Woolley double in 110 race record breaker

Buxton Hitmen rider Tom Woolley recorded two class wins on Sunday at the Eddie Wright Raceway as Scunthorpe smashed their own record with 110 races on the day. Woolley won the Flat Track class and followed it up with victory in the highly competitive Open Class against Luke Harris, Reece Downes and Sam Woods in the ‘A’ Final.

However, the real winner was speedway as the club eclipsed the 103 races they completed back in January. The previous total had been touted, without opposition, as a world record so the addition of a further seven races only strengthens their claim to that title. Racing started after an impeccably observed Remembrance Day silence at 11am and finished almost exactly eight hours later at 7pm. Afterwards meeting organiser Richard Hollingsworth declared “That’s our limit! We’re not going to attempt to beat that. It was a fantastic day but we really wanted to finish by 6pm at the very latest. We are going to take steps to reduce the length of meetings by splitting the classes at the end of the year so instead of nine classes in one day we will run six classes on one day and then the three adult classes, plus a new upright class, on another.

“We don’t want to reduce races or have to limit numbers so it is the only option. We will run the next meeting on the 7th December but switch the classes round so the youth classes are completed by mid-afternoon and then, instead of running all classes on Sunday 4th January we will run all the youth classes plus the pit bikes and the flat track classes on the previous Saturday, 27th December leaving just the adult classes on 5th January.

“If that is a success, which I’m sure it will be, then we will do the same in February and March. In addition we are also adding further meetings at the end of March to extend the Winter Series. It will give us six rounds and ten meetings if there is enough demand so it will certainly keep us busy.

“We are also going to speed up the meetings a little by cutting down on delays between races and between the two halves of the meeting but it does mean we are asking for additional volunteers. We are setting up a roster and, like the riders, we only want volunteers to do one half of the meeting so that should be three hours or so. It is certainly a way for supporters to help the club claw back some of the money we have lost this year and ensure speedway bikes can continue to be heard after 2015.

“The same applies to riders and their families because it’s not Premier League speedway that is in jeopardy at Scunthorpe but speedway as a whole and the club’s loss would have a big impact on the sport.

“The loss of training schools, practices and amateur meetings like today’s the sport in this country would really feel the loss. I know I’m re-doubling my efforts to help the club and I hope step up to the plate and help us too”.

The seven other class winners on Sunday were Danyon Hume (Support Class), George Rothery (Support Class), Jack Parkinson-Blackburn (Youth 500), Kyle Bickley (Youth 250), Jolyon West (Youth 125/150), George Hopper (Junior 110) and Lee Carter (Adult Pit Bikes).

The future amateur meetings over the closed season are:

Sunday December 7th (AM – Youth 125/150, Youth 250, Youth 500, Junior 110, Adult Pit Bikes, Flat Track classes; PM – Open, Support, Novice and Upright classes)

Saturday December 27th (AM – Junior 110, Adult Pit Bike, Flat Track; PM – Youth 125/150, Youth 250 and Youth 500)

Sunday 4th January (Open, Support, Novice and Upright classes)

Sunday 25th January (AM – Junior 110, Adult Pit Bike, Flat Track; PM – Youth 125/150, Youth 250 and Youth 500)

Sunday 1st February (Open, Support, Novice and Upright classes)

Sunday 22nd February (AM – Junior 110, Adult Pit Bike, Flat Track; PM – Youth 125/150, Youth 250 and Youth 500)

Sunday 1st March (Open, Support, Novice and Upright classes)

Sunday 22nd March (AM – Junior 110, Adult Pit Bike, Flat Track; PM – Youth 125/150, Youth 250 and Youth 500)

Sunday 29th March (Open, Support, Novice and Upright classes)

For more details, to volunteer some help or to make a rider booking please text Richard Hollingsworth on 07832-402167. If you need to speak to him please text him to say so and he will call you back when available. Alternatively you can contact him via Facebook (www.facebook.com/rh1967) or email him (richard@scunthorpespeedway.com).

Open Class:
Qualifying scores:
Sam Woods 11, Reece Downes 11, Tom Woolley 9, Luke Harris 8 (4 rides), Alex Wilson 8, Krystian Bialecki 7, Martin Pearce 6.
B Final: Harris, Bialecki, Wilson, Pearce, 61.4
A Final: Woolley, Harris, Downes, Woods, 62.0

Winter Series points: Tom Woolley 20, Luke Harris 19, Reece Downes 18, Sam Woods 17, Krystian Bialecki 16, Alex Wilson 15, Martin Pearce 14.

Qualifying heat winning times: 8. Downes 67.6, 10. Wilson 66.3, 16. Woods 63.6, 17. Woolley 64.1, 23.Wilson 63.5, 25. Woods 63.0, 31. Harris 62.6, 32. Downes 61.8, 38. Bialecki 62.4, 39. Pearce 63.3.

Support Class:
Qualifying scores: Danyon Hume 14, Bradley Seal 13, Ben Basford 13, Lewis Griggs 11, Sam Darroch 8, Trevor Bebbington 8, Luke Whitehead 6, Matthew Sewell 4, Ryan Kinsley 0 (did not ride).
C Final: Whitehead, Sewell, 66.0
B Final: Darroch, Whitehead, Griggs, Bebbington, 64.3
A Final: Hume, Darroch, Basford, Seal, 63.0

Summer Championship points: Hume 20, Darroch 19, Basford 18, Seal 17, Whitehead 16, Griggs 15, Bebbington 14, Sewell 13, Kinsley 12.

Qualifying heat winning times: 1. Darroch 70.1, 2. Basford 70.0, 3. Hume 68.0, 6. Hume 66.9, 9. Seal 67.1, 12. Whitehead 71.2, 15. Seal 66.3, 18. Hume awarded, 21. Basford 65.3, 24. Hume 64.1, 27. Bebbington 70.1, 30. Seal 64.5, 33. Griggs 65.4, 36. Basford 63.7.

Novice Class:
Qualifying Scores: George Rothery 15, Chris Bambury 14, John Gaskell 12, David Morgan 11, Luke McKenna 11, Lloyd Brown 10, Stuart Freeman 9, Jeff Robinson 8, Damon Hall 8, Carl Clarke 7 (3 rides), Derek Hunt 7, James Andrews 5, Mike Hancock 5, Craig Hancock 4.

D Final: M. Hancock, C. Hancock, Hunt, Andrews (ns), 74.7
C Final: Freeman, Hall, Robinson, M.Hancock (fell), 80.8
B Final: Brown, Morgan, McKenna, Freeman, 73.9
A Final: Rothery, Bambury, Brown, Gaskell (ns), 67.3

Winter Series points: Rothery 20, Bambury 19, Brown 18, Gaskell 17, Morgan 16, McKenna 15, Freeman 14, Damon Hall 13, Jeff Robinson 12, M. Hancock 11, C. Hancock 10, Hunt 9, Andrews 8, Clarke 7.

Qualifying heat winning times: 56. Gaskell 76.7, 57. Bambury 68.4, 58. McKenna 76.6, 59. Rothery 72.6, 64. Morgan 74.4, 65. Gaskell 75.1, 66. Clarke 71.4, 67. Rothery 67.6, 72. Bambury 70.5, 73. Gaskell 73.4, 75. McKenna 74.5, 76. Brown 71.1, 79. Robinson awarded, 81. Clarke awarded, 82. Rothery 68.3, 84. Bambury 68.2, 88. Freeman 79.5, 90. Rothery 67.3, 91. Bambury 70.2, 93. Morgan 77.4, 97. Brown 76.3, 99. Rothery 66.3

Youth 500 Class:
Qualifying Scores: Jack Parkinson-Blackburn 15, Sam Chapman 10, Sam Woolley 5, Tom Miles 0.
A Final: Parkinson-Blackburn, Chapman, Woolley, Miles, 61.8

Winter Series points: Parkinson-Blackburn 20, Chapman 19, Woolley 18, Miles 17.

Qualifying heat winning times (all Parkinson-Blackburn): 4. 66.7, 11. 65.5, 19. 63.3, 26. 65.7, 34. 63.8

Youth 250 Class:
Qualifying Scores: Kyle Bickley 15, Ben Woodhull 9, Kean Dicken 6, Luke Woodhull 0.

A Final: Bickley, Dicken, B. Woodhull, L. Woodhull, 63.1
Qualifying heat winning times (all Bickley): 5. 68.2, 13. 66.6, 19. 63.3, 26. 65.7, 34. 63.8
Youth 150cc Class:
Qualifying scores: Jolyon West 15, Jason Edwards 14, Leon Flint 13, Taylor Hampshire 10, James Hitchen 10, Danny Curl 8, Harry McGurk 7, Jack Shimelt 7, Jordan Palin 7, Carl Basford 5, Ryan Morris 4, Mickie Simpson 4, Jacob Clayton 2, Taya Thirtle 2.

D Final: Simpson, Thirtle, 74.7
C Final: McGurk, Palin, Shimelt, Simpson, 71.1
B Final: Hampshire, McGurk, Curl, Hitchen (ret), 70.3
A Final: West, Flint, Edwards, Hampshire, 68.1

Winter Series points: West 20, Flint 19, Edwards 18, Hampshire 17, McGurk 16, Curl 15, Hitchen 14, Palin 13, Shimelt 12, Simpson 11, Thirtle 10, Basford 9, Morris 8, Clayton 7.

Qualifying heat winning times: 50. West 69.3, 51. Hitchen 74.6, 52. Edwards awarded, 55. Flint 70.4, 60. Flint 68.2, 63. Hitchen 70.9, 68. West 65.8, 71. Edwards 67.8, 74. West 66.1, 77. West 65.7, 80. Palin 69.2, 83. Flint 67.0, 86. Shimelt 73.1, 89. Edwards 68.1, 92. Edwards 68.6, 95. Flint 68.5, 98. West 67.1, 101. McGurk 71.1.

Junior Pit Bike Class:
Qualifying scores: George Hopper 40, Bailey Fellows 37,Leon Collier 28, Jacob Fellows 25, Kean Dicken 24, Luke Harrison 22, Stephanie Tovey 15, Kieran Holt 14 (3 rides), Lewis Towle 12, Thomas Tovey 10, Joe Farrugia-Howarth 11 (4 rides), Maddy Fellows 8.
B Final: Towle, S. Tovey, Farrugia-Howarth, T. Tovey (fell), M. Fellows (fell), 98.8
A Final: Hopper, B. Fellows, Collier, Dicken, Harrison, J. Fellows, S. Tovey, Towle (fell), 76.2

Winter Series points: Hopper 20, B. Fellows 19, Collier 18, Dicken 17, Harrison 16, J. Fellows 15, S. Tovey 14, Towle 13, Farrugia-Howarth 12, T. Tovey 11, M. Fellows 10, Holt 9.

Qualifying heat winning times: 53. Hopper 81.9, 61. B. Fellows 82.2, 69. Hopper 74.5, 78. Hopper 75.1, 87. Hopper 76.0, 94. B. Fellows 77.9, 100. Hopper 76.7

Adult Pit Bike Class:
Scores: Lee Carter 43, Jamie Halder 42, Simon Ellis 38, Jeff Howarth 28, Colin Willerton 20 (4 rides), Craig Smith 17 (5 rides), Mike Smith 4 (3 rides).

Winter Series points: Carter 20, Halder 19, Ellis 18, Howarth 17, Willerton 16, C. Smith 15, M. Smith 14

Winning heat times: 54. Ellis 83.5, 62. Carter 83.0, 70. Carter 83.1, 85. Halder 84.3, 96. Halder 85.5, 110. Halder 89.5.

Flat Track Class:
Qualifying scores: Tom Woolley 41, Ben Wells 37, Mike Johnson 27, Mike Hill 19 (5 rides), Andrew Murphy 18 (5 rides), Peter Jordan 13, Stuart Avery 10.

Heat winning times (all six laps and Woolley unless stated): 7. 101.5, 14. 102.7, 22. 105.7, 29. 101.8, 37. 99.6, 41. Wells 99.9.

Winter Series points: Woolley 20, Wells 19, Johnson 18, Hill 17, Murphy 18, Jordan 17, Avery 16.

Youth 250 winners – Ben Woodhull, Kyle Bickley and Kean Dicken