Hat-tricks as BPMSI launches 2016 Championship
Drivers and bikers claimed race-winning hat-tricks over the Easter weekend as Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc (BPMSI) kicked off its 2016 Championship at the Glassesco Valvoline John 'Tiny' Harrison Memorial Race Meet (March 26 & 28) at Bushy Park. Maurita Forde made history as the first female biker to race at the redeveloped facility, a record number of bikes - more than ever outside the CMRC - turned out to race and Brook 'Unique' Miller claimed a new Bike Lap Record.
The BPMSI Bike Championship opened the 17-race programme, with Brook Miller (Suzuki GSX-R600) on pole, ahead of Canada's Kevin Graham (GSX-R600), Kris Brathwaite (Yamaha R6) and Terrance Ollivierre (GSX-R600); Steve Linton (Honda CBR600) and Ronnie Cooke (Yamaha R6) were on the Class B front row. Miller stormed away at the lights, and stayed ahead all day, leading every lap of the three bike races, chased home each time by Graham, with Brathwaite and Ollivierre sharing the third places. In Class B, Cooke (R6) and Mario Blackett (CBR600) shared the wins.
Miller brought the Outright Bike Lap Record back home with his second-race fastest lap of 1m 04.192s (70.04mph/112.774kmh), beating the mark set by Guyana's Elliot Vieira (Triumph Daytona) at last September's Williams Industries Digicel CMRC International.
On four wheels, the Group 1 races were close-fought and entertaining, Quincy Jones (Toyota Starlet) the overall and Class 2 winner in all three, the first after snatching the lead from Robert Gill (Starlet) mid-way round the final lap; Geoff Ullyett (Nissan 120Y) won Group 1 Class 1 each time. On a day when attrition played a major part in proceedings, the merged races for Groups 2, 3 and 4 were less exciting, although hat-trick overall winner Kenrick Husbands (Starlet) and Ullyett (BMW M3) did a sterling job of keeping the crowd entertained with some ad hoc drifting.
The Hilti Handicap races were shortened from 10 to eight laps, when rain started to fall, but the bikers proved a hardy bunch, pleasing the equally hardy spectators with an impressive display of determination against the elements. Class B biker Blackett was a worthy winner, a riding boot to the floor on each corner to steady his progress, as Class A runner Ollivierre hunted him down, reducing the handicap start of 23secs to just 3secs by the chequered flag; Shaquille Kellman (Triumph) finished third.
BPMSI also hosted the opening rounds of the Suzuki Challenge Series over the weekend and a number of Swift Sports and Radicals joined the handicap for the first time. Amid a host of spins in the extremely tricky conditions, Stuart Maloney added a fourth victory to his SR3 Cup hat-trick from earlier in the day, with fellow Radical racer David Simpson and Ryan Wood, who was the dominant force in the Swift Cup over the weekend, completing the podium.
Early in the day, between the traditional Herringbone and the start of racing, around 30 bikes assembled, some which would race later in the day, for a parade lap of the circuit to celebrate the memory of Euwin Noel, who was killed in a road accident earlier this month. A keen biker and a regular at Bushy Park track days, Noel had been training to be a competitor, but never realised his dream.
Glassesco Valvoline John 'Tiny' Harrison Memorial Race Meet
March 26 & 28 - results
Bikes Class A - Race 1: 1st Brook 'Unique' Miller (Evolite/Kari Brook Live/Bridgestone/VP Racing/Kore Fitness/Biz Needz Suzuki GSX-R600); 2nd Kevin Graham - CDN (Sunburst Orange Juice/Pirelli/BPCI Suzuki GSX-R600); 3rd Kris Brathwaite (EXECSEC Corporate Services Yamaha R6); etc Race 2: 1st Miller; 2nd Graham; 3rd Brathwaite; etc Race 3: 1st Miller; 2nd Graham; 3rd Terrance Ollivierre (Kermit's Bar/Percy King Auto Parts/Demario's Cycle World Suzuki GSX-R600); etc
Bikes Class B - Race 1: 1st Mario Blackett (Honda CBR600); 2nd Steve Linton (Honda CBR600); 3rd Ronnie Cooke (Ride-Tech Yamaha R6); etc Race 2: 1st Cooke; 2nd Blackett; 3rd Lowrey Worrell (Suzuki GSX-R600); etc Race 3: 1st Blackett; 2nd Cooke; 3rd Worrell; etc
Hilti Handicap for Bikes: 1st Blackett; 2nd Ollivierre; 3rd Shaquille Kellman (Triumph Daytona); 4th Kirk Greaves (Suzuki GSX-R600); 5th Worrell
Group 1/Class 1 - Race 1: 1st Geoffrey Ullyett (Ullyett's Machine Shop Nissan 120Y); 2nd Darren Lashley (Full Live Racing Parts/SRG Engineering/KK Auto Repairs/Print Image/Williams Equipment Peugeot 205XS); 3rd Andre Walcott (Courts iFinance / Courts Optical / M-Grafix Suzuki Swift); etc Race 2: 1st Ullyett; 2nd Lashley; 3rd Paul St Hill (Federal Motor Spares/NOS Services/LiquiMoly Nissan Sentra B12); etc Race 2: 1st Ullyett; 2nd Lashley; 3rd William Jones (H & B Hardware & Lumber Inc Datsun B310)
Grp1/C2 - Race 1: 1st Quincy Jones (Toyota Starlet); 2nd Robert Gill (Venture Car Rentals/Hilti/AS Auto Stop/Rezult Auto Toyota Starlet); 3rd Devan McCartney (C & A Autobody Repair/Zephirins Bakery/R & J Recovery Honda CRX); etc Race 2: 1st Jones; 2nd McCartney; 3rd Gill; etc Race 3: 1st Jones; 2nd McCartney; 3rd Adrian Bailey (Ellco Rentals/SRG Engineering/Lucid Consulting/Dove's Exhaust Repairs/M Y Bhana Everything Store Peugeot 205); etc
Groups 2, 3 & 4 - Race 1, overall: 1st Kenrick Husbands (Williams Equipment/MP Oil/Hilti Toyota Starlet); 2nd Jason Harewood (Mark's Auto Spares/Gaskin's Garage/ Castrol Toyota Starlet); 3rd Tremaine Forde-Catwell (CCT Paints/Cheese Auto Glass Finishes/Rezults Auto Daihatsu Charmant); etc Grp3/C3: Husbands Grp3/C2: Harewood Grp2/C1: Forde-Catwell Grp2/C3: 1st Geoffrey Ullyett (Ullyett's Machine Shop BMW M3); 2nd Shawn Eversley (L&N Workshop/SE Performance Suzuki Swift) Race 2, overall: 1st Husbands; 2nd Harewood; 3rd Forde-Catwell; etc Grp3/C3: Husbands Grp3/C2: Harewood Grp2/C1: Forde-Catwell Grp2/C2: Andre Forde (Forde's Vending Machines /Percy King Auto Parts Toyota Starlet) Grp2/C3: Ullyett Race 3, overall: 1st Husbands; 2nd Harewood; 3rd Forde-Catwell; etc Grp3/C3: Husbands Grp3/C2: Harewood Grp2/C1: Forde-Catwell Grp2/C3: Ullyett
Hilti Handicap for Cars: 1st Stuart Maloney (Radical RS3 RS); 2nd David Simpson (Team Sol Radical RS3 RS); 3rd Ryan Wood (Team Digicel Suzuki Swift Sport); 4th Kyle Catwell (Team ICBL Suzuki Swift Sport); 5th Josh Read (Team Massy United Insurance Suzuki Swift Sport); 6th Carlos Edwards (Team Rock Hard Cement Suzuki Swift Sport); 7th Arron Parris (Team RBC Suzuki Swift Sport); 8th Bailey; 9th Kevin Wiggins (Johnson's Auto Repairs/Wallace Trucking/KK Auto Repairs Toyota Starlet); 10th Ullyett; etc