Motor Cycling

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 70, 28 March 1949, Page 5

Motor Cycling

THRILLING RACING AT SATURDAY’S MEET With a strong team of dirt track riders from Auckland as well as visitors from Gisborne, Opotiki, Hamilton and Tauranga, the Bay of Plenty Motor Cycle Club’s grass track race meeting at the Showgrounds, Whakatane, on Saturday provided thrilling entertainment for a crowd estimated at well over a thousand. Rain threatened halfway through the programme, but fortunately passed over after a short, light drizzle. Len Perry, ace rider amongst the visitors, had a good day, winning the big event, the senior scratch race, riding into places in two other events, and collecting both lap record trophies. Most popular win of the day was G. Dunlop’s junior handicap. Riding superbly on a battered 1924 8.5. A., the Opotiki boy sat the bends as though on rails and neatly nosed inside the confident Perry on the way out for the last lap to force the old hand wide and roar home with a clear lead. Gisborne’s H. Clare, another young rider also made | the old hands gallop. Perry fell, remounted and came third. To prove it wasn’t a fluke, Dunlop wiped the i field in the Eastern Bay of Plenty handicap to win another great ovai tiori. 1 Frank Cameron’s Norton treated him more kindly on this occasion, and he rode it with confident skill j to beat Perry and Clare in that order : for the Open' Handicap, but the big crate failed to hold the bends well enough against the dirt track J.A.P.’s in other events, though often in the picture. A bad-looking crash marred the final of the open handicap, when P. Benson, Gisborne, piled up under ■ the front wheel of his club mate, A. Sherwood, who was unable to avoid | him. Benson was taken to hospital, ' but it was announced later that he was not seriously injured. Swinton. Opotiki, also took a bad toss in the ■ Eastern Bay Handicap and had to fbe taken off in the ambulance, but he, too. was not. seriously hurt- ]’ RESULTS:— LoC’al open handicap: First heat: B. Woods 1, J. Marsh 2. Second heat: f P. Benson 1. T .Woods 2. Final; i Woods, Marsh, Benson.

Open handicap: First heat: J. Benson (Gisborne) 1, A. Sherwood (Gisborne) 2, Goodwin (Whakatane)' 3. Time 2min 35 2-ssec. Second heat: H. Clare (Gisborne) 1, R. Hill (Auckland) 2, B. Stormont (Auckland) 3. 2.32. Third heat: L. Perry (Auckland) 1, Swinton (Opotiki) 2, Dunlop (Opotiki) 3. 2.27. Fourth heat: F. Cameron (Whakatane) 1, P. Benson (Gisborne) 2. 2.37. Finals Cameron 1, Perry 2, Clare 3, 2.35 3-5. $

Senior scratch race: First heat: Cameron 1, Hill 2, Fish (Auckland)' 3. Second heat: Perry 1, N. Edwards (Auckland) 2, Stormont 3. 2.27 4-5-Final: Perry, Stormont, Hill. 2.25 1-5. The three placed riders fought? it out all the way to a great finish. Eenior handicap: First heat: Perry; 1, Benson 2, B. O’Brien 3 (Hamilton) 3. 2.33 2-5. Second heat: Stormont 1, Hill 2, Edwards 3. 2.32 4-5. Final: Benson 1, Perry 2, Hill 3. 2.30 4-5.

Eastern Bay of Plenty Handicap: First heat: Dunlop 1, De Vries (Opotiki) 2, Campbell 3. 2.43. Second heat: Cameron 1, Woods 2, J. Marsh 3 2.36. Final: Dunlop 1, Woods 2> Marsh 3. 2.38 4-5. 350 cc Lap Record: Perry 24see 1, Clare 25sec 2. 500 cc Lap Record: Perry 22sec 1, Edwards 22 2-ssec 2. Consolation handicap: Edwards 1, O’Brien 2, Clare 3. 2.29 4-ssec.