Colour, glory and noise of yesteryear as Woodford prepares to host motocross season opener

The Northampton Classic Club cranks the national classic motocross scene into action with the season opener at Woodford on Sunday, March 17.

The event celebrates the club’s tenth anniversary of running classic scrambles at the Northamptonshire track.

The colour, glory and noise of yesteryear will be evoked by scrambles machines from the 1950s to the 1980s. Races include the first round of the Greeves national championship.

Practice starts at 9.30am with the first of 20 races planned from 10.30am. Spectator admission is only £5, with children age up to 12 attending for free. The admission price includes a race programme and there are refreshments and toilets on-site as well as free parking. The track is near J12 of the A14 with those attending urged to set their satnavs for NN14 4HY.

Local ace Greg Speed from Wellingborough is well named. A national championship class rider, he is renowned for his fast starts and the way he flies on his 500 Cheney Triumph twin.

Other local stars include Robbie Wilson from Corby who is expected to be competing on a twin shock 250 Yamaha two-stroke in the pre-1974 class. Wilson rode in the main British classic championship series last year and competes again this year. He and Speed take on riders from the north, Wales, East Anglia and the south.

Machinery is divided into seven classes, from pre-1960 to 1974-1982 twin shocks. The competing classics include a mighty and valuable 1972 500cc Clew Stroka four-stroke single (rider Ian Stainton from Morecambe Bay, Lancashire), 1981 125cc six-speed Italian Fantic (Chris Hardy), 1964 Jawa Metisse (Gene Womack), American 175cc Can-Am (Kevin Bownes), made-in-Essex Greeves Challenger 250s (Jos Goddard and Dave Watson), 250cc Honda/500c Husqvarna (Dan Evans), and a monster 1958 600cc Matchless twin whose giant rider Steve Billot makes it look like a toy.

In the competitive Greeves races Watson is current champion, and Goddard former champion, so you can expect a top class fight in each of the three Greeves races. The series is being run in honour of former rider Dave Harper who worked at the Greeves factory in Thundersley, Essex, and sadly died last year.

Welshman Dan Evans, multi-times Welsh classic champion, rides in the pre-1974 class and is a likely winner on a 1973 250 Honda two-stroke. He faces stiff opposition from fellow Welshman Nathan Jones.

Former Kettering motorcycle dealer Colin Hill is clerk of the course and anyone interested in becoming a marshal on the day can contact him via the club’s Facebook page.

Here’s to mud in your eye and nostalgia in your heart at Woodford on March 17!