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The Youth Circuit series continued it's weekend by the sea with a switch from Blackpool on Saturday to sunny Scarborough on Sunday.
The 2.4 mile motor racing circuit with a series of hilly hair-pins at Oliver's Mount promised to give the young hill climbers a chance to break free from the sprinters who dominated the Blackpool round. The Youth Circuit races were part of the Scarborough Festival of Cycling which had enjoyed pleasant summer weather and big crowds over the weekend.
James Shaw (Forme Bikes) was the solo winner of the under 16 boys race. The 15 year old student from Heanor, Derbyshire rode clear of the bunch with two laps to go and kept his cool to claim a fine win.
The race had started with Harrison Fielding (Poole Wheelers) riding off the front of the bunch for four laps before being joined by Jacob Kelly (Lichfield), Louis Modell (East London Velo), Levi Moody (Pedalsport) and Leon Gledhill (Planet X). This small group extended the gap to 30 seconds before the climb began to take it's toll on the riders and they were reeled back in.
Velocity rider Fabio Close was the next rider to chance his luck and moved clear through the wooded section and climb up to the finish. Close was brought back by the bunch and immediately James Shaw launched his race winning move. Speaking after the race the Ashfield Academy student told British Cycling, "Circuit racing is a fine art, but this was more like a road race, this circuit gave me something to get my teeth into. That hill was just perfect for me, it gave me the chance to get away and I worked hard to keep that gap."
National Champion Gabriel Cullaigh (RST Racing) brought home the rest of the field to win the bunch sprint from Ben Chapman.
Continuing her winning form in the under 16's Girls race was Melissa Lowther (Aire Valley RT). Lowther had broken away together with Charlotte Broughton (Leics RC) and Abby-Mae Parkinson (RST Racing) with two laps to go and timed her sprint to perfection.
The under 14 and 16's girl race had begun as a bit of a procession with the main field staying together until just before the bell. Lowther, Broughton and Parkinson broke clear on the climb and as they took the bell they had a slender seven second lead over a group of four led by Elizabeth Holden (Royal London Isle of Man).
With Holden closing in on the leaders Lowther launched her final sprint and under 14 rider Charlotte Broughton was the only one to match her, Parkinson faded in the closing metres but hung on for third place.
The under 14 boys race was destined to be a bunch sprint. The thirty starters rolled around the circuit watching each other for attacks. The pace was fast enough to drop about half the field but not enough to break up the leading bunch. Into the finish and Jake Dobson (Newcastle Phoenix) was able to launch his powerful sprint to win ahead of Matthew Walls (Velocity) and Matthias Barnet (Edinburgh RC).
Nathan Hawthorn (Cycle Sport Pendle) proved to be the fastest rider in the under 12's race which ended in a big bunch sprint. The Pendle rider got the verdict just ahead of Matthew Shaw (Solihull CC) and Toby Tanfield (Cleveland Wheelers).
In the under 8's and 10's race Matti Egglestone (Beacon Wheelers) managed to stay clear of Charlie Gibson (Royal London Isle of Man) and George Southby (East Bradford CC) to win the sprint by a margin of two seconds.
