Reeves and Cluze take World Championship win at Le Mans
Held alongside the World 24 Hour Endurance Championship, Tim and Gregory showed their intentions in the opening qualifying session when a time of 1m42.619s gave them provisional pole position. A combination of a damp track and a slight misfire, later traced to a blocked fuel pump, meant Tim was unable to go any quicker in the second qualifying session although he did come close to matching his best time. As it was, no one else went quicker either and the Anglo-French duo lined up in pole position for Saturday’s 18-lap race where, with the fuel pump issue rectified, they were in confident form. It was Pekka Paivarinta and Kirsi Kainulainen who got off the line first but Tim wasn’t far behind on the LCR Kawasaki and they took the lead going into the first corner, a lead they weren’t to relinquish. They gradually pulled away from the chasing pack and with a trouble free race, they took the chequered flag from former World Champion Paivarinta by eight seconds. Tim Reeves: “It was a great weekend all round, with a perfect race and great weather making for a really good atmosphere and enjoyable time at Le Mans. The bike was faultless in free practice and qualifying and we were able to match last year’s times and although we had a small issue with a blocked fuel pump in the final qualifying session, we soon got it fixed and I felt really good going into the race.” “Pekka made a good start but I managed to nip up the inside of him going into the first corner and after that, I just got my head down and managed to open up a nice gap, which I was able to control. It’s great to get back to winning ways but Pekka’s getting quicker and quicker all the time and by the next round, he’ll be really pushing hard for the race wins so I need to keep working hard to make sure I keep him behind me. Greg did a superb job as always so thanks very much to all the sponsors for all their support – it’s always nice to repay them with a win.” Back Reeves and Cluze excluded from World Championship opener
Tim Reeves and Gregory Cluze’s hopes of getting their 2015 FIM World Sidecar Championship season underway in winning fashion were dashed at Donington Park on Sunday when they were controversially excluded from the results. The Team E-Aide Motorsport pairing had crossed the line at the end of the 19 lap-race in first place for what they thought was another World Championship victory but a collision at Redgate Corner with Ben and Tom Birchall two laps earlier saw officials rule against them and they were subsequently disqualified after the race. From the very beginning, the weekend had been a nip and tuck affair between the two outfits and, at the conclusion of qualifying, just 0.075s separated them with Tim and Gregory in second despite suffering from gear selection issues when changing from fourth to fifth gears. Former World Champion Steve Abbott played an integral part in remedying the problem and come race day, Tim and Gregory were confident in turning the tables on the Birchalls. 
Sure enough, a good start to the race saw Tim and Gregory take the lead on their LCR Kawasaki and the two outfits regularly swapped places during the race although it was the Team E-Aide Motorsport machine that consistently led over the start and finish line. With two laps to go, the Birchalls overtook going into the final chicane and led across the line but when Tim went to re-take the lead going into the following Redgate Corner, the two outfits collided, subsequently tearing the wheel arch cover off the outfit. Both outfits were able to continue but the Birchalls stopped soon after with a puncture and Tim and Gregory were able to come home for what they thought was a dream start to their World Championship defence. However, the FIM officials adjudicated that the collision was their fault and some three hours after the race had finished, they were disqualified and removed from the results. Adamant they weren’t to blame, a formal appeal has been lodged and Tim and Gregory will now await the outcome. Speaking afterwards, a disappointed Tim said: “At this moment in time, it’s hard to know what to say and being disqualified is a hard one to take. If I felt I was in the wrong, I’d hold my hands up and say ‘fair enough’ but I’m adamant the collision wasn’t my fault. Ben and Tom came by me on the brakes coming into the chicane and I gave them plenty of room and I felt the best thing to do was to re-take them straightaway going into Redgate.” “I was fully alongside them going into the corner and we were side by side on the brakes but they came over and closed what was a decent sized gap and we came together. We both got going again and I felt we’d done enough to win and get the 25 points but the decision went against me. Unfortunately, only CCTV footage was available so we’ve lodged an appeal and, hopefully, with some more footage and eye witnesses the result will go in our favour.” Back Hegarty Impresses on Oliver's Mount Debut
Dan Hegarty made his first road race appearance of the season for Team ILR, in association with Downshift Motorsport, when he made an impressive Oliver's Mount debut at the Auto 66 Club's Spring Cup meeting at a bitterly cold and wet Scarborough at the weekend. On board the Ninja ZX-10 which he rode to great effect at last year's Isle of Man TT races, Hegarty's first outing was in the 1st leg A Final of the Spring Cup and the newcomer was in top company with Guy Martin in pole position and Dean Harrison and Lee Johnston making up the front row. From 16th on the grid and riding calmly and assuredly, Dan climbed steadily through the field to settle into 10th place at the halfway point and at the chequered flag he had made up two more places to finish an excellent 8th. Dan's next outing for the team was the final race of the day, the first leg of the Senior class and in similar company he came from 16th on the grid to finish 7th and improve his lap time by over half a second. If Hegarty's results on the first day raised a few eyebrows, they were about to be raised even more on the Sunday as, from 14th place on the grid, he soon set about chasing Guy Martin for fourth place in the second leg of the Spring Cup A Final. Ivan Lintin took the hole-shot from Martin and Dean Harrison, but it was Daley Mathison who had the lead at the end of lap one by half-a-second from Tom Weeden and Lintin with Dan in 5th. Dean Harrison meanwhile had ran ride at a hairpin and was down in 7th. On the second lap Hegarty was still riding brilliantly behind Martin, and he continued to press the Gold Cup winner for the remaining three laps to finish 5th, a fantastic result for the only newcomer in this class, and this combined with some fine results on other machinery, brought the curtain down on a very successful weekend for the young rising star. In contrast to Dan's newcomer status, renowned Oliver's Mount expert Ian Lougher was also in action at a circuit on which he has enjoyed much success. When the Team ILR owner announced his retirement from top flight modern era racing he did so with the understanding that he would continue to take part in selective, mainly classic events including the Classic TT on the Isle of Man, and the Spring Cup meeting provided the perfect occasion to obtain the necessary qualifying signatures for the TT Mountain Course Licence. On the team's new Moto 3 Honda, Ian was in action on the first day in the first leg of the Lightweight class and in a race that was twice red-flagged, he eventually finished 7th. In the following day's second leg, Lougher started from fourth on the grid and, with next week's BSB round at Brands Hatch looming it was a case of an experienced eye on machine preservation. For the first three laps he was running in 7th place. On lap 4 he was up to 6th and with 3 laps to go he was challenging Peter Boast for third and just lost out by under half a second to finish a fine fourth. Team ILR's busy early season continues as the team now prepare to travel from North Yorkshire to Kent and the next round of the Hel Motostar British Championship at Brands Hatch next weekend when Joe Thomas and Vasco van der Valk will again be in action. Team owner Ian Lougher: Dan Hegarty: Back Farquhar chalks up a century of wins at Scarborough
Ryan Farquhar got his 2015 road racing season up and running at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough over the weekend and he did so in fine style as he clocked up a century of wins around the 2.43-mile woodland circuit. The 100th win came on Kevin Pearson’s Team York Suzuki 1100 in Saturday’s Classic F1 race but it was a successful day all round with strong results on the SGS International/KMR Kawasaki machines too. Back on a 1000cc machine for the first time since mid-2012, Ryan took a strong second behind Guy Martin in the opening leg of the Spring Cup and then took fifth on the same machine in the Senior race, just 2s behind Martin in second. He also took a good third in the Lightweight race. Saturday’s sunshine was replaced by overcast, drizzly skies and temperatures as low as six degrees on Sunday and Ryan swiftly made it win number 101 in the second Classic F1 race, overhauling the fast starting Peter Boast on the second lap. However, with conditions worsening and with the International road race season only a few weeks away, Ryan opted out of the remainder of the meeting to avoid the risk of suffering any kind of mishap. Ryan Farquhar: “With the weather being what it was over the course of the two days, it proved to be a tough weekend for everyone but it was a worthwhile meeting for me and I’ve come away pleased with the results and with a good idea where I need to improve the bikes. Prior to Scarborough, I’d only got about 12-15 laps on the big bike at Kirkistown and with it being wet there too, I had no chance to get the bike set up so came into Scarborough a bit blind. I spoke to Nick Morgan and Richard Adams from Maxton and their input allowed me to get a base setting from where I could at least perform.” “To be honest, I was surprised to be doing the lap times I was doing in Saturday’s dry races and to push Guy and have boys behind me who’d been testing in Spain was very pleasing. The gearing wasn’t right on the Twin for all the tight hairpins but I got a solid third and was pleased with the top end speed so with a few more things to try I think we’ll be there or thereabouts. Unfortunately, the weather on Sunday was really cold and wet and with so much work to do and so many important meetings coming up, I didn’t feel it was the worth the risk to go out in what were pretty awful conditions.” “I was pleased to get the two wins on Kevin Pearson’s bike but it was that cold on Sunday, my hands went numb after three laps and I couldn’t feel the handlebars. When it’s like that, it’s so easy to make a mistake and for other riders to do the same so I opted out of the remaining races to head home and start preparing all the bikes for the Tandragee. No one can help the weather and like I say, it was a productive meeting so I’ll be looking to move things forward with the bikes and be that bit closer to where I want to be next time out.” Back Victories for Lintin and RC Express Racing at Scarborough
Ivan Lintin ensured his debut road race outing for the RC Express Racing team was a successful one at the weekend as he took second overall in the Spring Cup at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough on Sunday with a brace of third place finishes. The Lincolnshire also took three victories over the course of the two days, in Saturday’s 600cc and Sunday’s Senior and Lightweight races, finishing all of his other races inside the top four to complete a strong weekend around the tricky, 2.43-mile woodland circuit. The weekend was marred by a series of stoppages, due to a combination of crashes and oil spills, and it was 2.45pm before racing got underway on Saturday but when it did Ivan was in sparkling form. He opened his account with a superb, start to finish victory in the Supersport race where, despite limited track time on the Kawasaki ZX-6R came home ahead of Lee Johnston and Dean Harrison. He led the early stages of the Lightweight race too before having to settle for second behind James Cowton with his two remaining races being on the Kawasaki ZX-10R Superbike. The Spring Cup saw him take an excellent third behind Guy Martin and Ryan Farquhar whilst fourth place was the outcome in the Senior although it was close with just two seconds separating second to fifth. 
Weather conditions were a lot less favourable on Sunday with the dry weather of Saturday replaced by constant drizzle but it proved to be another strong day for the 30-year old with his first outing of the day giving him the aforementioned third place and Spring Cup success. He followed that up with the runners-up spot in the second leg of the Supersport race, which comfortably gave him the overall victory. To wrap up an excellent weekend and ensure a 100% finishing record, Ivan took his second win of the weekend in the second leg of the Super Lightweight and completed the two days of action with an identical result in the Senior, which again secured him the overall victory. Ivan Lintin: “It’s been a successful weekend with good times in both the dry and wet, although it was certainly tricky on Sunday with the conditions being as they were. It was difficult on all of the bikes but we got good mileage in all of them, particularly the Superbike after my get-off at the Spanish test last month. We made the best of the weather and put on a show for all the fans that turned up whilst all of the bikes were working really well so it’s been a very pleasing weekend. To take a couple of wins and finish all eight races inside the top four has to go down as a good two day’s racing.” Roy Constable, Team Co-Owner: “We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend and Ivan’s fitted in so well to the team, it’s almost left us a little surprised! It’s easy to forget he’s never ridden a Superbike before but he’s taken to it so well whilst to get a win first time out on the 600 was also great to see. We’re delighted to have signed such a quality rider to the team and on and off the bike Ivan’s a joy to work with. With three wins and top four finishes in all the other races, it’s been a great weekend in what has been difficult conditions and a great start to our road racing season.” Back Strong Motostar Debut at Donington
Team owner Ian Lougher has taken Team ILR in a new direction in the premier domestic championships in 2015 and, despite being a respected and successful presence in the BSB paddock for the last five years, with two new riders and completely new bikes the first two races in the Hel Motostar British Championship at Donington Park over Easter were something of a step into the unknown. However after Donington, it's apparent that Lougher and his team are not just there to make up the numbers as Joe Thomas and Vasco van der Valk more than gave a good account of themselves to come away fifth and joint eighth in the championship respectively after two great results each over the course of the weekend. Despite relatively limited pre-season testing, it was evident during free practice and qualifying that Vasco and Joe have both settled comfortably into their new team, and they rode strongly to put their bikes on the fifth row of the grid, 13th and 14th quickest in a field of 37 entrants. As Race One got underway on Easter Sunday it was Thomas who initially took up the challenge to settle into fifth place at the end of the opening lap, with van der Valk in tenth. One lap later Joe found himself in third with Vasco starting to progress through the field in eighth. As the race unfolded, Thomas became embroiled in a three rider scrap for third with van der Valk in turn also battling with two other riders for sixth, just over half a second off his team-mate's group. In the closing stages the Thomas group fragmented a bit and Joe only just lost contact, but with over two seconds to spare back to the next rider the young Welshman brought it home for an impressive fifth place finish. Vasco meanwhile had also rode well to finish an equally impressive seventh. The following day's second race saw both Team ILR riders on the second row of the grid, an excellent achievement in itself. This time however both were slightly further back as the field crossed the line on the first of 14 laps with Thomas in 9th and van der Valk in 13th. By lap four both were in the same positions with Joe over two seconds ahead of his team-mate, however as the race reached two thirds distance Vasco had closed to within a second of Joe with the two now in the middle of some six riders all battling for seventh place. It was impossible to predict who would come out on top, but with a lap to go Joe and two other riders had broke clear slightly and in the run to the line it was Thomas on the second Honda home who claimed seventh, with Vasco finishing well clear in twelfth and just over half a second off another top ten finish. Both Vasco and Joe recorded their fastest laps on the last circuit, a testament to their competitive spirit and determined but safe riding, as the race entered the all important closing stages. So a highly promising debut, from which there were many positives to take to the next round at Brands Hatch in two weeks time. Team owner Ian Lougher: Joe Thomas: Vasco van der Valk: Back Fourth place sees Jenkinson make solid Superstock start
Adam Jenkinson and the Northern Escalator Installations team got their Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship campaign underway at Donington Park over the weekend with a solid fourth place finish although grip issues prevented him from converting his pole position into a race win. The weekend started well for Adam when he placed second in Saturday’s opening qualifying session but with a lap of 1m32.219s in Sunday’s second session, the Knutsford resident claimed the top spot to give the new Yamaha R1M its maiden pole position, despite suffering small issues with the suspension and electronics. Easter Monday’s 16-lap race was held in perfect conditions and a superb start saw Adam immediately slot into the lead but just like qualifying, Josh Elliott was able to set a similar pace. The duo edged away at the head of the field with Alastair Seeley and reigning champion Hudson Kennaugh in hot pursuit. On the seventh lap, Adam reclaimed the lead at the Old Hairpin but two laps later he’d been shuffled back to fourth after a near high side on the exit of Redgate Corner. Less than a second covered the top four riders but in the closing stages Adam began to experience further grip issues and dropped back to eventually cross the line in fourth place. Nevertheless, it was a solid start to the season for the 30-year old with some good points already on the board. Adam Jenkinson: “Having taken the pole position, I’m obviously a bit disappointed with the result as I felt I had the pace to win and I didn’t come here to finish fourth but I have to keep reminding myself it’s a new bike and there’s still a lot of work to be done. We went the wrong way with the suspension for the second qualifying session which made it too hard whilst a problem with the electronics meant the bike was misfiring a bit so to claim pole gave us plenty of optimism for the race.” “I made a good start and everything was fine in the early stages but after half race distance it became really hard work and the slide at Redgate was one of about ten! I was really struggling with the rear grip and with top end speed too, so we know the two areas that we need to improve in order to be strong all the way through the race. In the end, I decided to settle for fourth and some solid points but we’ll get to work on the chassis as soon as we get back to the workshop and with parts for the bike coming through all the time, I’m sure we’ll be able to close the gap next time out.” Back Strong showing at Donington from Reeves and Cluze
Tim Reeves and Gregory Cluze got their 2015 season underway at Donington Park over the Easter weekend and the Team E-Aide Motorsport pairing did so in mixed fashion, a retirement in the first race being offset by an excellent runners-up spot in the second, where they also set the fastest lap of the race. Having taken pole position by over half a second, the duo were in confident mood going into Sunday afternoon’s 12-lap race but the race had barely started before they were forced to pit on the second lap with a stretched chain. They rejoined in 21st place and fought back up to 17th place but with so much time having been lost in the pits, they pulled in for good just after half race distance. 
Forced to start way back in 17th on the grid for Easter Monday’s second, shorter 8-lap race, Tim and Greg tore their way through the pack and at the completion of the opening lap they were already up to fourth! Their charge continued and they were soon up to second although by that time, Sunday’s race winners Ben and Tom Birchall had opened up a sizeable gap. Nevertheless, Tim and Greg kept on pushing and with the fastest lap of the race, they duly brought the LCR Kawasaki home in a good second place with the meeting acting as vital preparation for next weekend’s opening World Championship round. Tim Reeves: “It was really good to get a run out this weekend and complete our preparations for the first World Championship round and although the first race day was a disaster, the second was a lot more positive and we've finished the weekend in a good frame of mind. Sunday’s race was just one of those things and when you’re starting from 17th on the grid, there’s only so much you can do.” “It’s difficult to fight your way through the field but we kept pushing and the lap times were both strong and consistent so it was a good way to finish. Like I say, with us not contesting the full British Championship, the weekend was all about preparing for the first World Championship event and everything’s looking good.” Back |
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Tim Reeves and Gregory Cluze got their 2015 World Sidecar Championship challenge back on track at the weekend with the Team E-Aide Motorsport pairing winning the second round at Le Mans, France.