Max Inman rounds up the DTRA's 2021 Champions.
After a year off, not knowing what to do with ourselves, we were finally able to start racing
again, it was a bit stop and start due to COVID restrictions and unreliable British weather, but the DTRA team managed to run a great season as always.
In the 2021 DTRA Indian Motorcycle National Pro Championship, the premier class, #20 Toby Hales followed up his 2018 title win, meaning he will have the choice to run the #1 board, for the second time. Toby Hales had an almost immaculate season, winning three out of four races, and coming
second in the race he didn’t win, the Greenfield Oval.
After two races finishing in second place, and fifth in the first two rounds #93 Jack Bell finished second overall in the championship in his first ever DTRA season competing in the adult classes, after working his way up through the DTRA's youth classes.
Another young gun finished in third place, 19-year-old #19 Jordan Miller proved consistency
works, after finishing three of out four races in fourth position, but missing out on a Pro class podium.
The Inters class is below the Pro class, and races on track with them, with the top five, each year, moving to the Pro class. #253 Freddy Trott Jnr finished first, followed by #55 George Sturgess and
#56 Fergus Bluff. Trott proved hard to beat, after winning three races, but Sturgess ran him close, just 11 points behind. After missing the first round due to an injury, Bluff did extremely well to finish third in his first adult season, also coming up through the DTRA's Youth classes.
#909 James Woodroofe had a good season, finishing first in four of the Rookie races, and second in the race didn’t win. #728 Jesse Moore came second overall on his rare Aprillia 450 V-twin, followed by #149 Chris Pugh in third place.
The Sportax Thunderbike class was an interesting won this year, #134 Chris Jenner cleared off on his Rotax finishing first, 31 points ahead of second and third place #18 Jon Bell and #143 James 'Leftie' Smith. Bell and Smith were tied on points, but Yamaha 500-mounted Bell too second spot on the podium because he scored higher points at the last race of the season than the Co-Built Rotax-powered Smith.
In the all-new Twins Class, #75 Paul Young finished first on the Royal Enfield Twin FT, with
teammate #11 Gary Birtwistle in second, after missing rounds due to an injury. And #40 Kye Forte finished third on his Yamaha XS650 in a custom frame built by Dad, Rick Forte, as seen on the cover of Sideburn 32.
The 2021 Indian Motorcycle Hooligan Championship was a close one, with only 8pts between the top three riders. #93 Jack Bell backed up his Pro Class runner-up, by climbing to the top step thanks to two wins and a third on the Devitt x Vanoni Moto Ducati Scrambler. #704 Jake Young finished in second place on the Stockwell Designs’ Harley Davidson Sportster, followed by George Pickering on the Indian Motorcycle FTR1200.
The Sideburn Vintage Two-Stroke championship has really grown with entries doubling this season. #555 Simon Bird came first, just one point in front of #33 Sean Kelly, who everyone thought had wrapped up the championship, until his van broke down on the way to the last round. #404 Ben Eddings finished in third place, showing consistency is key again, after not placing on the podium all season.
The Sideburn Vintage Four-Stroke Championship podium was filled by Triumph twins, #140 David Webb finished on top with #257 Carl Swateridge in second and #4 Paul Harrison in third place.
Previous British Flat Track Champion, #30 Alan Birtwistle came back for some action in the brand new DTE Electric class, Birtwistle came out on top on his modified Alta Motors bike. Followed by #36 Joe Banks in second on the English Electric Zero FX, with another Alta close behind, ridden by #2 Colin McCabe.
In the Modified Minibike Championship #253 Freddie Trott Jnr is on the top step again, the only double champion of 2021, after winning all but one race. Sideburn’s editor, #13 Gary Inman finished second overall, just two points ahead of third place, #421 Jamie Kimber, one of the growing number of female riders in the adult and youth classes, rounded out the all Sunday Motors podium.
second and #36 Joe Banks in third place, after breaking his ankle in a heat race at the last round, Banks was unable to compete in the Greenfield TT final.
#11 Charlie Kelly won all but one race, and finished second at Round 1, which meant Kelly placed first overall in the 14-17 year old, Youth Senior Championship. #73 Erin Dyer came in second with #91 Leon Collier close behind in third position.
In the Youth Inter Class, for 10-15 year olds, #100 Wyatt Hopkins finished the season with two first places and two seconds, gaining him a top spot on the overall podium, with #78 Wilbur
Skipp in second and #36 Maddie Banks in third.
Last but not least, #65 Oscar Osborne-Wilkes won three of his races and came fifth in the last race, giving him a firm grip on top spot overall in the Youth Junior category, for 7-11 year-olds, in front of #161 Toby Johnson and #288 Beau Vernon.
All photos: Braking Point Images/DTRA
Sideburn would like to congratulate all the 2021 champions, and thank the DTRA, its volunteers, marshals, and sponsors for making such a great national championship. We look forward to racing with you next year.