SMCA British Clubmans Sidecar Championship
Round 5
Frome & DMCC hosted round 5 of the SMCA British Sidecar Clubman’s
Championship last Sunday and unlike the previous meeting dust was
definitely not a problem. The area having had rain leading up to the
meeting meant the track was in good condition for racing. Although
showers were forecast the day remained dry, sunny and very warm.
The club had received 32 sidecar entries which included 7 of the top 15
riders from the British Championship. As a result the top 15 went off
the line on a flag to enable them to have their own race and then the
clubman teams started as normal with the 5 sec board being lifted as
they rounded the first corner. This arrangement seemed to work well
without too much interference from each group!
Race 1 saw Josh and Dan Chamberlain take the holeshot but before the end
of the first lap Dave Goddard/Scott Cooper had taken over at the front
with Jack Etheridge/Ryan Humphrey in third. Racing at the front was very
close and Chamberlain/Chamberlain found themselves dropping down the
field and eventually retiring after a passing manoeuvre from
Etheridge/Humphrey in which they had touched. Etheridge/Humphrey got up
into the lead on lap 3 with Steve Pannell/Chris Pannell, Alfie
Hyde/Craig Parmenter, Neil/Michael Franks and Stephen Parr/Jonnie Waters
chasing the front two. Hyde/Parmenter moved up into second only to stall
and when they rejoined the race they had dropped down to sixth. At the
front Etheridge/Humphrey had pulled out a gap back to Goddard/Cooper in
second but they in turn still had Pannell/Pannell, Franks/Franks and
Hyde/Parmenter close on their sandrail. The Franks brothers lost their
fight when they stalled down at the bottom of the track and finished in
sixteenth but as there were seven outfits, not including the top 15, who
were not eligible for points that meant more points than their track
finishing position. The last lap saw change of places when Team Pannell
took second and Hyde/Parmenter got up into third.
The holeshot for race 2 was very close depending on where you were viewing from and the battle once again was on between the Chamberlains and Etheridge/Humphrey. Etheridge/Humphrey were definitely in front by the time they headed down the straight and immediately began pulling away. As they came round to start lap 2 Goddard/Cooper had second from Chamberlain/Chamberlain, who had decided to take it steady as Dan was still recovering from a knee injury picked up at Wakes Colne in July, finishing the race in seventh. Close behind them Pannell/Pannell, Franks/Franks and Hyde/Parmenter were racing hard to take the second place. Meanwhile Etheridge/Humphrey were still pulling away out front. Hyde/Parmenter came out winners in the battle for second and began chasing the leaders although the gap seemed to shorten there wasn’t time to catch them! As they all jumped up into the top field for the last time the Pannell’s sidecar wheel lifted and with the Franks right behind them they hit causing them both to tip up. Although the Pannells got themselves sorted they crossed the line in sixth but the real losers were the Franks who couldn’t get the bike restarted and had to push it all the way to the flag but still managing to get 11 points! This gifted fourth to Adam Field/Paul Hutchman and fifth to Carl Kirwin/Eric Maguire.
Etheridge/Humphrey were the definite holeshot takers for race 3 and once again once in the lead pulled away from the rest of the field. The chasing pack of Pannell/Pannell, Franks/Franks and Goddard/Cooper were all close together and with Hyde/Parmenter starting back in ninth had work to do to join them this time. They were on the back of the second group headed by Mark banks/Ben Blythe with Elliott Hugill/Dean Evans, Field/Hutchman and Jon Rutherford/Elliott Browne. Second to fourth remained where they were but with Hyde/Parmenter having got themselves up into fifth and leaving the following group it was not going to be long before changes were going to happen. The chasing pack began to change with Banks/Blythe having to pull out and Hugill/Evans dropping back but replaced with Chamberlain/Chamberlain and Kirwin/Maguire. Although Etheridge/Humphrey had a lonely race as far as the clubman were concerned they mixed it with the top 15 and took the flag with their third win of the day. As predicted Hyde/Parmenter got into third and finally crossed the line in second with Team Franks in third, making up for the disasters of the two previous races.
Report and photos Ann Reynolds