Bonneville opens Minibike Champs
By TMX Archives on 7th May 08
IN just over a week's time the gate will drop on the opening round of the 2008 British Four-stroke Minibike Championship. The fantastically prepared circuit at Bonneville, Essex, has the honour of hosting the initial encounter, which will hopefully pick up on the great success of the inaugural series that took place last year.
In 2008 the championship grows to six rounds that will take the riders up and down the UK from May through to September. Bonneville will both open and close the series, with Doncaster Moto Park being the only other venue to host two rounds as it prepares for the double-header event in early July.
The new facility at Cardiff, and the more established track at Mildenhall round out what is now recognised as the best Minibike championship in Europe.
Reigning 50cc Pro Mini champion Jonathan Groves remains the favourite to retain his title, but will have to resist the strong challenge of Stu Hughes who returns to this original Minibike class. These two riders, plus the emerging talent of Devon's Nick Coles means that the action in this category is going to be as hot as ever.
With SP Landscape' rider Trevor Scott opting to concentrate on the Open Midsize class only, his 88cc Pro Mini crown is very much up for grabs. In Scott's absence, the fight now looks set to be between Andrew Lawton, Nick Cole and Jamie Maclaren. Rookie rider Lewis Blackbird is another name worth watching out for and may just upset the mix.
2007 Superstock Midsize champion Toby Souchette is still the pundit's choice to take top laurels this time around. This single make category based on the popular Kawasaki KLX110 produced some of the closest racing last season, with all the bikes being so evenly matched. 50cc Pro Mini champion Jonathan Groves will be a real threat to Toby, as will be the hard charging Rhys Davies.
Through in the Open Minibike division, the reigning title holder James McFerran is back again in search of a second consecutive championship. Third in last year's title race, Elliot Gardiner will be looking to improve on his ranking, as he begins his assault at keeping McFerran at bay. Luke Coker is a rider with speed in this class, and may just prove to be a good outside bet come the close at round six.
The godfather of UK Minibike racing and SP Landscapes' rider, Trevor Scott is serious about keeping his Open Midsize crown, but knows he has a real fight on his hands to keep other challengers at bay. Pat Crump and Grant Dyer head up a chasing pack that are ready to pounce at the slightest sign of weakness from Scott.
Full information and all the latest news about this exciting championship can be found at www.mini4gb.com.
Limited entries in some classes remain available at the time of publication. Please contact entries@mini4gb.com or call 0161-705-2284 to reserve your place in Europe's premier Minibike series.
2008 British Four-stroke Minibike Champs
Rd 1 - May 18 – Bonneville, Essex
Rd 2 - June 8 – CMX Centre, Cardiff
Rd 3 - July 12 – Doncaster Moto Park
Rd 4 - July 13 – Doncaster Moto Park
Rd 5 - Augus 10 – Mildenhall Motoland
Rd 6 - September 14 – Bonneville, Essex