Oulton Park 20th-21st June 2014

Photo: Bikesport Photography

The team and I had a fantastic round at Cadwell Park back in May, coming home with three GP1 wins. However, trying to repeat this success at Oulton seemed quite daunting!! I haven’t ridden this track a lot on a 1000 and didn’t have much luck with it in 2012, so it’s not up there with my favourite tracks. As always, being a two-day meeting made it even more challenging.

After three good practice sessions on Friday, we went out for qualifying. I was slowly getting used to the track and learning how to ride it with all the challenging crests and undulations – something I find a real handful on the ZX10. I got a couple of clear laps early on in the session and ended up qualifying 5^th with a time of 1.41.9. Despite not being on the front row, I was really pleased with my position. I had gone round the track faster than I had ever been before and I knew where I could improve and go a lot quicker.

There was a delay for the first race when we were due to go on track, so we had two warm-up laps and the race was cut back to seven laps. I got a dreadful start and got boxed in going into turn one, which dropped me back to 9^th position. By lap four, I had climbed up to 5^th and was chasing Teasdale. As soon as I got onto the back of him, he ran the slip road at Hizzy’s chicane and I was promoted up to 4^th. The leading trio were a good four seconds ahead so I settled for 4^th. I managed to do a 1.40.1, which I was extremely happy with and confident that I could still go faster.

Photo: Glyn Richardson

I was determined to make up for the bad start I had in race one, so I got a belting start for race two. I was in 2^nd going into Old Hall and Gav Hunt shot underneath me going into Cascades. I tried my hardest to hang onto them and James East was showing his front wheel everywhere. I just couldn’t get the same drive as they could out of the corners on the gearing I was on. On lap three, East passed me on the run into Hizzy’s. I was trying a bit too hard and ran deep into Old Hall, losing the tow. So, I settled for 4^th again and managed to keep a gap between me and Teasdale, who was in 5^th. I didn’t better my lap time in that race, which I was disappointed with but I know that with a gearing change, we could’ve gone a lot faster.

All in all, it was a good meeting and I learnt a hell of a lot. I bettered my previous lap time from 2012 by 3.2 seconds, which I am really happy with. A huge thanks to all of my team for the effort they put in, all of my sponsors which keep me racing, Louise for looking after me and doing my pit board and my mum and dad.

Roll on Rockingham!

Cadwell Park 24th-26th May 2014

Photo: The Bike Insurer

A bit of a late entry, as I went away straight after this round. However, it has been my best result to date and I had to share what went on.

The qualifying session didn’t quite go to plan and I ended up 3^rd on the grid behind Dean Hipwell and Barry Teasdale. Hipwell didn’t make it for race one, so it was just me and Teasdale on the front row. On lap three of twelve, my clutch started to slip so I was struggling to keep up on the straights. With three laps to go, a back marker held Teasdale up so I passed him going out of Barn. Going into Park, I broke as late as I could but Teasdale still tried the move to out-brake me. He ended up on the grass, giving me a five-second lead. This allowed me to cruise home for my first ever GP1 win.

Photo: Bryant Photography

Following my win in the first race, I got promoted to pole due to the mega laps system. I got a really good start but was hounded by Teasdale and Hipwell for the first half of the race. I tried that little bit more to try to break away from them and ended-up with a two-second lead, which I held for the rest of the race. I was extremely happy with winning my second GP1 race and also broke the lap record by half a second, achieving a 1.31.5.

Again, I got a really good start for the third race. I managed to hold the lead until lap four, where Hipwell went under me at the Hairpin, taking advantage of his supersport 600 handling. I followed him and studied where I was stronger and on the last lap, I got the amazing drive out of the final corner and used the extra power of the ZX10 to pass him over the line – beating him by 0.014 of a second! I also broke the lap record again and got down to a 1.31.4. This is a really good race to watch and is available on the Thundersport iPlayer.

Cadwell Park was an amazing weekend for both me and my team. I won three GP1 wins on the trot – something I have never done before. I also extended my lead in both championships. The team did a mega job all weekend and as always I’d like to thank all of my sponsors!!

Snetterton 200 3rd-5th May 2014

Photo: The Bike Insurer

Round three of the Thundersport GB championship was at Snetterton race circuit in Norfolk – a track that I rode well on the Ducati. I was leading both the GP1 and stock championships going into this round, so I was excited to see how I would perform on the ZX10.

As it was a Bank Holiday weekend, the practice day was moved forward to Saturday. I feel like I made great use of the time given and a good set-up was put together. This gave me confidence for qualifying on Sunday.

It took me a while to get going during qualifying as there was a lot of traffic. However, coming round Coram, I could see that I had a clear track ahead of me so put the hammer down. It was a decent lap which sent me straight into second place behind Phil Crowe. Michael Pearson put in a really quick lap towards the end of the session and took pole, which knocked me down to third. I was happy with this position but knew I would have to work hard in the race.

I got a reasonable start for the first race and was 4^th into turn one behind Connor Tagg, who got an amazing start off the third row of the grid, Crowe and Pearson. I was eager to get to the front so I went under Crowe and Pearson into turn two. I got my head down to catch Tagg and got a good drive out of the Bomb Hole. This allowed me to ride round the outside of him at Coram and I led the race going into lap two. I tried to put in a gap into the chasing pack but, coming down the back straight, Pearson used the extra power of his GP1 bike and breezed past me. I got right on his back wheel to try and get in his slip stream, but a couple of laps later Neeves passed me down the straight on his BMW. I managed to pass them both  numerous times over the next few laps but on lap nine, I missed a gear coming out of the last corner and the pair pulled a lead. A lap later, Neeves pushed the front a little too much and went down at Nelsons. I was safe in second place, so I settled for finishing two seconds behind Pearson.

Photo: Ian Daisley ProBikeART

We woke up to beautiful weather on Monday, ready for the last two races of the weekend. The mega laps system put me second on the grid and I was excited to battle, once again, with the GP1 bikes. I got a great start in race two and led the opening lap but, as in race one, Neeves and Pearson soon passed me down the straight. We were nose to tail and I decided to make a move on Neeves at Murrays. However, I didn’t quite make it and it cost me the drive out of the corner, with Seb Bulpin managing to pass. By half distance, the top five were covered by less than a second. Barry Teasdale out-broke me at the end of Bentley straight, dropping me to 5^th in the GP1 race and 2^nd in the Stocks. Two laps later I slipped underneath him round Coram and was soon on Bulpin’s tail. I passed him round the hairpin, only to get out-dragged on the straight. The last lap flag was shown but I wasn’t close enough to make a move. I finished 4^th overall and won the stock race. It was a really enjoyable race and the top four were covered by 0.3 of a second!

I was excited for race three but unfortunately didn’t make the best of starts. I was 4^th going into turn one but Bulpin high-sided in front of me coming onto the back straight and I had to brake to avoid hitting him. This let Teasdale through and gave the top three around a two second lead. I got my head down and within three laps, I caught Teasdale and passed him into the hairpin.  This put me on the back of Pearson and we started to pull away from Teasdale, but on lap seven I lost the rear round turn one and didn’t want to risk falling off and losing points. Therefore, I decided to just settle for 3^rd overall and 1^st in the stock race.

It was such an enjoyable meeting and there was some really close racing. I was very happy with my pace and I cannot wait for Cadwell Park at the end of the month. I had a fantastic race with Mike Dickinson at my last meeting there, so I am really looking forward to it.

I have a 31 point lead in the GP1 class and a 47 point lead in the superstock class.

I’d just like to thank the whole team, who did a mega job all weekend, and a huge thank you to all of my sponsors who make it possible: a.l.joinery, Seadrift Offshore, DPC Distribution, QC Engineering and Design, FSC Engineering. ProBikeART, Paintzfiction, Al’s Autos, 5-Ways and designerhelmets.com.

I had a TV camera on my bike on Monday, so hopefully you’ll see some great footage of the races!!

Roll on Cadwell in three weeks!

Donington Park 12th-13th April 2014

Photo courtesy of The Bike Insurer

I felt quite confident going into the second round of the championship at Donington Park. We had previously taken part in the BSB test day there at the beginning of April, as we knew that Thundersport would not be holding its own test, and I felt to have made some good progress throughout the day.  I left the circuit eagerly anticipating the race weekend.

We went straight out into a 15-minute qualifying session on Saturday. As we had no track time before this, I knew that I had to get up to speed as quickly as possible. However, I encountered a problem with my gear selector on the first lap and had to come into the pits straight away. Alan quickly rectified the problem and I set off back onto the track. It took a couple of laps to get heat back into my tyres and then I put one flying lap in. A red flag was put out as I completed this lap, as somebody had dropped oil going into the first corner. I was disappointed that I hadn’t managed a faster time but ended up 8th fastest overall.

This qualification meant that I would have to push myself to get up front for the first race. Fortunately, I got a really good start and moved up into 4^th by turn one. I managed to hang onto the back of the leading trio for the first lap but they slowly started to pull a gap on me. The race got red flagged on the fourth lap, which meant that we had to restart. I didn’t get a good start when the race restarted and I was 8^th by the end of the first lap. I slowly picked my way through and, by lap 3, I was in 6^th behind Dan Stewart and Michael Neeves. With three laps to go, I made a move on Neeves and passed him going into the Melbourne loop. The following lap I passed Stewart going into Goddards. I pulled a one second gap straight away and finished the GP1 race in 4^th overall and 2^nd in the Superstock race.

I was still quite disappointed with my performance on the first day, so I decided to walk the track that evening with Alan to see if I could do some things differently. I found that this walk worked wonders and I felt a lot happier going into the second day of racing.

The mega laps system meant that I was pushed up to 6^th on the grid for races on Sunday. Again, I got a good start in the second race and had a good first turn. I got into third, behind John Ingram and Neeves, but Danny Murphy soon passed me into Coppice. On lap three, I slipped up the inside of Neeves at the Old Hairpin and got my head down to try to catch Murphy and Ingram. However, they were just a bit too far away.

With three laps to go, we were onto the back markers and I tried to sneak up inside of one into the Foggy Esses but he closed the door. This allowed Phil Crowe to take the drive and pass me on the run down to the Melbourne Loop. We were closing in on Murphy on the last lap but he had a massive crash going down the back straight. Luckily, he got away with it relatively unscathed. I finished the second race in 3^rd overall and 2^nd in the Superstock race. I also bettered my lap time by over a second to 1.34.5.

Photo courtesy of The Bike Insurer

I had a reasonable start going into race three and didn’t lose a place on the opening lap. However, by lap three, I was suffering from really bad brake fade and I didn’t have the confidence to make any moves on the brakes. I slipped down to 6^th place when Michael Pearson passed me and then Barry Teasdale got me into turn one. We had a little scrap but he also started to have brake issues and I managed to get him into the Foggy Esses. The last lap flag came out and I made one last ditch effort to get into 5^th. I got the run on Neeves out of the Esses and block passed him into the Loop. I ended up 5^th overall and 2^nd again in the Superstock race. It wasn’t the end to the weekend that I wanted but I was happy to bring home 5^th with the issue that we had.

Overall, it was a difficult weekend at times but we learned a lot and I am once again feeling very confident for the third round at Snetterton in three weeks time. I’d like to thank the whole team for all the hard work they put in and also to all of my sponsors who continue to make this possible.

Roll on Snett!

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

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.

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.