Friday February 20, 2009 at 12:00am
The ACU Suzuki GSX-R Trophy Champion for 2008 Stanley Gamble is about to embark on the next stage of his racing career as he makes the move to the Junior Superstock class which supports the British Superbike Championship.
He will be racing for the Stockport based Barton Bike Sport Ltd/Gamble Racing Kawasaki team as he takes the step up from Club racing to a full British Championship.
The rider from Ballymena in Northern Ireland feels that the GSX-R Trophy has given him a good foundation to build on when it comes to his racing career.
He said: "I definitely made the best decision by racing in the Trophy as it let me learn a lot of the tracks. I also learned how to get my lap times down, and how to set targets that I could meet.”
With just five tracks left to learn on the British Championship calendar Gamble isn’t too concerned and with the first round on the Brands Hatch GP circuit he just needs to learn the back section of the track as the Trophy took in the Indy circuit.
His two biggest challenges will be getting used to his new Kawasaki and getting into the routine of the race weekend programme.
Gamble continued: “I’m looking forward to getting out on my new bike. A lot of people are excited that I’m back on a Kawasaki as that is what I raced when I competed in Motocross. Apparently it is the bike to have so there is a bit of a buzz around the whole project which is great.”
Looking ahead to the Junior Superstock season Gamble believes it will be a very competitive field. He said: “People who can’t afford Supersport will be falling back on it so I’m expecting a lot of competition. I always have an aim when I go racing and nine out of 10 times I do it. I’d be happy with top 10 finishes all year - that is my aim.”
Having won the GSX-R Trophy Championship Gamble is very impressed with the series. He explained: “I would most definitely recommend the Trophy to anyone who is looking to step up their racing. One make series are great as long as they are well policed because it then comes down rider capability.”
The first round of the Junior Superstock Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on Monday 13th April.