NG’s return to Snetterton after an eight year gap did not exactly go to plan, and left the organisers having to construct a new race programme to give everyone the chance for championship points and laps……the reason….torrential rain storms of biblical proportions. So much so that riders staged rubber duck races down pit lane! Although that does beg the question why a road racers brings plastic bath toys to a race meeting !!!!.
With only half of Saturday’s championship races complete it was decided to run the remaining races the following morning but give double the laps and double the points so that the classes retain parity of points across the board. After some initial gripes the system actually worked and gave some great racing in the warm Sunday Snetterton sunshine. That meant that everyone had the regular third race of the day……got it? …good.
Snetterton is a fast circuit with the Senna and Bentley Straights being places where the Superbike can really stretch the legs, and riders can test their skill on the brakes.
Leicestershire based 20-year-old BSB Superstock runner George Stanley returned to Snetterton on the Hawk Racing GSXR 100 Suzuki after having done the recent BSB test. However, that was on the 300 circuit, whilst this NG meeting was on the 2-mile 200 layout. He was here to test the Gixer as much as he could and was out in the Open and Powerbikes where he went head to head with NG’s king of the big bikes Josh Day. When Josh was in his early 20’s he was going toe to toe with the likes of Danny Buchan in the National Superstock series…. a contest that Josh won! George is now on that path too.
Day was up to speed straight away on his Kendrick and Spalding ZX10R and set pole for the Open. The weather was already looking bad and the race was run in wet conditions, but as has been the way for the last two seasons Day took the win by over 14 seconds from fast improving Superbike new-boy Alistair Haynes and Chris Pope on the AFB R1. Pope is known for riding well in the wet and despite a run onto the grass on lap one he still stormed (…. sorry) though in the atrocious conditions to grab his best result of the year. Race two in the dry on Sunday morning saw Day out from again but this time George Stanley was in his wheel tracks and looked up for the challenge, but in typical Dayo style Josh gradually pulled away, a tenth here and a tenth there to win by 2 seconds. Behind them Haynes, Pope, Gary Stevens, Nick Williamson, Mick Goodings and George Hindle scrapped elbow to elbow for third with Williamson getting the nod. Alistair Haynes’ race ended in a huge crash at Corams in the later stages with his ZX10 systematically destroying its self before coming to rest. We wish Alistair a speedy return. Outing three was again a win for Day making in a full set of poles and three Open wins, but this time Stanley hung on longer and was just over a second adrift at the line.
Day and Stanley also clashed in the Powerbikes…. Day took race one again in front of the Hawk rider with the returning Peter Baker third with Taryn Skinner fourth. For the final outing of the weekend Stanley and his Hawk Suzuki clung to Day in the early laps, and then made his move…. a move that was decisive…. A move that needed the fastest lap of the weekend and a new outright NG lap record to keep Josh at bay and crossing the line just half a second clear for the win. Peter Baker had another fine podium with Nick Williamson in close attendance, proving that Superbike racing is a very special spectacle at Snetterton.
250GP and 125GP ACU National Championship.
During Saturdays Dymag 250 GP ACU National race run in very wet conditions it was the Microlise/Cresswell Racing 250 Mahindra Moto 3 of Chris Taylor that set the early race pace and built up a comfortable lead that former two-time 250 champ Philip Atkinson could not close down. Atkinson had made an error on the first lap exiting the Wilson section that saw him drop 4 places and loose contact with the leaders. Bruce Dunn looked on for a certain podium but his TZ gave up the ghost with a broken gearbox with just two laps to go. That left Atkinson to take the runner up spot ahead of class new boy John Lea who was having a great first outing on the GP Yamaha. Atkinson was in no mood to give away any more points to his rivals and took the next two wins, each time over Lea and Taylor.
Gavin Mills took a fine triple win on his Mills Racing RS125 in the Hartsmere Logistics series to make it seven wins from nine starts. Paul Fyson, Jake Hopper and Blake Chapman were left to squabble over the remaining podium spots.
Rich Grinling and Simon Hunt shared NG Cup Honours whilst the TSGP series that runs alongside that National championship saw a clean sweep for John Lea taking his closer to the top of the TSGP points table.
All the Snetterton action.
Mike Wilson took the wins in the Formula 125 each time over Oliver Upton, and with a non-scoring weekend for Jay Able Wilson now heads the tiddler points table. Tim Bradley continued his winning run as he returns to his favoured Formula 400 class. Elwyn Fryer was his nearest challenger in the first outing with Michael Rees third.
Rees upped his game to take second in the next outing. Rees also runs his ZXR in the open 500 class and took two podiums in the first two outings behind Dave Hampton. Rees who is hoping to compete in the Manx GP later this year too his first 500 class win to end the weekend with a trophy haul totalling six pots. Hampton also doubles up on his 450Single Cell Tigcraft in the Supermono and has been used to the wins this year, but reigning champ Jay Bellers-Smith joined the fray this weekend and took both wins in the disrupted programme.
Ducati Desmo Due reigning champ Andy Blomfield asserted his dominance in the opening Desmo race taking the win over Scott Wilson and Adrian Crossan and looked forward to another full points haul, but a split exhaust knocked the power off of his 620 Duke. Philip Mudren needed no second invitation and swept through to the win in the 620cc A class setting that fastest lap on the way. Blomfield was second and Duncan Baillie, who had crashed out of the first race battling through from the back of the grid to take third. Peter Cooper bagged two more wins in the 600cc B class to close in on series leader James Robinson.
Jordan Gill and his Bikespeed UK/Motorhome Scotland 959 Panigale was the pairing to try and beat in the Sound of Thunder. Despite the best efforts of Sam Middlemas and Gill’s own team-mate Taryn Skinner it was maximum points for Gill.
Paul Wardell took three wins and maximum points on the Bee Lighting SV 650, helping him in achieving his goal of retaining the Mini Twins title he currently holds. It was a feat made a little less stressful after close rival William Holland was a no show on the grids for day two after a tumble at Nelsons on Saturday in the very wet timed practice session. Wardell doubles up in the Super Twins too and took another win there, the other went to Alan Russell who used the A and R Racing Ducati Monster, he headed home Dean Ratcliffe.
As ever the Suzuki Bandit runners gave up some close and exciting racing. Reigning champ James McHardy had a mechanically troubled weekend but still came away with three podiums that included two wins, both times over Matthew Baker who grabbed the other victory. Harley Prebble did not quite have the pace of the leaders this weekend despite having the small advantage down Snett’s straight of the half-faired Bandit against the fully naked bikes. Anthony Hart took all three Formula Prostock FP1 class wins on his immaculate XR69 Suzuki. Unfortunately, no FP2’s were at Snetterton but Andy Bailey and Lewis Rees shared the points in the FP3 category
Owen Hunt took full points in the 1300 Pre-injection class on his Paul Bland Motorsport R1 with a full set of wins over Paul Dyer who was having his best weekends racing. Meanwhile in the 700cc class Daniel Jones took two wins on his Emlyn Garages R6 and Will Bryant one, with regular Bandit-Boy James McHardy now has an R6 for this class and bagged two podiums. Jones could have won all three……but for a 10second Jump Start penalty!!
Alex Jones was another double winner on his TKRC/WCS/REPS R6 taking one win each day in the 700 Streetstocks class. Dave Irons took the other. Adam Grosch had three podiums… one as expected in the wet, as that is his real forte, but the others were in the dry which really pleased him as he has a reputation for putting in good results usually just in tricky conditions. Richard Hughes the 2014 big Streetstocks champion in back for a full season, and now on a rapid BMW after several seasons on a Honda and kept his title aspirations alive with two wins on the family run team backed by his Mam and Dad along with Mugsy !. The other race went to Jason Hill, who was pressuring Hughes for Sunday’s final race before crashing out of second place at Wilson’s.
It is safe to say that the 600 class really had the worst of the weather. They came to the grid just before the first deluge. After the sighting lap they were directed straight down pit lane as the skies dumped a couple of inches of rain in about half an hour. The marshals and circuit staff worked miracles to clear the drains and get the track fit for action. However, just as the bikes came back to the grid the heavens opened up once more, again the track was awash and with the clock ticking the organisers had to pull the plug (…. pardon the pun!!). When the 600s did eventually get out we saw Sam Middlemas take the first win on his Salus/Albany Triumph over Alex Baker and James Griffiths. It was also a race that saw current series leader Sean Montgomery throw his Kawasaki into the gravel as he tried to chase down leader Middlemas. The second outing had Alex Baker set the pace from the lights on his Team Baker R6. As a “bit-of-fun” Josh Day wheeled out his elderly old R6 and starting from the back of the grid he cut his way through the field. By the time he had got through into second there were three laps to go and Baker was 9 seconds up the road. Josh set three fastest laps on the bounce to close within a couple of bike lengths at the line! Aaron Ridewood just held off Kayla Barrington for the final podium place, although Kayla pushed the R6 right to the line in an effort to get third.
So, after all Saturday’s weather issues Sunday went off with wall to wall sunshine and great racing…. and no race stoppages! …much to NG officials relief…. roll on Pembrey for more fun on track.
NG Sidecars…. Open and F2.
It was the Hannafin RS GSXR 1000 Suzuki of Former NG champs and current National series runners Rupert Archer and Tom Bryant that set a pace in the first outing for the Open Sidecars that on one could match. They did not make the best of launches though as Lee Crawford and Scott Hardie made a great start. However, their F2 LCR Suzuki ground to a halt after two laps. That left the way open for Archer/Bryant to stretch out a near 10 second lead at the flag. At one point it looked like Ben Holland and Lee Watson might pose a threat, but the gremlins got hold of their new 600 Yamaha and that too coasted to a stop. Sam and Adam Christie picked up the pieces and took second overall plus the F2 win on the CES Powerbiking LCR R6. The Christie boys went one better in the second outing by grabbing a fine win over the hard charging Kevin Cable and Guy Pawsey on their ZX10 powered L & W Contractors LCR. After a troubled first outing Dean Nicholls and Keiran Phillips came home third on their new LCR outfit that showed a great turn of speed down the Bentley and Senna Straight.
The Protect My Income.com Newcomers.
There is a very fast bunch of new riders campaigning the Protect my Income Newcomers series this year. Blake Shaw has taken both of the previous rounds on his ZX6R but for this meeting he looked to face a tough challenge from Aaron Hughes and Bryan Walker. Hughes looked quick in earlier races but a big get-off at Riches took him out of the reckoning, so Walker and Shaw were left to battle it out for the Open class win. Walker got the nod on his TFC Racing 750 Suzuki with a dash to the line out of Murray’s. Behind was an equally close tussle in the fight for third with the fast charging James Welsh just getting the better of Nikos Sandalis. The Mini Twins saw a third win of the year for AFB SV 650 Suzuki man Cameron Corfield, he was kept on his toes right to the flag by Vinny Branch and another fast finisher in the shape of Christopher Sinnanan. Aiden Goodings took the 500 Open class on his Micky G Racing ZXR 400, just holing off Bradley Richman who put himself at a distinct disadvantage by having to start from the pit lane. A spirited ride though the pack saw Richman get within 2 seconds of winner Goodings.
Wiz Sliders Performance of the Meeting.
At every NG round one lucky rider is selected for the Wiz Sliders Performance award. The chosen one gets a special set of one-off sliders made by the Wiz guy's in Somerset.
This meeting it went to Paul Wardell on his Bee Lighting backed SV650, he took three wins in the Mini Twins, setting the fastest lap each time out. He also bounced back to take the final Super Twins race after starting from the rear of the grid due to failing to finish the previous race due to a gear selection problem.
www.wizkneesliders.com... Wiz Sliders are made to be used-and-abused. Ride like you want to win them!
Words : Russ Gardner - NG Road Racing Media Officer
Images : EDP Photo News -
www.edpphoto.co.uk