Rob Holmes was made to work hard for the win in the Team Evolution British Outdoor Championship race bay two of his rivals: Toby Case and Oliver Weeks. The three were the class acts in the race held in perfect sunny conditions. Josef Huppach and Joseph Nickson rounded out the top five finishers in Stoke.
Just eleven hundredths separated the leading three after the first run yet behind them the battle was intense. Craig Speed had shown what he was still capable of sitting in fourth just behind his Aldershot teammate Harrison Evans with Huppach just behind these two. Joseph Thompson showed a good performance to be within touching distance in seventh. No inch would be conceded on the second run!
With the fastest seven waiting to go, it was Joseph Nickson that held the lead in the finish. Nickson and his go faster tutu had posted an impressive first run time to be the only racer from outside the top fifteen starters on the first run, in the top ten for the second run.
Thompson lost out to the eagle eyed gate judges on the second run as he straddled before Huppach dislodged Nickson from the lead.
When both Speed and then Harrison crashed out on the second run, Huppach knew he was on the cusp of making the overall podium. It would be a tall order given the strength of the three still to come down. Yet to finish first, first you have to finish and with little separating the leading three, anything was possible.
Weeks was the first down and it was then you could see how improved Huppach's second run had been. Weeks was only four hundredths ahead of Huppach but also had the advantage from the first run. Next up was Case.
Case had nine hundredths advantage on Weeks and managed to eke out another two hundredths to head the pack in the finish.
If Case felt that he had done enough to win, her had not taken into account the desire and determination that Holmes has when on a race course. Holmes was 0.02 ahead after the first run yet smashed the second run to go a further two tenths ahead of the rest of the field to take the race win.
The age groups were taken by Lewis McKey (under 14, 22nd Overall), Ryan Bunton (Under 16, 11th Overall), Rob Holmes (Under 18, GB Champion), Oliver Weeks (Under 21, 3rd Overall), Joseph Nickson (Senior, 5th Overall) and Will Manns (Masters, 10th Overall).
Full results
Free pictures from the racing courtesy of Team Evolution will be up on www.racerready.zenfolio.com