Dan Bewley was in a class of his own as the Belle Vue youngster won the British U19 title at Foxhall Stadium tonight.
The clear favourite from the start of the meeting, Bewley held his nerve throughout, only once being headed all night – and that for a lap by Leon Flint.
It was a class performance on a night that produced some decent racing on a perfect Foxhall bowl. Eastbourne’s Tom Brennan was second.
There was slight disappointment for local home favourite Drew Kemp. He fell in his fourth race while still in contention for a rostrum place. However his overall performance was one of great skill and he impressed all who watched the 15-year-old.
Bewley laid down an early marker with his heat one win in a time of 57.1, while Brennan and Jack Thomas went side by side down the back straight in heat three. Kemp got the home fans on their feet with a fine gate and go win in his first ride, with Kyle Bickley taking a tumble on the final lap.
He was up ok and out in the next but couldn’t stop Brennan, who flew from the outside gate to win. The early racing had been fierce but with plenty of effort from the young racers and the home crowd had taken to it.
Bewley scorched to another quick time in race seven, but it was Kemp who was catching the eye with a fine pass on Jack Thomas, plugging away on the inside line. Ben Woodhull fell on the third lap of heat eight as Charlie Brooks did well to avoid him.
Flint won his second heat on the bounce with a win in heat nine to put himself in contention and all eyes were on Kemp again as he came out in race 10 for his third ride. And it was a thriller as the young Mildenhall racer and Joe Lawlor went wheel to wheel for much of the race, the Belle Vue man getting the win.
The battle of the unbeaten riders, Brennan and Bewley, saw them gate side by side, but Bewley got round the Eastbourne man coming out of turn two.
As the riders got used to the track, so the racing continued to be decent, although both Matt Marson of Mildenhall and Ben Woodhull fell in heat 12. Lawlor’s hopes of the title went in the next as he made a mistake coming out of turn two on the third lap, as Bewley made it four out of four in heat 15, although he had to pass the fast-starting Flint to do so.
Kemp’s hopes went as he slid off in heat 16, although he picked himself up to win heat 17 in style, as Bewley won heat 19 to seal the crown.
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