Introduction
The opening Round of the 2010 British Supermoto Championships was held at the Three Sisters Circuit over the Easter Weekend and was kindly sponsored by Pemberton Tyres. Qualification sessions took place on Saturday to seed riders in the appropriate group for the start of the championship, and with over a hundred and twenty competitors this was no mean feat, but racing got underway on Sunday morning and though the format was new to everyone the weekend culminated in a successful start to the season.
Many riders were new to their machinery, championship grouping or their race teams; and it looked as is this year could be the most competitive yet in all disciplines

Quads
Joe Hodgson led the first Quad race until machine failure saw him retire, at which point Mike Taylor took up the lead and was unchallenged for the rest of the race. The battle within the race was for the second place position with Craig Kilner the victor from Matt Lawry, then Sam Hodgson in fourth. With Joe unable to start the second race Craig Kilner would lead but a late challenge from Mike Taylor while setting the fastest lap in the race; would see him with the second win of the day, Matt Lawry secured third with Sam Hodgson in fourth. In the final race Mike had a poor start and Craig Kilner led once again, but it all came alive in the last two laps when Mike upped the pressure and challenged hard; though his efforts would be in vain as he failed to pass Craig over the line. These two led Matt Lawry, Sam Hodgson and Chris Wright over the line

Quad Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Craig Kilner 2. Mike Taylor 3. Matt Lawry 4. Sam Hodgson 5. Chris Wright

Junior 250
Malachi Mitchell Thomas cemented fast qualifying with a win in the first race followed closely by Greg Evans who was trying his hardest to make it first to the finish line. Ben Stafford had his work cut out but improved throughout the race, and claimed the third place finish with a comfortable lead from Owen Connell and Stuart Sharp. Sam Gilbody had an unfortunate start but with a display of stamina and a long push he made the result sheet for race one. Malachi went on to win the second race but was challenged hard once again by Greg Evans with Ben Stafford having a great ride in third and these were the finishing positions for race two, while Owen Connell deposed Stuart Sharp into fifth on the penultimate lap to take the fourth place finish himself. Sam Gilbody had a much improved second race with an eighth place finish. The top three riders in the final race had stayed the same all day with Malachi in the lead once again followed by Greg Evans and Ben Stafford but they led the pack with a much larger margin in the final, and all three riders held the fastest lap in the class Ben in race one, Mal in the second outing and Greg in the final. Owen Connell and Stuart Sharp mirrored fourth and fifth places in every race, with Sam Gilbody up to sixth in the final

250 Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Malachi Mitchell Thomas 2. Greg Evans 3. Ben Stafford 4. Owen Connell 5. Stuart Sharp

Ryan Rudd had the best ride of the juniors pacing himself among the 250 riders with Ashley Rudd the closest in his group followed by Loris Hunt, and newcomers for 2010 Daniel Drayton and Matt Raven. Ryan and Ashley Rudd once again led Loris Hunt in the second race followed by Jack Raines while in the final Ryan and Ashley were followed this time by Jack Raines in third and Loris in fourth. This group were gaining confidence all weekend and it is likely they will move comfortably with the 250 pack at most of the rounds.

Junior Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ryan Rudd 2. Ashley Rudd 3. Jack Raines 4. Loris Hunt 5. Matt Tilbury

450 Clubman
Neil Crayston had an early fall leaving Dean Wingate a good advantage on the track. Phil Gee could not make up enough ground to challenge Dean but still came in second place over half a second down over the line in race one; to a very pleased Mr Wingate. James Moore secured the third place finish with Darren Lee close on his heels and then James Wood came over the line in fifth.
Kyle Wingate was having a battle for tenth position to get the better of Mike Dooling while Guy Monk had to retire from the first race. In the second race Dean Wingate would take the win again clearly from James Moore who was being chased by Daren Lee. Phil Gee moved up to fourth place at the expense of Steve Ellis who would have to be content with fifth. Andrew Rumsam had to retiree while Mike Dooling on this occasion led the mid pack battle of Grant Cunningham, Kris Norris and Kyle Wingate.
Dean Wingate scooped all three wins in the Clubman race while James Moore secured two second place finishes, and Phil Gee secured a second, fourth and third place finish. Guy Monk saw his day improve greatly with a fifth place finish in the final while Ryan Metcalfe and Paul Scott continued to battle for positions on the track

450 Clubman Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Dean Wingate 2. James Moore 3. Phil Gee 4. Steve Ellis 5. Guy Monk

450 Elite
Matt Winstanley had the early lead in race one of the 450 elite as Chris Hodgson deposed David Hartley for second place in the second lap, while James Addy also moved up the grid to pass George Clements and Andy Mitchell. By lap five Matt led Chris from David Hartley and Richard Sharp, and then it would be Craig Venske from Jams Addy in the next battle. James made up another place to fifth by the eighth lap and chased Craig Venske but couldn’t take the fourth place finish, while Sami Salstola challenged Andy Mitchell for eleventh place. Matt Winstanley won the first race confidently with Chris Hodgson riding brilliantly in second as David Hartley came over the line from Craig Venske in fourth. James Addy in fifth place would lead Richard Sharp and Lee Williams over the line in sixth and seventh. Chris Walker unfortunately retired in the first lap.
In the second race Chris Hodgson had the early lead and although Matt came through to take the lead Chris stayed in the chase and these two riders were the first over the line. Craig Venske held onto third position despite pressure throughout the race first from James Addy and then from David Hartley. James Addy lost eight places in a fall but made his way back up to eighth position for some valuable points. That left Craig Venske to finish third from David Hartley and Richard Sharp rode a fantastic race battling with Ben Robb for the fifth position finish. Behind James Addy was Sami Salstola who was clear of Richard Blakeman and Lee Williams in ninth place. Both Robert Hartley and Graeme Norris made this race a difficult ask after they both fell in the first lap.
The final race of the day and positions changed dramatically, James Addy fell on the first lap and came back eleven places to finish fourteenth. While Craig Venske led the race with such a tight pack of riders, being followed Chris Hodgson, Craig Venske and David Hartley. These four riders were wheel to wheel for nine laps when backmarkers came into play and Chris Hodgson took first place on lap eleven, quickly followed by a fall from Craig Venske which left Matt Winstanley chasing Chris and Venske chasing David Hartley, the pace at the front was blistering and Chris was holding on tight to the lead; but over the line with that extra stretch of one hundredth of a second; Matt Winstanley took the win from a very worthy Chris Hodgson. David Hartley came over the line in third and the original race leader Craig Venske in fourth. George Clements and Richard Sharp had faultless race and finished fifth and sixth, with Richard Blakeman and Ben Robb the next two finishers.

450 Elite Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Matt Winstanley 2. Chris Hodgson 3. David Hartley 4. Craig Venske 5. George Clements

Open Clubman
Ricky Grimshaw and Andy Nuttall had the top two spots in race one of the Open Clubman races which allowed them a move up to the A group for race two leaving Paul Scott on pole position for race two.
Karl Geary Junior led Sam Roberts and Paul Reynolds within half a second to hold onto sixth spot. While in the second race Karl Geary Junior set the fastest lap time and won the race by a clear margin to take the second win and move up along with Lee Head who had held off Paul Reynolds for second spot. Lee Peet claimed twelfth place battling over the line from Phil Dacres, and similarly close over the line were Darren Corkett and Dave Kavanagh with less than a whisker between them. Paul Reynolds sat on pole for the final race of the day and although he lost the lead momentarily, he soon regained it to finish in first from Ryan Metcalfe, while Paul Fletcher deposed Matt Shutt for third place and Phil Dacres took seventh place from Martin Bennett and David Vaughan.
Paul McNamara led the first A Clubman race from Harry Kampz and Rob Dickens, but a great ride by Jon Sigsworth saw him move up three positions to take the top spot with two laps to go. Both Jon and Paul McNamara stayed clear at the front until the finish line, with Harry Kampz and Rob Dickens in third and fourth place respectively clear from the rest of the pack.
Rob Dickens had an excellent start to race two chased by Paul Plevin who would take the second win of the day, leaving Rob in second place a second clear of third placed Bob Hart. The top seven riders were clear from the rest of the pack who were led by Scott Wright. It was Jon Sigswoth the winner of race one who would set the fastest lap and finish in fifth. Rob Dickens then led the final A Clubman race followed by Bob Hart but it would be Jon Sigsworth who would take the lead and secure the win in the fourth lap. Rob held onto second place from Bob Hart who had closed in throughout the race. Dan Spencer improved to move up two places as did James Wood while the sixth place finisher Scott Wright put in the fastest lap. Lee Head and Andy Nuttall who had both started in the B Clubman had excellent finishes in twelfth and fourteen respectively.

Open A Clubman Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Jon Sigsworth 2. Rob Dickens 3. Bob Hart 4. Dan Spencer 5. James Wood

Open B Clubman Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Paul Reynolds 2. Ryan Metcalf 3. Paul Fletcher 4. Matt Shutt 5. Paul Scott

Open National
In the first Open National race the leader into the first corner was Phil Gee though Kevin Drayton held the front spot coming out of the dirt, and stayed clear at the front for the whole race taking the first win comfortably, Ben Kirkman took second spot quite quickly but was challenged late in the race by Simon Bentley who came home in third place with Phil Gee in fourth. The fastest lap was set by Lee Metcalfe as he moved from seventh to finish in fifth place. Neil Crayston just pulled away from the pack of Steve Hall, Dave Jolly and Darren Lee and claimed ninth place
The restarted second race was close from the off, with Kevin Drayton leading Ben Kirkman, Simon Bentley and Dean Wingate. Ben set the fastest lap and pressured Kevin hard to take the lead in the last few laps which he until the finish line leaving Kevin in second being chased by Simon Bentley; with Dean Wingate having a battle of his own to keep Lee Metcalfe at bay and secure the fourth place. In twelfth place Greg Evans only just got over the line in front of Ben Stafford, with Steve Hall and Darren Lee equally close in fourteenth and fifteenth.
In the final National race of the day Simon Bentley had the lead from Kevin Drayton, Ben Kirkman, Dean Wingate then Lee Metcalfe. Midway through the race Kevin Drayton took the lead of a very tight pack as Ben Kirkman set his sights on Simon Bentley but was himself under pressure from Lee Metcalf. Then there was a mid pack battle being led by Neil Crayston from Andrew Rumsam and Phil Gee for seventh spot. The action was still happening at the front of the pack with the four rider’s almost inseparable lap after lap, all pressuring for positions but Kevin Drayton was jubilant over the line from a very happy Simon Bentley who had a fine ride followed by Ben Kirkman. Lee Metcalfe who had been in the top five all day put in the fastest lap of the race as he tried to get into a top three finishing position. Malachi Mitchell Thomas had an excellent start to the season in the Open class with and eighth and two eleven place finishes and Ben Stafford equally enjoyed his first round out in this class.

Open National Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Kevin Drayton 2. Simon Bentley 3. Ben Kirkman 4. Lee Metcalf 5. Dean Wingate

Open Elite
Matt Winstanley had the lead for the first Elite Race, and stayed clear from the second and third place riders as David Hartley lost second place to Chris Hodgson in lap five to regain it again in the ninth lap. The top three finishers were Matt Winstanley, David Hartley and Chris Hodgson. Lee Jones led a charge to finish admirably in fourth under pressure from Sami Salstola and James Addy and with Carl Shield in seventh place; then there would be a breather back to another close pack. Craig Venske had dropped back to eighth position but then had to hold back George Clements and Lee Williams.
In the second race Matt Winstanley once again led the race but Chris Hodgson had him within his sights for the whole race and set the fastest lap time, and these two riders had a gap from Sami Salstola and Craig Venske. Andy Mitchell tried to hold off Lee Williams while Richard Sharp led a tight pack of riders, made up of Chris Walker, Ben Robb and Richard Blakeman. At the finish line it would be Matt Winstanley and Chris Hodgson from Craig Venske and David Hartley, Sami Salstola had his own race in fifth from James Addy in sixth then followed by Carl Shield. Lee Williams got the better of Andy Mitchell before the race ended and Ben Robb got the better of the mid pack finishing behind eleventh place Richard Sharp.
The final race of the day caught out Chris Babbitt, Lee Williams and Sami Salstola ass they all fell. Matt Winstanley led the race from Chris Hodgson once again, with James Addy taking third place. This was a position he took advantage of as Matt fell in the dirt in the seventh lap and as Chris took avoiding action leaving James Addy to take the lead. One lap later and Chris Hodgson would retire with machinery problems completely redesigning the make up at the front of the race. James Addy had to work his hardest to keep David Hartley at bay, but although they were close over the line James would take the win with David in second and Craig Venske in third. An excellent final race for Carl Shield saw him take fourth place with Lee Jones in a fantastic fifth place after being dogged with machinery problems over the weekend. In a mixed bag of racing the likelihood was that in the points David Hartley would most likely come out on top. Will Moore had move into the elite group and finished in eighteenth place in the final, while Ryan Dixon and Lewis Cornish both moved up consistently throughout the day.

Open Elite Finishing Positions Final Race
1. James Addy 2. David Hartley 3. Craig Venske 4. Carl Shield 5. Lee Jones

Superlites

Twenty Superlites took to the track for an all action race and Colin Griffiths was dominant in the lead, though Steve Burgess tried everything in the book to get into the top spot costing him track time on the way, but his efforts paid off as he took the lead leaving Toby Taylor in second and Ben Dimmack in third. Colin Griffiths had an excellent race but suffered a puncture with two laps to go and had to limp over the line in sixth place. Ian Gibbons spun out early in the race and had to pull back to twelfth spot.
The second race got underway with Ben Dimmack at the front from Phil Lee and Toby Taylor; Toby would get into second place and hold that over the line leaving Phil Lee in third. Colin Griffiths made up four places and set the fastest lap to finish in fourth place from Ian Biswell and Steve Burgess. Alan Bott retired from the second race after a spin around lunar seriously affected his ability to either steer or drive the machine. The final would hold just as much action with Mike Taylor having the early lead and Steve Burgess once again hounding Colin Griffiths. Mike would retire from the race leaving Ben Dimmack in first and after a coming together Steve Burgess would take the second place from Colin Griffiths and Phil Lee in fourth. It was no surprise that the fastest lap was set by Steve Burgess, but hats off to Sadie Redfearn with an excellent finish in thirteenth and congratulations to Alan Bott on his very first Superlite race finishing in a very respectable eighth place, in a tight pack with Phil Redfearn in front of him and Mick Blatchford behind.

Superlites Finishing Positions Final Race
1. Ben Dimmack 2. Steve Burgess 3. Colin Griffiths 4. Phil Lee 5. Matthew Dimmack.