For those with knowledge of 1970’s rock music, that would have been the anthem for the two day NG Road Racing meeting at Anglesey, as the opposition waved goodbye to Jonathan Howarth who streaked away at the front and lead every lap of every race that he lined up for.
A feat made all the more impressive as it was his first time on the new ukbiketrackdays.com ZX10 Kawasaki, and also his first time at the 1.55mile Anglesey Coastal circuit, which made things all the more impressive. He spent most of the Friday test day riding round with sponsor and ukbiketrackdays.com instructor and top man Simon O’Donnell learning the lines…… he learnt quickly!
Sheffield based Howarth never put a wheel wrong on his way to victory in Phoenix Open and STP Motorsport Powerbike domination. He was also the only rider all weekend to be able to dip into the 1min 09’s. Roo Cotton on his DTR R1 Yamaha has one of his best weekends since switching to the big Yam finishing runner-up to Howarth on every one of his outings. Cotton made his name on 125 and 250 Yamaha’s and has won titles on both bikes but a move to fourstrokes a couple of years ago has seen him adapt and refine his style and now sits within striking distance of lifting both Superbike titles. Only the absent Phil Bevan (…. they booked the family holiday before the 2011 dates were announced !!!) can stop him.
As Howarth and Cotton made P1 and P2 there own all weekend the battle for the third place points was much more of a frantic affair. Superfast Newcomer Christopher Lacey, Chris Pope, Duncan Gibson, Darren Rumley, and Adrian Shaw all taking turns at a shot at the final podium step as the quintet scrapped it out all weekend. Adrian Shaw was making his racing return on a new R1 after over 12 months out of the saddle, and was overjoyed to see that he had lost none of the pace that saw him race for championship victories back in ’09. He should be a force to be reckoned with next time out at Pembrey, before a season long campaign in 2012.
Anglesey in August can be a strange place, with the little island capable of huge extremes in weather, this meeting though saw great weather, albeit a little on the windy side (25mph gusts at times), but for Anglesey that is what you call a result. A barometer (….pardon the pun!) of track conditions is always lap times and this weekend saw new figures set in no less than eight classes. Ant Hodson (250 GP ACU)… Daniel Jackson (450 Open)… Matthew Andrew (GP45 – Single)… Chris Harrison (GP45 – Twin)… Wayne Axon (Mini Twin Newcomer)… Christopher Lacey (Open Newcomer)… Sam Middlemas (Thunder) and Liam Abbott /Chris Judge on the Sidecar all bettered the existing class records.
Jason Oakes was a picture of controlled aggression on his Seton Tuning R6 Yamaha in the Air Racing 600 Open. He took maximum points over the weekend with a hard fought victory over Sam Middlemas on Saturday after the pair swapped the lead 5 times in the last two laps which included a very tough-but-fair pass on the last lap through the Corkscrew which had Middlemas smarting for hours afterwards. Oakes put his performance down to a switch to previously unused Pirelli tyres, which he says, gained his half a second per lap.
Saturday saw Gary Lucitt take a well deserved third ahead of Chris Beverley and Ben Cole who was having his first NG outing on his 675 after he lends the bike to Tom Llewellyn for the Manx GP. Cole saw shocked and surprised to have taken a fine 5th in such quick company. The Oakes v Middlemas on Sunday didn’t materialise after Middlemas made a fatal mistake at Rocket dumping his 675 on the track half way round lap 1 of the final and splitting the leading pack. Oakes took the win from Chris Beverley who tried to ride the race defensively after it was apparent he was not able to go with Oakes. It was only after the race that he became aware that in fact there was no one behind him courtesy of Middlemas. Lucitt took another fine third.
Matt page took another pair of dominant victories over Ben Marsden in the Performance Red Mini Twins. Page has now taken six wins in a row, but is still playing catch-up to series leader Marsden….. Mardsen is smart, and well aware that as long as he finishes just behind Page then he cannot mathematically be caught with just 3 rounds left this year. Marsden is in the enviable position of not only leading the Mini Twins on his SV but having already secured the ukbiketrackdays.com 400 Streetstock. With 6 wins and a 100+ points lead with just 75 more up for grabs he sat out Sundays race after taking runner up spot behind Benedict Ireland on Saturday. Sundays win went to Steve Hutchins on his wife’s Raceways RVF (after she crashed the bike on Saturday!) it was a race to forget for Ireland as his bike failed to start and was wheeled off the line after the warm up lap.
Young Aaron Maxfield took a fine double win in the Steve Lynham F125 on his RS125 Aprilia finishing nigh on 30 seconds clear each time. More double wins went the was of Matthew Andrew, along with the new class lap record in the Pirelli UK GP45 Singles on his Webbs and Co/Ultiscan RMZ Suzuki and Chris Harrison who similarly too new lap figures on the SVX Aprilia in the Pirelli GP45 Twins series. Both GP45 class winners have secured their championships with three rounds still to go.
Matthew Billington was another double race winner gaining a maximum points haul on his My Gosh Photography 675 (check out their mini films on You Tube….very arty and impressive) in the Metzeler DTR 700 Streetstock. Dean Richards and Adam Grosh followed him home on both occasions.
Daniel Jackson made in seven wins from nine starts in the gofasterbits.co.uk 450cc Open with another pair on the Team Sigie TZ250 as he headed home Chris Harrison on Saturday and Bradley Hughes on Sunday.
In a weekend that featured a number of classes seeing double winners Ben Cole also obliged on his NG return to the A and R Racing F400 class on his ZXR 400. Now back to full fitness after breaking his hand at Cadwell Park back in April, he pushed series leader Shannon Hales back into runner up spots both days. Although Shannon has an eye on the year-long championship and was wary about chasing down Cole. Both races saw hectic races for the third spot on the podium with Alistair Rowland-Rouse, Max Alexandre, Ben Mardsen (…. Yes him again, on his third different bike of the meeting) and Ben Ireland rarely separated by more than a bike length in a class that never fails to entertain.
Gary Johnson took his first win of the year in the Metzeler DTR 1300 Streetstock on the Team Mixed Grill (….don’t ask !) GSXR 1000 as he kept his head after front runners Tom Louth and Simon O’Donnell collided in spectacular style at Rocket In. Louth returned on Sunday with the Mark Cramer R1 to restore the form-book and take the win from Johnson and Phil Evans who was having a troubled weekend on his CBR Honda. Louth now leads the point’s table for the first time this year.
The NG Road Racing Pre injection Pre 2001 MPH Bikes series also runs alongside the Streetstock on the grid and that Louth/O’Donnell pile up also claimed Phil Hacker who was leading his class on the 1984 FJ1100. That left the way open for Adam Jeffery to take the maximum on Saturday, a feat that he never thought would happen as just seven days previous he way lying in a hospital bed having suffered an embolism. Hacker returned to winning ways on his favourite Anglesey circuit with Jeffery happy to chase his through to second on his 2000 spec R1…… I’m not sure that three days is exactly what the NHS meant by “…. Convalescing and take it easy for a while” !
Darren Jones on the Bryn Taff RS125 and Bradley Hughes took a win apiece in the NG Road Racing 125GP. Bradley was using the weekend a no-pressure testing and confidence building meeting after having a few issues in his recent BSB outings. It seemed to work as by the end of Sunday afternoon. The whole Team Brad H Racing outfit had smiles on their faces…. even Brad’s father who spent over four hours fettling the RS on Saturday night after the little Honda seized, as 14 year old Bradley took the win on Sunday afternoon celebrating with typical Bradley style.
Sam Middlemas worked hard for his points in the Performance Red Sound of Thunder aboard his 675 Triumph. He headed home nearest championship rival Paul Willis with his KTM both days with Darren Rumley having his best ever race meeting with a pair of podiums behind the top two. The results just do not tell the story of two very hectic races though. Saturday saw Middlemas miss the warm up lap, and had to start from the rear of the grid. He fought his way through passing one rival after another until he eventually got the better of race leader Duncan Gibson on his 1098 JHP/AFB Ducati with two laps to go.
Gibson upped the pace to respond to Middlemas’ attention but the extra pace saw Gibson loose the front end at turn one and fail to score after doing all the hard work. Sunday had a rejuvenated Paul Willis, now with his KTM gearbox maladies remedied take the lead with pressure from Middlemas. Gibson after not the best start gradually caught to front two, and then wasted no time in sweeping down through his favourite Church corner to take second. One lap later though at said Church corner he pushed too hard, and again ended up throwing his 1098 into the welsh scenery, again with no points to show for all his hard work.
Liam Abbot and Chris Judge had a faultless weekend with two fine wins and a new lap record in the CSC Racing Open Sidecar class with their Lawson Road Planning LCR R1. On both occasions they headed home Paul Corfield and Ritchie Bleakley who are on a real roll in the second half on the season. Despite Current series leaders grabbing just one podium this weekend Rupert Archer and Jason Grimes still extended their points lead at the top of the table. Miles Benett with Julie Hanks in the chair after regular chair-man Kevin Perry broke his leg in the Isle of Man had a maximum 50 points come their way after two convincing wins. Bennett on the Mad Cow 600 Shellborne Honda now leads the series after rivals Ralph Remnant/Ashley Moore’s Kawasaki failed on the warm up lap for Sundays race.
Garry Lucitt continued his comeback from injury with a fine win in the April UK Open Newcomers on his Flying Dragons GSXR600 to close to gap down to series front men Tom Louth and Philip Evans. Sam Edwards dominated the April UK up to 500cc newcomers lapping every one of his rivals and Wayne Axon heads off to the Manx GP with a win in the Mini Twins Newcomers under his belt
With this meeting also hosting rounds of the FSRA F350 and Post Classic sidecars series it was form book all the way for F350 top crew with a pair of wins on the Maple Signs TZ350 and win each for Dave Cheesmond/Andrew Taylor and Merv Noble/Keith Brotherton. The Post Classics through saw two wins each for the top two pairings with Stuart Mellor/Mick Fairhurst and Pat Gallagher/Sean Rooney. Gallagher though still has a strong series lead of over 100 points, but there is still time for Mellor to respond with eight rounds still to go.
So at the end of a great weekend it was just left to the judging panel to decide the winner of the 25 litre can of race fuel for the Vital Equipment Carless Fuels Performance of the Day. One name came to the fore, and that was Darren Rumley, who had his best ever race meeting on his Double D Racing KTM RC8 grabbing his first ever podiums in the Sound of Thunder, as well as qualifying on the from row for the Phoenix Open. The Interior Designer from Stroud has previously raced off road in Endurance and on Quads but this weekend he showed he has what it takes to challenge for top honours on track.
