit the dirt and bent his helmet peak down so his view was impaired, it meant on count back, Jack got the overall. There were some spirited rides throughout the class as the nature of the autos always involves a few minor thrills n spills to keep the mums and dads on their toes! Brodie Bennet managed to edge out Hunter Haldane after a last lap spill cost Hunter the last podium place.

65’s

The racing stepped up a gear in the 65’s as a thrilling last race saw Alfie Lawrie secure the overall after a dogged and determined ride. The pace setting Aaron Todd looked like he would breeze the weekend as he qualified fastest, four places above Alfie, but as fate would have it, it was not to be. He had to settle for second overall. Ethan Gawley was in the mix as the top three all won a race, and he was always there in case any of them slipped up. Lyall Rutherford was the best of the rest as he took fourth overall. Some way back on points but it’s his first season on the 65 so an impressive start for the youngster.

85SW / 85BW

The 85’s are always great to watch. Hard to tell sometimes who’s riding what class and there were a few SW riders showed they are worth watching! It was a masterclass from Malachi Allan and the SW stole the show with Robbie Scott and Jaden Anderson running up front in the combined race all weekend. The luckless Kyle Graham missed out on a podium, but he kept putting in the laps as the hard pack track took its toll on a few riders.

The BW was dominated by Robbie McCulloch with four class race wins. Charlie McDonald’s solid riding gave him an easy 2nd place and Aaron Tait edged out Owen Bennett as Owen’s last race limited his chances of a final podium as he suffered a bike problem. Checoby Rainey just missed out on a higher placing as a creditable third in the last race just fell short by 2 points of overhaling Owen.

Youth Rookies

Charley Irwin’s weekend was nearly spoilt in the last race with a poor start, but he charged through the pack to secure a third place and bagged the overall. Lee Cameron’s 2,2,2,1 was not quite enough to overhaul Charley but proved he’s got the speed and consistency to battle Charley this season. Logan Ferguson proved it’s not a two horse race this year, but he couldn’t turn the AMD holeshot into a race win in the final race as Lee caught and passed him. More to come from this class and it’s historically been the class to watch but the other classes have caught them up!

2 Stroke (Saturday)

A buoyant entry at the first round proved that the inclusion of a 2-stroke class was a great addition to the ScotMX meeting. Lochgilphead saw a reduction in numbers, but the racing was just as dramatic and intense. Dylan Carnegie’s return to racing showed he’s not lost his speed as he ragged his 250 KTM round the track. Grabbing an AMD holeshot and screaming “woo hoo” as he rounded the first left hander and almost losing it as he had a bar to bar slapper, but he kept it pinned and never looked back. Missing from the ‘mylaps’ results but Steven Craig ran a ’07 CR125 up against the 250’s and bossed them every race. The screaming 125 grabbed everybody’s attention and his jaw dropping ride made him rider of the meeting for me. The retro Fox gear looked superb as well. Steven would finish 2,4,2 but that wasn’t reflected in the official results. Logan Hendry looked like he was loving the two stroke 250 and pushed hard all day and was rewarded with the win in race three. Jack Taylor’s return to racing dramatically improved from Round 1 as he breezed the final podium slot. With the Arbroath crew cheering him on from the side lines, he proved there’s more to come. Greg Maxwell had a quiet weekend with a distant 4th in the class, but he’ll bounce back next round.

Adult Support (Saturday)

The striking kit worn by Billy McKenzie made him the standout rider before he’d even started the bike. The distinctive black and orange contrasted his Kawasaki perfectly and his riding was as immaculate as his kit. Billy blasted out the gate, rode hard for a few laps then coasted to three race wins. Aiden Bruce charged hard but couldn’t match the pace of Billy Mac. The second place was a given for Aiden and Fraser Norrie’s solid riding was enough for the final podium. The next three riders were within a point of each other as the rest of the field scrambled for positions.

Vets o40/o50/o60

The Scottish Twinshock club were well represented as some of their top riders were back to compete the in the ScotMX vets. Brian Alexander showed why he’s the man to beat at both clubs as he won the overall in the o40’s comfortably on the big KXF450. Overconfident and over jumping the tabletop at one point, he managed to save it by using the start straight to brake before he lost it. Fraser Watson pushed hard and secured the second spot and Mark Mason was rewarded for his efforts with a podium place. Hard to tell what class is racing with the three age groups so it was a pleasant surprise for him. The o50’s is always a hard-fought win and the holshot specialist, Gordon ‘Montana’ Morrison got the bragging rights this time as he got the overall win. He didn’t get all the AMD holeshots as Ian Wilson grabbed the final AMD holeshot of the day. He hopes his son Reece, Downhill MTB World Champion gets to see the evidence! The holeshot wasn’t enough as the top three all finished in the same running order each race as Morton Hannah would finish in front of Ian on his new Honda fourstroke. A rare sight but he suits the four stroke Honda.

The o60’s was won by Paul Chiappa showing there’s plenty life left in the multiple Scottish Twinshock champion.

Adult ‘C’

Traditionally, there’s never a standout rider in the C class as there’s usually a different winner in every race but Lewis Carey stamped his authority on the class with three impressive wins. John Kenny rode hard and improved on a nervy few laps in qualifying to edge out the fast-starting Dale Hynd by 2 points. Gary Lockyer had a great third race as he grabbed the AMD holeshot and ran in front before being overhauled but his third place was enough for a solid 4th overall.

Adult ‘B’

The B class has always had strength in depth and having Elaine MacEachern, the ACU British Champion attend the meeting was a real boost for all the kids watching to inspire them. Local to Lochgilphead, her track knowledge and hard work ethic would stand her in good stead to take on the packed class. There’s great rivalry through the classes and Myles Reid and Rory Johnson who are the best of pals got to bang bars and see who had bragging rights. Myles secured two race wins to Rory’s one and the overall as his super smooth style showed the track could be conquered. Elaine would get herself right in the mix as she battled with Rusty Robertson, Jamie Clarke and Rory Johnson for the podium places. Rusty was always going to threaten for the top spot, but it was Myles day. He did enough to beat Jamie on count back as the pair finished on equal points. The unfortunate Irishman had a nightmare crash in the third race which cost him dear. Elaine missed out on the top four as she was beaten by a couple points by Rory, but she rode her heart out and pushed all day bagging a second place in the last race.

MX1 / MX2

What a mouth-watering line up it was in the MX1 (sponsored by Carnegie Fuels) and MX2 (sponsored by Safe Access) combined race. If you were to ask anyone in Scottish Motocross who their favourite rider was in the past 10+ years, no doubt it would be Ross Rutherford, Billy Mackenzie or Shaun Simpson (barring a few notable exceptions, BryMac/Stephen Sword). I can’t think if they’ve ever been in the same race recently or if ever, but the planets aligned, and they were all at Lochgilphead to race. Shaun had bragging rights in qualifying, but Billy was within a second of him. The first race had some real drama when Billy jumped the start gate and Shaun went end over end after Owen Hendry went down. The race was red flagged 20 seconds later as MX2 hopeful, Gregor Campbell went down hard after being hit by another bike, so they all got to line up again. This time, Billy grabbed the AMD holeshot legitimately and did his best to hold Shaun off, but the flying Scotsman showed why he’s still the man to beat. Ross ‘Bunga’ Rutherford would have his hands full all day trying to fend off the super-fast Lewis Hall on his two-stroke bike as the diminutive Englishman would spoil the scots party. Lewis, racing in the MX2 class, finished second in the first race beating Billy Mac to third. He would win the MX2 overall easily on the day with Steven Craig a distant second but considering the punishing riding he had done on Saturday, understandable in the heat! Jack Arthur’s season is on track as he gets the most out of his RMZ Suzuki. He lamented the first race re-start as he was running at the front when it was red flagged. Logan Hendry, back on a four stroke KTM managed to edge Ewan Kermack for the fourth spot. The pair battled hard all day but Hendry came out on top.

The top three MX 1 riders showed their class. The gnarly old school hard pack track did not phase them. They gave the track and each other respect and it was down to race craft and experience who would win the overall on the day. Simpson showed exactly why he is in the Top 3 in the British MX Championships. Shaun and Billy shared the AMD Holeshots but ultimately the three race wins for Simpson proved his dominance. Billy’s return to racing the British MX Championship has not doubt maintained his riding level and apart from Simpson, he had no competition all weekend. It was great to see Bunga getting back to race fitness after his knee operation last year. The remaining podium place was never in doubt for the multiple Scottish Champion. Aiden Bruce raced hard as ever and beat Dylan Carnegie into fourth overall. Dylan had swapped his two stroke for a 450 KTM and the MX1 championship sponsors son showed he still had the desire to race. Club sponsor Dyce Carriers Ltd were well represented in the MX2 class as a swap over to a KXF 250 gave Seth Moir a new lease of life.

Round 3 of the ScotMX Championship, powered by Milwaukee will be at Duns Motocross May 14th/15th May. Entries are open and available www.scotmx.com

Report and pictures by – MadMaxMedia

The final round of the 2021 ScotMX Scottish Championship, powered by Milwaukee and ran for the Scottish Auto Cycle Union, was held at Duns Motocross the scene of many great race meetings, and with a few championship classes to be decided, it would play its part.

Report & Images by Raymond Thomson – Madmaxmedia

The track was the opposite of the previous round as the deep fluffy sand of Elgin was replaced with clay hard pack and some wet Borders mud thrown in for good measure. All riders received gifts at signing on with some even lucky enough to take away a nice new Milwaukee Tools product!

Auto’s

Zak Hendry looked like he would stroll the last race meeting as he was 22 points coming to Duns. Lyall Rutherford had been making a late championship push and he needed 4 race wins to give himself a chance. He took the race win on Saturday morning with Zak pushing him all the way. Race 2 saw a cruel twist of fate as Zak’s bike gremlins returned after experiencing a DNF at Elgin and it would put him out for the weekend as Lyall kept up the pressure with another race win. Caleb Shearer and Tucker Moffat both had a consistent weekend but Tucker couldn’t catch Caleb in the third race as they both had crashes but Caleb rallied from dropping to 7^th back to 2^nd as Tucker rode from the back of the pack up to 6^th. It was enough to secure the final podium of the weekend behind Caleb. Lyall’s final race on Sunday was a nervy one. He knew he needed to win to match Zak’s championship total when the dropper round points were brought into play , and Tucker pushed him all the way every lap. Lyall crossed the line just ahead of Moffat and tied Zak for the championship. It was down to the timing crew to work out who had won. Meantime, Jack Heath secured 4^th just ahead of Cole MacAuley as they both had solid rides. Jack Martin finished on the same tally as Cole but lost out on final race position. A great first outing for the local lad. After much deliberation, Lyall Rutherford was named as ScotMX Auto’s Scottish Champion. With more race wins to his name through the season, he edged the win over Zak Hendry who was desperately unlucky not to win due to his DNF.

65’s

Malachi Allan had already secured the championship before Duns and Ollie Holland made the journey to Duns to give Malachi a run for his money. Ollie grabbed the best time in qualifying and tuned that into two narrow race wins on Saturday. When the going got tough in race three, Malachi showed he was still the one to beat and he won the race easily. With all to play for in the overall, Malachi won with the narrowest of margins as he crossed the line barely ahead of Ollie to secure the overall with the better last race. Kyle Graham rounded off the podium places with a comfortable overall third. His two thirds on Saturday set him up for the result. Ryan Jackson improved every race which ended with a good third in the final race. Kian McGill was able to borrow a bike to make sure he finished in the top 6 as his best race saw him finish in third last race on Saturday. Ricky Barrack battled all weekend and his consistency got him the sixth overall. Malachi Allan was named as ScotMX 65’s Scottish Champion.

85’s SW/BW

SW

Hayden Statt returned to race the ScotMX championship after only previously riding at the first round in Tain. He bettered his 2^nd place there with the overall win ahead of Lewis Spratt, who ended the weekend riding one of Hayden’s spare bikes as his race bike developed a problem. Fortunately for Lewis, the spare bike got him over the line ahead of Jaden Anderson as the pair battled for the championship. Hayden’s dominance over the weekend saw him place 1,1,1,2 only beaten by Alfie Heron in the final race. Alfie’s poor third race meant Robbie Scott would grab fourth by one point. Alfie Stott’s solid riding was enough to secure the final top six position. As Lewis and Jaden battled in the final race behind Alfie and Hayden, it certainly got the crowd going as they crossed the line together before Jaden crashed after the chequered flag. Luckily, no harm done as Lewis had done enough to secure the ScotMX 85 Small Wheel Championship.

BW

With the top 3 riders missing in the 85BW class, it gave the rest of the pack the chance to bag an overall. Charlie Macdonald grabbed the opportunity and rode faultlessly all weekend. Four race wins ahead of the improving Harrison Byers. He had shown progress every meeting and Duns gave him a second overall and the prize for most improved rider over the season. Glen Rollo rounded out the podium places and even managed a second place in the third race. Harry Nunn had his best result of the season with the fourth place. Drew Leslie and Dylan Hamer completed the top six positions. As the presentations were being made, Jack Fletcher arrived just in time to raise his trophy high to the cheers of the crowd. The diminutive rider winning back to back championships and moving to 125 for next season.

Rookies

With Ayden Smith and Charley Irwin all set to battle out the championship, Kyle Peel turned up to ruin the party. Fresh from riding the bLUcRU FIM Cup in Mantova, Italy, Charley had high hopes for finishing off the season on a high. Ayden Smith was leading the championship after Elgin and had to do enough to keep his lead intact. Charley qualified just under a second ahead of Ayden, but it was Kyle Peel who won the first two races on Saturday ahead of Ayden. Logan Ferguson had some spirited riding at the weekend and bagged the final race win on Sunday. Charley pushed Logan all the way in the final race as Kyle passed Ayden mid race. Ayden was mindful he just needed the top four to win the championship so did not take any risks. No champagne for Charley as he crossed the line as it was Ayden who was sprayed with fizz after he came to a stop. Ayden Smith was crowned ScotMX Youth/Rookies Champion.

Adult Support

There were some welcome new riders to the series in the Adult Support, none more so than 2021 ACU British Women’s MX Adult Champion, Elaine MacEchern. Another new face Extreme Enduro rider, Stuart Mack. The pair enjoyed their battles with Vet rider Mickey Graham as the swapped positions on the podium of the first two races. Stuart Mack would run out second in both races as Mickey and Elaine would swap first and third. The weather took its toll as only five riders turned out for the third race.

In the O50’s, the top three were separated by 3 points as Graham Anderson beat Morton Hannah and Ian Wilson to secure the ScotMX O50’s Champion even though Ian Wilson won the final race.

Douglas Garrick was a lonely figure as he was the sole O60’s rider and ScotMX Champion.

Vet’s o40/o50/o60

Mikey Graham’s two races on Saturday stood him in good stead as he bagged all three race wins on the Sunday but he had to earn the wins as Alan Deans and Jason Moir would run in first  place in two of the races before Mickey got the better of them. They would run out top three with Jason turning his third in race one into two seconds. Alan ran behind Jason in the last two races for the overall third. Paul Carey got a special award from AMD for being their rider of the year and his three fourths were some consolation. Mickey Graham was crowned O40’s ScotMX Champion.

Adult ‘C’

Never a dull moment in the Adult C class as the positions are too unpredictable to call. Josh Rea took the overall with one race win in race two. Race 1 winner, Lewis Kennedy won comfortably but that was his only result. Greg Farley’s poor race one was greatly improved by finishing third and first but not enough to catch Josh. Martin Lyell continued his return to racing with a second and third for the final third overall. Lewis Fleming did not figure in the overall top six, but he had enough of a lead coming into the last round to secure the ScotMX Adult C Championship. He was drenched in bubbly when he crossed the line down in 10^th as the organisers popped the cork for his championship win.

Adult ‘B’

Niall Macauley grabbed a couple of AMD Holshots and the overall win. He managed to fend off the persistent challenges of Stuart Mack and Josh Gray. Stuart did get the better of him in race one as he pushed from third to first in the last few laps as his enduro conditioning paid off but his bike blew in race three to ruin his chances of an overall. Josh Gray rode a tactical race in all three races as the 3,2,2 was more than enough for him to secure the ScotMX Adult B Championship ahead of Niall. Myles Reid rounded off the podium even without the top three position in any of the races.

MX1 / MX2

The MX1 and MX2 race was combined at Duns and provided some very close racing. Ben Edwards and Kyle McNicol ran out winners of the ScotMX MX1 and MX2 Championships. They had led after Elgin, but Ben Kennedy had a slim chance to overhaul Kyle in the MX2 but with two race wins, Kyle did enough to secure the championship. In the races, Race 1 saw Kyle push Ben Edwards all the way eventually taking the race lead on the first corner after the chequered flag, a close pass but expertly done. Kyle pushed his 250f hard and had a DNF in race 2 as he was battling with Ben Kennedy and Ben Edwards. He briefly hit the front, but his bike failed. Ben Edwards showed why he won the MX Nationals Expert Class as he cruised in the final race. The MX1 podium was completed with Aiden Bruce finishing behind Ben and George Stewart in third. The MX2 saw Kyle drop out of contention with the DNF in race 2 as Ben Kennedy beat Steven Craig into second place and Jack Arthur with a well deserved third.

After a successful 2021 season, the ScotMX Scottish Championship, powered by Milwaukee, will return in 2022. Registration for ScotMX 2022 is available on the website now ! Go to www.ScotMX.comfor further information.

Be sure to Follow ScotMX on Facebook/Instagram for all your regular updates.

Results

MX1

MX2

Autos

Junior 65’s

Small Wheel 85’s

Big Wheel 85’s

Rookies

Adult B

Adult C

Over 40’s

Over 50’s

Over 60’s

Report & Images by Raymond Thomson – Madmaxmedia

Saturday 4^th September

The track was immaculately prepared by the Woodside MX Team and the addition of the ScotMX sponsor banners made for a fantastic sight as the Scottish championship continues to grow from strength to strength and has become a draw to riders of all abilities. Saturday was “kids” day and to maximise the available parking, all races were done in one day to make room for the Adult races on Sunday.

Lyall Rutherford – Auto

Auto’s

Lyall Rutherford’s late championship push might be too late to overhaul Zak Hendry’s command of the series but he certainly showed he was up to the challenge by riding from dead last in race 1 and winning three out of four races. Zak had a problem with his bike in qualifying but he was able to borrow a bike. Not ideal, but Zak kept his championship on track with the overall second, he did win the second race but he narrowly missed out on the overall win. The usual suspects weren’t far behind as Tucker Moffat got the final podium ahead of Caleb Shearer. Ivan Williamson’s consistent riding was rewarded with the fifth and Hunter Haldane did enough for sixth.

Malachi Allan – 65’s

65’s

Malachi Allan showed again why he is the runaway leader of the championship with a textbook performance at woodside. No one could get near him as he never looked out of shape all day. Apart from missing out on some AMD Hole-shots as Kian McGill got out the gate, the deep sand took its toll on a few riders as they all battled for position. Robbie Scott had to come through the pack at times and Kyle Graham admitted it was not his favourite track but to his credit, he soldiered on for the final podium spot. The fast-starting Kian McGill was overall fourth as he relished the deep corner starts. Alfie Lawrie had a tumble in the last race and it looked to be a serious arm injury but he was fine and managed to secure fifth. George “Doodle” Dryden had a blinding race as he rode like a demon which was enough for him to bag the final top 6 place as he finished on the same points as Ryan Jackson. The next 4 riders were within 3 points of the top 6 in this hard-fought class.

85 Big Wheel and Small Wheel – Start

85’s SW/BW

The frantic mixed class race is always a crowd-pleaser as the small wheel riders battle to outshine the big wheels. It would be a struggle in the deep sand but they did their best.

SW

Ben McConville and Lewis Spratt ran 1^st and 2^nd respectively in every race unchallenged. There was only 1 point between Robbie Peace and Jaden Anderson for the final podium as Jaden paid the price for a poor third race. They both had two third places during the day but Robbie sneaked it. James McGowan’s consistency was enough to beat Alfie Stott into fifth as Alfie couldn’t consolidate his two fourth places as his poor final race sent him down the race order after a big crash in the wood section.

Jack Fletcher 85 Big Wheel

BW

Jack Fletcher had a faultless day again at Elgin with four easy wins. Rhys Whyment showed early promise as he would grab the AMD Hole-shots and run at the front before Jack would overhaul him. Mistakes would cost Rhys a possible podium as his results were ruined by a poor third race, crashing down to 11^th. Troy Flockhart has demonstrated he can run consistent races behind Jack and was only beaten by Rhys in the last race for third. His overall second was his reward. Ryan McKinney is always a threat and his final podium never a doubt as he beat Rhys into fourth. The high flying Ewan McPherson couldn’t do enough to overhaul Rhys but he edged out Ryan Ingram by 2 points.

Rookies Start

Rookies

Ayden Smith was nearly 2 seconds clear in qualifying and turned that into a barnstorming day by winning three races. It wasn’t all plain sailing though as the diminutive rider would have some thrills and spills as Charley Irwin would push him all the way with his usual hard riding lap after lap. Kyle Peel matched Charley’s lap times in qualifying but found he couldn’t quite catch him during the races. To his credit, he rode fast and hard all day and his consistent thirds and one fourth bagged the final podium.

Charley Irwin – Rookies

Adult Support

There’s always a few riders who take the opportunity to ride the Adult Support on the Saturday to bed themselves in for Sunday. Ben Kennedy rode his MX2 bike in preparation and luckily, after running at the front in race 1, noticed his oil filter cover was loose and pulled in or it could have been costly. He would win race 2 but didn’t figure in the overall. The win went to Steven Rennie as only Ben could beat him in the second race as his 1,2,1 was an easy result. Mikey Graham’s two seconds showed he was dialled in for the Sunday as Adam Slavin narrowly beat Stuart Mack into fourth as the experienced enduro rider ragged his 300 2 stroke around Elgin. He would have loved to disappear into the woods and rip through those trees off track as he looked like he was enjoying himself in the deep sand.

Sunday 5^th September

After an overcast day on Saturday, Sunday promised to be slightly better with the forecast rain just holding off until the racing had finished. Due to parking limitations, the Kids were done on the Saturday and most of them had gone home to allow the Adults to take up the parking slots.

Mikey Graham – Vets

Vet’s o40/o50/o60

Mikey Graham had used the races on Saturday to set himself up for a clean sweep on the Sunday. He bagged the AMD Hole-Shots and race wins and he pushed hard early in the races and seemed to coast for easy wins as he gapped the field by over 30s in two of the races in the o40’s. Only Jason Moir would get within 30s but only just as he managed an overall third by taking a second place in his last race. He had a bad start and had to ride through the pack in his earlier races. He did enough to match Alan Deans on points but on countback, he took the podium. Kevin McBride’s return to racing o40’s was rewarded with the second overall as he showed he still had good pace to stay ahead of the chasing pack at times but not enough to catch Mikey.

Ayden Smith

In the o50’s, Gordon “Montana” Morrison also benefited from the track time on Saturday and had the best results of his season. After an early injury in the year, he’s getting back to where he should be, running up front. Still not there with the AMD Hole-shots but two race wins was an easy podium. 1 point separated the next three riders as Ian Wilson missed out on the podium because Alastair McGowan and Graham Anderson edged second and third. McGowan got second on the better last race finish. Wilson’s third race win was not enough to get on the podium but he travels to the Vets Des Nations at Farleigh next week on form. Douglas Garrick was the only o60 rider but he looked like he was enjoying riding in the pack with the younger vets.

Adult C start

Adult ‘C’

The riders in the “C” class are predominantly from Fife and at times, they are like a train and the “Fife Flyers” rail round the track in unison vying for bragging rights. Keiran Hunters return to racing was rewarded with the overall as his AMD Hole-shot turned into an easy race win in the first race. John Kenny was determined to ruin Keiran’s comeback party and it wasn’t until the third race he managed to do it with the race win and overall second. Kenny had to push had through the pack in the first race and proved there’s more race wins to come on the right track. Josh Rea bagged the third overall as his season had turned the corner at Rhynie and he kept it on track with another solid result.

Rusty Robertson Adult B

Adult ‘B’

Niall Macauley grabbed the first AMD Hole-shot but was ground down by some determined riding by Josh Gray in race1. Josh had designs on the top step but that was foiled by a bad off-track line in race 3 which resulted in him being tangled in the track rope, this dropped him right out of the podium places and left him reeling. Rusty Robertson benefited from Gray’s mishap as he took the overall with race wins in second and third races. Macauley ran a close second as Stuart Mack’s weekend ended up with the final podium, much to his delight.

Shaun Simpson

MX1 / MX2

There had been a few rumours in the paddock as social media hinted that Shaun Simpson might have a run-up to “Sunny Elgin” instead of Turkey, as the MXGP rider had to alter his plans during the week. SS24 rolled out of his motorhome with a big beaming smile and ready for business. This was a great opportunity for all the MX1 and MX2 riders to measure themselves against the MXGP vet to see how they faired. Tony Craig held back on the start line in qualifying, as he does, and he went for a flying lap. Unfortunately, his foot came off the peg and he lay concussed on the track as Ryan Maclean and Shaun Simpson stopped to check on him. That was the end of Tony’s season. He’s on the mend but it was a stark reminder that MX injuries can happen to the best riders. With Simpson qualifying fastest but only 0.2s ahead of local star Ben Edwards, who was on a high having secured the MX National MX1 Expert class two weeks before.

Richard Mckeown

It was a masterclass from Simpson, known for his sand riding capabilities, he rode hard and was never troubled by the chasing pack. With all three AMD Hole-Shots and the SafeAccess Bonus, it was a good day for Shaun and the crowd as he proved he’s still got loads to offer and can master any riding or track conditions. Ben Edwards continued his strong form with a great display of focused riding as he turned his local knowledge into three comfortable second places ahead of the very fast vet Richard Mckeown who looked like he had turned back the clock at times as the young guns in the MX2 class couldn’t quite catch him in the first two races.

Kyle McNicol

The MX1 podium matched the three race results as Simpson, Edwards and Mckeown raced in order all day. In the MX2, Kyle McNicol matched Simpsons form with the AMD Hole-shots and race wins. Lewis Hall looked like he was up for pushing McNicol all the way but his bike had other ideas. Race 2 DNF meant it was a long trip home with nothing to show for it. Ben Kennedy was the biggest benefactor from Hall’s misfortune as he bagged the next two race seconds to get the overall. Steven Craig has held on to the red plate for the last two rounds and did enough to keep it going with three solid races and the overall third. On a sad note, Ryan Maclean and Logan Hendry crashed out and joined Tony on the injury list but they’ll be back refreshed next season.

Ben Edwards

The motocross fraternity was shocked by the sudden death of Jude Morris last week at Duns as the promising rider sadly passed away after an unfortunate crash. At 1.01pm both days, the ScotMX team blew the whistle to commence a parade lap in Jude’s honour. As the riders did their lap, the crowd clapped in respect to the fallen rider who touched everyone he met. There are many fitting tributes being posted and none more so than by his father. A solemn moment but we race on and do so by celebrating Jude’s life. RIP#101. There will be a raffle this weekend at Landrake for Jude’s Air Ambulance UK Fund. There is also an auction section with race shirts on from World and British Championship riders. The auction will go live shortly so make sure you stay tuned.

https://judemorrisracing.muchloved.com #Ride4Jude

Round 6 of the ScotMX Scottish Championship, Powered by Milwaukee, will continue on 9th / 10th October at Duns Motocross. Go to www.scotmx.com for entries

Be sure to Follow ScotMX on Facebook/Instagram for all your regular updates

Round 4 – August 14th / 15th

Rhynie MX (nr Aberdeen)

The fourth round of The ScotMX Scottish Championship, powered by Milwaukee, returned to the 2 day format after it was changed for Doune. The Rhynie track, north of Aberdeen, is the home of the Aberdeen and District Motocross club and always a popular track for any rider that has had the pleasure of racing there before. Fast and technical, it is a great test for all comers. The track team had worked hard to make sure conditions were perfect.

Saturday 14th August

The weather on Saturday was a bit mixed with bright spells of sunshine in between rain showers. This didn’t affect the riders as they were too focused on making the most of the great track. The classes were busy and many riders had their eye on not just the win, but making sure they made the most of baking good championship points. With two rounds to go, it was a pivotable meeting to keep on track for the overall season.

Auto’s

Zak Hendry has had a great season so far and won all previous rounds, but he had his work cut out at his home track as Lyall Rutherford had other ideas. The diminutive rider grabbed the AMD hole shots and rode hard every lap as Zak pushed him all the way and nearly mugged him on the line in the first race as Lyall rolled off the gas before the line. Lyall did manage to gap the field in the subsequent races as he had his best result to date. Tucker Moffat had a solid weekend and managed a second place in the fourth race and got within 4 points of Zak to secure the final podium but Zak’s solid second overall was never in doubt.

65cc

Malachi Allan continued his dominance of the 65’s by winning all four races over the two days. Robbie Scott and Kyle Graham were split by two points as they both managed to finish 2nd in two races but Robbie edged Kyle out for the overall second. Kyle did get out the gate well, securing some great AMD hole shots but it wasn’t quite enough so he settled for a good third.

85cc

Small Wheel

Ben McConville’s weekend was curtailed after two race wins as a crash in the third race would result in an overall 7th which meant Jaden Anderson would take the overall win with 2,2,1,1 for his troubles. James McGowan was on for the overall second until a poor finish in the last race meant Alfie Stott would turn three fourths into the overall second by finishing second in the last race.

James had done enough though to get the final podium ahead of Jimmy Lindsay who had improved each race with two thirds in his last two races.

Big Wheel

Jack Fletcher’s winning streak continued at Rhynie. Four no nonsense wins but Troy Flockhart did his best to run out front at times and blasted out the gate to take a brace of AMD Holeshots but Jack would eventually reel him in. Troy’s 3,2,2,2 gave him a comfortable second place. Ryan McKinney managed to beat Rhys Whyment by1 point to finish on the podium after Rhys had a big crash in the third race to spoil his overall chances.

Rookies

Ayden Smith and Charley Irwin served up some great racing as the pair swapped first and second places all weekend. Ayden was on for three wins in a row but he hit the start gate in race three and had to battle through the entire field to secure the second place. Charley had the overall on count back by winning the last races, as the pair both finished on the same points. Great reward for the Irishman and it left Ayden thinking what could’ve been if he’d had a better start in race three. Lee Cameron had a solid weekend and three 3rd’s was enough to secure the final podium.

Sunday 15th August

The weather was more favourable on Sunday as overnight rain meant the track was in prime condition for some no holds barred racing.

Vet’s o40/o50/o60

In the O40’s, Micky Graham and Lewis Farrow battled it out for the overall, but Lewis damaged his knee ligaments during race 2 which resulted in him pulling up mid race in race 3, only to re-join and do enough to bag the overall second. Micky Graham run out a well deserved winner but Lewis was lucky to be able to finish in the end. It was great watching the 125 two stroke run against the 450 four stroke. Alan Deans did enough to stay ahead of Paul Carey as the Irishman’s third in race 3 wasn’t enough to get him on the podium.

Adult ‘C’

John Kenny proved his decision to race the ScotMX Championship was a good one. The fife rider got himself a new Husqvarna and after some local track set-up, won his very first race at the first attempt. The ‘C’ class is always a hard fought affair and it was no different at Rhynie. Kenny pushed through from 5th position into 1st in the first race and he won the third race which secured the overall win. Ross Bradley’s quick starts turned into the overall second but his day didn’t start off too well as a first corner crash meant he would have to fight through the pack in the first race and make sure he had two strong performances in the other two races. After the poor first race, he proved he was up to the challenge as he turned the AMD hole shots into podiums. After many ferries back and forth from Northern Ireland, throughout the season, Josh Rea’s hard work was rewarded with the final podium as the Irishman finally turned the miles into smiles.

Adult ‘B’

Josh Gray got out the gate in race 1 grabbing the AMD hole shot and it looked like that would set the tone for the day as he won race one easily. Rusty Robertson, undaunted by his second in race 1, would win the next two races to take the top step comfortably. Josh didn’t make it easy for himself with a poor second race but redeemed himself in the final race with a third which was enough to finish ahead of Ivan Williamson who turned up the heat with an AMD hole shot and a great second place in race three for the overall third on the podium. Ivan finished on the same points as Niall Mcauley but Ivan took the podium with the better last race result. No trophy for the consistent Irishman at this meeting.

MX1 / MX2

In the Carnegie Fuels MX1, Tony Craig wasted no time picking up where he left off at Doune. He rode tree faultless races as he turned the three AMD hole shots into easy wins. He looked like he meant business in practice and it was a workman like display as he secured the red plate for the championship. With a few notable riders missing, it was an opportunity for the riders in attendance to make up some places in the championship. Ryan Maclean had a better time of it at Rhynie as he managed to reset himself after a challenging race in race 1 and rode well to stay ahead of the pack and secure two thirds for the third overall. It was a lonely three races for the experienced vet, Richard Mckeown as he gapped the rest of the field but couldn’t catch Craig. He showed he still had the speed and style to adapt to any track as he rode hard for the second overall.

The Safe Access MX2 race was frantic at times as Ben Kennedy found himself racing the MX1 bikes to show them he meant business in his first full season after moving up from the rookies. He caught Ryan MacLean in race 1 and finished third in the race but first in his class. The rest of the MX2 riders would also do battle with the MX1 bikes and Steven Craig found himself was some way back from Ben Kennedy but still had three creditable races finishing second on the podium and now takes the red plate as he leads the championship in the Safe Access MX2. Jack Arthur finally got some reward for a tough season as he wrestled his Suzuki into third overall.

Round 5 of the ScotMX Scottish Championship, Powered by Milwaukee, will continue on 4th / 5th September at Woodside MX track, Elgin .

Be sure to Follow ScotMX on Facebook/Instagram for all your regular updates !

Photo credit – Raymond Thomson / madmaxmedia