Team Traction Control (Steve Mercer/Ben Neeves) took their second victory of the season in this fifth round of the ACU/Sorrymate.com National Endurance championship, beating IBL Racing (Mark Clark/Hudson Kennaugh) by a lap.
Perhaps Kennaugh had a good excuse for defeat. He had been married the previous day! Go Racing Developments (James Edwards/Andy Carpenter) was third in the National 1000 Endurance class, six laps down on the winners. Edwards stepped in to replace Greg Allsop after he had crashed and there was no time to repair his R1.
Team Traction Control climbed to second in the championship, ten points down on IBL Racing. Go Racing Developments slipped to third, but only 14 points cover the top three.
Pit Stop Racing (Peter and Marc Dilks) qualified well in the National 600 class, but Peter stalled the machine at the start and was next to last going into the first corner. They pulled through to finish sixth overall and second in the class, three laps down on the winners, Dales Racing (Freddy Pett/Richard Steadman).
Team Sorrymate.com Jr, made up of 15-year-old, Kurt and Matt Wigley, making their Endurance debut, was third home, pushing championship leaders Team Sorrymate.com (Colin Norris/Warren Verwey) down to fourth. Pit Stop Racing, second in the points, trail by 24.
A chat with Hudson Kennaugh at Knockhill, teamed 16-year-old Scot Russell Brown with South African, Mark Bainbridge, in the On Your Marks Racing squad. The new partnership finished second in the Clubman 600 class, three laps down on the winners, TDM Racing (Terry and Mike Merritt).
TDM Racing now lead the championship, five points ahead of Thunder Chickens (Martin Gibson/Ellis Hadley), who was third. Team Anglia Interiors/Insignia Signs (Arron Bird/Jamie Loveday) started well, but the oppressive heat forced them to ease the pace and they finished third in the Clubman 1000 class.
Pole setters Fire IT Racing (Andy Goddard/LouisTurner-Laurent) were the winners, one lap ahead of TANC 2(Grant Berry/Chris Mason). TANC 2 still tops the table, 32 points ahead of Team Anglia Interiors/Insignia Signs.
MOTOGRANDE 600
Dale Thomas (Kawasaki), Wayne Humble (Yamaha), Sam Middlemas (Mastertech Autos Triumph) and James Edwards (GO Racing Developments Yamaha) shared the Motogrande 600 wins.
Thomas beat Stuart Haslam (Yamaha) in race one, but crashed out early in race two, leaving pole-setter Humble to win, a fraction ahead of Haslam, with Edwards close behind him. Middlemas only raced on the Sunday. He won the first race, chased home by Edwards and Haslam.
A slipping clutch hindered Middlemas’s start in the fourth race and by the time he was up to second place Edwards was well clear. Haslam was third, right behind Middlemas.
Championship leader, Paul O’Connor was out of luck. His Triumph engine blew up in race one putting him out of the meeting pushing down to third behind Stephen Bridle and Jack Bleakley.
Paul Slade (Yamaha) stayed firmly in control of the Rookies class, even though Stephen Draper (Suzuki) won all four races.
SBK City Motogrande 1000
Phil Crowe (BMW) won the first SBK City Motogrande 1000 race, well clear of Mark Lister (LCS Kawasaki), Kingsley Ruddy (BMW) and Lee Wilson (Kawasaki). Ruddy won race two, from Lister, Crowe and Wilson.
Crowe went home on Saturday night, but Peter Baker took his place, keen to continue setting up his new Kawasaki.
Ruddy, the 19-year-old reigning ACU Clubman’s champion, won both races on the Sunday, heading home Lister and Baker each time.
Andrew Haines (Yamaha) moved back to the top of the points’ table on 161, six more than Graham Hornby (Honda), the championship leader coming into the meeting.
Four more wins for Mick Alderson (Honda) leaves him firmly at the top of the Rookies championship.
Michelin Power Cup
Gregg Allsop’s hopes of winning the Michelin Power Cup 1000 look remote after he crashed out of the first race, when leading. Allsop’s big rival and championship leader Tony Keilty (Kawasaki) was third overall and first in the big class in that opener, stretching his lead further.
Allsop was back down the grid in race two, but fought his way through to win. Allsop led Keilty on the last lap of race three, but Keilty powered pass him over the line to snatch a narrow win. Allsop won race four, with Keilty fourth overall, but second in the class. Allsop now trails championship leader Keilty by 87 points.
William White’s lead over Richard Charlton in the Michelin Power Cup 600 was cut from 57 to just 20 after he failed to finish in race one and then only managed three thirds in the class, bring to an end his unbeaten run of wins. Charlton notched up a win and three seconds.
Wayne Humble (Yamaha) won three races and had a second to take his
Tally to 248, 25 down on the leader.
Motosolo
Kingsley Ruddy (BMW) and Mark Lister (LCS Kawasaki) shared the Motosolo wins. Ruddy beat Lister by nearly five seconds in the first. Ruddy had gone home by race two, leaving Lister to beat Graham Hornby (Honda 1000) by a massive 47 seconds.
Hornby stays top of the championship table on 98, three ahead of Lister, who will not contest any future rounds. Colin Norris (Yamaha 600) is third in the standings, 11 behind Hornby..
Ducati Due
Dave Wood Jr stretched his lead in Ducati Due Class A after winning all four races. Wood made his usual rapid start in Saturday’s eight-lap race and went on to win by over two seconds from Chris Clarke, with Andy Pike third.
It was the same order over the line in races two, three and four. Wood now leads Class A on 280, 54 ahead of Pike and 110 more than James Gerrard. Tom Hallifax remains unbeaten in Class B on 325 points.
Parkitt Modern Classics/Formula 400/Maxitwins
Chris Matthews (Moto46 Suzuki 750 Superbike) dominated the Parkitt Modern Classics/Formula 400/Maxitwins racers winning all three races.
Matthews won the first, chased home by Mark Ess (Yamaha Superbike) and Neil Appleby (Ducati 996 Superbike).
Matthews strolled home to victory in the second race. Matt Lobb (Suzuki 1000 Megabike) was second, Ess third and Appleby fourth, in a blanket finish. Matthews completed his hat trick in race three. Lobb, Ess and Appleby battled behind him.
Robert Eagling (Suzuki 1000 Megabike) took three second places in his class to close the gap on championship leader Steve Roberts (Yamaha 1000 Megabike), who grabbed three thirds. Roberts now has 169 points, two more than Eagling.
Stuart Bayliss (Aprilia) added 39 points to his season’s Superbike tally thanks to three fourth places, stretching his lead over Owen Richardson (Kawasaki) to 27. Bob Barton (Suzuki Supersport) stayed top of the class, but his young rival, Wayne Morris (Kawasaki Supersport) took three second places, cutting the gap to 18.
Joe Connolly (Aprilia 1000) was again unbeatable, taking his total in the Megatwins to 275. Laurie Sands (Kawasaki 400) took a hat-trick in the Formula 400 class and now has 264 points, 86 more than Martin Parkhouse (Kawasaki 400).