Luke Helm (SDC Suzuki SV650) arrived at Snetterton 23 points adrift of MRO Minitwin championship leader Dan Couzens (Team V-Speed Suzuki SV650). However, with Couzens’ absent from proceedings, it gave the young rider from Preston an opportunity to over turn Couzens’ advantage ahead of the final round at Brands Hatch.
He started the weekend well, qualifying in second place, ahead of teammate Sam Cox (SDC Suzuki SV650) and Sebastian Kelly (Steve Jordan Suzuki SV650). Charlie King (S&S Panelcraft Suzuki SV650) continued his run of impressive form to take his first pole position.
When the racing began they provided more of the close and exciting action that they have becomes associated with all season. Helm took victory in race one by three hundredths of a second ahead of King, Cox and Anthony Russo (Titan Elevators Suzuki SV650), the four of them split by less than half a second at the flag. The leading group reshuffled constantly, and starting the penultimate lap they dived into turn one three abreast. The dice continued onto the last lap, and Helm held the advantage across the line, but as they hit the back straight they were side by side, with Russo all the time waiting to pounce in fourth.
Out of the Bombhole and King led the way. He held it all the way round Coram, before Helm put a hard move on him at Murrays to take the lead. The win put Helm two points ahead in the championship. It also meant he started on pole for race two, however a huge jump start saw him landed with a 10 second penalty, and, despite crossing the line first, he was relegated to eighth. The win was awarded to Cox with Russo second and King third.
On Sunday King’s hard work and improved form was rewarded with his first race win.In race one the same three of King, Cox and Helm, broke away at the front, joined by Kelly. However Kelly crashed at Riches on the penultimate lap. At the start of the last lap Cox led King with Helm third, before King moved up to the lead through Chapman. Helm went second down the back straight.
As they rounded Coram for the last time Helm had hit the front, but King battled back, and edged the drag race to win by four hundredths of a second. Helm was second with Cox third. Rain fell for the final race, and Cox took the win by over three and a half seconds. A great ride from Alistair Black (Suzuki SV650) saw him take second, ahead of Dan Wright (Suzuki SV650). Helm was sixth and King seventh. Helm leads the championship by 40 points going to Brands Hatch for the final round.
Rob McNealy (McNealy Brown BMW S1000RR) saw his MRO Powerbike championship lead cut to a single point, with just one round remaining. McNealy hit the front on lap two in Saturday’s race, after the initial attempt was red flagged.
He led onto the last lap with MRO Stock 1000 runner Jon Waghorn (JW Smart Services BMW S1000RR) behind him. Waghorn made an ambitious move for the lead at Brundle, and pushed McNealy onto the grass. He remained upright, and finished in fifth. Michael Neeves (BMW Park Lane BMW S1000RR) was third at the time of Waghorn’s move, and crossed the line second and leading Powerbike. Stock 1000 rider Dan Fowler (MG Sear Plant Hire Yamaha R1) was third, while leading Clubman was Byron Beckett (A. Williams Engineering Yamaha R1) in fourth.
McNealy was close to losing the championship lead on Sunday morning. Neeves made a flying start to Sunday’s opener, while at the same time McNealy found himself down in ninth at one point. However red flags were waved after Simon Meadows (Suzuki GSXR1000) and Chris Woollett (Angears Builders Suzuki GSXR1000) crashed at Chapman and Murrays on lap two. In the rerun McNealy got away well at the front, with Neeves slotting into third.
On lap six, however, Neeves started to up his game, setting the fastest lap of the race before moving up to second ahead of Beckett. He began chasing down McNealy, and was right in his wheel tracks on the last lap. However he couldn’t find a way by, and McNealy just edged victory by four hundredths of a second. Beckett was third and leading Clubman and Stock 1000, ahead of Fowler and Waghorn.
A turn in the weather saw the start of the final race delayed, before McNealy crashed on the warm up lap. ith his non-score and Neeves win, the gap in the championship is just one point before Brands Hatch. Waghorn took second and was the leading Stock 1000, ahead of Fowler in third, with leading Clubman Jason Byard (May Construction Kawasaki ZXR 1000). Beckett was sixth but still heads the Stock 1000 championship.
In the MRO Supersport and Stocksport 600s, BSB teammates Josh Wainwright and Jess Trayler joined in the action with the Aye Gee Suzuki team. And it was Wainwright who qualified on pole, with the BMCRC’s Rookie 600 champion Scott Hudson (Yamaha R6) second. Jordan Simpkin (Wheelfit Yamaha R6) was third, ahead of Daniel Fuller (Kawasaki ZXR600). Wainwright took all three race wins over the weekend, Saturday’s ahead of Hudson, who was the leading Clubman, and Stock runner Fuller. Leading Supersport rider was Spencer Casely (Jacasey Racing Yamaha R6).
On Sunday Wainwright took victory from his teammate Trayler in the morning’s race, with Hudson third. Casely was again leading Supersport runner.
In race two on Sunday Lewis Wright (Wheelfit Yamaha R6), put in a great performance to take second, ahead of Trayler, Wainwright again took the win. Hudson was fourth and leading Clubman, with Ed Pead (Suzuki GSXR600) leading Supersport in tenth. In the pickup race from the previous round, Simpkin took the win from Fuller and Hudson.
Michael Smith took three wins out of four over the weekend in the EDI Asia Formula 400s, however Steve Murphy’s win, two seconds, and third, kept him well ahead in the title hunt. Smith (Kawasaki ZXR400) was only denied a clean sweep after crashing out of the lead in Sunday’s opener. Coming round Coram on lap two he tucked the front and slid off onto the grass. Smith’s wins on Saturday came ahead of Murphy (Kawasaki ZXR400) and Welsh (Yamaha FZR400) on both occasions.
His DNF Sunday morning meant Murphy raced to the win ahead of Welsh, with Colin Martin (David Simon Kawasaki ZXR400) third, however Smith returned to winning ways in the afternoon to take his third win, with Martin second and Murphy third. In the race held over from the previous meeting, Smith took the win from Welsh and Murphy.
In the DFDS Seaways Yamaha Past Masters, reigning champion Michael Smith took pole, and followed that up with four race wins, clinching the 2011 title. Pete Fishwick all-but cemented second in the championship with three seconds and a fourth, while Steve King took the other second. He also took two thirds on Sunday, after Graham Higlett took the two thirds Saturday. In the race carried over from Cadwell Park Higlett took his first ever YPM win, ahead of King and Ben Miles in awful weather conditions.
In the MRO Superteens Connor Moody took the win in race one, chased across the line by Max Symonds and Oliver Fitz-Patrick, less than a second covering the three of them. Symonds took the win in race two, with Fitz-Patrick second and Moody third.
On Sunday Symonds took another win, with Fitz-Patrick again second, this time with Luke Harris third. Harris took his first Superteen win in race two on Sunday as the conditions took a turn for the worst, while Symonds took second ahead of Fitz-Patrick. No podiums over the weekend for championship leader Jordan Gilbert saw his advantage over Symonds cut to 15 points.
Reigning champion Andy Saunders managed one win over the weekend in the Freshdrop 250MZs, ahead of twice former champion Chris Rogers, with Giles Spencer third. Rogers managed to secure two wins, them both ahead of Saunders, with Spencer third on both occasions. In the final race Spencer took the win from Nick Murton-Jones and Rogers, while Saunders only managed four laps before dropping out, meaning his championship lead over Rogers going to Brands Hatch is just 14 points.
It was the final round of the Rookie 1000s, and the title went to Gennaro Esposito and his Kawasaki ZXR1000, the margin of victory 17 points ahead of Tim Cripps. Cripps took three wins over the weekend, each ahead of Esposito and John Aitken. The fourth win went to Esposito, ahead of Giles Olley and Cripps, and was enough to seal the championship.
It was also the final round for the Rookie 600s, and with the title already sealed by Hudson, Matt Stone cemented second. The same three riders shared the podium on Saturday, Dan Helyer taking the win from Jed Angles and Stone in race one, before Angles took victory in race two ahead of Stone and Helyer. Angles, Helyer and Stone were the one, two, three on Sunday morning, but Stone ended the season on a high with a race win in the afternoon, ahead of Jay Budgen and Angles.
Newly crowned BMCRC Thunderbike champion James White took victory in race one on Saturday, ahead of Matt Wildee and Sarah Jordan. In race two Rob Eyre took the win from White and Wildee. Sunday and Eyre took another race win in the morning, again from White while Jordan was on the bottom step of the podium. In the afternoon David Wass took the flag ahead of Colin Walkey and White.
For the BMCRC F1 and F2 sidecars there were three dry races, before torrential rain delayed the final race of the weekend. In the dry Mick Bleakley and Heath Lane took a win and two seconds, the other two wins going to Liam Abbott and Chris Judge. Marc and Rik Vannieuwenhuyse were the leading F2 outfit in the three races. In the wet they took the overall win, while the leading F1 pairing was Kevin Cable and Guy Pawsey.
Poor weather also saw one of the four BMCRC Open Class races cancelled. Jon Waghorn took all three wins.
