Winning Classic TT for Maxton Suspension!!

Maxton Suspension enjoyed a very successful Classic TT this year winning every race!  On the Saturday the first race of the event was the Bennetts 500cc Classic TT.  It was Dean Harrison who took the win on his Black Eagle MV Augusta 500 with Ian Lougher 2nd on his Paton BIC500 and Lee Johnston 3rd on the second Black Eagle MV Augusta 500, all three machines using Maxton Suspension.

Next race was the Okells 350cc Classic TT which was contested between Dan Cooper on his Molnar Manx 350 and Michael Rutter on his Ripleyland 350 Honda, both running Maxton Suspension.  Cooper opened up a minutes lead over Rutter and looked set to take his first TT win but mechanical failure forced him to retire at Ballacraine which mean’t Michael Rutter took over the lead and eventually won the race.  In the 250cc class Dave Edwards brought his beautiful 250cc Yamaha home in first place also using Maxton Suspension.

The final races of the festival was the Motorsport Merchandise F1 and F2 Classic TT.  The F1 race was a closely fought battle between Michael Dunlop on his Team Classic Suzuki XR69 and Bruce Anstey’s YZR500 Yamaha.  Both riders were swapping the lead throughout the race but it Michael Dunlop using Maxton Suspension who finally came through victorious winning the F1 race.  In the F2 race it was battle between Ryan Kneen and James Cowton both running Maxton suspended Yamaha TZ250’s, James Cowton broke the lap record chasing down Ryan Kneen on the 2nd lap and became the first man to go sub 20 minutes in the F2 class.  But it was Ryan Kneen who won the race by 12 seconds and took his maiden victory at the Classic TT.

AARON CLARKE - OULTON PARK

Kirton rider Aaron Clarke paid his second visit of the current campaign to Oulton Park in Cheshire where he recorded 24th position in round 10 of the National Superstock 600 championship.

Free practice and first qualifying went well for Clarke whose lap times were nearly a second better than on his last visit in May. But on Saturday overnight rain had dampened the track and there was nothing to gain from riding around on slippery tarmac but plenty to lose if he crashed so after completing one lap he decided to pull in. The majority of the riders did the same as the times would not match those of the first session and Clarke was placed on the eighth row of the grid for the start of Sunday's 12 lap affair.

As the race got underway Clarke got a bad start and was bundled back to 27th on the first lap. He became embroiled in a battle for position with a large group of riders and  positions were frequently  exchanged throughout the 12 laps.  

While some riders fell in the frantic action Clarke held his ground and completed his race in 24th place.

He said: "I have upped my pace this weekend again but unfortunately so have most of the other riders! My lap times are nearly a second faster than last time at the circuit and I feel confident on the bike. The Kawasaki never put a foot wrong, which is down to my team. Thanks go to everyone involved in putting such an effort in to get me out on track this weekend. Also thanks to all my sponsors for their continued support, it is really appreciated." 

The Stock 600s don't compete at Assen with the British Superbike championship but Aaron will be back on track in the penultimate round of the championship at Silverstone over the weekend of October 3-5 when he will be seeking to improve further as we come nearly to the end of the season.

Jenkinson claims seventh place on debut BMW outing

Fraser Rogers on board with Team ILR

Ian Lougher Team ILR owner/manager:
"We at Team ILR are very much looking forward to getting back into the Superstock 1000 class at BSB level, and working with someone who is young, ambitious and talented as Fraser is a great way to do it.
Obviously jumping into this class so late in the season with a rider who has never ridden a 1000cc stock bike before will be difficult enough, but we'll use Oulton as a test session and get Fraser comfortable and confident on the bike and take it from there."

Podium joy for Farquhar in Classic TT

Ryan Farquhar ensured his 2015 visits to the Isle of Man ended on a high note on Monday when he finished in an excellent third place in the Formula One Classic TT race. Riding Roger Winfield’s 1200cc Harris Yamaha, the Dungannon ace was in contention throughout the four lap race and the rostrum position more than made up for the disappointment of retiring the Winfield Paton from the 500cc Classic TT race on Saturday.

Delayed by almost three hours, the Formula One race eventually got underway at 5pm on Monday and Ryan signalled his intentions from the outset as he led Michael Dunlop through Glen Helen on the opening lap. It was incredibly close though and positions were changing all the time but with his first lap being 123.854mph, Ryan slotted into third, 2.9s behind new race leader Bruce Anstey.

Ryan’s second lap was slightly slower at 123.265mph but he was still holding firm in third and a good pit stop saw him maintain that position. Third time around, James Hillier closed to within four seconds at one stage but Ryan was now up into second as Anstey dropped back due to a loose exhaust. However, the Kiwi flew on the last lap to overhaul him once more, albeit by just 1.9s, but Ryan was almost six seconds clear of Hillier to claim yet another podium position around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course.

Saturday’s 500cc Classic TT race is a race that Ryan had won five times previously at the Manx Grand Prix and, with the second fastest lap in practice at 110.006mph, just behind team-mate John McGuinness, hopes were high going into the race. Indeed, at Glen Helen on the opening lap Ryan was just one second behind the Morecambe rider. By Ballaugh, Ryan was in the lead and over 17 seconds clear as McGuinness ran into trouble but he too was to suffer similar misfortune and retired at Parliament Square with an electrical problem. In a strange quirk of fate, McGuinness retired at the same spot!

Ryan Farquhar: “I was really happy to end my Classic TT campaign with a podium on Monday and everything went to plan. We got the bike working really well during practice and the top end speed was excellent although it’s a big, heavy bike so the four laps were quite hard work. The sun was getting low and it was tricky getting past some of the slower traffic whilst I also started to run out of fuel on the final lap but to finish third is brilliant. I was happy with the lap times, happy to be the first air cooled bike to finish and happy to beat my team-mate Gary Johnson!”

“It definitely made up for the disappointment of retiring from the 500cc Classic TT race whilst leading once more. We haven’t had much luck of late with the Paton and the bike just cut out on me although when we got it back to the paddock, it fired up straightaway. It turned out there was a bad connection between one of the fuses in the wiring loom but that’s just how it goes sometimes. Team Winfield have been a pleasure to work with again and the whole team has worked incredibly hard so it’s great to reward them in the F1 race with a Classic TT podium.”

Cadwell Park Report

Vasco van der Valk produced the goods for Team ILR with a couple of top drawer performances as the Hel Motostar British Championship visited Cadwell Park for the eighth installment of the series. However, it was a meeting to forget for his team-mate Joe Thomas as he crashed twice over the course of the weekend.

An improvement of almost one and a half seconds in second qualifying was good enough to see van der Valk eighth quickest overall and place him on the third row of the grid. Thomas meanwhile had also improved in the second session, by over half a second, but he then crashed out without any harm to himself or the bike and he would start from the fourth row in 12th. In beautiful late summer weather conditions, the first race wasn't a lap old when Thomas again crashed out as he tried to overtake two riders at the Hairpin whilst attempting to compensate for a bad start.

Van der Valk meanwhile was going about his business in a calm, mature manner and at the halfway point of the 10-lap race he was safe in eighth position but in a dice with his good friend Jorel Boerboom. Edward Rendall then crashed out on the sixth lap which elevated the Dutch duo to sixth and seventh.

Vasco was riding a sensible race but couldn't quite get past Boerboom, however with the combination of 4th place man Dani Saez going out on the last lap and a red flag, it meant that Vasco scored his best result of the season so far with sixth and was rewarded with a second row start for Race 2 the following day. Unbelievably the sunshine which had bathed the Lincolnshire circuit all weekend, gave way to rain as the riders prepared to take to the track for Race 2.

Vasco and Boerboom were soon renewing their first race battle as they set about chasing Jake Archer for the first couple of laps. Boerboom then managed to get past Archer on the third lap enabling him to pull away. Championship leader Taz Taylor then fell victim to the tricky conditions on the fifth lap which meant that van der Valk was now up to 6th just behind Richard Kerr. Joe meanwhile was down in 16th and had his hands full with four other riders.

With two laps remaining van der Valk was safe in fifth and just had to sensibly bring it home which he duly did, for Thomas though it wasn't quite as straightforward as he battled to hold on to the last spot in the top fifteen. Under pressure from two riders on the penultimate lap, Joe nevertheless determinedly clung on to hold his position. With Vasco now 9th in the championship, the series now takes a two week break before the next round at Oulton Park, in the meantime Team ILR owner/manager Ian Lougher returns to the Isle of Man to take part in the Classic TT.

Ian Lougher Team ILR owner/manager:
"Cadwell used to be the trickiest circuit on the calendar when I was racing, and things haven't changed to this day....it's tight and narrow to pass and difficult to get a clear run through traffic to qualify on, so I didn't envy the lads in my team this weekend, but they did well. Vasco had never seen the place before but showed what a class act he is when he went on to qualify in a brilliant 8th position. Joe on the other hand was really looking forward to this meeting, but although he proved he could pull the biggest wheelies over the Mountain, he couldn't match his younger team-mate in lap times or race pace and subsequently fell twice. Racing is all about pushing to find the limit but not exceeding it, but if you do you have to learn from your mistakes and carry on with even more determination."

Vasco van der Valk:
"The first race was amazing, I fought hard and bettered my lap time a lot, whilst battling all the time with my mate Jorel. Last lap was red flagged but still scored 6th place and a second row start for Race 2. The rain came just before Race 2 and the team changed to rain tyres and settings very quick. After that a great race, I was 4th for a while but had to give up one position to a rain specialist. Still 5th and best position in British Superbikes Motostar yet. Thanks to the team and my sponsors."

Joe Thomas:
"I enjoyed the last race, but wish I hadn't fell off in the first one. But we'll be ready to go again in the next round. Thanks to the team, my family and all my sponsors."

ACR KAWASAKI - CADWELL

Aaron Clarke recorded his best result of the current campaign at his local track of Cadwell Park on Sunday when he completed the ninth round of the National Superstock 600 championship in 19th place.

The Kirton rider completed his qualifying in 30th place and started his 12 lap race from the 10th row. But although he got away to a really good start and made up a few places another rider ran him off the track at Charlie's causing him to run across the grass to the top of the hill where he rejoined some way back in last place.

Undeterred Aaron got his head down and began to make up ground towards the back markers picking them off one by one and on the final lap he secured 19th place which he held to the chequered flag for his best result of the season.

Aaron said: "I am really pleased to have made it up into the top 20 but to be fair if I hadn't have been taken out on that first lap I could have been looking at securing my first championship points. My lap times were faster than ever before and I was riding well. I have to say a big thank you to my team who have worked so hard to get me up into the top 20 this weekend and also my sponsors who have supported me all season.

Aaron pays a return visit to Oulton Park in Cheshire for the next round on September 6 when he will hope to continue his upward move towards the elusive points’ finish of 15th place.

Horst Saiger is Best Newcomer at Ulster GP

Amongst the many reports and discussions on the 2015 Ulster Grand Prix, one common theme was the performances of Team ILR's newest recruit Horst Saiger.

The Austrian star was paying his first visit to Dundrod, but with a typically professional approach and with one of the most successful riders ever round the Co. Antrim circuit in his corner in Ian Lougher and his team, Saiger came away from the event with the Best Newcomer Award.

With unfavourable Dundrod conditions during practice, Horst didn't have the track time he would have liked, but despite this he was an excellent 16th in Wednesday's wet Superbike free practice session on the team's Superstock Ninja ZX-10R.

The following day Horst experienced his first dry laps of the Dundrod circuit when he posted a fastest lap of 122.375mph in the Superstock class, and with an improvement of over two seconds he was a solid 25th in Superbike practice with a very respectable fastest lap of 124.812mph.

And then it was on to the Dundrod 150 Superbike race. From the second group of riders and the seventh row of the grid, Horst rode a brilliant race to finish 12th and register a fastest lap of 127.127mph to get his Dundrod adventure off to a great start.

Saturday race day dawned dry and mild and Saiger's first outing was in the 6-lap Superstock race, for which he again lined up in the second wave of riders on Row 7 of the grid.

At the end of the opening lap Horst was 23rd and in a 10 rider group separated by 1.5 seconds. On lap two he was into the top 20 in 18th and despite being held up slightly he had managed to climb to 16th at the halfway stage. With a few 'moments' during the early stages of the race, Saiger was however riding at a calm and controlled pace and now had Ben Wylie and Tom McHale in his sights whilst at the same time fending off the threat of Davy Morgan and Dan Cooper. On the last lap he got ahead of Wylie and McHale to finish a highly impressive 12th with a fastest lap of 125.743mph.

Saiger's next outing was frustrating in that his 16th place finish could possibly have been higher. With some riders in front of him coming to grief, the race was red-flagged with the result being taken from the previous lap therefore meaning that Horst didn't gain any places, importantly however all involved were ok. Horst also took consolation from the fact that he posted his fastest Dundrod lap, and the 12th quickest of the race, with a speed of 127.833mph.

By mid-afternoon patchy rain was now falling on the circuit and by the time the last race of the day for superbikes came round, the course was wet. In this one, Horst rode a steady race in the company of Seamus Elliott to finish in a safe 16th place with a best speed of 115.452mph.

So, with top finishes and impressive lap speeds, Horst Saiger can feel justifiably proud of his first Dundrod experience, and the Best Newcomer Award was well deserved.

In closing, the thoughts of everyone at Team ILR and Saiger-Racing are with the family and friends of young Scottish rider Andy Lawson who sadly lost his life during the meeting.

Ian Lougher Team ILR owner/manager:
''It is fair to say that Horst Saiger is a class act, he comes with many years of riding in endurance racing, as well as the North West, TT, Macau etc etc. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Horst, he knows what he wants from the bike and has a good understanding of how to change it to make it how he likes it.

We had a shaky start to the Ulster though, when on his first lap of practice the engine let go, giving Jacko, Bernt and myself a heck of a lot of work to prepare the spare bike in time for the next session, which we did with only seconds to spare. It was a testing time for us but we didn't want to let Horst down, and knew as a newcomer he would need as much practice as possible, as the Dundrod circuit has many blind fast corners which make it a challenging place at the best of times.

I would certainly like to work with Horst again in the future, as his adaptability, speed, and honesty are hard to find in a rider, and he is one of the funniest men in the paddock."

Horst Saiger:
" We didn`t have the best start into the UGP with all the rain and some technical problems. But we kept on working and focusing on the most important thing: racing! There was no drama or long faces in the awning, everybody was working like an absolute professional. I was not always happy with my improvement on the track, as it is really hard to go fast with that little track time that we had and it`s so easy to make a mistake on this very fast and unforgiving circuit. But what I know now is that the ILR Team is for sure Team Happy, like the marshall said when he went into our awning and it was a big honor and pleasure to be part of it! There`s a lot of experience and love for the sport in all of us and hopefully we can do another race together one day... because nobody knows how competitive we can be if we have more time together... for sure I`ll need bigger leathers as Mrs. Teamboss Asa is a real star in the kitchen! So I only have to say thank you for everything Team ILR, you`re the dream team anybody could wish for.

Irwin only half a second away from UGP rostrum

COOKSTOWN Burrows Engineering Racing team owner John Burrows was slightly disappointed that his team did not have a rostrum result to celebrate at the Dundrod 150/Ulster Grand Prix meeting but they came mighty close to a top three finish when Glenn Irwin took the Cookstown Burrows Engineering Kawasaki 650 to fourth place in Saturday's Supertwins race behind Derek McGee, James Cowton and Dan Cooper. Irwin and Cooper exchanged third place on the last lap but it was the Englishman who held the final rostrum position when the chequered flag came out, only half a second ahead of the Carrickfergus flyer.

Burrows said: "Glenn was in pole position for the race and I was confident he would win especially after the second quickest man in qualifying, Ivan Linton, was forced to withdraw from the race after an earlier crash.

However, it rained heavily just before the race started and Glenn admitted that he was not fully comfortable in the tricky conditions and settled for a safe fourth place. Given the conditions, the team were happy just to see him finish. "We should have had two bites at the Supertwins cherry but Thursday's race was cancelled after time ran out due to a spate of red flag stoppages."

Thomas Maxwell was in action on the Cookstown Burrows Engineering Honda CBR 600 RR at the Dundrod meeting and the Mullingar man had mixed fortunes. Thursday's Dundrod 150 Newcomers race suffered the same fate as the Supertwins race one which was very frustrating for Maxwell and the whole team but he did get to ride in both UGP Supersport races on Saturday. In race one he was sidelined by a slight overheating problem while in race two he lapped at close to 120 mph and finished a creditable 22nd.

Burrows commented: "Thomas is improving all the time and the Newcomers race would have been a real chance for him to shine. He earned a second row starting position in qualifying and if the race had gone ahead I'm sure he would have been challenging for a top three finish. Sadly, time and daylight ran out and there was no race."

Lintin excels in Dundrod 150 Superbike race

Ivan Lintin opened his account at the Ulster Grand Prix Bikeweek in stunning style on Thursday evening when the RC Express Racing rider took eighth place in the Dundrod 150 Superbike race and also lapped in excess of 131mph, the first time he'd broken the magical 130mph barrier.

Riding the Kawasaki ZX-10R, the Lincolnshire rider completed the first lap in 13th place but by the third lap, half race distance, he was up into tenth place and closing in on the group of riders in front of him. Indeed, as the race entered its second half, he was part of a thrilling four-rider battle for sixth place.

On the fourth lap, he posted a new personal best lap of the 7.4-mile public road circuit at 131.072mph, comfortably quicker than his previous best, and he was circulating in close company with former Ulster Grand Prix winners William Dunlop and Keith Amor as well as former RC Express Racing rider Dean Harrison.

Going into the final lap, less than a second covered the quartet and the battle for sixth was wide open but long time race leader Guy Martin crashed out at Ireland’s which brought out the reg flag, thus ending the race prematurely. With the result going back to the end of the fifth lap, it meant Ivan was awarded eighth place, a great start to his week at Dundrod.

Ivan Lintin: “Coming into this year’s event, one of my aims was to break the 130mph mark so to lap at more than 131mph in my first race is brilliant and I’m over the moon. It was good to get more mileage in on the Superbike and I felt really comfortable in the race so to finish eighth is really pleasing. It helps getting pulled along a bit by a group of riders but I wasn’t hanging on, I was sitting there with them and with a bit more confidence, I feel that I could have made a few overtaking manoeuvres. It’s a great start to the week though and all of the bikes were working brilliantly in qualifying so I’m looking forward to a good day on Saturday.”

Ben Constable: “Today has been Ivan’s first proper race on the Superbike and the whole team is over the moon with what he’s achieved today. To run with the company he was running with and to lap in excess of 131mph is stunning and it’s a great start to the week. He was sitting comfortably with the group of riders battling for sixth and we know improvements can be made to make him even more comfortable on the bike. There’s definitely more to come and we’re all really looking forward to Saturday.”