Oxford mascot Fraser Buckle wins 125cc class of British Youth Championship – while Sam Masters and Luke Killeen both finish in top six of CLRC

13-YEAR-OLD Fraser Buckle – one of the mascots at Oxford Speedway – sealed victory in the 125cc class of the British Youth Championship by winning the final round in Glasgow yesterday afternoon (Sunday).

There were supposed to be two rounds this weekend, but Saturday’s meeting at Edinburgh was abandoned after a broken leg for Oscar Berwick, the youngest rider in the 125cc class.

The 125c class was the closest of all the categories, and Oxfordshire based Buckle finished first overall ahead of George Climo and Lewis Hague, after the same three riders finished in that order in the decisive final at Glasgow.

Meanwhile, Sam Masters and Luke Killeen, riders for the SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs, finished fourth and sixth respectively in the Championship League Riders’ Championship (CLRC) at Sheffield on Saturday evening.

Masters – twice before a winner of the meeting in 2011 and 2022 – scored 14 out of 15 points in his qualifying heats and progressed directly to the final race.

He had second choice of gate in the final, following the unbeaten Josh Pickering. But Masters made his worst start of the evening, and could not make up the ground on the three riders ahead of him. Scunthorpe rider Pickering deservedly won the competition for a second time, ahead of Chris Harrs and Zach Cook.

Killeen was a late call-up to the meeting. The 21-year-old started by taking four points from his opening three outings.

Showing his liking for the outside line at Sheffield, he won his last two qualifying races to score a total of 10 points and qualify for the semi-final, which features the riders in third to sixth. To illustrate how well Killeen had done, his win in Heat 20, combined with Zach Cook’s second place behind him, eliminated Richard Lawson, Poole’s No 1 and one of the best riders in the Cab Direct Championship.

Needing a first or second from the semi-final to reach the final, Killeen showed first from the tapes, but Harris quickly took over at the front. Both Cook and Peter Kildemand then muscled inside Killeen.

But Killeen had not given up. He charged around the outside on the second lap, but after brushing Kildemand’s bike, Killeen bounced off the fence on the third bend, performing a wall of death, and did well to stay on his machine. He lost ground and finished the race in last place, but the Oxford second string had already exceeded expectations in a line-up consisting of the top riders in Cab Direct Championship.

Speaking post-meeting, Killeen said: “I’m really happy. I had a steady start to the meeting and finished with a bit of a bang. That got me into the semi-final. I was going all out by that time to try to reach the final. I nearly fell off in the semi-final, but stayed on, so I’ll take it.

“I was brought in as a last-minute replacement. Others were asked before me and weren’t available. I was a bit of a last resort, but I’ve proved that I can mix it and deserved to be here.”

The next meeting at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium will be advised in due course. Real Mini Company Chargers have two home meetings left – against champions-elect Edinburgh Monarchs Academy and Buxton Bulls. For the latest news, please keep an eye out on Oxford Speedway’s social media channels plus the official website at https://oxfordspeedway.club/

Weekend results:

Saturday: CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP, Sheffield

QUALIFYING SCORES: Josh Pickering 15, Sam Masters 14, Peter Kildemand 12, Chris Harris 10, Luke Killeen 10, Zach Cook 10, Richard Lawson 9, Dan Thompson 7, Kye Thomson 7, Danny King 7, Jonas Jeppesen 6, Drew Kemp 5, Leon Flint 4, Jody Scott 2, Simon Lambert 2, Justin Sedgmen 0.

SEMI-FINAL: Harris, Cook, Kildemand, Killeen.

FINAL: Pickering, Harris, Cook, Masters.

Sunday: BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP, 125cc class, Glasgow

Final round: 1 Fraser Buckle, 2 George Climo, 3 Lewis Hague.

Overall placings: 1 Fraser Buckle, 2 George Climo, 3 Lewis Hague.

PHOTO: Fraser Buckle with father Jamie Buckle after winning the 125cc class at Glasgow (pic courtesy of LannoNews)