Rounds 5 and 6 – Snetterton 16th 17th May 2009
Unstoppable Sawford
Bedfordshire’s Andrew Sawford mastered the conditions and the high speed Snetterton circuit with pole position, backed up by a double victory, and set the Championship chase alight at the same time.
Ant Hodson’s string of bad luck came to an end at last as he enjoyed two second place finishes, and Jason Davis maintained his place at the top of the Fraser’s of Gloucester and Dunlop backed series, with a pair of calculated third places.
Once again there was drama in timed qualifying. Just as the front runners were looking to set their best times with five minutes left to run, light rain started to fall at the first corner catching several riders out. Notably, round three winner Alex Kenchington took a very late highside from his Yamaha, fracturing his collar bone in the process and despite his second position on the grid sheet, played no further part in the weekend.
With seven riders topping the chart throughout the session, it was Sawford who took his St Neot’s Yamaha to pole. With the luckless Kenchington out injured, Jason Davis, Ant Hodson and Mark Davies made up the front row. The NG Cup Championship leader Ross Willshire was absent for the weekend, leaving Jonathan Stamper to take advantage and was the fastest NG Cup contender on his Graham File Tuning TZ Yamaha.
Round five on Saturday afternoon was a short lived affair. Andrew Sawford was just getting into his stride when the red flags came out as a result of Mark Linton’s fall at the Esses. Just before the stoppage, Mark Davies had parked his Yamaha on the long straight with crank failure, putting his second place in the championship in jeopardy. At the restart, Andrew Sawford took off and controlled from the front but the battle behind him had the neutrals glued.
While Jason Davis, on his BM Groundworks Yamaha, Rich Grinling’s Honda and Ant Hodson’s MDJ Racing/TSM Yamaha held station on the lap charts, it was close enough to leave spectators thinking it was about to kick off, probably on the last lap, and probably at Russell’s Chicane! Enter Ant Hodson for the move of the race. He was never going to settle for fourth so entering the chicane for the final time, he made second position his own by sliding past the unsuspecting Davis and Grinling to win the drag race to the line. The move relegated Jason Davis to third and Rich Grinling just missed out on a podium by a split second in fourth. Irishman Chris McAloran took his J&RB Racing Honda RS to fifth Mike Russell’s FCL Racing TZ was in sixth Darrell Higgins having a one off ride to replace the absent Ross Willshire took seventh, Cheltenham’s John Lewis eighth, Lee Goddard and Daniel Jackson rounded out the top ten.
The NG Cup battle was won by Paul McCullagh on the Amethyst Yamaha, Stowmarket’s Lou Goddard at last got her richly deserved first podium of the year in second, with Adrian Martin third team mate to Chris McAloran in the J&RB Racing squad. Lou Goddard took the Dunlop Performance of the Day award of a rear GP tyre for her first podium performance.
Round six on Sunday at last got the weather break the series deserved, as the race started under blue skies. At the end of lap one it was Ant Hodson, still bubbling from his previous day’s podium and out to go one better, who headed the pack but Sawford knew he had 14 laps to work his calculated magic. At the end of lap two the bright yellow St Neot’s Yamaha was in command, which is where he stayed for the duration, visibly able to control the four second gap on Hodson, with McAloran, Davis, Grinling and Mark Davies all line astern behind.
McAloran looked strong and a podium was well within his grasp but the Honda had other ideas as it was retired into pit lane with a dead engine. This left consistent Jason Davis, and the title leader in third. Mark Davies’ fourth was a remarkable result; he found that one of the carburetors had come adrift on his newly rebuilt TZ narrowly avoiding a double DNF. Rich Grinling finished fifth, Phil Guillou having a season best on his immaculate TZ in sixth. Tony Davis progressed his Stan Archer & Son Yamaha through the pack to finish in a very creditable seventh, a ride which won him the Dunlop Performance of the Day Award. John Lewis’ Hicks Heating Yamaha, Lee Goddard’s Honda RS and FCL Racing’s Mike Russell rounded out the top ten. The Cup Championship has opened right up. Jonathan Stamper took the win in Sunday’s race, and a massive improvement on his DNF in Saturday’s race following mechanical problems. Southampton’s Dave Hampton was second and Adrian Martin took another third equaling his result on Saturday.
Standings after 6 rounds Championship:
Davis 127, Sawford 88, Davies 83, Grinling 82, Hodson 65, Willshire 49, Kenchington 47, Guillou 36, McAloran 35, Russell 31.
Cup: Willshire 100, Stamper 97, Hampton 92, McCullagh 73, Goddard 72, Martin 71, Keogh 39, Woollacott 38, Ashcroft 34.
Next Round – Donington Park 25th May 2009.