Iddon does enough to secure SM1 title at 3 Sisters

Supermoto
By Stuart Williams
December 5 2005

With SM2 already decided all Fred Fiorentino and Matt Winstanley could do in the 2005 Vivaldi British Supermoto Championship SM1 finale was aim for a pair of wins and hope for some poor results from season-long rival Christian Iddon.

It was Winstanley who did the business securing the double with Fiorentino having an off-day which included a race one altercation with another rider. In the end though it wasn’t to be and despite making hard work of it Iddon picked up two third places which was more than enough to secure the SM1 title.

A combination of wet weather and the absence of Matt Winstanley in SM2 seemed to completely transform the class at Three Sisters with a number of relative unknowns thrust into the limelight. Both Fred Fiorentino and Sam Warren had days they’d rather forget finishing in sixth and seventh respectively with Rob McNealy, Chris Hodgson and James Addy stepping up to share the overall honours followed by Rob Cross and Mathew Pope.

Of the Superbike “wildcards” it was young Tommy Bridewell who looked every part the Supermoto rider clinching a top 10 overall finish in the SM2 class on his Robinsons KTM. Vivaldi Racing Superbike rider Ben Wilson provided some light entertainment managing to high-side his MW Racing Honda machine in exactly the same way on the same corner in both SM1 races. Others to pick up points were Tom Tunstall (13th, SM1) and Ollie Bridewell (16th, SM2).

SM1 Qualifying
The only three riders in with a chance of the SM1 title qualifyed in the manner they would eventually finish the season with Iddon on pole, Winstanley second quickest and Fiorentino third.
1. Christian Iddon, 2. Matt Winstanley 3. Fred Fiorentino

SM2 Qualifying
With Matt Winstanley having already won the SM2 class his focus was firmly fixed on SM1 which meant the class for smaller bikes was going to be wide open at Three Sisters. Fred Fiorentino set down the early marker by grabbing pole position with a resurgent Matt Pope claiming second and Sam Warren third.
1. Fred Fiorentino, 2. Mathew Pope, 3. Sam Warren

(SM2 Race 1) Warren stamps authority
Mathew Pope has run hot and cold this season but in the first SM2 race he was on it taking the holeshot and holding the lead for the first couple of laps before Warren snatched front position which he maintained through to the finish despite the close attention of 17 year old Chris Hodgson who made the most of his front row qualifying position. Pope held onto third place with Rob Cross fourth and eventual SM2 overall winner Rob McNealy in fifth.

Belgian Fred Fiorentino on the other hand had a nightmare race, stalling on the second lap and rejoining just ahead of the lead pack who had come around to almost lap him which effectively dashed any chance of at least picking up some points.
1. Sam Warren, 2. Chris Hodgson, 3. Mathew Pope

(SM1 Race 1) Winstanley wins, Iddon makes hard work of it
With a 38 point lead heading into the final Three Sisters round Husaberg mounted Christian Iddon just needed to play it sensibly to secure the SM1 title. In contrast all Winstanley and Fiorentino could do was go for the win and hope for some misfortune to befall Iddon. It nearly did in the first SM1 race with Iddon taking the holeshot but then going missing on the third lap to emerge in fifth place with his bike looking worse for wear.

Iddon though wasn’t finished and made one of his classic charges which have typified his racing this year whenever in a similar situation getting past Jay Smith and then hunting down Warren to take third with Winstanley riding to a comfortable race win and an on-form Ady Smith finishing in second.

The only blemish on what was an exciting race was an incident between Jay Smith and Fiorentino in the last few laps which resulted in a bizarre on-track altercation at race end between the two with the former being excluded from the event as a result.
1. Matt Winstanley, 2. Ady Smith, 3. Christian Iddon

(SM2 Race 2) Fred bounces back
For a while the last three races of the day were looking doubtful with oil spilt on various parts of what was already a water sodden track threatening to prematurely end proceedings. Frantic work from circuit staff and some quick changes in the track layout satisfied all concerned and the race got underway after a short delay.

It was Fiorentino who went from zero to hero in the second SM2 race taking the win with a commanding performance that saw him work his way from third upto the lead with a few laps to go. Chris Hodgson though was on-track for his maiden victory until a fall just three laps short of the chequered flag dropped him to seventh place. Rob McNealy and James Addy were there to pounce on Hodgson’s misfortune and finished the race in second and third place respectively.

This time out it was Warren’s turn to have a shocker. After stalling on the start line a number of marshals and officials pushed Warren down the main straight and he was able to re-start his engine albeit in last place. To his credit he managed to fight his way through the field and snatched fifteenth and the last point from an unlucky Richard Darlington on the final lap.
1. Fred Fiorentino, 2. Rob McNealy, 3. James Addy

(SM1 Race 2) Winstanley wins, Iddon takes title
All anyone saw of Winstanley in the second race was the spray from the rear of his KTM but it wasn’t enough to deny Christian Iddon the SM1 title after he kept a cool head and came home third following a race-long duel with fellow Husaberg rider Sam Warren.

Meanwhile Ady Smith was pushed off the track on the final lap and into the pits which left the timekeepers more than a little perplexed as he had not crossed the timing beam. Eventually he was awarded fourth place which was enough to secure third place honours in the SM1 class to match his performance at Rowrah.

Another notable performance came from Vivaldi Racing Superbike rider Ben Wilson who in his first Supermoto foray managed to high-side his Honda at the end of the pit straight right in front of the television cameras and most of the assembled paddock. In a case of déjà vu it was an identical effort to his crash in the first race much to the amusement of his fellow Vivaldi team riders.
1. Matt Winstanley, 2. Sam Warren, 3. Christian Iddon

(SM4) Dichello cruises to SM4 title
Gennaro Dichello has dominated the SM4 class for under 15’s and Three Sisters saw more of the same with two wins ensuring he took the 2005 title. In the biggest turnout for the class this year it was great to see Danielle Field and George Gough making a welcome return. Gough finished with a better race two result to secure overall second place honours from Oliver Pope. With Pope grabbing second place in the championship it was left to Oliver Harrison and Lewis Cornish to fight over third with just one point in it. In the end Cornish had a better day to take a well deserved championship third.
SM4 Overall: 1. Gennaro Dichello, 2. George Gough, 3. Oliver Pope

Naturally Best, Rider of the Day
Chris Hodgson has been making steady progress all season with some solid results at the previous round at Rowrah. At Three Sisters he was on a charge from the outset qualifying on the front row with a fine second place finish in the first SM2 race. The 17 year old was beaming from ear to ear at race end and looking forward to race two which he lead from the first corner before a fall dropped him to seventh and second place overall. On the strength of his performance on the day and his consistent improvement through the season the popular young rider was awarded the Naturally Best Rider of the Day.

Three Sisters Season Open 2006 Season
The gap between seasons seems to be getting shorter and shorter with just five weeks now until the British Supermoto Championship returns to the fray at the Three Sisters circuit for the 2006 season opener on the 14th and 15th of January. Further announcements regarding next year’s championship are expected shortly.