Ellis/Clement poised to take title at Brands Hatch 14-16 October

Posted on by

Despite not able to add to their score at Donington Park, Santander Salt’s Todd Ellis/Emmanuelle Clement head for the final round with a nineteen-point lead over nearest rivals Sam and Tom Christie. Lewis Blackstock and Paddy Rosney are a further sixty-one points back but still with a mathematical chance of success. The two races at Brands both carry double points, with one hundred points available on the final weekend.

Ellis will be acutely aware of this, as indeed will be the Christie brothers. The boys from Beverley will be focussing on strong finishes in both races, maximising their opportunities and hoping for the best. They have significantly improved this season and have a race-winning pace.

The Anglo-French series leaders arrive at Brands fresh from double victory in the German round of the FIM World Championship, placing them in a strong position to take that title too. However, there is work to be done first in Brands Hatch, and we will see a strong entry, including Ben and Tom Birchall, who with their Haith Honda, have been the only crew to beat Ellis/Clement in a straight fight this season. Double winners last time out at Donington, the multiple TT winners are more than capable of stealing points from Ellis at Brands.

Also on the entry list, but not eligible for points are four wild card teams, among them veteran Brian Gray and eight times world champion Tim Reeves with Kevin Rousseau in the hot seat. Tim has been focussing on the German Championship this year, so it will be good to see him mixing it once again with the Molson Group regulars. Whilst not able to take points from Ellis, he will be out to prove he has none of his flair.

We have seen a definite resurgence of support for the series since a sluggish start to the season in terms of grid size, and among those extra entries are several new names on the long bikes, including Lee Crawford and Luke Williams. The Kawasaki of Crawford ran second to the Birchall brothers last time out at Donington in race one, with the Christies taking that honour in race two. We fully expect Brands Hatch to be a record entry, with all the drama and action that comes with it.

The double points effect, plus a reverse grid in the final race, is guaranteed to build in a thrilling climax to the 2022 season, with plans already afoot for 2023.

Event timings will determine whether the races are in the live TV broadcast or confined to the Eurosport App. Either way the highlights will appear on the RKB-F1 YouTube Channel a few days later.

Media Matters – Barry Nutley  barry.nutley@btinternet.com