No stopping Winstanley at rain soaked Rowrah

Supermoto

By Stuart Williams
November 8 2005

There was simply no stopping KTM mounted “Wigan Whippet” Matt Winstanley who secured two pole positions, three wins, the SM2 title and the Naturally Best Rider of the Day award at round five of the Vivaldi British Supermoto Championship yesterday (Sunday). The Rowrah circuit located on the Western edge of the Lakes District was in danger of adding its name to the many scenic locations in the area when overnight rain left sections of the track several inches underwater. Organisers were left with little choice but to delay the start and call in the JCB to dig trenches to remove standing water. Circuit staff worked wonders in the end and racing was under way only an hour later than scheduled helped by clearing skies and blustery wind which dried the track as the day progressed.

SM1 Qualifying
The rain delayed start meant the qualifying session time was halved with riders having to be on the pace right from the outset. Winstanley showed the way needing just five laps to set the quickest time followed by Fiorentino and Iddon.
1 Matt Winstanley; 2 Fred Fiorentino; 3 Christian Iddon

SM2 Qualifying
Winstanley continued his domination of the SM2 class this season setting the only sub-one minute time on the slippery track. Next best was Fiorentino nearly three seconds further back with Warren third.
1 Matt Winstanley; 2 Fred Fiorentino; 3 Sam Warren

(SM2 Race 1) Winstanley comes from behind
It was Sam Warren who got the holeshot in the opening race and rounded the first lap in the lead. Winstanley quickly seized the initiative though and grabbed the front spot the following lap only to fall and drop back to third behind Fred Fiorentino who was having a torrid time on the tight, technical circuit.

Winstanley wasn’t to be denied though and fought his way first past Fiorentino and then Warren in the last few minutes of the race. With mud carried on to the racing line on the final turn Winstanley was hoping for rain to wash the track clean.

“I lost the front-end early in the race but managed to fight my way back through to take the win. It’s getting very slippery out there now and as much as I hate to say it what we need is a little rain to clean the track.”

One of the rides of the day came from Rob Cross who was 20th after the first lap and made his way through the pack to finish eighth at the chequered flag.

1 Matt Winstanley; 2 Sam Warren; 3 Fred Fiorentino

(SM1 Race 1) Winstanley wins battle with Warren
An immaculately turned out Ady Smith was fired up for the Rowrah round slipping into second place behind Winstanley at the first corner of the first SM1 race. Iddon didn’t get the best of starts and was fourth after the first lap with Warren third. Smith managed to hold the second spot for several laps before Warren and Iddon went through. Unfortunately for Iddon his poor start had given Winstanley all the room he needed and he cleared off into the distance despite Iddon catching and passing Warren towards the end of the race.

The real action though was a little further back with Smith falling into the clutches of Fiorentino. The two enjoyed a race long battle with Fiorentino forcing Smith to go straight on at the chicane at the back of the circuit. Smith though hadn’t given up and hounded the Belgian rider all the way to the finish where he was beaten to the flag by the narrowest of margins.

1 Matt Winstanley; 2 Christian Iddon; 3 Sam Warren

(SM2 Race 2) Winstanley takes win and SM2 Championship
In the end it was relatively easy for Winstanley as he cruised to his second SM2 victory of the day and on the way banked an unassailable points lead in the Championship title over nearest rival Sam Warren who had a shocker after hitting a loose tyre in the circuit barrier breaking his gear lever. Forced into the pits for repairs it was a disappointing outcome for the SR / DCR Husaberg rider.

“I collected a stray tyre on the second lap and broke the gear lever, leaving me stuck in fourth. I managed to coast around to the pits and the crew replaced it and got me back out. Rejoining so far behind though, there wasn’t much I could do.”

Another strong ride from Rob Cross saw him make the best of Warren’s bad luck and he got past Danny Tollett early in the race to inherit third place position which he maintained through to the finish.

1 Matt Winstanley; 2 Fred Fiorentino; 3 Rob Cross

(SM1 Race 2) Iddon wins photo finish

The last race is rapidly developing into the one to watch and the Winstanley and Iddon “show” didn’t disappoint. It was the surprise packet of the day Ady Smith though who set the scene taking the holeshot over the two main protagonists, defending his position through to well over half race distance. In the end, though he had to succumb with Iddon getting past first followed by Winstanley a lap later. Held up by Smith, Winstanley gradually reeled Iddon in and the pair fought tooth and nail over the last few laps much to the crowds delight.

Making several lunges Winstanley’s last chance was to try and get a slightly better drive than Iddon out of the final slippery corner and he almost pulled it off with both riders crossing the line together in one of the closest finishes seen all year. Iddon did just enough taking the win by seven thousandths of a second in a fitting finale to a great days racing. Ady Smith’s efforts were rewarded as he finished third to take overall third placed honours in the SM1 class in what was easily his best performance of the year.

1 Christian Iddon; 2 Matt Winstanley; 3 Ady Smith

(SM4) Dichello best of the Juniors
The wet and muddy conditions levelled the playing field for many at the Rowrah circuit and this proved to be the case in the SM4 class for Juniors. Qualifying was a reasonably close run affair for the Under 15’s with Gennaro Dichello once again quicker than many of the much older competitors in the big bike classes. Oliver Pope was next best with Oliver Harrison unable to capitalise on his third place grid position where he was beaten by Lewis Cornish in both races. Dichello was once again the best on the day with two wins over Oliver Pope.

SM4 Overall: 1 Gennaro Dichello; 2 Oliver Pope; 3 Lewis Cornish

Naturally Best, Rider of the Day
It was a reasonably straight forward decision for the judges with Matt Winstanley awarded the Naturally Best Rider of the Day cheque for £1,000. He simply dominated proceedings with two poles and three race wins, wrapping up the SM2 British Championship in the process. He treated the crowd to one of the most thrilling races of the year in the second SM1 race coming from behind to cross the finish line in a photo finish with Iddon to cap-off a very special performance.

Three Sisters Season Finale
Heading into the final round of the 2005 Vivaldi British Supermoto Championship at the Three Sisters circuit on December 4th the SM1 and SM4 titles are still up for grabs with Iddon comfortably leading the big bike class and Gennaro Dichello in control of the Junior division. As the final round is one of the last motorcycle races of the year organisers are expecting a few surprise entries at the Wigan venue with announcements expected in the coming weeks.

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