Sunday 30th October 2016,
TOUGH END TO A GREAT SEASON BY TEAMMELLOR
TeamMellor travelled down to the iconic Mallory Park for the final round of the Cool Fab Racing Championship this weekend. The boys recent run of good form and results was brought to a rather abrupt end as both Owen and Dylan had more than their fair share of misfortune as Owen took ill and Dylan only managed two race starts and a single race finish from four.
From waking on Friday morning, Owen was afflicted with a sickness bug, he was in no shape to do any riding and duly missed the morning practice and first AC40 qualifying sessions. He finally made it out in the first LC40 qualifying but used it to run in his new clutch. He started to pick up the pace in Q2, qualifying in 7th place in the AC40 Pro class and 8th in the LC40 class. Dylan started the day well, he looked competitive and seemed to have good pace in the practice and first qualifying. Then he seemed to drop off and was struggling to keep up with riders he was passing earlier. He came in to the garage with his engine making a terrible rattling sound, which turned out to be worn crank bearings. He didn't make it out for the last qualifying session and qualified 9th in the AC40 Pro and 13th in the LC40 class. Fortunately, there was no racing on the day and with no riding on Saturday we sent the engine away to be fixed for Sundays races.
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Sunday morning saw Owen feeling sick again, but thankfully it was short lived and he was able to get out for the morning warmup. Dylan, with his engine back in the bike also went out for the morning warmup, unfortunately his engine seized after only 4 laps. In Race 1, Owen, riding for the first time in the Tyco BMW fairings, was flying. He had a great battle with Casey O'Gorman and Evan Belford, getting himself past and into 3rd place behind Ryan Hitchcock. Unfortunately he was passed again on the next lap by both Casey and Evan finishing in 5th place. Owen made up 3 places in the LC40 class finishing 5th again.
Dylan made it onto the grid for Race 2 after being kindly loaned an engine from Wayne Jones. The race started well with both boys getting off to a flying start with Owen getting into 6th and Dylan was right behind him almost taking 7th place by the first corner. As they came around to the last corner, Dylan had dropped down to last but one. He crossed the line and went up the straight into Turn 1 and didn't come back round for the rest of the race after suffering another engine seizure! Owen rode well and finished in 5th place again and 5th overall. Owen took another 5th in the LC40 class. Dylan, this time riding Casey O'Gorman's bike which was kindly loaned to him by John O Gorman, lined up for the final race. He took a few laps to get used to the bike, falling into last place. He picked up the pace and was looking good on the bike by the end, making his way back up the field to finish just behind Josh Bannister, but at least this time he finished the race.
Owen's results held his championship position, finishing the season in 4th place. We aren't certain where Dylan has finished, he was in 5th before this race but looks like he may have dropped 3 or 4 places due to the DNFs. A massive thank you to everyone who helped us out with the bikes, Ian Harris, Sarah Harris, Adam Cook, Wayne Jones. Thanks to John O Gorman for helping Dylan get a race finish for the weekend, and well done to Casey for taking the championship title. Thanks to David Maguire for the sprockets and all your help while you were here, well done to Ross Maguire on his championship victories up in Scotland. And well done to Sandy Horne for winning the BMB Championship.
Overall its been a fantastic season, the level of competition has been unreal and both Owen and Dylan have developed so much as riders this year. It was a season blighted with mechanical problems, probably due to the extra use and running the same bike in both classes, but the boys persevered and had some great results, they have both done themselves proud . Well done Owen and Dylan, we look forward to doing it all again in 2017....Less
Sunday 7th October 2016,
OWEN CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY WITH VICTORY AT REDLODGE!
It's been an incredible 7 days for TeamMellor Racing, after a fantastic 2nd and 3rd in the UK Minimoto Championship, Owen topped off the week with his first win this year, and first win in the Cool FAB Minibike Championship in Round 7 at Redlodge. After finishing 2nd last time out at Redlodge in Round 2, Owen went one better this time, riding brilliantly in the slippery, wet conditions to take the victory.
Fresh from their performances in the UK Championship, Owen and Dylan were looking quick in Fridays practice sessions, with Dylan a fraction of a second quicker than Owen by the end of the day. Unforecast weather conditions descended onto the Redlodge circuit on Saturday with the rain making the track a little slippy. Dylan went quickest in the morning practice, with Owen 5th fastest. Q1 saw both boys a little off the pace as the track began to dry out and the wet tyres began to lose effectiveness. We swapped back to dry tyres for Q2 and they were both instantly faster, with Owen qualifying 3rd and Dylan 6th in the AC40 Pro class. The LC40 qualifying didn't go so well with Owen qualifying 9th and Dylan 13th.
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On Sunday, the day began well with the Sun out and a nice dry track. In Race 1 Owen got away well chasing after pole-sitter Eddie O'Shea and Evan Belford, with Adon Davie and Ross Maguire in tow. An unlucky slip from Eddie handed Evan the lead and Adon passed Owen to take 2nd. Evan, Adon and Owen began to pull away from the chasing pack. Owen held on to them for a few laps but began to drift back a little, in the end finishing in 3rd place. Dylan rode well, finishing 7th.
The rain returned for Race 2, so now on new wet tyres, the TeamMellor boys were up for the challenging conditions. Owen got away well, and after another off by Eddie, he moved up to 2nd behind Evan. The two Scottish riders of Ross and Adon suddenly found their groove in the wet and found a way past Owen moving him down to 4th. Evan was the next victim of the the slippery track, sliding off, leaving Ross, Adon and Owen to capitalise and take the podium positions. Dylan was riding brilliantly and was following about a second behind the top three, crossing the line in 4th place.
In the final race, Owen was up for it. He got away in 3rd place but immediately began putting pressure on Eddie O' Shea, who had lost out to Evan Belford. Owen got plenty of drive coming out of the last corner onto the straight and went past Eddie into 2nd. He was followed closely by Adon and Ross. Owen, sensing a win on the cards, tried to pass Evan at every turn. He was up along side Evan on the straight and looked like he might move up to 1st, but Evan closed the door, forcing Owen to slow, which allowed Adon and Ross to pass him, moving him down to 4th. The four riders battled wheel to wheel, desperately trying to win. An uncharacteristic slip from Ross saw Adon and Owen find a way past Evan to move into 1st and 2nd. Owen began to chase Adon down and followed him closely across the line into the final lap. As the entered the infield section of the track, Adon, under pressure form Owen, fell off and Owen passed him to take the lead. Owen rode brilliantly and crossed the line to take the win, with Evan in second and Adon in 3rd. The win gave Owen 1st place overall, his first win this season. Dylan crossed the line in 8th place after a good battle with Bailey Stuart-Campbell.
It was an amazing end to an amazing weekend. It was fitting that Owen won following his 12th birthday and also with the support from his Great, Great Uncle Robert and Aunty Susan who had come to watch for the first time. A massive thank you to everyone at Coolracing for putting on a great disco for Owen on Saturday evening. Thanks to David Maguire for the help fixing Dylan bike and James Connell for lending us a sprocket for Dylan too. Well done to Adon, Ross and Evan on their wins and to Declan Connell, who was flying in the LC40 class and was unlucky not to get a win in the 2nd race. Well done to all the riders, see you all at Mallory Park in the season finale, and we will see some of you at Brands Hatch this weekend....Less
Sunday 2nd October 2016,
TEAMMELLOR COME HOME IN 2ND AND 3RD AT TEESIDE!
TeamMellor had an amazing days racing in yesterdays UK Minimoto Championship Round 6 race at Teeside Autodrome, with both Owen and Dylan getting on the podium together for the first time this year, and the first time ever in the UK Championship. As this was the closest race in the calendar to being a home track, both boys were fired up to win.
They signalled their intent early on in Q1, with Owen and Dylan putting in the fastest times in the Junior B class. Q2 saw Dylan massively improve his time again only to be pipped for pole position, starting 2nd behind a determined Ross Maguire. Owen marginally improved on his time but slipped down the order to qualify 5th. In the feather weight class, they qualified with Dylan 5th and Owen 6th, which was pretty good as they were riding their air-cooled bikes.
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Race 1 saw Owen make a great start, passing Jack Hart to take 3rd and then slipping past Dylan into 2nd. The foursome of Ross, Owen, Dylan and Jack battled it out as they were all lapping at an extremely quick 54s. Jack tried to pass Dylan but braked a little late and slid off, making it a 3 horse race. Owen closed the gap to under a second on Ross but finished 2nd with Dylan finishing 3rd another second behind. In the featherweight class, the boys rode brilliantly again, Owen finishing 4th and Dylan in 5th after Owen was pipped on the line by Sandy Horne.
Race 2 saw Dylan determined to put things right, getting a good start to follow Ross into Turn 1 and Owen got himself into 3rd with another great start. Dylan was right on the back of Ross, with Owen and Jack close behind. They were absolutely flying and it was brilliant, if a bit nail-biting to watch, especially as they carved their way through the back markers. Dylan tried his best to try and pass Ross, setting the fastest air-cooled time of the day (54.393s), but Ross held him off, with Dylan finishing 2nd by 0.15/s! Owen crossed the line only another second behind to take 3rd. Owen finished 3rd in race 2 of the featherweight, with Dylan in 4th after they managed to hold Sandy off.
The results set up a great position for Race 3 with Owen and Dylan racing each other, knowing whoever finished in front would take 2nd place unless Ross finished outside the top 5. Owen got another good start but Dylan held him off to get through Turn 1 in 2nd. They battled it out wheel to wheel, Owen was looking marginally quicker and kept trying to pass Dylan up the inside and outside at every turn. It was terrifying to watch as one mistake could have taken them both off. In the end it was Dylan who crossed the line first by 0.1/s to take a well deserved 2nd, giving him 2nd overall and Owen taking 3rd. In the final featherweight race, Owen finished 4th, and 4th overall and Dylan, despite sliding off, finished 5th, and 5th overall.
The team are extremely proud of the boys riding and it was brilliant to watch them battling it out at the front once again. Well done Ross on his wins, and Jack and Sandy for some brilliant races. We also wish Adon Davie a speedy recovery after his crash earlier in the day. Well done to all the riders and it was great to see such a fantastic turnout from BikeWise Mini Bike Club, with some 40 junior entries overall in the round!...Less
Sunday 4th September 2016,
DYLAN GETS FIRST PODIUM OF 2016 AT LARKHALL!
Dylan grabbed his first trophy of the 2016 season as TeamMellor had an amazing weekend at Larkhall for Round 5 of the UK Minimoto Championship. Both Owen and Dylan put in some brilliant performances which had them up at the front of the Junior B class, fighting for podium positions with some of Britain's fastest riders in the form of Adon Davie, Ross Maguire and Sandy Horne.
Building on some great riding at Lydd a fortnight ago, and with Owen back on his DM Telai minibike, both boys continued their return to form, with Dylan qualifying in 3rd and Owen in 4th in the Junior B Class. In the Featherweight class Owen qualified 3rd and Dylan qualified 5th, behind Sandy Horne.Read more...
In Race 1 of the Junior B class, Owen passed Dylan at the start to take 3rd. A lap later he passed Ross to move up to 2nd and began chasing down Adon Davie. An unlucky slide from Ross moved Dylan up to 3rd place and both boys looked to be heading for a podium finish. Owen, however, was not content with finishing second and he tried many times to pass Adon, trying to get up the inside on each corner. He then went for it up the outside, coming out of the tight Turn 3 and looked like he was going to go through into first but took it a little too wide, clipping the curb, sending him bouncing over the grass, eventually coming off, bending his bars and snapping off a foot rest. The crash handed Dylan 2nd place and he went on to finish just behind Adon.
Race 2 saw a re-run of the first, Owen overtaking Dylan and then Ross into 2nd position. He gave chase after Adon with Ross all the while snapping at his back wheel and Dylan following closely behind in 4th. On the final lap coming on to the home straight, Ross made a last ditch effort up the inside, passing Owen to snatch 2nd, with Owen coming home in 3rd and Dylan in 4th.
Unfortunately, just before the third round of races, the heavens opened and after a quick change to wet tyres, they went out for Race 3. All the riders were a lot slower and the track seemed quite slippy in places but they all did well to finish where they were, with the exception of 'Rain-master Ross' who did brilliantly to take the win. The result gave Dylan 3rd place overall and his first podium in Junior B. In the Featherweights, Owen finished 4th and Dylan finished 5th Overall.
It was disappointing for Owen, but we are so proud of how well he and Dylan rode, we couldn't have asked for more from them, they put in maximum effort all day. A small consolation for Owen was that he pipped Dylan to get the fastest lap of the day for the second year in a row with a 47.630 against Dylan's 47.692! A massive well done to all the riders, Adon and Ross on their wins, and to Sandy Horne, who won 2 races and was unlucky not to win the Open Class. Thanks to Trudy Grigor for the fantastic photo's! We look forward to doing it all again in Round 6 at Teeside Autodrome....Less
Sunday 21st August 2016,
MECHANICAL GREMLINS SPOIL BRILLIANT RIDES BY TEAMMELLOR
A weekend which looked so promising quickly unravelled into a damage limitation exercise for the TeamMellor boys. Despite putting in some amazing performances, possibly some of their best riding of the season, luck wasn't on our side as Owen went through 3 different bikes and 4 engines in Round 6 of the Cool Fab Racing Minibike Championship at Lydd Karting circuit.
Owen and Dylan qualified on the third row of grid, in 5th and 6th respectively, for the AC40 Pro class. They both struggled in the LC40 qualifying, with Dylan qualifying 10th and Owen qualified 9th after having to cut the session short after only a few laps when his engine lost compression due to a snapped piston ring taking a chunk out of the head. Luckily, Ian Harris had a spare CS engine which we managed to fit into Owens bike so things were looking up again.Read more...
Race 1 of the AC40 Pro class began well with both Owen and Dylan getting away cleanly and the new engine performing well. As Owen, Dylan and Ross Maguire vied for 4th, Eddie O'Shea slid off infront of them, with all three managing to avoid him, it became a battle for 3rd place. Owen tried to get past Ross but each failed attempt almost allowed Dylan past him. Finally Owen managed to out-brake Ross and slip up the inside with a great move to take 3rd. It was short lived however as Owen felt a loss of power coming out of the next turn and Ross duly flew past him again. The bike seemed to pick up again and he closed in on Ross again. Suddenly, Owen began pushing the bike forward and shaking his head, signalling another loss of power. He tried to hold off Dylan but he passed him on the final lap to take the 4th place and Owen slipped down to 6th on the home straight as he was passed by Louis Rendell.
We gave Owen's bike a check over and cleaned up the clutch hoping that it was just a bit of slipping and sent him back out. Race 1 of the LC40 class was a bit of a nightmare with Owen's bike losing power again, he rode his heart out but slipped further down the field on every straight, eventually finishing in 14th. Dylan slid off on lap 2 and rode brilliantly with some fantastic, brave overtaking to come from last back up to 9th.
We tried fitting a new piston ring in Owen's bike as it felt like it had lost compression in that engine too, and it seemed to run fine on the stand. Owen came round and lined up on the grid for Race 2 shaking his head, the bike had lost power again during the warm up lap, but rather than retiring he continued with the race, lapping some 4 seconds off his earlier pace, finishing 16th. Dylan rode well but had been passed by Bailey Stuart-Campbell at the start. He struggled to find a way past Bailey and that allowed Sandy Horne to overtake him, finishing in 6th. The next throw of the dice was to change Owen's coil and again, it seemed to run fine in the paddock, and again, Owen lined up signalling that it had cut out again. He rode around again, slipping to 16th and last. Dylan rode brilliantly again, taking another 7th place.
We were handed a lifeline for Owen for the final race as the WD40 Blata team kindly offered Owen a loan of Amanuel Minimoto Brinton's bike, after the rider had sadly been injured during Friday's practice. It handled a lot differently to Owen's DM Telai bike but he took it it brilliantly, looking very comfortable on it. He came home in 12th place however as more bad luck saw the clutch shoe snap at the pin preventing him from getting the full power out of the bike. Dylan fell off again and in a repeat of the earlier race battled back from last to 9th place. With one race left to go, we were once again without bike for Owen. This time Casey and John O Gorman kindly let him use Casey's bike for Race 3. He struggled to get to grips with the bike as it was very different and he had never ridden on slick tyres before. He came home in 12th place and was better on the bike by the end. Dylan had a DNF as he took a corner too fast and came off on the last lap, cracking the seat unit and pulling the fuel line off.
All-in-all, a very eventful weekend ruined by things out of Owen and Dylan's control. We can't fault their ability, passion or effort as they both rode out of their skins. So the positive from this weekend is that both riders seem to have hit form and are looking back to their best, now we just need to get the bikes back together and try and end the season on a high....Less
Sunday 31st July 2016,
DYLAN HALTED BY MECHANICAL PROBLEMS AS OWEN FLIES
A fantastic, nail-biting weekend comes to a close as Whilton Mill played host to the Cool Milk Fab Minibike Championship for Round 5. It was brilliant to watch, with some of the closest racing we've seen all season and the competition was so fierce with virtually identical lap times from the top 6 or 7 riders as they battled it out for the podium places.
Owen and Dylan were both lapping well in Fridays practice session, looking very quick. Unfortunately they were unable to make the most of qualifying, staying out for too long behind other riders and not getting up to their full pace, leaving Owen qualifying 8th and Dylan 9th in the AC40 Pro class. Owen didn't make the same mistake in the LC40's, going out on his own, qualifying 3rd, a full second faster than his AC time. Dylan qualified in 8th.Read more...
AC40 Pro Race 1 saw Owen and Dylan embroiled in a battle with Amanuel Brinton, the three riders went wheel to wheel for the full race, with Amanuel doing brilliantly to hold the TeamMellor boys off with Owen finishing 7th and Dylan in 8th. In the LC40 race, Owen lost out at the start to Bailey Stuart-Campbell and Josh Bannister. He passed them briefly only to be re-taken a lap or so later, finishing in 5th place. Dylan seemed to be struggling, later finding that his clutch was set too high, coming home in 9th. Both boys hoped for better fortune in Sunday's races.
Owen and Dylan seemed in determined mood in Race 2 of the AC40 Pro class. Whilst the lap times were well off their quickest, they battled it out and this time finding their way past the WD40 boys, Josh and Amanuel, with Owen taking 7th and Dylan finishing 9th. The LC40 Race 2 was the highlight of the weekend as Owen riding brilliantly to finish 3rd. Dylan made up a place to finish 7th. In AC40 Race 3, Owen made a good start, getting into 6th. Then a fantastic move up the inside of Eddie O' Shea saw him move up to 5th and putting in his fastest lap of the weekend, a 58.026. He was lucky to hold on to 5th as one of his clutch shoes snapped at the pin, fortunately his lead over Eddie was enough for him to make it home. Dylan's luck ran out as he got a DNF when his spark plug cap slipped off. The final LC40 race was an extremely closely fought race with Owen, Evan Belford and Bailey battling it out for 2nd place behind Joshua Whatley. Owen came home in 4th place, putting in a personal best time of 58.025, missing out on 3rd overall to Bailey by 2 points. Dylan's misfortune continued as he suffered another DNF as the plug cap slipped off again.
A fantastic effort from the boys, we're very proud of them. Owen finished 5th Overall in the AC40 Pro class, and 4th in the LC40. Dylan finished 11th in the AC40 and 10th overall in the LC40 after his DNF's. We're now looking ahead to Round 6 at Lydd to build on these great performances. Well done to all the other riders, great racing this weekend....Less
Sunday 22nd July 2016,
OWEN HAS BEEN SELECTED TO RIDE FOR
TYCO BMW IN THE COOL FAB JUNIOR BSB IN 2017!!
Sunday 19th June 2016,
OWEN GETS 3RD AT ROWRAH AS TEAMMELLOR HITS FORM!
It was a fantastic days racing for TeamMellor as we headed back to Rowrah, Cumbria for the second time this season, this time in Round 3 of the UK Minimoto Championship. Owen came away with two well earned 3rd place trophies and Dylan was unlucky not to join him after some fantastic performances.
The rain was threatening to come during the beginning of the days proceedings and arrived in style later on. Dylan was up for it from the outset, determined to bring home a trophy on fathers day and he qualified 4th in the Junior B Class with Owen on the next row in 6th. Owen had been combining that his bike wasn't pulling away right and sure enough, his spark plug had become damaged. After putting it right he duly went out and pipped Dylan to qualify 4th in the Featherweight production class, with Dylan lining up 5th on the grid.Read more...
Junior B Race 1 was a proud moment for TeamMellor with Owen and Dylan getting themselves into 2nd and 3rd position respectively. It was the first time both riders had been challenging for podium places in the same race in the UK Championship since Dylan moved up from Junior A. Owen passed Dylan to the 2nd and surprised Ross Maguire when he showed him his front wheel. Ross responded brilliantly and the race was on to the finish with Owen finishing 2nd by 0.5/s and Dylan following him in 3rd.
Owen passed Dylan to finish 4th and Dylan 5th in Race 1 of the production class. Then the weather took a turn for the worse as the heavens opened and a change to wet tyres was needed. The track wasn't very grippy in the wet conditions and many were caught out. Dylan slid off in Junior B Race 2 finishing in 7th place. Owen did well and took 3rd place. Dylan was back on it for Race 3 and finished in 3rd place. In the production class, Owen took another 3rd and finished 3rd overall in both classes. Dylan finished last in the final production race as he slid off 3 times!
It was a great days racing and good to see both our boys battling it out at the front. Great riding from Ross, Adon and Jack. Also a good day racing with Josh Crawford. Well done to all the riders for such good racing in terrible conditions....Less
Sunday 12th June 2016,
BACK ON FORM AS DYLAN MOVES TO 4TH IN LC40 TABLE
In Round 4 of the Cool Milk FAB Minibike championship Owen and Dylan returned to Llandow Karting circuit for the second time this season. Having seen Owen take 5th last time, we were hoping for an improvement on that this time out. Both boys did well in Friday's practice session, setting a good pace.
On Saturday morning, the weather took a turn for the worse so we decided to change to wet tyres. The track began drying out slightly but with damp patches still visible we stayed on wets. They struggled with the mixed conditions, Owen qualifying 8th and Dylan in 9th in the AC40 Pro class, however there was under 0.5/s from Owen to 3rd placed James Cook, setting up some very close racing.Read more...
The TeamMellor 2016 run of bad luck continued in the LC40 qualifying, with Owens exhaust pipe snapping meaning he only got out for 2 laps, leaving him down in 11th on the grid. Dylan and his bike seemed to be going well and he qualified 6th.
The track dried out for AC40 Pro Race 1 and we switched to dry tyres. A few laps into the race it was red flagged after Evan Belford slid off battling for 1st place and he was understandably eager to rejoin but failed to see Dylan flying round the corner and with nowhere to go, Dylan piled into the back of him. The race restarted and the boys tried hard to make up some places but couldn't find the pace to overtake and were struggling to match the speed of some of the other riders on the straights and they duly came home where they began in 8th and 9th place. We had some work to do to try and improve in Sunday's races.
Owen was going well in the wet Sunday Warmup, being 3rd fastest, so we were feeling optimistic. However, in Race 2 both riders again found it difficult to make up any ground on the leaders coming home where they were. We made a quick gearing change to Dylans bike for the LC40 race and he matched his best times finishing 5th.
We decided to change back to drys and change Owens gearing for Race 3. When we went to put Owens wheel back in, it wouldn't go! We discovered that the swing arm had bent after a bolt had fallen out the frame. Facing the prospect of not making it into Race 3, he was saved by a fantastic effort from Ian Harris at Minimoto Racing, managing to straighten the frame out and get the bike ready for Owen to line up in the grid for the final race. Owen responded with his best performance of the weekend as he and Dylan made great starts with Owen getting up to 5th. Unfortunately his hard work was undone as the race was red flagged and the race restarted. They didn't quite get the same starts but both boys battled hard and Owen pipped Ollie Walker right on the line to take 6th place and Dylan came home in 8th. In the LC40 race, the boys began picking off riders again, with Owen making his way up to 6th from 11th. Dylan got up to 4th and battled away for 2nd with Bailey Stuart-Campbell and Evan Belford in some wheel to wheel action. He tried to make a move on Evan a few times but was held off finishing 4th.
It could have been a disastrous weekend had it not been for the kindness of the other parents in the paddock. We would like to say a massive thank you to Eddie and Seb O' Shea for lending us an exhaust for Owen, Ian Harris and the guys for their quick thinking and amazing effort with the swing arm, and Alan McIntosh for the engine rebuild at such short notice after Dylans lock up at Knockhill last weekend. We really appreciate all your help and it's great to see people helping each other out. We would also like to wish Jack Hart a speedy recovery after his crash on Friday, such a shame as he was riding brilliantly, and we hope the bike gets put back together soon! And finally, well done Casey O' Gorman on your win and setting the track air cooled lap record!...Less
Sunday 31st May 2016,
SICKNESS HINDERS PERFORMANCES AT ROWRAH
It was a topsy-turvy weekend for Owen and Dylan in Round 3 of the Cool Milk Fab Minibike Championship. With some 26 riders on the AC40 Pro grid with great representation from the Scottish riders from the UK Minimoto Championship, it was certainly going to be interesting. Both riders had been afflicted with a fever and sickness during the week so we weren't sure what to expect. Dylan looked like he had recovered but Owen was ill on the Friday Morning but seemed to have it together for the beginning of practice. In the last practice session, Dylan caused the red flag to be waved when he high-sided, landing on his head and bruising his ankle. It was swollen and he was hobbling around in pain so we waited to check his progress in the morning.Read more...
On Saturday morning, Dylan was feeling sick but his ankle swelling had reduced and was less painful. In the morning practice Owen went 4th quickest and Dylan was down in 14th, but by 1st qualifying Dylan moved up to 10th and Owen slipped to 12th, some 1.2s off his warmup time. In Q2, Dylan moved up to 9th and Owen stayed 12th. They looked to be losing out on speed on the straights so we changed to longer gearing for the races.
AC40 Pro Race 1 saw both riders get away well, Dylan making up a place at the start, on Lap 3 Owens chain came off and he rejoined in last place. Dylan did brilliantly getting himself up to 7th and knocking another 0.6/s off his times. Owen made up a couple of places at the back to finish 21st.
In Race 2 Dylan got himself up to 5th place taking another 0.5/s off his time and 4th quickest on the track, he was closing in on 4th placed Evan Belford but ran out of Laps. Owen still seemed to be struggling to match his pace earlier in the day and came home in 14th. It was the same result in Race 3, capping off a great come back for Dylan, Owen picked up a little after some changes to the bike but it wasn't his best weekend.
Well done to all the riders, especially Sandy Horne, who won on the day and was showing the way all weekend in the AC40 Pro class. And also Jack, Adon and Ross on their podiums in the LC40 class....Less
Sunday 22nd May 2016,
DYLAN SO CLOSE TO FIRST PODIUM OF 2016 AT REDLODGE
Owen and Dylan went back to Redlodge for the second time this year, this time competing in 4th round of the British Minibike Minibike Championship. Having done brilliantly last time around and seeing Owen take 2nd place, they were looking to get a similar result. Dylan has had a resurgent return to form of late and was up for it as the weather took an unexpected turn for the better.Read more...
Both TeamMellor riders were flying in Saturdays practice, looking very competitive. In Sundays first practice warm up, they were both looking good until Owen took a fall while taking a wide line and trying to outbreak Ross Maguire and Sandy Horne. It seemed to knock him out of his stride and seemed a little more cautious under braking after that. A problem with the timing equipment meant the organisers were left with a dilemma, making the decision to place the riders on the grid in their current championship standings. Unfortunately, Owen and Dylan missed a round of the championship and therefore began the race with Owen in 7th and Dylan in 8th.
They both had good starts in Race 1, however Owen was taken by surprise by Evan Belford who passed him, forcing Owen to slow and Dylan slipped by him too. A slip and fall from Sandy Horne a few laps later allowed Evan and Dylan to move up to 3rd and 4th with Sandy rejoining infront of Owen. There were some fantastic exchanges between Evan and Dylan as they battled it out for the last podium place. Dylan passed Evan with a great move up the inside and looked to be holding him off until Evan passed him on the straight going in to the final lap. A final lunge from Dylan out of the final corner saw the pair cross the line, with Evan taking 3rd by a wheels length. Owen came home 6th.
Another great start from Dylan in the first production race saw him, again, battling for 3rd, this time against Sandy Horne. Dylan closed right in on Sandy and passed him with another fantastic move going up the inside of a tight bend. He began to pull away slightly, only to fall off taking a corner too fast. He quickly got back on his bike and made it home in 4th. Dylan took a 4th and a 5th in the last 2 races to compete a solid weekend for him.
This weekend sees the boys at Rowrah for the 3rd Round of the FAB British Minibike championship. Hopefully Dylan can continue his run of form and Owen will get back to his old self and the pace he showed earlier in the day....Less
Sunday 8th May 2016,
GOOD START FOR OWEN AND DYLAN IN UK CHAMPIONSHIP
It was a great days racing at the weekend as Owen and Dylan headed up to Knockhill, Fife for Round 2 of the UK Minimoto Championship. The weather was perfect with the sun blazing, making perfect racing conditions. Having missed the first round, the TeamMellor boys were looking forward to pitting themselves against some of the fastest young talent in Britain. It was also Dylan's first race since he decided he wanted to make an early move up into the Junior B Class.Read more...
The qualifying was really close with less than a second covering the top 8 or 9 riders with Owen qualifying in 6th and Dylan in 7th. A fantastic start by Dylan in Race 1 saw him pass Owen, Josh Crawford and Junior C rider Logan Turner into 5th place going into turn 1. He held his own brilliantly, coming home 5th and Owen finished 7th. He repeated the feat in Race 2, getting up to 5th, however under pressure from Owen and Josh, he slipped off the bike, rejoining in 8th place. Owen battled with Josh Crawford until the end, taking the 5th place.
Race 3 saw Owen's best performance of the day. He was passed by Dylan again at the start but a great move around the outside in Turn 1 saw him move up to 5th with Dylan in 6th. An unfortunate slide from Sandy Horne moved Owen up to 4th and he had the bit between his teeth and started closing the gap with Dylan following closely behind. He caught up with Declan Connell and the pair battled it out, with Declan doing well to hold onto 3rd. But it was a great result for the team, seeing Owen come home in 4th and Dylan 5th.
It was a great performance with some fantastic riding on display. The boys did really well and will go into the next race confident they can do well. It was great to see Red Bull rider Rory Skinner handing out the trophies to the winners....Less
Sunday 1st May 2016,
TEAMMELLOR RIDE AT FULBECK IN BMB CHAMPIONSHIP
TeamMellor travelled to Fulbeck, Grantham at the weekend for Round 3 of the British MinibikeChampionship. It turned out to be the first dry weekend this season and although there was some light rain, it wasn't enough to affect the racing conditions. The grid was lined with familiar friends and faces with a great turn out by the Scottish riders.
The track wasn't among Owen's favourites as it was very bumpy and had patches of moss but both he and Dylan gave it their best efforts. Dylan was on top from the start, getting to grips with the track well, qualifying 7th in the Junior 4.2 Heavies, just ahead of Owen in 8th place. In the production class they went one better, qualifying 6th and 7th respectively on their air-cooled bikes. They were a couple of seconds off the pace as the gearing we had turned out to be a little short.Read more...
In the Junior 4.2 Race 1, both Owen and Dylan got good starts, passing Chloe Jones before going into turn 1. The three of them battled wheel to wheel for the full race distance, coming home in 6th and 7th. Race 1 of the Junior Production race saw Owen pass Dylan to the 6th place, he then closed in on 5th placed Sandy Horne. With Dylan dropping back slightly, Owen and Sandy scrapped away with Sandy doing brilliantly to hold Owen off, Owen taking 6th and Dylan in 7th.
In the Junior 4.2 Race 2, Owen and Dylan got off to a flyer, passing Chloe again at the start. They then closed up on Adon Davie, Dylan passed Adon and briefly held 5th place before Adon out braked him on the finish straight to regain the position. They closed in on Sandy Horne for more nail-bitingly close racing between the three of them, with Sandy taking 5th, Dylan in 6th and Owen in 7th.
The final production Race saw Sandy, Dylan and Owen at it again, they were all over each other as they battled for 5th. Dylan took a rare opportunity as they negotiated the back markers and flew up the inside of Sandy, but in a direct re-run of the junior race, Sandy took the place back in exactly the same place as Adon. Dylan tried desperately to pass him again at every turn and the two came home in a photo finish, crossing the line together with Owen just behind them.
Overall, a great weekend, there was some fantastic racing on display and the boys are gearing up ready for this weekend where we head up to Knockhill for Round 2 of the UK Minimoto Championship. Thanks to Trudy Grigor for the awesome photo's from this weekend. Thanks to David Maguire for the heads up on the gearing for the races, they looked a lot quicker :) And thanks to Allan Horne for lending us a sprocket for Owen's production bike. Well done to all the riders and we look forward to seeing most of you again on Sunday....Less
Sunday 17th April 2016,
OWEN TAKES 2ND PLACE AT REDLODGE!
Owen and Dylan travelled to Redlodge Karting for Round 2 of the Cool Fab British Minibike championship this weekend looking to build on a good performance from the opening round. The weather wasn't great for Friday practice or Qualifying on Saturday with the rain coming down heavily, with lots of standing water around the track. Owen seems to have found his confidence in the wet, looking one of the quickest in practice. Dylan was a victim of a mix-up by the team, with a bad wet tyre making its way onto his bike, hindering his practice. Owen's tyres finally packed in during first qualifying, thankfully we had some fresh ones to hand and he duly went out and qualified 2nd in the AC40 Pro class behind Ryan Hitchcock and 6th in the LC40 Junior class. Dylan looked edgy and qualified well down in 18th in the AC40 Pro class, although he started to turn it around and qualified 12th in the LC40 class.Read more...
Race 1 was red flagged and restarted twice with Owen sat in 2nd place. The third restart,saw Owen putting the pressure on Ryan, to quote the Downforce radio presenter "Mellor is all over Hitchcock like a nasty little rash". A brilliant start by Casey O' Gorman saw him move up to 3rd behind them. Owen tried to make a move for the lead at every turn but couldn't find a way past, allowing Casey to close in on him, eventually passing him to put Owen into 3rd on the last lap. It was Owen's first podium of the year. Dylan was happier in the drying conditions, making up 5 places to finish 13th.
Sunday brought some warmer, dry weather and saw them both start the day in fine form. Owen was second fastest in the morning Warm-up. In Race 2 he went for it, passing Ryan up the inside going in to the tight Turn 4 to take the lead. It was short lived as Casey flew past him on the home straight, putting Owen into 2nd. The pair began to pull away from the pack but Casey found another second a lap to pull away from Owen too, winning the race with Owen in 2nd place. Dylan came home in 12th. Race 3 saw Owen take the lead from Ryan again only for an exact re-run of the previous race as Casey passed him on the straight and left him to finish 2nd again. Dylan was on fire and made up 9 places to finish 9th with a lap time only 0.5/s off Owens! Owen took 2 6th places in the LC40 class before bike trouble left him second to last in the last race. Dylan put in his performance of the day in that race, coming from 12th to 5th.
It was a great weekend with both riders returning to form, Owen collecting his first trophy of 2016 and looking forward to the next round at Rowrah. Well done to all the riders....Less
Sunday 27th March 2016,
OWEN AND DYLAN MAKE COOL FAB DEBUT AT LLANDOW
It's been a rollercoaster weekend for the TeamMellor Racing boys as they made their racing debuts in the Cool Milk FAB Minibike Championship for Round 1 at Llandow, Wales. It was their first time at Llandow and it's a fantastic track. There was a great turnout in the Junior classes with 23 riders in the AC40 Pro class and 15 in the Junior LC40 class. The weather forecast came to fruition as the heavy rain and strong winds made difficult conditions for racing. During Friday practice, they both seemed to be enjoying the track despite a few niggles with coil problems. The weather stayed dry throughout Saturdays qualifying too with Owen qualifying in 7th and Dylan in 9th in the AC40 Pro class. They both seemed to struggle for pace in the LC40 class, with Owen starting 11th and Dylan in 13th on the grid.Read more...
Sure enough, as the racing was due to commence, the heavens opened and the rain began to fall so the riders changed to wet tyres. In Race 1 they were both a little over cautious to begin with and slipped back down the field. As they got their confidence up, they managed to fight their way through with Owen finishing 9th, pipping Dylan in a photo finish by 0.04/s! The positions reversed in the LC40 class, with Dylan picking up the pace, coming from 13th to finish 8th and Owen following in 9th.
After tweeking the bikes after the Sunday warmup session, the boys finally started to show their capabilities in the races. Dylan was saved after being wiped out at the start when the race was red flagged a lap later. They got a great second start and rode brilliantly, with Owen finishing 5th and Dylan in 7th. Owen narrowly missed out on his first podium finish in the LC40 Race 2 as he was held off, finishing 4th and Dylan finished 6th. Owen finished 6th in the final AC40 Pro, Dylan however suffered more coil trouble and finished 10th. They were both back on it for the final race of the LC40 class with Owen finishing 5th and Dylan in 6th after some great racing.
The results mean Owen is 7th overall in the AC40 Pro and 4th in the LC40. Dylan is 9th in the AC40 and 5th in the LC40. We can take a lot of positives from the weekend with the boys and their bikes starting to return to form. Big thanks to Alan McIntosh for all the hard work sorting the boys bikes out for us....Less
Sunday 13th March 2016,
2016 KICKS OFF AT WHILTON MILL
Owen and Dylan began this years racing season in today's British Minibikes Championship Round 1 at Whilton Mill. After missing most of yesterday's practice with bike trouble, they hoped to turn it around in the races as they entered the Heavyweight class for the first time against some of Britains fastest young riders. An incident in one of the pit bike classes during Practice, resulting in the rider being carried to hospital ( we wish him a speedy recovery), meant a large delay in the schedule leaving the organisers with no choice but to only have one qualifying and one race per class, opposed to the original two races.Read more...
Owen and Dylan tried hard but couldn't find the pace set by the front runners, qualifying a good few seconds off them with Owen in 8th and Dylan 9th. In the race, they improved their pace a lot. They put in a good performance, with Owen finishing 6th and Dylan in 8th.
The boys travel to Llandow for the first round of the FAB British championship in two weeks, so a bit of work to do with the boys and the bikes before then. We would also like to say a massive thank you to John O'Gorman for helping us fix Owens engine yesterday or he wouldn't have been racing at all this weekend....Less
Sunday 7th February 2016,
DYLAN GETS FIRST TROPHY OF 2016 AT KIRKCALDY!
A great start to 2016 with Dylan picking up a 2nd place trophy in the McIntosh Minibikes Winter Endurance Race. He was part of the 'Smaw Team' which saw the current Junior A Champion partnered with Junior B Champion Adon Davie, and the very quick novice rider Dylan Waplington. Fantastic riding by all of them today, well done boys. Not such a good day for Owen as, despite some great riding from his team, they didn't make it onto the podium after a few mechanical problems and a nasty crash. Overall though it was a brilliant day and it was great to see top BSB rider Stuart Easton taking part and handing out the trophies to the winners.
