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 4th in the stock class and 9th 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.
