The AMCA Sidecar Motocross championship is nearly as old as its ‘Solo’ categories with the first season of sidecar scrambling commencing in 1962. The Championship was won that year by the pairing of Maurice and Geoff Hand on a 650 Matchless. The following year one of the most successful drivers in the history of the class emerged in the shape of Archie Grahame.  Archie won no less than five titles during his illustrious AMCA career.

Bill Jukes followed by John Wolverson, Archie Graham and Alan Baker.

In future years Archie’s sons took to the sport with John securing a title winning double forty years later. Other pairings of note are John Wolverson who won the title four times, twice with Pete Davis once with Mick Rushton and finally with George Racz, Terry Salter and John Davies, John Snape and Rob Todd, George Lockley and Geoff Wright, and Ian Osbaldison and Michael Stones (with 5 titles).

Most recently Wales’ Simon Bradford has dominated the sport with several passengers including James Morrell, Martin Taylor, Simon Morgan and Neil James. Simon has won no less than 6 titles!

Steve France/Lee Machin eventually got their hands on the AMCA title in 2009 after being in Bradford’s shadow for so many years. Jamie Stephens/Scott Grahame pushed them all the way and the title race went down to the last meeting of the year where France/Machin took the silverware by a few points.

In 2010 Ed and Kristian Turner took the title but were kept honest by Tony Graham, Alan Peever and David Petty, all of whom were to win a good share of the races during the season. It was the tremendous consistency and reliability of the Turner brothers however which ultimately won them the title over their rivals.

MEIFOD 2010

Dave Petty (no 31) leads from Tony Graham (no 5) and the Turner brothers (no 37)

For 2011 the title series has been dominated from the outset by the pairing of Tony Graham and James Morrell. The pair clinched the title at the last round of the series - at Ollerton. Consistency and machine reliability have been at the forefront of Graham/Morrell’s campaign helping them to break away from the chasing pack, led by Alan Peever /Tony Phillips and the Nourish father and son crew.

BURTON 2011 - Tony Graham (no 4) takes the holeshot.