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MotoGP Silverstone: Clean sweep for Garness in BTC domination

There was no stopping MLav VisionTrack Academy’s Johnny Garness securing a double victory in the Honda British Talent Cup last weekend.

Despite running on the biggest stage of the year, the now 14-year-old from Devon showcased his domination of the class in both races, meeting the flag with impressive advantage to claim the wins by over six seconds on each occasion.

Saturday’s race one showstopper found Garness duelling Rocket Racing’s Rhys Stephenson early doors before pulling away to take the chequered flag nearly eight seconds clear. Stephenson impressed to take second as the only challenger to the number 57 early on, with fellow VisionTrack rider Harley McCabe winning the group fight to complete the podium in third.

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Garness got a good start from pole - a pole that had put him a cool 1.6 seconds clear - and shot off into the lead after lights out. After getting past City Lifting by RS Racing’s Evan Belford, only Stephenson could initially stay in touch with the points leader, slowly reeling him back in over a number of laps. The number 23 also tried his luck at getting past but wasn't able to keep up the challenge as the laps ticked down, eventually forced to settle for a nevertheless impressive second. Garness kept the hammer down, and by the time he rolled round to meet the chequered flag it was 7.946 seconds of clear air behind him as the number 57 took another impressive win.

Behind the leading duo, it was a classic group fight and split by tiny margins over the line. Carter Brown was firmly in the mix as his teammate - and key Cup rival - disappeared at the front, and mere hundredths decided the final place on the podium. Three-wide across the line, it was McCabe who pipped them all to take P3, with Harrison Dessoy (Microlise Cresswell Racing/Eastern Garage Racing) fourth and Brown forced to settle for fifth after leading the battle for much of the final lap.

Lucas Brown (SP125/Amphibian Scaffolding) followed his namesake home for an impressive top six, ahead of Matthew Ruisbroek (Microlise Cresswell Racing) and Sullivan Mounsey (Wilson Racing/J&S Racing) in another tight trio. Completing the top ten, Harrison Crosby (Banks Racing) just beat Clayton Edmunds (MJL Racing) to the line as the two were the last in touch with the freight train, Edmunds having run as high as third earlier in the race.

After the domination of race one, Garness was back for more on Sunday with another impressive victory. In a class of his own all weekend, the number 57 was over six seconds clear at the chequered flag inSunday’s action. The same two riders joined him on the podium too, with Stephenson impressing for another rostrum finish as he and McCabe took second and third, respectively.

Garness got the holeshot once again, ahead of the two podium sitters. Initially, the trio were glued together, and Stephenson was able to take the lead for the latter part of the opening lap - before Garness swept round the outside to lead over the line for the next.

As the race ticked down, the gap only grew. Once into clear air and settled in the lead, Garness was able to pull away and eventually crossed the line 6.618 seconds clear, taking a huge 84-point lead in the standings after a dominant weekend.

Behind him, the Stephenson vs McCabe duel raged on. The two inseparable until the penultimate lap before the number 23 was able to just pull away, McCabe forced to settle for third but both having an incredibly impressive Sunday.

It was a close trio fighting for fourth too, with Mounsey vs Carter Brown vs Dessoy. Mounsey crashed out, however, and Brown was able to pull into some clear air in fourth as Dessoy completed the top five.

Next up Edmunds took another good finish at the head of a close group, beating Lucas Brown, Crosby, Julian Correa (Microlise Cresswell Racing) and Ruisbroek in the top ten - the latter duo split by just hundredths over the line.

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