British Individual Championships Weekend 2023
HETHERSETT HAWKS / YELLOW BRICK MORTGAGES had seven riders in the North of England adorned in new-style YBM shirts in the British Individual Championships. Returning to Norfolk they can feel very proud of their efforts with two medals in their kitbags and some other outstanding performances including four fifth places.
Glyn Morgan looked in good form in the Over-60s at Hull but one mistake meant he had to face a race-off against two Poole riders for second and third place. Drawn on the outside he had to work hard but took full advantage when opponents slipped to storm home to the silver medal.
The other weekend medal went to Lola Martin who has shown consistent improvement this season and achieved third place in the Under-12 Girls at Sheffield. She then went on to compete as a late entry in the Under-14 Girls and gave one of her best performances to finish fifth.
The three Hawks in the Under-12 Boys were all stepping up from last year’s Under-10s so to achieve 5th, 6th and 12th places augurs well for the future. Luca El-Labany was challenging the older riders and deserved his 5th place. Frank Spauls improved in each race and secured 6th place while Austin Brailey had some good moments.
Harley Hamill was the sole representative from Hethersett in the Open event and faced two qualifying rounds against the country’s top riders at Hull. He was in the thick of the action but points were hard to come by and he scored nine and six on the consecutive days.
Mason Martin was close to lifting the Junior (Under-18) title – he was leading after four races each but got little change from a difficult grid four in his final ride which relegated him to fifth overall. This put him in good stead as the only club representative on the big finals day at Astley & Tyldesley. Again he was well in contention but just outside the main contenders in the Under-16 Final and that is where he finished – another fifth place.
Back to local action this weekend with racing available for all ages and abilities at Eaton Park on Sunday in Round 6 of the Norfolk GO-RIDE and Grand Prix Series. Racing starts at 1 p.m.