Ashley Hutchison came back at Thomas Doig on the drag to the line at Eaton Constantine, winning from an eight-rider move that went clear on the final lap of an attacking race.
Ashley Hutchison (TAAP Kalas) won the sixth Nick Clayton Memorial on the Eaton Constantine circuit in Shropshire on Sunday, taking the sprint from an eight-rider move that escaped on the final lap. Thomas Doig (Foran CT) was second, James Satoor (Bridgnorth CC) third.
Hutchison had been caught on the bell lap out of one move before following the counters into the one that stayed away, and he opened his sprint early on the 2.2-kilometre rise to the line for fear of the chase behind. Doig came past him at around 400 metres, having mistaken the 200-metres-to-go board for the finish, and faded. It was Hutchison’s first win of a season he had all but written off.
Eight laps of the 15.6-kilometre circuit at Eaton Constantine, 124 kilometres between the Severn and the Wrekin in dry, overcast conditions, on a course whose finish line sits at the top of a 2.2-kilometre drag and is crossed nine times. The race was the final round of the West Midlands Road Race League and the penultimate round of The British Continental’s road rankings, and it was raced accordingly.
The attacking started at the drop of the flag. Will Perrett and Michael Gill, both DAS Richardsons, were the first to go, and something went clear on more or less every lap without any of it surviving. “A move would go every lap, more or less, and get brought back,” Doig told The British Continental. “Nothing really stuck.” The larger teams were represented in most of what went, and the bunch was motivated enough to close all of it down.
The one interruption came after the opening lap, when the commissaires neutralised the race, having seen riders crossing the white line, and restarted it after a warning to the field.
The last lap began with nine riders clear, Foran CT’s Dom Jackson among them, and that group was brought back on the narrow lanes in the middle of the circuit. As it came together a move went just before the sharp left onto the open road. Doig took the corner first and sprinted out of it, Piers Mahn (DAS Richardsons) went with him, and the two swapped turns for a couple of minutes before four more came across: Hutchison, Satoor, Oscar Hutchings (Schils–Doltcini Racing Team) and Elliot Barratt (LCRT). Hugh Aubrey (Stolen Goat 4Endurance) and Ted Harvey (360cycling) made it eight. The group worked, and the gap went out quickly.
Hutchison had already spent the day trying. He felt poor for the first hour, went with a move at two laps to go that he thought would be the one, and was caught on the bell lap. “I then followed a few counterattacks, and a group of us got with some real hitters got away and instantly got a big gap,” he told The British Continental.
Inside the last kilometre the eight began watching one another while the chase closed, and Hutchison, worried about being caught, went early. Doig came round him on the rise and then ran out of road. “Tom came round me and I got on his wheel, he then started to die and I managed to pip him on the line,” Hutchison said. Doig called it a brilliant ride by the winner.
Mahn, who rode for the organising club in 2024 and 2025, was fourth, with Hutchings fifth, Aubrey sixth, Barratt seventh and Harvey eighth, all eight given the same time. Mohammad Ganjkhanlou (Stolen Goat 4Endurance) led the next group home seven seconds down in ninth. Benjamin Arey (O’Neills Spirit Racing Team), who began this season at Halesowen A&CC, was 12th, and Clay Davies (Ride Revolution Coaching), the highest-ranked rider on the startlist, 15th.
Hutchison is in his first season with TAAP Kalas and came to Shropshire without a win. “I’m in shock, I’ve had so much bad luck this year, but this result wipes all of that out,” he said. “I knew I could get a good result in a National B road race, but I never believed in myself. I just needed some good luck, and the right opportunity.” He thanked the team for staying with him through the season and the organisers for the race.
The result pushes The British Continental’s team rankings further towards Ride Revolution Coaching with one race remaining. Davies and Josh Housley, 18th, took 10 points between them against the five scored by JAKROO Handsling Racing, whose only entry, William Truelove, was 17th. Ride Revolution go to the Riders Collective GP at Walton on 19 September 17 points clear rather than 12. Doig’s 52 points strengthen Foran CT’s grip on fifth, and Stolen Goat 4Endurance, with Aubrey sixth and Ganjkhanlou ninth, move from 10th to eighth past Aero CLCTV and Atom 6–Cycleur de Luxe–Auto Stroo. In the individual standings Davies goes up a place to sixth, while Hutchison’s 60 points take him from 30 for the season to 90.
Ashley Hutchison (TAAP Kalas) won the sixth Nick Clayton Memorial on the Eaton Constantine circuit in Shropshire on Sunday, taking the sprint from an eight-rider move that escaped on the final lap. Thomas Doig (Foran CT) was second, James Satoor (Bridgnorth CC) third.
Hutchison had been caught on the bell lap out of one move before following the counters into the one that stayed away, and he opened his sprint early on the 2.2-kilometre rise to the line for fear of the chase behind. Doig came past him at around 400 metres, having mistaken the 200-metres-to-go board for the finish, and faded. It was Hutchison’s first win of a season he had all but written off.
Featured image: Joseph Lister
Report
Eight laps of the 15.6-kilometre circuit at Eaton Constantine, 124 kilometres between the Severn and the Wrekin in dry, overcast conditions, on a course whose finish line sits at the top of a 2.2-kilometre drag and is crossed nine times. The race was the final round of the West Midlands Road Race League and the penultimate round of The British Continental’s road rankings, and it was raced accordingly.
The attacking started at the drop of the flag. Will Perrett and Michael Gill, both DAS Richardsons, were the first to go, and something went clear on more or less every lap without any of it surviving. “A move would go every lap, more or less, and get brought back,” Doig told The British Continental. “Nothing really stuck.” The larger teams were represented in most of what went, and the bunch was motivated enough to close all of it down.
The one interruption came after the opening lap, when the commissaires neutralised the race, having seen riders crossing the white line, and restarted it after a warning to the field.
The last lap began with nine riders clear, Foran CT’s Dom Jackson among them, and that group was brought back on the narrow lanes in the middle of the circuit. As it came together a move went just before the sharp left onto the open road. Doig took the corner first and sprinted out of it, Piers Mahn (DAS Richardsons) went with him, and the two swapped turns for a couple of minutes before four more came across: Hutchison, Satoor, Oscar Hutchings (Schils–Doltcini Racing Team) and Elliot Barratt (LCRT). Hugh Aubrey (Stolen Goat 4Endurance) and Ted Harvey (360cycling) made it eight. The group worked, and the gap went out quickly.
Hutchison had already spent the day trying. He felt poor for the first hour, went with a move at two laps to go that he thought would be the one, and was caught on the bell lap. “I then followed a few counterattacks, and a group of us got with some real hitters got away and instantly got a big gap,” he told The British Continental.
Inside the last kilometre the eight began watching one another while the chase closed, and Hutchison, worried about being caught, went early. Doig came round him on the rise and then ran out of road. “Tom came round me and I got on his wheel, he then started to die and I managed to pip him on the line,” Hutchison said. Doig called it a brilliant ride by the winner.
Mahn, who rode for the organising club in 2024 and 2025, was fourth, with Hutchings fifth, Aubrey sixth, Barratt seventh and Harvey eighth, all eight given the same time. Mohammad Ganjkhanlou (Stolen Goat 4Endurance) led the next group home seven seconds down in ninth. Benjamin Arey (O’Neills Spirit Racing Team), who began this season at Halesowen A&CC, was 12th, and Clay Davies (Ride Revolution Coaching), the highest-ranked rider on the startlist, 15th.
Hutchison is in his first season with TAAP Kalas and came to Shropshire without a win. “I’m in shock, I’ve had so much bad luck this year, but this result wipes all of that out,” he said. “I knew I could get a good result in a National B road race, but I never believed in myself. I just needed some good luck, and the right opportunity.” He thanked the team for staying with him through the season and the organisers for the race.
The result pushes The British Continental’s team rankings further towards Ride Revolution Coaching with one race remaining. Davies and Josh Housley, 18th, took 10 points between them against the five scored by JAKROO Handsling Racing, whose only entry, William Truelove, was 17th. Ride Revolution go to the Riders Collective GP at Walton on 19 September 17 points clear rather than 12. Doig’s 52 points strengthen Foran CT’s grip on fifth, and Stolen Goat 4Endurance, with Aubrey sixth and Ganjkhanlou ninth, move from 10th to eighth past Aero CLCTV and Atom 6–Cycleur de Luxe–Auto Stroo. In the individual standings Davies goes up a place to sixth, while Hutchison’s 60 points take him from 30 for the season to 90.
Results
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