Liam Smith chalked up his first overall win on a recently purchased Honda CRF450 at Knock Froy on Sunday.

The opening round of Peveril MCC’s 2025 motocross club championship took place in breezy, cold and, at times, wet conditions.

With at least half a dozen of the regular A Group riders absent, the focus was very much on Smith and his close rival Beau Brown, but Jack Keenan rode extremely well on his recently acquired 450 Kawasaki and was not far off the pace of the front two.

Racing was delayed after two or three incidents during practice, one of which led to adult B Group rider Max Turner being conveyed to Noble’s Hospital by ambulance after suffering fractures to his lower leg.

Smith grabbed the holeshot in the first of the Group A races with Brown sat behind him until managing to find a way past in the mid-stages.

It was the precise opposite in race two when Smith sat behind Brown for all bar the final half lap when he powered by to even things up with a win and a second apiece. Smith’s late charge was all the more impressive as he had a completely flat front tyre with a puncture from a nail right through the middle of the tread.

So it all came down to the last race, when a steady drizzle made conditions all the tougher. Smith, with the bit between his teeth, led this from start to finish to deny the latter man any delayed celebrations from his 19th birthday 24 hours earlier - Brown pulling off early when the sprocket on his Yamaha came loose.

Keenan was rock steady throughout, notching up two thirds in the opening two races and runner-up to Smith in the last.

Graeme Saunders, at 51, had a good dice in B Group with riders a lot younger than him. He won the first two combined races with the 125 senior schoolboys, with 13-year-old Jacob Wilson pushing him every inch of the way in race two.

Jack Asbridge got the better of Saunders to win the final race, but Wilson went through the card unbeaten in the 125 category.

Riley Faragher won two out of three in the Big-wheel 85cc class, denied a hat-trick in the last by Jake Kelly. The small-wheels was the lone domain of Abe Cain, the 65s Maverick Meechan and the automatics Blayze Turner.

Making history on the day were six young women in the inaugural class dedicated to females in a local motocross.

They all rode extremely well, enjoying the smaller numbers in the split while gaining confidence on what is a fast track with some large jumps.

Charlie Dickinson won races one and two from former national trials talent Saskia Kelly and Sophie Alton-Heath who rode youth motocross in her younger days. The latter edged the last one, but the overall honours were Charlie’s.

The plan is that the women will ride the club’s four non-Centre championship events, with each of their best three rounds to count.

RESULTS

Adult A: 1, Liam Smith 132; 2, Beau Brown 123; 3, Jack Keenan 122; 4, Ryan Christian 115; 5, Callum Purves 113; 6, Harry Shand 109. Adult B: 1, Graeme Saunders 130; 2, Jack Asbridge 127; 3, Josh Blackley 122; 4, Kyle Batty 116; 5, Ruairi McGovern 111; 6, Adrian Smith 109; 7, Brandon Shaw 105; 6, Jaydee Page 104; 7, Deniss Sergejevs 101; 8, Alex Trafford 96; 9, Brandon Gowland 65; 10, James Keggin 32. 125cc: 1, Jacob Wilson 135; 2, Harry Beattie 126; 3, George Kinnish 118; 4, Olly Runge 111; 5, Stan Kinnish 78; 6, Joe Cannan 38.

Women: 1, Charlie Dickinson 132; 2, Sophie Alton-Heath 125; 3, Saskia Kelly 122; 4, Jacalyn Riding 116; 5, Amy Smith 109; 6, Annabelle Ratcliffe 74.

85cc Big-wheel: 1, Riley Faragher 132; 2, Jake Kelly 129; 3, Logan Muncaster 118; 4, Joseph Williams 113; 5, Connor Madsen-Mygdal 40; 6, Noah Cooke 36. 85cc Small-wheel: 1, Abe Cain 135; 2, Jason Keig 126. 65cc: 1, Maverick Meechan 135; 2, Leo Harrison 126. Autos: 1, Blayze Turner 135; 2, Seb Inman 126.

JOHN WATTERSON