Olympic and world champion Beth Shriever set the track on fire at the opening two rounds of the National BMX Series in Manchester, while Eddie Moore battled in the superclass category to claim two podiums.
Round 1
Beth Shriever (Crucial BMX) showed her dominance in the first round of the National BMX Series, posting four consecutive 29-second laps to take the win in the championship women category. Freia Challis (Absolute BMX) continued to show her strength as the next up-and-coming rider to finish second, while young rider Sienna Harvey (Crucial BMX) finished third after a consistent day of racing.
In the superclass category, it was Matt Gilston (Supercross) who put on a dominant display in the opening round, sweeping all four motos and taking a well deserved win. Eddie Moore (Crucial BMX) put up a good fight to finish in second place with Mark Fletcher (Preston Pirates BMX Club) getting off to a great start to finish in third place.
Speaking after his win, Gilston said:
"I felt like it took me a couple laps to wake up, but I was buzzing to deliver a solid lap in the final. It's been great to race the national series in Manchster. I’ve only won one national round before and that was when I was 13 so it’s nice to finally get another one in the bag."
In the junior open category, future star Jimmy Criddle (Crucial BMX) showed some incredible speed to post the fastest lap times of the class, winning each moto of the day. In the final, Gabe Simpson (Prostart FTB) capitalised on a mistake from Harvey Fawcett (Hardknox Byke Coaching) to take second place, while the flying Flynn Drelincourt (Sorted Racegear) came home in third.
As the local favourite, Criddle said:
"Racing off the 8m in front of a big crowd at a national series was challenging, but I tried not to let it affect me and my racing. Racing in Manchester was extraordinary and I've worked hard over winter to prepare for the junior category. Having the track so close to home is such a privilege and to ride it so often really develops me. I was very happy to win this in front of my mum and dad and my coach.
"I gave a young lad called Ned one of my old jerseys and it means the world to me when I see people looking up to me. When I was younger, I looked up to riders like Ross Cullen and Alex Brookes, and for someone to see me as someone to look up to is still crazy to me."
Round 2
Beth Shriever again showed her class on day two in Manchester, sprinting to success across all four motos to seal her second win of the weekend. Freia Challis rode with maturity and was quick to pounce on any mistakes, while Sienna Harvey took another third place.
Spekaing on her win, Shriever said:
"It's so good to be a part of the British BMX community and show my face to everyone. I love giving time to the kids and it was great to race alongside some of the young girls. Freia is an absolute powerhouse so I know I’ve got to be on it. I’m still ironing out a few things and always learning along the way technique wise. I love racing in Manchester and it's great to see everyone in my home ground."
The superclass final saw a very close fought battle between Eddie Moore and Mark Fletcher, but it was Moore from Crucial BMX that snatched the win in the final. Harry Tanner (GT Factory BMX UK) finished the weekend on a positive note taking third place.
There were some great battles throughout the weekend in the junior open category, and Sunday showed another solid performance from Jimmy Criddle. Criddle once again won all his motos to take the win, while Ben Cornish (Absolute BMX) made a last gasp effort in a bid for glory on the last berm in, but just missed out to come in second place. Harvey Fawcett finished the weekend on a high to take the third spot on the podium.
The riders will next be racing over the weekend of 20-21 April at Cyclopark in Gravesend.
