Team Haribo Starmix’s Johnny Blackshaw and Jack Groves continued with their 2009 season in the Metzeler Racetec National Superstock 600 championship at the Scottish circuit of Knockhill this weekend after professionally and successfully finding the positives in what has been a disruptive season so far the team.
Following the departure of original rider Liam Lyon, Jack Groves joined the team alongside teammate Johnny Blackshaw his second year with the team, which is how long the team has been in existence.  The team was formed by co-owners Derek Sanders and James Jackson to give opportunity to young riders to race.
 
With the amount that the majority of teams require from a rider to join means that most young kids don’t stand much of a chance getting off the ground.  This was experienced first hand when both team owners were successfully building the career of Guy Sanders, Derek’s son, who was tragically killed in 2007.
Jackson said: “It’s truly about the rider and their future whoever they are with. We charge the minimum possible for a rider to join the team and last year both Derek [Sanders] and I put our own money in, which is still invested in the team even now.  We try to have a roll on affect with the riders.”
“A rider comes in, we help them develop and then as they progress a year later we take on another rookie.  As a team we also involve riders in the mechanics side of things so not only do they ride on track they understand the setting of the bike and what is going on, but also for them when they move on to another team they wont’ feel out of their depth.”
Talking about Groves, Sanders said: “Last year we wanted to take on Jack [Groves] as a third rider, but we couldn’t find the infrastructure.  Also as everybody knows we want to help up and coming riders, but we only take on riders who are also achieving and aiming for something academically to.  Last year Jack wasn’t, but he is now.”
“He is training to be a personal training and we’ve seen proof of that and it is going really well.  He’s had no winter testing and hasn’t ridden since October last year at Brands Hatch.  He has performed fantastically, we are very happy and he has fitted into the team and what he’s doing is great,” Jackson proudly added.
Groves usually running his own family team and since joining the team at the fourth round at Thruxton he has already scored twenty points including two top ten’s at Knockhill.  Groves said:  “It’s a good change to be in a team that listens.  The team is great, it’s so much better and it is good having a team mate.  Me and Johnny get on well, he’s different to me, he gets really serious before a race, but I am not aggressive enough in the race.”
“The bike is different to mine, it turns and has more power.  The championship is tougher than last year, so close.  I felt good on it straight away, I just got on it.  I am getting better, I’ve not had a lot of testing.  Each round so far I have gone up a row in qualifying.  This season I am aiming for a top ten, well, as close to a podium as possible.”
Blackshaw looked set for a good season with him taking fourth at the season’s opening round.  It all turned against him at Oulton following a 132mph crash in qualifying which he amazingly walked away from, but this put him in the shoot out race.  His bad luck continued after high siding and suffering what was later diagnosed as a compression fracture in the shoulder. Unfortunately due to pain he was unable to qualify.
Blackshaw said: “I am glad to be returning to the team.  My season starts now, I am not fully fit, but much stronger.  I have had to learn different riding techniques because of my arm and have learnt to use my body much more.  This has helped with my arm pump and it was easier to move around, but now my arm is getting stronger.”
“It’s been frustrating and I’ve had to bite my tongue as I would like to be higher.  I am changing my headset, I make up about ten places in a race, but I need to improve my qualifying.  I tend to warm up and by the second qualifying I change, I need to be like that from the start.  The championship is much faster and has a lot more depth.”
Blackshaw has only scored at one round so far, but he has made the most out of his situation and is still determined as ever, all look forward to him returning to full fitness and scoring points.  Blackshaw finished 17th in the second race, his highest non finishing result so far showing positive signs hes returning to the points.  The team now have a month off until their next round at Brands Hatch at the start of august.