Kent Kings’ number one Ben Morley continued his remarkable run of form, taking the British NORA 500cc Championship at a rainy Isle of Wight on Thursday.
It was a night when riders had to battle the conditions as well as each other in a star-packed field – with persistent rain all afternoon threatening initially to call the prestigious individual championship meeting off, only to relent in time to allow tapes up. The threat of further rain was very real though and the speed in getting the races on was matched by Morley’s super fast starts and imperious riding.
Wins in his opening three rides, claiming the scalps of GB international Joe Thompson and home skipper Arran Butcher out Ben in pole position to qualify for the Grand Final as top scorer but as a precursor to that showdown Morley went out in heat 10 to face the teen of the moment, a maximum man himself when the Kings recently won a team match on the Island, 15-year-old William Cairns.
The race was a classic: Morley again made a super start, but this time Cairns was with him and swooped around the outside on the first turn and raced to victory.
There was a ‘B’ Final win for Kent’s Rhys Naylor who had a very satisfactory evening’s racing; but by now the rain was back and the four chief protagonists, Morley, Cairns, Thompson and Butcher went to the tapes for the ‘A’ Final in now increasingly difficult conditions.
As the riders came to the line, everybody in the stadium held their breath in anticipation of what looked like a superb line up. As the riders sped from the start, they were all pretty even as they hit the turn, with Cairns heading for the dirt at full throttle with his nose in front. But as he hit the dirt the flying teen lost control of his machine and crashed into the safety fence at high speed.
The crowd were stunned into an early silence as the medical crew rush to the stricken rider in was now a heavy downpour, the ambulance was called onto the track and the rider was recovered from the air fence and his machine removed.
At this time it was now becoming obvious to all that track conditions and visibility were deteriorating and with the Paramedics treating Cairns, that racing would not be able to continue.
The title was therefore decided on a count back – with Ben Morley adding to the USA Handicap individual title he’d won earlier this year at the IOW, awarded first place as he had beaten Thompson back in the very first heat, with Thompson second and Butcher 3rd, with Cairns having been disqualified from the initial staging he was fourth.
Concerns about Cairns were eased when the youngster appeared none the worse for his prang after the meeting – just a sore shoulder and he was (as Speedway riders do) in action undeterred racing and top scoring for Leicester the following night!
Morley meanwhile was happy to add a first NORA British championship win to his record two National League Riders’ titles and looks forward next to the big 1st. September meeting back at his home track,
“It will be great turning out in an England race jacket taking on the traditional ‘enemy’ Australia at our closing meeting of what’s been a great season. It’s nice to go into it with the British title won”.
The England vs. Australia International is being staged at Iwade on Sunday Sepember 1st. – 2pm start time.
Picture supplied by Ian Groves of Sportography.