In very tricky conditions, the final round of the Jurby MRSports Championship season took place at the JCK Kart Track on Sunday.
A field of 10 step-through warriors took to the track including newcomer Darren Wylde for what was a watery baptism.
The C90 Class championship was already decided in favour of David Fayle who did not compete in this round, his points total being unassailable.
The 110cc class was a battle between reigning champion Tom ‘Tweeks’ Dawson and Foxdale man Chuck Bregazzi. The damp track caught out several riders during the meeting, with in excess of 12 tasting the Jurby tarmac.
In qualifying Tom Callister crashed together with his C90 rival Paul Moorby at the Green Shed and, to make sure it was not an all-male preserve flinging motorcycles into the scenery, Kelly Anderson slid to earth at hairpin two.
Heat one saw Bregazzi streak away into a lead he held to the flag. Dawson was second and Jim Davidson, after a first-lap tumble at Cain’s Folly on the approach to the commentary box, remounted to finish in an excellent third.
In heat two the result was mirrored, but in the final the sparks really did fly. Bregazzi crashed out at hairpin two and Dawson narrowly avoided him, taking to the grass and the race lead.
Bregazzi remounted and rode through the field to finish a superb second as his spectacular riding made short work of his rivals.
Davidson capped off his best day’s results with a hat-trick of podiums in third place. Dawson’s consistent riding throughout the season was enough to retain the championship and title.
With guest commentator and 2023 junior pitbike champion Billy Kneen calling the races, the day turned out to be a double win for Conor Percival from his only rival Toby Melvin.
The latter joined the list of crashers when he slid off at the banked corner in heat one.
Percival struck mechanical problems and was a non-starter in the final, but the points tally of the absent Sean Crone could not be beaten and at the end of day’s racing it was Crone who claimed the junior pitbike championship.
The senior 140cc pitbikes raced separately on this occasion. Polesitter Jed Scott was a non-starter in heat one and an excellent ride by Alexander Parkin secured the race win from the battling duo of Jack Haybyrne and Scott Compsty - that was the order it finished.
Parkin was a non-starter in heat two in which Compsty led off the line and, just as a three-man battle was hotting up, Haybyrne fell at the second hairpin on lap two, one of the slipperiest parts of the circuit, before remounting to finish a lap down.
Compsty eventually pulled away from Cpmpsty to take the win by a margin of 7.6 seconds, with newcomer William Forgie in third.
Compsty once again was quick off the line in the final and quickly established a commanding lead he held to the line to take the title for the second year running.
On this occasion the hairpin section caught out Scott who fell and remounted to finish a lap down.
A gritty ride by Parkin saw him take second with a more cautious approach from Haybyrne who came home third to finish runner-up in the championship.
An unusual combination saw the lone supermoto of Beau Challis included with the senior open pitbike class. All he had to do was to complete the races to take the 2024 supermoto crown which he did, thereby emulating his father Darren who was the 2019 champion.
The injured Freddie Craine had already secured the open class title by a huge margin, winning every race he had competed in.
Jack Meechan was assured of second place and he, together with Freddie’s younger brother Aaron, took the day’s honours.
In heat one Meechan was an early faller on lap one at Museum Corner, the tight right-hander at top end of the circuit. Aaron seized his opportunity and had a comfortable win.
In heat two a determined Meechan made no mistake and was an easy winner from Aaron. To the final race of the championship and Meechan took his second win of the day after a close battle with Aaron ended with the latter falling at the hairpin section midrace.
He remounted to finish 45 seconds in arrears at the chequered flag, with Patrick Venus making his sole appearance of the day in third, one a lap down.
PETER MYLCHREEST AND PAUL COPPARELLI