Test Day

“Hot, and I mean hot! We didn’t get many laps in; lots of stoppages, a lack of marshals and the notorious Brands catching riders out.

“For a change, I didn’t need many laps. I felt I was riding well and enjoyed lapping in the 1:32 mark with little effort, while working a few things out when I got some space.�

Qualifying (P15 on Grid)

“In the first qualifying session, I was near the front and had got myself some space with a tow from fast lads. I thought ‘perfect’, only for the session to be red-flagged coming on to our 3^rd lap. I do hope Jack Morgan makes a full recovery – that was big.

“Called back after a long stoppage and, knowing I would be mid-pack, did a Wilf Turner trick and went out at the back. With the track to myself, I managed a 1:32.4, which I was ok with. Would have liked a little more, but still trying to build up the pace and work out what grip we had. Due to all the stoppages our race was moved to Sunday, meaning we had a busy day ahead with 3 races.�

Race 1 (P17/10^th in Class)

“A very poor start and then got boxed-in badly at Paddock Hill and Druids, losing a good few places. I quickly got my act together and moved back up to P17 by the end of Lap 1, but was at the back of a train of five riders. Getting used to the pace, I was looking to make up a couple more places, but we were too close together. By the time I had worked a few things out it was the chequered flag. We ran a good pace and I had a good feeling with the bike so was keen to try again in Race 2.�

Race 2 (P12/8^th in Class)

“Starting 16^th on the grid, I was now on the outside, which I prefer at Brands. This time I ripped off the line, got stuck in and made passes around the outside of Paddock Hill Bend then inside at Druids with inches to spare. I found myself on the back of Liam Murtagh, who is riding strongly this year. I tried to pass him into Surtees, but wasn’t quite close enough. Ran with Liam for a few laps doing 1.31’s until he edged away from me. As the gap gradually widened, I was being chased by Jamie Boyce and Steven Duncan so had to kept it tidy to hold my position until the end. Great race and pleased to run consistent 1:31s all race and matched my PB from last year at 1:31.2.�

Race 3 (P10/8^th in Class)           

“Made tweaks to the bike to help with the better pace and go! Great start again.

“Pretty much the same start though Steven Duncan joined the party this time. Duncan made a brave pass on Liam into Hawthornes and I had the best view in the house. My bike was even better in this one so no excuses and I managed a PB of 1:31.0 to close the little gap they had. Then spent six laps trying to get past the fastest Kawasaki I have ever seen, while Liam was trying to get past Duncan again. I thought I was going to get two for the price of one at Druids, but wasn’t sure if Liam could see me as he came back onto the racing line. I had a nibble at Graham Hill Bend to which he chopped my nose off. Duncan now had a few bike lengths on us so back to working out Liam again.

“I felt strong and thought if I can pass Liam I might just get a chance on the last lap to take Steven. I tried everything, but Liam rode well and made it hard. To be honest, even if that wasn’t possible, the fact I was thinking it shows we are so much stronger than we have been. I got really close coming onto the Start/Finish Straight with two laps to go, but another red flag and the fun was over. Credit to Liam, he has really found the pace again this year and it was great trying to work him out.

“I feel like a weight has been lifted this weekend. I have now made the step with the bike that I have been looking for, putting me back in the race. I can’t tell you how happy I am and how much I enjoyed finally racing again. The earlier three rounds were tough to take, but we are on the way back now.

“Thank you so much to all my supporters and sponsors for not giving up on me.

“Next up: my local, Cadwell Park. I can’t wait.�

Photos by Matt Sayle Photography

Test day

“Dry and sunny, though still quite cold. There was a lot of slow traffic to deal with most of the day, but managed to get laps in the 1 min 35secs. Was happy with my riding and the bike setup felt close, so was ready for qualifying.�

Qualifying

“Qualified P11 and 8th in class with a 1:35.250 on new tyres. Had hoped for more, but was happy enough and felt I could be strong in the race.�

Race 1

“Bit of a scrappy start again! From fourth row of the grid, if you don’t get away well, there is a lot of scrapping to do early doors, which breaks up the rhythm. Pace was good with low 1:34s and I felt good to the end, missing out on 8th place to Liam Murtagh by 0.065 of a second. A decent race, but felt I should’ve done more.�

Race 2

“We analysed the data from Race 1 where the bike felt really good, but lacked a little rear grip. Made some changes and felt we had a bike I could really have a good go with. Got a mediocre start, but surprisingly, no one passed me into Turn 1, so got the hammer down. Went from 11th on the grid into P7 by the end of Lap 1 and held this position to Lap 5, running consistently low 1:34s. and keeping a gap to the busy pack behind me. Jack Morgan got past on Lap 5 and Jamie Boyce on Lap 6 before the latter slid off in front of me at Melbourne. Time to drop into the 33s. BUT after Lap 7 the rear grip went from perfect to non-existent. Wilf Turner overtook me on Lap 8 and it took a tremendous effort to control the rear whilst running in the mid to high 34s. and hold on to finish P8. First half of this race we were very strong. Shame about the rear tyre, but we learnt a lot and gave it a good go.�

Race 3

“Combining my best sector times from Race 2 would show an Ideal lap time of 1:33.5. I felt, with good rear grip and some space, I could improve on that time and achieve a better finish. After speaking to James at No Limits Race Support, we made changes that I was desperate would make the difference.Ìý I could feel the potential if everything lined up.

“Race 2 lap time put me 11th on the grid, meaning a good start was paramount. Got boxed in as not aggressive enough and was right in the middle of where I don’t want to be. The early laps felt so slow and I felt, with some space, I could push on. Our seven-rider group was all split between 0.50s, so breaking out was easier said than done. Made some passes but lost them again as I just wasn’t aggressive enough. Then the Race was red flagged, reducing the planned 9 laps to a 4-lap sprint. Not ideal as I had to start from 11th again, and didn’t make the best of starts, got boxed in and found it hard to make passes stick. The 6-rider group was running with only 0.30s between them. The strangest thing, I did a new PB of 1.34s. and it honestly felt like a Sunday rideout. The tyre and grip were perfect, but I couldn’t get out of the busy pack. Finished 7th in class again; not the way I hoped for the weekend, but we kept it sunnyside, learnt a lot and came away with more confidence.�

Photos by Matt Sayle Photography

Test Days

“We had two test days for the first round which was good to give us extra time to get up to speed. I was happy on Day 1, but struggled with tyre wear and grip on Day 2 when the temperature dropped. I was a little worried on what my qualifying time might be after an average couple of days on the bike, so a quick call to Not So Fast was what I needed just to set the plan.”

Qualifying

“Bike felt great and on Lap 3 I managed 1:56.7, so pulled in to save tyre. This put me P6 in class taking the three BSB lads out of the numbers and, basically, leading my bunch. So, yes, happy. Best lap: 1:56.706 and 10th on grid.”

Race 1

“Didn’t get a great start and found myself in a close four-way battle for most of the race, which was fun. Had to make up some early ground to get there. Saw parts of the track where I could improve and was looking forward to a strong Race 2. Best lap: 1:56.340 and 10^th in Class.”

Race 2

“Got a much better start, settled in and led the bunch (in P9) until Lap 5 when I started to drop back. I was running in the mid to low 56’s and knew I needed to drop into the 54/55’s to hold position. I wasn’t sure if the bike started to turn slower or I may have tried too hard to pull away, but it started to feel hard work. This was the hardest part of the weekend to accept as, with clear track ahead, I gave myself the opportunity to pull away, but wasn’t able to. I then got caught in an incident which put me on the grass and I lost the chance to hold onto the group. Brought it home P9 in Class with a slightly better lap time of 1:56.298.”

Race 3

“Made a few slight changes to the bike for Race 3, keen to run at the pace I felt possible if I could get to the front of the pack and find clear track. Another good start and made up some early places. However, a rider around me had multiple bike problems making it difficult and risky to pass. I had to take avoiding action, then trying to get away from the problem, made a mistake and ran on at the next hairpin, losing 5 places. Frustrated, I got back on track and recovered as many places as possible in the remaining laps. I managed to make my way back to P12 in Class. Lap 2 was my fastest lap of the weekend and, being 0.4 seconds below my PB set last year, it was a massive disappointment not to improve on that. Best lap: 1:55.973 and P12 in Class.

“In summary, I don’t think the feel I got from the bike was great, although I may have tried to override to compensate. We all know that does not work. I can be faster when things are right. It wasn’t all bad and there were lots of positives to take away from the meeting. Whilst my final placings don’t look spectacular, the 3 podium places were taken by the Tag Honda BSB riders in each race. Allowing for them, my places weren’t too shabby.

“Thank you to No Limits Racing and the marshals for a well very run meeting and a massive well done on the new YouTube channel. A great addition to club level racing.

“Thank you to every single person and sponsor that makes this possible.�

Photos by Matt Sayle Photography