Lewis Spratt says season's dream 'finally came true' after British championship rostrum

The teenager qualified seventh fastest in the B/W85 class and in his three races last Saturday finished with three top-five finishes.

Race one was steady for Spratt, bringing the McCullagh’s Centra/Todds Leap KTM home in fourth.

In his second outing he was involved in a great battle with Alfie Giddes-Green and Sonny Rooney for fourth before taking fifth by the chequered flag. After another good start in race three he claimed another fifth-place finish.

With only one race on Sunday morning, Spratt was on course for an overall podium finish.

“I was nervous on the line and didn’t make the best of starts,” he said.

By the end of lap one he was up to fourth and was eventually involved in a battle for fifth before slipping back to sixth.

Spratt fought back to fifth before eventually finishing sixth and claiming third overall.

"What a weekend,” he said.

"I have chased this dream all season and now it has finally came true.” He now holds fifth in the championship with two rounds remaining.

The next round is at schoolhouse, Northumberland in two weeks’ time.

In the MX1 class Loughbrickland’s Jason Meara ended the day tenth overall on the Moto-Cycle/JP Transport Gas Gas behind championship leader, Crendon Fastrack Honda’s Conrad Mewes.

Meara, who qualified 12th fastest, said: “I was confident going into the races after that as I have never been a great qualifier.”

In race one he was inside the top eight after a good start.

“I couldn’t find much of a flow and was getting pushed back slightly,” he said. “I fought as hard as I could and brought it home in eleventh which I was happy enough with.”

Another great start in race two saw the local man inside the top six.

“I rode really good for the first half of the race with Brad Todd on my rear wheel,” Meara said.

"When he went down it left me well clear of Tristan Purdon. I took my foot off the gas a bit and lost the rhythm, and towards the end of the race I was struggling and began to fight the bike a bit more, dropping to ninth.

"With four corners to go I lost out to the Purdon finishing tenth. Despite that I’m super happy with the weekend.”

Stuart Edmonds finished 15th overall on the team S Briggs Commercials Honda.

l The FIM Sidecar Motocross World Championship returns to Northern Ireland for round ten of the World Championship from July 21-22 at a fantastic new track designed by the organisers, the North Armagh Motorcycle Club, at Red Brae near Temple in Co Down.

The boss of APO Multimedia, Martin Bena – promoters of World Sidecarcross – made the trip to Northern Ireland to recently to view the track prior to the event and was delighted with what he saw.

“The new track is fantastic and will produce an amazing event in July. This level of international competition provides an amazing spectacle, and WSC is confident the spectators will be wowed by what for many, will be a totally new experience.”

With 29 of the top crews in WSC including reigning World Champions Etienne Bax and Ondrej Cermak along with reigning championship leaders Marvin Vanluchene and Nicolas Musset topping the entry list, Red Brae promises to be a great event.