It was medals galore following Round 15 of the Friction Hydraulics Series as six further were sealed in the penultimate round; the West Cheshire TTCA 25 – and the destination of the Top Club Award was settled a round early for the first ever time. A return to the popular D25/23T course running between Tern Hill and Shawbirch saw Simon Romei take the County win in 54 minutes 37 seconds from Paramount team mate Rob McGregor, 37 seconds back; and this dominant 1-2 led the team to a solid defence as Top Club Award reigning champions after the team added a further 210 points to their tally; meaning that even if Wrekinsport took all 120 places available in the final round they still could not catch Paramount, who have had a dominant season from the off in this Series.
Romei was pleased with his win, and with taking one of the day’s medals, Veterans Bronze with +12:31. Romei pulled away from Paramount team mate Chris Riley who he was level with in the race for the overall Bronze by 20 points as a result, with the winner going down to the wire. He commented: “Really pleased to have taken the County win and Veterans Bronze during the WCTTCA 25, I have to firstly say a big thank you to the excellent organisers and timekeepers who did a first class job. It was a good morning weather wise, I had to really work hard on the outward leg due to the cross/head winds so power was key, knowing on the return leg holding good form and position would make some time up. I was hoping for a good time and placement which I have to say I was super happy about when arriving back at HQ and seeing the results board”.
McGregor scored his highest finish of the season as runner-up, going one better than his Round 10 and 11 third-place finishes and pushing out a strong challenge by Hafren CC’s Bryn Davies, the 2017 and 2018 Friction Series Champion by 40 seconds, showing the quality of his ride. McGregor stated: “I was really pleased with my ride, and very happy with the County runner-up spot. The crosswind meant the ride felt hard; and there didn’t seem to be many occasions where the wind was giving a helping hand. I lost a few seconds when I got held up behind a broken down horse box on the A53, so I’m hopeful that I can go quicker next time. Thanks to the organisers for hosting a fun and safe event”!
Davies meanwhile was surprised by his form, beating Friction Silver medallist Jonathan Mills-Keeling into 4th place by 18 seconds despite a couple of issues, which he explained post-race: “I wasn’t expecting a lot just a week after a holiday with no cycling for a week, and with a slightly dodgy belly on the morning. I went out a little too hard, and caught my minute man, Chris Riley, at Shawbirch. Unfortunately those efforts meant I couldn’t break away and make a good gap; fatigue set in and Chris would catch me, was a bit cat and mouse to the end with Chris pipping me to the line. Good fun, but a lesson to control my effort a little better next time. I’ve not raced as much this year and it was probably telling. Nonetheless, I’m pleased with the result; big thanks to all for organising and marshalling”.
Davies wasn’t the only one having to dig in due to limited racing, but Riley’s muscle memory saw him come out at the top of the Friction Veterans standings on the day in +12:35, just four seconds ahead of Romei. This win sealed Silver in the Friction Veterans Series, and consigned Romei to Bronze after a good season-long battle between the club mates which continues in the tussle for overall Bronze. Riley stated: “This year has been much reduced for myself, but keeping on top of the excellent Friction Hydraulics Series has been very rewarding. Riding with my club this year has been brilliant, and taking Silver in the Veterans is extremely satisfying. Thanks to all the Shropshire clubs organising events, and to our friends in the WCTTCA. Massive thanks to the SCCA – you do a fantastic job”.
In the female race North Shropshire Wheelers’ Kathryn Rossiter surprised herself with her first Series win thanks to a personal best 1:11:22, pushing out Helen Tudor by 16 seconds. She revealed the secret of her success – long training rides: “It seems that I have hit a run of form at the right time, helped by being dragged on some longer hilly rides in Snowdonia recently by my husband Jamie, who also had a great race! The weather was perfect for a personal best. I was second rider off, so had no one in front or passing me to keep me focused, so it was just head down and keep pushing. I was very pleased with my time, and even more that it was good enough to be first lady on the day”.
Tudor’s season has also been fragmentary due to recovery from shingles, but she was pleased both with a runner-up spot here after some great battles with Emma Brown which has seen head-to-heads shared three apiece. The runner-up spot also saw Tudor take Female Bronze with Brown capturing Silver behind a dominant Hayley Wells after finishing third on the day in 1:12:07. Tudor stated: “I was surprised to get a medal as I missed a big chunk of the middle of the season with illness. I had some good battles with Emz which hopefully will carry on in 2026. Well done to Hayley on Gold, she’s had a fantastic year”. Brown added: “It’s my first real season of racing and I’m very pleased with my Silver medal achievement! It’s been good fun, and I have certainly learned a lot this year, so can’t wait to start racing again next season”.
The destination of the Friction Road Bike Series was also settled as Jon Goh took Gold – deserved reward for winning nine of the eleven rounds he entered after overhauling Paramount team mate Andrew Dawson, who won Silver. Goh rode a strong actual of 59:49 to take seventh spot overall on the morning; which converted to 58:52 on handicap and pushed reigning Friction Road Bike Champion Mark Fenn into the runner-up spot in 1:01:35. Goh commented: “The WCTTCA 25 gave me a chance to get some more race miles in the legs after a short break from racing. It was tough with a constant crosswind, and I found it hard to stay focused. I was surprised to go under the hour as I was struggling. Thanks to the organisers for running the event smoothly. It’s also nice to see a good turnout in all the different categories”. Dawson added: “Firstly I’d like to thank all the clubs and organisers for putting on an amazing Series of races; lots of variety in courses and distances. Congratulations to Mr Jon Goh, a classy rider, and who thoroughly deserves the Gold medal. I was really pleased to come away with the Silver medal; and to also help out with points towards Paramount’s Top Club win”.
SCCA:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Points |
| 1 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 54:37 | 60 |
| 2 | Robert | McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | TT | 55:14 | 55 |
| 3 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | TT | 55:54 | 50 |
| 4 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | TT | 56:12 | 45 |
| 5 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 56:53 | 40 |
| 6 | James | Neale | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 57:42 | 35 |
| 7 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 59:49 | 30 |
| 8 | Ian | Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | TT | 1:02:41 | 25 |
| 9 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | RB | 1:02:43 | 20 |
| 10 | Alex | Paulukiewicz | North Shropshire Wheelers | S | TT | 1:02:45 | 15 |
| 11 | Robert | Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 1:04:59 | 10 |
| 12 | Jamie | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 1:05:44 | 5 |
| 13 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 1:05:55 | 5 |
| 14 | Simon | Jones | Hafren CC | V | TT | 1:06:08 | 5 |
| 15 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 1:08:08 | 5 |
| 16 | David | Cannell | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:10:22 | 5 |
| 17 | Kathryn | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 1:11:22 | 5 |
| 18 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 1:11:38 | 5 |
| 19 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:12:07 | 5 |
| 20 | Tim | Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | TT | 1:12:43 | 5 |
| 21 | Nick | Hickman | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:12:54 | 5 |
| 22 | Doug | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:17:00 | 5 |
| 23 | Elaine | Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 1:20:14 | 5 |
| . | David | Griffiths | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | TT | DNF | . |
| . | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | DNS | . |
| . | Peter | Rickard | Paramount CRT | V | RB | DNS | . |
| . | William | Preston | Paramount CRT | S | RB | DNS | . |
| . | James | Elgar | Paramount CRT | V | TT | DNS | . |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Vets +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +12:35 | 60 |
| 2 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +12:31 | 55 |
| 3 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | TT | +12:08 | 50 |
| 4 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | TT | +11:50 | 45 |
| 5 | James | Neale | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +8:54 | 40 |
| 6 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +8:00 | 35 |
| 7 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +7:08 | 30 |
| 8 | Robert | Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | +6:40 | 25 |
| 9 | Ian | Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | TT | +6:28 | 20 |
| 10 | Jamie | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +4:45 | 15 |
| 11 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | RB | +4:25 | 10 |
| 12 | Kathryn | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | +3:23 | 5 |
| 13 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +3:07 | 5 |
| 14 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | +2:31 | 5 |
| 15 | David | Cannell | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +1:42 | 5 |
| 16 | Simon | Jones | Hafren CC | V | TT | +1:12 | 5 |
| 17 | Nick | Hickman | Paramount CRT | V | RB | -3:06 | 5 |
| 18 | Tim | Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | TT | -4:09 | 5 |
| 19 | Doug | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | -5:45 | 5 |
| 20 | Elaine | Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | -6:33 | 5 |
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Female Points |
| 1 | Kathryn | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 1:11:22 | 60 |
| 2 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 1:11:38 | 55 |
| 3 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:12:07 | 50 |
| 4 | Elaine | Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 1:20:14 | 45 |
Road Bikes:
| RB Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 58:52 | 60 |
| 2 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | RB | 1:01:35 | 55 |
| 3 | David | Cannell | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:04:18 | 50 |
| 4 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:05:20 | 45 |
| 5 | Nick | Hickman | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:09:06 | 40 |
| 6 | Doug | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:11:45 | 35 |
Top Club Award:
| Pos’n | Club | Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 210 |
| 2 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 70 |
| 3 | Hafren CC | 55 |
| 4 | Aerologic RT | 45 |
| 5 | Ludlow CC | 25 |
| 6 | Wrekinsport CC | 10 |
| =7 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 5 |
| =7 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 5 |
Cumulative Standings after fifteen rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 675 |
| 2 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 625 |
| 3 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 495 |
| 4 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 475 |
| 5 | Robert McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 450 |
| 6 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 345 |
| 7 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 340 |
| 8 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 265 |
| 9 | Dean Callister | Aerologic RT | S | 180 |
| =10 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 160 |
| =10 | Oli Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | 160 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
| Vets Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | 695 |
| 2 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | 590 |
| 3 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | 510 |
| 4 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | 415 |
| 5 | John Westhead | Paramount CRT | 365 |
| 6 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 345 |
| 7 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | 270 |
| 8 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | 265 |
| 9 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | 250 |
| 10 | Robert Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | 235 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Female Championship
| Female Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | 690 |
| 2 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | 560 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 495 |
| 4 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | 240 |
| 5 | Thea Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | 225 |
| 6 | Gill Snelson | Paramount CRT | 210 |
| 7 | Kathryn Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | 170 |
| 8 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | 145 |
| 9 | Elaine Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | 135 |
| 10 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | 105 |
| 10 | Rebecca Pugh | Paramount CRT | 105 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Road Bike Championship
| Road Bike Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 685 |
| 2 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | 650 |
| 3 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 480 |
| 4 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | F | 465 |
| 5 | William Preston | Paramount CRT | S | 335 |
| 6 | David Cannell | Paramount CRT | V | 220 |
| 7 | Doug Brown | Paramount CRT | V | 175 |
| 8 | David Scott | Paramount CRT | S | 140 |
| 9 | Billy Panter | Paramount CRT | S | 120 |
| 10 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | FV | 110 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jess Bufton | Hafren CC | 60 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 2805 |
| 2 | Wrekinsport CC | 1950 |
| 3 | Aerologic RT | 1010 |
| 4 | Hafren CC | 375 |
| 5 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 320 |
| 6 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 175 |
| 7 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 170 |
| 8 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 145 |
| 9 | Ludlow CC | 55 |