Bevan blasts the lap record.
Phil Bevan on his Phil Bevan Track Days ZX10 and Daniel Cooper with the Space Centre/Ruby Racing CBR1000 pushed each other to go faster and faster all weekend in near perfect conditions at this end of year Prince of Pembrey meeting. To get under the magic minute is no mean feat but Dan and Phil were immediately in the mid 59’s….then 58’s…..Bevan and Cooper then both smashed the six-year-old lap record with a 57.99 to Coop and a 57.91 to Bev. Bevan eventually took control in all Phoenix Opens and the Price of Pembrey to head home Cooper each time.
Bevan was as ever doubling up the Open and Powerbike and without that pesky Copper around his ears all race Phil set his sights on bettering that stunning 57.91. Spectators watched slack jawed at Bevan got quicker and quicker and quicker still…..the transponder clicked as he crossed the line on lap six of the nine lap final…..57.85 !!!!!. Even Bevan’s crew chief and engine man Kevin Tompkins could not quite believe it. As all this was going on it was easy to over look the stunning ride of James Kiff in second place. Kiff joined the sub-60 second club with a 59.8. Not bad for a man who hasn’t raced for twelve months and literally had to dust off the JK Auto Tek ZX10 when he arrived at the circuit.
Superbike class mentions also have to go to Luke Jones, Roo Cotton, Chris Pope and Gary Walters for making it such a high speed weekend of big-bike racing…….well done guys.
Nerves were jangling on the 250GP grid.
The nerves were certainly jangling in the 250GP camps as Ant Hodson and Phil Atkinson went head to head. They both knew it would be winner takes all. But as the race one came to the line there was no sign of Atkinson, as the Declans Racing crew fired up the bike the carburettor popped off and he missed the warm up lap. Race direction then made him start from the back of the grid, but did not start from the very back which saw him slapped with a 10 second penalty…..as all this was happening front row starter Hodson go a jump start……and 10 seconds. Former champ Dan Jackson took the win from Atkinson ad Hodson. This saw one point between the top two going into Sunday’s final. Atkinson nearly wrecked his race as he left the clutch out on the TZ. The front wheel came up and then slapped down on the welsh tarmac, breaking a fairing mounting. Atkinson though took a stunning win over the hard riding Hodson who finished just over half a second behind his season long rival…..Atkinson was visibly overwhelmed as the team welcomed the new 250 National champ into pit lane. Paul Metcalfe took two wins on his RS250 Honda to grab the NG Cup title.
Broadway bounces back, but Carr takes championship on count-back.
Series leader in the Sound of Thunder going into the weekend was Ben Broadway with the 899 Panigale, but really handicapped himself after a trip onto the grass in Saturday’s qualifier. Starting from the back of the grid he fought through to fourth with Peter Carr his series rival taking second behind Jonathon Railton. Paul Shook grabbed a fine podium on his stock 675 ahead of Broadway. Sunday again had Railton take the win with Carr second and Broadway third. When the maths were done it meant that Ben and Pete were tied on points….but with Pistol Pete Carr notching up four wins to Ben’s two Pete took the championship.
"Potchy" pockets a pair on titles in his first season.
Paul “Potchy Williams grabbed two titles at Pembrey. Taking the 1300 Streetstocks championship on his BMW S1000 to add to the already secured Open Newcomers. Williams did not have his season long rival Martin Lowe to challenge him here, but outgoing champ Richard Hughes, along with Stephen Martin and Paul Jeffery made sure he didn’t have an easy ride to the title.
Thomas Williams took the 700 Street category after a win on Saturday with the Williams Family R6 and then sat out Sunday’s race (….after a heavy night celebrating !!!!). Justin Collins took Sundays win on his R6, having his best ride of 2015 following up his prize winning ride at the recent Manx GP. Sean Wynne got the Streetstock performance award to two fighting second places in the 700 series on the SMW 675.
Monty recovers after spill to take 600.
Sean Montgomery needed just a handful of points from the weekend to grab the hugely competitive 600 Open championship, but things didn’t get off to a good start as he got nerfed off onto the grad at Hatchetts…..the first corner. He regrouped for the final and took his Preston Power Steering ZX6R to a nervy fourth place behind a full compliment of former 125 BSB Champs in Dan Cooper, Luke Jones and Ed Rendell, who was having his first outing in anger on the Tsingtao MV. Sunday saw Cooper and Jones at it again at the front with Jones setting a new class lap record. Tye Kinton had a good ride to third and Montgomery stayed well out of trouble to take the points he needed.
Mathison in stunning European Moto E form.
Daley Mathison took another two commanding victories on the University of Nottingham built Moto E electric bike in the penultimate round for the European championship as they now head off to Portimao to try and wrap up the series. He lapped consistently four of five seconds a lap quicker that his rivals, heading Chris Purdie on both occasions. Pre season tips, the Zongshen team with China’s Chun Kay Kwok at the helm could only manage third placings and well off the pace of Mathison on the Nottingham Uon bike.
Dallas dishes up Desmo Due championship.
The exuberant riding style of Dallas Hornblow on the Ducati sporting Club 618 Ducati was rewarded with the 2015 620 class A championship after third and fourth placing were enough to overhaul Andy Claridge and outgoing champ Matthew Lawson. Class B champ Scott Wilson was having his first outing on a class A 620cc,and Saturday saw him take a stunning second behind Martin Cox…..but went one better to take a win on Sunday. He will be a force in the 2016 series!!!
Biggs/Ransley win the battle….Hamilton/Schofield win the war!!.
Rob Biggs and Ben Ransley did all they could to take the Open sidecar title with two very dominant rides on the Corbett sports.com LCR Suzuki. But Jim Hamilton and stand in passenger Karl Schofield knew two decent finished would be enough, and that is what they did to be rewarded with Hamilton’s third title in four years. The F2 wins went to Welsh pairing Mike Cookson and Alun Thomas, and Dean Nicholls and Ben Avison but the championship went to Nev Jones and Giles Stainton, a feat which didn’t look on after the pair retired on Saturday. However they got the Shellbourne Suzuki back together to take a podium and the title on Sunday……phew!
The highlights from the rest of the Pembrey season finale.
Benjamin Smith and Caleb Smith (….no relation) share the victories in the F125 class with Caleb the fomer Mini GP champ getting his “big-bike” career of to a championship winning start. Banks Racing 125 BSB runner, 15 year old Liam Delved used his spare moto engineering prepped RS125 Honda to take two wins and the 125GP title by a huge margin. Delves was also in the hunt for 500cc open class honours too but was pipped by Paul Metcalfe on his RS250 Honda by just 3 points after the weekends racing. Metcalfe rode to two third placings behind two-stroke Tommy Lawler and Dave Hampton. Hampton finished third in the title chase just one point further back from Liam, probably ruing the couple on missed rounds on the 500 Enigma Tigcraft.
Tim Bradley took another pair of wins on his F400 FZR Yamaha, although the man who has dominated 2015 had some tough opposition early race as Will Jones and Anthony Van Looy kept him on his toes. Tony Bridgefoot was leading the GP45 series going into this weekend but a bit tumble in Saturday’s race that left his with several broken bones, opened the door to Karl Horton. He took no second asking and racked up tow wins and the title on his Millennium Fencing RRV450 Aprilia ahead of Ewan Potter.
Aaron Silvester took a pair of wins in the Mini Twins, to take the championship with the bonus of a class new lap record as well as he got the better of the fast starting Richard Goode. The Super Twins had Daniel Cooper on the Space Centre/Ruby Racing ER-6 secure two impassive wins over Paul Wardell with William Holland and 2015 champ Wayne Axon in supporting cast. Coopers win on Saturday saw him landed with a 10 second jump start, but still won by an astonishing 27 seconds and setting a new lap record.
Kevin Clayon had his best ever racing weekend on the Rachel’s Cakes backed R1 Yamaha to take two wins and elevate himself to runner up spot in the 1300 Pre Injection series behind champion Mike Hobbs, who had to sit most of the weekend out after he broke the gearbox on his R1….luckily he had an unassailable lead in the series. The 700 Pre injections went down to the last race with last years runner up Phil Webber turning the tables on 2014 champ Chris Hobbs as Webber took his PWR 600 Honda to a second and third to secure the required points for the series win.
Paul “Potchy” Williams, Micky Daly and Jon Rutherford took class wins in the Open, 500 and Mini Twin Newcomer classes respectively
Newcomer Walters catches the eye to win performance award.
Newcomer Gary Walters on his Edwalt Construction BMW S1000 R caught the eye with a fighting ride into second in the newcomers as well as a pair of rides to fifth in the Powerbike to gain the Performance of the meeting award…..proving the performance judges are watching everyone !!!!…..not just race winners……
2015 Champions
Phoenix Open Phil Bevan
250 GP ACU National Phil Atkinson
250 GP NG Cup Paul Metcalfe
Steve Lynham F125 Caleb Smith
NG Road Racing 125GP Liam Delves
A and R racing F400 Tim Bradley
Bluebell Lakes GP45 Karl Horton
EDP Photo News 500cc Paul Metcalfe
Simon Consulting 600cc Sean Montgomery
Switchgear Systems Powerbike Phil Bevan
Castle Combe Track Days Mini Twin Aaron Silvester
Castle Combe Track Days Super Twin Wayne Axon
100% Suspension Sound of Thunder Peter Carr
DTR / Metzeler 700 Streetstock Thomas Williams
DTR / Metzeler 1300 Streetstock Paul Williams
Adam Jeffery Flooring 700 Pre Injection Phil Webber
Adam Jeffery Flooring 1300 Pre Injection Mike Hobbs
Cutronas Financial 500 Newcomer Greg Maden
MPH Bikes Mini Twin Newcomer Alan Pearce
Cutronas Financial Open Newcomer Paul Williams
CSC Racing F2 Sidecar Nev Jones / Giles Stainton
CSC Racing Open Sidecar Jim Hamilton / Mick Fairhurst