Round 7 of the CoolFab Racing British Minibike Championship came from a sunny Northamptonshire at Whilton Mill. With one championship already wrapped up by Casey O’Gorman (MiniGP50), he was looking to secure the MiniGP70 and LC40 Junior Elite crowns - which he did in convincing style.
Starting first with the AC40 Rookies however, championship leader Samuel Munson was given some work to do after qualifying down in 4th place on the grid. However, he was able to fight back strong, taking a hat-trick of wins and putting one hand on the championship trophy. Joining him on the podium in race one and two in 2nd place was Ruben Bray, with Olly Horner completing the podium in race one and Henry McCartney doing so in race two. Olly Horner was 2nd in race three, whilst Henry McCartney took another podium in 3rd.
Samuel Munson now sports a healthy 40 point lead in the championship, with Olly Horner his nearest rival. Ruben Bray is 17 points further back in 3rd whilst in 4th and 70 points Back is Henry McCartney. The ‘fantastic four’ are well clear of 5th placed Warwick Brady.
The AC40 Pros saw the return of Jonny Garness, having been out injured with a broken collarbone. Unfortunately for him, championship leader and rival Mason Foster took all three wins across the weekend. Garness was able to finish 2nd to him in all races and led at least once in them all. Troy Jeffrey was 3rd in race one whilst Sullivan Mounsey completed the podium in races two and three.
Mason Foster’s wins means he has 46 point lead at the top of the standings, meaning a win in the first race at Tattershall on the 6th October guarantees him as champion. Second place is Jonny Garness and third is Sullivan Mounsey, 67 points further back; Foster and Garness are the only riders who can still mathematically win the title. In 4th is Troy Jeffrey who is 23 points off Mounsey, whilst Luca Hopkins’ consistency sees him complete the top five - the best place he can now mathematically finish.
In the Junior LC40 Elite races, it was Casey O’Gorman who took all three wins to become the class champion! In 2nd place in race one was Sullivan Mounsey, with Ryan Hitchcock in 3rd. James Cook came through to finish 2nd in race two with Sillivan Mounsey in 3rd, whilst race three saw Bailey Stuart-Campbell finish 2nd with Mounsey 3rd once more. Despite Stuart-Campbell finishing 2nd, it was not enough to deny O’Gorman of the championship.
The championship is now out of reach as O’Gorman secures it with a round to spare. The fight is also done for 2nd place, as Bailey Stuart-Campbell has an insurmountable 87 point gap back to 3rd placed Amanuel Brinton. 37 points back of the top three is Ryan Hitchcock, whilst Sullivan Mounsey is 5th, just a further 13 behind.
In the MiniGP50s, class champion Casey O’Gorman elected not to start in the class, meaning the door was open for someone else to make their name. That someone else was James Cook (younger brother to Max Cook), as he took a trio of victories. In 2nd place in all three races was Nuneaton’s Josh Bannister, whilst Ryan Hitchcock was 3rd in all three.
With the champion position already decided, the gloves are off for the runners-up position. James Cook is 13 points ahead of Amanuel Brinton, whilst just 26 further back is Josh Bannister. In 5th place and still in with a mathematical chance of a top 3 championship position is Dylan Mellor - 71 points off Brinton.
CoolFab’s premier class - the MiniGP70 class - was up for grabs at Whilton Mill, with Casey O’Gorman in with the possibility of wrapping the championship up early. He did just that, winning all three races in a convincing fashion. In 2nd place in all three was Evan Belford - who was being examined out on circuit by the headteacher and year six teacher, from his school attending the CoolFab event at Whilton Mill as VIPs. Rossi Banham was able to come home 3rd in race one and two, whilst Ollie Walker completed the podium in race three due to bad luck halting Banham’s charge.
With the championship now in the hands of Casey O’Gorman and Evan Belford likewise in a secure 2nd place the race is on for 3rd place. Bailey Stuart-Campbell has a 67 point advantage over Sean Able, who in turn has a slender one point advantage over the in-form Rossi Banham. Owen Mellor’s collision with Finn Smart in race three means that he can now no longer challenge for a top three slot in the championship