Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship
Round Two: Thruxton
12th-14th April 2013

Good start to season For Lougher at Scarbourough

Ian Lougher got his 2013 season underway on Sunday when he returned to the Ian Watson Spring Cup National Road Races meeting at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough after a one year absence.

The circuit's most successful ever rider came away from the meeting, the 180th road race at the North Yorkshire venue since the first race in 1946, with some valuable track time under his belt as he keeps one eye firmly on the forthcoming North-West 200 and Isle of Man TT races.

For the 2013 season on the roads, Ian has teamed up with W.A. Corless/Jackson Racing and renewed his partnership with Repli-Cast UK Racing.

Good weather was forecast for the meeting and this was indeed the case as practice got underway promptly at 9am in excellent conditions for the first road race of the season and the opening round of the Duke Road Race Rankings Championship of which Lougher was the inaugural winner back in 2002 and has since won on two more occasions.

Ian's first race of the day was in the Ultra-Lightweight/400cc race with his big threat coming from his regular sparring partner and pole position man Chris Palmer. And indeed it was Palmer who got the hole-shot as the 6-lap race got underway. Palmer was leading the pack by 1.9 seconds at the end of the first lap, followed by Lougher, and Alistair Haworth and the gap was similar as they completed their second lap with Ian still in second.

At half distance Ian, on the Repli-Cast UK Racing machine, had reduced the leader's advantage to 1.6 seconds but Palmer responded with a sub two minute lap next time round to increase his advantage to 2.5 seconds with Lougher now coming under pressure from Haworth. The penultimate lap saw the Manxman once again increase his lead to over three seconds and at the flag it was Palmer took the victory by 4.19 secs from Alistair Haworth with Ian third.

Ian's next race was Race 3 of the day, the first heat for the feature Ian Watson Spring Cup over four laps. Ian quickly tucked in behind early leader Paul Gartland who led by just 0.17secs at the end of the first lap. On the second lap it was still Gartland from Lougher with Jamie Hamilton, Davy Morgan and Mick Goodings also in contention. Hamilton took over the lead with a lap to go followed by Ian with the two starting to break clear and this was the positions at the chequered flag with Ian a clear second from Davy Morgan.

Race 6, the first leg of the Junior 600, saw Ian's first appearance on the W.A. Corless/Jackson Racing bike and unfortunately after running in the top six for the first four laps, the Welshman had to retire from proceedings on the sixth lap.

After a well earned break, it was on to the W.A. Corless/Jackson Racing Superbike for the first leg of the Ian Watson Spring Cup. Guy Martin grabbed the early initiative and led at the end of the opening lap from Michael Pearson with Lougher in third.

At half distance, Martin's advantage was 2.9 seconds from Pearson and Hamilton with Ian fourth from Dean Harrison and Goodings. Ian held Harrison off for another lap before the Bradford man got past with two laps to go and it was Martin who took the win with Ian a secure fifth.

It was straight out again and back to the smaller machinery for Ian as he renewed his rivalry with Chris Palmer in the Ultra Lightweight/400 second leg.

Again it was Palmer who got the hole-shot from pole and he led at the end of the opening lap by 1.66 seconds from Ian with Seamus Elliott in third and the lead was similar at the end of the second lap.

At half race distance the lead was up to 2 seconds with positions remaining the same. Palmer extended his advantage to 2.7 seconds at the end of the fourth lap and a further second was added by the end of the penultimate lap with Ian a lonely second by almost 7 seconds from Elliott and it remained that way at the flag.

Ian had barely time to catch his breath, as next up was the second leg of the 600cc event.

Daniel Frear grabbed the lead into Mere Hairpin as the riders set off on the first of the six-laps, but it was Michael Pearson who led the pack at the end of the opening lap. Ivan Lintin was second from Frear, Harrison, Martin and Lougher with a gap developing to seventh place man Goodings.

Half distance saw Guy Martin in front followed three-quarters of a second behind by Lintin then came Harrison, Pearson, Lougher and Hamilton.

On the fifth lap Ian was riding strongly to hold off Hamilton but just lost out on the last lap, finishing sixth by just 0.32 seconds.

With spots of rain now falling, Lougher's final race of the day was the second leg of the Ian Watson Spring Cup race and he was riding well in fifth when the race was red-flagged on the fourth lap.

So a satisfactory outing for Ian with three finishes in the top three and a total of five placings in the top six from six starts.

Brilliant start to 2013 continues for SMT Racing

SMT Racing’s superb start to the 2013 British F1 Sidecar Championship continued at Thruxton at the weekend with wins for team members Tim and Tristan Reeves 

The Reeves brothers were again in invincible form around the Hampshire venue and, despite inclement conditions, duly took pole position for the first of the British F1 Sidecar Championship races, which was held over until Sunday when the weather was considerably better. Cut to eight laps due to a congested timetable, the Kent duo resisted pressure from Sean Hegarty/Calum Lawson in the early stages before edging away and when the latter dropped out on the penultimate lap, they were able to come home for a commanding 13 second victory.

Later in the day, they completed their double which was made slightly easier with the non-appearance of the Hegarty/Lawson outfit, whilst the race was also brought to an early end after Phil Sloane fell out of the chair of reigning Champion Roger Lovelock. The results meant that with four wins from four starts, Tim and Tristan maintained their 100% record and with the maximum 100 points, they already have a formidable looking 47-point advantage in the Championship table.

Speaking later, team owner Robin Croft said; “It’s been another great weekend for the team and was almost a carbon copy of the results from Brands Hatch a week earlier. We knew that it would be a little bit more difficult getting the bike set-up for Jenko as it’s still very new to everyone but it didn’t show and he looked comfortable throughout the three days whatever the weather. Conditions were tricky but he was simply unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as he was just sitting in second place biding his time behind Johnson. He felt confident with the pace and was planning to make his move in the last couple of laps but that’s what can happen when a race gets stopped early.”

“His pace was excellent and he ran in the top three all weekend and if anyone had told me two weeks ago we’d get first and second and have a 20-point lead after the first two rounds, I’d have taken it. As for Tim, we’re going to have to call him Ronseal as he does exactly what it says on the tin! He felt confident of taking pole position and the race wins and that’s exactly what he did. He was under pressure though in the first race and it certainly wasn’t easy but he took a great double again and with five wins and a second from our first six races, we’re a very happy team and very much looking forward to our local round.”

Cal Cooper race report

Cal Cooper produced a stunning ride in the second round of the BSB 600 Superstock series at Thruxton to go 5th overall in the championship. The 16 year old from Ramsey, Isle of Man, was languishing in 17th place after the pace car was called out for four laps following a first lap incident.

With just nine 2.3 mile laps of Britian¹s fastest circuit remaining in which to try and retrieve the situation, Cooper¹s brave riding saw him claw his way back to the front end of the race in blistering fashion.

Said Cooper who ended up 7th: ŒI was pushed out wide on the right hander after the start and lost eight places. It was so frustrating sitting behind the car and watching the laps countdown, but I kept plugging away and thought I¹d nicked 6th in the end.¹ The first two riders home and Cooper were the only ones to dip under the 1 minute20 seconds barrier with Manx Sports Institute supported Manxman finding the JDF Racing-prepared Kawasaki a much prospect after an overnight gearing change. Despite running on settings used by last year¹s champion, Cooper was languishing in 9th place after Q2, held in dry conditions, which left a dozen or so riders within one second  of each other.

However Sunday's warm-up saw him go top ahead of the eventual first and second placemen.

Cal expressed his thanks to the JDF team, Paul Dedman Performance, Richard Adam¹s of Maxton Suspension, Dean Teversham Flooring, IoM Sports Institute and Peter Duke of Duke Video.

Excellent Thruxton Superstock 1000 race for Maxton riders

It was an excellent weekend for Maxton suspended riders in the National Superstock 1000 championship at Thruxton.

After the weather cut the track time down in qualifying and free practice, Steve Brogan started front row in 4th place and Jonathan Howarth had an excellent qualifying session ending up in 5th and Victor Cox a row back in 12th place.

Race day came and Aussie Dave Johnson led throughout to take the victory aboard his Four Angels Racing Kawasaki. Adam Jenkinson, the winner of the opening round, took second place on the SMT Kawasaki and Steve Brogan took his first podium of the year with a third place aboard his Kawasaki.

Jonathan Howarth equalled his best place finish in the Superstock 1000 class coming 5th and Victor Cox had an excellent race battling through to 6th place.

Hamilton gives KMR Kawasaki winning start to 2013 season

The KMR Kawasaki powered by Vauxhall (Northern Ireland dealers) team got their 2013 road racing season underway at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough on Sunday and it proved to be a winning start with Jamie Hamilton taking two victories in the Supertwins class.

The Ballyclare rider led both races from start to finish for his first wins around the 2.43-mile woodland venue and backed this up with an excellent third in the solitary Superbike race after earlier winning his heat race. Having his first outing in three years on a Supersport machine, he also posted impressive results of fifth and sixth in the two 600cc events.

There was further success for the team with new recruit Connor Behan enjoying a more than satisfactory debut not just with Ryan Farquhar’s squad but also at the circuit. The Northwich rider took the ER6 650cc Kawasaki to fifth and sixth in the Supertwins races whilst he also put in an excellent ride to claim third in the Senior race on the all new 636cc Kawasaki that he’ll campaign in the Irish Senior Support Road Race Championship.

Unfortunately, third team member James Cowton was unable to contest the two Supertwins races due to a practice crash on another machine, damaged ribs keeping him out of action for the day

Speaking at the end of the day, a pleased Farquhar commented; “It’s been a long and busy winter so it’s been good to finally go racing and for our first meeting, it’s been a successful outing. Jamie gave us our first wins of the season in fine style and he looked really comfortable out there on both the Supertwin and Superbike machines. He hasn’t ridden a Supersport machine since he last rode in the British Championship in 2010 though and it’s going to take him a while to get used to it again but he had two good rides today and got quicker each time he went out so he’s made good progress.”

“Connor was having his first ever race at Scarborough and it’s not the easiest place to come to but he went about his day in the perfect manner and I was really pleased with how he applied himself. He was beating himself up a bit to begin with as he felt he should have been going quicker but you can’t rush things on the roads and we spent a lot of the day trying to find a set-up with the bikes that he was comfortable with. Again, like Jamie, he made good progress and to get two top six finishes in the Supertwin races, against some good opposition, was an excellent start.”

“The only downside was James’ practice accident on the 250 as it meant he couldn’t ride our Supertwin machine but he’ll be back. Overall, it’s been a good day and it sets us up nicely for our first meeting at home, the Cookstown 100.”

Double success at Cookstown for KMR Kawasaki

"Connor was having his second meeting with the team but his first in Ireland and to win first time out in the Junior Support race was excellent. To put it into context, his pace would have meant he would have finished seventh in the main Supertwins race whilst his fastest lap was only 0.8s slower than Michael Dunlop's so we're really happy with how he's performing. Starting from so far back in the Senior Support race was always going to be a tall order but, again, he put in a really mature ride and was rewarded with a fine seventh place."

Hamilton and KMR Kawasaki continue winning streak

Jamie Hamilton and the KMR Kawasaki team continued their winning streak on Saturday with another win in the Supertwins class, this time at the Tandragee 100. The 22-year old added to the success already recorded on the 650cc ER6 Kawasaki at Scarborough and Cookstown to maintain his 100% record for the season.

The Ballyclare rider was comfortable throughout the 5-lap race and ended up taking his fourth victory of the season by 2.683s from William Davison. He also enjoyed a solid day in his other races although arm pump prevented him from securing a podium position in the Supersport 600cc race as he slipped back from an early lead to an eventual sixth. Sixth was also the outcome in the feature Tandragee 100 race on the Kawasaki ZX-10R as he enjoyed a good three-rider dice for fourth.

For second rider Connor Behan it was also a strong day as he made his debut around the demanding 5.34-mile road course. Despite problems in qualifying with his Supertwin machine which meant he had to start from the back row of the grid, the Northwich rider fought his way through the field to claim sixth in the Junior Support race whilst an even stronger ride in the Senior Support class saw him take third on the 636cc Kawasaki for his second road race podium in successive weekends.

Speaking later, a pleased team boss Ryan Farquhar commented; “It’s been a pretty good day and with Jamie taking another win in the Supertwins race, we’ve been able to extend our winning streak to four wins in the class and maintain our unbeaten record. He had it under control throughout and rode another good race so, with the class being my priority for the year, it’s great to top the podium once more. He was able to claim two more top six finishes despite suffering from arm pump in the Supersport race, which is something he hasn’t experienced before but Tandragee is one of those circuits where you need to know where to grip the bike tightly and where to relax. It’s one of the most demanding courses on the calendar but he brought the bike home and two more sixth places are good for his experience. I’ve said all along finishing races is the key and that’s what he’s doing.”

“Connor was making his debut at another circuit and wet conditions on Friday didn’t help his learning curve whilst problems with the Supertwin meant he didn’t get to complete a lap. We had to run a lower-spec bike for the race but to get sixth from the back row of the grid was very good whilst third in the Senior Support was obviously an excellent result. He’s finished all his races for us so far and he’s doing everything right so it’s definitely a case of ‘so far, so good’.”

Winning Weekend at Oulton BSB!!

Maxton Suspended riders enjoyed a very successful weekend in the BSB National Superstock 1000 race from Oulton Park this weekend.  After qualifying Maxton equipped riders Hudson Kennaugh, Filip Backlund and Victor Cox were 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively dominating the front row.

On race day Hudson got the hole shot and but it Victor who grabbed the lead on 2nd corner of the first lap and led until the chequered flag bringing his ILR Kawasaki ZX-10R home for his maiden Superstock 1000 victory.  Hudson Kennaugh finished second and third was Joe Burns.  This was the first time Filip Backlund had been to Oulton Park, so when he crossed the line in fourth place the team were overjoyed with his performance and Victor's.  With championship leader Adam Jenkinson struggling this weekend it meant that Victor was able to move into second place in the championship 14 points behind Jenkinson.  Filip moves up to 5th in the championship.

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