Helm cuts Minitwin championship lead

Marriage bells are soon to ring for Dan Couzens (Team V-Speed Suzuki SV650), the MRO Minitwin championship leader, and as such he was absent from proceedings this weekend. This gave second in the championship Luke Helm (SDC Suzuki SV650) a chance to significantly cut into Couzens points advantage.

However he could only qualify on the second row, as Seb Kelly (Steve Jordan Suzuki SV650) took pole ahead of Sam Cox (SDC Suzuki SV650), with James Edwards (Go Racing Suzuki SV650) making up the three-wide front row. As the lights went out for the first race of the weekend Helm managed to get away well, and as they sorted themselves out he led the start of lap two.

Teammate Cox chased him in second ahead of Kelly, as the front three put an immediate gap into the rest of the field. The battle was on for the lead, and Kelly bettered the two ahead to get the front starting lap three. Crossing the line he had Helm tucked in his slipstream and the young rider pulled out hit the front at turn one, followed by Cox.

Kelly battled back and got himself back the front to start the fourth lap, which was unfortunately red flagged after Sam Cox went down at the Gooseneck. The win was awarded to Kelly with Helm second. Charlie King (S&S Panelcraft Suzuki SV650) was promoted to third.

Helm started in similar fashion in the second race, and hit the front from the off. Carl Newbigging (Suzuki SV650) made a flying start from seventh on the grid to get up to third. King also made a great start and hit the front on lap two to lead Newbigging and Helm over the mountain.

Newbigging was the setting blistering lap times, and soon hit the front, before gapping the chasing duo. Helm, however, was going backwards, and was fifth starting lap five after being caught by King and Dan Wright (Suzuki SV650).

Come the sixth lap and Newbigging set a lap time two seconds slower than his best, and consequently lost the lead to Kelly, who then set about gapping the young rider from Yaxley. Starting the last lap and Kelly had gapped Newbigging in second, while Helm was in third and looking dangerous.

The two of them were side by side down the back straight, and Helm then went up the inside of Newbigging at Park corner.

The order would remain the same to the line, with Kelly taking the win from Helm and Newbigging.

Helm took another second in Sunday’s opener, his teammate Cox taking the win by just seven hundredths of a second, while Charlie King was only a further half a second back in third.

This all came after the first attempt was red flagged for a crash involving Newbigging.

Newbigging took his only wins of the season so far at Cadwell Park earlier in the year, and was desperate to replicate that form this weekend.

He was fourth starting lap two, before moving up to second in half a lap. Pushing hard he became crossed up over the mountain. Still unsettled, the bike ran straight on into Hall Bends, sending Newbigging headlong into the airfence. He emerged with a broken wrist.

In the final race of the weekend the win still eluded Helm, however another second means the gap to Couzens in the championship is now just 26 points. The final win went again to Cox, with King third.

After wrapping up the BMCRC Rookie 600 title at the last round, Scott Hudson (TK Cope Yamaha R6) did not enter this weekend’s round, in order to focus in the MRO 600 series.

Matthew Stone (Oakley Design Yamaha R6), was looking to get some more wins under his belt after Brands Hatch, and he looked set to do so in race one on Saturday.

The first attempt was red flagged after Giles Olley crashed out.

In the rerun Stone led the way with a significant gap, only to crash out on the last lap.

This allowed Jed Angles (Kawasaki ZXR600) to take his first of two wins, ahead of Jay Budgen (CMS Coachworks Yamaha R6) and Lloyd Sutton Foster (BAH Yamaha R6).

With Stone having to start from the back of the grid in race two, Angles took his second win, this time ahead of Matt Ogden (Yamaha R6), with Sutton Foster again third.

Stone was still in with a chance of taking race wins on Sunday, and he was in contention throughout the day, however he couldn’t find away past Ogden, and it was he who ended up taking the day’s two wins.

Stone did manage two second placed finishes, and Angles managed two thirds.

Stone still managed to increase the gap on Budgen in the championship, and went someway to cementing second.

Gennaro Esposito arrived heading the Rookie 1000s, but had his championship lead cut to just 23 points with only one round to go.

Esposito (Metrolpolis Honda Kawasaki ZXR1000) could only manage four third places over the whole weekend, while Tim Cripps (HM Racing BMW S1000RR) took four second placed finishes, after arriving in second in the championship.

Westley Crozier (Tec-supplies.com BMW S1000RR) took a clean-sweep over the weekend, and cemented his third in the championship with a 100 points haul, however he is too far away to make an impact at the top.

In the EDI Asia Formula 400s Michael Smith (Kawasaki ZXR400) put himself on pole, and followed that up with a race win.

And while Steve Murphy (Kawasaki ZXR400) still looks set to take the title, Smith closed the gap on Richie Welsh (Yamaha FZR400) to just 24 points in the battle for second in the championship, still with two rounds to go.

Smith hit the front on lap four of race one, after Murphy set a lap time two seconds slower than his best to give up the race lead. Smith kept his head down at gapped the championship leader and took the win. Welsh was third.

Murphy recovered to take the win in race two, with Smith second and Welsh again third.

Sunday’s opening race was red flagged twice, before a result was declared. Smith led the way early one before Phil Polden (EDI Asia Kawasaki ZXR400) went down at the Gooseneck. The red flags then came out after Steve Young went down hard coming on the exit of Barn and was stranded in the middle of track.

The restart was then red flagged as Michael Smith clattered into the back of Richie Welsh at Charlie’s.

Smith was second across the line, but Welsh pulled out of the slipstream and went for the inside line.

The two of them barrelled into turn one side by side, Smith determined to make the inside of Charlie’s. Going in way too hot he lost the front, but managed to pick it up, only to run straight into the back of Welsh.

The race was then moved to later in the day, only to be red flagged for a third time for a nasty crash involving Keith Roissetter on his TZR250 on the last lap.

Coming out of Barn he came into contact with another rider. The bike, unsettled, continued to veer right and into the bank on the inside of the track.

The race was red flagged as medics rushed to the scene. While they tended to Roissetter, the rest of the day’s races, bar two, were cancelled.

He was airlifted to Hull hospital.

The race win went to Murphy from Smith and Welsh.

Mark Lister (LCS Yamaha R6) returned in the MRO Supersport and Stocksport races, and despite the involvement of some national 600 runners, Lister gave them a run for their money.

In Saturday’s race Jake Newstead (Tinkler’s Motorcycles Yamaha R6) took the overall win on his Stocksport 600, despite not scoring points in the championship.

Jordan Simpkin (Wheelfit Yamaha R6) led the way early on, but crashed out of the lead at the bottom of the Mountain.

Lister inherited the lead, but lost out to Newstead on lap three. He did manage to stick with him, however could not find a way back past.

He did take the win in the Supersport class.

Ben Grindrod (Motocoat Kawasaki ZXR600) was nine seconds back in third, and second Stock 600,

Peter Hay (Go Racing Yamaha R6) was the leading Clubman in fourth.

On Sunday Lister took the overall win on aggregate times after a red flags when Gav Little (Premier Racing Yamaha R6) and Turner went down.

Second was Rookie 600 champion Scott Hudson (Yamaha R6), who was also leading Clubman, while Dan Fowler (Yamaha R6) was the leading Stock 600 in third.

In the DFDS Seaways Yamaha Past Masters championship leader Michael Smith took all three race wins, all ahead of Pete Fishwick. Steven King took two thirds, with Keith Roissetter taking the other.

Tim Reeves and Gregory Cluze took all three wins in the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecars, with Ben Birchall and Tom Birchall taking three seconds. Scott Lawrie and James Neeve took all three thirds.

In the ACU and FSRA British F2 Sidecars, who were also in action, Simon Neary and Jason Crowe took both wins over the weekend. In race one their win came ahead of Ian Bell and Carl Bell in second, with Carl Fenwick and Mark Sayers third.

Fenwick and Sayers took second in race two, ahead of Gary Bryan and Gary Partridge.

Chris Firmin took all four wins in the Bonhams British Classic Championship, while behind Mike Russell took two seconds and a third, sharing the podium with Luke Notton, who managed three thirds and a second.

Duncan Fitchett took the other second place.

In the BMCRC Open Championship Jake Newstead took two wins on Saturday, with Mark Lister taking the win on Sunday.