MAR-VELLOUS!
By Dick Law on 1st Nov 13
Last weekend, at a very windy but dry Margate in Kent, the QRA ran rounds three and four of this years British Beachcross Championship and two champions were crowned.
The Pro Solo class was completely dominated by French sand master Arnaud Degousee, who not only took his 450 Yamaha to victory in all of his races over the weekend, but he has now won every race in the championship series.
By contrast in the Pro Quad class Keveen Rochereau, also from France, won the weekend overall on his 450 MCR – but second overall combined with high place finishes throughout the series, gave home-grown star Jamie Clark (KTM) the 2013 championship.
The forecast high winds which were meant to sweep the south east came, but were not as strong as expected, leaving the beach in the middle of the sleepy little seaside town just right to stage two days, of 15 races per day in front of a large enthusiastic crowd.
The track, built by Tony Nash and the rest of the hard-working QRA crew, featured bigger jumps, longer straights and a better flow, making it one of the best tracks ever at Margate.
From the first Solo race of the weekend the writing was on the wall as Degousee took the lead and cleared off, leaving the rest to eat his sand.
His pace was so fast that he lapped up to second place in the 15-minute plus two lap race, meaning the only time another rider got to see him was when he was lapping them.
Fellow Frenchman Cedric Tosatto gated sixth and made his way to second after passing local rider and fast-starter Jamie Wilson, while the most impressive rider was another Frenchman Vieria Da Silvia who started in 12th place but came home in third, but a lap down on the two leaders.
The start of race two was almost the same as the opener, as Degousee led from Wilson, with Tosatto again coming from sixth to second as Wilson faded into the pack.
Arthur Ringot made it a French 1-2-3, with Mitchell Lewis the first UK rider home in fourth on his 250 Honda, as Degousee lapped the entire field.
Lewis was the hero of the third and final race of day one.
FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES SEE NOVEMBER 1
MARGATE BEACH RACE
RESULTS
Pro Solo: 1 Arnaud Degousee (450 Yamaha, F), 2 Cedric Tosatto (450 Yamaha, F), 3 Mitchell Lewis (250 Honda, GB), 4 Vieria Da Silvia (450 Yamaha, F), 5 Thijs Verbrugghe (450 Honda, B), 6 Renaux Guillame (250 Honda, F), 7 Dean Simes (450 Kawasaki, GB), 8 Timmy Andrews (250 KTM, GB), 9 Stephane Guilbert (450 Honda, F), 10 David Pillon (450 Yamaha, F).
Final Championship positions: 1 Degousee 720, Tosatto 654, 3 Verbrugghe 605, 4 Guilbert 556, 5 Wilson 438, 6 Guilbert 361, 7 Dufay 355, 8 Darcourt 345, 9 Bayliss 338, 10 Mordacq 338.
Pro Quads: 1 Keveen Rochereau (450 MCR, F), 2 Jamie Clark (525 KTM, GB), 3 Gay Aldington (450 Kawasaki, GB), 4 Michael Nash (525 Polaris, GB), 5 Lee Baxter (700 Honda, GB), 6 Pierre Hubert Truphemus (450 KTM, F), 7 Toby Thipthorp (450 Yamaha, GB), 8 Steve Bradbury (350 Yamaha, GB), 9 Carl Bunce (450 Suzuki, GB), 10 Bailey Edwards (450 KTM, GB).
Final Championship positions: 1 Clark 615, 2 Truphemus 523, 3 Nash 508, 4 Bradbury 441, 5 Baxter 360, 6 Ternynck 360, 7 Rochereau 351, 8 Murphy 341, 9 Bunce 341, 10 Stopps 340.
National Solo: 1 Eric Croquelois (450 Yamaha, F), 2 Manier Ludovic (450 Honda, F), 3 Ryan George (450 KTM, GB), 4 Daniel Carpenter (250 Yamaha, GB), 5 Ali Davies (450 Honda, GB).
National Quad: 1 Mark Teal (450 Honda, GB), 2 Richard Horton (450 Honda, GB), 3 Laurence Stopps (450 Suzuki, GB), 4 John Hall (450 Yamaha, GB), 5 Ben Russell (450 Yamaha, GB).
