Croft Circuit offered the inaugural Henderson R1 Cup competitors the chance to familiarise themselves with their brand new Yamaha YZF-R1 race prepared machines on Thursday (20 March).

After months of hard work and careful planning, Rob McElnea proved that it is possible to emulate the hugely successful Virgin Media R6 Cup at the next level. Competition will be fierce as the competitive, cost effective racing package opens the grid to a much wider range of competitors.

Gary Mason has returned from a year racing in AMA and fresh from victory in the Daytona 8-hour Endurance race. He will take to the grid with seasoned BSB regulars Ben Wilson, Jon Kirkham and Marty Nutt. 2007 British Superstock runner-up Adrian Coates is also keen to lift the Championship trophy but stiff competition could well come in the form of the double British Supermoto Champion and road racing rookie, Sam Warren.

The Croft launch allowed the competitors to test the whole Henderson R1 Cup package for the first time. The R1Cup offers a fixed cost, high-level race proposition allowing a full season of competitive racing with no hidden costs. The series is further supported with a massive prize fund in excess of £100,000. Not content with one Champion, the series will offer two chances of title success with the season spilt into a Spring and Autumn Cup but with the added twist of a third overall victor lifting the Henderson R1 Cup Championship trophy for the first time.

Despite the changeable weather conditions all the riders took to the circuit with their new Yamaha R1 machines ahead of the first round at Brands Hatch on April 6. A number of ‘running in’ sessions were completed throughout the day with only one notable incident at the hands of a slightly over exuberant Gary Mason. All riders were very impressed with their bikes and were quick to praise the quality of the new package.

Rob McElnea: "At last we get to see the new Henderson R1 Cup up and running! There has been lots of speculation over the winter months about our new Championship, so it was great to eventually get to show off all our hard work. All my guys and all of our Sponsors have worked like crazy to put this all together and the feeling I got at Croft was very satisfying.
The quality of riders with Mason, Wilson, Kirkham to name a few is really going to push the Championship along at a fantastic pace. Joe Henderson got behind my idea six months ago and now he is getting to see my sales pitch come to life! We are all appreciative of his support and I am sure he and his company (Henderson Insurance) will enjoy a fantastic season. The chance to bring top riders together in a controlled arena like this will prove to be a fantastic show. The fans will get behind this cup and we will prove once again to be a huge part of the British Championships."

Gary Mason: "What a series to come back from America for! I’m keen to get back to racing in the UK despite having a great time and some good success in the US. When I heard about the R1 Cup it was a complete no-brainer for me; no hidden costs and racing that guarantees me the exposure of LIVE prime time television coverage along with the rest of the media interest, I’m definitely up for it. With the amount of prize money up for grabs it could end up being a free season’s racing and some spare change!"

Ben Wilson: "That’s the easy part over and done with, now its time to get down to some real racing. The bike was superb, easy to ride and with plenty of power. I realise it won’t be a walk in the park but I’m not in it for the easy win, it’s got to be competitive to keep me racing at the sharp end."

Sam Warren: "I’m looking forward to this new challenge. I’ve been racing as much as possible at Club level over the past few weeks to get my licence in time. I’m not just here to make up the numbers, this is hopefully the first step for me towards a prosperous career in high level road racing