Melton motorcycle racer Antony Hart on track for classic triple crown

The circuit was showing signs of wear and tear, but with a layout which suited Hart’s riding style, expectations were set high for all three bikes.

Practice went well with only small issues to sort, but disaster struck early with the Manchester 500 Yamaha.

While driving hard out of a very slow hairpin bend, the gearbox shaft sheared, a fault which could scupper the rest of the season, having gone into the weekend lying second in the championship.

But there was no such problems with the David King 125 Honda as the Melton rider led from start to finish in both Saturday races.

On Sunday, and with the race programme throwing him straight from 125 duties into the main feature race, Hart rode more conservatively, to keep out of trouble, but was only pipped on the line by 0.1secs after leading for much of the race.

The second place retained his lead in the 125 championship.

The 350GP championship bike also faced another 150 miles of racing, but came to the meet with a freshly-built engine and gearbox.

Hart was in terrific form in race one and pulled away at the rate of a second-per-lap to finish a clear winner and he produced a repeat performance to dominate the second race in the class.

The last leg of the 350 GP the next day served up a hard-fought encounter, with the Leicestershire racer coming home second to stay top of the championship standings.

The ACU race and the main feature, the Peter Williams Trophy, brought out the big teams who could boast much greater resources including top engine builders.

Qualifying put Hart fourth in the ACU and seventh in the trophy race with the latter carrying points towards the King of Classics title.

Four riders circulated under the lap record time in a hotly-paced ACU race, and with one rider clear, a four-way fight ensued for second place.

Hart secured the runners-up spot after a hard-fought eight laps to move top of the championship.

The Peter Williams Trophy was again open to any bike and the more powerful superbikes got away first.

But from his seventh-place start in a 30-strong field, Hart began to reel them in after a few laps.

He missed out on the final podium spot by only a split-second after a tremendous battle for third place, but it was a prize money finish, and a great result against such powerful opposition.

Hart’s next meeting will be the country’s biggest classic race meeting at Donington Park which will bring out every top team for the coveted Wheatcroft Trophy.