Silverstone Report

Blackhorse Kawasaki came away from the penultimate round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship at Silverstone with Victor Cox's tenth place only telling some of the story of both his and the team's weekend.

As in previous rounds, Cox was immediately on the pace and a steady run in Free Practice set him up nicely for Qualifying One. The session was red-flagged within two laps and on the re-start Victor quickly made his intentions clear when he went almost two seconds quicker from Free Practice to post a lap of 2m:12.99s to briefly top the session and put him well in the hunt for a high qualifying placing, however this was to be the last of his action for the day as he pulled out after only four laps with what was later diagnosed as a thrown rod on the Ninja ZX-10R. The team rolled up their sleeves and worked well into the evening to put a spare engine into Victor's bike but it was certainly not the start to the weekend that neither he nor the team quite had in mind.

Despite this setback there was some consolation in that Victor's best lap was still good enough for 8th, despite missing well over half the session!

So on to the second qualifying session and Cox was soon back in the groove and he once more laid down an early benchmark time with a 2m:12.27s lap to again lead the session. Victor slipped to 10th in the latter stages but a final lap of 2m:11.90s, one of only nine riders to dip under the 2m:12s mark, enabled him to claw back another place and finish ninth for a third row start, but rueing his bad luck in the first session. Both he and team-mate Conor Cummins shared the third best time through the finish line speed trap.

The early morning light rain on Sunday had thankfully long since dispersed as the race got underway and as they came round to complete the first lap, Victor was in a four man group in 9th place with Taylor Knapp, Joe Dickinson and Joe Burns. On to the conclusion of the second lap and the Blackhorse Kawasaki teamster was gamely holding on to ninth but this time he had four riders for company in the form of Marshall Neill, Adam Jenkinson, Burns and championship leader Richard Cooper. Victor moved into 7th on the third lap but the see-saw battle continued as he slipped back to ninth on the next lap.

For the next four laps he became embroiled in a battle with Adam Jenkinson for ninth with the two continually swapping places. On the ninth lap Jenkinson finally moved clear with Daniel Johnson demoting Cox to 11th but on the next lap Victor fought back to pass Johnson and hold on to finish in the top ten.

Joint second quickest through the Sector One speed trap, Victor's tenth place has consolidated his 7th position in the championship with one round to go at Brands Hatch in two weeks time.

Manxman Conor Cummins was left frustrated on Sunday when he just missed out on the points. Competing on the Silverstone GP circuit for the first time, Conor finished in 18th place for, amazingly, the fifth time this season so was disappointed not to have added to his tally of Championship points.

Having missed the corresponding meeting 12 months ago due to recovering from the injuries sustained in his Isle of Man TT crash, Conor set about learning the 3.6-mile circuit during practice as well as trying to find a good set-up with the ZX-10R Kawasaki. Reducing his lap times in each and every session, he ended qualifying in 25th place to head off the seventh row.

A good start to the 11-lap race saw Conor leap up the order to lie in 20th place at the end of the first lap and although he briefly slipped back to 21st he was back up to 19th at the end of the fourth lap. This soon became 17th as he overhauled both Jonathan Railton and Michael O'Brien but that was as high as he was able to climb as a major front wheel slide saw him drop back to 20th two laps later. He managed to climb back up to 18th at the chequered flag but was left frustrated as to how his race had gone.

Meanwhile, Blackhorse Kawasaki manager/rider Ian Lougher had a busy time at Silverstone. As well as overseeing team matters, Ian enjoyed an outing on the Team Repli-Cast UK Racing 125cc machine in the latest round of the highly competitive Sunoco British 125GP Championship. 15th at the end of the first lap, Ian ran in the top twenty for most of the race and a strong second half took him to the fringe of a place in the points. A big word of thanks goes to Gary Dawson of Repli-Cast UK.

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Solid Weekend for Lougher at Oliver's Mount

Blackhorse Kawasaki's Ian Lougher came away from the Steve Henshaw International Gold Cup meeting at the weekend with no fewer than eight top 5 placings including three podium finishes. The weather was expected to play a big part in proceedings and indeed it was dull and overcast conditions that greeted competitors and fans alike early on Saturday morning. Thankfully, by the time practice commenced at 9.00am the skies had cleared and a gentle wind was drying the 2.43-mile Oliver’s Mount circuit. With practice and qualifying completed, Lougher's first race of the day was the four-lap second heat of the Darran Lindsay Superbike Trophy in which he finished fourth. Next up for Ian was the 1st Leg of the same event, Race 5 on the programme. Red flags came out in the early stages of the race and the restart over four laps saw John McGuinness take the hole-shot and lead at the end of the first lap from Ryan Farquhar and Michael Dunlop with Ian sixth. But at the flag it was Farquhar from McGuinness and Michael Dunlop, with William Dunlop, Lougher and Dean Harrison completing the top six. Race seven saw the first heat of two for the David Jefferies 600 Supersport Cup. Here Craig Shirlaw got the hole-shot, but it was William Dunlop who had the lead at the end of the opening lap of four, followed by Shirlaw and Lougher. Dunlop had a 4.2 second lead at the end of the second lap, but Ian had relegated Shirlaw to third and on the next lap he closed the gap between himself and Dunlop to 3.43 seconds with only one lap to go. At the chequered flag it was Dunlop taking his first 4-stroke win at Oliver’s Mount, 3.47 seconds ahead of Ian, with Craig Shirlaw taking third. Race 9 was the first leg for the Phil Mellor Trophy for 650cc SuperTwins and in this one Ian had a lonely ride on Stewart Smith's ER-6R to finish fifth and he followed this up with a fourth place finish on the Ninja ZX-6R in the first leg of the David Jefferies Supersport Cup to bring his first day's action to a close. Blue skies and bright sunshine were the order of the day in Scarborough on Sunday morning, however the Oliver’s Mount circuit was shrouded in sea mist as practice got underway at 9.00am. Ian's day got off to a disappointing start with a non-finish in the second leg of the Darran Lindsay Superbike Trophy where he pulled in after one lap and next on the agenda was the second leg of the Phil Mellor SuperTwins Trophy. Ian was third at the halfway point but as the rain arrived he parted company with the intermediate shod ER-6 at Mere Hairpin. Uninjured, Ian re-mounted to finish fourth. Next up was the feature race of the meeting the International Steve Henshaw Gold Cup. Showers were a prominent feature of the afternoon in the Scarborough area and had left one part of the Oliver's Mount circuit dry and the other half soaking wet as Farquhar and McGuinness led into Mere Hairpin, but it was Farquhar who led up Sheene Rise on the opening lap of eight. At the end of the first lap, it was still Farquhar by 0.40 secs from McGuinness, with Keith Pringle third one second behind and Lougher going well in fourth. Lap two and Farquhar’s lead had increased to half a second with the top 12 places remaining unchanged. By lap five, Ian was on the move and with a 1:56.18, the fourth fastest lap of the race, he was up into third and he quickly opened up a 1.5 second advantage over Pringle now in fourth with Michael Dunlop fifth. And at the end it was Farquhar from John McGuinness with Lougher third, 1.2 secs clear of fourth place man Michael Dunlop. Race 18 the second leg for the David Jefferies Supersport Trophy saw Ian retire to the paddock in the early stages of the race but he quickly made amends in his last race of the day, as he harried his old sparring partner Chris Palmer in the 2nd leg of the Stu Reed 125cc Trophy to finish second with the two well clear of the rest of the field. So another solid weekend's work at Oliver's Mount for Ian Lougher. His excellent third in the feature Gold Cup race was the third year in a row that the former winner has stood on the podium in this prestigious race and remarkably he has also done so seven times in the last eight years! Ian now reverts back to the role of team manager for the next installment of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship at Silverstone this weekend 23-25 September when Victor Cox and Conor Cummins will again be in action.

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Magnificent seven for Farquhar at the Mount

Ryan Farquhar ended his 2011 road racing season in magnificent style at the weekend when he won all seven of his races at the International Gold Cup at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough, the highlight of which was getting his name on the feature trophy for the very first time. It was also the first time an Irishman had won the Gold Cup in its 60-year history and Ryan also added the David Jefferies, Darran Lindsay and Phil Mellor trophies to his haul of silverware.

Saturday’s race action around the 2.43-mile public road course saw fine, sunny conditions and, after winning his two heats, Ryan’s first race was the opening leg of the Darran Lindsay Superbike Trophy event, reduced to four laps after an incident. It was John McGuinness who led in the early stages but Ryan was able to squeeze through at Mountside Hairpin on the third lap and hold on by just under a second for his first victory. Next up was the first leg of the Phil Mellor Supertwins Trophy and it was again tight as Ryan this time had to overcome the challenge of Ivan Lintin Overtaking him at the Memorial, Ryan began to pull away and, aided by a new lap record, he eventually took the chequered flag by 3.1s. His final race of the day was the first leg for the David Jefferies Trophy and although he had a three-second lead by the end of lap 3, regular rivals Michael and William Dunlop gradually began to reel him and the trio were soon nose to tail. However, Ryan was able to keep them at the bay and grab the win from William by 0.838s.

Sunday saw the riders greeted by vastly different conditions, firstly fog and secondly rain, and so it was a wet race for the second leg of the Darran Lindsay Trophy. Again it was McGuinness who grabbed the holeshot and the TT legend led for three quarters of the race before Ryan was finally able to take over at the front. He duly did so on lap 6 to take the win and the trophy and it was a similar outcome of the second Supertwins race although this time he led the race from start to finish.

In the feature Gold Cup race, Ryan’s chances of becoming the first ever Irish victor had never been better but it was no foregone conclusion and it was again a two-horse race between him and McGuinness. There was little to choose between the two but, just after half race distance, Ryan broke the tow and was able to pull away to finally add his name to the highly prestigious trophy. He completed his day with another start to finish victory in the second leg of the 600cc event to regain the David Jefferies Trophy.

Indeed, it was a successful day all round for the KMR Kawasaki team with Jamie Hamilton taking third and fourth in the two Supertwins races, which included beating Ian Lougher, the most successful man ever at Scarborough, excellent results for the 20-year old on his circuit debut.

Speaking afterwards, a delighted Ryan said: “To have a 100% winning record this weekend is absolutely brilliant and to finally win the Gold Cup is the icing on the cake. I’ve been 2nd and 3rd in the past and it’s been the one trophy to elude me here at Oliver’s Mount but to win it at last is great and to become the first Irishman to get my name on the trophy makes it even more special. None of the races this weekend were easy though and John pushed me hard in all of the Superbike races. It’s probably the best I’ve ever seen him ride round here and I really enjoyed our battles, he’s such a good rider to race with.”

“Sunday was especially hard with the weather conditions and it was really slippery out there, especially under the trees, but we had the right tyres in each race and it all came together perfectly. Like I say to win 7 out of 7 is superb and it really doesn’t get much better than that. I was again really pleased with the efforts of Jamie this weekend too and it’s a pleasure to have him in the team. It wasn’t the easiest weekend for a circuit newcomer but he did a great job and to get on the podium, and ahead of Ian Lougher, is no mean achievement and something to be proud of.”

“It’s the end of the season for me and, overall, it’s been a good year. There’ve been a few ups and downs along the way but we’ve taken some wins and been competitive so I can’t complain so a big thank you to all my sponsors and to all the fans who’ve supported me during the year.”

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Up and down Donnington for Connor Behan

A busy weekend at Donington, with two races for the Superstock 600 riders. The first being the re-run of the Oulton Park race which was cancelled due to bad weather, back in July. The qualifying times stood from then, which saw Connor take the position of 9th on the grid. The race being 10 laps, Connor got off to a good start and shot up to 3rd place behind Farmer and Irwin. Lap 5 saw Deane Brown take Connor and a mini battle with Brown and Blackshaw began. Lap 8 saw Connor retake 3rd place from Brown, then he had a huge moment which dropped him back down to 5th. Desperately seeking a podium, Connor managed to take Johnny Blackshaw but was unable to pass Deane Brown and crossed the line just 0.235 second behind, taking 4th place and 13 Championship points.

Race 2, Connor qualified in 6th place. He got an excellent start and took to the front, leading for the first 4 laps, then a nudge by Irwin took Connor on to the grass and he dropped back down to 4th behind Irwin, Blackshaw and Brown. Desperate to regain his position, Connor tried to go on the inside as Blackshaw and Brown had a coming together, but he tipped off at the Melbourne Hairpin. Luckily unhurt he jumped back on the bike, but had to retire to the pits with a broken gear leaver. Meanwhile back in the race, Irwin continued to lead and finally took the chequered flag, with Blackshaw and Brown finishing off the podium. Championship leader Keith Farmer finished in 6th place and secured the 2011 title, with Connor 58 points adrift and only 50 points available out of the next two races. Connor still sits in 2nd place in the Championship, but the gap closes behind him, only 10 points clear of Glenn Irwin.

Very disappointed with the outcome with his first DNF of the season, but a small consolation of setting the new lap record of 1:35.920 on lap 6 of the race.

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Brands Hatch Report

Despite the organisers making what many agreed was a premature and surprising decision to cancel the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 race following a red flag incident at the end of the opening lap, Blackhorse Kawasaki more than made their mark in the final meeting of the season at Brands Hatch.

Once again, as in the previous Brands Hatch round in August, Free Practice took place over the Indy circuit as opposed to the GP course to be used for qualifying and race day.

Again Victor Cox was well to the fore, finishing as quickest of the Kawasaki runners in eighth, 0.53secs off the fastest time. But equally as pleasing for the team was the performance of Conor Cummins who finished the session in 14th, just over half a second behind his team-mate.

On to first qualifying on the GP circuit and, as has been the case in recent rounds, Cox was again in the mix finishing 8th quickest 0.73secs off the pace and fifth fastest through the second sector with Cummins in 19th just under a second away from a place in the top ten. The team's two Ninja ZX-10Rs were among seven Kawasakis in the top twenty with the second session to come later in the day.

Occupying a provisional second row start after first qualifying, Victor was determined to round off his season with a place on the front row of the grid and this he did with some style as halfway through the session he posted a lap of 1m:28.97s, an improvement of almost a second on his first session time, to move into second overall with only the newly crowned champion Richard Cooper managing to go quicker. Cox also posted the 2nd, 3rd and 4th best times respectively through each of the three sectors. Not to be outdone, Cummins also improved on his first qualifying time, going over half a second quicker to finish 16th.

So the last series of qualifying sessions for 2011 drew to a close with Cox the highest placed Kawasaki rider in second and Cummins heading the fifth row in 17th as both riders took their place on the grid on race day in an extremely positive frame of mind.

As the lights changed Victor got a great start and was lying second as they rounded Druids for the first time, but as they came out of the Clark Curve at the end of the lap it was the Blackhorse Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R in front as Cox made his early intentions clear. However the drama was unfolding behind, Richard Cooper and Marshall Neill had both crashed at Dingle Dell in separate incidents and the race was immediately placed under safety car conditions. Then at the end of the Brabham Straight on the same lap, John Crockford collided with the rider ahead of him Freddy Pett and the race was immediately red flagged, as the riders prepared for the customary re-run.

However it was not to be as it was soon announced that the race had in fact been cancelled, a decision which left a disappointed Cox rueing the missed prospect of a race win and with it a top five place in the championship, with the general consensus being that the race should have been re-run over a shorter distance as was the case concerning the following 125cc and Supersport races.

On a positive note, Cox had once again established himself as one of the main players in the championship and, but for a run of bad luck earlier in the season, would surely have been a championship contender. For Cummins, 2011 was always going to be a season to ease himself back into racing following his 2010 Isle of Man TT crash and the popular Manxman can be proud of his what he has achieved this year.

Blackhorse Kawasaki would like to thank everyone who has followed and supported the team in 2011, and now look forward to a successful 2012 season.

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Sizzling year for Cookstown/BE Racing

2011 turned out to be a sizzling year for road racing star John Burrows and you would have expected nothing less after the Dungannon man landed Cookstown, the famous sausage producer, as his title sponsor for the year. Armed with a Suzuki 1000 Superbike, a Kawasaki 1000 Superstock, a Supersport 600 Yamaha and a Kawasaki 650 for the Supertwins class, Burrows and his Cookstown/BE Racing team proved to be one of the major forces on the roads of Ireland and the Isle of Man in the campaign which started at Cookstown back in April and concluded at Killalane in North County Dublin in September.

On his fairly local turf of Cookstown, where he was Man of the Meeting in 2006, Burrows was a little 'ring rusty' after the winter lay-off, and consequently got his campaign off to an unspectacular start. After taking seventh and tenth places in the Superbike races, he produced is best performance of the day in the Supertwins race when he started his defence of the Irish Supertwins crown with a third place behind Ryan Farquhar and rising Skerries rider Andrew Farrell.

A week later at Tandragee, there was a marked improvement in Burrows' form and the results clicked up another gear. In the Superbike race, Burrows finished a fine third behind Michael Dunlop and Farquhar, he repeated that performance in the Supertwins event in which he was only bettered by Farquhar and Adrian Archibald. A good day's work was capped with a fifth position in the Supersport race.

Mid-May brought the International North West 200 which was blighted by rain, an oil slick and a security alert. The organisers were only able to run one of the six scheduled events and in the completed Supersport 600 race Burrows finished a creditable fourteenth.

For the first two weeks in June, the road racing fraternity settled into the Isle of Man for the famous TT races. Burrows had high hopes of adding to his previous top ten finishes on the 37.73 miles Mountain Circuit, but mechanical problems limited him to just two finishes from six starts. He was particularly unlucky to be denied a third place finish in the Zero Emissions TT when the batteries on his USA built Lightning machine went flat in the closing stages of the race. Burrows finished eleventh in the Superbike TT on his Suzuki 1000 and first time out on his new Kawasaki 1000 he missed a Superstock TT top twenty finish by just 15 seconds after 75 minutes of action.

Burrows did manage to set a new personal best Isle of Man lap speed of 124.8 mph which kept him at the sharp end of the all time fastest list.

June ended with the Bush road races which take place just a few miles away from Burrows' home in Carland which is on the outskirts of Dungannon. Local knowledge didn't bring the 38-year-old a win, but his local fans were well satisfied with a string of top class results. Burrows finished fourth in both Superbike races, third in the Supersport 600 race behind Farquhar and M. Dunlop and came second in the Supertwins race behind Man of the Meeting Farquhar.

July began with a trip to the picturesque Skerries venue in North County Dublin and in blistering heat Burrows had a great day. Burrows and his 650 Kawasaki won their race to move to the top of the Irish Supertwins Championship table above Ryan Farquhar. The Supertwins race had a nervy ending as the Kawasaki developed a minor engine problem in the closing stages and as the Cookstown/BE pilot nursed it to the chequered flag he saw his lead reduced from seven seconds to just half a second by Michael Sweeney. Earlier in the day, Burrows took second place behind Dubliner Derek Sheils in the Superbike Championship race. In that race, John had the satisfaction of beating Michael Dunlop and William Dunlop.

A week after Skerries, the venue for racing was Walderstown in County Westmeath. Burrows took two fourth places on his Superbike and while he extended his lead in the Supertwins Championship with a second place in the class for 650cc twins, he was cross with himself for not winning the race on his Kawasaki. He said: "I followed Andrew Farrell for most of the race before making a clean move to the front. When I took the lead, I thought the job was done, but I underestimated Andrew and he took victory with a last gasp pass. Complacency cost me the win."

The International Kells road races took place on July 16/17 when bad weather made conditions treacherous. Burrows was again a frustrated man after the Supertwins affair in which he was relegated to second place on the last lap by Michael Sweeney. Burrows finished fourth in both the Supersport and Superbike Championship races while he took fifth in the Grand Final. He led the Superbike race for quite some time but dropped back in the closing stages when the rear rain tyre he had chosen began to disintegrate and cause serious handling problems.

The longest trip for the Cookstown/BE Racing team in July was to Athea in County Limerick but the many hours on the road were made worthwhile by a great win and three other rostrum finishes. Frustrated by narrow Supertwins defeats in the previous weeks at Walderstown and Kells, Burrows and his 650 Kawasaki made were determined not to let another victory slip away and they won by a massive fifteen seconds. In the 600, Superbike and Grand Final races, Burrows and the Dunlop Brothers were the men to the fore. In the 600 race the finishing order was Michael Dunlop, William Dunlop, Burrows while in the Superbike race Burrows split the Ballymoney siblings with Michael winning. There was a top prize of €5000 for the winner of the Grand Final and Burrows fought hard for the money but in the end the big payout went to William Dunlop who won by two seconds. There was a photo finish for second between Burrows and Michael Dunlop and the €2000 for second was awarded to the Ballymoney rider. Burrows had to settle for the third prize of €500 but he was still satisfied with his performance. He said: "Michael Dunlop and I were side by side as we crossed the finishing line. The timing system gave him second place by just three hundredths of a second. To give a TT winner like Michael such a tough run proves how well my team and I are performing at present."

After four consecutive weekends in the Republic of Ireland, a hectic July for Cookstown/BE Racing ended with a trip to North Antrim for the Armoy Race of Legends event where Burrows had mixed fortunes. He failed to finish the Supersport and Grand Final events, took a top ten finish in the Superbike Championship race but produced the goods in the Supertwins race to take a second place behind Farquhar which strengthened his grip on the Supertwins title.

Next up was the annual Mid-Antrim road races at Clough. Burrows had scored three rostrum finishes in 2010 and after qualifying on the front row for the Superbike, Supersport and Supertwins races, the Tyrone engineer was more than confident of at least equalling that achievement this year. However, vandals poured oil on the circuit prior to racing and when rain entered the mix, the organisers were left with no option but to abandon the meeting. Burrows was one of many riders who was bitterly disappointed and angered by the sabotage but he did have the consolation of being confirmed as 2011 Irish Supertwins Champion. With only two races to follow after Mid-Antrim, Burrows' had an unassailable lead at the top of the table.

There was little time for celebration as the team made their way straight to Dundrod for the Dundrod 150 and Ulster Grand Prix meetings. At the Dundrod 150 Burrows was pleased with third in the Supertwins race behind Farquhar and Wayne Hamilton, but he was very frustrated that the Superbike race was red flagged and then abandoned when he was holding a terrific fourth place. At the time of the stoppage, Burrows and his 1000cc Suzuki were ahead of a glut of factory riders whom he was out-performing in tricky conditions. Burrows said: "To have the Superbike race stopped when I was on the verge of a great result was frustrating but I realise safety is paramount and it was the right decision."

Two days later at the Ulster Grand Prix, Burrows added another International rostrum to his CV when he finished third in the Supertwins race behind two former TT winners, Farquhar and Archibald. Burrows just lost second place to Archibald by a fraction of a second. Up against factory machinery from Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki in the three races for 1000cc machinery, Burrows took three admirable thirteenth positions and posted his fastest ever lap of the famous 7.4 miles circuit - averaging 126.82 mph.

The Ulster Grand Prix was followed by the longest trip of the year for Cookstown/BE Racing but all concerned enjoyed the action at Timoleague in Cork despite the 600 miles round trip. Burrows tasted victory 'in the deep south' after fending off the determined challenge of local man Ciaran O'Callaghan in the Supertwins race. On a circuit that was being used for the first time, there was a Michael Dunlop. Derek Sheils, John Burrows one-two-three in the Superbike, Supersport and Grand Final events. So Burrows headed north with four rostrum finishes from four starts.

The road racing season came to a conclusion at Killalane on September 11th and Burrows and his Cookstown/BE Racing team finished their campaign strongly. The popular Tyrone rider mounted the rostrum no less than three times. With a little luck Burrows could have won the Superbike Championship race on his Cookstown/BE Suzuki GSXR 1000. When Michael Dunlop crashed, Burrows was left in front with a three seconds advantage and he was looking odds on for the win. However, the race was stopped and had to be restarted. When the action resumed, Burrows fought hard with Ryan Farquhar for the victory but lost out - by only 0.99 of a second. Burrows beat both Dunlop brothers in the race. The result secured third overall in the Irish Superbike Championship for JB and his hard working boys. When the Superbike runners came out again for the Grand Final, it was Michael Dunlop who stormed to victory, leaving Burrows, Farquhar and Sheils to fight for second place. Burrows was happy that he lapped quicker than his Tyrone rival Farquhar, but it was the Killyman rider who won the battle with Burrows taking third a few bike lengths ahead of Dubliner Sheils. Burrows finished second on his 650 Kawasaki to Farquhar in the Supertwins race but took more satisfaction from his big bike rides.

In summary, John Burrows and Cookstown/BE Racing were one of the most potent bodies in the sport of pure road racing during 2011. This year's success provides an excellent platform to build on for next year. Watch out for exciting announcements about the team's plans for 2012 in the near future.

John and his hard working crew take a lot of the credit but the sponsors are also an integral part of the Cookstown/BE Racing team. Thanks go to Cookstown, Burrows Engineering, H2 Engineering, Wayne Acheson Racing, Cookstown Caravans Ltd, Joni B Supporters Club, Cavanagh Kelly, George Davidson Workspace Rentals, Ian Burrows Car Body Repairs, Gas & Plumbing Services (GPS), GMC Signage, RK Plumbing & Heating, Lightning Motorcycles, Kronos Audio Visual, KBM Racing, Shirlaw's Motorcycles, Gerry O'Sullivan Racing, CSC Racing, Hel, Knox, Skidmarx, TCX Boots, Shark Helmets, Pirelli Tyres, Gortreagh Printing, Ferodo Brakes, GB Racing, D, Deveney Auto Electrics, TAS Suzuki, Holeshot Racing, Talon, Motul Oils, Scott Leathers, NGK Spark Plugs, www.daingeanbike.com, John McCullough, R&G, Leo Vince Exhausts, Pro-Bolt, Pazzo Racing, Speedycom Performance, Ian Milne & Sons, Mark Hamilton, Baylon McCaughey, Jack, Rachel and every member of the loyal crew.

Final Championship Positions

Irish Supertwins:
1, John Burrows, 207 pts; 2, Andrew Farrell, 126; 3, Ryan Farquhar, 125; 4, Ronan Pentony, 85; 5, Derek Costello, 76; 6, Reuben McPhee, 72

Irish Superbikes:
1, Michael Dunlop, 182 pts; 2, Derek Sheils, 124; 3, John Burrows, 118; 4, William Dunlop, 100; 5, Ryan Farquhar, 95; 6, Michael Pearson, 60

Irish Supersport:
1, Michael Dunlop, 223 pts; 2, Derek Sheils, 119; 3, Ryan Farquhar, 110; 4, William Dunlop, 96; 5, John Burrows, 95; 6, Michael Sweeney, 63

Duke International Road Race Rankings
1, Ryan Farquhar; 2, William Dunlop; 3, Michael Dunlop; 4, Ian Lougher; 5, John Burrows; 6, Chris Palmer; 7, Guy Martin; 8, Cameron Donald; 9, Davy Morgan; 10, Ronan Pentony

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Reeves ends British Championship season in dominant style

Tim Reeves completed his British F1 Sidecar Championship season in superb style at the weekend when, together with passenger Gregory Cluze, he dominated proceedings at the final round at Mondello Park, Southern Ireland. The Kent driver was in imperious form in the monsoon-like conditions and walked away with victory in all three of the races to make it 14 from the 20 held this season.

Having clinched the title the previous weekend at Silverstone and then qualified comfortably on pole, there was no let up from Tim and Gregory in Saturday’s opening race and despite the torrential rain that was falling, they saw off the challenge of Ben Holland/Lee Watson to take a commanding eight-second victory.

The rain was still falling on Sunday but Tim was determined to make it win number 2. This time he had to work even harder for the victory as Roger Lovelock/Rick Lawrence led them in the early stages but, with visibility continuing to be a problem, Reeves bided his time before making his move on lap 4 to eventually take a 4.8s victory.

That just left the final race of the season and Tim was in no mood to be beaten. He had to wait though as the race was stopped and then re-started due to an incident, but when it did finally get underway, he made no mistakes and continually edged away from his rivals. His eventual winning margin over runners-up Ben and Tom Birchall was 5.4s, to complete his hat-trick for the weekend and wrap up a truly excellent season.

Reflecting on the meeting and the season, a jubilant Tim said; "I don't know what to say really, the British Championship season has been unbelievable especially as I'd retired in March and wasn't expecting to be racing! Conditions were pretty nasty this weekend with vision really difficult but we've been strong in all weather this year so I just concentrated on keeping on line, and hitting all my apexes and braking points and it paid off perfectly. I've really enjoyed the year and from 20 races in the British Championship I've had 14 wins, 5 seconds and just one DNF due to a brake fluid leak so it really has been phenomenal. To win that many races has been brilliant but it hasn't been easy and we've got a good strong class with a nice, healthy combination of experienced drivers and young, up and coming ones, which bodes really well for the future."

"It's been harder and harder each weekend but we did it in the end and it's been a real team effort so a big thanks to my Dad, Chris and Gregory and also to all my sponsors for rallying round and getting me back on track - Neil Tuxworth (Honda Racing), Clive Padgett, the Haith family, H&S Contractors, Ian and Sam Hamilton (Express Tyres (Lockerbie), Yorkshire Engine Suppliers, Gunther Reuschling, Sean Hegarty, John Lawson (Lawson Surfacing), Andy & Nicky Percy, Nigel & Annie Connole, Derek Brindley (Arrow Engineering) and Graham Temple and Norman Burgess (Silkolene). Without them it wouldn't have been possible."

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Connor Behan 3rd Superstock 600 Championship

Hi All,

Well that's the 2011 BSB Season over for another year! Doesn't time fly!!

Overall a very good year, finishing 3rd in the National Superstock 600 Championship. Luck seemed to run out towards the last few rounds, after the DNF at Donington, then being taken out on the first lap at Silverstone.

But a race win at Brands Hatch, 2 lap records broken, and a couple more podiums has made up it!

Looking ahead now to 2012, not sure what will happen. The top 3 in the Superstock 600 cannot enter this class again, so a move up to Supersport or Superstock 1000 is the next step.

We would sincerely like to thank each and everyone of you for your support through the #72 Club, it has helped so much towards the funding of this season, we really could not have done it without you and cannot show our thanks enough.

We will keep you all up to date as to what is happening in 2012, as soon as we know, but if anyone knows anyone who may be interested (or has a nice boss who doesn't like paying too much to the tax man!) in coming on board for sponsoring, please ask them to get in touch, we will have sponsorship packages to suit.

Off to Anglesey for the final round of the Wirral 100 this weekend! Looks like its going to be a wet and windy one!

Oh almost forgot, the member who is nearest to the final points - 128 is Quality Catering with 161 - a signed picture will be on its way!

Thanks again everyone!

All at Connor Behan Racing

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Neary and Hawes win British F2 Championship

Using Maxton Suspension Simon Neary with Ashley Hawes in the chair of the Hudspeth/Crowe Racing LCR Honda duly won the British FII Sidecar Championship after a fascinating and exciting weekend's racing.

Neary won Saturday's opener, which stretched his lead to 21 points, and although 2010 champions John Holden and Andy Winkle (D&A Walmsley LCR Suzuki) won the final race, Neary finished third to take the title by 12 points.

In an equally dramatic finale, Frenchman Frank Lelias, passengered by Mike Aylott (L&W Contractors LCR Suzuki) clinched the FII Cup.





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