Chelmsford chair pair run Euro champs close

7:41am Wednesday 7th May 2008

THE 500cc sidecar association held the Lester "Bert" Goodwin International Grasstrack at High Easter near Chelmsford on Sunday.

Dark rain clouds threatened the venue all day but the club ran a slick 29-race programme that beat the heavy showers - the heavens opened after the final event.

The races were dominated by European sidecar champions William and Nathalie Matthijssen, from The Netherlands.

They took full advantage of their chosen start position and led into the first bend ahead of the chasing pack.

Local crew Nick and Abi Radley also made a decent start and found themselves in fourth place going into the corner. But a superb move from the Chelmsford-based pairing saw them exit the bend in second place, chasing the European champions.

Cheered on by the partisan crowd, they kept the pressure on the Matthijssens all the way to the chequered flag, but the latter rode yet another perfect race and took a well-deserved top spot on the rostrum. Team Radley were delighted with the runners-up podium place, though - their main objective of the day was to make the final.

This would mean 16-year-old Abi would be eligible for a licence upgrade to National after only her fourth meeting, enabling her to partner father Nick in some of the top meetings throughout the UK.

In the 1,000cc sidecar right-hand class, ex-British Master champion Rob Wilson passengered by Terry Saunters won the final ahead of Essex Boys Paul Johnson and Damien Janes.

Completing the line-up in this sidecar-only meeting was the 1,000cc left-hand class in which Martin Cuff and Steve North were untouchable throughout the day, winning all five heats and the trophy.

Another Chelmsford-based crew, 500cc sidecar British champions Shaun Harvey and Danny Hogg, had a day to forget. They were hit by machinery problems from their first heat.

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