Adam Jeffery, is aiming to join an elite group of riders that number just a dozen in the NG Road Racing’s 42 year history for defending a class championship twice. North Devon’s Adam has taken the Open Pre-Injection class for the last two season’s with his AFB Racing R1 Yamaha after two year long head to head scraps with Phil Hacker with his FJ1100 in 2010 and 2011. So when Hacker announced that he would not be campaigning the 2012 championship things looked set for Jeffery to join the three-time-club. But as always, when one rival steps to one side, another always seems to pop up, and this was the case as Tom Palmer stepped in to square up to Jeffery on a similar 2000 spec R1.
Adam started the year well with three wins in the first three rounds, but Palmer was finding his form quickly and after three podiums he grabbed his first race win at round four at Pembrey. Adam was not too worried… he finished second and still had a series lead. But then disaster struck Jeffery’s season, as he was forced to miss Donington Park…. business had to come first. Palmer seized his chance and took a pair of wins…. and the all important series lead. The top two along with Michael Hobbs traded podiums on Jeffery’s return at Oulton, but Palmer had built a big lead.
This Anglesey meeting would prove to a vital round for those wishing to lift the 2012 TPC Construction pre injection class. Things started badly for Adam as he crashed his R1 on Saturday morning….. the bike was fine but Adam suffered a broken toe….. not too bad you might think, but to wrestle a big Yamaha down through the Coastal Circuits Corkscrew you need a lot of weight transfer through your feet (….painful was not the word). As the final came to the grid Adam set off but was missing gears in the early lap….. but then the red flag came out… when the bikes returned to the grid a grimacing Jeffery looked to his left…. Palmer, his rival was absent…. He had fallen. But as the race was restarted Palmer was up and back the bike re-scrutinised and allowed to start the race, but from the back of the grid. Jeffery won… Palmer fought through to fifth….and Hobbs… he fell. Jeffery was up into second in the championship and amazingly even with a broken toe set a new class lap record.
Sunday saw the race come to the grid with a damp but drying track, Palmer’s tyre choice of inters looked spot on, Jeffery had slicks all round. During the eight lap final the track dried rapidly…very rapidly and Palmer’s tyres started to overheat…Jeffery’s slicks came good and with just two laps remaining he swept through School Gate to take the lead and his second win of the weekend. For his efforts he was also awarded the Performance-of-the-Meeting trophy and cash from Wayside Garages’ Marcus Bridewell, making the 350 mile trip back to North Devon a lot easier to bear.
There is now just 19 points between the rivals with two rounds to go. If Adam Jeffery wants to join that elite group of three on the bounce winners he has just two rounds to do it….. Palmer is in the driving seat…. It is his to loose….tense or what !
The Phoenix Motorcycles Open
This prestigious Open class is now perfectly set up for a head to head shoot out at the remaining two rounds. Peter Baker took full advantage of the fact that championship rival Phil Bevan was still travelling back from his (…..poorly planned !!!) holiday in Spain by taking Saturdays win after being in third place until the final lap when race leader Luke Stapleford and second spot man Jonathan Lodge both read Staplefords pit board which had inadvertantly signalled them that it was the last lap. As they rolled it off Baker kept it pinned and swept passed to lead with half a lap still to go. By the time the confused pair realised what had happened it was too late and Baker took the win. The only consolation for Stapleford was that he had set a series of new lap records on his way to building up a 14-second lead…. Only to end up third across the line after the mix up…… there were red faces all round ….and a fair bit of micky taking….the biggest smile though was on Morello Suzuki’s Peter Baker as he scooped those valuable 25 points.
Sundays race was astonishing. In rapidly drying conditions after a heavy shower pole sitter Jamie Harris and Ryan Gibson set off at pace chased by Roo Cotton and Jonathan Lodge…. But what of our championship to two?. Baker had gone out on slicks and had to take in easy in the early stages. He almost toured round just inside the top ten until in the last couple of lap he finally found grip storming up to 5th just behing Tom Garness whilst Bevan (….now back from his holidays after an over night dash from the airport to Anglesey) just went backwards very quickly. What should have been the perfect set up, wet front intermediate rear never gave him any grip as the rear which was found to be a hard tyre just would not heat up and Bevan a four time open champion had the ignominy of finishing in 11th spot. He was just half a dozen seconds from being lapped by leader Harris on his R6 as the flag came out. The frustration on the Bevan teams faces on pit wall was obvious, in the end they even gave up with the pit board and could barely watch the race….. all due to a duff tyre.
On a positive note for the neutrals though all this means that there is just one single point separating Peter Baker and Phil Bevan with just Combe and Thruxton to go….. let battle commence
The Pro Bolt 600cc
Luke Stapleford continued his emphatic gate crashing of meetings across the country in another weekend of testing on his Profile Kawasaki as he prepares for the upcoming BSB Supersport meetings. Revelling in Saturdays perfect conditions he was visible enjoying life and set a new 600cc class lap record on his way to beating Jonhathan Lodge and fastest in practice pole man Christopher Mort. With the weekends objective of fast laps Luke and the Profile team did not venture out on the grids in Sunday’s damp conditions. Damp conditions that Paul Jeffery revelled in, leading early on on his relatively elderly R6. Eventually though he had to succumb to local Anglesey rider Jamie Harris with his new R6. Both riders though were tracked down by Christopher Mort who had not made the best of starts but snatched the victory from Harris in the closing corners to take the win on his new Crewe Honda Centre CBR. Darrel Jones, has relieved to come away with a healthy points haul to cement his series lead.
Steve Lynham Formula 125
Welsh teenager Joseph Thomas took another pair of F125 final wins on his RS125 Aprilia to make it a total of 7 from 11 (…. The others were second placings!). He is eyeing a more to the 125 GP before the end of the year. Keenan Armstrong kept him on his toes though on his Replicast Aprilia as he revelled in the mid afternoon rain showers.
125GP
Andrew Fisher has led the 125 GP class since way back as round three (we are now 12 rounds down) and a win on Saturday cemented that position. But after other commitments saw him forced out of Sundays meeting defending champion Jamie Ashby grabbed the win on his Ducati Coventry RS125 to cut Fishers lead back to just 2 points with just Castle Combe and Thruxton to go. The two 80cc riders Mark Clayton and Chris Taylor put on a highly entertaining race long squabble for supremacy on Sunday with Clayton on the Refined Recruitment Metrakit taking it by just 0.15 of a second at the line.
450cc Open
Dave Hampton grabbed a fine win in Saturdays 450 Open on his J&RB TZ250 as he continues his recovery from a severe back operation whilst Chris Beverley took Sunday’s win to continue his 100% record of never finishing outside the top 5.
A and R Racing Formula 400
Two more wins for Miss Hale, as Shannon secured another double win putting he and the Black Lion Transport ZXR400 in an unassailable lead. She takes the title for the second year running. Dave Matchett, Will Jones and Chris Baker had no answer to Shannon’s pace.
Simon Consulting Powerbikes
Roo Cotton on his DTR R1 needed no second invitation to take his first Powerbike win of the year after early race leader Peter Baker was black-flagged after his newly rebuilt Morello GSXR 1000 sprung an oil leak. Baker bounced back on Sunday on his spare bike to take a convincing win over title rival Phil Bevan and the late charge from Graham Hornby. Cotton came through in fourth this time
Performance Red Sound of Thunder
2012 top man Darren Rumley lead for 99% of Saturdays final on his BCT Aviation KTM, but 2010 champ Paul Willis wanted to prove that despite sitting out part of the year through injury he was still a force to be reckoned with. He put an audacious pass on Rumley through the final run through the Corkscrew on the final lap to take the win. Rumley will and truly got his revenge on Sunday taking the win after early pressures from 1098 Ducati man Steven Hill.
MPH Bikes Mini Twins
As has been the pattern of 2012 defending champion Ben Marsden (NP Motorcycles SV) and class new boy 18 year old Dale Thomas (T & E / Fast Rads SV) traded wins with one apiece. Barry Furber had his best weekend and was unlucky not to have come away with more points after heading the field in the early stages.
Pirelli UK GP45 Singles
Peter Carr made it 8 wins in the GP45 class on his Pistol Pete Racing 450 Kawasaki from 11 starts. He just failed to make in 9 wins after he collided with another rider rejoining the circuit (missing out the banking loop) and being adjudged by the officials to have gained an advantage. Still second place behind James Stacey was easily enough to see him crowned champion with two rounds still remaining.
Metzeler and DTR Streetstock
With nothing to choose between the top three in the Open Streetstock wins were hard fought with Simon O’Donnell on his ZX10R and novice Paul Dawson with his R1 taking one each. Mark Skinner who went into the meeting on his ZX10 Kawasaki in the series lead took two podiums but even that was not enough to hang onto the series lead. Dawson now heads the point’s table by just one point over Skinner.
As series leader David Mitchell was ruled out of the 700 Streetstock class after breaking his collarbone Dean Richards took an easy win on Saturday, but on Sunday the plane was just to pack some good points in Mictchell’s absence, but Richards suffered his own bone crunching crash at the banking, and a suspected pelvic injury….. with either rider be fit for the final two rounds or will Rob Starkey grab two wins and leap from 4th to the championship win.
Mark Ireland and Martin Parkhouse shared top honours in the 400cc division but Colm Warner from Wokingham was unlucky not to grab his maiden win after closing Parkhouse down on Saturday ending up with his ZXR400 just 0.13 of a second adrift at the line.
TPC Construction Pre Injection
Adam Jeffery grabbed two wins to get his championship title defence back on track on his AFB R1. Tom Palmer, current series leader slipped off on Saturday but after the Clerk of the Course allowed him to restart after the red flagged race he had his work cut out but came through to fifth. In their second outing Palmer’s tyre choice worked for him in the early part of the race, on a damp but drying track, but as the race went on his tyres went off. Jeffery on full slicks upped his pace and came through to take a double win…. and a new lap record…. and all with a broken toe sustained on Saturday morning. Nick Colley and Dale Thomas took the honours in the 700cc division but Mark Pask retains hisseries lead on his R6.
The CSC Sidecars
Craig Chaplow and Mike Aylott on the Able LCR Suzuki headed home current 2012 top crew Jim Hamilton and Mick Fairhurst in both sidecar finals despite the newly crowned champions leading early on. Jim and Mick are in an unassailable position after Paul Corfield and Ritchie Bleakley’s Ballard BIS Suzuki overheated on the grid after a long hold due to some outfits further down the pack not being able to sort out their grid positions before the warm up lap. This left them with a blown head gasket, forcing them out of Sunday’s action.
Bob Handcock and Basil Bevan have at last started to forge ahead in the F2 class after stringing together three good meetings picking up a win and a third placing this weekend on the RJ Road Racing Shellbourne Honda. Two podiums saw Tom and Thomas Quaye leap up the rankings into second spot and pressuring for the win on Sunday before Lancashire pairing Tony Cunliffe and Gary Daniel came through in the latter stages.
April UK Newcomers
The three Newcomers championship’s were decided this weekend with Joseph Thomas taking the up to 500cc class on his RS125 Aprilia heading home all the 400’s and Dale Thomas (…..no relation !) taking the Mini Twins series after taking 4 wins from 5 starts. It was the open class that kept us on the edge of our seats though as with one lap still to go it could have gone any one of three ways. Dave Manley (675) Michael Hobbs (R1) and Tom Cook (CBR 1000) each took turns at putting one hand on the trophy as the race progressed. Hobbs ruled himself out after being in the perfect position after crashing out with just a few corners to go. Cook took the win but second for Manley gave him the points to win..… by 5 over Cook, and Hobbs in third after giving it his all, the only way Hobbsy knows how to ride.
Wayside Garages Performance of the Meeting
Adam Jeffery was a worthy winner of the Wayside Garages performance of the meeting award with four impeccable races on his Pre Injection AFB Motorcycles R1. Unbeaten all weekend and setting a new class lap record despite racing with a very uncomfortable broken toe.