CHARITY BASH

A GALA evening of track racing at Manchester Velodrome on Saturday raised a total of £4,000 to be shared between the Children in Need Appeal and the Dave Rayner Fund.

As expected, world champions Chris Newton and Craig MacLean were the stars of the show, and predictably won their respective endurance and sprint omniums, with Victoria Pendleton finishing best of the women.

Top time triallist Michael Hutchinson returned to the scene of his victory in the 4,000 metres pursuit at the National Track Championships, taking on - and beating - the JF Wilson Cycles team pursuit squad in a special challenge.

Commonwealth Games rider Denise Hampson and double World Masters champion Ellen Hunter broke the 200-metre flying start tandem record with a time of 11.8 seconds, and visually impaired riders 'stoked' in a tandem team sprint challenge.

The Karaoke Keirin saw the winners on the bike going on to sing for more omnium points.

"The large crowd loved it," said track development officer Andrea Ingram, of the promoting Yasumitsu-Schlapp team. "This was a real gala occasion celebrating our new world champions while raising money for good causes."

THERE were few surprises in the final results of the Charity Bash track meeting staged at Manchester Velodrome in aid of the Children in Need Appeal and the Dave Rayner Fund, with world champions Chris Newton (Pinarello RT) and Craig MacLean (Team Athena) winning their respective omniums.

Newton led a Teesside one-two in the endurance events, finishing ahead of Phil West (VC St Raphael) and Ross Muir (Scotland).

Newton and West bagged the top two places in both the 32-lap scratch and a 'devil' points race, although West reversed the result in a so-called 'unknown rules' event.

MacLean beat Ross Edgar (DataPhonics RT) and Barney Storey (VC St Raphael) in the final of a four-lap dash, not to mention his heat of the Karaoke Keirin, and he held on for overall victory in the sprint omnium despite finishing behind Matthew Haynes (City of Edinburgh RC) and Jon Norfolk (Yasumitsu-Schlapp) in the Diablo's Revenge event.

Victoria Pendleton (Mildenhall CC), relegated to third place behind Angela Hunter (GS Strada) and Denise Hampson (Yasumitsu-Schlapp) in the scratch race, came from behind with victory in the final of the dash to take the women's omnium series ahead of Hampson and Hunter, with Kim Blythe (Sheffield Phoenix) fourth overall.

Sprinters' omnium
1. Craig MacLean (Team Athena)
2. B. Storey (VC St Raphael)
3. M. Haynes (City of Edinburgh RC).

Endurance omnium
1. Chris Newton (Pinarello RT)
2. P. West (VC St Raphael)
3. R. Muir (Scotland)

Women's omnium
1. Victoria Pendleton (Mildenhall CC)
2. D. Hampson (Yasumitsu-Schlapp)
3. A. Hunter (GS Strada)