VICTORY AT LAST

BACK on home ground after helping a GB clean sweep of the stage placings in the Surrey League five-day event, Chris Newton (Pinarello RT) filled a significant gap in his palmares when he won the Mike Binks Memorial road race at Stokesley, North Yorkshire.

Newton's previous best showing in the Cleveland Wheelers event was second, back in 1996 when a soon-to-retire Paul Curran scored his fifth win in the race.

Only Mark Lovatt, second to Wayne Randle in 1997 and a winner three times in the past four years, has a record approaching Curran's, but this time Lovatt (Compensation Group RT) had to settle for second place as Newton took the uphill final sprint.

Behind them, comeback rider John Charlesworth (South Yorkshire Police RT) confirmed his current form when he outsprinted National Circuit Championship bronze medallist Neil Swithenbank (MK Cycles) for third place, while Julian Gromett (Cottingham Coureurs) was nearly six minutes back in fifth place.

Far from providing a Compensation Group clean sweep that many had feared, the Stokesley event saw Kevin Dawson finish in seventh place after John Tanner had climbed off near the 50-mile mark when the main bunch was already 4-20 down.

What had seemed a speculative attack on the opening lap, with less than three miles covered as the race passed through Seamer village, turned out to be the race-winning move.

Newton, Lovatt, Charlesworth, Swithenbank and Gromett were there along with Steve Gibson (VS Briganti) and Andrew Windsor (Deeside Olympic), and these seven pulled out a 2-05 gap after 27 miles before Windsor lost contact.

Gibson was left trailing eight miles later, and the remaining five leaders stretched the gap to be 4-20 after 50 miles, which was when Tanner called it a day.

As Gromett lost his place in the leading group at 59 miles, the bunch was also starting to split and the gap was up to 6-30 when, with 10 miles remaining, Newton and Lovatt left Charlesworth and Swithenbank.

Stephen Ward (T-Rex) won the bunch sprint, almost 10 minutes after Newton and Lovatt had crossed the line, from Dawson and Dave Coulson (JE James RT).

"I knew that if I could get away with one of the Compensation Group riders I would have a good chance, and when the seven went early on everybody was working really well," said Newton, who had telephoned organiser Steve Binks on Friday evening to seek a ride.

"Mark Lovatt was doing most of the attacking, but I was happy to leave it to a sprint.

"I'm trying to build up my endurance work before the World Track Championships, and this event and the Surrey five-day race have been a good chance of a workout."

Meanwhile, Newton will be contesting the points race and scratch event at this week's National Track Championships at Manchester before riding the Hessen-Rundfahrt stage race in Germany which starts on September 4.

1. Chris Newton (Pinarello RT-Yellow) 77m in 2-55-36
2. M. Lovatt (Compensation Group RT) same time
3. J. Charlesworth (South Yorks Police RT) at 49sec
4. N. Swithenbank (MK Cycles) st
5. J. Gromett (Cottingham Coureurs) at 5-43
6. S. Ward (T-Rex) at 9-51
7. K. Dawson (Compensation Group RT)
8. D. Coulson (JE James RT)
9. P. Axe (Universal CC)
10. B. Pool (Andersons Racing) all same time

KoM
1 , Mark Lovatt; 2, C. Newton; 3, J. Gromett.