Mallory Park 19th-21st October 2012

The long-awaited championship decider was finally here and the prospect of winning the championship was starting to set in. As I went well at Mallory Park earlier in the year, so I was hoping for another good run.

I went out for the first practise session on Friday, hopeful that we could get a good suspension set-up. All went well – the bike felt really good and my lap times were consistent. I came back into the paddock feeling very confident but, of course, this was short-lived. I rode out on track for the second session and felt to be running well until five minute in, when my chain snapped coming out of Devil’s Elbow. I was absolutely devastated, the bike was chugging smoke and it turned out that the chain had actually damaged the engine. At that moment in time, I was convinced that my weekend was over.

Of course, as my bad luck escalated, it was soon time for qualifying. Due to the Anglesey re-run scheduled for the Mallory Park meeting, the test day had to be cut short and qualifying resumed in its place. I was sure that my weekend couldn’t get any worse but due to sheer team determination (and a lot of running about by Charlotte), help was found in the form of Phil Crowe’s BMW.  He kindly loaned me his bike so I could go out and put in a qualifying time. Despite riding with Crowie’s settings, I somehow managed to propel myself to be the fastest Superstock rider and came 8^th on the GP1 grid overall. I cannot thank Phil enough for lending me his bike!!

By Saturday morning, my bike was miraculously fixed. My dad and Alan had stayed up pretty much all night and worked wonders on the Ducati to get it running again. I also must thank Stuart and Jo for going all the way to Coventry Ducati to get a head gasket for the bike. These combined efforts made sure that the 1198 was ready for the morning warm-up session. You cannot understand the relief I felt when I heard that Ducati start up again!

     The practise session was damp but the bike felt really good once again. I felt strong enough to go into the first race with confidence.

     As we approached the race, it was still damp but was drying rapidly. It would’ve been a gamble either way, but we branded wet tyres as the safest option for the race (and turning out to be the right choice).  I got a good start and held my position going into turn one. As we went into Edwina’s, a couple of people got past while I was trying to fight through the pack. Once I got to grips with things, I started to pick a few people off. By half race distance, I had lost the two of the leading pack and had Chris Barnes right behind me. I made the decision to let Barnes pass me as I did not want to risk an accident at such a crucial stage in the championship. Therefore, I followed him for the rest of the race. However, I had a sudden (and somewhat adrenaline-fuelled) change of heart and decided that if I was close enough, I would make a move on him on the last lap. As time was encroaching, I had a look going into the Hairpin but Barnes was very good on the brakes. As he tipped in, he lost the front and went down. Luckily, I managed to miss his bike and ended up winning the Superstock class.

The second race of the day was actually the re-run of the cancelled Anglesey race. Due to some riders not making it to Mallory Park, I was promoted to second on the grid. By this time, the track was dry and I managed to get another good start. I actually led the first lap but this was also short-lived as Pete Baker came flying past me like a rocket onto the start/finish straight. I found it difficult to stay onto the back of him due to the lack of dry set-up time. The bike didn’t feel too brilliant at this point. Within the next few laps, Ian Mackman, Mike Dickinson and Adrian Clark all passed me. I rode a somewhat lonely race but ensured that I stayed first in the Stocks for the entire duration. By the end of the race, I realised that I now had a 27 point lead over Ben Scranage and was really excited for the Sunday races. One strong result would crown me champion.

Fuelled by my success the day before, I was a lot more confident going into the next two races. Surprisingly, I wasn’t at all nervous – even though the championship was hanging on one successful finish. I went out for the third race of the weekend but of course, my tyre-warmer packed up. Annoyingly, I had to take it steady for a couple of laps to manually heat the tyres.  After a couple of laps, I gained confidence in the tyres. I started picking people off and by lap five, I managed to get onto the back of the dice for the Superstock win. At this point, it was between Barnes and Matt Shellcock. With five laps to go, I passed Shellcock and was figuring out how to get past Barnes. However, Shellcock wasn’t giving up without a fight and pulled a good move on me into Gerrards. I was more than happy to settle for third at this point as I would still win the title. However, I soon decided against this and decided that if I was going to win the championship, I’d win it coming first. I passed Shellcock into Edwinas and then going into the Hairpin, I broke as hard as I could and managed to get in front of Barnes. The ending result: I won the race and also won the championship. I was absolutely over the moon.

Race four had no significance for the championship so, as a team, we decided to use it to test for next year. I put on a set of Dunlop slicks which made me solely eligible for the GP1 class. It took me a couple of laps to get used to them but once I got my head round them, I managed to work my way through the pack. With two laps to go, I passed Barnes by pulling the same move I had done in the previous race, which is a mighty testament to the Ducati’s brakes. I finished 8^th overall in the race and was very happy with the tyres. I have gained confidence going into next year already as I am closer to knowing how to make them work.

I’d like to give a massive thanks to everyone who has helped me this year to make winning the championship possible. Thank you to all of my sponsors: Design Corse, Putoline UK, Stylmartin, Premier Helmets, Holroyd, Motoretta, FSC Engineering, Oxford Products and WM Snell and QC Engineering and Design. I could not have done this without your help. Also like to thank Steve at Morello for all the help and advice he’s given me throughout the year.

There are many people to thank – including Alan and Charlotte for the hard work and hours they’ve put in to make a championship-winning bike; my mum and dad for the continuing support and everything they’ve done for me; Louise for doing everything else and Chris Moore for his significant help in sorting my suspension. Without them, I literally would be nowhere.

Also like to send out my biggest wishes to Mike and Sara Dickinson for their move out to Spain. It has been a pleasure racing competitively with Mike this year and all the advice he has given me. I wish them all the best luck for the future and hope to see them again soon.

Cadwell Park 21st-23rd September 2012

Cadwell Park was to be one of the most exciting and important rounds of the Thundersport GB calendar thus far. Without realising it, the championship would all change in a matter of days.

We turned up at Cadwell Park with all intentions to have fun. I believed in myself that I could do well in the GP1 class, so there was no need to settle with just a good Superstock position. The pressures of the championship title would become too much if I focused all of my attentions on it.

On the Friday test day, we were allowed four practise sessions for our eventual qualifying session later that day. The weather played a big part as it was, of course, raining. Our saviour Chris came along and thankfully managed to give me a great wet set-up, so I was confident going into qualifying.


     I went out into the qualifying session and found some clear track. I got my head down and started to string a few laps together, in the hope of putting in a fast time. Mike Dickinson flew past me going into turn one, so I tried to tag onto the back of him. However, I was suffering from a really bad, misty visor and was forced to come into the pit lane. By the time I had wiped my visor clean and got back onto the track, the two minute board was displayed and I, unfortunately, came back round to the chequered flag. When I came back to the awning, I realised that I was the fifth fastest in the GP1 class and the overall quickest out of the Stocks. To be honest, I wasn't entirely happy as I really thought that I could have got a front-row position.


Typical English weather meant that switched from the rain on the Friday to glorious sun on the Saturday. However, the air was still cold and the damp patches through the wooded area had not dried-up.
     The first race of the weekend was declared as 'dry', so I had to make a tyre change. I felt to have got a good start off the second row and moved up to 3rd as we went into turn one. Although I didn't have the best of opening laps as Baker, Dickinson, Barnes and Kneen all came passed me. By the second lap, I had got myself together and started reeling them back in. By lap three, I had managed to pass Barnes and was hanging onto the back of the leading bunch. I had caught them so quickly, in such a small amount of time, that I felt I was confident enough to get up the front. However, I tempted fate by losing the front going into the Hairpin on lap three and unfortunately took out Phil Crowe in the process. I wouldn't count it as one of my finest hours but luckily my dad and Alan had the rest of the day to piece my bike back together.
     On a positive note, I managed to set the sixth fastest time by the mega laps despite only completing one flying lap. Starting sixth on the grid was very good considering my crash.

I eagerly woke up on Sunday morning to yet (surprisingly) more sun. I was a bit anxious going out into the warm-up session as I had to check that all was OK with the bike after my fall on Saturday. Everything was fine apart from the small matter that my quick shifter was not working and there was nothing that we could do about it. Therefore, I had to change to the 'old-fashioned way'.
     Thanks to Alan putting a new clutch in the bike, I managed to get a good start for race two. I was fourth into the first corner and felt extremely comfortable from the start. I managed to get onto the back of Craig Beggs and followed him for a few laps. I then made my move as we were going into Mansfield. My next rival, Dan Kneen, was a couple of seconds up the road, so I got my head down to catch him. Within a couple of laps, I had done just that. I managed to get passed him straight away on the brakes going into Park. That pushed me up to second position in the GP1 class, which was a great feeling. My next challenge was to try to catch Dickinson, as he was starting to break away. I managed to drop Kneen and did catch up to Mike but I knew that I didn't have enough rear tyre to pass him straight away. I decided to follow him to conserve my tyre and try to catch him in the last couple of laps. However, this allowed Kneen to catch up again. With two laps to go, Kneen tried to pull the same move I made on him into Park but luckily, he ran wide and I caught him back. Therefore, everything came into play on the last lap. I knew that if I got good drive going onto Park straight, I could out-brake Dickinson. My plan was short-lived as I lost the rear coming onto the straight and nearly high-sided, sending Kneen flying past me. I managed to get the run on Kneen round Chris Curve and went round the outside of him into the Gooseneck and thankfully made it stick. Coming out of the Chicane, I was right on the back of Mike but he covered the inside line well. I had no choice but to attempt going round the outside of him on the left to gain the inside on the right. I pulled off but lost my drive going over the Mountain. Myself, Dickinson and Kneen all jumped the Mountain together but they had both managed to pass me. When Kneen made his move on me, he was left with no room and took to the grass - going down in the process. It was an intense battle between myself and Mike to see who would go over the line first.
     Mike, being the great rider he is, defended his lines very well so I was unable to pass him. I ended up with a respectable second place in the GP1 class and overall winner of the Superstocks - with over a 16 second lead. I smashed my old lap record by setting a new 1.32.414.
     This race put me into the lead of the Superstock 1000 championship for the first time all season, as Scranage unfortunately crashed out of the race.

Following my success of race two, I felt to be absolutely buzzing for the third race. Between this time, there was a little rain shower but all was declared fully dry by the time I went out. Again, I got a good start and lead my row off the line - slotting into fourth position into the first turn. Dickinson lead, followed by Kneen and Beggs. We pretty much held our positions the entire race and I did not dare push like I had done in race two. For the first time, I actually thought about what would be best for the championship. I finished the race in a still respectable fourth place in GP1 and first in the Stock race; again by over 20 seconds from Barnes and Robinson.
     Ben Scranage finished fourth in the Superstock race, which has given me a 13 point lead going into the final round at Mallory Park. It was an up and down weekend but we most definitely left on a high. I would just like to give massive thanks to Alan, Charlotte, Mum & Dad, Louise, Chris and all of my sponsors. I wouldn't be here if it I didn't the help from any of you. Roll on Mallory in a few weeks time!!

Photos by the The Bike Insurer

Anglesey 25th-27th August 2012

I went out into the qualifying sessions confident that I could be up there. However, as I was going round the track I could feel the rear-end sliding. I came into pitlane and Chris made some quick changes to the bike.

We set-off for the Demon Tweekes Welsh Prix at Anglesey race circuit early Saturday morning. We knew that the weather would be unpredictable, so it was vital that we worked with Chris to secure a good dry and wet set-up.This Thundersport GB round was different from the rest as there were to be two additional prize-winning races, sponsored by Demon Tweekes, on the Monday. As this race would consist of a mixture of new and existing GP1 and 600 Sportsman Elite competitors, it was important for me to maintain a fast pace in order to even qualify for these races.


As it was a bank holiday weekend, Saturday was ultimately the official track day. We worked hard all day, in all sessions, to sort a good race set-up for qualifying.
Out of 40, I qualified 8th on the grid. I was a bit disappointed as I would have liked to have been higher but the competition was so strong that I couldn't go any faster. I had in mind that, if I could get a good start, I would be able to stay with the front-runners in the first race.

Sunday would be the first of the weekend's race days. As there were to be two additional races on Monday, Thundersport had scheduled two championship races on the Sunday.
    I set the fastest lap in the morning warm-up, so I was excited to be going into the first race. I got an average start to the race but rode hard on the first lap and I got up to 6th place. Going into Rocket, I managed to get under David Jones and then got my head down to catch the front-runners. At the end of lap two, Peter Baker and Sam Hornsey had a coming together and both came off, which promoted me up to 3rd in the GP1 race. The bike didn't feel 100% so I had to push really hard to get onto the back of David Haire. I saw that Ben Scranage, my main championship rival, had fallen off so I decided not to risk passing Haire. Overall, I finished 3rd in GP1 and 1st in the stock class, which I was over the moon about.

Setting off on race two, I got a reasonably good start and by the end of the first lap, I had got up to 5th. I got stuck behind Haire and could see the leaders getting away. Unfortunately, it took me four laps to pass Haire and by that time, the leaders were a couple of seconds up the road. I knew that I would struggle to catch them, so once I had put a second into Haire, I made sure the gap stayed the same and finished 4th in GP1. I also secured first in the Stock1000 class, which was my 8th consecutive win of the season. I also secured the new Stock lap record around Anglesey, with a time of 1.09.642, which I was really happy with.
     Taking the 'megalaps' into account, I managed to promote myself to 6th on the grid for the Monday races.

Over the night, the circuit experienced severe wind and torrential rain. Unfortunately, this continued into the morning and was set to worsen by midday. Therefore, the Thundersport GB officials took the right decision to declare that there would be no racing. Aside from the Demon Tweekes races, there was only one championship race that was missed (to be set at a later date).

As always, I'd like to thank Alan and Charlotte, my mum and dad, Louise, Chris Moore, Rob Webb for buying me a set of tyres, Alex Hutchinson and Acea Webb for their kind donation of knee sliders and all of my sponsors for getting me there and making this championship challenge possible. I have narrowed the points difference between myself and Scranage to 11, so all's to play for at Cadwell Park next month!

All photos provided by the Bike Insurer

ThundersportGB iPlayer - Snetterton

The Morello Services GP1/Stock1000 races from Snetterton are now available to view on the Thundersport iPlayer!

Rockingham - 27th-29th July 2012

We arrived at Rockingham Raceway early Friday morning, ready for a sunny weekend of racing. I had initially felt very confident going into this round, following my earlier success at Snetterton the previous month. However, the Friday practice sessions soon shattered this…

The first practice session of the day was a real eye-opener, as I have not raced at this track in two years. I went out on the 1198 to get to grips with the track and soon realised that it is a very different track to ride on a big bike. Towards the end of the session, the engine management light came on so I was forced to retire to the pits. Therefore, I rode the newly-built 1098R for the rest of the day to run it in.

Following on from the test day, I went into qualifying feeling more comfortable with the track. I felt very strong from the beginning of the session and, after my first flying lap, I set my fastest time. Nevertheless, fate caught hold of me and I lost the front on the second lap and came off the bike at Brook. I was frustrated that I came off so early into the session and thought I would be way back on the starting grid. However, I came back into the garage after the chequered flag and had only been pushed down to 5^th in the GP1 group.

After talking to Chris Moore, the team and I decided to race the 1198 as it was more suited to this type of track than the 1098. From starting fifth on the grid for the first Saturday race, I got a reasonable start and made my way through the first chicane in the same position. After a couple of laps I got onto the back of Ben Scranage, who started the race in third, and eventually passed him into turn two on lap four. The bike didn’t feel brilliant so I was struggling to keep Ben behind me and with four laps to go, he got back past me. He pulled a little bit of a gap and I thought it was all over  until I saw the last lap flag come out; that’s when I dug deep. I got back onto him with three corners to go and broke as late as I could into the last complex, praying it would grip. I managed to get past him as he tried to get me back but I managed to hold it to the line and take the win for the Superstock 1000 class and fourth place in GP1.

After a lot of feedback, Chris decided to make many changes to the bike’s set-up so I went out for the Sunday morning warm-up feeling very good. I was then extremely confident for race two of the weekend. As the red light went out, I felt to have got a good start and found myself in third position going into the first corner. As we went into Tarzan, I came up underneath Scranage but on the way out, Mike Dickinson passed us both. I tagged onto the back of Mike and we both managed to catch up to Pete Baker. Dickinson soon passed him but I struggled and at every attempt, he managed to keep me behind. Coming onto the last lap, Ian Mackman passed me with astonishing feat which forced me into a somewhat considerable fourth GP1 position. Again, I managed to win the Superstock 1000 race, with over five seconds difference between myself and Scranage/Barnes.

Going into the third race, we made another slight change to the bike. It was a manic first lap for me as I nearly got collected up in the first corner but I managed to hold onto fourth position. As we came out of Yentwood, Adrian Clark highsided in front of me, allowing Dickinson and Barnes to pass. It took a couple of laps to regroup and truly get my head down. I passed Barnes and Scranage on successive laps but on lap five, I hit my knee off one of the kerbs and my knee slider ripped off. It was very difficult to ride a really hard race without letting my left knee hit the track. However, I still managed to pull a two second gap on Scranage and I managed to hold onto it for the rest of the race. Once again, I finished fourth in the GP1s and clinched that all-important 1^st position in the Stocks.  

Aside from falling off a couple of times, it was a really good weekend’s racing. The gap between Scranage and I is now down to 45 points, which is shaping up to be a very exciting end to the year.

     I’d just like to say a big thanks to Alan and Charlotte for all the hard work they do; my mum and dad; Louise; Chris Moore for being a suspension guru; Steve Buckingham and Brad Cox, Acea and Ray Webb for doing my pitboard on Sunday. Also a massive thanks to all my sponsors: Design Corse; Holroyd Tyrewarmers; Putoline; Motoretta; Designerhelmets.com; Oxford Products; FSC Engineering and WM Snell.

Snetterton 200 - 22nd-24th June 2012

We finally arrived at a rather wet and windy Snetterton 200 circuit at 2:30am Friday morning. After such a long night of travelling, we set up ready for an early start.

All of the Friday morning sessions were, of course, wet. However, thanks to Chris Moore, we were able to secure a good set-up and I felt extremely comfortable with the bike. However, the unpredictable weather patterns of the Snetterton circuit meant that we also got to run in two fully dry practise sessions later that day. Recruiting further help from Chris, we were able to gain a sustainable dry set-up as well as the wet.  To me, the bike felt really good and I was extremely confident for my qualifying session whatever the weather.

Surprisingly, the track was dry when we woke up on Saturday morning. Therefore, I stuck on a brand new set of tyres ready for the qualifying session. I immediately went out on track and put in a banker lap which put me in a consistent third place throughout the session. Seeing this on my pit board fuelled me to put in a hard lap and with two minutes to go, I found the space to go quicker. To my surprise, I returned to the garage to realise I had qualified in pole position in both the GP1 and stock classes. I was absolutely over the moon with this result, as it was my first GP1 pole ever.

Following the qualifying session, we went into the first race of the meeting. In all honesty, I have never been so nervous about a race in my life. However, as soon as the race got underway I was fine. I secured a good start and led the race into the first corner but towards the end of the lap, Peter Baker flew past me on the start/finish straight. In a heroic turn, Phil Crowe came flying underneath me into turn two but overcooked it and went down.  I was sitting comfortably in second place, behind Baker, until lap six when both Mike Dickinson and Ian Mackman passed me. I tried my hardest to keep their pace but my tyres had gone. The leading three pulled a one second gap on me so I decided to settle for a fourth place in the GP1 class. I knew that I was leading the Superstock 1000 class and that was my main priority. With two laps remaining, Dickinson went straight on at the end of the straight which promoted me to third position in GP1. I finished third overall and first in the Stock class. I was extremely happy with my results as it was my best finish in GP1 this year.

After my success on Saturday, I felt comfortable about the two Sunday races. Of course, we woke up to a wet track and went out into the morning warm-up. I was the fastest rider in the session, which built further confidence for the next race. As race two commenced, I got another good start. I was second going into the first corner and Baker built an impressive lead on the first lap. Going into lap two, Mackman passed me on the first corner which forced me to establish a steady rhythm. However, Mike Dickinson and Chris Barnes both passed me down the back straight on lap seven. I was keen to get back in front of Barnes as he is also a Superstock contender. One lap later, I managed to pass him into the left-hander at the back of the straight and started to chase Dickinson. As we passed the last lap flag, I managed to gain a good slipstream down the start/finish straight and took Dickinson into the turn one. I managed to pull a little gap which resulted in my putting in the fastest lap of the race. Again, I finished third in the GP1 class and another victory in the Stock class. It was an absolutely brilliant race to be a part of.

The buzz of my consistent podium finishes ignited a further desire to succeed in race three, which was dry. Setting off the line, I messed up the start and went considerably backwards. Coming onto the back straight, I was in seventh position but quickly managed to pass Ben Scranage into Brundles and also managed to pass Adrian Clark there a lap later. Ross Connolly was the leading Stock rider so I put my head down in order to catch him. Within a lap, I had managed to stick right by him but really struggled to pass as he was very fast in a straight line. However, I kept up the fight and managed to brake late and pass him into Brundles. I monitored my pit board closely and the gap on Connolly was increasing with every lap. I then set my next target on Dickinson, who was three seconds ahead of me. I tried my hardest to catch him and within two laps I had done just that. It came down to the last lap before I thought about making a move on Dickinson. He was extremely hard to pass as he was riding very well and covered all of his lines. However, I spotted my chance to pass him. I got onto the outside of him going around Coram which gave me the inside line going into Murrays. I put the power down as early as I could but Mike simply got it down sooner and he passed me. Overall, I finished fourth in the GP1 class and got my hat rick of Superstock wins. I also got the lap record for the Stock class with a 1.11 and was only three tenths off of the GP1 lap record.

All in all it was one of the best weekends racing I have had in a long time. I would just like to thank all these people for making it possible: Alan, Chris and my dad for putting me out on an amazing bike, Charlotte for doing my pit board and organising everything, my mum for sorting everything out for me and a massive thanks to Louise for doing the brolly dollying for me to earn a voucher for the next race meeting. Extra thanks go to Mike Dickinson and Alan for buying me a set of tyres for the last race. Without them I would have been nowhere. Also thanks to my sponsors  Design Corse, Motoretta, FSC Engineering,  WM Snell, Holroyd Components, Putoline and anyone else who has helped me with my racing!

Next stop Rockingham – I can’t wait!!

(Photo: Dave L Jackson)

You can now watch the Morello Services GP1 race from Oulton Park on the ThundersportGB iPlayer

Oulton Park - 25th-26th May 2012

We arrived at Oulton Park, Cheshire, for the two-day Thundersport meeting late Thursday night. It was forecast a very dry and sunny weekend so we recruited the help from Chris Moore once again to help the team set the bike up.

I have not raced this track in dry conditions since 2006 so I knew it was going to be a bit of a challenge. Due to Oulton Park only being a two-day meeting, we only got half a day's testing and I lost one of those sessions through a slipping clutch.
I went out in qualifying but only managed to qualify 11th on the GP1 grid and 6th in the Superstock class.The more I learnt the track, the more confident I was that I would be able to make-up time during the races and my faith in the bike set-up fuelled this further.

I got a good start in the first race and I got up to 5th place. After a few laps, Chris Barnes got past me and I managed to take onto the back of him. By the last lap, we caught up to Ed Pead who was in second place of the Superstock group. It came to the last corner but I wasn't close enough to out-break him. Stupidly, on the way out, I missed a gear and Ben Scranage took third place. Barnes was given a ten-second jumpstart penalty so I finished fourth in the Superstock class and sixth in the GP1 championship. I managed to knock-off two seconds of my qualifying time, which I was very happy with. And after a small set-up change, I was ready for race two.

The second race counted as double points, so it was vital that I finished in a good position to catch Scranage in the championship. Again, I got a good start and rode really hard on lap one to move up to sixth place and followed Scranage for a couple of laps. I finally made the move on him into Cascades and got my head down to catch Ross Connolly. I was then fighting for third place in the GP1 class and first in the Stocks until the last lap. Coming out of Druids, my bike suddenly stopped and came to a stand at the last corner. Fortunately, everyone managed to pass me without a collision but I was absolutely gutted. It was important for me to finish the race but it's unavoidable when a clip on the fuel line comes undone.

Despite this unfortunate luck, I look forward to Snetterton 200 in June and hope I can continue my championship chase there.

I'd just like to thank suspension guru Chris Moore, Charlotte and Alan, my mum and dad, Louise and all of my sponsors for getting me there.

Design Corse - Rizoma Brake Protectors

A package from one of my sponsors, Design Corse, came through the post just before my race at Oulton Park. Design Corse specialise in Italian motorbike parts and have asked me to test these Rizoma brake protectors this season.

These protectors are mandatory in championships such as MotoGP and Moto2 to prevent your front brake from being hit in a collision with another rider. They are a great safety accessory and I would most definitely recommend them to any racer.

You now can watch my race wins from Mallory Park on the Thundersport iPlayer or by clicking the video below. I hope to bring more success to my sponsors and everyone else who is helping me this season. 

Mallory Park - 20th-22nd April 2012

We arrived at Mallory Park on Friday with the complete expectation that it would be a wet weekend of racing. Defying the odds, qualifying was dry. I really struggled with the set-up of the bike and ended up qualifying 4^th in the stock class and 9^th overall. I felt disappointed with myself as I tried my hardest but could not figure out what to do.

Following my qualifying session, Chris Moore came over to the awning and together, with my dad and Alan, he completely changed the suspension. I then went out for race one on a wet track and started off at a steady pace to ensure that I adjusted to all of the changes we made. I started to pick my pace up around lap 10 and felt extremely confident on the bike and made my way up the field. I managed to pass Barnes on the second to last lap and by the last lap; I had made up three seconds and passed Scranage going into the hairpin. This resulted in me winning the stock race and coming fifth overall in the GP1 series.

With help from Chris, we made more changes to the bike and I set off for the second wet race of the weekend. I got a good start and led the stock class very early on in the race. I was starting to catch the leading GP1 group but my tyres didn’t adjust to the drying track so I settled for a safe class win.

With growing confidence, I went into race three and got a good start off the line. I managed to secure the lead in the stock class on the second lap when Adam Robinson high-sided in front of me.  However, the suspension changes we made didn’t work as well as we had hoped so I didn’t push too much during that race. Adrian Clarke managed to pass me but, knowing that he was a GP1 rider; I let him go to secure another win. I am extremely happy with the overall changes we made to the bike this weekend and would not have been able to achieve three wins without the help from Chris. It is a significant improvement from my performance during the first two rounds of the championship and I hope that the team can drive me towards more wins this season.

I would just like to thank Alan and Charlotte, my mum and dad, Louise, Rob and all of my sponsors: Holroyd Components Ltd, Motoretta, Putoline UK, Design Corse, FSC Engineering, Oxford Products, Premier Helmets and WM Snell for their continued support. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to complete the season.

Brands Hatch 2nd-4th March 2012

Well, what an eventful first round! Despite the harsh weather and flooded garage, I still managed a podium place in race one.

We arrived at Brands Hatch at the early time of 4am on Friday morning and set up ready to go out at 10. By this point, the track was damp but my main aim of the practise day was to get to grips with both the bikes. Apart from the test day at Mallory Park last weekend, I had not been out on a bike for four months, so it was very important that we made sure everything was running alright and just get the right set-up for qualifying. This was also the first chance I had to test the new Brembo carbon brake pads that Design Corse has very kindly supplied me with for the season. They worked really well with the bike and saved me a lot of money too!

Unfortunately, a bit of overnight rain resulted in tricky conditions and I didn’t know what tyres to go out on. I went out on my wet bike first to set a banker lap then after three laps I realised that the track was drying up so I came back into pit lane to change to the 1098R dry bike. It was just my luck that the rain started spitting as soon as I got back onto the track, so I had to get a lap in before the track became too wet. Overall, I qualified 11^th for the first race (Superpole) of the GP1 grid. The weather didn’t lighten up as we went onto race one, so we were still faced with uncertain track conditions and a lot of damp patches. I admittedly got a bad start as I was boxed in but by the time I got comfortable, it was too late to put in a faster time and went on to qualify in twelfth position for the Sunday races. This year, the grid positions are based around Thundersport’s new system of ‘megalaps’; which are determined by your fastest time from race one and the warm up of Sunday morning.

I woke up on race day to absolute torrential rain – there was no chance of any part of the track drying up by the time I went out! I went straight out and put my Holroyd tyre warmers onto the wet bike ready to go out on. The morning warm-up went okay; we just made a few minor suspensions changes ready for the second race. I got a good start for this race and managed to make my way up to sixth place in GP1 and first place in the superstock class. However, water had got into the electrics just as I was starting to feel comfortable and the bike started misfiring. As I went through Clearways on lap five, the bike misfired at spat me off into the gravel. It was hugely disappointing as I had such a promising start. When I got the bike back to the garage, we made the decision to put the wet tyres on to the dry bike and set out preparing it for race three. By this time, the rain was really hammering it down and the temperature dropped to as low as 2 degrees. As I set off the line, the bike spun-up and I was virtually last going into the first corner. I worked my way up to eighth place and rode a lonely race to the end.

Overall, it wasn’t the best start to a season but I got some solid points in the Superstock class. I’d just like to thank all of my sponsors for helping me this year and the whole of the Knight Road Race Team for all of their hard work for getting my out there on a competitive bike and I’m looking forward to Donington Park in three weeks.

I cannot thank Design Corse enough for their efforts to help me this year. I've been put in a bad situation this season, so it's fantastic that they have taken the time to make it a bit easier for me. They sell all kinds of Italian motorbike parts and have kindly delivered my first set of brake pads for the 1198, in time for the first round. Please take a moment to look at their website: http://www.designcorse.co.uk/ 

I met up with Dave from Motoretta yesterday to try on the leathers he has ordered for me. I am very happy with them - they look far more compatible than the red ones I had last year. They've now been sent off to have different sponsor patches attached to them, so fingers crossed they will be ready before the first meeting.

As many of you know, trying to acquire sponsors is an ongoing process. For me, the cost of racing has increased this year which is quite a strain as my wage struggles to cover it. As always, I will be putting all of my income into racing so if you know anyone who would be interested in helping me out, then please let me know!

These are the back and front designs for the new RST leathers I am ordering. I've decided to work to the Knights' team colours this time so they will be in orange - with all of my sponsors and my own logo on them.

My thanks go to Motoretta for helping me prepare for this year, I wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise.

Firstly, I am delighted to announce that Design Corse have confirmed they will be supplying me with brake pads this year. This generous offer will most definitely ease the cost of the racing season for me, which is the help every racer most desperately needs. In preparation for the first round, I have ordered my new RST leathers through my personal sponsor Dave, who runs the scooter dealership Motoretta in Halifax.

Also, big thanks to Putoline UK for kindly sending me their products to help myself and the team compete to the best of our ability this year. Everything is coming together nicely and I cannot wait to get back out on the bike.

Please take a moment to like Putoline UK's Facebook page and show some support for the sponsors who make racing happen!

These past few weeks, I've been finalising my sponsorship and trying to get everything sorted before the first round at Brands Hatch. I'm feeling very confident that I will improve on my performance from last year, so I'm generally excited to be getting back on the Ducati again.

I'll also be instructing on Charlotte and Alan's Ducati Monster at Mallory Park on the 26th February. I really enjoyed racing the 800 and I'm so glad that I'm getting the opportunity to ride it again.

Last Saturday, myself and my team attended the Thundersport GB Awards evening, where I was presented with my third place trophy. I had a brilliant night and would like to congratulate everyone who came to accept their awards.

2011 proved to be a year of learning, as it was my first year riding the Ducati 1198. However, with new financial backing, I feel like I have the potential to win the championship this season.

Big thanks to my sponsors:

Motoretta - http://www.motoretta.co.uk/
Premier Helmets - http://www.premierhelmet.com/
FSC Engineering
Oxford Products - http://www.oxprod.com/
Holroyd Components Ltd. - http://www.holroydtyrewarmers.co.uk/
Putoline Oil - http://www.putoline.com/en/