IBL Racing (Mark Clark/Hudson Kennaugh) snatched a slender eight seconds victory over Team Traction Control (Steve Mercer/Ben Neeves) in the fourth round of the ACU/Sorrymate.com Endurance championship at this Hottrax Motorsports meeting at Snetterton.
Team Traction Control looked set to cruise home to first place after qualifying on pole and leading the race until the very closing stages.
Mercer started his last 40-minute session believing he was over two laps in front.
In fact IBL Racing had been given a lap back after being incorrectly held in pit-lane while the pace car was out on the track. In the closing stages Kennaugh caught and passed Mercer who took to the grass.
Kennaugh went on win by 8.05seconds after 86 hard laps of racing.
The win takes IBL Racing ten-points clear of their nearest rivals, Go Racing Developments (Greg Allsop/Andy Carpenter), who finished third in the ACU/Sorrymate.com National Endurance 1000 class. Team Traction Control remains third in the standings, but they have slipped from ten points adrift of the leaders to 15.
Pitstop Racing (Peter and Marc Dilks) won the National 600 Endurance class. Rivals Team Sorrymate.com (Colin Norris/Warren Verwey) were running well till Norris crashed. The team then lost a lap, held in pit lane while the safety car was out, but they bounced back to take runner-up spot and stretch their championship lead over Power Projects (Richard Cunningham/Phil Setton) to 29 points.
Anglia Interiors/Insignia Signs (Arron Bird/James Loveday) started well in the Clubman 1000 class, Loveday misread a pit-board and came in, with just four laps to go. The stop dropped them to fourth in the class, behind TANC 2, Fire It Racing (Andy Goddard/Louis Turner-Laurent) and Team Soulson2wheels (Aaron Davies/Justin Dearsley). Thunder Chickens (Ellis Hadley/Tarran) were the only survivors in the Clubman 600 class, overtaking TDM Racing to top the points’ table.
MOTOGRANDE 1000
Pole-setter Mark Lister, won the first Motogrande race, from Andy Fenton (Kawasaki 1000) and Greg Allsop (Yamaha 1000).
Westley Crozier (Kawasaki 1000) and Dominic De-Leon (Kawasaki 1000) were fourth and fifth places after a scrap.
Graham Hornby’s main aim was to finish in front of champion rival Andrew Haines (Yamaha 1000). He closed on Haines in race one, but was passed by Alan Smith (Kawasaki 1000) and then by Jack Croucher (Honda 1000). Croucher was tenth, Hornby 11th, Alan Smith (Kawasaki 1000) 12th and Haines 13th.
Crozier made a better start in race two, grabbing the lead from Fenton on lap two and going on to win narrowly. Lister was third, chased home by De-Leon, Benjamin Fortt (Kawasaki 1000) and Rookie Mark Kempster (BMW 1000). Hornby started well and hung on to beat Haines to the line to take seventh place and increase his lead over his rival to five points. Mick Alderson (Honda 1000) stretched his lead in the Rookies series.
MOTOGRANDE 600
Phil Seton (Yamaha 600) was unstoppable in both Motogrande 600 races, with James Edwards (Yamaha 600) narrowly beaten both times out. Series leader, Paul O’Connor (Triumph 675) kept his title hopes alive by finishing fourth in the first outing. His closest rival, Jack Bleakley (Yamaha 600), was only seventh, behind another championship contender, Stephen Bridle (Suzuki 600). O’Connor was fifth in race two, just ahead of Bleakley. Bridle was seventh. O’Connor now has 134 points, Bridle 127, with Bleakley on 97. Paul Slade (Yamaha 600), the Rookies championship leader, won both his races in impressive style.
MOTOSOLO
Colin Norris (Yamaha 600) was second and Graham Hornby (Honda 1000) third in the Moto Solo championship coming into this meeting,
Mark Lister (Kawasaki 1000) led race one from start-to-finish, winning from Andrew Fenton (Kawasaki 1000 and Westley Crozier (Kawasaki 10000).
Hornby was fifth and then used the extra power of his Ostomed Honda to pass Seb Kelly and move into fourth place. Norris was sixth.
Lister won race two beating home Crozier and Fenton. Hornby made a good start, but had gearbox problems. Despite late pressure from Croucher Hornby managed to hang on to fourth. Norris was eighth. Derosa still leads on 86, 17 clear of Norris and 18 in front of Hornby.
MICHELIN POWER CUP
Tony Keilty (Kawasaki 1000), the Michelin Power Cup 1000 championship leader won the first race, his task easier after pole setter Greg Allsop (Yamaha 1000) had been knocked off at the second corner.
Keilty led for three laps until Dominic de Leon (Kawasaki 1000) passed him. Keilty re-passed him going into Riches.
The battling pair were then joined by top 600 man, William White (Triumph 675). Keilty, struggling with his brakes, won from De-Leon, with White third and Richard Charlton (Yamaha 600) fourth.
Keilty tried unsuccessfully to repair his brakes before the second race.
He led until Allsop went by. White then battled with Keilty, but could not pass him and finished third. Wayne Humble (Yamaha 600) was fourth.
Keilty’s lead over Allsop has now stretched to 71 points.
Top Rookie in the 1000 class, Andrew Roberts (BMW 1000) was again in a class of his own. Jordan Greenshields (Yamaha 600) and Richard Telford(Kawasaki 600) shared the wins in the Rookie 600 class.
DUCATI DUE
David Wood Jr stretched his unbeaten run of victories in the Ducati Due Class A to six. He won race one, heading home pole setter Chris Clarke and Andy Pike. James Gerrard was fourth, from Mark Roxbrough and Phil Wilcock. Tom Hallifax was close behind, seventh overall and first B Class bike home.
Wood won race two, holding off Pike to win by half a second. Clarke and Gerrard were close behind. Halifax maintained his unbeaten run in Class B.
Parkitt modern classic
Dean Skipper on a Suzuki 750 Superbike won the first combined Maxitwins/Modern Classic/Formula 400 race. Behind him Matt Lobb on his Suzuki 1000 Megabike and pole-setter Dan Wright, on a Suzuki 600 Supersport battled it out.
Gaz Evans, Yamaha 1000 Megabike, was fourth overall and Joe Connelly (Aprilia 1000 Multitwin) held off Rob Eagling, on the Suzuki 1000 Megabike, to take fifth place.
Skipper led race two, but Lobb caught and passed him with a lap to go.
Wright was a comfortable third. Connelly was fourth heading home Evans and Wayne Morris (Kawasaki 600 Supersport).
Stuart Bayliss (Aprilia 1000 Superbike), had a rare off-day, finishing 11th and tenth. He now leads Owen Richardson by seven.
Steve Roberts stays top of the Megabike class, but his lead over Robert Eagling has been cut to 14. Bob Barton is top of the Supersport series, but Morris has cut his advantage to 37.
Joe Connolly now has 200 points, 160 more than his closest rivals.
Laurie Sands took maximum points in the Formula 400 and now leads Martin Parkhouse by 71